You know what’s amazing? The feeling I get when I get an email from someone who stumbled upon my blog by way of Google or Pinterest or some other endless rabbit hole of the awesome interwebs, and they tell me how these posts have inspired them to start a side business where they make online income, in the hopes of being able to one day quit their job and travel.
It’s bizarre. And awesome.
I mean, I know I’m not saving lives over here, but when anyone tells you that you inspire them… that’s an amazing feeling!
It’s ironic how I started this blog to help fellow sailors see how they could work side jobs from their boat to fund their travels, and while I had a loyal readership, I really wasn’t getting a lot of outside traffic. Now, I get as much traffic from non-sailors as sailors, and people from all over the world are sharing my posts and emailing me questions about how to make an online income.
I am so grateful that I’m finally starting to see some traction on the blog since starting it 2 years ago. I’ve learned SO much about writing and blogging and promoting my blog since then. I know if I knew then what I know now, my readership would be so much bibookgger, but you have to start somewhere, and learn as you go sometimes.
The good thing is that you don’t have to take quite as much time as I’ve taken, writing posts, hoping someone would read, and hearing crickets.
I’ll be posting a series of posts on blogging and promoting your blog starting this month, so hopefully you can learn from my mistakes, and save yourself a lot of time and effort when it comes to your blog’s growth. You’ll also be able to apply some of the tips I share to any sort of writing – not just blogs.
BUT before I get started on these posts, I really want to make sure that I’m covering all the things you’re interested in. I rarely ask for favors, but what I’m asking is for you to let me know what you would love to see me cover in upcoming posts on writing/blogging – get specific!
Here are some potential topic ideas:
- How to start a blog
- What to write about
- How to find the time to write
- How to promote your blog posts
- How to get affiliates
- Where to get photos for your blog
- How to create kickass blog images
- How to make money with your blog
- SEO and your blog
- …????
So comment below with what you’d like to read or learn about when it comes to blogging or writing. Don’t be shy!
October’s Online Income Report
Before I get into this month’s side income report, I just calculated the total amount of side income I’ve made this past year (since last November), and I’ve made $11,845 in online income. That’s an average of almost $1k/mo – not too shabby for working from a sailboat!
October side income was an improvement from September, albeit still pretty slow. My main job has kept me pretty busy, and most of my free time has been spent creating my first online course and preparing to launch my new website (I seriously can’t wait to share more about this once I have everything ready to go… I’m SO impatient – I want it done NOW).
Just like I mention every month, my side income report numbers are an accurate depiction of what I’ve made on the side, bad or good, compared to the previous month. These numbers don’t include my income from my full-time job as a QA Specialist (aka glorified proofreader), or my handsome hubby’s income (from his music, book, and freelance work).
Webmaster/Web Design: $100
Online Sales: $165.95
Affiliate Income: $220.42
Adsense: $19.78
Writing Gigs: $150
Misc: $41.52
TOTAL: $677.89 in extra income (Up $142.67 from previous month)
I’ve also saved a total of $439.24 so far with Digit, the free automated savings app that I am absolutely in LOVE with. You’ve heard me talk about it before on here, and it’s really an awesome way to save money. I love that it just pulls a couple dollars here, a couple dollars there – amounts so small that they are inconsequential to your banking balance, but when they sit and accumulate in your Digit account, they add up relatively quickly. I highly recommend the service. And it’s free!
November Goals
- Create (and adhere to) an editorial calendar
- Tweak my listings on my Handmade by Amazon store, Maggie and Milly, where I sell my handcrafted nautical bracelets (for men and women!)
- Write more content for my new, soon-to-be-revealed website before launching
- Work on my upcoming online course (hint: it will be a course on getting traffic to your website)
- Find guest-posting opportunities in the online business niche (thinking big picture)
- Grow my subscriber list
- Eat healthier
- Exercise more
- More date nights with my hubby (he’s been VERY patient with me as I work through this whole new business idea)
Hopefully I’ll be super productive this month! I’m not actively trying to seek out new business at the moment, but between my jewelry shop, my writing clients, and affiliate income, I hope to still have a decent side income report next month.
Oh, and get this – speaking of online courses, great news if youre interested in taking an online course. Right now, my favorite place for online courses (until mine comes out, of course!) is Udemy
. They have courses on everything under the sun, and some are very inexpensive (or even free)! You could buy a courses that may help you in your life or business and make it back 100x. I’ve taken several of their courses, and have always been pleased.
Anyway, that’s all – don’t forget to comment below with what you would love to see in some upcoming posts on blogging.
See ya!
Hi Melody,
Great blog! I’ve always wondered how I could make a little bit of cash on the side from our sailboat, just haven’t found the right area. I find it pretty hard to cruise and keep in good internet connection with the world. It’s also hard to wrap your head around ideas with 3 kids on board. I’ll have to keep an eye on your site to see if you have any secret inspiration.
Carly
Hey Carly – thanks for the compliment! Yes, I know for sailors, wifi can be an issue. One good way around that is to write blog posts offline (when you have time), and then upload them when you get a wifi connection. You can even schedule them out, so let’s say you write 4 posts while island hopping… you can go to an internet cafe and upoad all 4 posts, but schedule them out to be a week apart, so your blog automatically posts one a week, making it look like you’re posting regularly. Affiliate income would be a great way to make a little money on the side, because once you set it up on your blog, it generates automatically and creates a passive, hands-off income stream. That’s what a lot of travel bloggers do, and what I’m trying to get more involved with. You just have to make sure that you choose affiliates who are in line with what your audience might find useful, and only promote brands that you know and trust.
Hello Melody,
In your October Income Report you mention the $19 Udemy courses. The link from your post works fine, but just takes you to their normal page with normal pricing. How do we get to see which courses they are offering for the reduced fee?
Love your site by the way.
Thanks, Chris
Well, that’s embarrassing! I went back and read the email, and either I misunderstood, or they were unclear that I was wanting it to be extended indefinitely. Either way, it doesn’t seem the $19 special is working, so I apologize. I know there are some courses that are free, as well as some that are under $20 – normal pricing, so it’s still worth taking a look around the site. I’m so sorry for the confusion!