Blog idea... and passive income?

[ErinHill226]

I've been toying around with the idea of starting my own sites and blogs to make money, but didn't think it was a realistic income source. I know you hear about some "runaway" blogs making pretty good money, but I thought anyone making more than a few hundred bucks here and there was the exception to the rule.

HOWEVER... I'm getting burned out and bored. I kept teling myself that once I reached that magical land of better playing clients, the fact that this sort of work is boring and creativity killing wouldn't matter. Well, I recently had a client where I averaged $60 to $80 an hour, which I consider pretty good. The thing is... I still hated it. I dreaded the work. I hated doing the work.. Now, I'm still getting new gigs to keep us up...but I keep thinking there must be SOME way to reach my income goals without wanting to give up on writing altogether. I love writing... I jut hate the grind. I hate spending all my time thinking of the best way to sell X stupid product nobody needs.

I've been thinking a lot lately about what I would be writing if I had the chance to write about anything. What kind of writing job would be my ideal if money wasn't an issue? I figured out that I LOVE babbling about how other moms can market their businesses. I joined several groups for wahm's, and it seems as though ways to actually market, advertise, etc... their businesses is one thing most moms know nothing about. I've read their ads, and many of them are awful. I've spent years studying this stuff, as well as copywriting, and I babble on and on in threads to give these moms advice because it's somehow fun for me to ramble about.

So... I've considered writing a marketing blog specifically for wahm's. Not just writers...but all of them (since I've also had several sales jobs and know women who run just about any type of business). The women I've responded to always seemed appreciative, and sort of like "Wow...why didn't I think of that?" I've also been emailed dozens of times just for advice, and I've been asked to lead discussions on copywriting and advertising. It's fun...and nice.

Does it sound like something people might actually want to read? I have found only one or two sites similar to the one I want to start, and both have a slightly different spin than what I would do. I figure it's impossible to come up with a topic NOBODY has done before anyway... and this seems way less saturated than other niches.

Anyway... is earning an income from blogs a realistic idea? Who here has managed to earn a real income doing so? (And by "real" I mean at least a few thousand per month...which is the minimum I want to earn). I do know it takes awhile to start seeing any results.... so I'm not hoping for overnight cash. I know I'll have to do the work and build an audience. I'm just wondering if this is a realistic goal, or if it's about as realistic as "I'm going to become the next Stephen King!" Sure, I could write a bestseller...but it's not something to bank on. kwim?

[wahmt]

I don't blog so I can't offer any testimonials about it's profitability, but I'd probably say, "Go for it." If you're already spending time answering dozens of emails on the topics (and enjoy doing that), then it'd be good to make your expertise more widely available. If money is an issue, could you continue with your high hourly clients at the same time as you start your blog, and perhaps the work for those clients won't be such a grind if you have your blog to be excited about. And then wean off that work you hate as you blog becomes profitable?

I know I spent time on occasion emailing (detailed advice) on working at home to friends and family who've asked for info. It's surprising how many people simply don't know how to navigate such things (unless of course they're "navigating" consists of simply asking someone who they think knows the answers.

[TiffanyB]

I recently read an article at ViperChill (pretty good blog if you haven't read it) about a site that sounds really familiar with what you want to do. The site is The Mogul Mom | For moms running a business, raising a family and rocking both.

According to the article I read (Case Study: How Two Moms Are Making $5,000+/m Online) the sites makes over 5K for the author. I wouldn't expect to make that much money in the beginning but I think that if you work at it and use SEO and other traffic techniques you could make your site into a decent income.

To make some extra money from this you could also offer your services and private coaching sort of thing as well. For example you could charge $100 for an hour consultation to help the person see were they can improve and get more business.

If you are passionate about this, then I say go for it!

[ErinHill226]

Originally Posted by TiffanyB

I recently read an article at ViperChill (pretty good blog if you haven't read it) about a site that sounds really familiar with what you want to do. The site is The Mogul Mom | For moms running a business, raising a family and rocking both.

According to the article I read (Case Study: How Two Moms Are Making $5,000+/m Online) the sites makes over 5K for the author. I wouldn't expect to make that much money in the beginning but I think that if you work at it and use SEO and other traffic techniques you could make your site into a decent income.

To make some extra money from this you could also offer your services and private coaching sort of thing as well. For example you could charge $100 for an hour consultation to help the person see were they can improve and get more business.

If you are passionate about this, then I say go for it!

I think I have heard of The Mogul Mom, actually. I'm looking at the site now. My plan WOULD be to eventually wean off the work I hate and move on to other things. I guess not ALL my income would need to come from the blogs (I have a few more I'm interested in starting as well...lol). I just want to NOT have to work so often just to make a buck. I figure if I am taking this time away from my kids, it should at least be doing something I really WANT to be doing. Otherwise, why not go get any ole job waiting tables or something?

Eventually, I'd also like to get into grant writing. Although I realize the work can still be grueling, at least then I'll get to say I helped organizations I'd be proud to help (mostly). Right now, I almost feel like a total sell out. I mean, I don't think the work I do is wrong in any way. I just don't really feel all that proud to say "I helped these people sell a $200 toilet seat!" Ya know?

[al_mama]

Wow you sound JUST like me. I dread writing everyday more and more and I keep wanting to branch into writing fro myself too. I also came up with the same bright idea, a marketing blog for moms who write, maybe it's because that's what we know the most about, lol.

But alas, my clients keep me too busy to act on any of my ideas. Weak.

[geargirl113]

I say start the blogs and starting work at them. You really never know eactly what you are capable of until you give it a go. I have fuond that blogging can really free up the need to work for clients.

I got burned out writing 20 articles on the same topic for clients a couple of years ago. I started building passive income through blogging and other sources to make sure that I would not have to be in that position again.

It does not take a lot of cash to get hosting and domain names and you already know what you want to base your first blog around. I say get started and you will be happier

[mitako]

You have nothing to lose by giving it a try, other than some time which you probably would have spent answering questions and writing anyway!

Go for it! It's a great topic, and plenty of women will be interested, myself included.

I understand about wanting to write about what interests you, and being free to do your own thing. I also long for that.

I'm planning two ebooks for the next six months. I doubt I will make much, but even a couple hundred would thrill me, and even if I make zero, I will be able to say "I did it". That's worth a lot right there.

You won't regret trying, but you might regret not trying.

[ErinHill226]

Originally Posted by mitako

You won't regret trying, but you might regret not trying.

That's probably true. I just worry about oversatuation, since there are marketing blogs out there. I am working on a way to make mine a little different, I guess. I know it'll be slgihtly different than The Mogul Mom because the focus will be ONLY on marketing, advertising, getting noticed, etc... rather than managing and starting a business in general. I don't think I'll run out of topics simply because marketing for an eCommerce site would be different than for a graphic design business, so there's still plenty of ground of cover.

I'd also LOVE to start a blog on SIDS and infant loss, since a friend and I have come up with a slightly different slant on that as well. She lost a son to SIDS and has read everything out there, so she filled me in on what was lacking. Plus, she has a facebook group with over 8000 members...so we already have a platform.

I guess I'm rambling on and answering my own questions. lol. Sometimes I just need to process these things through babbling with others who get it. I know I've read some women say they make a full time income with their own sites, so why not me? I'd love to hear how they did it, though!

I feel a book purchase coming on...

[HWMM]

This week I also decided to start a marketing blog. My niche will be B2B. I plan to use the blog to bring in high paying clients. I tried making money from a niche blog a few years again and quickly lost interest after posting once or twice a day. I made some money from Adsense and affiliate programs, but not enough to justiry all the time I spent.

I recently read Carole Tice's blog post about how she makes $5K a month from blogging. She does paid blogging and averages around $88 per blog post. She doesn't seem to be a fan of trying to make money from your own blog. She feels writing for others is more profitable, especially if you find companies that pay a good rate.

I know there are people who make a full-time living from their sites or blogs. But most admit that it took years to do this, at least 3 or 4. I don't want to wait that long. My ultimate goal is writing fiction full-time so my short term goal is to make as much money as possible so I can work fewer hours to pay bills and build up more savings. Then I can set aside time to do what I really want. Blogging is just a marketing tool for me.

While I have tried writing for myself, I find writing for others more profitable.

[ErinHill226]

Originally Posted by HWMM

This week I also decided to start a marketing blog. My niche will be B2B. I plan to use the blog to bring in high paying clients. I tried making money from a niche blog a few years again and quickly lost interest after posting once or twice a day. I made some money from Adsense and affiliate programs, but not enough to justiry all the time I spent.

I recently read Carole Tice's blog post about how she makes $5K a month from blogging. She does paid blogging and averages around $88 per blog post. She doesn't seem to be a fan of trying to make money from your own blog. She feels writing for others is more profitable, especially if you find companies that pay a good rate.

I know there are people who make a full-time living from their sites or blogs. But most admit that it took years to do this, at least 3 or 4. I don't want to wait that long. My ultimate goal is writing fiction full-time so my short term goal is to make as much money as possible so I can work fewer hours to pay bills and build up more savings. Then I can set aside time to do what I really want. Blogging is just a marketing tool for me.

While I have tried writing for myself, I find writing for others more profitable.

I figured it would take awhile. I guess in the meantime, it would be fun. I am a huge follower of Carol Tice's blog! Love her. I would probably use the blog for marketing too, since I don't want to give up writing for clients entirely. I think I'd just like different types of clients. Eventually, I'd rather do grant proposals...but I'll need to take specialized classes for that in the coming year. I may also eventually start a blog on catalog copywriting... since that's where my experience lies. And again, fewer people are writing about that specifically. Every time I Google it, I end up getting half a dozen links to AWAI.