Is Starting A Blog Based Business the Right Choice for You?

Are you excited to begin your new journey as the founder and owner of a blog based business?

Starting a blog has the potential to change your life in the best way possible. So, get pumped up! You are about to embark on an amazing adventure.

Before we get into if starting a blog based business is right for you, let me give you a little info on me….your trusty blogging biz guide.

Who Am I?

Hi! I’m Sarah.

I’m a happy expat living in Copenhagen, Denmark who runs multiple blog based businesses.

I’m originally from the Boston area but in the past 10 years I have lived in Germany, Costa Rica, and now Denmark.

You can often find me working on awesome new things for my businesses.

When I’m not working I’m usually cooking, reading three books at once, listening to music, or looking at all the old houses I want to buy and fix up on real estate websites.

Or, to be completely honest I’m probably scrolling through Instagram while watching a true-crime series on Netflix in the background.

Oh, and traveling. I’m constantly traveling. That is definitely one of the best perks of running a business from your laptop.

Anyway, back to the reason you are here….blogging.

I’m all about no-frills when it comes to blogging. I could tell you a million ways to do something, or I could give you methods that I know work.

How do I know what works?

Well, because I’ve been through it. I’ve made all the mistakes in the world regarding blogging.

Luckily, I pushed through and after many failures, I figured out all the keys to simplified blogging business success.

Pssst! Keep reading for the methods which I know work.

Why you are here

I’m guessing that you are here because you are interested in learning more about this whole blogging thing and discovering how you can succeed.

You likely:

– Want to be your own boss with the flexibility of choosing when and what you work on.

– Are interested in making more money than you would ever be able to make in your 9 to 5 desk job.

– Want to help people solve a problem in their life so they don’t have to struggle like you did.

– Would like to feel accomplished. Like, really ridiculously proud of yourself.

Well, good news! You have come to the correct corner of the internet. All of these things are possible if you start blogging the right way.

So, let’s get to it! Shall we?

What is blogging?

Would you like the dictionary definition of blogging or my definition?

I’ll give you mine. I think it’s a bit more detailed.

Blogging is using your space on the internet, your happy home base, to share ideas with the world through writing. And maybe some videos. And maybe lots of pictures. You do you!

I am here to teach you all about blogging as a business.

Not just some fun hobby. Instead, I’m here to teach you:

-How to leverage your blog into a sustainable business with your own products and services.

-How to build a passive income scheme so you can watch the money flow freely to your bank account even while you are on the top of a mountain somewhere or swimming in the Mediterranean.

-How to connect with the people you can actually help with your knowledge.

-How to find the blogging success that makes you jump for joy and pop that bottle of fancy champagne you’ve been saving for a special occasion.

Preferably that champagne is popped with a view like this!

You can then breathe a sigh of relief for your complete financial independence and can feel at peace with yourself because you know you are making a difference. You are doing something that changes people’s lives for the better.

The Blogging Framework

Now, this is going to sound a bit harsh, but I vowed that I would always give my readers the best info, so here we go.

Most of the info online about how to start a blog as a business is total trash and will just leave you running in circles wondering why you are failing.

See, blogging used to be somewhat simple. Back in the day there were less bloggers out there for you to compete with. You could just write some decent content and get noticed.

Times have a changed my friend!

Now, blogging as a business is all about having a system, a framework. I like to call this your Blog Treasure Map.

So, I like to look at it this way.

To your readers, your blog is where they go to get the solution to a problem they have.

For you, your blog needs to be your catalyst to build a successful business framework.

The Goal For YOU is to

1. Build a strong business foundation

2. Create amazing content that helps your readers

3. Grow a high-converting audience

4. Foster the best income sources

5. Replicate and repeat this success over (and over)

In this series of articles (which is more like a good blogging book) I will teach you exactly how to find success in this framework.

The Journey For Your READERS is

A: Have a problem

B: Discover your awesome content and begin to see their problem more clearly

C: Begin to trust you and start to see how their problem could be solved

D: Use your knowledge/ products/ and services to actually fix their problem

Everything is so much easier when it is defined in steps, isn’t it?

Pro Tip: Write down the goal for you as well as the journey for your reader. Then, make sure that every blogging decision you make is a reflection of these steps.

Is Blogging Dead?

Now we get to the tough questions.

Is blogging a thing of the past?

The short answer is no. Blogging is not dead.

Is the blogosphere (kind of like an atmosphere but better) very saturated? Yes!

But that doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t become a blogger!

It just means that you need to think differently than all those other bloggers out there.

I’m a big fan of the saying, “Work smarter. Not harder.”

In fact, I would argue that with social media and influencer culture, blogging has a better chance of being the backbone for a successful business than ever before…..If you do it correctly.

See, we live in a time in which people are now, more than ever, likely to place their trust in people on the internet (you) instead of big companies.

You can use your blog, your voice, your identity, your experiences, to influence people (in like, a not spammy, positive, life-changing way).

How Much Will it Cost Me to Start a Blog Based Business?

One of the biggest perks of starting a blog based business is that it involves very little upfront costs.

However, because starting a blog is so affordable, unfortunately, people don’t always follow through with their blog once they start.

I find that typically the more you invest into something the more likely you are to actually follow through on your actions and have a strong foundation.

So, even though it is very affordable to begin blogging, I suggest investing in a few things that will further your blog-based business and keep you motivated.

These products and services will not only help your business grow, but they will also help you to continue to put in the effort to make your business a success.

It’s all about doing a little psychology on yourself!

I suggest setting aside $1,000 to start your blog, but if that is not viable for you, you can get started for as little as $120.

More than 50% of Blogs Fail in the First Year

I’m not telling you that most blogs fail to scare you. I’m telling you that so you can realize it and push through it.

And, to better analyze if you think blogging is the right choice for you.

Knowledge is power. Know that you need to be better than average. Know that you are in the right hands for making that happen, but you also need to put in the work and believe in yourself.

Now, why do these blogs fail?

Well, for most people they end up running in circles trying to do everything instead of actually moving forward. They don’t see any success this way and get burned out.

Blogging needs to be a rollercoaster (crazy thrilling and moving forward) not a merry-go-round (a bit mundane and just going in circles).

I can relate because I’ve been there.

Story Time:

I used to have a blog as a hobby back in about 2010.

In 2016, when I picked up blogging again, I decided that this time I would try to blog as a business.

The blog I created as a business was a site to help fellow expats adjust to life in a new country.

I, no joke, created a page on my site for every single country in the world.

In case you are wondering, there are 195 recognized countries.

It was insane overkill.

It’s no surprise that I got burned out after a year and hardly ever made any money with that site.

Luckily I didn’t give up and used what I learned to reflect and reinvent. I then created a framework that was the backbone of my new blog-based business focused on Costa Rica travel.

Within three months I was making a full-time income with my new blog. Since then, my profits have just gone up and up.

I 100% do not work harder on my Costa Rica blog based business than I did on my first blog. I just know the system that works and continuously apply it.

I am also 100% not the biggest blogger on Costa Rica travel. There are people who have been blogging longer which has allowed them to leverage a better place in the industry than I have.

However, I haven’t allowed these things to hold me back. I am extremely proud of my Costa Rica blog based business and it has allowed me a life I couldn’t even imagine.

So, please, keep in mind that success won’t happen overnight. And you may not be at the top of your industry right away. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t be the best and can’t be super successful.