From 6 Figure Job to Full Time Blogger — What You Need to Know
Have you ever thought about what it would be like to work for yourself? Maybe you’ve envisioned working on a beach, not having a boss or just not wanting to get out of your pajamas for an entire day.
After sitting at my old job reading article after article of online success stories I finally decided to quit my job to blog.
I figured, other people had done it why can’t I be like them?
Hell, you might be reading this article right now bored at work thinking the same thing! Maybe you want the no boss, no commute, and no schedule. Or as Instagram as sold us on the “laptop lifestyle.”
If you could make money online what would you do with your days? Be a travel blogger? Teach people something that comes naturally to you?
Most people will have something they want to do other than being at work full-time.
Eventually, I reached my breaking point, I knew it was time to try this “make money online while doing what you love” thing. How hard could it be?
The answer: Brutally F#&*ing hard….but I love it.
At the nine month mark, I can say some of it has been as expected while other parts have been very different.
Don’t flip your desk over just yet, read this to learn more about what it’s like to work for yourself “doing what you love.”
My Original Goals
When I left my job I had almost no money coming in. This is a “cardinal sin” that every other blogger or entrepreneur will tell you to do before quitting.
Most people would recommend having an established side hustle or part-time gig to have some guaranteed income.
I had none….whoops.
My thought was, save up enough for 12 months of living (on a reduced budget) and figure out the rest.
It’s a bold move and one I wouldn’t recommend to many. But, if you want to take the islands you have to burn the ships and commit 100%.
This risk has made me hustle, learn a ton, and forced me to find new ways to make money without working for anyone else.
Here are three other myths and three truths when it comes to making money online.
Myth #1: Freelancing Is Easy
My thought was, “I’m already a blogger and decent writer…how hard can it be?”
The answer….Much harder than expected.
While I do have recurring clients now, it was much harder than I thought it would be. Blogging for yourself is very different than freelance writing for paid clients.
I also thought if you got featured in Business Insider, Entrepreneur, or Huffington Post you would be getting paid. That is actually rarely the case unless you are a recurring writer….
If you want to start freelance writing I recommend you do the following:
Create a Personal Site
For example, mine is michaelleonard.net. Most likely you will want to use your first and last name. If you have a blog don’t use that as your “portfolio.”
It’s important to differentiate and brand yourself with a personal website.
Establish a Niche
I underestimated that you need to have a niche for your freelance writing. Clients want to see that you specialize in something specific. This could be personal finance writing, copywriting, sales, landing pages etc.
I was trying to do a little of everything and think I lost a lot of potential clients by trying to be a jack of all trades.
Become Relentless
Freelance writing is very competitive. You have to become relentless when it comes to finding clients. You will send a lot of emails, get rejected, and even worse…never hear back from a lot of them. It’s part of the business.
Set Goals
Another big mistake was not setting specific side hustle goals. If you are thinking of starting any side hustle I recommend setting these goals:
- Monthly income goal
- Pitch X number of clients
- Create X number of work samples
- Read X number of freelance articles
Myth #2: It’s Easy to Make Money from Ads
Finally, in September I made decent money from Google Adsense on the site!
In September I made $263 and in October I made $450…like I said “decent” money. I would hardly call it “passive income” as you have to write posts but it is possible to make money from ads on your site.
Once you get to 100,000 monthly views you can apply for AdThrive for substantially more money but Google Adsense works for now.
Myth #3: Write It and They Will Come
Why Doesn’t Anyone Read My Blog?
This was a question I asked myself…a lot.
There are over 150 million blogs online. To get readers to your site you have to create epic content, market, and promote it constantly on social media.
I grew my blog over 1,200% in 2017. Although it wasn’t easy, it’s exciting to have so many people reading your message.
But it does come with a ton of work. “Write it and they will come” is not a strategy.
You need to spend 20% writing content and 80% promoting it on social media.
How Come Books Don’t Fly Of the Shelves?
I published two books this year through Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing and Createspace:
I’m super proud of these and they have made some money, not as much as I thought. It’s very similar to a blog, writing is important but promoting is even more important.
If there are any self-published authors out there and have any tips I won’t say no to advice :)
The books have made over $1,500 which is a cool number in itself. Here are some older income reports to learn how I was making at least $1,000 or more per month with my side hustles.
Past Income Reports
- June Income Report — $2,035
- July Income Report — $1,001
- August Income Report — $1,686
- September Income Report — $1,736
- October Income Report — $2,256
I’m glad I have made money but most proud of not giving up or ever once even considering it.
Here are the three truths when it comes to working for yourself:
Truth #1: Freedom is Worth It
If you’ve longed to not have a specific schedule or commute then you are in for a treat. Even though it hasn’t been as “easy” as I thought it would be the freedom is amazing.
This was one of the biggest problems I had with a traditional 9–5. Why is it that everyone has to work the same hours to accomplish the same tasks?
It’s great to control your own destiny and not have to worry about submitting time off, taking a morning off or not shower before 5pm.
I’ve also loved that you can travel while doing this type of work and not have to worry. As long as you have your laptop and an internet connection you can keep working anywhere.
Would you take a pay cut to work on something you love and answer to no one?
Truth #2: Creativity Flows When You Find Your Passion
Do you ever feel spurts of creativity when you are working towards something you care about?
It could be a new project at work on a subject you like, a side hustle you just got started, or a league you joined.
The human brain is capable of accomplishing amazing things. But, often times the monotonous day to day activities don’t push our brain to new levels.
When I was working at a full-time job my daily routine would be exercise, work, blog, and spend way too much time watching TV. The problem with this is that I was never pushing my brain to learn and solve problems.
Don’t let your 9–5 kill your dreams!
It’s super easy to get content in your day job as you are not forced to use your creativity to learn something new.
I’ve found that as a newbie entrepreneur you are always learning.
My favorite part of being my own boss has been to see my mind shift when it comes to solving tough problems. Whether I need to reach out to a new blogger, take a new course, or read a new book I’m always searching for the answer.
Truth 3: You’ve Got to Hustle
There is no way around it. If you want to work on your own without a boss or someone looking over you hustle is 100% necessary.
Hustle, drive, motivation, discipline….whatever you want to call it, you have to have it to be successful.
I won’t lie, I’ve had to find my hustle as it got lost when I was in the real world for the past 6 years. Channel your inner Gary Vee and make it happen!
Final Thoughts
I hope this post shows you the goods and bads of being your own boss and working at home full-time.
At the end of the day, I love it.
I love the challenge. It requires discipline, focus, and a ton of self-belief to keep going when you can’t see the light through all the shit.
I fully believe anyone can make this transition if they have a plan and understand their why.
Remember, you only get one shot at this thing called life — don’t waste it sitting at a job you hate!
Call to Action
If you’ve read this much you are trying to make some positive change, learn, grow, and develop yourself — congrats! I’ve made it easier with my “Success cheat sheet” which will show you the daily habits and morning routine that will help you reach your goals sooner.
