In this episode, Kent Auslander, co-founder of Hot Route Tips, a Madden Football website that sells expert tips and e-books, discusses developing his passion for gaming into a business, maintaining product authenticity in their niche, monetizing a YouTube channel, rigorously updating a knowledge product, how the business nearly derailed in the second month, how he leverages his audience for marketing, choosing promotional partners very carefully, and their future plans.  

Episode introduction with Kyle and Jason  

The origin story of Hot Route Tips, how Kent got into Madden, and his early monetization strategies   

The freakout video and how it impacted Kent early on 

How Kent and Throne partnered and the process behind creating the ebooks 

The variability in Madden and the customer service with an audience with a wide age range   

Seasonality with Madden content sales and how the pandemic impacted sales 

The growth of the gaming industry over the years and how they acquire customers    

The different ways that Hot Route Tips is monetized and the point that Kent realized that is was sustainable   

The work-life balance of working in a time sensitive industry and the importance of social interaction  

Growth strategies, goals, and outsourcing for Hot Route Tips 

The tool or service that Hot Route Tips can’t live without  

One thing that Kent would change about the business or the ebooks  

Where you can find Kent and Hot Route Tips online