Good morning! I can’t believe I’ve been blogging for 4 years now, and a full-time blogger for a year! If I’m completely honest, it was definitely not my plan to become a full-time blogger. As many of you know, I’ve run a digital marketing agency for the last 8 years and truly love being a marketing consultant. That’s why I have a “love/hate” relationship with blogging. Yeah, I bet you didn’t expect to hear that come out of my mouth right? Let me explain…
But first, I am truly grateful I get to do what I love and am so thankful every day to be so lucky!
SHOP THE OUTFIT
Okay so like I mentioned above, I do absolutely love being a full-time blogger. I mean I get to shop for a living…how amazing is that? And, the free perks are nothing to complain about! But, it’s not all “fun and games” like a lot of us bloggers make it look. I’m actually working MORE than I was when I was just doing consulting work. Think about it… I can’t really take a day off or my sales will suffer. I definitely try to take a break if I need it and I won’t post as often on social. However, I can easily see the difference when I am consistently posting versus when I’m not.
As a full-time blogger, one of my goals this year was to post more frequently on the blog. I had a recent conversation with a blogger in California about what it’s like being a full-time blogger. The first thing she asked about was how often I’m posting. I told her I should be posting on the blog 5 days a week. (Yeah, I’m still working on that!) She was shocked. But, in all honesty, this is a real job so each workday should require new content. If I’m treating this like a real job and working 8am-5pm then there isn’t a reason I shouldn’t have at least 4-5 posts up per week.
See how I schedule my work week here!
However, we all have projects that take longer than expected or random things come up which push our schedule back. That’s life. BUT – when you’re a blogger it’s all on you to make money. There is NO salary, and most of us don’t have a team. That being said, more than 50% of my income comes directly from sales. I swear when people ask me what I do for a living I’m going to just start saying, “I’m in sales.” like most people in the sales industry say, haha. But, being in sales is HARD!!!
I had a conversation with my dad earlier this week about my retirement account. Guess what, I just started saving for retirement 2 years ago. That conversation is another reason why I “hate” blogging. There isn’t a steady income each month. The retail industry always has good and bad months, but what if people just don’t like what you’re putting out there. Remember YOU are the brand so there isn’t anyone else to blame for a bad work week or month. Another thing, sometimes brands pay late even if you have a contract. It’s honestly TERRIFYING to wake up every day wondering how much I made the day before.
My dad told me I’d retire at 72 years old if I kept putting “X amount” into my retirement account. Ummmmmm……………I’m not going to be a blogger until I’m 72 years old!! I’m still working on finding a husband so I don’t have to work until I’m that old :/ But, at the rate things are going who knows when Mr. Right will show up? And, I don’t want to have to rely on a man to support me!
So what’s the answer? I’ve thought about this a lot over the last year because people keep asking me what my plan is to advance my blogging career. I mean nobody really knows what’s next with this industry because it’s so new. So…my conclusion is to ride the blogger wave until I can’t anymore! BUT, there needs to be something else in the mix. That’s partially why I started the “Blogger Boss Workshop“, and created my “Blogger Boss Planner”. Coming soon!! These are things that could bring in consistent income.
I had a call with Julie Solomon a few months back about this exact topic. What can I do to consistently bring more people to my blog? And make more money? Well, first off give them a reason to come to the blog. I mentioned I’ve been a digital marketing consultant for the last 8 years. So I clearly have the knowledge to share with my followers about web design, social strategy, etc. She suggested creating PDF downloads with bits of valuable information on blogging and being an entrepreneur. That doesn’t sound too hard!! Now I just need to do it…
So how do I wrap this up? I guess by giving you all some things to think about if you’re interested in becoming a full-time blogger!
FULL-TIME BLOGGER TIPS
- Don’t quit your day job until you have at least 6 months income in savings to support you
- Know why you’re different from any other blogger… “what’s your story”
- Create content that isn’t out there yet
- Develop a product or something of value for your followers which could bring you extra $$
- Treat it like a full-time job!! Because I promise it’s going to be more than 40 hours a week 🙂
I LOVE being an entrepreneur. I LOVE being a blogger. In the end, I’ll always work harder for myself than working for someone else. I’m always going to encounter struggles just like the rest of us with a day job. However, when you get to do what you LOVE don’t take it for granted.
The last thing I want to say is THANK YOU to everyone who has supported me on this journey!! I hope I can deliver valuable content to you all, and am so thankful for everyone who is a loyal follower of One Small Blonde!
photos: Beckley & Co.
Lovely!!