THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS. DISCLOSURE
Boy oh boy. Talk about standing in front of a crowd in your underwear by writing a scary income post! I’m quickly approaching the 3 year mark of blogging, and this is my first ever income report. I’ve read blog income reports for many years now, and they were what kept me going when I first started blogging. I truly hope this report will do the same for other bloggers who are in the same boat that I used to be in!
For the first 2.5 years of my blog, I used it as a hobby. I loved to write, and I loved the idea of being a full time blogger someday. But I had no idea what I was actually doing, and I’m pretty sure my mom was my only subscriber at this point :). I would read reports of stay at home mom’s making $5,000 a month from their blogs, and while the idea seemed nice, I just didn’t have a clue what direction I needed to go to get there. Now, I’m not anywhere near the $5,000 a month mark, but I think I’ve finally stumbled my way through enough trial and error to be well on my way there.
JANUARY INCOME & EXPENSES:
For starters, my blog income ties in with my virtual assisting and online business consulting (you can read more about how I became a Virtual Assistant here). I use all the knowledge I’ve acquired through courses and training over the last 3 years to help other online entrepreneurs. And I have met almost all of my clients through my blog. The other part of my income is from my affiliate partners.
INCOME
EXPENSES
NET INCOME:
My virtual assisting/consulting income was slightly lower than December, because I chose to take a few weekends off in January to spend more time with my family. I pushed super hard in December, but I quickly realized that the point of this side gig was supposed to offer me more quality time with my family, not the other way around. I made it my goal for 2018 to prioritize family time over extra hours with my business, so that is reflected in my income (which I’m totally okay with!). As far as my affiliate income, it was slightly higher ($585.00), but the second payment doesn’t batch until February 10, so I don’t include the income until it’s in my bank account.
The other thing that I think is often overlooked when reading blogging income reports is that just as any other business, there are expenses. I solely use our laptop computer for my business, so any type of virus protection, upgrades, etc is included in my expenses. I’m also constantly trying to expand my knowledge, so I try to make sure I’m always enrolled in at least 1 course at all times (I highly suggest BTOP Pinterest E-Course for any blogger working on growing their Pinterest presence!). I also have several memberships to different programs which I use for my personal blog and also for work that I do for my clients.
MY ADVICE FOR NEW BLOGGERS
Like I mentioned above, I am by no means a professional blogger, but I do have some advice for anyone who is just starting out. INVEST in yourself and your blog. I wandered blindly the first 2.5 years thinking that making an income from my blog would just happen. It wasn’t until I started investing in courses, training, and overall design updates for my blog that I started to see some traction. Another reason for my recent growth is my consistency in posting. During my first year or so as a blogger, I would post 8 times in one month, and then only 1 time the next month. Now, I’m constantly working on content and scheduling out my posts so they are consistent without being annoying ;). And lastly, you have to remember that being a blogger isn’t a get rich quick business. It’s taken me years to build my blog to where it is today. However, if you are willing to be consistent and put in the work, I have no doubt that you can get here too!
