Over the past few months, I have found myself making the plunge in starting and buying more blogs that I ever would have thought imaginable. My wife tells me it is an addiction (and that’s probably true), but in reality, it is all part of my master plan to retire early. I am currently working at a job that is a decent job for right now. I am finishing up my Master’s degree and due to my sudden fascination with earning a living from blogging, I have decided to switch paths on my career. In order to achieve my crazy goal, I know I have to build up passive income. This is where more blogs come into play. To be quite honest, I think there is something to say for focusing all of your efforts on one blog and building it’s traffic up before starting on a second blog. I often wonder if I am not spending enough time writing and building up my first site, but alas, this isn’t my approach.
The Logic that Pushes Me to Create More Blogs
As I work on increasing my potential income from my online efforts and I think about living off of just this income, I get worried. I tell myself that there is no guarantee that this money will come in next month. My mind instantly jumps to suggest, “Well, I would feel more secure if I had just one more blog…”
There you have it – the first confession of an addict. Yet, at the same time, I’m not sure it’s a bad thing. One of the primary reasons that I see it as a good thing is that it takes time for a new website to age. There is popular belief among bloggers that after a certain time, google finally sees your site as reputable. The logic makes sense. If you had to judge which sites were most credible, I would assume that the age of the website would come into consideration. Otherwise, you would be directing traffic to sites that just publish nonsense. Imagine all of those bloggers that get really inspired, but don’t have what it takes to keep posting consistently and their site dies out after a few months. It only makes sense that google protects against this occurrence in their algorithm.
Therefore, by creating and publishing material on new blogs now, I am setting myself up for future income. Even if the blog isn’t as profitable or popular as my main sites, if I build it up slowly, it will be better in the long run.
How I am able to Manage Several Blogs
I recently started my second niche site. It is an experiment to see if I can build up a site that will rank well on google and therefore earn decent money without having to update it regularly. Yet, I am doing this while also running 3 other blogs of my own (and 3 co-0wned blogs). How can one person who is also working full-time and going to grad school part-time manage all of this?
While I sometimes don’t know the answer to that, it does hinge on several factors:
- Having a large queue of posts: This is important because when I have a large queue of posts for a blog, I am able to “tell” myself that I am set on that blog for several weeks. This means that I can focus the next few weeks on other projects. This is a deceptive logic, but it keeps me actively engaged in all of my projects. Have you found a way to trick yourself into doing more than you thought possible?
- Starting to Outsource: I will be the first to admit that I am not superman or a machine (as people are starting to call me). I am starting to see my limits and that is why I am starting to outsource some of the tasks of managing some of my sites. This includes hiring staff writers to write all of the posts for one of my co-owned blogs. This costs me a bit of money, but I am still making a profit and it keeps my blog active.
- Late Nights/Early Mornings/Full Lunches: I would be lying if I said that I am just really efficient. Trying to build up an equivalent income to my day job takes work and commitment. It means a couple full evenings and several late nights or early mornings. But, considering the potential of what it offers me, it is well worth it in my book.
If you want to avoid creating more blogs on the side, be careful not to let this logic of building it up slowly take hold of your thoughts. It could mean that you lose a lot more free time as you chase the dream. I know that’s what has happened to me – but I’m not complaining, especially when you consider my latest income report.
Have you considered creating another blog on the side? Have you bought into this logic?
I’ve thought about starting another one but right now I don’t have enough time to care for both. Hopefully soon!
Where, if at all, does having guest bloggers come into the picture?
I usually do not account for guest bloggers. When people ask to guest post on one of my blogs, I try to accommodate their request as soon as possible, but I do not rely on them coming in. There could be months in between these requests. I would much rather prepare for it myself.
I’ve bought a few new domains and am this|close to pulling the trigger. The only thing holding me back is thinking I won’t be able to put in as much effort as the first one, and that I won’t be able to sustain my effort on my main site. I think I’m going to do it though, if only to get the ball rolling.
Sounds like you are on a successful path and are very organized. Do you have an organizational system for your blogging tasks? For example, do you spend X amount of time writing, X amount of time on marketing, etc. on a routine basis?
We frequently receive guest blogger requests and unfortunately most of the time they aren’t well versed in small business finance and accounting or have the appropriate credentials, so we have to pass.
As for starting more blogs. It can be helpful if you’re trying to experiment with other domains to see which performs better but of course there will be an upfront cost (i.e. time).
Congrats on the empire building! Are you only outsourcing the staff posting, or are you automating other aspects of the site as well?
It’s SO addicting, I don’t blame you. I can’t seem to keep things organized between Master the Art of Saving, Personal Finance Carny and the new one I’m try to hurry and launch. I think people who can manage multiple blogs without going crazy are superheros.
Good LORD you sound just like me. I mean down to the planning and the passive income obsession. You’re gonna make it. You’re persistent and driven.
Interesting…. I’m debating starting another blog soon and might given what I have seen with my original one, so far.
[...] many of you know, I have been buying blogs AND creating more blogs to create a diverse collection of websites that will offer me large potential for future income. My [...]