Ypulse Interview: Chloe Spencer, Founder, NeopetsFanatic.com
Posted by anastasia on 08-04-2008
Chloe Spencer joined us on this year's Totally Wired Youth Entrepreneur panel at the Ypulse National Mashup to share her experience as the founder of NeopetsFanatic.com, a popular Neopets "cheat" site. I'm sure having a dad who is a SEO expert hasn't hurt her enviable revenue stream from Google ads! Chloe is definitely a rising star in the teen blogosphere and is expanding her mini-empire to include quizzes. I had a chance to do a short email interview with Chloe about NeopetsFanatic.com and what's next for this 17-year-old entrepreneur…
Ypulse: Why did you start NeopetsFanatic.com?
Chloe Spencer: I started NeopetsFanatic after hearing from my dad all about Google AdSense and how it works, and putting two and two together with my obsession with Neopets.com and my everlasting search for cheats and tips for Neopets. So I made my own Neopets Cheats site with the goal of making money with it.
YP: When did you realize it was a business and what has changed about how manage the site since that time?
CS: When I first launched it and began to make a little money I was excited but I never thought of it as a business or something that would have much influence on my life. Only after speaking at my first conference, BlogHer '07, and my AdSense earnings sky-rocketing after it, did I realize that my website was a major asset for me, being only 16 and it making me over $1000 a month. Now I'm used to my monthly AdSense check, and I want more. I'm ready to build my business and create more assets. I don't blog on NeopetsFanatic as much as I should, but I plan to hire other younger "Neopets fanatics" and let them take over the blogging and maintenance of my website content.
YP: How are you building your own personal brand, i.e. Chloe Spencer?
CS: Mainly by speaking at more conferences, blogging, and going after press opportunities. After attending my first BlogHer conference I felt inspired to start my own personal blog, but it turned out differently than I thought. ChloeSpencer.com became more of an update on all my press that I'm very proud of. :) But then again, I do occasionally give my readers a little insight into what I'm looking forward to business-wise, and upcoming conferences. But "Chloe Spencer" is definitely not a brand yet *laughs*, maybe someday. :)
YP: What kind of feedback have tweens and teens given you about your site?
CS: Kids actually give very good feedback – they're honest and will straight-up tell you what they'd like to see on the site. I was surprised by all the feedback I got after launching the site and along its rise to fame. Tweens and teens love to give feedback online. They appreciate anywhere where they can freely give their opinion, either good or bad, and not get shot down for it. That's the great thing about the net. Feedback ranges from what they'd like to see updated or uploaded, to comments of encouragement and appreciation, to hate-mail, to fan-mail, to just plain pleas to be noticed.
YP: What's next for you and for your business?
CS: Coming up next for me is hopefully more sites and more success stories :) I plan to finish QuizFanatic and take it further, and then launch another site about the "next big thing" during its rise – like what MySpace was four years ago. But I'm still trying to figure out what that's going to be :) *laughs*. I'm also very interested in film, and hope to one day become a world famous director. I plan to jump-start my career by making small movies throughout my high school years and then air them on YouTube. In two years I'll be done with high school and I'll go on to film school in California. So there's lots to come for me; opportunities, choices, paths to take, who knows. And I'm just going to take them one step at a time and hopefully get to where I dream to be.
Categorized under: Tweens, Web
