Blogging has always been intriguing to me. As a Certified Financial Planner™ I am always encouraging clients to create multiple income streams. Sometimes it is for financial reasons (extra money never hurts) but not always. Often what people need is something that makes them feel more confident and secure. Starting this blog has allowed me to be my own boss even if it isn’t for my 9-5 and it has taught me a few lessons as well. Here are my best practices as a new blogger:
Failure to Launch
I decided to stop spending money on clothing, shoes and bags in December of last year. Shopping was never my obsession but I did spend a good amount of money on it. The decision to make my New Year’s Resolution into a blog happened in the same week. My hope was that other people who are interested in personal finance might want to see how it was going.
Jumping in feet first was the best thing I could have done. I’m certain that if I thought about it too much I would have never gotten started at all. Don’t be afraid to fail – if you have an idea SHARE IT!
A lot of bloggers have dozens of posts written but never hit publish because they are afraid no one will read it. This doesn’t make too much sense to me. There is no better way to guarantee no one reads it than making it physically impossible for them to do so.
It Takes Money to Make Money
The first call I made was to a friend I made at a conference last Fall. She is a writer and owns her own business Perfectly Planned Content. Even though it was a bit outside of her services I asked her if she would help me put the site together and read a few of my posts to see what she thought. Graciously, she agreed and was very helpful editing my first few blogs and teaching me a bit about WordPress. Getting some encouragement from an expert was invaluable. It got me started and was well worth the price for her time.
When you are learning something new it is easy to get stuck or quit because it is too complicated. Spending money on professional advice me saved me time and energy – that has value too!
I also enrolled in the Elite Blog Academy when it became available in the Spring. While I have no trouble coming up with topics to write about I have a lot to learn about blogging. Working my way through this course has taught me how a blog can turn into a profitable and sustainable business. I’m not quite finished with the courses but have been able to put the lessons to work as I go.
You aren’t alone
Writing is a lonely job. I wake up early and get to work on this before my day job begins and my children are awake. Learning to embrace that quiet time has been beneficial to me. There are a lot of people out there who are doing the same thing. People all over the world are getting up early and staying up late to work on their goals. Social media has made it easier to find and support each other. If you feel isolated look for groups on Facebook and follow other bloggers on Instagram or Twitter. If they wrote something you enjoyed it feels good to support them. I know how hard it is to hit publish so if I get value from what you wrote you bet I’m going to give it a like or a comment!
If you are struggling to find your “tribe” check out Tailwind. I use it to connect with other personal finance and lifestyle bloggers to share each other’s content. It has also helped me steadily grow my reach on Pinterest/Instagram and find great articles I may not have seen on my own.
Another thing I’ve learned is that asking for help isn’t that difficult. When I wrote posts on shopping for Baby Showers, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day I received tons of feedback from friends on gift ideas. People spend a lot of time on line and you never know who is looking for some advice in areas you know well. If you are spending too much time being your own harshest critic try to focus on the people you are helping and get back to work!
Blogging ain’t easy, but it sure is fun
I’ve learned a lot over the past 6 months. While I’d love to say it had been an instant success with millions of followers that is far from the case. What I have done is realized that I can write every week about something that matters to me. I can share it with the world with a few clicks. Occasionally, I’ll hear from someone I’ve never met that I helped them out with a problem. That is enough to keep me going!
Do you have a side hustle? What is your favorite thing to read about when you have a few minutes to spare? Let me know in the comments!