After freelance writing for nearly a decade, Atlanta-based Kate Kordsmeier created Root + Revel, a holistic wellness website, in 2015.
“I started my blog thinking that I had found my last career and that I would never want to do anything else again,” she said. “I had no intention of selling it.”
Self-funded, Root + Revel grew through SEO and email and affiliate marketing — “a marathon, not a sprint,” Kordsmeier described.
She largely published recipes as well as health and wellness content through a natural and eco-friendly lens. Her most profitable article was about organic meat delivery.
But after about four years, Kordsmeier said her mindset began to shift. The new mom was itching to build a business that required even less attention. Plus, she’d grown bored, she admitted on her podcast Success with Soul, and her views of health and wellness had evolved, which were no longer aligned with the site’s highest-earning articles.
“I wasn’t energized anymore,” she wrote in a blog post. “I looked at the blog and recognized that I’d said what I had to say.” By then, the site had about 10,000 email subscribers and saw up to 200,000 pageviews per month.
Initially, Kordsmeier thought she had two options: stick it out or shut it down. But then someone in a mastermind group suggested she sell.
“That was the first time I even considered that option, but from there I pursued the idea,” she said.
Digging into the acquisition of Root + Revel
When Kordsmeier initially tried to sell Root + Revel, she forged out on her own — without a broker. But several quiet months passed with no offers.
“During this time, it was challenging to know if I should keep putting effort into producing content and maintaining the blog even though my heart wasn’t in it anymore, and I was putting most of my energy into trying to sell it,” she said.
As a result, revenue began to decline.
That’s when she reached out to Chelsea Clarke, the founder of BlogsForSale.co, a vetted marketplace for selling and buying content sites. Clarke has sold over $2 million worth of websites, according to her website.
Upon connecting, Clarke told Kordsmeier she’d sold websites for as little as $2,000. That’s when Kordsmeier realized selling a website could be a valid exit for anyone.
“If you’ve put the work in to build something, you never know who out there would like to continue to build off the foundation that you laid,” Kordsmeier said.
Through Blogs For Sale, Kordsmeier found Sarah Ware, a registered dietitian who purchased Root + Revel in December 2021. She sold for 6 figures, but couldn’t be more specific about the sale price. The site had brought in $700,000 in lifetime revenue at sale.
But just because Kordsmeier felt ready to sell, that didn’t make the process any easier. She was surprised by how emotional she felt about the transition.
“Eventually, I was able to let go of the unknown of what would come of Root + Revel, trusted myself that I was making the best choice, and let go,” she said.
Kordsmeier profited 70% of the sale price after a percentage went to the marketplace and she paid a flat fee to her lawyer.
While she still owned Root + Revel, Kordsmeier launched a coaching program for those who want to build profitable online businesses, which has since become the Success With Soul Incubator. She uses her success with Root + Revel to inspire and support others.
