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This post has been on my mind for a very long time. I hope I am able to articulate my thoughts for you in a clear and concise manner because I feel it not only needs to be said but it would be a disservice to new bloggers trying to balance blogging and motherhood to NOT say it.

What am I talking about? Two things…

  1. This notion that blogging is a get rich quick scheme, sometimes perpetuated by other successful bloggers through income reports that leave out key details on their personal circumstances.
  2. Bloggers who blog about how to blog don’t have any real experience building a blog outside of the topic of blogging — trust me this one is important!

I have two simple fixes to both issues:

  1. Transparency in blogging income reports.
  2. Understanding the personal situation and professional experiences of the person you are following.

I’m going to share a few tips on what I think is important to look for before you follow advice from someone or purchase a product from them.

Can you make money online from a mom blog? Many moms make a full-time income blogging. I'm diving deep into the truth behind blogging and motherhood and what no one else is telling you. How to make money blogging, how to make money from home, how to start a mom blog.

Why is Blogging so Popular with Moms?

Here are just a few of the awesome reasons why blogging is so popular with moms…

  1. It provides flexible work options
  2. Allows us to work from home (with or without kids)
  3. Grants us the ability to balance work and life better
  4. Connects us with other like-minded moms
  5. It’s a creative outlet
  6. Allows us to share our passions with the world
  7. Has unlimited income potential (unlike a 9-5 career)

Blogging has been around for more than a decade but it’s really exploded for moms in the last 5 years. I started blogging in July 2013, 7 months after returning to my corporate job from maternity leave. I was pissed off about the laws and policies that impacted working moms in the US so I decided to start a blog to vent about it.

At the time, I had no idea that blogging was something I could turn into a career. When I started 4 years ago, there were barely any tutorials online about how to start a blog. I consider myself to be fairly tech savvy but was totally overwhelmed by domains, DNS records, hosting, cPanels… it was a whole new world!

The lessons I learned about blogging during my first three years when I wasn’t trying to turn a profit were invaluable. I came to find out that the blogging community is (for the most part) extremely friendly and welcoming. Professional working moms, SAHMs, new moms, old moms, all different kinds of moms were starting blogs and building them into real businesses.

I Quit My Corporate Career of 11 Years to Blog Full-Time

I learned a really important lesson fast when I quit my corporate career to blog full-time.

Professional blogging is a lot more work than hobby blogging. Let me clarify what I mean… hobby blogging, which I consider to be blogging without the intent of earning a full-time income, is certainly time-consuming and rewarding. Professional blogging to earn a full-time income and beyond adds on many different layers of complication. A solo blogger is essentially running a blog and a business full-time. It’s like having two full-time jobs, especially in the beginning…complying with legal standards where you live, filing the appropriate paperwork, tracking income, creating legal structures, etc. It’s a lot of work!

This is when I realized there was a lot of false information floating around the internet about how easy it is to start a blog and make thousands of dollars all during nap time!

I spent countless hours studying blog income reports and taking over $10,000 worth of online courses by other bloggers. I am a strong believer in learning from multiple different people. There is no one-size fits all strategy in blogging. I have no problem investing in great products even if they don’t work for me.

Blogging Income Reports Sometimes Report Half-Truths

I realized pretty soon after quitting my corporate career that there was a lot of information missing from a lot of the blogging income reports I was reading.

First of all, I started Redefining Mom three years before I quit my career. At times I wasn’t even a hobby blogger during those three years. I would go months without even logging in or posting anything. I had a very demanding schedule and blogging was not a priority. However, I did manage to build a little bit of a following and I received opportunities to appear on Fox News and speak at the White House.

My point is the day I quit my job I already had a blog set up with a few opportunities that had come my way. I didn’t have the same learning curve as a completely new blogger.

Yet I still found myself glued to my computer for way more than 40 hours in my first few months of blogging full-time. I grew irritated by the constant reports of moms making $10,000-$100,000 a month working during fringe hours when little babies slept.

Something wasn’t right here. I had a solid corporate marketing background, a master’s degree in business, an established blog, I was putting in way more than full-time hours, and I had daycare coverage for 30 hours a week. I wasn’t anywhere near $10,000/month at this point.

Many income reports I was reading sounded like this… “I started a blog six months ago because I needed a creative outlet while at home with my kids. I’m a mom first so I only work when my kids sleep and I’ve built a 6-figure empire, you can too!”

HOLD UP! I’m calling bullshit.

A few days ago, I posted this on Facebook. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t the only one who was skeptical of these types of reports.

Humor my rant. I do find income reports inspiring and I think for the most part people are telling the truth. But we do have to remember one thing. People teach from personal experience in the blogging world. You could buy 100 courses and not find a method that works for you, your voice, and your style.

There is no method that can guarantee you $10k months and I challenge you to think hard about how much time it REALLY takes to build a business. By time I don’t mean did it take a month or a year. By time I mean, how much time is the person working? Do they have little kids with them? Do they have a full time job?

I also challenge you to think critically. If someone says they are making $10k a month after 6 months and only working during fringe hours when their kids sleep… something is amiss. I’m not saying it’s impossible but I am saying the VAST majority of people cannot replicate that under those circumstances.

Think critically and ask questions before spending your hard earned money.

Frankly, I welcome any questions about how I got to where I am before anyone purchases anything from me.

This is no get rich quick scheme it takes a lot of work but has a huge potential to change your life too.

End rant.

Can I just say, WOW! This post went nuts! Over 50 likes and several women chimed in and agreed. You can read the whole conversation here.

What to Look for in a Blogging Income Report

I am not saying it’s impossible to build a 6-figure business in six months. I’m saying it’s near impossible to do it from scratch by only working 2-3 hours a day. And, if you were the freakish exception to this, it’s misleading to tell other people they can do it too. If you told me you put in 40 hours a week and had a lot of help in other areas in your life, I would believe it.

#1 Total time spent blogging

I put this one at number one because it grinds on me the most. I hear the statement, “I only work when my kids nap” way too much for it not to raise a few questions.

In the blogging world, working includes…

  1. Time spent on Facebook
  2. Creating videos, going live on Facebook
  3. Creating graphics
  4. Time spent on Pinterest
  5. Networking

…the list goes on and on. When someone tells you that they work only during nap time, pay attention to their other activity online. As they say, truth is not in your words but in your actions.

Let’s keep it real. I’m all for SAHMs building successful businesses but I don’t want to mislead women who really can’t work when their kids are awake by putting unrealistic expectations out there.

Being glued to your computer or phone when your children play is not the same thing as only working during nap time. Same when it comes to plunking them in front of the TV. Let me be clear, I am not judging anyone for working when their kids are awake. When my daughter is home you can catch me on my phone and computer. I also use the TV to finish up work from time to time. The difference is I’m not telling people I built an empire during nap time because it’s not true.

#2 Backend blog/business help

My husband is supportive of my business but he doesn’t do a single thing to help me inside of my business. My sister is supportive of my business too but she also doesn’t help me.

Do you see where I am going with this? I can tell you that having someone take over the technical, financial, or strategy side of blogging is a HUGE time saver. As they say, two brains are better than one. Two brains can also grow a business faster than one.

Proper disclosure of free or paid help received is imperative to being transparent.

On a side note, if your significant other is not on board with your business, I have a post that might help: How To Convince Your Spouse Starting an Online Business Makes Sense

#3 Help around the house/nanny services

Oh, this one is my favorite! If I turned around in my chair right now, I’d have a full view of my living room and it would make me mad. It’s messy. We don’t have a playroom so my daughter comes home from school and leaves my living room looking like a tornado hit it.

We have a cleaner that comes once a month. It saves me time when it comes to deep cleaning but it certainly doesn’t mean I don’t have to clean on a daily basis. My husband has picked up a lot of the daily cleaning responsibilities to help such as nightly dishes and half of the laundry pile.

One time I heard a blogger who presents herself as a SAHM but makes multiple 6-figures say she has a weekly cleaner and a nanny who comes in several days a week. Now I don’t know about you, but that’s not exactly the same as working during nap time to me.

I am overly sensitive to women thinking I’m picking on SAHMs. (You can read about why here). So I want to be clear… I applaud you for running a business and raising kids. Did you hire a cleaner and a nanny? AMAZING! Seriously, freakin’ amazing! That’s called recognizing your limitations and building a village around you to help. I, for one, certainly appreciate a woman who is finding a way to balance both a business empire and being a mom. Please just be honest about how you’re doing it especially if you are monetizing your business by helping other women do the same.

#4 Cash vs. accrual accounting

Since my MBA is in Finance, this one personally rubs me the wrong way.

Cash accounting is when you count money at the time it comes in or leaves your bank account.

Accrual accounting is when you count the money you’ve earned before it’s paid to you.

This can make a huge difference in a person’s monthly income reports.

For example, I’ve been part of huge affiliate launches where the payout is delayed by three months. I’ve seen bloggers report on a cash basis the month before but are so eager to show their spike in income the next month they switch to accrual the next month.

This artificially inflates their income and is misleading. I would also not be surprised to learn that income is double counted. Meaning one month it’s included as accrued and the month where it actually comes into their bank account it is again counted on a cash basis.

See how easy it can be to skew numbers? Do you remember the housing crisis in 2008 and the bailout of major banks? Skewing numbers is a real thing…

#5 Are they actually turning a profit?

There is a huge difference between revenue and profit. Revenue is the top line number you bring in before expenses. Profit is what’s left after expenses and taxes. If you’re running a business, the number you need to be concerned with is profit.

Some income reports completely leave off expenses and it’s misleading. How do I know how much they spent on things such as outside help and ads to make the revenue number?

On the other hand, I’ve seen income reports that claim over $30,000 in revenue for a single month and have under $2,000 in expenses with no reference to outside help and/or ad spend. I frankly find this highly skeptical. What about large costs for automation tools and coaching that may not bill every month? However, back to point number two, if they have free help from family, this is a bit more realistic.

#6 Taxes

I’m always one to admit when I am wrong and I definitely tend to leave taxes out of the income equation as well. Taxes can vary widely based on location and personal circumstances. I love taxes (I’m sort of a nerd like that) and I couldn’t possibly cover everything there is to say about this topic here. This is more of an FYI. If a blogger is making $30,000 a month, it’s pretty safe to say their tax liability is somewhere in the 20-35% range.

#7 Did they already have a following?

One thing I heard loud and clear when I posted my rant  is that a lot of people make claims about how easy it is to build an audience without proper disclosures.

For example, let’s say someone started a podcast and it took off super fast. Now they have a course to teach other people how to build a podcast. If they fail to mention that they actually had 20,000 email subscribers because of their highly successful blog before starting their podcast, they’re not being very transparent.

As my mom likes to say, if something smells wrong it’s probably because something is wrong.

This doesn’t cover everything, but it’s a good place to start when you’re trying to decipher if someone is being transparent in their income reports or not.

What No One Tells You About Blogging and Motherhood

I’m not telling you all of this to discourage you from blogging. I’m telling you this because I want you to go into it with two eyes open. I am a realist and prefer to hear the whole truth, even if it’s not as pretty as hearing half the truth.

Blogging is an amazing way for moms to find a blend between work and family but it’s not always easy. I would personally never go back to an office again. I was maxed out when I worked in corporate and felt like the balance was always in favor of work and never my family.

I don’t tend to sugar coat things in real life so why should I sugar coat anything for my readers? I feel it’s my responsibility to pose these questions for you to consider because my business is built around helping moms build their blogs into businesses. I want you to trust me so I am being real and honest with you.

When I quit corporate for good in August 2016, I was putting in 40-60 hours a week blogging and 30 hours were covered with childcare. As of September 2017, I am currently pregnant with #2 and #1 is in Kindergarten. I have about 4 hours a day to work and do everything else I need to get done with no kids around and I’m often not feeling too great. This will change once #2 is born. Right now my plan is to hire a part-time Nanny.

In relation to my income, when I put in 40-60 hours a week I was in building mode. I now make between $5,000-$10,000 a month and work about 20 hours a week. I am not expecting to grow beyond $10,000 a month until I can invest more time on a daily basis again. My expenses have been high this year due to investments in a few coaching programs. I expect to bring my expenses and tax liability down to about 35-45% of my revenue in the coming months making my profit anywhere between $3,000-$6,500 on a monthly basis.

You can build a successful blog/online business and be a mom. The key is going into it with clear expectations. You’re going to encounter many outlandish success stories, comparison traps, and shiny new objects. These can quickly discourage new bloggers.

My message to you is simple… move at your own pace, keep your head down, and don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle.  

But, I Need Help Starting a Blog, Where Should I Go?

In the beginning of this post, I mentioned there is a bit of a backlash on people who blog about how to make money blogging. A few months ago, I did an impromptu Facebook Live in my group about this topic. Since we are nearing the 3,000-word mark in this post (holy shiz!!) I decided to share the video with you. It’s only 12 minutes and I feel it gives an accurate picture of my background and why I feel qualified to help moms build businesses online.

https://youtu.be/9Q3O2FWN2Lc

The moral of the story here is this… understanding someone’s personal and professional background is imperative for making decisions on where to spend your money.

The name of the game here is transparency. If you don’t feel like someone is being transparent with you online, I would encourage you to NOT spend your money with them.

Trust me when I say this…. for every non-transparent blogger, there are 10 more transparent and honest bloggers.

Don’t let a few dishonest people ruin the awesomeness of blogging for you!

Think critically about who you follow, take advice from, and spend your money with and you’ll be fine.

So what do you think? Do you think there is a transparency issue in the “how to make money blogging” space? I’d love to hear your opinion in the comments below. I’d also love to have you in the Redefining Mom Facebook community where we openly talk about these issues and work together to form a community of like-minded, hard-working, and honest moms building empires on our own terms!

Blogging and Business Resources

If you feel like I’m someone you can trust after this monstrosity of a post, I do have a few resources which can help you get started or grow your blog into a business.

My Favorite Blogging & Business Resources <– all of which I use myself!

Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Blogging for Money

Email Marketing Tips Series

Redefining Mom eBooks & Courses

Pin it!

Can you make money online from a mom blog? Many moms make a full-time income blogging. I'm diving deep into the truth behind blogging and motherhood and what no one else is telling you. How to make money blogging, how to make money from home, how to start a mom blog.

Can moms make a full-time income from blogging while working less than part-time hours? I'm diving deep into the truth behind blogging and motherhood and what no one else is telling you. How to make money blogging, how to make money from home, how to start a mom blog.
Can moms make a full-time income from blogging while working less than part-time hours? I'm diving deep into the truth behind blogging and motherhood and what no one else is telling you. How to make money blogging, how to make money from home, how to start a mom blog.

 

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58 Comments

  1. This is exactly what so many need to hear. I’ve been at it a year and I’m barely making anything from my blog. There’s so much that new bloggers don’t know or don’t do that have to be revisited. Which is where I’m at right now. Thank you for this. This needed said.

    1. You’re doing so good Heather and you’ve come a long way in a year! Remember it’s a marathon, not a sprint 🙂

  2. Great post! Blogging is so fun, but yes, super emotional and I think it’s really important to be passionate and exited and hopeful but also to be realistic and manage your expectations!! Congrats on all your success, well deserved!

    1. Thank you, Kristin! Couldn’t agree more, it’s totally emotional. Some days I want to quit and other days I think it’s the best thing ever. Realistic expectations always help to center me back to reality. Thanks so much for stopping by!

  3. YES to the YES. There are SO MANY great lines in this post. Transparency is SUCH an issue. And it affects everything, from writing a post about how Grammarly is a great tool and not specifically calling out the affiliate link to saying “I got 8 million followers on Pinterest without doing anything” and not disclosing that, oh, yeah, this is your FOURTH blog, and you already had a huge mailing list.

    One of the first things I tell my students (I don’t teach blogging; I teach moms how to break into freelance writing) is that I am NOT teaching them how to make millions while not working. I AM teaching them how to make $40-$60k/year while working around 4-6 hours a day. Because it takes ACTUAL WORK.

    1. Abbi, I just LOVE how realistic you are! I know some people get super lucky and build amazing businesses out of blogs and don’t work as much as others but the whole point is that they are the exception. There are exceptions in every profession. The CEO who doesn’t even have a degree and makes millions in stock options… exception! I hate when we normalize exceptions because it hurts everyone else. I spent 11 years in corporate and if you told me then I could work 4 hours a day and make $40k freelancing I would have been OUT. Keep doing what you’re doing and helping moms build businesses!

  4. This was EXACTLY what I needed to hear right now! Thank you for a very honest and transparent post. I have not touched my blog in two weeks because I was getting so discouraged, frustrated and ready to quit. I was apprehensive to check page views two days ago and to my amazement, I was still getting 400-1000 page views a day without doing anything. I was ecstatic! This was a sign to keep going. Then a family member had someone tell her about a “fit mom” she had found on the internet and started following. When she told her the name of the blog my aunt, said, “Thats my niece!!”. It was so cool to hear a story of people coming across my blog via circulation of things on the internet and not just word of mouth. This was another sign to keep going! My discouragement comes from finding time with two little girls under the age of two. I have so many hopes, dreams and goals for my blog but getting them done has been a frustrating adventure. Not to mention “Mom brain” has been in full force from many many sleepless nights with a newborn!! I am a stay at home mom and blogging has provided me with exactly what I need to feel mentally stimulated and gives me a fun, creative outlet where I can really help others as well. Sorry for the long comment but this post resonated very well with me =) Thank you!

    1. Hi Brooke! I am so glad this post was helpful. 400-1,000 PVs a day is AMAZING, congratulations! As moms I think we tend to be really hard on ourselves especially with what we want to accomplish in a day. Blogging is a great outlet for motherhood and I’d hate to see it ruined for anyone. Don’t give up! Every season with babies is different and your time will ebb and flow. Like I said I stopped blogging for months at a time and here I am 🙂

  5. Thanks for writing this article! I appreciate your honesty and it does make me feel better. I do work full time but am so bored at work, a mind numbing job. My friend and I started a blog together and we only some evenings and weekends to work on it. So, we want to be successful and it’s easy to get discouraged when you see how successful others are or at least appear to be. We are smart women, but learning all of the facets of blogging takes time and we feel like it’s taking forever. We are also in different states which complicates things a bit.. Thank god for Google Hangout:) So, I have to remind myself that we have to be patient since we don’t get to do this full time. And it will take longer.. It’s a huge learning curve that’s for sure.. Thanks again for your insight and your honesty.

    1. Hi Ann! Thanks so much for stopping by! I’m glad this helped to reassure you. Working full-time definitely limits how fast you can grow but even those small actions you take every day add up over time. Keep on going!! 🙂

  6. Amen. Finally someone has called out those “I built this blog while my kids nap’ BS! It’s INFURIATING! There’s a well known blogger in the ‘Mommy’ niche who repeatedly makes these claims. I actually think she’s a great blogger, with lots of useful tips, but her husband also works from home running an online business (face palming at that one too) and therefore was and is absolutely on hand to pitch in. VEEEERRRRYYY different from being home alone with young babies and trying to start a profitable blog from scratch while they ‘nap’. Tbh as an experienced blogger of 12 years, and someone who has freelanced as a writer with young children at home, I know this is complete nonsense. It’s physically impossible to plan, research and write for paying clients, not to mention cram everything you need to do to create a profitable blog into kids’ nap times. No matter how organised and ‘Type A’ you might be! It WILL spill over into the rest of your day! You’re either lying or someone is around to pick up the slack occasionally for you. Nothing wrong with that either! Just admit it. It’s completely disingenuous and while we see through the nonsense, sadly many don’t and drink the Koolaid. I guess it helps to sell their courses.

    1. Hi KB! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving your thoughts. We think a lot alike. Like you, I just want people to tell the truth. If they go out of their way to share how they built their business then they owe to their readers to be honest about HOW they did it.

  7. THANK YOU!
    This is not a rant! This is so totally honest and heartfelt and I love it! This is YOU, this is a great example, why I keep coming back to your page, buying stuff, trying stuff you mention. I never have the feeling you would sell your first-born to me, and I think there are many mums that would agree with me. You are awesome, your content is great and helpful and you would never raise any unrealistic expectations which is exactly what I needed after tinkering around on a blog without actually hitting “publish”. This is hard work and I’m so glad, that an experienced blogger and business mom like you is helping us on our journey! Once again: THANK YOU!

    1. Hi, Carina! Thank you so much for stopping by and reading! I really appreciate your kind words. I try very hard to be realistic and honest with my readers and it’s so nice to hear that you can see that coming through. Now I wouldn’t be a good coach if I didn’t tell you… go hit publish!! 🙂

  8. I really enjoyed both the article and the video. I certainly didn’t think when I started that a year in I would have made so little progress, based on all the hype. One of the problems with people saying things like- I made 100,000 in a year- is you feel like you should be able to do that as well, and then it becomes a series of disappointments until you give up. On one of the Facebook groups I belong to, I am starting to watch people quit after 3 months, 6 months, because they are not making traction. I’ve always thought it would take about three years to make a full time living. I already work full time in a very demanding job so the 20 hours I spend on top of that takes its toll. Still, I love it. I just really hope it can replace the day job, as at this rate three years won’t be long enough to replace my current salary .
    And re your video yes it does make a difference when you know the backstory. I’ve watched someone claim to have just decided to start blogging three weeks prior but they have a professionally designed theme and about 15 posts… and membership in a course that was only open 2 months before their “decision.” Now they teach blogging… so no I don’t trust them one bit.

    1. Hi Katie! Thanks so much for stopping by. I hear everything you are saying. It would have taken me 2-3 years to build this into a full-time income if I focused on monetizing when I was in corporate. It took me 12 months-ish of doing it full-time to reach a comfortable replacement income. If I had not quit, I have no doubt it would have taken me 2-3 years doing it on the side. I don’t see it as a race or a competition with others. Like I say in the article, there are exceptions to every rule but when the exceptions go out and tell us anyone can do it… it’s just not the way it works!

  9. Yes! Yes! Yes! You are so right! I get so annoyed with the posts saying how easy and cheap it is to start a blog. Sure that first day won’t cost you much, but if you want to take it seriously then it will cost you lots of time and lots of money. Thank you for saying all of this!

  10. Thank you for this. I am hitting one year this month and I took off three months during the summer to really decide whether I wanted to continue to keep trying to build. It’s hard to not compare yourself when you feel like you are working your 9-5, sacrificing time with kids and family to keep building and run across those income reports and think you are doing something wrong. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this. It helps so much!

    1. Hi Heather! Thanks so much for stopping by, I’m so glad you found this helpful. I totally understand what it’s like to work 9-5 and try to build a business on the side. Hang in there… you’ve got this!

  11. Finally a post that does sound genuine!! I am so glad I stumbled upon this post while casual browsing..
    To honesty and transparency!!

  12. Thank you, Monica! I really appreciate your honesty and thorough thought process on this. I struggle with this a lot and wondering if this is worth it if I’m not making 10k/month in two months. To be honest, it makes me super skeptical about the coaching offers, courses, or books.

    1. Hi Jo! I invested in a ton of programs early on in my blogging career and most of them did turn out to be a waste of money which is why I am so particular now. I think a healthy dose of skepticism is good. $10k/month is a made up number, you get to define what success means to you! 🙂

  13. I want to give you a giant hug for writing this! I’m a newer blogger, thankfully I have 8 years of business under my belt from film production. I’m right there with you. I can smell bullshit from a mile away and there are so many things I read that may look like a rose but smell like manuer. It was so nice to see someone who’s further along on this journey seeing the same things. I found this greatly encouraging. Thanks!

    1. Hi Lauren! Thanks for stopping by, I’m so glad you share the same sentiments. It was scary writing this but I felt it needed to be said. It makes me feel so much better when I hear from others that they feel the same!

  14. Thank you so much for sharing this post! It is so refreshing to hear! I am fairly new to the world of blogging and it can be very discouraging continuously hearing about others who supposedly work very little but ear huge amounts! I am finding the world of blogging to be a hard one to navigate- learning who to trust and where to spend your money without wasting it is a huge challenge! Thanks so much for your insight!

  15. Love this article!! I’m a new blogger (launched 1/1/18) and I must say it’s overwhelming. It’s a lot of information. Everyday you learn something new.

  16. This post was so thought-provoking and resonated with me as well. I’ve worked at home on and off over the last several years (transcription, my current other job- non profit director), and I was pretty certain going into blogging that it was NOT possible to build a profitable business -any kind of business – overnight, 2 hours a day. Throw 4 kids in the mix, and I was pretty certain I was half crazy for even trying! But those income reports and tempting Pinterest titles can put those nagging thoughts in my head that I must be doing something wrong – and that I won’t ever be (financially) successful if I don’t see income right away. So this is a very encouraging and logical reminder that we ALL need. Being a mom is a full-time job in itself and if you’re the primary caregiver, you really are dividing your attention all day long, no matter how well organized you are. Stuff just comes up and it always will be that way when you work at home. Anyhow, thanks for the continued encouragement on the “slow growth” reality, I needed this!

    1. Hi Brandi, thanks so much for stopping by! Slow and steady wins the race is what my mom used to tell me when I was completely burned out in grad school. You’ve got this!

  17. Love this post. I have been blogging for a year and a half. With 2 small children 2 and 4 with me 24/7. I am exhausted all the time. Am trying to figure out preschool. Things are crazy. Kudos to you for speaking up and calling bullshit! It’s good to know that I am not the crazy one! This is hard, real hard. Do I think it’s worth it? In the long run, YES! But right now, I feel like death.. lol

    1. Hi Natasha! Thanks so much for stopping by. Some people don’t like transparency as much as I do and I love when I can connect with other people who appreciate it. You do the best you can with the time you have, nothing to feel bad about!

  18. Such a great post. Thank you for the honesty. I am a pretty new blogger, and I give the side-eye to most of the blogging “education” out there. I appreciate your transparency! More people need to read this.

    Thank you!

  19. Hi! I just found you via Carly at Mommy On Purpose. I’m a total newbie! I’d written a few things when I was feeling inspired, but before I learned about SEO lol and how to properly write a post! So now I’m making sure I have everything in order before I post and go live! You said in this post that you make that much money NOW on 20 hrs a week, even though when you quit your 9-5 you were putting in more hours. My question is, how did you get from point A to point B? I’ve been working here and there when I can (I have five kids, we homeschool, hubby is a chef and not able to be here to pitch in around the house very often), however I’m tweaking to be more efficient. Thanks so much for your honesty!

    1. Hi YoAnn! Thanks so much for stopping by. I think everyone’s move from point A to point B will be a little different. There are many ways to monetize a blog. I think one thing has proven to be consistent, people who succeed, show up and do the work over and over again. When I started, I was a blogger who didn’t have time and sometimes didn’t touch my blog for a month. Unfortunately, I don’t believe it’s possible to be like that and succeed with turning your blog into a business. My best advice to you is have a time management plan. Whenever you can count on your husband to be around, schedule time to go to a coffee shop and work. I used to put “no plan” Saturdays on our calendar and I’d work for 8 hours straight. Consistent, daily actions. That’s what you need to aim for!

  20. Great post! It’s frustrating to have been blogging 10 years and seeing people who have been blogging 6 months making 5 figures or more. They “tell all” but they are doing the same things I am doing. I’m not sure what the answer is but I appreciate you bringing all of this to light and addressing the income reports.

  21. Thank you SSSSOOO much for posting about this. I saw everything you are talking about and I started to think I was not doing something right or it was not possible for me to make an income blogging and having an online business. People never talk about their circumstances and how they got there, only their results. You have given many people the courage to keep going. I will definitely be sharing with my community.

  22. I am brand new to blogging. Right now, it is an outlet for me. Something I enjoy and am doing for myself. I have wondered much about what it would take to make money blogging. Thank you for your informative and honest post.

  23. This is so me! I left my job 18 months ago with this “dream” of being on the beach in some romantic / hidden away / stress-free location. Well 18 months later, I am as finally set as before ( and I mean NOT set ), am struggling to prioritize advice from a variety of sources and overall just trying to STILL figure it out. But i am building a tribe around me of the right people ( I hope ) and am looking at a reasonable goal to finish out 2018 and am still on the same path! I wouldn’t change it, would just like to make some more consistent money!

  24. I so agree with you. Blogging is not a get rich quick scheme. It takes a lot of hard work and devotion but it is great that you can work it around your child’s schedule.

  25. Great post! I appreciate your realness! I found your blog through EBA and I love your blog colors and layout. Thank you for sharing your input and I can not wait to dive more into your website.

  26. Alex Gauthier says:

    I have been thinking about starting a blog for a while now and have been doing a lot of research and gathering information on all that goes into it. I love to write and am passionate about motherhood, life, love and family. I feel like it would be a great outlet to share my thoughts and hope to also make a small amount of money on the side. I work full time and plan to keep doing that, so I’m not looking to make thousands or anything, just some extra to help pay for things like groceries. I’m wondering how much is normal to be able to make in the beginning? I like how transparent you are about what not to expect. And obviously these numbers will vary per individual. But how do I start making money and how much is likely in the beginning? Any advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

  27. I am entirely new to the concept of blogging and have been researching it for about a month. Up until today, I’ve only seen those “shiny bling bling” posts about how easy it is to make a living blogging with minimal hours and 6 figures a year. That’s why I never started a blog of my own yet because I was so skeptical of those “truths”! I am so appreciative of your post and will continue exploring your website!! Thank you for your honesty and for making the reality of what blogging truly is real. I still want to be in the blogger community!

  28. Wow, this post is awesome and spoke right to me. I appreciate your honesty, integrity, and authenticity! As a new blogger I’m already finding it important to level set my expectations. Thanks for the post!

  29. Monica- I know this is an older post, and you have some incredible current stuff. But I have to admit that this piece right here really resonated with me because I have been studying for months the content of countless blogs. I’ve been really trying to understand how it all works, and because I haven’t had a budget to purchase full courses yet on the entire A-Z of blogging I’ve had to piece it all together. Taking something from every piece of free material I’ve been able to find I finally was able to put together my website and blog and take it live. But out of the thousands of blogs I’ve read on this stuff you REALLY were transparent and simply awesome. You are officially my absolute favorite blogger! Thank you for sharing the nitty of it all, and being so open and REAL. There is so much to respect in how you kept it real and I know I appreciate it. You ROCK!!!

    1. Nicole, thank you so much for this awesome comment. I truly appreciate you taking the time to stop by and read! 🙂