Meet Guy Building the Bloomberg of Junior Mining

The following interview with CEO.CA Founder and over eater, over achiever, Tommy Humphreys was done in a top secret manner and location to avoid any front running. To be sure, it has been released after market hours. I can’t even begin to tell you how many emails and phone calls I get each week asking me about, “the real’ Tommy Humphreys. Peter Epstein, CFA, MBA (the interviewer), has no prior or existing relationship with Tommy, except that Tommy greatly helped Mr. Epstein in building EpsteinResearch.com. Little did Tommy know that this piece would end up resembling a roast.

The tone of the interview is entirely the interviewer’s fault as he thought this piece should be overtly promotional–like the man himself! Natural Resource investors desperately need some jocularity, so please read on. Tommy bravely answered each and every question I threw at him.

Due to time constraints, I regret to inform readers that there was no opportunity to mention Tommy’s newest venture, chat.ceo.ca. Check it out at the following link. chat.ceo.ca

Tommy, how long have you been operating website(s)? Are you comfortable naming some or all of the websites that you’re behind?

I’ve been making websites since 1995, when I was 9 years old. I used an alias then, “Ctrl-Alt-Delete” and my first web page was dedicated to the Eagles song – Hotel California. (with lyrics!). Today, I’m mostly focused on CEO.CA, my primary business.

Please tell readers how / why you got into this line of work?

I was addicted to tech as a kid and can remember tripping out about CD Burners in 1996. When I later graduated high school, I realized baby boomers had all the money, and I wanted to tap into that. Web sites were something they needed, so I set out to learn everything I could about building them.

Is Tommy Humphreys all natural resources all the time?

In 2010, I made a conscious decision to focus my internet marketing business on the natural resources sector. I had spent a few years being a generalist web designer, and wanted to focus on a sector that had equity upside in addition to consulting opportunities. As you know, there’s a lot of mining and energy startups in Canada. Long term, I am very optimistic for commodities.

Are you at liberty to explain the arrangement you made with well known natural resource expert Lawrence Roulston?

Yes. Mr. Roulston had been running Resource Opportunities since 1998, and it was beginning to conflict with his new mining private equity firm. I had wanted to get into the newsletter business for a while so we jumped into bed pretty quickly together, working out a three year deal for me to take over the letter. Almost a year later, I have decided to concentrate on CEO.CA and chat.ceo.ca, and have appointed James Kwantes, an objective and passionate mining reporter with the Vancouver Sun, to be the new Resource Opportunities editor. Both Lawrence and I are helping James with due diligence and ideas, but he has the final say.

Is there another person(s) that helps you with your online empire?

Yes, tonnes of people help. Three exceptional Vancouver-based web developers. Several editors and writers, plus dozens of friends and mentors provide ideas and inspiration, yourself included. Although what have you done for me lately? Oh right, this.

I recently saw a curse word on your new platform Chat.ceo.ca, Obviously, I can’t repeat it. Do you have the ability to permanently banish cursers?

Drone strikes.

Is anyone making a decent living doing what we do? It feels like minimum wage, although it adds up at 16 hours per day!

Blogging about the resources sector? Bob Moriarty of 321Gold.com is loaded, but he has some gifts that make him a millionaire blogger: duration, he’s been at it since gold was $250 an ounce, and he’s visited hundreds of projects, so he knows a thing or two. Plus he understands the internet and the importance of creating a simple product. He’s also super witty, opinionated and experienced. And he can sell the shit {I apologize for the language} out of banners.

Timothy Sykes, as well, I think he does bear raids on pump and dumps but through internet marketing has built up a huge franchise selling his educational products. Although his marketing is over the top, Sykes is relentless and not afraid of anything, which makes him a good entrepreneur. Selling newsletters seems to be the most scalable business model, rather than selling advertising. However selling newsletters requires efficiencies of scale. You need a big list and several disciplines to monetize, not to mention a big ad budget. It’s one thing to make great content, it’s another to make people money, and a whole other unrelated skill set to make a viable business around those things.

Speaking of Chat.ceo.ca, without revealing names, describe the typical, “chatter” and perhaps hint at the big fish that have signed up?

There are some influential bankers, brokers, analysts, geologists, fund managers, web developers and wealthy individuals using Chat.ceo.ca, and some turds as well. We discuss real-time investment news with a focus on junior mining and discovery. Every day there are insights shared, ranging from summaries of investment research to personal opinions about exploration stocks, that make me keep coming back. Real time news updates from Chatters are really taking off. Live updates from industry conferences as well. The search results are beginning to provide valuable context on Canadian stocks.

Are you happy with the level of discourse on Chat.ceo.ca? Are there any hacks and pump & dump artists?

it’s a high quality user base now, and of course the site gets better the more quality people are using it. That’s why I hustle from 4:45am each day to post relevant, valuable stuff in the chat, and am funding the development personally. I want to connect with other resource investors on my internet devices, and no tool lets me do that like Chat.ceo.ca, despite the fact that we’re only four months into the development. Stay tuned for more useful features and quality content.

The world wants to know, needs to know, demands to know, are women allowed on Chat.ceo.ca ?

That’s a great question, I get asked that a lot. Of course. Haven’t you seen my mom in there?

Many who know you are well aware of how hard you work. Do you have time for anything but work?

If you want to achieve much, you have to run. In my case, talk. But I always have time for burgers.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 50 years? 100 years?

CEO.CA platform useful to 500k+ people. Proud of and enjoying the content I’m making. An early backer of several major discoveries, ideally gold in Canada. To build an important two way business financial information channel, and participate in some mining and energy discoveries… That would be nice on a professional front. Personally, I look forward to having a family and losing my freshman 50…{is that pounds or kilos?}

You’re clearly a handsome young man. Is there a special lady, or man in your life?

Coming up on two years with Chelsea (Chig for short). She’s a marketing co-ordinator with a childcare company and we have lived together for about four months now, since I started Chat.ceo.ca actually. That’s going really well, so thanks for asking. No, she’s not on Chat.ceo.ca.

Here’s a tough question for you… Can you name any competitor website(s) that you’re impressed with?

Keith Schaefer of Oil and Gas Investments Bulletin has an ugly web site but it’s a workhorse and he measures everything. There’s no ego marketing in Keith’s program, it’s all results-based and I respect that. He could definitely do better with design, but unless the numbers say it’s a priority for Keith, he can’t be bothered. Stockwatch.com as well, I would be lost without it.

What advice would you give to newbies looking to enter our line of work?

People climbing the ladder are cutthroat. Expect a lot of pushback. Accept it as valuable feedback. Also, share your stuff in Chat.ceo.ca, there are some good people paying attention.

Thank you for your time and cooperation Tommy… release him, he’s free to go now.