One Mile at a Time [OMaaT] discussions [merged]
#3526
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Exile
Posts: 15,653
There's this perception of Lucky as some sort of self-made genius, when in reality he started life with huge advantages, then chose to marry into an even higher echelon. Which is fine, God knows I wish my parents had been better off or that I could bag a ....able rich dude, but I don't think he deserves as much credit as he gets, certainly not with the crap he's been posting the past couple years.
You don't have to like him, nor his blog, nor his ethics or lifestyle, nor anything else he may do. But that doesn't change the fact that he has built and is running a relatively successful business right now.
#3527
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: FIND ME ON TWITTER FOR THE LATEST
Posts: 27,730
With all due respect to yourself and whatever achievements you may have had, Ben took what was his hobby and found a way to leverage it into a career despite pretty much everyone else around him telling him it wouldn't work or wouldn't be sustainable. That is creditworthy regardless what advantages he may have started off with, the most beneficial of which is probably supportive parents who encouraged him to pursue his dreams. By his own admission (privately at least, although I'm sure he's said similar in public), the blog is just the PR machine for his PointsPro business that generates the bulk of his income. He's obviously making enough money now to support himself out of miles and points related business activity, so more power to him for succeeding in that endeavour. There are plenty of people who started with even "huger" advantages and made a mess of them, so credit where credit due.
You don't have to like him, nor his blog, nor his ethics or lifestyle, nor anything else he may do. But that doesn't change the fact that he has built and is running a relatively successful business right now.
You don't have to like him, nor his blog, nor his ethics or lifestyle, nor anything else he may do. But that doesn't change the fact that he has built and is running a relatively successful business right now.
#3528
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: London
Programs: BA, VS, HH, IHG, MB, MR
Posts: 26,870
$100k? Doddle. You don't need credit card links for that. Ben will get more than that from points.com alone just from his articles on buying points (I base that on grossing up what they pay me by his far greater readership).
Last edited by Raffles; May 1, 2018 at 6:42 am
#3529
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Look up - On a ✈ DELTA ✈ jet NOW!
Programs: Blogger & Delta Diamond Medallion Million Miler
Posts: 4,174
#3530
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: CLE
Programs: UA GS+LT UC, AA EXP+LT PLT, Fairmont LT PLT, Marriott PLT, Hilton DIA, Hyatt Glob, Avis CHM
Posts: 4,669
With all due respect to yourself and whatever achievements you may have had, Ben took what was his hobby and found a way to leverage it into a career despite pretty much everyone else around him telling him it wouldn't work or wouldn't be sustainable. That is creditworthy regardless what advantages he may have started off with, the most beneficial of which is probably supportive parents who encouraged him to pursue his dreams. By his own admission (privately at least, although I'm sure he's said similar in public), the blog is just the PR machine for his PointsPro business that generates the bulk of his income. He's obviously making enough money now to support himself out of miles and points related business activity, so more power to him for succeeding in that endeavour. There are plenty of people who started with even "huger" advantages and made a mess of them, so credit where credit due.
You don't have to like him, nor his blog, nor his ethics or lifestyle, nor anything else he may do. But that doesn't change the fact that he has built and is running a relatively successful business right now.
You don't have to like him, nor his blog, nor his ethics or lifestyle, nor anything else he may do. But that doesn't change the fact that he has built and is running a relatively successful business right now.
i question the strategy of adding writers that dilute the brand, but that's a minor quibble.
But this part is laughably false:
The real money all comes from the big banks. The rest is gravy.
#3533
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Programs: Airline Free Agent, Fairmont Lifetime Platinum, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Honors Diamond
Posts: 3,041
Hey guys, remember the TV ad "When EF Hutton speaks, you should listen". This does not mean you should listen to a now part time blogger Or ever!
#3534
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 3,737
It could have been his plan B if he wanted to stop writing the blog (before he hired other writers). Also, early on in his blog if I remember correctly this is how he obtained most of his miles/points that he traveled on. By booking other clients award tickets and putting their taxes and fees on his business card. Seems like his booking service is rather healthy from what I've heard.
#3535
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: CLE
Programs: UA GS+LT UC, AA EXP+LT PLT, Fairmont LT PLT, Marriott PLT, Hilton DIA, Hyatt Glob, Avis CHM
Posts: 4,669
It could have been his plan B if he wanted to stop writing the blog (before he hired other writers). Also, early on in his blog if I remember correctly this is how he obtained most of his miles/points that he traveled on. By booking other clients award tickets and putting their taxes and fees on his business card. Seems like his booking service is rather healthy from what I've heard.
#3536
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Upper Sternistan
Posts: 10,026
He took my credit card info and paid the fees that way. I suppose if you didn't trust him with your cc number, he'd have another option, but he wasn't pushing to charge it on his own card and get reimbursed at all. In fact, that's a bit of an accounting (and potentially, tax) headache.
#3538
Moderator: Lufthansa Miles & More, India based airlines, India, External Miles & Points Resources
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: MUC
Programs: LH SEN
Posts: 48,123
14 posts detailling the intricacies of earning big $$$ by blogging about miles and travel have been moved here:
The points and miles blog business model
Regards Oliver2002
Mod EM&PR
The points and miles blog business model
Regards Oliver2002
Mod EM&PR
#3540
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Austin, Texas
Programs: Airline nobody. Sad!
Posts: 26,062