Can my hobby blog become a business?
I talk to a lot of people who tell me they are thinking of starting a blog as a hobby with the hope that they might someday be able to make money with it.
My advice to those people is this:
If you want to start a blog, go for it! There’s a lot to be gained from the experience, whether or not it ends up ever making you any money. (And if you need help getting started, click here.)
But if your real reason for starting your blog is that you want to make money as a blogger, but you’re afraid of failing and so figure you’ll just try it and “see if it takes off”, then I say, don’t waste your time.
Financial success as a blogger doesn’t happen by accident. (At least, it doesn’t happen that way anymore. There are a few “Cinderella stories” about people who started a blog and “fell into” a business, but most or all of them started their websites a decade or more ago, and the internet is far more competitive than it was then.)
If you want to make money by blogging, you’ll need to treat it like a business, by learning the necessary skills and investing the time and money that’s required to make it succeed. I do know people who turned a hobby blog into a business, but to do so required a fundamental shift in focus and approach.
If you would like to learn more about what it takes to start a blogging business, click here.
And if you have a blog that you are unsure of what to do with and think you might like to try turning it into a business, I invite you to check out my online course, Troubleshoot Your Blog.
I would also be happy to chat with you about your blog or your idea for a blog if you want schedule a consultation.