I’ve been blogging since 2005. In the beginning – of course – it was all for kicks. I never promoted it and only told about 5 people. All relatives. I made $0 and was probably the most happiest and care-free blogger on the internet. By 2009, I wanted to do a little more in the digital space so I started a blog called FemmesWithBenefits with my cousin, Soraya and my best friend, Asia. It was a blog where we shared personal anecdotes in cool and creative ways about the experiences we were having as college students living away from home for the first time. Like my first little blog, this was just something to make the time pass except this time we shared it with our classmates (a network of about 5,000 people) via Facebook. We didn’t go into it wanting or trying to make money, in fact, we didn’t even know we could. We just thought the concept was interesting and the posts were well-planned out and strong. Contrary to what we expected, however, those classmates shared it with their friends and the traffic for the site started to peak to about 10,000+ views per day which was unreal to us. Afterall, we were just three random girls who knew nothing about blogging and everything about how unprepared we were to “adult”. But it didn’t stop there.

In just the first year we were invited to work on a few projects with Claire from FashionBombDaily, did some work for Meagan Good during her at-the-time secret engagement to Devon and were able to collaborate with rapper Eve on a few projects. The support of our readers coupled with the support from the women we looked up to helped change our idea of what it meant to be bloggers & freelancers. And by 21 years old we learned that opportunities were always out there so long as we were willing and able to create them.

Come 2010, we no longer waited for people to introduce themselves to us. Now, we were getting bold and putting ourselves out there. We still blogged 5x a week but we also started to add more products and services to our brand. We created a necklace line, sent the necklaces out to upcoming artists – like this undiscovered Australian rapper who Soraya swore would get signed. (I’ll admit it, I didn’t.) The line launched, the product sold out in 3-days and we, in turn, sold our site.

I know, I know – you’re wondering “why?” but if there’s one thing I learned during my business courses it was the power of the exit strategy. In our case we realized that it was best to part from our group-venture so we could pursue our own passion projects.

We had each become our own powerhouses. We each had now discovered what our passions were and now it was time for us to begin our journeys towards developing and discovering our individual purposes.

Soraya, an aspiring Journalist, sold everything she had, packed one suitcase and booked a flight from Miami to New York. Asia realized that blogging wasn’t her true passion and instead went on to serve our country and is working her way towards a PHD. And I, well, I’ll save that for a little later.

Fast forward a little more and now Soraya works full-time as Charlemagne’s right hand man and handles everything digital with his brand. She also gets booked to work for many other celebrities and entertainment networks. Asia has just completed her time in the army and is wrapping up her Masters while parlaying on Twitter. And I, have been fortunate enough to work on many different design projects & online campaigns for different companies.

I know it may sound like we figured out everything overnight & that it was easy to do, but it wasn’t. In fact, it was super confusing and often frustrating, and it still is.

In the digital space, the way you work behind the scenes has to change often. This is because just like you are bringing something new to the table, so is someone else in the blogosphere & APPmosphere.

Unlike 2010, for example, where we could mail things to influencers and upcoming artists for free using their PO Boxes, 2015 started to bring larger companies with healthier budgets to the game. They totally changed (or disrupted as you real-techies would say) the game because now they were offering thousands of dollars in exchange for promotion to influencers. Now you can’t just ask someone huge for a shoutout unless you have the pockets to support that.

For example, you see all these detox teas & teeth whitening companies on Instagram? They’re paying $1,000-$25,000 to all of the people you see promoting them. (Price dependent on the number of followers and engagement.) *sips tea*. Oh – and not for the influencers to write a 500-word blog post, like it used to be, but just to post a pic on IG because now IG’s influence is deemed stronger than a blog’s influence. I know this because these same companies have reached out to me. And no, I’m not mad at them, I’m just mad at myself for deleting my Instagram account.

So how have I been able to stay afloat? Well, by keeping up with the times, by staying true to who I am and by being realistic about what I can and can’t do.

From 2007-2009, I made approximately $8,000 total (or $4K per year). This includes all things blogging and all things design. And I was charging and making $25-$75 per project so you can only imagine how many projects I had done. Note, that at that time I was only doing blog-design work because that’s the only way I KNEW to profit from blogging. This helped me practice my skills and learn.
From 2009-2011, I made approximately $15,000 (or $7.5K per year) and was now charging $50-$250 per project. This includes all things blogging and all things design. Unlike my first couple of years I started incorporating brand partnerships with larger companies.
From 2013-2016, I made approximately $260,000 (or $65,000 per year) from blogging. This does not include what I made from any design work. My blogging revenue increased dramatically because I stopped selling myself short and figured out how I could profit from my passion much more, abundantly. As a result, I was able to up my prices per project to $500-$8,000 each. This allowed me to focus on quality over quantity and afforded me the opportunity to take on more intricate and long-term projects. I don’t include my design projects in this because my design work is now a different entity from my blog, thanks to all of those who discovered me after checking out Charlemagne’s site.

As you can see, my yearly income has continued to rise year over year and now maintain I maintain 3-sources of income: (1) My blogs & the services I offer on them // (2) My design company // (3) My full-time job (yes, I have worked full-time this entire time)

And at 26, I have reached my personal financial goal.

Now, remember. The numbers above are all revenue. Approximately 30% of that all goes towards taxes (*gags*), 10-20% goes towards expenses incurred each year, a percentage is paid to me (I’m an “employee” of my company) and a percentage remains in the business vault/account.

So, do I think ANYone can make this kind of money from blogging/freelancing? No, I don’t. And that’s only because everyone is different. However, if you read everything above and feel like “this could be me” then I think you should read on.

In November, I will be sharing tips & tricks to blogging in 2017. Although things may change, I want to share the basics that have continuously remained true over the years. And I also want to teach you what no one taught me about blogging.

Think you want to join in? First, see if this course is for you!

» Beginners (who make $500 or less per year from their blog)
» Lifestyle Bloggers or those who run niche blogs
» Those who are passionate about their blog (If the passion for the art isn’t already there then you’ll only be in it for the money and it’ll feel like clocking in and out of work which will succkkkkk. If the passion is there then it’ll feel like you’re adding cash to what you already love to do.

A lot of people teach these types of courses (and I admire them all). However, I have found, that some of the people who teach “How I Made $678,324 in Blogging” are often bloggers who (a) only blog about making money while blogging, (b) have never blogged before in their life or (c) only have formulas that work for blogs that blog about money.

I didn’t make $678,324 from blogging but I did appreciate the $65,000 that I did make and I feel like my tips may be realistic and attainable for most small-medium sized lifestyle/niche blogs. If you’re a beginner, making less than $500 a year, my unconventional & conversational sessions may be a an easy option to digest and apply before the New Year.

Sound like something you’re interested in? Then I’d love for you to join my online-retreat!

liajtw