So which is it, blogging or business. What are you doing online ? So many people get caught up in the I have a blog so I have a business online mindset. I think it’s fair to say that we are all chasing the lapstyle lifestyle dream.
You know, the lifestyle we were all told we could have by Tim Ferris in his bestselling book The 4 hour work week. The unfortunate thing is most people, myself included, have totally missed the point, when it comes to being online.
Defining your purpose online is critical for success. There are a lot of remarkable people online running remarkable blogs that have thousands of social media followers, Just as there are remarkable people running online businesses that no one has really heard off.
The mistake people make ( I know I made it too), if confusing your whole purpose online.
So whats in a blog ?
Starting a blog, monetizing it, then adding content to it, 2 or 3 times per week. Is not a business. Shock horror I know, Yaro stark at Entrepreneurs Journey does a great job. Teaching how to system your blogging to consistently return money for your efforts. (ROI)
Your blog might end up replacing your income (congratulations by the way). It might exceed your income by a large amount – Check out Michele from Making Sense Of Cents gave up here job in finance. Now earns 10 times what she did via her blog. But it’s not a business, you have a blog providing you a great lifestyle.
So what’s the problem
If you decide to stop blogging what will happen ?
With all most great certainty, You blogging income will wither and die.
Don’t get me wrong. Blogging is great, pick a topic you are passionate about, and as Gary Vanerchuck tells you, if you love smurfs, smurf it up.
Now your blog can be about anything, as above, you like smurfs, go for it. You like the Peruvian puffer fish, hey start a blog and go for it. I had a blog for a short time on lawn. Yes grass, and how to maintain it.
But with a personal blog, its just that a personal blog. It’s your personal voice, usually monetized with advertising or affiliate links or maybe you’ve created a few products to sell along the way. Left alone for a long enough period your income will start to shrink.
I’ve really struggled here, and its for the strangest of reasons, I am acutely afraid of putting myself in the public spot light.
Yes I know, stupid right. OK sure I have done it , but what I’ve put out there is very disjointed I have multiple face book pages that I don’t engage on. I never post photos, I hate talking about myself. Even writing this is hard for me.
So the personal voice on a blog is a constant struggle. I want to over come it this year, or at the very lest improve to where I feel a little bit more comfortable in doing it.
Should you create a blog ?
Hell yes, don’t let my fear influence you. But choose your topic wisely, and you are going to have to throw hours into it if you want to be successful.
How many hours will dictate how successful you will be, at least in the short term.
There are a ton of how to “content” on creating a blog. So I don’t really want to rehash old ground. What I want to start to do is post helpful content. Showing how I’ve done something, that has contributed to creating a passive income and replacing my 9 to 5 salary.
For example
After watching a short video tutorial from Neil Patel on LinkedIn, about how to find the key words your site ranks for in Google Search Console. I was able to take that information couple it together with Power suite- Rank Tracker.
Rehash and improved the existing content and push my posts that I had keyword ranking for up a few notches in the Google ranking. Some posts have since reached the first page.
I was pretty surprised with how easy it was. So I have a idea for a blog post in the back of my mind that I want to share.
Why share the process?
Well because it helped me. It might help someone else, kick a goal for them selves. happy days right ?
So whats in an online business
One of my favorite, books is The E-myth by Michael E Geber. Who spells it out very clearly. The vital and often overlooked distinction between working on your business and working in your business.
A business is less about being about you (A blog usually is) and is more about being about a product or service.
A great example of this is Empire Flippers. Yes they have a blog, yes they regularly put content up there. But their business is providing a online marketplace for selling websites.
They both travel regularly, but have a team they have trained and systems in placed to manage and maintain their business.
Drop shipping sites or sites that sell product are more in this vain. Its a simple B to C transaction, instead of a C to C transaction.
Now to help drive organic traffic. Yes you should have a blog attached to it. Yes you need to put out content regularly. But the voice you write in is competently different. So is it blog or business ?
Personal blog – I voice
Business blog – You voice
Which one is for you ?
Well that’s entirely up to you, as I said I struggle with the personal blog. Putting my own voice to which I think and feel and put that out there on line for the world to see.
I am going to work on improving in this area, this year, For a couple of reasons, I want to get better at something I feel that I am very weak in.
I actually want to help people. I don’t care if i post 1 thing out 1000. That is of some benefit to someone that can take it and run with it.
A good example of this is Stephanie over at Big work small pockets. I helped her get online she took it and ran with it, and is now traveling the world, blogging.
My personal thoughts
I do love business, I work in a conventional B 2B bricks and mortar business. As well I have dabbled with product sale websites online, even selling items through Ebay.
It really is what’s right for you.
Alot of people I have seen tend to start a business online. Then create a personal blog as an afterthought so that have somewhere that they can tell people about how they went about it.
It’s a great way to hold your self accountable. You know put your goals out there and let people see your progress. Its where this site started years ago.
