Welcome to the first post of my Career Series!
Before I begin all of my industry/career advice, I want to start by making sure all of you out there who are considering starting a blog (or small business) that requires (or that you’d just like to have) a good-sized online presence are actually ready for all that it requires and that you make the right decision.
In the beginning, not only just a lot of time and effort but also potentially a good sum of money goes into starting something like this, and I don’t want anyone to waste that!
So below I’m sharing my top 5 things to consider before starting a blog… enjoy!
1. The Time
Guys, I’m sure you’ve heard it before, but I am not joking – anything you do for this will take at least 3x longer than you think, at least. Many times, it’ll be late at night, maybe 9ish or so, and I’ll remember that there are a few things I need to do for the blog before tomorrow, and it honestly reasonably seems like I’ll be done within an hour …and then all of a sudden it’s well past midnight and I’m finally finishing up?!
To run a successful blog, you need to ask yourself a few things regarding time:
- Do you have some extra time on your hands that you will happily devote to this new hustle? If not, yes you can make time, but it will be cut somewhere, and for me that is mostly my sleep time. I also spend a good chunk of my weekends working on my blog, which leads me to my next question…
- Are you willing to sacrifice either leisurely time to yourself (reading, watching your shows, cooking elaborate meals, etc.) or social time with friends to get things done? Now of course there’s a balance to be had, but there will be times where you have to sacrifice. There have been several occasions where I have wanted to go out or to an event or even just stay longer at a happy hour with coworkers, but knew I had to get back home at a decent hour if I was going to get that post up or that email out tomorrow. And on the other side of things, there have been weekends where I just want to chill. Whether it’s to binge some show, or to sleep in, go to brunch, shop and then read a book until lights out on a Sunday – sometimes these weekends need to happen. And that’s ok – but then there will probably be less Instagram posts/blog posts/engagement with my followers happening the following week, or my weeknights will be even later that week.
2. The Money
Blogging is not free. Yes, you can probably start a decent one for under $100 – to cover the domain and whatever you choose to build the site with. But as bloggers, we have a vision for our brand. And at some point, if not in the beginning, you’ll want to have a pretty professional appearance in order to attract (and hold) readers. You’ll want a decent logo and should eventually start self-hosting and using wordpress.com to build your site with a professional theme (more about this to come in a future post).
Other expenses I have are: my photographer, Facebook/Instagram/Pinterest ads, my camera, photo props, organizing tools, planning programs/apps, giveaway items, and specific products/items I really want to try and write about. I also use the Adobe Photoshop program to edit my photos, and that isn’t free.
Additionally, you have to be willing to learn a lot of different skills (things like SEO optimization or photo editing) if you don’t want to drop the money on having someone else do it for you; and this point also relates back to time – these skills take time to learn and develop but also take time to continue utilizing.
3. Your Niche
Knowing your niche is so important, and honestly not the easiest to figure out. It took me, at the very least, a year to have a strong picture of my brand/my look and the niche I was trying to reach. And I still struggle sometimes. You just really need to know exactly what you are and exactly what you aren’t, and stay true. Of course you’ll evolve through life, and your interests can change but, even so, your brand will never change (if you do it right). Always be authentic. Sometimes it can be hard when you’re new and starting out and brands want to send you free stuff – but hey if it isn’t you, don’t do it! The right brands will reach out to you (or you can reach out to them – more about this to come in a future post), just be patient.
My best advice is to give your brand / who you are / and what your blog will be a lot of thought before you begin. It will save you so much time in the long run. Plus, the stronger the presence and unique point-of-view, the quicker you will gain a loyal following and readership. People recognize authenticity and respond very positively to it.
4. Your Reason
So, why do you want to start a blog? Because if your answer has anything related to fame or free stuff – my best advice is to just live your life and that blogging isn’t for you. The amount of time/money/effort it takes to get to the point where you are receiving quality product is not worth it if you are only passionate about getting that product. And honestly, it just does not equal what that product would just cost you anyway.
For example: I received a free bike in exchange for a dedicated post + a few Instagram posts. Yes, the bike’s retail cost was a few hundred dollars and that is a very exciting item to receive for “free”. But in order to get really incredible photos in popular Brooklyn locations, my photographer and I had to get up very early in the AM one Saturday. We then shot for hours up until lunchtime, where I then paid for a car back to my place (way too exhausted for the Subway), and spent hours going through and picking the best photos, and then I spent hours editing all of the photos, and then I spent hours putting the blog post together, writing my review and choosing the right photos for that post, plus maybe half an hour or so figuring out the best photos to Instagram and when. This is a LOT of energy and time that probably just about equaled a couple hundred dollars. Plus I had to pay my photographer and for the Uber XL (to fit my bike) ride home.
Blogging is such an amazing invention and phenomenon that can really change lives. It’s an easy way to connect with people you might never be able to meet in real life or that you will meet in real life and become real friends because of a blog/your blog. It’s amazing. And its main purpose is to educate. Don’t know how to style a jean skirt correctly in 2018? Not sure if you’re doing your eyebrows correctly? Not sure if you should start a blog? There’s a blog post for that and so much more. Connecting with an audience is also very rewarding, uplifting, and just plain fun. It’s an easy way for introverts and extroverts alike to share their strong point-of-view about something, and be heard all the same. And that should be in the ballpark of why you want to start a blog.
5. Your Goal
What’s the goal of your blog? This question definitely doesn’t need a definitive answer right away, and even if you do have one, it’ll surely evolve throughout the years. But it’s just important to think about and consider.
I first started just to honestly help and share what I love with people. I greatly enjoy shopping and finding the absolute cutest things and trend-forecasting and creating gift guides, and I really just wanted to share that with people – which is why I started TFL. But now that I actually have a (distant, but steady) goal in mind (full-time blogging), it feels more serious and I definitely look at it from a business standpoint much more, which helps me reach my goal more efficiently. So it’s good to know a little bit about what you want to come of it beforehand, so that you can slowly but surely work towards it and allow it to guide you along your blogging journey.
a final note:
If after reading this you still feel pretty strongly about starting, DO IT. The worst thing that can happen is you waste some time and a little money. Which… yeah isn’t great. But it’s worse than wondering what could’ve been if you really feel passionate about doing this. Just make sure you know that fame/readership doesn’t come quick (no matter how cute, talented, and/or smart you are), and to always stay true to yourself.
If the hustle is there, then the success story will come. I promise 🙂 (and if you’re struggling, hire me!)
Best of blogging wishes!
