If you’re like me, you find the success of others to be super inspiring. I’ve recently taken to following a few blogs that post monthly earnings reports from various monetization methods they employ on their websites. Now, a word of caution.
Comparison, my friends, is the thief of joy.
These bloggers and entrepreneurs have been doing their thing for a LONG time. Many of them have people to help them manage their blogs, babysit their children, and organize their lives. Their results are not typical but they prove that with a little hard work, making your living on the internet is totally possible!
That said, be inspired and learn from what they are doing… but remember that there is something wonderfully lovely about contentment and being happy with what you have.
1. Pinch of Yum – Some of my favorites. Love their humble beginnings and willingness to share their tips with other bloggers looking to monetize their blogs! I’ve seen a lot of blogs who have been inspired by their success and taken to following their lead.
2. Dale Partridge @ The Daily Positive – This guy is insane. Lots of irons in the fire and a boatload of great advice for entrepreneurs. His story, however, is not typical, He has a stake in several successful startups despite his young age.
3. Blogging on The Side – Becky of Your Modern Family posts her income reports monthly. Um, let’s just say that for a mom of 4 she is killing it in sponsored blog posts and the works. How does she have time for all of that?! Mad props.
4. Pat Flynn of Smart Passive Income – This guy is also ridiculous. He makes more every month than a lot of people hope to earn in a year. Lots of great screencasts, podcasts, and tips for bloggers! Killing it in affiliate sales every month.
5. Moms Make Money – This gal is super savvy and shares her main sources of income as well as tips about driving traffic, what has caused her traffic peaks and slumps.
6. ByRegina – She’s a smaller blog, but shares a helpful bit about her blog traffic and things she is doing to monetize her blog. Definitely worth a read!
7. Making Sense of Cents – This blog is by a gal who used her extra income to quit her day job and pay off student debts. While she does not break her monthly earnings down or provide the same level of transparency as other online income reports, her earnings are inspiring nonetheless!
I just found The Daily Positive yesterday, obviously living under a rock, and was wowed by Dale too. He’s got a million wonderful lessons to learn on that blog, plus some inspiring earnings!
Rita,
Haha! Well then you and I BOTH live under rocks. I found him just last week. Tons of great advice on a lot of these blogs… I could spend HOURS just researching everything. :)
All at once inspiring, motivating, depressing and overwhelming. Ha! It’s like knowing you’re passionate about running and enjoy it and then joining the track team and realizing… Doh! A long way to go! I love that you compiled this list! You sure are clever!
Never know all these bloggers are so willing to share their secrets of monetizing their blogs. Very inspiring to learn about their success story with real figures and steps. Thanks for compiling!
I know! When I came across my first one I was blown away by the transparency and the numbers. Very inspiring like you said. :)
I think I need to raise my standards. I get excited by a $3 sale on Etsy that probably cost me $15 to make :)
Haha! I think we’ve all been there. Pricing can be tricky, I definitely think there is a “Perceived Value” when it comes to pricing things a bit higher that can set you apart. Hmm. I feel like I could write a blog post on that one thing alone…
And yet I still get stoked every time I sell a $6 set of clip art or a .36 cent image on Shutterstock! :)
Excellent post Angie – I’m sure you will be able to put your own name on your list as well soon, if not already! :D
Sune,
Maybe someday! Although I’m definitely not confident enough to go public. :)
Thanks for the inclusion! I had no idea that some bloggers on your list even shared their income report even though I read their blogs. I’ve been missing out! :)
Great list of blogs Angie. The Smart Passive income by Pat fyn is really good. Dale is also good. Thanks for the list.
nice source and useful to all bloggers who wants to make money.
I can’t decide how I feel about income reports.
Is it possible to make money without talking about making money online or blogging?
All of these bloggers do that.
Kristie,
I know what you mean. It’s both motivational and sort-of annoying that people share their income.
I would say that you should look at helpful bloggers who post on a topic but also offer a good or items for sale. If they are offering something for sale, they’re making money. The best bloggers know how to sell things without broadcasting their success or spamming people into buying.
I heard about all these blogs from Matt Woodward’s page, and I know that all these income reports are true.
So, we can all do the same by working hard and being more committed to gain success in our online business.
I’ve been reading Pat Flynn’s reports for years, and discovered ByRegina a few months back. She was actually the one who inspired me to post my first one at the beginning of this year.
I hemmed and hawed over doing one for a long time, but I had a lot of great feedback (both online and from real life friends) after posting it. I’ve definitely learned a lot and been inspired by reading other people’s reports over the years, so it was nice to feel like I could contribute something back.
I think it’s great to see more people sharing this kind of info, as it helps demystify the process, especially when it’s not just people making $10,000+ per month sharing them, since that seems virtually unattainable to most people.
Just like knowing general guidelines for salaries in a certain city and a certain field helps you negotiate a new job or a raise, knowing what other people are actually making online and where they’re making it from can help you figure out what to focus on. It’s definitely helped me a lot over the years.
I have contemplated this for an age.
I haven’t really had any solid [aka: my view of noteworthy] income from my blog… and so I decided not to go with it.
BUT… I look at my numbers, and have learnings from them… and maybe I should share it anyway… You’re right @Mallory… people will learn from my learnings!
Emma, I think it’s also really important to remember… everyone starts from nothing! Even the big guys like Pat Flynn or Darren Rowse started from absolutely $0 in online income. A lot of times people don’t start doing public income reports until their earnings are “noteworthy” but that can make it seem like they just started raking in big bucks out of nowhere one day. We can ALL learn from each other… someone who is making less than me might still have a successful tactic that’s worked for them that I have yet to discover.
I find monthly earning reports to be so inspiring! It is good to know what can be accomplished if we set our goals high enough and dream big!