You know that feeling that you’ve completely lost control of the situation? That terrifying, groping-around-corners-in-the-dark sensation that accompanies the death of a really good plan you had?
That’s how my blogging business was born.
Around the time I was financially desperate enough to scrounge for stray dimes rather than use my debit card to pay for a coffee, I decided it was time to start a business.
There were a few things that led up to this decision. I wanted to be a freelance writer working out of cafes in Buenos Aires, but I was a broke intern in Chicago. To bridge that gap I accepted a full-time job with a salary and benefits, only to be laid off almost as soon as I’d started.
For me, that was that moment in life when you realize it’s time to take matters into your own hands. And you head back to the drawing board to examine the overwhelming options — none of which will actually fix your paralysis, because they’re all just steps in another plan that you have to create from scratch.
They say it takes money to make money, but I’d already lived for several months not knowing how I was going to pay the next month’s rent. I had to make something out of nothing, fast. Here’s how you work that instant blogging business magic:
To begin, just begin
When you’re first starting out, it’s really easy to get bogged down by all the stuff you think you need to do before you can even start to think about blogging.
When I set out to start my business, I thought building my website and creating business cards were absolutely mandatory first steps — what’s a business without either? I wanted to be sure people (including myself) would take me seriously before I began the arduous task of sitting down to write.
But while those are important basic steps to getting your business off the ground, providing your service is the difference between thinking about starting your business and being in business.
If you want to become a freelance blogger, all you have to do to start is… get blogging!
Not convinced? Take a look at Copyblogger’s guest post guidelines, which specifically state that having a blog is “not a requirement.” They’re more interested in quality submissions, so as long as you’re a skilled blogger you’ve got a shot at contributing.
No-cost launch tactics
A blogging business doesn’t have to cost anything to start.
You can query a blog post idea to just about anyone for free as long as you have an email address, access to the internet and your own winsome ideas. You’re in business as soon as you press “Send.”
If you’re just starting out and don’t have any published writing samples, I recommend doing some guest blogging. The Ultimate List of Better-Paid Blogging Gigs is a great free resource to help you build your portfolio and make money while you do it. Brilliant, right?
To achieve financial stability, however, your ultimate goal should be to secure ongoing blogging engagements for several clients. I recommend checking job boards like ProBlogger and the BAFB jobs forum for listings that are relevant to freelance bloggers.
I also recommend creating a list of people you already know who might need a blogger. They could be neighbors, old contacts from previous jobs, or owners of the local businesses you frequent. Send an introductory email to all of these contacts explaining who you are, what you do, and why they could use your help. Many potential clients don’t even realize they need it until you reach out to them and explain why what you do is so awesome.
And don’t overlook the crucial step of telling your friends and family you’ve started a blogging business. It’s likely that someone already in your network will have a client lead for you.
Make money first
The great thing about being pressed for money — if I may say there’s any benefit to being in that rapidly leaking boat — is that it clarifies priorities for you.
You need money now. Rent is due five days ago. You don’t have time to labor over a logo or the perfect mission statement. So there’s no room for distractions like fear, doubt and perfection — you simply start blogging.
Eventually, you will have to put some money into your blogging business. But there’s no reason why you can’t make that money before you spend it. [What is this new, brilliant logic?]
One or two paid guest blogging gigs could fund your business cards or a training course, for instance. Or maybe landing your first client is the milestone you’ll wait for before searching for an affordable co-working space.
You may also consider finding part-time employment that leaves you enough hours in the week to work on blogging. With a steady part-time job to support you while you’re waiting for those first few paychecks to come in, you can keep the stress of entrepreneurship at bay.
It’s OK if the part-time job is unrelated to your blogging career goals. There’s nothing wrong with dabbling in retail or manning a front desk while you sort out your plans for blogging domination — you’ll gain “industry insider” knowledge you can use in future blog posts!
Whatever your priorities may be, there are some basics you’ll want to cover as soon as you have some money coming in.
Build a quality blogging empire
When you do spend money, use it wisely. Fortunately it’s easy to find quality materials and resources to support your business at little or no cost.
Here are my recommendations for the bare minimum to buy for your business once you have some money coming in:
- A website: A website can be extremely expensive or totally free. It costs nothing to start a blog at WordPress.com, and they have a lot of free design themes to choose from.
- Business cards: I’ve found it worth my while to spend a little more on these instead of going for the cheapest option. When you hand out a sleek, well-designed card on quality paper, there’s a promise that there’s high caliber work behind it. For affordable quality and great customer service, I recommend Moo.com.
- A photo to represent you/your business: No need to hire a photographer. Your photo can be any Facebook photo you feel represents you and your blogging business in a professional, on-brand manner.
- A business account: Once you receive your first paycheck, open a business account to differentiate between business and personal expenses in case you’re ever audited. You may also consider filing for a DBA and hiring an accountant.
Above all, be persistent. Money will come quicker if you get down to business, pitching and writing every day, but even then it will take a while before your bank account sees the result of your hard work. Don’t lose heart in the meantime.
Getting a business up and running is no easy feat! But with much perseverance, angry cursing and writing my heart out, I whipped a blogging business into shape from scratch.
So will you.
P.S. Need some help to launch *your* blogging business and land your first paying clients? Check out Sophie’s step-by-step training for beginners:
Get Started for Freelance Blogging Success.
Awesome piece, Kara – something I’ve definitely needed to read over the past few days.
One thing to add to your bit about websites & WordPress: if you’re struggling with a mediocre website (or marketing materials) and don’t have the cash, download some open-source software and take time to experiment, learn and improvise.
I’m a GIMP junkie (since I don’t need Photoshop), and I use LibreOffice to edit documents when I’m on my laptop with Zorin OS (instead of Windows). All free – well, until I earn enough spare cash to make a reasonable donation in appreciation.
Thanks, Craig! This is a great addition–I have also used GIMP and LibreOffice and would agree that they are certainly good resources to have handy when you’re in a tight spot. These are solid, free alternatives for basic photo editing and word processing projects; it’s not always necessary to cough up the money for Photoshop or Microsoft Word.
Thanks, Kara, for great advice. I think many content creators/writers are perfectionists or procrastinators (guilty!). Best way to overcome this is, to borrow from Nike, “just do it.” But once you get some experience under your belt, you should create a plan for your business that can at least provide guideposts for where you want to go.
So true, Debbie. If perfectionism and procrastination were illegal I’d have been put away for life years ago! It can be difficult to get over both until you find yourself in a position in which you do not have the luxury of putting the work off until tomorrow, or building the perfect website. That’s what it took for me to overcome those nasty distractions.
I love your “next steps” idea of creating a business plan. Great advice!
Kara,
Great post! I absolutely agree. The hardest part is getting started. When I started my freelance writing business, I promised myself that I would take a stress-free approach and not bog myself down in the business of writing. You have to ignore the advice about what you “should have” to be a freelance writer. What you absolutely need is two things: writing skills + work ethic. If you have those, the sky is the limit.
Building off of the helpful information you shared, my advice to aspiring freelance writers would be:
– Get a free e-mail address for your business (I prefer Gmail)
– Start small with a basic WordPress site asap (a pic, an e-mail address and a small tidbit about yourself can be considered a virtual business card). Build the site page by page, as you have time. When you buy a domain name for your website later, your old site design can be imported to the new site.
– Too intimidated to bother with WordPress? No problem. Start with a free About.me homepage with a description about your service and contact info.
– Sign up on Klout.com for free, which will earn you free perks. One of the first perks is a free order of Moo.com business cards (oh yes, I have mine!).
– Look for opportunities everywhere and start where you read. I acquired one of my first clients by e-mailing the owner of a website to tell them I liked the site and wanted to write for them. Their response: “Send me your rates.” Done.
– Even if you have it, spend no money upfront. Reinvest a portion of what you earn to business expenses and buy what you need as you go.
Hope that was helpful. Good luck everyone and happy writing!
Shanon
Shanon, great advice. Especially with regard to setting up a website, which is very easily one of the most overwhelming projects a new blogger will need to take on. I highly recommend setting up the basics first, including information about you, your services, and how you can be contacted. From there it’s totally advisable to add to your website page by page, as you have the time and resources.
Just curious I’m barely getting in the blog buisness and freelance writing buisness. How long did it take you to make some descent money when it came to freelancing?
I love it. This is exactly how I started, except I didn’t get business cards until 2 years later. (That would be last week. LOL) Moo can be pricey, but VistaPrint always has a sale. Your web site is awesome, by the way.
Thanks for reading, Williesha!
I’ll admit it was a while before I ordered my first set of business cards as well. Once I had them my only regret was that I hadn’t made them sooner.
VistaPrint is indeed a good, cheaper option for business cards. I prefer Moo for their paper quality and fantastic customer service.
Hi Kara,
I’ve been in the same boat as you were.
I’d however like to advise to still get a self-hosted WordPress and a cheap but good webhost. I have a blog post published on how to get a self-hosted WordPress blog up in less than $10 for the first year (link above). Much lesser if you pay monthly until you earn.
You may also be able to make some affiliate income if you have a self-hosted WordPress blog. You can’t do that with WordPresss.com.
Craig also gave nice advice above. But, if anyone really needs help setting up a website/blog and is in a similar situation, just contact me – I’ll help for free.
Hi Raspal, would you mind linking directly to the blog post you’re referencing? I’d love to read it! As it happens I’m preparing to switch from WordPress.com to WordPress.org in the next couple of months.
Hi Kara,
Find the direct link above.
You can also contact me for any help you need and I’ll be glad to help in migrating to self-hosted WP.
Helpful read–thanks for sharing Raspal.
Blogging seems to be one of those things everyone tries in the process of jumping start there business, but sometimes it just time consuming. SEO internal, external back linking can be a pain, and just knowing the right methods is the task.
Blogging or freelance blogging needs to be something that you enjoy in the beginning, and creating the value of blogging to your audience. I love your post good content inside of your blog.
Thank you, Paul! I absolutely agree–I wouldn’t recommend starting a blogging business if blogging isn’t something you’re already enjoy.
Yep, sounds like my story. I especially love the part about how being broke brings clarity to you priority list. When I started out I was sooo broke, and part time work wasn’t an option because I had no one to help with my son (single dad).
I was lucky enough to have some knowledge of SEO, a good work ethic and I enjoy writing. That kept me fed for my first few months. One thing that helped me was breaking out of my comfort zone.
When I thought to myself “I hate doing that”, that’s what I would do next. For example, cold calling – I hate doing that and so does everyone, that’s why it works so well.
I’ve landed a few long term (2 years or more) good paying gigs by picking up the phone. It was uncomfortable, but it worked.
Hi Chris, that is a tough spot to start, indeed! I’m glad to hear you’ve had success with cold calling. I think recognizing that you’ll have to step out of your comfort zone in order to start a successful business is huge–especially if you’re a first-time entrepreneur. When I began I asked myself daily, “Are you even capable of this?” If I hadn’t pushed myself to move forward despite my discomfiting uncertainty I’d never know the answer to that question.
Hi Kara,
thanks for the no nonsense advice. I admit that for too long I was caught up in things that didn’t really contribute to the bottom line at a time when I should have focused more. So from first hand experience I know how spot on your advice is. Thanks for sharing and sharing so succinctly and honestly.
Matthew
Matthew, thank you. There is so much (good!) advice out there on so many different aspects of getting started as a freelance blogger that it can be incredibly difficult to pin-point the bare necessities to focus on in the beginning. I hoped this post would help beginners cut through some of that extra information and better navigate their priorities.
Kara,
Thanks for the great advice! I just started my blog about a week ago and although I’ve written online before, I have found that having my own website is a completely different world. I messed around with some of the free WordPress themes for a few days and got really frustrated. I finally bought a premium one that I am completely happy with. I learn new things about it almost every hour, but that’s part of the fun I suppose.
WordPress can be an intimidating beast, especially for new bloggers. It sounds like you’ll be fine since you seem to have the patience and willingness to learn. Best of luck, Tori!
I love this post. It’s so easy to get bogged down in the details of starting a blog that you put it off forever, or worse, are so afraid that you never do it. You just have to start sometime, and there is no such thing as a perfect launch.
Thanks for reading, Peggy. Getting over that need for business to be perfect from the start was the biggest battle for me. I absolutely agree that there’s no such thing as a perfect launch–not even after gaining the confidence that comes with experience.
When you start out, it’s difficult not to get sidetracked with all the things that need to be done for a new blog – designing, creating, writing, promotion (and that’s excluding social media).
As you say, Kara, the need for money is a great driver for focus. But nobody should play the martyr. Better to get a job that takes financial worries away, and focus on producing quality work.
Desperation is THE WORST thing when negotiation fees 🙂
Desperation is indeed terrible for negotiation! No matter how desperate you are, I recommend trying your damndest to ignore it during fee negotiations.
When finances really are in the red zone you do have to make money-making your only priority, though I think finding something sustainable that also meets your financial needs is nearly as important. If you take any minimum wage job that solves the immediate problem of No Paycheck but leaves you little time to work on *not* needing that minimum wage job (while potentially aggravating your frustration and exhaustion), you may be creating more of a problem for yourself.
While I worked on starting my business I was also applying for other full-time jobs in my field, because I *was* desperate, and I did just want a regular paycheck to minimize my financial stress. But after a few months without any offers it seemed that my time might be better spent focused entirely on new business.
Hi Kara,
The underlying message of your post is – just go out and do it – which I love.
We often get in the way of our own success by coming up with excuses for not getting started. You take care of that problem too by providing some great resources.
Thanks!
Thanks for reading, Neena. There’s rarely ever an objectively ideal time to take this kind of risk, so you do just have to take the leap and make it happen!
Great piece. Thedailyheckle.net is hiring new writers. £1 per 1000 views
Thanks, Malcolm. So does that mean The Daily Heckle doesn’t pay bloggers a base rate?
Malcolm, thanks for sharing. I’d love to know the answer to Sophie’s question as well.
Dear Karen,
Thank you very much for writing this elaborate, informative and practical article. I could actually understand and fix in my mind, that I need to start “working” in the domain of Freelance Blogging on a war-footing.
Keep writing and guiding us!!
I found all of this to definitely be true, I only just started freelancing a few months ago and I did it with no money to my name whatsoever, in fact I still don’t have all that much, but the business is growing. In fact I can see not to far ahead in the horizon of the next few months its likely I’ll actually be making enough not only to help cover the cost of food and electricity, but also perhaps enough to get rid of that credit card bill once and for all. If all works out, I plan to celebrate by buying my business 3 things 1) A nice new laptop that can actually handle what I need it to without slowing down to ridiculous rates, 2) a desk that is not made up of boxes, and 3) Nice and shiny business cards. Crossing my fingers that all the new advice I’ve been receiving from this site and others around the web is enough to get me to where I need to be.
I just started looking in to doing blogging. I want to thank you up front for putting all this amazing information out here for us want-to-bees! My problem is I have no idea what most of these terms mean! With out a very basic understanding I really don’t know how to get started. How do I find step #1? 2? etc? I don’t really understand what a blog is. I am very comfortable with writing , I think I have ideas and stories that may be interesting to others. I would very much appreciate being pointed in the right direction. If you could just help me open the door into the blogging world I would be in your debt!!! thank you for your time and interest!
Bill, I can certainly relate! I want to get a blogging business started, but with little knowledge of blogging and zero capital I need help as well! Please Jedi Blogging Masters……..HELP!!!!
Hey Kara,
First and foremost I wish to “thank it forward” with my appreciation of your freely sharing your knowledge and wisdom with aspiring writers like me. I find your blogs highly informative, refreshing, down-to-earth and pragmatic.
I have a question for you: I do not have the capital to put up a website yet, but I created a Facebook Biz Page and have been blogging there. Do you think that, coupled with landing a few Guest Blog Gigs, would enable me to get my blogging business off the ground until I can afford a website? And would you mind visiting my Facebook Biz Page and then give me some feedback on the blogs I’ve published there? I’d really appreciate that! Here’s the link to my page:
http://www.facebook.com/GoldNuggetCopy
I’d also like to mention that I’m a member of AWAI–American Writers & Artists, Inc., where I’ve learned a great deal about writing, but not “the nuts and bolts” about gaining clients. I am very eager to get paying gigs and truly start living The Writer’s Life!
Again, another “thanks in advance” for any advice you can give me to make it happen.
Sincerely,
Burton Bliven
Freelance Copywriter and Social Media Strategist
Great piece, hunger is a good motivator. It’s refreshing to hear of someone in same boat and success! Anyone I”m on Twitter as @KalaViv, I’ll follow back if you are a writer!
“You don’t have time to labor over a logo or the perfect mission statement. So there’s no room for distractions like fear, doubt and perfection — you simply start blogging.”
This is so true. I remember one month when I needed to make my entire rent in one week. I was paralyzed with fear but after I realized that wasn’t getting me anywhere, I set to work and didn’t think about anything else. I worked insanely long hours that week, but I got it done 🙂
This is a very powerful post. I’m transitioning from “SEO” writing since I figured “hey, *some*people say my writing is good, I’ve got experience getting paid for this from strangers, and I already take time to make my articles higher quality, so wtf should I not pull in some Benjamins?”
Have to say.
#1 – Meaning – I sometimes forget this, I quit my job last year and when you’re IN what you’re doing (writing projects) and shit in life doesn’t go well, you forget about the end goal in the action you’re taking. So yeah, keeping the end in mind is a skill I’m trying to get better at. Bringing back painful memories of 9-5 bouts of boredom helps me focus sometimes.
#2 The thing of identifying my skills etc. I’ve done this exercise sooooo many times, I guess everyone has many interests. I saw that this was another procrastination ploy so I decided that, since I’ve written in various topics before, I’ll just do the same with blogging, until I get narrow it down over time. This thing of trying to decide on details BEFORE jumping in is B.S. and slows me down big time.
#7 Ahhh getting used to rejection. . .I used to get so frustrated, putting all that effort into a cold email, and they don’t respond. I’m in a famine right now – have to say, this shit sucks, I didn’t see it coming. . .I’d heard of freelancing feasts and famines back in my employee days, but it’s something else actually experiencing it. . .but hey the pain will remind my rich self in the future to prepare for the rainy days. . .okay I’m rambling now – and getting rejections when you’re in famine-mode makes everything seem worse.
But yeah, when I thought of this today, I reminded myself of how it’s the same with the times I’d approached women and got shut down, sometimes hardcore.
What matters is showing up, putting in the effort. Nothing person.
Cool post!
Kara, your title caught my attention because I was laid off last year and am now determined to make money with my blogs. When I worked a day job, I blogged on the side. Now, I am kicking my blogs into gear to make a living through them. Thank you for your encouraging article.
Thanks for the great article, Kara! I have started a free blog with wordpress.com. Eventually I plan on starting a self-hosted blog, but at least I have writing samples to show prospective clients.
I am living on SSI right now. I hope to be able to go off some day, but aside from not having extra money to throw around, except for a few e books and an odd coaching session, I have enough to pay bills and eat. I’m not in dire straights, which is good because I can’t find a regular “job.”
Using problogger I found a famous blog looking for writers. I’m not accepted yet, but they actually wrote back! I’m so excited! The main thing I’m worried about is branding myself an amateur by asking for either too much or too little. Due to my lack of experience and the fact that the blog allows you to publish under your own name, $.05 a word seems reasonable to me. But that ‘s probably something to discuss in the BAFB community forum….
I have a question. Why do you need a business card when freelance writing is nearly all digital? Sorry if that’s an ignorant question!
There’s a good chance you’ll run across people in-person who need help with their website or other content. It doesn’t happen often, but I’ve given out my business card a couple of times.
Thanks for the quick reply Alicia, so if it doesn’t happen too often, I guess I don’t need to print off a huge stack 🙂
I’m tryin’. So many decisions and choices with so little bread.
Oh, I also meant to say Thank You Kara and ALL who have posted. This is ALL a great wealth of information and much appreciated. Thanks to ALL!
Maybe you have considered adding more videos for your websites to maintain your readers more entertained? I mean I just read the whole article of yours plus it was very great speculate I’m more of a visual learner,I discovered that to become more helpful well tell me how it ends up! I adore that which you guys will always be up too. Such clever work and reporting! Maintain up the great works guys I’ve added all of you to my blogroll. This is really a great article thanks for sharing this informative information.. I will go to your website regularly for many latest post.
As a Disabled Veteran I need my time to to be used. Blogging and song writing began to interest. After reading your blog it became an inspiration to start taking action and get the lead out.
Thank you
I’m a beginner in this field and want to know about blogging , which platform should i start like blogger or website . I think blogger does not rank better then website plz guide me. I am a software engineer and i want o start my career in this field for sharing knowledge or technical skills.
Is this really for REAL? To shore up “You REALLY and TRULY no BS CAN making money blogging truth and belief” can you point me to some real life blogger success stories? And what are their secrets to succeeding over the millions of other bloggers/online business success hopefuls?
After all the training, skills developed, experience and talent…..I have “the goods” but want to know the good ways to go.
Yep, really for real. 🙂 Success stories: Me, Tom Ewer, Francesca Nicasio, Kelly Gurnett, Carol Tice, Linda Formichelli, Lauren Tharp, Alicia Rades – a fair proportion of the BAFB community are successful freelance bloggers. And their secrets are… (I’m totally guessing)… persistence, resilience, common sense and conscientiousness. Yeah, that’s probably it.
Thanks Kara.
That’s a great piece of advice to get a newbie out of procrastination and get started with blogging.