While this isn’t something I usually talk about, I want to share it because maybe you’ve been wondering about blogging, or thinking about starting a blog. I know how much blogging has changed my life and it has potential to change your life too.
A blog is a wonderful way to share your heart and knowledge with the world. I love playing my part in adding positive energy into the world and encouraging other moms to spend more quality time with their families.
A blog can also be the financial means to your dream.
- Pay off your house.
- Become debt free.
- Buy that dream car.
- Head on a long vacation.
- Start that art studio you’ve always wanted.
What are your goals? Can a blog help you achieve them?
My Story
Two and a half years ago I started this blog with a goal of my husband quitting his job and instead working at home with me. I also wanted to use the blog to inspire and help other moms spend more quality time with their families.
1 month after starting the blog I already started getting positive feedback from readers thanking me for the gentle reminders to play with their kids more and slow down and enjoy life.
18 months into blogging my husband quit his full time job and has been home with me ever since! 🙂
What I didn’t expect is that I would also grow enough to hire other people! I’m now able to financially support other wives and moms who work for me part time. It has been really fun finding capable, dedicated people who I can reward for their hard work.
What are your goals? I would encourage you to write them down and then take that first, super small, step towards them.
I know you need someone to push you. Let this be your push.
I even created a tutorial for you on How to Start a Blog with a Step-by-Step Video, it’s only $2.95 each month to get up and running. You will also receive a free domain ($15 value) if you purchase one year’s worth of hosting, just make sure you use this Bluehost link for that price.
Now, let’s talk about income…
Click here to view previous months’ income reports.
Total May Income
In May, we brought in $7,256. I’m really proud of this number and feeling great about our business. While it’s smaller than last month there’s a really good reason for that. I took less sponsored work this month so that I could focus on creating passive income streams. While sponsored money has been great and continues to be a large part of my income each month, it pays once and then that’s it. Be creating more products and affiliating more products I’m able to create revenue streams that will continue month after month with minimal work on my part after the initial creation/set up.
I’ve also been re-vamping my newsletter. We’ve switched from MadMimi over to ConvertKit, again for the same reason, it’s going to be a tool to help earn more passive income. Your newsletter is a great place to connect with your most loyal readers, gain trust and then recommend products that they shouldn’t be living without. The last part is key… the product HAS to be wonderful and amazing or you’ll lose their trust… but if it is amazing, something you can’t live without yourself, you’re improving their life and they will be SO thankful because of it!
Breakdown
Display Ads: $2,980
Sponsored Posts: $1,683.40
My sponsored post income fluctuates every month depending on what offers I get (if I think they suit my blog and are beneficial to my readers) and how much work I want to take on. Right now I’m focusing most of my time affiliate marketing and passive systems I can set up. That being said, sponsored post are still a great hunk of my income and where I made the majority of my money when I first started blogging. There are several companies you can sign up for that will send you sponsored posts, IZEA is a great example, they are easy to work with and payout quickly.
Sharing Essential Oils: $199.94
What I love about the income from sharing essential oils is that it’s both residual and passive. I’ve been putting in a lot of effort this month creating automated sequences to help educate my readers about oils but now that they are set up it will automatically go out every time someone signs up for that specific newsletter.
Note: If you love Essential Oils and want to make money educating others about a more natural alternative for their family, email us. It’s not for everyone but if this sounds like something you’d enjoy, email us at alida@therealisticmama.com.
Affiliate Income: $1,838.47
This comes from several different sources. Amazon.com, Ebates, affiliating others books, recommending products that I can’t live without, etc.
Speaking of affiliate marketing, if you’re a blogger you’re welcome to join my affiliate program. You’ll make $5 every single time someone buys my book through your link. Write a review, work it into posts and enjoy the email notifications that you made a sale WHILE you were playing with the kids. That’s why passive income rocks!
My Book: $554.42
While on maternity break I wrote my book, 175 Best Date Ideas, to diversify my income. I was up late nursing anyway! ? Don’t feel any pressure to write a book right away, I didn’t write this until after I’d been blogging 2 years.
Total before expenses: $7,256
Just like any business this blog has expenses too, things like hosting, support staff, e-mail service, book keepers, etc. We save receipts/invoices for each expense and use them as tax deductions at the end of the year.
FAQs
Since this is month three of sharing income reports I am starting to get lots of questions. I thought I’d answer a few of them here in case you’ve been wondering the same thing.
1. Is the internet too saturated with blogs?
With low quality blogs, I think yes. With quality blogs, no.
2 years ago I almost didn’t start my blog for this very same reason. I wasn’t sure if there were too many blogs already, but I started anyway. Can you image if I didn’t? How sad would it be if my little spot on the internet didn’t exist, where would my million readers hang out?
There is always room for quality content. If you are committed and capable and make business decisions thinking about your readers first and foremost, you will attract an audience and you will rise above the so-so blogs. Once you get past those I think you’ll be surprised how much room there is!
2. What should I write about?
What are you passionate about? What are you good at? Cooking? Budgeting? Tutoring?
What are you always thinking and/or talking about? Politics? Green Living? Parenting?
Still stuck? Think about someone in your life that you can help. What can you help them with? What topics would help them?
3. How do you decide a name?
- Start with a brainstorm session. Write 10-20 name ideas down on a sheet of paper, if you get stuck ask your best friend or significant other to help.
- Think about the topics you’ll be covering, pick the name that fits it best and then go with it.
- Don’t get hung up choosing a name and never start a blog because of it. If you’re getting too stuck either let your best friend choose or just use your name or a form of your name. Example: “Tips From Jessica” or “JessicaSmith.com”
HOW TO START A BLOG
Dream begins with a single step.
It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey. Imagine how you would feel if you started today. Pretty excited, I bet. 🙂 It’s fun dreaming about the possibility, it’s even more fun watching it happen!
1. You need Hosting
Bluehost is where I started, it’s incredibly easy to set up, affordable and they have fantastic customer service. Here’s a step-by-step:
1. Go to Bluehost.
2. Select “Get Started Now.”
3. Choose your plan — the basic plan should be fine for now, you can always upgrade later if you need.
4. Enter the website address you’d like.
5. Fill in your personal information.
6. When prompted, I recommend Domain Privacy Protection (keeps your personal information private) and skipping the other features and add ons.
7. Generate a password, write it down and save it in a safe place.
8. Verify Your Account — you’ll be getting an email from Bluehost with “Action Required”. All you have to do is click the link in the email to verify your account, it takes 1 second and you’re done.
Note: If you have an existing website you can still migrate it to Bluehost easily, hit get started, select your hosting plan, and fill in your domain under “i have a domain name.”
2. IN ONE CLICK INSTALL WORDPRESS
1. When the pop-up appears, hit “Setup Your Website”.
2. Install WordPress.
3. Choose your domain from the drop down, then select “check domain”.
4. View credentials, that’s your back end login information. Go ahead and login and then you’re ready to choose a theme. See below.
3. CHOOSE A THEME
- Genesis — If you’re stuck on a theme, Genesis framework and themes are not only gorgeous, they are the best for SEO (search engine optimization), which helps bring you more customers. We use Foodie Pro Theme. A few other best selling Genesis themes include:
While not as search engine friendly, there are also free themes out there that you can start on if you’re budget is tight. Sugar and Spice is one of my favorite free themes. You can always move to Genesis later.
4. NEWSLETTER
This step is optional but highly recommended, especially if you plan to grow your blog as a business.
You’ll want to set up a newsletter from the beginning, that way when a reader comes along who wants to follow you they have a way to stick to you, without a newsletter they are less attached and they may accidentally lose you and forget how to find you again. I love ConvertKit for this and love that they walk you through how to set up email sequences in a super simple way. Great for us non-techies. 🙂
Note: Keep all your email receipts and use them as tax deductions at the end of the year.
5. Celebrate
That’s it! You’re on your way to your dream!
Stopping to celebrate is a great habit to get into, so you don’t miss out on your journey. Go out for ice cream or steak dinner, or, at the very least, take a moment to be proud of yourself.
Disclaimer: Blogging is a wonderful business with a very low start up cost but it’s not a “get rich quick” scheme. How successful you will be will depend on how much time, commitment, marketing knowledge, resources and investment you are willing to give. These income reports are a great tool to help you get started and focus in the right direction. Our income reports are based on what jobs we secured and affiliate sale made in that month and not the actual month payment was received.
P.S. Are you looking for extra side income? I make full-time income blogging part-time—check out this easy step-by-step tutorial on how start a blog (no tech knowledge required).Download My Free Family Organizer
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