First off, a quick apology for not having posted more over the last few weeks. I usually try and at minimum get two posts in a week, yet this month I’ve been slacking a little bit. At least on the blog side of things…
It’s actually this very realization thats inspired today’s post.
For nearly two years now I’ve watched my peers grow their blogs into spectacular resources full of useful content, that have helped them to live some pretty unique lifestyles. When I began back in mid 2009, there were a bunch of people that were right there with me. Through the course of the next 12 months we’d see some people huge successes, and others fall of the face of the blogosphere. Yet for those that have stuck around and put in the work, I’d venture to say almost all agree it’s been worth it.
That said, the vast majority of people with blogs will not become full time bloggers. More importantly, even those that could fall in to that category, aren’t full time bloggers.
Take Chris Guillebeau for instance (yes another reference to Chris on this blog – get over it). He is what one might call a “professional blogger”. He makes a very good living doing what he does best – writing. Yet, when you break it down, you realize that the blog is actually a very small part of what he does. Whether its masterminding large conferences, writing a best selling book, or creating game-changing travel websites, his status of “professional blogger” quickly escalates to innovative entrepreneur.
So, where am I going with this?
Over the past few weeks I’ve been beating myself up a bit for not doing a better job of writing and sticking to a schedule. I’ve been frustrated that earlier proclamations of a site redesign and a March product release are way behind schedule.
Then it hit me. I’m not a full time blogger, nor am I trying to be.
I began thinking back to what has changed this past month compared to months where I’ve blogged up a storm. What I realized is that I’m way busier now than I was even a few weeks ago. The cool part about this, is that not only am I busy, but for the most part it’s because of projects that have huge potential in the future. More importantly, they are things that actually excite me.
If you read my post about the third round of the Tropical MBA, you can see that there’s a lot going on with the work I do with Dan – not the least of which is figuring out a plan to go hang out with the crew in Bali for awhile. I also teamed up with a friend to launch a new HDR software website. If you’ve followed Daily HDR, you have an idea of how passionate I am about this.
Now throw on 3 SEO projects, an upcoming road trip to Texas, planning for the WDS, and one super secret project that is the most exciting thing of all, and you’ve got a pretty full schedule.
All this to say, such a small, small, small number of bloggers actually make a full time living from their site. And frankly, I think it’s a very small percentage that would want to. The coolest thing about blogging for me has been the network that it’s opened me up to, which is where the real exciting projects can come into play.
So if you’re at a point in your life, or you get to a point where things just seem busy, and your website gets put on the backburner for a month or two, don’t sweat it. Generally your readers and fans will still be around when you get back to it, and ideally you’re going to have even more exciting stuff to share with them.
Some of the most successful bloggers are going to disagree with this. You’ve probably all heard “consistency is key” and there’s a ton of truth to that – especially when you’re just beginning. However in my mind, the most intriguing part of beginning a blog is the fact that you’re trying to illicit positive change of some sort. That change can manifest itself in ways you never anticipate, which is what’s happening for me. So when unexpected opportunities come your way, the best thing you can do is embrace it, run with it, and try to bring everyone else along for the ride as best you can – but not at the detriment to the project itself.
If you have a blog, how do you feel about this? Should the blog be the be all, end all, most important aspect to a lifestyle entrepreneur’s business? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.
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This realization is something I am facing as well. When I was making decent money from The Minimalist Path, I put all my eggs (attention) in one basket. I have come to realize that I did the exact same thing with my blog that people do with their 9-5′s. They look at one source of business/income and forget to have multiple streams of business/income.
This could not be more evident than with Pat Flynn of Smart Passive Income. Looking back, Pat made almost ALL of his income from one ebook. Through the last 18 months or so, he has spread his streams of income to the point where if you notice now, his original ebook is one of the smaller streams of income. If he hadn’t established the other streams of income, he would be scrambling to throw shit together to make up for the loss of income from the original ebook.
I know…I am preaching to the choir here. However, I think ALL OF US overlook the importance of having multiple business. Some may make more money than others, but they all contribute to the major goal. One may bring networking (a la the blog) with some side cash and others may bring in heftier income streams.
All in all, relying on one business, one opportunity, one income is stupid. I know you know this, but reminding ourselves of this is crucial to continued personal lifestyle development. Trust me, I have to remind myself everyday I spend hours on end with some blog post or design.
Have a good one Sean….Would love to hear some more about your new exciting product you are working on.
David Damron
LifeExcursion
Hi Sean,
Ah yes, the beginning back in 2009.
Some of “us” have made huge leaps since then.
A blog is a great platform for income, but definitely not the end all solution to getting an online income. It does help the lifestyle entrepreneur keep in contact with others (you’re keeping in contact with me through this blogpost for instance).
Blogging will never be my full-time business. But it complements the lifestyle very well. Better than most other part-time jobs or even hobbies. I don’t make a significant online income so for me it’s purely a hobby, a hobby that pays for its hosting fees.
Blogging lets you reach out and interact with other people if they live to far away to see face to face. It lets you share ideas that are so “rare” that you can’t find anyone in your in-real-life circle to share them with.
Keep blogging Sean, there definitely is something to gain from it.
Gr, Christiaan
My blog is a tool. I’m not trying to become a full-time writer. It’s a great way to communicate, hash out my thoughts, discipline myself and make myself do stuff that scares me, but I’m not planning on quitting my job to blog. Building businesses and helping people do awesome stuff is much more appealing than just writing for the rest of my life. I know lots and lots of people (and lots of my friends) are using blogging as a way to break into the publishing industry, but I’ve always viewed my blog as a tool. It’s a way to help me talk about what I’m doing, not BE the only thing I ever do.
Welcome back Sean!
I think people are selling themselves short with their blog. You can most certainly make $1,000-$3,000/month online through advertising in one years time imo. You just have to want to do it.
There is a TON of money out there, waiting to flow through to your PayPal address. The Yakezie Member blogs all know this, and therefore many of us are doing it, and are on our way to achieving that income.
It does take being in the right genre, and a network helps.
Read this post.. and dang, didn’t realize there are 116 comments already!
http://yakezie.com/64/personal-finance/the-100000-a-month-yakezie-goal
Cheers,
Sam
You and I are dealing with very similar things right now when it comes to our blogs. We started around the same time back in 09 and have been through a lot with our blogs since.
I think the key takeaway here is that just as we evolve, as do our blogs, and as does our writing. I used to blog because I wanted to make a name for myself, I needed to build awareness around myself and, at the time, my aspiring career in the web-marketing world and eventually as an entrepreneur.
Now, I am far from “making it” – but I am doing well for myself these days – and being that I am very busy and, at the present time, experiencing a lot of success with my business, my blog has transformed from being a PR tool to being a stream of consciousness – a place for me to be myself and, when I have something to say, a platform for me to speak to others who give a damn (and even those who don’t).
I find that while I am writing a lot less lately, I’m also writing more “real” – because there’s no motive, there’s no “goal” per se, it’s just me being me, and there’s something very appealing about that.
I’ve seen this transformation within my own blog, and amongst my blogging peers out there who are out there doing great things – our blogs helped us get to where we are today, and as we continue to develop, so will our writing, and our blogging goals. That’s the beauty of it.
Thanks for inspiring some good thoughts my friend. I hope all is well.
I think it totally depends on your audience. One time I forgot to post a new lifestyle business podcast and I literally got phone calls from listeners who were weeping… I mean literally weeping on the telephone, so… I suppose I could lay off but I’m not going to risk it.
Bali? I think so…
To be serious: I think it depends if your blog is a business or a networking tool. Imagine if Mashable stopped posting! Not only would they lose a lot of money, but the internet would be a better place.
Ah… I’m a jerk.
I didn’t mean that.
Yeah, I don’t think the blog is the “be-all, end-all”. It really depends on the direction you want to take your business. I get the feeling that Chris G doesn’t WANT to be a full-time blogger, or he would be doing all sorts of other things. He has a specific idea of where he wants to go and how he wants to make money, so that’s how he does it. His blog is just a great resource that he provides on top of that.
I think blogging is a great way to get a feel for your audience and help you brainstorm the direction of your business, but no, I don’t think it’s backbreaking to focus on other stuff. Keep it up!
Sean,
I am a newbie, but I don’t think I will ever be a full time blogger. I am not really much of a writer, so unless that changes as I grow I don’t think I will ever be passionate about it. I do hope I will be able to bring value to my readers, but I hope to have other projects to be able to spend time on.
Hey Sean, yeah I remember the good old ’09. “Some of us” are no where as well known and as well followed as you. But, we had to learn other lessons along the way.
I started my blog in the wrong niche, and named it to accordingly, so now, I am restarting with a fresh blog soon to be launched. And thanks a million for helping out with your contribution to the e-book that will be launched along with the blog soon.
I have come to see blogging as not a business in or of itself, but rather a component of the main business, albeit an important component. I see my new blog as the centerpiece of my multiple profit centers, tying them all together nicely.
Yes, entrepreneurs go with the flow, rather than following the plan.
Rasheed
Minding my own business
Sean, no worries. You hit it on the head when you reclassified your blog as a tool used by your business rather than the business itself. As long as you’re not breaking explicit commitments with your audience, I don’t see why it should be a critical problem.
Dan said it well. You have to be attentive to your audience’s expectations. It’s all good as long as you can live with the tradeoff of whatever disappointment you might generate by not posting versus the gains you can build by pursuing other income.
Dude. I think you hit the nail on the head with this one.
I’ve tried the ‘make money blogging’ route before. Most recently I tried the ‘make money with Adsense’ route. I finally concluded that it was almost completely one big circle jerk! The space is full of ‘guberus’ who all pimp each other’s products to their respective lists. Most of them are selling the dream of how to make passive money without really working too hard. I was getting a bit desperate and then ran across a link to the Lifestyle Business Podcast over on Thrilling Heroics. That Podcast may have saved my sanity and what was left of my entrepreneurial desire!
Some internet marketers do look at the big picture and kinda-sorta look at this as a true business. But most do not. And that is why their goals are so low. Exhibit A: The Keyword Academy. Almost a year ago they started a campaign to get 1,000 of their members up to the $1,000/month earning level. Fact is, they aren’t gonna make it. They have done good to hit 100, and frankly I’ll bet a lot of that income comes from techniques other than the ones they espouse. That was my frame of reference for last year, and I had a goal of hitting $1,000 a month within a year. Then I started listening to Dan and Ian.
WTF? These young punks (no offense) are in year three and are talking about $80,000 a month and hitting their annual goal of a freakin’ MILLION??? Holy balls! I’ve been listening to the wrong people.
Here is the interesting part to me. They have blogs! They do podcasts. They do Twitter. But to them all of those things are just tools, just a piece of the puzzle. They don’t confuse a blog post idea with a business plan. And even though they share with me (and many others) the belief that Tim Ferriss’ first book was a life-changer, they somehow managed to skip right past that whole passive income/four-hour work part. They just became entrepreneurs. They started businesses.
In retrospect, all of this should have been common sense. But so many of us have become mesmerized by the gee-whiz technology aspect of it all that we forgot the fundamentals.
So yeah, blog when you can, but use it as a tool. It’s probably good if it is regular, but hell, the average Joe Q Citizen doesn’t blog any more. They just post status updates. Most new blogs these days are IM guys throwing up thin crappy MFA sites. Just throw up the occasional quality post (like this one) and you’ll stand head and shoulders above the rest.
Glenn, that’s twice now you’ve made my day (thanks for the Itunes review, that was the cat’s pajamas). I’m really happy you enjoy the podcast, it’s my favorite thing to do and I want to keep making it better.
Regarding the circle jerk– dead on. If entrepreneurship could be bottled and sold, we wouldn’t need entrepreneurs. Or something like that…
Glenn, I haven’t been called a young punk for a few years now but let me tell you it’s always a huge compliment. Thank you for that.
Dan and Ian: you’re welcome!
We’ve got state-side travel plans for several months but should be done by this fall. Any chance you guys might start a Costa Rican MBA by then? Do you take walk-ons?
)
My blog isn’t a business. It was never meant to be. Although I hope other people find value in it, I often use it as a tool to get thoughts straight in my head. In a lot of ways, my blog is for my benefit.
Also, the blog serves as a platform to share ideas and meet other people with similar interests. True, it’s not making any money, but I think it is still extremely valuable.
As the saying goes, don’t put all of your eggs in the same basket.
We learnt a long time ago to diversify with different companies/activities. When one is on a high, another may be on a low but it all balances itself out at the end.
Our blogs sometimes get left on the backburner when we are busy with our “real” work and the followers are still there when you get back.
I agree. It’s all about what your goals are. My blog was never meant to be a source of income, just a bit of fun. So if I go a few weeks or months without posting, so be it.
Hi Sean
A thought provoking piece, for me. I understand your predicament and your reaction to it.
It made me think about what I am doing and I realised that I am not working as a full-time blogger, I am working full-time in the area of men, women and relationships. What that means is that currently blogging is the way I market my message and develop my message. Will it always be like this? I depends where my business goes. The business is not blogging, blogging is a tool in my business.
I don’t think enough people make that distinction. I won’t make any money blogging, I will make money working with and helping men. That’s what excites me and gets on the keyboard every day.
Best regards
Graham
Sean, our circles don’t overlap that much, but we started about the same time.
Personally, I’d be delighted to make a full time living blogging, whatever that means. Which is about as likely as making a full time living watching TV (to steal a notion from Laura Belgray).
However, I have a very strong hunch that in the end it evens out, a lot. I’ve seen a fair number of people who were seemingly roaring along, then give it all up. Seems unwise to me. Then the people who put all their eggs in one basket. Or in the case of the product launch folks, a succession of single baskets. “Home run or die” isn’t my style!
I recently wrote that while blogging is overrated, so is quitting blogging. I’m very curious where a number of people I’m watching now will be in 10 years. Certainly, had I not quit blogging repeatedly over the years, I’d be way ahead now…
Yeah blogging can be a bitch, for some reason I check your blog weekly.
Don’t bail out out of the the boat when you should be bailing out the boat.
No clue what that means.
P.S: Your blog does kinda sound like Chris G fan club central and an infomercial for tropical MBA though. LOL
Hi
I see blog more as sharing your thoughts and feelings with known and unknown people.
This way I did find enough interesting people,who think same way as me or did bring new or interesting views of life.
You can work and write …it depends on you,what do you want and can…
And about making a money…How much are your thoughts and words worth? Can somebody pay it enough ,or…?
Keep living your life and sharing your thoughts.
Thx Jelena
Good points Sean. Blogging is a beast to keep up with but I believe it really does come down to what part we see it playing in our business.
If you have other parts to your business there is no reason for it to be the be all and end all. Like you stated….your fans will be there when you get back. Just don’t take too long of a time off (talking form experience here…lol)
Good words my friend.
~BT
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