A political journalist’s side project helping friends find cheap flights turned into a global business earning over a million dollars a year.
Challenge
Scott K. spent years working as a political reporter in Washington, D.C.—a job filled with long hours, constant travel, and modest pay. While his work was rewarding, it didn’t leave much room for adventure on his own terms. But Scott had one hobby that fueled him: finding unbelievably cheap flights.
Over time, he became so skilled at uncovering airfare deals that friends constantly asked him for help. Eventually, he found himself forwarding the same messages to dozens of people. That’s when a thought struck him: what if I just made an email list?
Action
Scott set up a simple mailing list called Scott’s Cheap Flights to share low-cost airfare alerts with his friends. It wasn’t a business—just a helpful side project. For a while, only a few hundred people subscribed.
Then one viral moment changed everything. A journalist at Business Insider featured Scott’s story after seeing one of his Facebook posts about an around-the-world trip he’d booked using airline miles. Overnight, his modest list of 300 grew to 5,000 subscribers.
As the list expanded, Scott began paying out of pocket to keep it running. That’s when he decided to introduce a premium membership, giving paying subscribers earlier access to deals and personalized alerts. It was a small experiment that turned into something massive.
Result
Within two years, Scott’s Cheap Flights had grown to over 275,000 subscribers. The paid membership program generated more than $960,000 in revenue in a single year, officially turning his small side project into a million-dollar business.
Scott hired a team, refined his systems, and built a thriving community of travelers who now rely on his daily deals to explore the world for less.
Lesson
Scott’s success came from doing something he genuinely loved—and sharing it freely before ever thinking about profit. His story is proof that passion paired with consistency can evolve into something extraordinary.
When you create value for others, opportunities often find their way back to you—sometimes in ways you’d never expect.
Inspired by a true story originally featured on Side Hustle School by Chris Guillebeau. This rewritten version is independently produced and fully original.