Yes, I Am A Full-Time Blogger
“And then there’s the blog. I’m not going to pretend like I don’t have aspirations for it. I love this little space of mine and I love being a part of the blogging world. I do not anticipate blogging ever becoming a full-time gig, but food props can get expensive so the pocket change I make from ads helps to pay for those. I do, however see it as a platform to many different opportunities that will hopefully present themselves along my journey. I do NOT blog for the money. Blogging is my release, it’s what I look forward to at the end of the day and has connected me to unbelievably inspiring and talented friends around the world. I could not be more grateful to every single one of you who shows up here everyday. ” -December 2013 from “If Not Now, When?”
This quote was written 8 months ago but quite honestly it feels like I wrote it in a different century. I had just quit my steady full-time job as a research assistant, had lined up a part-time gig working for a start-up snack company called Kewaza and was hoping the fill in the blanks with whatever life planned to throw at me. Emphasis on “hope”. It did not occur to me that blogging could ever become a full-time job. I made marginal income from ads (we’re talking less than $5 a day) that made it impossible to ever live off of it unless I found a way to turn THM into a profitable business.
I definitely enjoyed working with Kewaza and learned a lot about the food industry in a very short period of time. I also learned that I am not interested in selling a physical product, a concept I had toyed with for a little while (Maven’s Bakery died a quick death…sorry!). At the same time I came to realize that blogging was how I wanted to spend my free-time. So instead of looking for another part-time job which might bring in more steady income, I decided to treat blogging like one. I set up a content calendar, I researched ways to improve my social media and audience reach and eventually started to see some success. So much so that I no longer had time to commit to Kewaza and I decided to bite the bullet and take on THM as a full-time job.
And yes, I was and still am terrified.
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In many ways my story is unfolding alongside this blog. This is pretty evident in the number of times my “About Me” page has changed (I wish I had saved the older versions!). I want a place where I can chronicle this journey and have you guys be along for the ride. After all, THM would be nothing without you! I also hope that my own leap of faith can inspire you to take the plunge in your own life whether it be in turning your blog into a business or in an entirely different industry.
I never in my wildest dreams could have imagined that I would one day be running my own business, let alone that business being my blog. I knew from the day I started blogging that I had found my passion. I discovered a creative side to myself which I never knew existed. I found something that challenged me but didn’t discourage me and eventually I found myself a job I love.
Those of you who know me from outside the blogging world are almost always shocked by what I do. There’s the fact that I don’t have the most conventional job on the market, and then there’s the whole “Davs I thought you were a psych major who planned to go to medical school and knows nothing about business”? So did I.
It’s true, I’ve never taken a business course in my life. I have no experience with starting a business nor did I expect I ever would, but here I am running a successful (albeit small!) business. If I’ve learned anything in my very short time blogging “professionally” it’s that if you feel passionate about something you are unstoppable. I have and I am certain I will continue to make mistakes. But I learn from them and try to do better the next time.