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So you’ve been on Pinterest a while now and you keep seeing these posts about making money online through blogging. Maybe you want to start a blog of your own. Check out these informative income report posts that are packed with info:
- Pete at Do You Even Blog – $3,227
- Eden at EdenFried.com – $4,137
- Jeff and Ben at Breaking The One Percent – $17,640
So you’re wondering if it’s even possible to do this but you’re not entirely sure if you should give it a try.
with the world we live in today, starting an online business is at an all-time high. Blogging is one of those businesses that people start. Some people start blogs as a hobby and there is nothing wrong with that at all. But for the purposes of this post, I’m going to be talking about reasons to start a blog as a business.
Starting a blog is super easy these days. Check on Pinterest and there are literally hundreds of posts that teach you how to start one. Plus you can get the technical stuff up in about 15 minutes or less.
So if you’re thinking about starting a blog in 2018, here are some reasons you should give it a go.
#1 Creative Outlet
There are a lot of people who start their blogs as a creative outlet. For me, I work an administrative job that takes a lot of businessy writing. I write letters, professional emails, memorandums, and pleadings. It’s not exactly glamorous. In fact, it’s actually pretty soul sucky feeling for me. I am a born creative and love to write but over the years of having to write like that, my passion for writing had started to diminish.
But blogging has given me a way to craft my words in the way that I want to. I love telling a story. Helping others by doing so sweetens it even more for me. So for my own journey, it’s been a creative writing outlet for me.
Whether you’re into doing crafts with your kids, baking sweets and treats, decorating and organizing your home or teaching others how to do things. The list goes on and on when you talk about blog topics. Plus when you blog about things, it’s coming from your unique voice and perspective. Trust me when I say this, the world needs you and your opinion and view.
#2 Make Extra Money & Pay Off Debt
Blogging can be a way that you earn extra money. But a lot of people have a misconception that it happens overnight. You start a blog, put a couple posts up and bam, traffic avalanche.
That’s not how it happens. Along with it comes hard work and dedication. And patience. It can take several months or even years. It’s not for the faint of heart but if you commit and work hard at it, I know you can be successful.
There are several different ways you can make money through your blog. Some of the more popular ones are through affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, and display ads. But to get to the point where you can implement those, you need to have traffic and build an engaged audience. In order to do that you have to just get started. It’s a learning a process to start a blog today to get the ball rolling.
A lot of personal finance bloggers started out to track their journey and ended up using the money they made from their blog to help pay down their debt faster. Michelle from Making Sense of Cents has a truly inspiring story of how she did it. Now she and her husband have lived in an RV for the past couple of years, and I believe they are gearing up to move into a sailboat next.
Another part of my plans is to be debt free by the time I’m 30. This includes our house and cars completely paid off.
#3 Leave My Day Job
Leaving my day job behind is one of my bigger dreams that will take some time to achieve. I’ve committed to the long haul for it though. Blogging is one of the tools I plan to achieve this goal.
If leaving your 9 – 5 is a dream of yours, blogging is a tool you can use too. But I would highly encourage you to diversify your income streams when doing so. Like the old saying goes, you don’t want to put all of your eggs in one basket.
Maybe you want flexibility, maybe you want to be home with your kids more. Or maybe you want to travel and see how beautiful our world is. If you start a blog and stick to it, you will be able to forge your own path.
#4 Tell Your Story
We all have a story. The beauty of that is that they are all different. As different as you and I are. Sharing them is how we get to know one another and interact together. Telling your story can have a great impact on someone else’s story. You could inspire them. Or teach them a new skill. All because you chose to start a blog and started writing posts.
#5 You Love to Write
Like I mentioned earlier, I love to write. Telling a story is one of my favorite reasons to blog. I’m still in the process of finding my voice it and has been one of the most amazing journeys.
When you start a blog, you’ll need to get into the habit of writing more. This will help you hone your craft and become better. I try to get in 500 words per day. I do this by setting a time each day for this task. When the time comes, I sit down at my desk and start writing. Sometimes it’s in my journal, other times it’s on my computer writing blog posts or newsletters.
By starting a blog of your own, you’ll have a reason to write every day.
#6 Helping and Teaching Others
This is another one of my favorite reasons for blogging. Blogging, making money from home, being able to live the life you want. These are all passions of mine. I want to show others and teach them how they can do these things as well.
When you start a blog, you can choose to teach others skills or craft. Are you a master gardener? Great, share about gardening and how to get started. You can teach lessons through your blog posts or even create an online course.
There are a number of skills that you can teach to others through blogging.
#7 Promote Your Offline Business
When you’re running a brick and mortar business, blogging is a great way to help promote it. This type of marketing is called content marketing. Start a blog right on your company’s website. Then you can talk about tips and tricks to the trade. Provide advice and value to your potential customers.
This will show potential customers that you are knowledgeable and will leverage you as an expert compared to your local competition who don’t blog.
Debbie who blogs over at The Flooring Girl did just this. She started her blog to promote her business and eventually moved over to just blogging.
#8 Flexibility
If you start a blog with the intent to make it a business, it will provide flexibility in the long run. Want to go to the gym in the middle of the day instead of 8 pm? No problem. You can scheduled that in.
It also will give you the freedom to travel and see more of the world or of our own country. I live in the US but have never been to the West Coast so it’s on the top of my list when I’m able to work from anywhere.
#9 Accountability
You can leverage your blog as an accountability tool. What better way to stay on track with your goals, then publishing weekly or bi-weekly updates online for your audience to see? I’ve seen it a lot with fitness bloggers who start their journey to become healthy.
Paying off debt is another issue that could be addressed using a blog as a tool.
Whatever the issue or reason may be, there is a nudge when you have to publically talk about it. & If you’re anything like me, you’re a people pleaser. I don’t want to let you guys down so I show up every week to talk about issues you may be having. But it also gives me something to look forward too, chatting with you awesome people each week!
Start a Blog
So I convinced you to start a blog. But what is next? All you have to do is set up your website, and start blogging. But don’t worry, I got you covered on that if you’re not sure where to start. Check out my Beginner’s Guide to Starting a Blog post that will take you step by step to set up the technical side of your blog.
Now go get it set up already. You just have to start then keep showing up for yourself and your audience each week.
Have additional questions? Send me an email at tia@livingwellmillennial.com and I’ll be happy to answer.
