Hey blogging ladies, welcome back to another episode of the Boss Lady Bloggers podcast.

Today, I’m going to share how I could have made money blogging much faster if I knew then what I know now.

Let’s dive into what steps I should’ve taken to speed up my blogging income.

---

TUNE IN TO THE EPISODE : https://open.spotify.com/episode/1MAaTGysDVepYJZhMUBQGc?si=UJX-BLlZQeu02DPxMPd5MA

---

---

Takeaways

• Take blogging seriously and create a solid plan and mission statement for your blog.
• Know your target audience well and create products that solve their pain points and meet their needs.
• Invest in learning and constantly update your skills and strategies.
• Explore different revenue streams and avoid relying solely on affiliate marketing and ads.
• Develop a clear business and marketing strategy and target the right audience with the right offers. Creating and selling your own products or services is an effective way to make money through blogging.
• Clear messaging and branding are essential for attracting and retaining readers.
• Investing in education and getting expert guidance can accelerate progress and lead to future success.
• Prioritizing tasks that directly contribute to business growth is crucial.
• Avoiding busy work and focusing on important tasks is key to achieving results.

---

TRANSCRIPT:

To kick things off, back in 2018, I started my blog with zero cash in my aunt’s basement. I was using an ancient 2010 MacBook that was on its last legs.

Picture this: sitting in a chilly basement. Sure, it was a decent space with a large bedroom, but my MacBook was so old and slow. Still, I was determined to start a blog, so I made do with what I had.

For two years, I put my heart into that lifestyle blog, focusing mainly on affiliate marketing and ads. But after all that effort, I didn’t earn a dime.

---

RELATED: Do You Make Money from Blogging? A Clear Answer

---

It was super hard, and I thought about giving up. In fact, I did quit for a while before I decided to get a blog coach. That’s when I realized I had big gaps in my knowledge because I hadn’t invested in learning how to really grow and make money blogging beyond just affiliate marketing.

Affiliate marketing wasn’t cutting it for me. Everything began to shift when I brought on a blogging business coach. She used to be featured in Forbes and ran a successful travel blog. She doesn’t coach anymore, nor does she own that travel blog, but she still creates travel content on her personal site.

She’s moved on from coaching, focusing on her passion now. But she truly opened my eyes to what it takes to build a successful blogging business. Stick around because I’ll be sharing the blogging mistakes that kept me from earning the kind of money I make today.

I hope you can learn from my mistakes.

---

---

Let’s keep going.

I started a blog about makeup, finance, fashion, and blogging tips. It was tough setting up my WordPress site. Making it look good seemed impossible. Without tools like Elementor, it was really hard.

Even now, creating a professional blog is challenging. Everyone has websites that lead readers on a journey. You want your site to make visitors want to work with you or buy from you. Your design should get readers to act.

---

RELATED: How to Earn Money as a Travel Blogger: Tips and Strategies

---

I had trouble making my site look nice. I knew nothing about website structure, SEO, branding, or marketing. I was just starting out, maybe like you are now. When you’re new, you don’t even know what you need to learn. You get what I mean?

Starting in website design, writing posts, and using Pinterest was scary but fun. I wanted something of my own and hoped to earn money from it. Living in my aunt’s basement at 19 and working a regular job wasn’t for me. I felt grown-up and ready for more, even though I had a nice place to stay. But finding a snake in my room made me move. Maybe it was a sign to change my life.

So, I tried earning with affiliate marketing and ads, following expert tips. I wrote a lot and learned about SEO and adding links. But did I make money? No. I tried ShareASale, Amazon Affiliates, and Google Ads, but nothing worked. Now I understand why.

First, I needed more people visiting my site to make money from these methods. You can’t earn from blogging without lots of page views. I needed a plan to get more traffic. No one clicked my links because my blogs weren’t seen enough. Plus, I didn’t know much about SEO. It’s not just about writing; your whole site needs to be optimized.

Now I know more than before, but back then, I was clueless about business strategies and marketing. I realized I had to learn more. The only way was to get a coach. Free articles helped a bit, but I needed advice on what to do. There’s so much you don’t know until someone teaches you.

When my blog wasn’t doing well, I saw it was because I didn’t know enough. Finding a blogging coach was hard, but I found one. She showed me I wasn’t serious about my blog. I didn’t have a business plan, and my site’s branding and structure were weak. It wasn’t SEO or mobile-friendly. I thought my site was fine, but it was bad.

My coach taught me to create and sell my own stuff. She helped me see my blog as a business by solving problems for lady bloggers. This led me here. I spent two years learning and wanting to help others. I started coaching bloggers, knowing I could help beginners. With my coach’s help, I built Boss Lady Bloggers, which has grown a lot.

---

---

My offers and branding got better, but she helped me start. She told me it’s hard to earn from affiliate marketing and ads with little traffic. You need many visitors to make over $500 a month. You also need a good niche because some are too common. For example, wellness or lifestyle blogs aren’t the best for affiliate marketing.

I wanted to earn more than $500 a month. I aimed to make thousands, be a top blogger and business owner. I had big goals beyond just paying bills. I wanted a thriving business, to live well, save, and afford a house and car.

Now, you might wonder how I reached my goals and built a successful business. First, I launched Boss Lady Bloggers with my coach. We made a business plan and improved our brand message. I learned web design through a course and on my own. My first site for Boss Lady Bloggers was better than my old WordPress site. It brought in sales and clients. My brand and message turned out well, and I made a product to sell.

I wanted to help women start blogging right and not waste years. Now, I offer six months of blog coaching and custom web design. I combine them because that’s what lady bloggers need. At first, I offered separate packages for web design and coaching. To my surprise, I got three clients. I used Pinterest and Instagram for marketing, which was easier back then. After getting good reviews, more clients came. In three months, I made four thousand dollars.

I was dedicated and invested wisely. In 2020, I made $32,000 during the pandemic. In 2021, $56,000; in 2022, $83,000; and in 2023, I reached six figures with $108,000, even while on maternity leave. My projections for 2024 are even higher. I have 12 clients and sell bigger packages.

Now I’m a mom and work when my baby sleeps. Usually, I work after he goes to bed, but lately, he’s been staying up late. Still, I love my life. I have enough money, a nice car, a home, and great clients. My business keeps growing, and I enjoy taking days off. My income for next year is secure because of steady work from clients.

I’m telling you this not to show off, but to show what’s possible. I started with nothing and worked on my blog for two years without making money, but I never quit.

Here are the main points:

Start with what you’ve got. I began in my aunt’s basement with an old laptop. Keep going. Every year, your income can increase if you stick with it. Not knowing enough can slow you down. Free articles can help, but they’re not enough. Learn more. Getting a coach changed my business.

Don’t just count on affiliate marketing; it takes years to get enough traffic. Instead, talk to me about coaching and web design services. Focus on your content. Write about things that match your offers. Learn skills like WordPress and SEO. Making money means getting the right traffic, not just a lot of it. SEO is about more than writing; make your whole site better.

Have a business strategy. Make a solid plan and strategic offers. If you’re interested, let’s talk. Sell your own products and services. This is more profitable than affiliate marketing. Aim at a certain audience and solve their problems. Think about rebranding if your site isn’t great. Redoing my site and brand message increased my income and reach.

Offer services for quick money. Simple marketing is best. Pick platforms that suit you. Quick action brings results. You can grow with constant improvement. Each year can bring more money. Get in touch if you’re ready to grow.

---

RELATED: 13 Blog Tips and Tricks I Wish I Knew Before Starting a Blogging Business

---

You can balance work and family life, even as a new parent. Financial stability comes from steady client work. Enjoy the freedom and success of having your own business.

You’ve heard my story, now it’s your turn. Don’t doubt yourself. Keep at it, learn, and market simply. Your blogging dreams are close. Take the first step and think about talking to me.

Remember, if I did it, so can you.

Bye.