I see moms in Facebook groups every day asking for suggestions about legitimate work-from-home jobs that are flexible and don’t require any type of sales. Whenever I share that I work from home as a blogger, I get bombarded with questions about how to build a profitable blog.
To answer some of these questions, I decided to share some of my experiences (although I’m not in the “blogging about blogging” niche).
The fact is that blogging is a great way for moms to make money from home, but it’s no get-rich-quick scheme. And it’s also not for everyone, no matter what anyone says (no job is right for everyone, right?).
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Here are my suggestions on how to know if blogging is right for you:
Blogging might be right for you if…
- you want to be your own boss
- you need a flexible job
- you enjoy writing
- you’re willing to write about things that benefit others vs keeping an online diary
- you’re willing to work hard for a while without much reward
- you’re willing to invest some money to get started right
- you understand that blogging includes a lot of “marketing” (although mine’s 98% on Pinterest)
- you’re flexible and willing to try new approaches when one isn’t working
If you want to go for it!
I started my blog a few times in the wrong places and ended up causing myself much unnecessary work and headaches. Don’t make the same mistakes I did! Set yourself up for success by going with a self-hosted site (it’s best for monetizing) and use WordPress.ORG.
I recommend Siteground for hosting because it’s what I use. Their customer service is AMAZING. I am not technically inclined, so I’ve required a lot of support along the way. Siteground has been wonderful for walking me through everything and helping me with the technical side of blogging.
I also strongly recommend that you take a course on building a profitable blog. There is so much to know and learn. You could try searching Google for all the answers or you could make it easy on yourself and learn it all in one place.
I took a course called Becoming a Blogger. It taught me everything I needed to get started right and it was much more affordable than other courses out there.
If you’re serious about building a profitable blog, you’ll also need legal protection on your site. I purchased this legal bundle, which included my site’s privacy policy, terms of conditions, and disclaimer all drafted by a lawyer. If your blog is your business, make sure you treat it as such and get the right protections in place!
For more tips, check out my post: 5 Mistakes I Made as a New Blogger
Kicking Fear to the Curb
Are you worried that the market is saturated with mommy bloggers? Don’t be.
There are literally billions of people online. And you don’t need a massive following to make money as a blogger. You just have to add value to your personal audience.
I used to think I couldn’t be a full-time writer because what I wanted to write was already written by others who (I guessed) were much more talented than me.
This quote, from Elizabeth Gilbert’s book Big Magic, changed my thinking: “It may have been done before but it hasn’t been done by YOU.”
Remember, you have unique experiences, a unique perspective, and a unique voice. What you have to share has not been shared before. So go share it!
If you don’t think blogging would be a good fit
If you read my list above and thought that blogging wouldn’t be a good fit for you, have no fear. The internet has created a world of opportunities for moms who want to work at home.
For some more ideas, check out my post 7 Work-at-Home Ideas for Busy Moms.