In this week’s episode of the Niche Pursuits podcast, Tim Stoddart and I discuss what happened after selling the business and how he thinks about directories today. Tim also shares why the best online opportunities come from a combination of media, services and lead generation.
Tim has a way of making business feel less abstract. It starts with selling Stodzy, moves on to what Tim is building now, and then gets down to one of his favorite topics: catalogs. Learn what made Tim’s agency marketable, why he’s now focused on Quantum Leads and healthcare AI, and how directories can become part of a larger lead generation system.
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The story behind Tim’s Stodzy performance
One of the most useful parts of the conversation is about Tim’s exit from Stodzy, the marketing agency he founded and later sold. Selling an agency is not as simple as finding a buyer and signing the papers. Tim explained that a business should be built in a way that gives the buyer confidence.
Quantum Leads helps businesses generate more leads. This aligns closely with Tim’s long-standing interest in SEO, content, directories and customer acquisition. All of the new initiatives seem to be linked to one clear theme:
- Build attention-grabbing assets
- Turn that focus into a lead
- Use these leads to generate income
- Keep the model simple enough to replicate
This topic came up again when Tim talked about directories. He doesn’t see them as isolated websites that only make money from ads or affiliate links. He sees them as part of a larger business machine.
How Directorly.app came from Tim’s Directory Work
One of Tim’s new projects is Directorly.app, a tool he created with his friend Chase (Poirier) to make building directories faster and easier. This project came directly from Tim’s experience building directory sites.
In the past, creating a folder often meant dealing with messy spreadsheets, database imports, technical errors, and time-consuming setup. Directorly.app is designed to remove much of this friction.
For Tim, the fun isn’t just in the program itself. It’s also about using the tool to build their own catalogs in healthcare niches, where he still sees many of the same opportunities he discussed in his first Niche Pursuits interview.
Several things make the project a natural fit for Tim’s larger strategy:
- This supports his continued interest in catalogs
- This helps creators move faster on catalog ideas
- This is due to his health-focused catalog business
- This reinforces the idea that directories can become lead generation assets
During the interview, Tim said the product was making about $2,000 a month. He also said that Directorly.app has been one of the most fun projects he has worked on recently.
Why Tim Simplifies Around Healthcare and AI
After touring several projects, Tim made it clear that Quantum Leads was where his focus was the most. He also shared that he sold 70% of Copyblogger to his longtime partner, Darrell Westerfelt, who now runs it.
The move fits a larger theme in Tim’s current season: simplification. In the past six months, Tim said, he’s streamlined almost every part of his job. This includes his team, projects, personal brand and the markets he wants to serve.
His focus is now on healthcare and the intersection of AI and operations. Several areas converge in this focus:
- Quantum Leads is his primary agency
- Its catalogs are moving towards healthcare niches
- His AI work is related to healthcare operations
- His personal brand is moving towards the same category
This focus is important because Tim doesn’t treat AI as a shortcut that eliminates the need for work. He sees it more as an operational tool that can help healthcare companies address confusing systems, paperwork, departmental silos, communication gaps and repetitive processes.
According to him, artificial intelligence cannot eliminate work. It can create more systems, more workflows, and more decisions for people to manage.
That’s why healthcare is interesting for him. Industry offers many opportunities to develop high-value services, complex operations, and better systems that create meaningful business value.
For Tim, it’s less about chasing another trend. It’s about aligning his agency experience, healthcare experience, catalog strategy and AI interests into a single, focused direction.
Life After a Big Entrepreneurial Win
One of the most interesting parts of the episode wasn’t about tactics. It was about what was going on in the founder’s mind after the sale. When you sell a company, you can gain freedom and capital. At the same time, you lose the structure that shapes your days, your goals, and your sense of progress.
Tim spoke after the talk about needing to rediscover his drive. This is a side of entrepreneurship that people don’t always discuss. During the conversation, there were several changes of mind:
- After exiting, money may not be the only motivator
- A founder may need a new challenge to reengage
- The next job may be different from the previous one
- Personality can be more attached to the company than expected
This part of the interview adds depth to the business advice. It reminds us that selling a company isn’t always a clean finish line. It can also be the beginning of a new season that calls for fresh clarity.
Tim’s Directory Strategy
The big question was simple: do directories still work? Tim’s answer was yes, with an important caveat. The old version of the directory, where someone posted a list of companies and expected traffic, is not the exact model that he is interested in now.
He sees catalogs as part of a larger offering. This means that a directory can still be valuable if it does at least a few things well:
- It constitutes a certain market
- It helps people compare options
- Attracts search traffic around purchase intent
- This creates potential for companies that want customers
- It builds authority in a narrow niche
Tim also talked about structure. The directory still needs clear categories, useful pages, and a layout that makes sense to users. The domain name is also important, if not the whole game. A good name can help with trust and positioning, but the business model behind the site is more important.
The Three-Part Business System
The most useful catalog idea from the episode was Tim’s three-part system. Instead of creating a single directory, he spoke of a merger:
- A directory
- A service offer
- A media asset such as a newsletter
This combination creates more ways to win. A catalog can attract people looking for solutions. A service offering can monetize directly from demand. A media asset can retain attention over time and convert one-time visitors into repeat audiences.
This is where the directory is more than just a content site. It can become an engine for relationships, deal flow and service revenue.
For example, a directory may list service providers in a niche. The owner can then use the site to collect leads, publish useful content, build an email list, and offer related services to the same market.
Each part supports the others. Creates directory search visibility. A newsletter builds trust. The service turns that trust into revenue.
Examples of opportunities
Tim also shared a specific example from a call that shows how this model can create opportunities. It wasn’t just about the directory being able to rank in search. The bigger point was that focused online can open doors to active conversations, partnerships and client engagements.
This is one reason why Tim’s approach feels different from just building a niche site. He thinks about what the asset can lead to. A directory can help identify:
- Who are the buyers?
- Who are the sellers?
- Where there are gaps
- What services are people already paying for?
- Which companies need more leads?
This is a powerful way to look at a niche. Only “can he get into this degree?” instead of asking the question. a better question is, “Can it create business opportunities?”
Tim’s Review of Directory Niches
Tim shared a specific directory location that he thought showed promise. The logic behind the idea was more important than the niche itself. A good directory site usually has a clear demand and segmented market.
This means that people are looking for providers, and those providers want more customers. A directory is more likely to be useful when both parties have a reason to care. A promising directory niche often has:
- Many providers
- Clarify the buyer’s intent
- Local or category based searches
- High value leads
- Poorly organized available information
- Businesses willing to pay for visibility or leads
That’s why directories can still work in the right markets. They solve the problem of discovery. Someone needs help finding a provider. The catalog facilitates this search.
Why Is Lead Quality More Important Than Traffic Alone?
Quantum Leads closely aligns with this mindset. Lead generation isn’t new, and Tim doesn’t treat it like some trendy idea. It taps into an ongoing business need: companies want more qualified prospects.
This is why the directory model and the agency model can work together. A catalog can generate demand. An agency can help monetize or service this demand. Meanwhile, a newsletter can keep relationships alive.
This structure gives Tim multiple avenues for income. It can create owned assets, serve customers, and collect market feedback from the same ecosystem. Each part gives him more information about what buyers want and what companies are willing to pay.
A bigger package for online business builders
This chat is especially useful for people with service skills, SEO experience, or an interest in niche websites. The main lesson is that not everyone should create a directory. Simple online assets can be more valuable when combined with a clear business model.
A few points are worth taking seriously:
- Build with the buyer or customer in mind
- Don’t just rely on traffic
- Think about leaders early
- Add media when trust is important
- Use services to monetize demand faster
- Keep operations clean from the start
Tim’s departure from Stodzy also adds an important reminder. If you want a business to be worth more than your workload, build it that way from the start.
Systems, finance and team structure are important. They may not be excited during the day. They can make a big difference when it’s time to sell, grow, or move away.
Final Thoughts
This episode with Tim Stoddart covers a lot: selling an agency, finding a new sense of direction after an exit, creating Quantum Leads, and rethinking directories for today’s online business environment.
The strongest point is that directories should not be viewed as standalone websites. They can be more useful when connected to services and media. This three-part model gives entrepreneurs a clearer way to think about opportunities. A directory can organize a market. A newsletter can build trust. Service can turn focus into revenue.
Tim’s story also shows that business success comes with personal questions. Selling Stodzy gave him a big win and made him think about what he wanted to do next.
For anyone involved in online building, this talk is a reminder to create assets that serve a clear market, generate leads, and have value beyond the founder’s day-to-day effort.
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