6 THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE BLOGGING FULL TIME

. LIVE THE DREAM . BUT FOUND IT IN REALITY .

Becoming a full time blogger is the dream for many of us, turning what is effectively a passion and a hobbie into your full time job, earning a living doing the thing you love, being paid to create content, be a photographer, an editor, a creative director. We all want to be paid to do the things we love, but now more than ever this pipe dream is becoming a reality for many bloggers out there. In fact, for some, these ‘blogs’ are now million pound businesses … the opportunity is out there & the advertising world is demanding genuine and authentic advocacy, content & talent to support their brands. The power and influence we have as bloggers, is outweighing that of traditional media & PR, and as a result the opportunity to turn our ‘blogs’ into businesses is ever pertinent.

I for one have long been debating the shift from full time employment, to self employment & taking my blog full time. But whilst i’m ambitious and driven (and unbelievably passionate about content), i’m also a realist and know that to take a leap from the career I’ve spent years and years working (and working really hard) for, to starting from (almost) scratch, takes a lot more than a leap of faith. Of course if you’re just finishing university or studying the opportunity is a little more transitional, but to leave a career at almost 30 is quite a different story I feel.

To leave your career or job to take your blog full time, needs some serious consideration, and today I thought i’d share some of those things to consider, to prepare & to think about before you take that leap of faith … I for one am working on all of these (and have been for the last 12 months) so that hopefully one day, that move from stable employment to being self employed makes total sense, and is no longer a ‘risk’, but a smart business move.

. 6 THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE BECOMING A FULL TIME BLOGGER .

“What if I fall? Oh,but my darling,what if you fly?” Erin Hanson

#1 PASSION

First of all, you need to have passion. If you’re going to commit to starting a business and taking your blog into full time mode, you need to be passionate, you need to love what you’re doing, writing & creating because when you shift from a hobby to full time, the need for regular, brilliant content is no longer a nicety it’s a necessity.

#2 FINANCE

Whilst blogging full time sounds lovely & actually quite simple (especially versus the crazy demands of the big smoke), in reality it’s not, creating wonderful content is only really one part of the overall ‘job’, and naturally finance is another. When you’re blogging full time, or even transitioning your blog into a business as I am, finance doesn’t just become a little treat for a piece of work every now and then, payment and finance management is critical. Would you do a days work for free? No, so why would you with your blog too.

Money, as a full time blogger or a self employed business, becomes super super important. Knowing where your next pay pack will come from & having a secure back up plan in case one month isn’t as fruitful as another is an absolute must. To be self employed & run a business, you need to be smart, savvy & practical when it comes to finance … and having some savings under your belt for emergency rent months is a wise move.

#3 SET UP

Beyond the financial set up, you also need to consider your general set up, your equipment, where you’ll work (check out my pinterest for some inspiration), who will help you shoot features, your daily routine, your diary management, project management & networking. It’s all well and good working from bed at the start, but ultimately if this is your business, you need to have a professional set up and a work space which is going to aid your creativity and productivity.

The setup side of things in my opinion can be the easiest, but also, if you’re having to do this all up front can be expensive. Between my photography kit, lenses, body, as well as my laptop and desktop computers, my software for editing, and not to mention my mini office set up, i’ve spent thousands and thousands setting up my blog.

Having a plan for the set up, and a realistic check of what you need to kick off your business, is going to be key to it’s success & your ability to succeed.

#4 BUSINESS PLAN

So it’s no surprises that you need a business plan, not just incorporating your finance and set up plan, but also your long term and short term plan for success … your goals, your key objectives and tasks to get there, your success measures, and of course the smaller actions and tasks you need to be implementing everyday to be able to grow your blog, your influence / reach / fans and ultimately your business. You need to be thinking goals, tasks, & measurement for everything you’re doing.

I wrote a post on ‘making your blog a business‘ which has all my advice on creating a solid business plan.

#5 NETWORK

One very important implementational task will of course be networking, and not just for fun, for business too. Attending events, PR days, having meetings with brands and networks is no longer a little treat, but it’s actually a really important part of growing your brand, bringing in new work and securing the finance to keep your business running.

Networking is the one thing when you juggle a full time blog and a full time career that can be very difficult, as time is non existent. But before you even move into the full time space, you should have a secure network behind you, regular clients, regular work & a broad range of collaborations behind your back

As part of your business plan and the setup process it’s also really important that you have a clear view on what your brand is, what your blog manifesto is & what it is you can offer … having this clearly outlined on your blog, but also within your media pack, alongside rates, stats & opportunities (which is going to be key if you’re going full time) is a really important and useful step in making your blog a business.

#6 AMBITION

And finally, alongside having the passion & the business mind to turn your blog into a business. You do of course have to have some ambition, not just the ambition to turn your blog into a business in the first place, but the ambition to keep innovating, keep creating, to keep progressing goals and objectives and to keep succeeding. The ambition to pick yourself up if you first fail, the ambition to keep going, keep pushing & keep trying.

The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed.

So there you have it, the 6 things I think any blogger wanting to turn their blog into a business should consider, of in fact anyone wanting to set up their own business, whatever it is, should consider. I’d love to know if you’re a full time blogger, considering becoming one, or have any tips to add to my list? Your advice is always welcome :)