As you may know I have a popular blog 40+style. I started the blog in 2011 and is a big part of my success as an entrepreneur.
It's not my first business though as before I became a blogger I had a business offering services. I created websites for business and also helped them with their SEO.
But in 2011 I really wanted my own website. I wanted to create a business that could generate more passive income.
Let me first make one thing really clear.
Blogging is serious work!
It may be work that I love to do, but it is work nonetheless. Even though many people seem to think that what I do is just a hobby, I can assure you that I'm running a very profitable business!
Let's also not confuse the professional blogger with a hobby blogger. The hobby blogger blogs purely for fun. They may or may not blog very often and many will not monetise their content in any way and don't treat their blog as a business.
I am a professional blogger which means that I make sure that my blog and content generate income. That means I will need to create content that my readers will enjoy, that gets found in Google and that gets the blog noticed around the web and in social media. I also need to make sure my site looks good, is technically sound, has all the needed functionality.
In addition I need to respond to a LOT of email and liaise with commenters, advertisers, customers and affiliate networks.
This takes a lot of time and I spend a lot of time behind the computer doing all that as well as styling outfits, creating videos or taking photographs.
If it's such a lot of work then why do I enjoy it so much?
- I love to work and have a purpose!
- I blog about a topic that makes people happy. Many of my articles help women feel better about themselves or get their style groove back and it's very rewarding to receive their comments and words of thanks.
- I really enjoy being my own boss. Not having to answer to anyone but myself really suits my personality.
- I can work whenever I like. This means that I don't have to get up early.
- I can work from home, so no long commute to the office.
- I can work all over the world. School holidays are not an issue for me as I can work wherever there is an internet connection. Often I will schedule a lot of articles in advance so I hardly don't have to work at all.
- I get to meet new people every day from all over the world. Some of the people I meet on the blog actually become real life friends.
- I get to learn more about a topic I enjoy.
- I get free clothes on a regular basis.
- I get invited to fancy events like fashion shows.
- I get to choose who I want to work with.
- I make so much passive income now that I don't have to work when I don't want to.
- I'm becoming a better writer.
- I keep up-to-date with all the latest developments on the internet and social media.
So is it all fun and games then all the time?
Of course not. No job ever is. Here are some things I do not like.
- I also have to do all the admin and taxes. As my business grows, so does my administration.
- I need to be 'online' all the time. Keeping up with all the social media channels is not always easy.
- I sacrifice some of my privacy by showcasing myself so clearly online.
- It's tough to keep up with all the emails and spam I receive on a daily basis.
- As your blog grows so do your technical woes. This is a luxury problem of course but dealing with server overload or software upgrades is not always fun.
- Many brands and advertisers don't seem to appreciate the huge amount of work that goes into a blog and expect mentions and features for free. Some of them don't seem to understand the word no.
- I do tend to spend a lot of time by myself. This is both a plus (as I enjoy being by myself) and a minus (as I really should socialize more).
How I moved from being just a blogger to a CEO
For a few years, this is mainly what I did: blog every day.
Now, as my business has grown I do so much more than that and have outsourced some parts of my work to others.
- I created courses that I sell online and market them
- I setup up the 40+Style Club which is a membership site where women get ongoing training to ignite their style
- I started the 40+Style community which now has more than 6000 women participating
- I now have a team of writers, editor, assistant, expert stylist and bookkeeper that help with quite a lot of these tasks so I can focus more on the big picture and create new projects like this one
- I created ebooks and work with designers to create them
- I'm constantly working on new exciting projects to grow and improve the overall business
Blogging can be so much more than just a hobby. You can turn it into something powerful and meaningful and create the lifestyle you desire.
If it's a dream of your's too, then be sure to follow along on this site and get your spot in the latest free workshop.
