I remember the first blog I read back in 2005. It was a celebrity gossip blog that a friend of mine recommended to me. I loved the personal and friendly tone of the writing, and to say I was intrigued by how this guy made a living off of it would be an understatement. In my mind, I thought what a dreamy way to make a living from home. At the time, I was unhappily working as a medical record review nurse.
Fast forward to 2007.
I was a new stay-at-home mom looking for a part-time, work-from-home job outside of the nursing field. For months, I searched online to find something that I could do from home.
I had spreadsheets with occupations, job sites, and resources, but so much of my time was spent weeding through employment scams. Eventually, I started doing some freelance work for a friend. But even though I had money coming in, I kept thinking about other moms who wanted to be at home with their babies but also needed to earn an income.
When I started my blog back in 2009, I had no idea that I’d finally find my career passion! I’ve been earning a full-time blogging income since 2014, but more importantly, I’ve never been happier in my professional life.
If you’re searching for a remote career that you’re passionate about, I recommend starting a blog. Here are ten reasons why you should start a blog:
1. Learn New Skills, Without Having to Get a Degree
One of the reasons, I felt so stuck in my nursing career, was I had the mindset that I’d probably have to go back to college to switch career paths. Luckily, you don’t need a college degree to start a blog!
When you start a blog, you’ll learn about writing, editing, publishing, marketing, social media, SEO, and so much more! But you’ll also learn how to use a wide variety of online tools, like WordPress, email marketing platforms, social media schedulers, graphic design tools, and the list goes on and on. All of these aspects are skills and experience that you can take with you into a new career. Not only will you have new skills, but you’ll also have concrete examples of how you started, grew, and monetized your platforms.
The great thing about blogging is you’re continually learning and evolving; it’s like a never-ending college education without actually having to go back to school.
Here is a sampling of careers could you go into after running a blog:
- Digital marketing
- Content marketing
- Affiliate marketing
- Social media manager
- SEO consultant
- Blogging coach
- Copywriting
2. You Choose What to Write About
When I went off to college, I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life. I loved traveling and decided that cultural anthropology would be a fun major. But after I graduated, I didn’t know how to turn my degree into a travel-related career, so I went back to school and got my nursing degree.
With blogging, you have the freedom to focus on the aspect of life that interests you the most. You can write about fashion, food, travel, crafting, finance, career, pets, or something entirely off the wall. In fact, this blogger argues that you can monetize any niche and includes 45 weird topic blogs like retired LEGO sets, welding, and horror stories that sold for thousands of dollars!
3. It Opens You Up to New Opportunities
One of my favorite things about being a blogger is the unexpected opportunities that pop into my inbox! When you start a blog, you’re publicly visible in a particular niche, which usually means you’re an expert in that area. And guess what? Brands, authors, and publications are always looking for expert commentary and ways to promote their products and services. Over the years, I’ve had the pleasure of:
- Contributed to multiple books
- Written a book
- Attend free trips and events
- Quoted in big-name publications like Forbes, CNN, and Real Simple
- Received free books, courses, products, and swag
- Offered paid writing gigs and opportunities
Had I not had a blog, these opportunities would have never been available to me. When you build your expertise and an audience around it, others want to leverage your influence and are willing to reward you for it.
4. There’s No Cap on How Much You Can Earn
When I first started blogging, my goal was to earn an extra $500-$700 a month to cover extras. While I had hopes of making a full-time income from my blog, I didn’t know if it was possible. Well, I’m here to tell you that it is 100 percent possible. Not only did I replace my nursing income, but I have surpassed it.
With blogging, you can earn money in a wide variety of ways like affiliate marketing, working with brands, advertising, working with an ad network, selling services or products, and so much more. When you start a business, there is no cap on how much you make; you get to call the shots.
Here are four seven-figure earners who I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing and how the main ways they’re making their money:
- Michelle Schroeder-Gardner – Affiliate marketing and selling courses
- Sarah Titus – Selling printables and courses
- Natalie Ellis – Selling courses working with brands
5. You Truly Have Control Over Your Schedule
With many work-from-home careers, you have to work set hours, or be available at certain times. When you run your own blogging business, you determine how much, when, and where you do your work. Not only do you have complete freedom over time, but you can also learn how to streamline and automate your business, so you can work less and make more.
6. You’re Creating an Asset That You Can Sell
One blogging aspect that I never considered was that all of my hard work created an asset that I could sell for a profit. Yup, all of the work you do building up your audience and creating content can later be sold for big bucks! Over the years, I’ve had numerous companies approach me and ask me if I wanted to sell. While I’m not ready to sell my blog now, I will be one day, and I already have a list of interested parties.
7. Online Portfolio of Your Work
Many new freelancers fret over not having examples or a portfolio of work to show potential clients. When you have a blog, you have a complete collection of your work, from writing and editing to taking photos, creating social media updates, and so much more.
If there is a freelance job you’d like to apply for, you can easily prove your value and worth by showing them concrete examples of your work. You may even have testimonials from blog readers or sponsors that you can use to wow potential employers.
8. Meet New Friends
Over the years, I’ve met a TON of people because of my blog. I’ve collaborated, networked, brainstormed, helped, had coffee with, took online friendships IRL, and it’s been amazing! The sheer number of people I’ve met and made friends with is staggering. It doesn’t matter if you’re an introvert or extrovert; you can easily forge new friendships both online and in person.
9. It’s Affordable to Start
When you start a brick-and-mortar business, you need a lot of money to get started. Down payments for rent, utilities, merchandise, equipment, signage, and the list goes on and on. But when you start a blog, you can easily get started for under $250!
Below are common fees for the things you’ll need to get started. I’ve included free options where available and the pricing for premium options.
- Basic Hosting and Domain – $118 (Bluehost)
- WordPress Theme – Free (WordPress) to ($60 – $130 StudioPress)
- Logo – Free (Wix), $5 (Fiverr) to $$$ for a professional graphic designer
- Email Marketing – Free for 60 days (Constant Contact), free for up to 1,000 subscribers (ConvertKit)
10. It Doesn’t Feel Like Work
When I used to work as a nurse, I dreaded Monday mornings. I daydreamed about having a career I enjoyed. With blogging, I’ve never once dreaded “going to work”; instead, I look forward to it. I love writing, marketing, and SEO. I love working with brands and helping readers achieve their goals. I’m so glad that I decided to take a chance and see what blogging is all about.
Are You Ready to Start a Blog?
Download my free blogging e-book, Blogging Success. It will teach you how to set up a blog, how to write amazing content, get traffic, and monetize it. Best of all, this 28-page e-book is free!
Need More Blogging Help?
To help you maximize your efforts, I’ve created The Fundamental Blog Planner to help you systemize your blogging efforts from start to finish. Just print out these pages, add some hole punches, and place them into your favorite three-ringed binder.
With this bundle, you’ll stay organized, have greater clarity, and be more efficient with your blogging efforts. But not only that, you’ll learn the methods and techniques that I use to stay on top of all my blogging activities and functions. My goal is to help you start and manage your blogging business for maximum success. Grab your planner here!
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