If you think there is a secret as to why my blog didn’t fail the first year, you’re correct!
There is a secret!!!
It’s more like a secret RECIPE and since I’m sharing it all with you, maybe it isn’t really a secret at all… but it IS a plan anyone can follow and it 100% is why my blog didn’t fail the first year.
Startling Statistics
There are over 164 million blogs out there and most people quit their blog within the first three months. More in the first six months. In fact SO many blogs fail it’s hard to get accurate stats. The best guess the number elves can come up with is 99% fail before they turn one. 99%
You have to ask yourself…. WHY??
Why Blogs Fail
Time…. Putting together a blog that is a successful business is like that perfect bottle of wine. It takes time. A LOT of time. Most new businesses don’t see a profit until after a year, maybe even two. Newsflash: Blogging isn’t any different.
Rose colored Glasses… Everyone loves the idea of blogging as a lifestyle. Who doesn’t want to sit someplace fabulous and sip something wonderful while the sun sets behind them?
Reality check: bloggers who last are doing it for one of two reasons.
- It’s a passion and they are tailoring it to a niche audience and will pay the necessary overhead because it’s what they LOVE to do….
- It’s a business and they run it like a business.
Attention spans… The sad truth is we all want it ‘to happen’ and we want it to happen now. When they blog doesn’t change people’s lives and start earning six figures by the third month, people become disenchanted and quit putting in the time and effort.
How Did This Family Blog Make it through the First Year
We had a solid plan….with dates.
That is to say I mapped out twelve months of content creation, post schedules, pitches, outreach, EVERYTHING. Was it overwhelming. OH HECK YEAH IT WAS!!! But once I had it all laid out, all I had to focus on was the tasks at hand… one task at a time, one day at a time, one week at a time.
We got comfortable in our own skin.
This took a bit of time. There is SO MUCH rhetoric about being ‘authentic’ blah blah blah but it’s ridiculously tough to find that ‘be the really real me’ place where it also doesn’t jeopardize things like family safety or personal space. But once we listed to what other people were saying.. we were a pretty dynamic all American family… you guys do awesome things… you’re teaching your kids so many cool things… Josh and I looked at each other and said, ‘Yeah, yeah we are pretty fun and yeah we are pretty patriotic and yeah we are pretty hilarious…’ so we leaned into it. Bam ‘Authentic’!
We shifted focus.
We started out posting stories we wanted. Then we watched, and we listened. We paid attention to what people responded to and THEN we started posting things of value to our target audience. In short, we defined a key issue and we sought to start providing solutions.
Namely, we think deep down inside people want to love and experience America and share it with their family but it this polarized over political climate, it’s tough. We don’t think love of America should be a weapon and so we got real clear with our mission. Provide a ton of ways to experience, learn, and fall in love with America.
And you know what? People like it!
We set it up like a business.
We didn’t really expect to make a pile of money the first year. This was and still is a passion project. BUT we calculated expenses for two years and drew up a budget. We set goals and we did the tech set up of the actual blog for a business.
How to Set Up a Solid Plan (with Dates)
Get a business planner. Seriously. It keeps down the overwhelm and also keeps you from throwing up your hands and crying. It’s a key component to why my blog didn’t fail the first year and it will be for you too! It doesn’t matter if you run it out of passion or want it to make money. Being organized in a project is just well, good business. 😉 Pun totally intended.
Business Planner by Restored 316 (use our code tfb-planner and get 10% off)
How to Get Comfortable in Your Own Skin
Once you really have clarity on what you are about and what you can offer people, you can really lean into it. OWN it! The more you do, the more cohesive everything is and therefore the message becomes clear. I have a couple of truly life changing resources for this:
Brittany Sulkin, Life Coach Tell her we sent ya!
The mindset module no longer is an option… I’m currently seeking an alternative. Feel free to email me on this.
How to Shift Focus
Once you have a crystal clear message to share, make everything you say and do reflect it. Make it a genuine help to others.
Which theme is best for your website? Quiz
Refined Theme and many other highly customizable themes for your biz and blog that can and will reflect your message!
Restored 316Ally yourselves with services and products that will make your followers excited! For example, we love the T shirts and Coffee mugs by 1776 United so offer products on the blog and even deeper discounts to subscribers.
How to Set Your Blog Up for Business
One of the key reasons why my blog didn’t fail the first year was because I took the time to set it up as a business. I didn’t know if I wanted to run it as a business when I started but I took the steps to set it up that way so when and if the time came, it was an option. Guess what? It’s a business and I’m so glad I took the time at the beginning to set it up that way. Saved this technically challenged woman many many headaches!
FOLLOW THIS STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO POISE YOUR BLOG TO MAKE MONEY
Read the BLOG LIKE ME series
Never Stop Learning
This little freebie course is a five day jump start/checklist to make sure you are setting things up correctly. There are also other courses from this couple and it may worth the investment depending on what your goals are for your blog.
30 Day Build a Blogging Course
Final Notes
We’ve learned a lot in a year’s time. About us, about blogging, and about our country’s rich history as we’ve traveled around to experience it. We’ve also made a lot of friends and we’ve got some great year in store for all of us!
Do you subscribe to our blog yet? Don’t delay, because tomorrow or birthday email goes out! It’s not the Oprah show but there are there exclusive freebies and discounts to be had!!!
Congrats on your success thus far! It’s a good thing to start off with a plan if you can. Great thinking and way to stay organized.
great stuff! congratulations on your first year anniversary! amazing milestone! and good lessons. notes taken 🙂
Congrats on your first year! Thank you for sharing!
thank you for the well wishes!
Congrats on your first year blogging anniversary! You’ve learned a lot. Keep going, and growing, and having fun!
Congrats on making it past a year! I am about the hit the year mark myself! I didn’t make a plan initially with dates and a plan like you did simply because I had to fit it in when I could and with 4 kids it can be a challenge. I have recently sat down and wrote out a plan for the next 6 months of what to write about and what to work on each day-fingers crossed it helps me out! Thanks for sharing!
Well done you! I found that as I added more projects to the load, I needed a good planning tool. There are a lot of moving parts in putting together a true blog. Planning is essential 🙂
Congrats on your blog! It certainly isn’t easy. I’ve been at it for three years now, and I eventually did what worked best for me. Sure, I take snippets of advice here and there, but in the end, it only works because I do it my way and when I can. I’m heading into the busiest part of the year for me as a teacher–speech tournaments, school play etc. Sometimes I don’t get blog posts out on schedule or do all the things I’m “supposed” to. And I’ve learned it’s okay!
This is also sound advice. I think balance and realistic expectations are a must.
First, congratulations. This is such great insight. I’ve not planned nearly as well, but I have a long term focus and, income or not, my passion will keep my blog alive for quite a while.
That’s the real fuel! The rest is just learning and implementing. 🙂
Plans are great and being flexible is a must!
Having a plan is important! Adjusting that plan along the way is awesome!
It’s ever evolving I think but yes, a plan is important. Adjusting is an art. LOL
Time is my worst enemy with my blogging I strive every day to do better.
You might want to consider that planner. Using it effectively has actually made me find some unexpected free time which is interesting to get used to LOL
Congrats! I too, am in it for the long haul! I’m happy to be in great company!
Whoo hoo!!
Well you guys set it up way more than I did! Crazy to think how many people are starting blogs and quitting them. I think people forget that you actually have to work to get paid 😉
Well, it didn’t happen all at once. I THOUGHT I was organized in the beginning but I was not. It took time to build organization and strategy. Honestly, that planner was/is a huge help. I highly recommend it.
You are absolutely right that it is difficult to be authentic when you are coming out of the gate with a blog. I like how you leaned into your feedback to discover your voice. Setting up the blog as a business is a great idea and I’m totally in awe about your 12 months of content planning. I’m gradually building up months and months of content.
It takes a while to figure it out and it takes even longer to figure out a content strategy but all good things…
I fully intended to set my blog up as a business but then realized I just wanted to write and not deal with making money for now. At some point I could change my mind, maybe once I get readers ?. But you are spot on in your post here, and I’m very happy for your success!
I think it’s just good practice to take the time to set it up ‘properly’. Always better to have options. I also think it just makes managing a project easier, whether you choose to turn it into a business or not.
Thanks for sharing! I’m still in my first year and it’s definitely a tough time. But super rewarding when you can stick it out!!
The process of blogging can be very rewarding if you are passionate about what you are writing about.
It’s truly a ‘passion project’ or at least, it should be 🙂
Definitely takes a lot of time, energy, thought, and planning to stick with it for the long haul!! Congrats on your First Year (mine is coming up soon) and here’s to many more!
Cheers! I enjoy your blog. I think you have a very clear vision and I do look forward to reading your posts!
I just started blogging again after a very long break. I can’t wait to celebrate my first full year.
You must be passionate to return to your project. I hope you are able to find clarity to plow ahead. I cannot stress the section on ‘Comfortable in your own skin’ enough to help with this 🙂
Great information! I’m still in my first year and I will take all the tips I can get!
I strongly encourage you to click on all the links in the ‘how to’ sections. A blogger needs resources …as with any project… and these are simple and to the point ones with no fluff. 🙂
I just passed my one year mark and am no where near the goals I set but I am making progress so I consider that a success. You’re so right, its a business and businesses take time to grow. I would love to hear in more detail how you made your twelve month plan and how you use your planner to schedule. Maybe a future post or course? hint, hint! 😉
The first year is a reality check I think. There is a lot of rhetoric out there on what a blog lifestyle is and get rich quick schemes… I can do another post on the panner for sure! That’s a really good idea! I do have a series ‘Blog Like me’ Would love for you to check it out and give me feedback for what else you’d like to see. I’ll for sure do the post you suggest as I think it’s uber worthwhile!
Great stuff. I can’t really relate to the things you said. It would be so easy to quit, but where’s the fun in that. Thank you for the inspiration!
I thin you meant ‘can’ LOL oh autocorrect. LOL It IS fun isn’t it? Glad to be a cheerleader for ya!
I couldn’t have said it better myself! You spend considerable amount of time, energy & money as well (from the start).
It’s an investment by itself and like you said don’t give up! I’m fairly new (not even a year) and these tips are really encouraging!
Good! Keep at it and let me know if I can support in any way!
Keep at it – do not quit and follow this plan – yeah! I am 6 months in and I am not giving up, thanks!
Congrats! You’ve already made it past at least half of the bloggers out there!
This is a wonderful post. Such a great way to look back and see how all of your hard work paid off.
Thank you Lisa! It is a journey indeed and I do think it’s important to take time to reflect and tweak and reevaluate. It’s how we grow 🙂
Congratulations! It is difficult to make it through your first year in any business, so excited that you are doing so well, I love your blog and your inspiring posts…Here’s to many more years to come!!
Thank you Holly! I’m SO glad you enjoy the blog as I enjoy yours. 🙂 Cheers to many more!!!
I love this! I have seen many come and go my first year of blogging and I guarantee they did not plan for the long term. It is hard work but a labor of love and a get rich quick scheme it is not! You have to invest like any other business and the 48 broken links in my comments show many will not make it without this sound advice! Great post!
HAHA yes I JUST was cleaning all my broken links up and saw similar numbers…. Glad you enjoyed and glad to be blogging buddies with you!
Great post! I totally took the “which theme is best for you” quiz 🙂 I’ve made it to the 6-month mark and so far so good! Congratulations on running your blog like a business. I definitely don’t have 12 months of content planned out and am more of a “fly by the seat of my pants” poster.
It’s a great little quiz! Six months is a great start and already past many. You’ll get there! I encourage the use of the planner and other resources listed. It makes a big big difference! Let me know if I can support!