2 Million Monthly Readers & Millions in Revenue: Scott Purcell

This is an interview with Scott Purcell of Man of Many.

Hey, Scott. Tell us a bit about yourself and what you do.

I’ve always been a curious person, whether it’s exploring technology or discovering the latest in style and whisky. My journey started far from the media world—I began in finance, where I spent seven years as a Senior Financial Analyst at Westpac Institutional Bank after completing my Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Sydney.

While the world of finance was challenging and rewarding, I always felt there was a creative side I wanted to explore.

That’s how Man of Many came into the picture. Alongside my co-founder Frank Arthur, we launched it in 2012 as a side project, initially as a way to share cool products and things we were passionate about with friends.

Fast forward to today, and we’ve grown it into Australia’s largest men’s lifestyle media platform. We now reach over 2 million readers monthly and 820,000 social followers. Our content covers everything from style and gear to culture and technology, always with the same approachable, authentic tone that resonates with our audience.

What makes me most proud is that we’ve built Man of Many as a 100% carbon-neutral digital publisher—something we care deeply about. Winning awards for our work, like the Best Media Platform at the B&T Awards 2023 and Website of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards, is gratifying, but the real magic is in connecting with our readers and staying true to what we believe in.

It’s been an incredible journey from finance to lifestyle media, and I feel fortunate to do what I love every day.

What was your life like before starting Man of Many?

Before starting Man of Many, I was deep in the world of finance, working as a Credit Analyst at Westpac Institutional Bank. It was a very structured 9-5 job, with the focus on assessing the creditworthiness of clients and making detailed financial analyses. While I enjoyed the intellectual challenge of the role—reviewing financial statements, assessing risk, and providing recommendations—it was definitely a corporate grind.

At that time, life was fairly predictable. I’d spend my days in the office, sifting through financial reports, and my evenings decompressing or catching up on personal interests, such as discovering new tech gadgets, cool products, or stylish gear.

It was a steady career path, and one that gave me valuable experience, but I always felt something was missing.

There was a creative itch I couldn’t quite scratch within the confines of my job, and I longed for something more dynamic, something that blended my analytical skills with my passion for discovering and sharing unique finds.

During that period, I also began sending emails to Frank Arthur, my soon-to-be co-founder, about the cool stuff I was coming across online. What started as casual emails turned into an idea—a website that could bring all of those discoveries together for a larger audience.

The routine of the 9-5 life was a necessary stepping stone, but I knew I wanted something more creative, flexible, and ultimately, more fulfilling. That realisation was the seed that grew into Man of Many.

Also read: 50 Lucrative Blog Niche Ideas to Consider

When and how did you come up with the idea and start the website?

The idea for Man of Many came about fairly organically. It all started with a simple habit between Frank Arthur, my co-founder, and me.

While working my 9-5 job at Westpac as a Credit Analyst, I’d often come across interesting products or gadgets online—anything from the latest tech innovations to stylish accessories. I’d send these finds to Frank, and he would do the same. It became a regular exchange between us, a fun way to share things we both found intriguing and exciting.

After a while, we realised that there wasn’t really a single platform in Australia that catered to our diverse interests—a place that combined technology, style, and lifestyle content all in one spot. There were niche sites covering each area, but nothing brought them together in a cohesive and curated way.

That was our lightbulb moment. If we were passionate about these things, surely others were too.

In 2012, we decided to take the plunge and create Man of Many as a side project. We didn’t have grand ambitions at the start—it was purely a passion project.

We bootstrapped the entire thing, using personal funds to cover basic costs like web hosting and design. I’d spend my nights and weekends working on the site after clocking out of my full-time job.

The name “Man of Many” was born out of the idea that modern men have many interests, and we wanted to be the place where they could explore all of those passions.

In the beginning, it was just one post a day—a carefully curated product that we thought our audience would love. It was slow-going at first, but the positive feedback and growing traffic gave us the motivation to keep pushing forward.

What started as a fun side project has since evolved into something much larger than we could have imagined. It took time, dedication, and a lot of late nights, but seeing Man of Many grow into Australia’s largest men’s lifestyle platform has been worth every minute.

Also read: 40 Tips for Beginner Bloggers to Kickstart Your Blogging Journey

What content management system did you use? And is it still the same?

When we first launched Man of Many in 2012, we opted to use WordPress as our content management system (CMS). It was the ideal choice for a couple of reasons.

First, it was user-friendly and allowed us to get the website up and running with minimal technical knowledge. At the time, we were bootstrapping everything, and neither Frank nor I were developers, so WordPress’ flexibility and ease of use were essential. It provided a simple platform where we could quickly upload content, manage posts, and customise the site without needing to dive too deeply into coding.

WordPress also offered a wide range of plugins, which made it easy to add new features as we scaled. Whether it was improving site performance, optimising for SEO, or enhancing user experience, the platform was adaptable enough to grow with us.

We still use WordPress today, although the site has evolved significantly since those early days. Our current version is far more sophisticated, with custom-built features, integrations, and optimisations designed to handle the scale of our current traffic and content needs.

However, at its core, WordPress remains the foundation, and its versatility continues to serve us well as we expand our content, user base, and multimedia offerings.

What did the early days of growing the blog look like?

The early days of growing Man of Many were a mix of excitement, hustle, and a lot of late nights. Frank and I were both working full-time jobs, so Man of Many was a side project in the truest sense.

After my 9-5 as a Credit Analyst at Westpac, I’d spend evenings and weekends working on the site—researching products, writing posts, and tweaking the website. We were both really passionate about curating content, and that passion kept us going, even when it felt like we were burning the candle at both ends.

In the beginning, we aimed to post one interesting product a day. It was a simple formula—find cool, unique, or stylish gear that would appeal to our audience and write up a short, engaging post.

Our content wasn’t overly complicated, but we focused on making it high quality and relevant to the modern man. We wanted Man of Many to be a place where people could come to discover products that enhanced their lifestyle, whether it was tech, fashion, or everyday carry essentials.

Building the audience took time, though.

In those early days, we weren’t spending much on marketing—everything was organic. We relied on social media, word of mouth, and SEO to slowly build traffic. We were posting daily, engaging with our small but growing audience, and trying to learn from what resonated most with our readers.

Growth was slow but steady. We didn’t see an immediate surge in traffic or followers, but the feedback was positive, and we could see there was potential.

What really stood out in those early days was the consistency. By staying committed to producing quality content regularly, we began to see our traffic triple within the first year, and that’s when we knew we were onto something bigger.

It wasn’t glamorous at the start—just a lot of dedication and perseverance. But those early days laid the foundation for what Man of Many has become today. Looking back, that grind was absolutely worth it.