Last Updated on November 3, 2021 by Kelly Thoreson
Why did I start a blog? Well, my story may sound familiar…
I struggled financially through my late teens and twenties, going from one minimum wage barista job to another, living off tips and being broke off my ass the whole time.
When I did manage to climb up that income ladder a little bit and transition into office work, I was hit with the harsh reality of student loans and higher tax brackets.
Suddenly I realized that more income didn’t mean more money in my pocket.
My one thought was, “well … shit.”
With my kiddo growing faster than my bank account, I knew I had to do something to exit the rat race, but what?
Somehow, I had to get myself off the 9-5 hamster wheel without biffing it on my face and taking my family down with me. Enter: blogging.
Blogging changed my life. I am more empowered and creatively fulfilled than I have ever been and it feels freaking fantastic.
If my story above hits a little too close to home with you, blogging may be your answer to the daily grind too.
Below we’ll examine why blogging is your way out of that dead-end job, and steps you can take today to get started!
Why You Should Start a Blog
Do you feel like you’re in a rut? Chances are, you need a healthy dose of creativity, I sure did!
I had worked in non-creative jobs for too long and my mind was bored.
Being able to be creative daily was one of my main motivations for becoming a blogger, but I had no idea just how creatively starved I was until blogging allowed me to write every single day and awoke the beast inside me.
When I decided to start a blog, the plan was to just do it on the side to fulfill myself artistically through writing. I also aspired to (someday) have enough passive income from it to spend less time working and more time with my family.
I hoped that it would balance out my super not imaginative purchasing job, that I could get my dose of creativity outside of work and that, in turn, I would be more satisfied with my office job.
WRONG.
Instead, I found that creativity is like a drug. It felt so good to bask in it, to play, to let my mind just make shit up!
I became painfully aware of the mind-numbing-ness of it all. The dredge of 9 hours a day + 2 in traffic spent chasing someone else’s dream.
And I thought to myself, this is bullshit … I want to chase my own dreams!
And that is how, on a Friday evening in a PDX pub, my first blog was born.
How to Start a Blog Without Going Broke
Of course, just up and quitting wasn’t in the cards cause you know, bills to pay … mouths to feed …
Instead, I quit my purchasing job and went back to work for the family business ¾ -time (30 hours/week). In doing so, I managed to free up 20 extra hours a week (in addition to the 20 I was already squeezing in) to devote to my blog.
I consider myself lucky to have the family business open to me as an option, but I know that if it wasn’t there, I still would have found a way to make it happen cap’n.
Ask yourself: what is your version of the family business?
Is there a position you can flex into that will allow you to eek out even a few more hours of blogging time per week? If so, do it!
If no – start hunting for one now.
You will be that much closer to your dreams, to a life of creative fulfillment and the opportunity to chase your ambitions and no one else’s.
What did I do about money? Yes, ¾ of the work hours did mean ¾ of the income.
I reevaluated my finances and found that if I tightened the purse strings a little bit, I could make it work. Also, less time at work meant that I didn’t have to pay for daycare before and after school so that was a HUGE help.
My point is, when I decided that I wanted to start a blog, when I sent those vibes out into the ether, I found a way. You can too.
I know what it’s like to be strapped for cash, friends. But ask yourself if you can get resourceful to find a way to make it happen. Really plot out what it will look like.
Can you live (even more) frugally for a year so you can have passive income in the future?
Can you sacrifice your free time now for the sake of being the master of your schedule later?
I did it and I think you can too!
Now that I’ve shown you my why and how, I want to show you YOUR why (and a little bit of how).
This is why blogging is your answer to that dead-end job:
Reason #1: Low Startup Costs
What other business can you start for under $100 on your day off? Not many that I’m aware of and certainly not with the income potential of blogging.
Realistically, to start a blog you’re going to need about $100, but you don’t need it all at once. You can piecemeal it if you need to spread it out over a couple paychecks.
On the flip-side, if you can pay for a year’s worth or more of the services you’ll need to start your blog, you’ll save money in the long run but will have a larger up-font cost.
What services do you need? Just a domain and hosting, my dear.
Below is an approximate break-down of what it costs to start a blog and the different options for doing so. I use HostGator for my domain purchases and hosting and I love it, so that’s what I’m using as an example :).
Purchasing your domain separate from your hosting:
| Monthly | Yearly | 2 Years | 3 Years | |
| HostGator Domain Name Purchase | n/a | $12.95 | $25.90 ($12.95/yr) | $38.85 ($12.95/yr) |
| HostGator Hosting | $10.95 | $71.40 ($5.95/mo) | $85.92 ($3.58/mo) | $99.00 ($2.75/mo) |
| Initial Out of Pocket Expense | $23.90 | $84.35 | $111.82 | $137.85 |
| Ongoing Monthly Expense | $10.95 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Yearly Expense | $144.35 | $84.35 | $49.44 | $45.95 |
As you can see, the more you spend upfront, the less you will spend monthly/yearly.
If you want to purchase your domain name separately from your hosting, use these two tutorials:
How to Register a Domain Name with HostGator
How to Host Your Domain with HostGator
Now let’s look at the cost-savings of purchasing your domain and hosting at the same time from one company.
Purchasing Your Domain & Hosting in the Same Transaction:
| Monthly | Yearly | 2 Years | 3 Years | |
| HostGator Domain Name Purchase | Yearly $12.95/yr | free | free | free |
| HostGator Hosting | $10.95 | $71.40 ($5.95/mo) | $85.92 ($3.58/mo) | $99.00 ($2.75/mo) |
| Initial Out of Pocket Expense | $23.90 | $71.40 | $85.92 | $99.00 |
| Ongoing Monthly Expense | $10.95 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Yearly Expense | $144.35 | $71.40 | $42.96 | $33.00 |
There’s no cost-savings if you’re planning to go with the monthly option.
If you’re planning to buy a year or more, you may be looking at this and asking yourself why anyone would choose to purchase their domain name separately from their hosting, since purchasing them together is cheaper.
Well, sometimes, there’s a screamin’ deal over at GoDaddy on domain names and so you buy one but then later decide you want to host with HostGator.
Or maybe you purchase your domain with HostGator and ultimately decide to head over to SiteGround for your hosting.
Or, if you’re like me … maybe cause you’re brand new blogger you don’t realize that you can purchase both at the same time and save money. So you purchase both of them from HostGator but in separate transactions and kick yourself later. Doh!
If you want to purchase your domain & host together, use this tutorial:
How to Register & Host Your Domain with HostGator
Ok, now that you know how to get your blog off the ground TODAY, let’s continue onto the next 6 reasons you should!
Reason #2: Living Your Passion
One of my favorite aspects of blogging is how it can be about anything. Literally anything!
Are pugs dressed up in people clothes your jam?
You could start and monetize a blog around pug clothes – no joke!
There really is a tribe for everyone and thanks to the internet, we can find them.
Even if you do not end up making Neil Patel status blogging money, imagine being able to replace your current income with income from something that you actually love to do!
I know, it seems too good to be true, but it is.
The beauty of blogging is that it allows people just like you and me to turn our passions into our professions.
Tell me … what is your passion? Yeah, you can totally blog about that.
Related reading: 5 Elements of a Fabulous Blog Niche
Reason #3: No Experience Required
You’ve heard me say it before: blogging ain’ easy.
The saving grace is that blogging is a learn-as-you-go profession.
That means no experience required, anyone with enough moxy can do it. I’m talkin’ about you, kid.
Thanks to technology, you don’t have to know how to code to launch a website anymore.
When you run into something you don’t know how to do (and you will, like … every other step required to start/run a blog) you Google it and find that someone else already had that question and made a YouTube video explaining how to do it. No sweat.
You’re resourceful and you will find a way.
Eventually, the learning curve becomes less steep and you are less hindered by the techy-stuff. I promise, it gets easier.
As far as writing goes … I do not subscribe to the, “you have it or you don’t” line of thinking. That is some fixed mindset bullshit and I will have none of it.
I have grown as a writer precisely one million percent since I started blogging.
I used to struggle to produce 1 blog post per month. Now I sit down and 2,000 word posts flow out of my finger tips almost every day.
(For reference, this post is 2,934 words long.)
If you’re telling yourself you can’t be a blogger because you aren’t a good writer – stop it. With practice, you will learn.
You don’t have to be good at techy stuff or writing in the beginning. My first post(s) sucked and yours probably will too, that is normal and it is a-o-k.
With elbow grease and grit, you will get there. You will be a blogging badass.
Reason #4: You Call the Shots
The gift of control over your own schedule that blogging gives you is precious.
When I get burned out, I flex and take some time for myself, because I can!
Compared to most 9-5 jobs, where when you get burned out you just have to keep toiling away, blogging is a godsend.
If my kid has a field trip, I rearrange my blogging schedule and chaperone.
I love, love, LOVE not missing those moments with my child (who is 11 going on 16) that I’ll never get the chance at again.
If I find that I am LOATHING my daily tasks, guess what? I’m the boss and I can decide to pivot. So empowering!
Reason #5: It is Side-Hustle-Able
If you’re wondering where you are going to find the time, don’t worry, you will be able to.
If you need to, “squeeze in” blogging in order to get it done, that is 100% doable. Blogging was built for side-hustling because can be done anywhere, pretty much anytime.
As much as I would have liked to dump my day job and blog my heart out, I didn’t have the luxury of being able to go financially, “all-in” on my blog.
Meaning, I couldn’t afford to quit working altogether in order to blog 100% of the time.
I love the work, the challenge, the creativity, and the fact that the choice to blog like a freaking maniac is MINE. It is the hard that I choose!
I relish in the idea that the decision to work less when I have my kiddo and more when I don’t is even in my hands! Like I said, blogging allows you to be the master of your own schedule.
This is the schedule that works for me and my energy. You do not have to wake up at 4 am. You do not need to blog for 40 hours a week, I certainly didn’t at first.
You do you boo. Follow your path, trust in your intuition, you know your limits like no one else.
Also, it helps to look at the crazy schedule as temporary.
I won’t have to work 80 hours a week forever, just until I make enough passive income to chill a bit.
When I’m feeling like a psychopath and wondering why I’m doing this, I remember this quote:
Ummm yes that ↑ is a picture of my desk lamp with inspirational quotes attached to it.
And that quote is exactly right. Let’s see it again:
I’m willing to work 80 hours a week now so I can catch a plane to Hawaii and sip mojitos on the beach just for the hell of it later.
Can you tell I’ve thought about this? I can almost feel the sand between my toes.
Yes, blogging is a crap-top of work and a huge time commitment, but you can make it work!
Reason #6: Income is Up to You
With blogging, gone are the days of busting your ass only to get a, “cost of living” raise.
No more $25 Amazon gift card, “Christmas bonus”.
Say goodbye to vying for that promotion that in the end gets the ax because of company budget cuts.
Yeah, you’re still gonna bust your ass, but there’s a payday at the end of it. And the best part is – you decide how much.
What to charge for your creations, expertise and general awesomeness is 100% up to you.
Let’s say you create a mind blowing e-course that you want to use to replace your current day job income of $50,000 per year ($4,167/mo).
You know that you have 10,000 unique visitors to your blog each month and that on average 2% of them convert to sales. That’s 200 sales per month. So you take your $4,167 divided by 200 = $20.84/sale you’re going to need to charge on that e-course to make $50,000 per year. Sweet.
But remember, you’re the boss. Maybe you want a raise. Maybe you want to make $70,000 this year. You can up your e-course to $29.99 and make $71,967.
I’m not saying it’s that easy.
Getting traffic to your blog takes a whole lotta hustlin’ and even more patience.
Converting readers to buyers isn’t a walk in the park either.
Both are also totally obtainable as a blogger.
Once you put in the work, you have the traffic, you have the loyal fan base, and you have your product – YOU DECIDE how much you make. No one else.
Pretty sweet, huh?
Reason #7: Failure is Celebrated
Here’s the real reason you haven’t started your blog yet: you’re afraid you will fail.
Well, I’ve got great news for ya, broheim, in the blogging world failure = street cred.
Within the blogging community, failures are not just accepted but they are almost exalted, always commiserated with and understood to be part of the game.
If you take a sample of any top blogger’s about me page, you’re going to find a smattering of, “how I failed and bounced back” stories.
I love this mindset. I love that failure isn’t a death sentence but an opportunity to grow and be better!
I have my own failure story because guess what? My first blog tanked on account that I picked a niche that I didn’t like writing about (whoops).
Yes, realizing I had spent 8 months obsessing over something that wasn’t what I really wanted sucked, but then I was able to have the type of honest conversation with myself about what I REALLY love doing (encouraging and helping others) that I was unable to before.
And the result was Blogfiti, which is my PASSION. Without the first failure, I would not be doing what really makes me happy.
Conclusion
Blogging can change your life.
It can offer you a way out of your soulless grey cubical with little to no risk involved and enrich your soul.
Ready to go all-in on blogging? Join the free Badass Bloggers Facebook group to accelerate your track to success!