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I am so glad you are here! Did you stumble across this article because you are wondering how people quit their jobs to make money blogging? I wondered the same for many years until I decided it was time to figure it out and join them!
Blogging Background
In January 2016, I left my corporate job to work for a small company from home. I used the flexibility that I gained from transitioning away from the office environment to start turning this blog into a business. Here are my tips for how to do the same:I Quit My Corporate Job for Flexibility: 3 Tips for You.
I began writing my first eBook, Busy Moms Building: 12 Steps to Running Your Own Online Business for Busy Moms, in June 2016. I turned Redefining Mom into an LLC in preparation for my eBook launch on September 29, 2016.
By August 2016, I had grown my blog from under 10,000 page views to 30,000 in three months by creating a content strategy and being intentional with how I promoted my content on social media. The best part is that I grew significantly through the summer months when website traffic (especially for moms) is at the lowest for the year.
I quit my full-time job the first week of August 2016 to blog full-time!
How I Quit My Job to Blog
I began to network with other bloggers in Facebook groups and attended an in-person mastermind in May. The mastermind was aturning point in transforming my blog into a business. Most bloggers do not make their money from one income stream. I learned a ton from the ladies in my mastermind group and began to implement many of the steps immediately when I got home. You can read about the steps I took to begin monetizing my blog here:Ultimate Beginners Guide to Blogging: How to Blog for Money.
Important Facts About My Income Reports
- I do my accounting on a cash basis. This means I only count revenue and expenses at the time the money comes into my bank account and leaves my bank account. All of my income reports will be done on a cash basis.
- Affiliate payments for items I promote are usually on a 60-90 day pay delay. This means that most of the affiliate income in this report was earned in previous months.
- I spent roughly six months building my blog while I was still working full-time. My primary focus was not on making an income during that time but rather building a foundation that would allow me to make money through multiple income streams later on.
- This income report will not take into account income I make through contracts that do not directly relate to blogging.
Why Do I Want to Share My Income Reports?
- This is my job now! I plan on using these reports to hold myself accountable.
- Three years ago, I was sitting in a cubicle in corporate America feeling trapped and anxious. I felt like I spent way too much time at work or traveling for work. I needed more time at home with my baby. My plan is togive you a look into my journey through sharing these income reports.
- It helps new bloggers or potential bloggers to know how people make money so they can see that it is realistic for them to do it too.
[clickToTweet tweet=”See how I made $1,135 in my first month since quitting my full-time job! #blogger” quote=”See how I made $1,135 in my first month since quitting my full-time job! #blogger”]
Redefining Mom Stats
- 10,099 Pinterest followers
- 5,027 Twitter followers
- 1,837 Facebook page likes
- 1,816 Instagram followers
August 2016 Income Report
August was my first month being self-employed. I worked about 20 hours a week in August because of family commitments. Payments from affiliate sales from earlier in the summer started coming in during the month. Unfortunately, I did not regularly post during the summer months because of a hectic travel schedule. Overall, I am very happy with the results for the amount of time I invested. I expect my income to significantly grow between now and the end of the year. Everything I have been putting into place should be coming to fruition soon!
Affiliate links are included below. This means I get a commission, at no additional cost to you, if you purchase products that I recommend. Everything I recommend below I personally use myself! 🙂
Income
Affiliate Sales
$30.00- Building a FrameworkeBook (check out my review:Building a Framework: The Ultimate Blogging Handbook Review)
$18.00- Blog by Number eBook
$15.00- FlexJobs
$82.30- Ultimate Bundles(this was from the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle back in May-June)
Total:$145.30
Freelance writing
$400.00- from 2 writing assignments
Freelance client work
$450.00- from 2 new client retainer packages
Product sales
$139.58- from my product Easy Budget and Financial Planning for Busy FamiliesSpreadsheet (I do not promote this at all except for a Pin on Pinterest and an upsell funnel that happens when people download my FreePrintable Budget Planner).
Income Total
$1,134.88
Expenses
Subscriptions, Services & Fees
$9.00- SendOwl is the e-commerce tool I use to sell the budget spreadsheet I mentioned above (it’s also what I will use to sell my upcoming book and start an affiliate program of my own).
$45.00- iMark Interactive for tech support on my website. Grayson Bell is the guru behind the company and has helped out tremendously! I pay him a monthly retainer for his services.
$24.00- P.O. Box renewal for 6 months.
$7.00- Pinterest templates
$10.00- Acuity Scheduling is what I use to manage my calendar with clients and business meetings. LOVE IT!
$12.95- Canva.com is what I use for making all my social media graphics.
$5.00- Google Apps for hosting my domain email address.
$142.00- Virtual Assistant services (for projects that I will not see the value from until later in the year).
$22.21- PayPal/Stripe payment fees
$0.00- ConvertKit is my new email service provider but I am on a 60-day free trial so it is free this month!
Total:$277.06
Education & Coaching
$17.00- eBook purchase
$29.00- course purchase
$480.00- business coaching
Total:$526
Expenses Total
$803.06
Net Income
$331.82
My expenses are way higher than I would consider normal. Hiring out a few tasks to virtual assistants was necessary for long-term growth and will not be a regular expense until my income is much higher. My business coach is also a big investment for my income right now but I also expect that to pay for itself by the end of the year (plus much more)!
I am excited to see where I end up income wise in the coming months because of the investments I’ve made upfront.
Accomplishments for August 2016
- Reached 10,000 Pinterest followers and 5,000 Twitter followers! I used Pin Practical to get me there!
- Got my act together and put up a hire me page and got two new clients!
- Invested in Acuity Scheduling so that clients or prospective clients can easily schedule time with me.
- Finished a course by Michelle from Making Sense of Cents called Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing! <— a seriously amazing investment! Michelle makes over $50,000 A MONTH in affiliate income. Part of the investment in the course is a private Facebook group that is very engaged and Michelle offers her assistance in there on a regular basis.
- Put together my launch plan forBusy Moms Building using Abby Lawson’s course Book Boss! Once my book launch is done I plan on sharing exactly what I did with everyone.
Goals for September 2016
- Launch my eBookBusy Moms Buildingon September 29th! If I did $500 or more in sales between then and October 1st, I would be thrilled!
- Reach 40,000 page views.
- Grow my email list from 2,607 to 3,000.
- Publish 4 new posts.
- Reach $2,000 in monthly income.
I will be starting a Mama mastermind with my business coach later this month. I am super excited to meet new Mama CEOs and make plans for 2017!
May 2018 Blogging Income Update
Since writing this first income report, a lot has changed in my business. A few highlights include:
- I’ve launched several blogging courses under the Redefining Mom brand
- Trademarked Redefining Mom
- Created a successful Facebook group
- Reached the 6-figure a year mark
- Grew my email list to over 25,000 people
- Mastered Facebook Ads and Promoted Pins
I also stopped publishing income reports after the first two months. I explain in depth why in this popular post: What No One Tells You About Blogging and Motherhood
Blogging Resources
50+ Blogging Resources and Tools for Running a Successful Blog!
Ultimate Beginners Guide to Blogging: How to Blog for Money
How I Made $7,000 on Autopilot with Pinterest in 3 Months
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