This weekend, talking to a friend of my friend told me that his girlfriend was thinking about starting a blog as a business, and maybe he could help her.
As not know when I'll see, I decided to write the information. But instead of sending it by email, I thought I'll post it here because I think it will serve you / like a lot. It will be a post on that for me are the steps to follow if we want to think or open a blog to give us money.
However, before doing so (before we get to make money with a blog, I mean) I think it is important to be aware that like everything in life, being a blogger is not as nice as it looks.
With this I do not discourage anyone. By this I do not want to "complain" about anything. Extra I feel fortunate to live in something that I enjoy so much and would not trade it for the world. If you do not believe me I would not be here. But what I want is that you realize that, like everything in life, has its cons, and what I intend with this post is open to you before the eyes may thrust you into a dead end.
Each person are different and that bothers me other people may not. Or what my slips me, maybe other people will do terrible damage. Or what I value, other given equal, etc. I list what for me are the worst aspects, or more negative, to make a living with a blog, so that you are aware and then may be able to assess whether you girls compensate.
1) A blog is not a business, it is a self-employmentHave to realize that a blog is not a business. With a blog you would be giving money owning a job, do not own a business. You can not go away on vacation and leave. You can organize yourselves, yes, but you can not go away a year of holidays without organizing anything, because ye are the important part of "business".
The problem with this is that, as seen in the book cash flow quadrant, the more successful we better go or we rather have to work and not vice versa. It's like when we have a job and promote us. A better job, higher salary, but also more responsibility and more hours.
And I tell you, that just the way I make money with the blog is the most passive there.
I insist and insist again that a blog is a great way to make money, but at a price. The price we get into a difficult vicious circle to leave.
2) Do not ever disconnectednessLike any self-employment or business without a good system behind it is a job where you never disconnectedness. I have the pleasure of meeting Amancio Ortega, Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg, but despite having a good organization behind, I'm sure you do not disconnect too.
And if they do not, your business will not collapse at all without them being present, imagine you, it is likely that your ability to make ends meet is directly related to how you plan your blog.
It becomes a constant concern for you or not will rest when you are on vacation.
It is very tiring to be 24 hours a day with his head on one thing. Also we know that stress can cause us headaches and much more. Our relationships (with friends, with family, etc.) can also be damaged if our blog every conversation comes up, etc.
You will try to disconnect, but I assure you that you can not.
3) You will work long hoursIn point 2 said it was difficult to disconnect, but what I mean by that you will not be able to disconnect psychologically. I, of all my life I been a person I never remember what I dream. However, since I have him sleep blog long days. But what I mean in this other point is that you will work long hours.
It is often difficult to mark the dividing line between work and pleasure. Sometimes you will be in bed, on Pinterest looking for inspiration or ideas for your blog. Sometimes you something because you have friends at home on a Sunday and you stand to take pictures. Etc.
Sometimes be difficult to tell how much you work, as sometimes you will be with your boyfriend or husband on the way to somewhere and you will be answering emails. Other Travel establish night and instead of reading a book you set yourselves to read blogs or articles that will help with the issue. Etc.
And so, between one thing and another, it is not easy to tell how many hours you dedicate to really blog, but I assure you there will be many. Too.
4) very tiring the blogosphere is a bit like a lawless neighborhood where each does what he pleases regardless of any rule anythingYou know those super dodgy neighborhoods where the police come or because they will not get them into trouble or end look bad? The blogosphere is a bit like that.
One learns to stay out of brown, but it wears much-much, I assure you.
I'm sure you will know of many cases, if you have not gone to you and to, from someone who copied and far from "denounce" (do not tell the police, say publicly), I have to eat with potatoes above because they know if they say something, they will get it is precisely over promoting that person.
And I think that plagiarism or copier is one of the problems that are seen in the blogosphere, and while it is a topic that I, like the reviews, one day goes in one ear and out the other for me another, there are days that affects me more.
You will see that there are many things going on in the blogosphere that bother you, and I will go slowly burning.
5) You do realize, and lets you down, there are many people who do not have any valuesPeople, of all life, is selfish by nature and goes about his business, regardless of ethical or moral is not what he does.
Right now in the hands of specialists a recent case concerning my blog. Moreover, as my lawyer says, not only affects the intellectual property, but also as an attack on the honor, unfair competition and exploitation of another's reputation.
Thankfully not many people have heard, but I've seen other people have done, my readers who read your blog without caring at all what they see.
That, believe me, very disappointed.
Another example is no further than what happened to the blog of Sarai Llamas. Lots of people learned that it is your blog, was plagiarized from an Italian blog.
Unfortunately, these cases are not timely copy of a post or tutorial just annoying but let but are cases where both have crossed the line to be put in the hands of lawyers specialized in the field of Internet. But what I am is that there are people who after hearing what they have done and until the case is resolved in the courts, read them.
It is very difficult to draw a line in cases like this, I understand. In addition each have certain values and preferences. I do not recycle, and my sister seems fatal not to do so because he believes that we should all do our bit in that regard. However, I never read the blog of someone I know who has copied, is taking advantage of someone in a bad way, criticizing other people, etc.
To me that things are important and I want to contribute to their success. I fall into the trap of wanting everyone to think like me, I want people to realize what they do and put their two cents from reaching anywhere, and it frustrates me not to do it to.
When your blog is tiny or pure hobby, these things will affect both, but when someone is playing with your bread, which comes again to try to throw away what you do or take advantage of your work, it hurts, and if above see that your faithful readers are nothing, then the damage is cubed.
6) We will whistle insurance earsA greater or lesser extent, when you are blogging you are a bit like a public person. Like when Princess Letizia, if you have a repeated is a seedy repeating outfit, and if never repeats is a spendthrift, and if you buy something cheap should not have bought it, because that is princess, but if you bring something brand to see what you think, we are in crisis, etc., will criticize you girls too.
No matter what you do or say, people will criticize you. Think also that there are people for everyone, so just by statistics, the more people will get to it, there will be more people who do not like you to do or say something. And that, as people have nothing better to do, it will be dedicated to find fault.
7) Unfortunately, I also criticize the faceOne thing is that you criticize without knowing it, which I assure you it happens. But life "out of sight ....". The problem with blogging is that people lose education and criticism over our faces.
And the better it will go, the more you will criticize. I understand that often envy that causes these reviews, but here we are all human and as much as we know are the result of envy, always hurt a little.
Do not ask me why (please, if any psychologist for you to tell me here) people online becomes more rude than in person. I've never seen an obese person or dwarf or whatever, go down the street and someone calls you fat in the face.
I swear I suffer with every review I read of poor Alma. It seems unfair, not following, but I fear it is a little price to pay.
In the USA it goes even further to criticize back or face and there is a blog that just criticize other bloggers. The last straw. As if this were not enough, not only criticize the posts they write, but they have forums, classified by categories / topics, where people can ask questions or discuss things on other blogs or bloggers.
8) You two always will be badPeople when you have a blog, think that you are an NGO. For many people, become blogger = be a nice guy also has time for everyone.
I get crazy emails every day. And each more funny:
- People who write to me saying sorry, he will not buy any of my courses because they will not have time to do, but though not eligible to receive my guide PicMonkey (the question is: How and why not the birthday;) that please send it because you need it. And as I write, please see if I can look at your blog to tell you what or how to improve it.
Great, you do not have time to pay my courses, but for my free course. Short on time but I do have to take time for yourself and look at your blog. And above do not qualify for my guide PicMonkey but want me the send.
- People tell me that they like my blog, which is very nice, I will not buy my courses because they do not want to have to designed your blog it, but if it's free (beware: if it's free) then wants I will design your blog.
And I say they have in common: when I said no. When I say I do not control the guide. When I say no free design blogs. When I say I can not make an exception. When I say I do not have time to answer or help. When I say no to whatever ... I'm the bad.
Do not ask me why people do not understand that the bloggers do not have more hours in the day. It's not about being poor or not poor, but we are not NGOs, and also, there are no hours a day to answer questions from all people.
Oh, and of course, also are bad when you write to someone who copied something and say that, please do not copy ...;)
One knows not to blame. One knows he is not doing badly. But like it or not, we always leave a small thorn, making us feel bad and think that other people will think badly of us.
9) People will not understand or want to understand, that your blog is your livelihoodOther things I do not understand (please comment that psychologists) is why people do not understand that a blog can be a business.
I've never seen anyone criticize another person to open a store. Nobody is surprised that someone charged for selling books in your library or doing a manicure on a site and toes. However, many people wonder the bloggers themselves will charge you for what we do.
Apparently I should design blogs for free and no charge for my courses or knowledge.
Tell me one thing: have you ever heard someone criticizing Vogue, Elle or any other magazine or newspaper, to put advertising on their pages? Because I do not.
Moreover, has anyone ever criticized the newspaper 20 minutes, instead of being paid as other newspapers, is free and earn money through advertising they have?
So why do so many people criticize the bloggers when they put advertising on their blogs? You tell me because I do not understand. We should give thanks for all content that they publish for free, which as we have seen, the magazines do not even though they also charge for advertising.
But no. If you are bloggers, regardless of how decides make money with your blog, I will criticize just for the fact that you gain money.
10) A, even if he wants, can not be the sameBefore having read my blog Jen, and I always wondered the same thing: this girl excuse why all the while making it.
Did not understand why, if he said that he had for sale a printable in her Etsy shop, I had to explain that it had taken time to do it, or that got many hours on the blog and somehow wanted to contribute financially at home to offset the hours they did other things in it, etc.
I saw it in many blogs, always people trying to excuse what they did or said, and I really did not understand. But now I do.
I assure you since it is impossible to avoid them. They will criticize you, back and face; you will always be bad and also many people do not understand why want to make money with a blog, like it's a bad or so, as if we were opening a puti.
