I originally started this post telling you that I began blogging to help people, but that isn’t the FULL truth.
I started this blog because I wanted to make money from home. Prior to having children I had a career I loved and made some pretty decent money with some amazing benefits. I contributed to the finances of our house and I really enjoyed having that ability. Becoming a stay at home mom was a dream come true, but I really missed being able to earn something to add to our retirement accounts.
I knew my blog niche had to be one to help people. I had to blog on things I knew; family travel and homeschool. And from day one I have had every intention of helping people. Helping parents to feel comfortable & able to enjoy their travels and giving as much information as possible on homeschool so that parents feel empowered to make the best decision for their family.
So I blogged for awhile without making a dime. “I don’t have enough subscribers. I don’t have enough traffic. I don’t have enough Facebook fans. I don’t have enough (insert any excuse here).” I paid for my hosting, I paid for my theme, I paid for various aspects of operating a website… I was paying for this hobby I had. But that wasn’t why I had started, I had started to contribute financially to our family.
Last year I started making some money via social media. I even got free gifts from brands with no stings attached. Of course I gave them a shout out and would post on Twitter about it. But I still didn’t feel like my blog was ready to make money. And I had hesitations because I didn’t want to cheapen it. I had been helping people. Moms I didn’t know and will likely never meet sent me messages of thanks for my tips on travel. A mom friended me on Facebook because she found my blog and knew we should be friends. I felt like I owed these women (sorry fellas, y’all just don’t reach out with the high-fives like the ladies) something. I felt like I would be disrespecting my new virtual friends by placing ads on my blog.
But it didn’t break my blog or drive away readers. Since placing the ads and letting the blog pay for itself I have not lost any subscribers, in fact I am gaining them. My traffic has increased in leaps and bounds (300% since last month). My social media has all grown. I still get the messages from new virtual friends that have read my posts. So not a single one of my fears were legitimate. NOT ONE! My book sales are still coming in despite me giving the book away on the blog and raising the price (not my choice, an Amazon thing if you don’t offer it exclusively with them).
I did income reports in January and February. They were fun, but while I am certainly enjoying the continuous raise in income; it isn’t exactly where I want to aim my blog right now (I can recommend some great bloggers if you like reading income reports). There are a few more stresses with an income report that I am just not prepared to deal with currently. I will probably go back to them at a later date, but I have a few more wrinkles to iron out first.
I have been implementing a lot of changes both here and on my social media. Changes I have been nervous to make. So far they have all gone pretty well. Some you don’t see yet, some are temporary, and some are so small you really can’t tell… changing the color of an icon on my Bio page may not be something you notice even with the utmost attention to detail.
So I tell you ALL this to say… Sometimes our fears are unfounded. I was terrified to do some things to drive more traffic. I was scared of losing Pinterest followers for pinning too often, I have gained. I was scared my Twitter followers would unfollow me or say ugly things because I post some affiliate links, they haven’t. I was afraid I would lose subscribers because I posted sponsored posts from brands, I have gained instead. So, take that thing you are scared to do. And. Do. It.
Quite a few times in the last few weeks I have wondered what if I had just done it sooner… so don’t be like me and wait A FREAKING YEAR to implement the changes. Just go do the thing.
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What a great blog!! I love it. “Just go do the thing.” You’re speaking to me right now. But I tell myself I need a latte, because who can blog without sipping a latte?? Well, not me. Ha. It’s cool to watch your online presence grow.
I do require coffee! It is impossible to work without caffeine. No one should be expected to work under those conditions!
Such a great post! Thanks for sharing your thoughts about your journey. I too have thought about all of the things you were concerned with. I am so happy that you are doing so well, and wish you so much success! 🙂
Thanks so much Amy! I am so glad to know you had the same concerns! Glad to be in the presence of such awesomeness.