I first published the below article eight years ago – back then it was titled “How I Quit My Job to Become a Blogger”.
Aspects of the “how to” have changed since I started, but the “why” has not. (The specific “how to” for 2025 is outlined here!)
There is still SO much potential for those want to create their own job freedom, and as we experience more political and economic uncertainty, including rumours of massive recession… maybe there is more NEED now than ever, also.
One of my good friends in this blogging space has been making money online as a blogger since 2009 (wayyyy before me!) – and she told me once she started because of recession. (And she’s still going strong.)
Content creation as career still works.
Blogging – or, content marketing, as we should think of it now – is a real way to create your own job. (Not overnight, no, but over time. It takes around a year for most blogs to find their legs.)
When I started blogging I wanted freedom. I wanted the potential to earn MORE, and I wanted to be the boss of my own time, so I could spend more time with my babies.
I got all of that, and in SPADES.
I bet you want all that too.
But it’s hard to know where to start!
I think it helps to hear from people who’ve done it.
So, this is the simple true story of how I became a 6-figure blogger…
(THIS POST PROBABLY CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS. OUR FULL DISCLOSURE POLICY IS REALLY BORING, BUT YOU CAN FIND IT HERE.)
Nine years ago, I was in a very different place in my life.
The abbreviated version:
I was settling in as a receptionist (at a job I loved, but didn’t make a killing at), after 10 years of terrible customer service work (at a job I hated, but made decent money at).
I was ready to accept the pay decrease to finally be happy.
About three months in, we found out I was pregnant. (Not unplanned, but still unexpected. We had been trying for a long time, and I was giving up on the idea of becoming a mom. Praise God for His many blessings ♥.)
It didn’t take me more than 5 minutes to decided that if we were finally going to have a baby, then I was going to raise the baby – not pay some strangers to do it for me. (This is not a slight against working moms – this is what I wanted for me and my family. I want to be the one there with my baby, day in and day out.)
But, I had no idea how I was going to do that. (Like none. It was blank inside my head.)
I had tried and tried over the years to figure out how to create my own income at home – once as a travel agent, then as a photographer, even as a “crafter” (yes, that’s a real thing, maybe)… But none of those things were working for me.
They all felt a little like wading through waist deep mud.
But this time, I wanted to make working from home real for myself more than I wanted anything else in the world.
I had no idea where to start, what steps to take, how to make it happen.
Somewhere in the past I had seen a pin on Pinterest that said “how I make money by pinning on Pinterest” or something like that – and it had explained that this blogger drove traffic to her website via Pinterest, and that earned her ad income – enough to be able to stay at home.
I LOVED to write, so that seemed like a viable option for me.
I had attempted a blog once before, and WordPress had quickly defeated me. I don’t think I ever logged into that first blog more than once.
But this time there was a big glaring difference in how I approached it.
This time, I decided that I would not fail. I decided to be all in.
I did a.l.o.t. of research. I realized that if you want to make money at something, you need to LEARN to do it RIGHT.
There are no practicing doctors out there who didn’t graduate from medical school, no lawyers who haven’t passed the bar. Getting an education in what you want to do is usually necessary. So I invested a decent chunk of change into a blogging course.
And then I worked.
I quit watching TV, quit surfing Facebook, quit shopping and cooking and showering and sleeping. I worked 50+ hours per week on the blog for the first 8 months, while still working my desk job 4 days per week. (I was on a baby imposed deadline. It probably doesn’t have to be quite this intense – HA.)
I put in the time. (And tears, and some money.)
And more time.
One year later, I was making a full time income from blogging. (You can read my early income reports here.)
In 9 years, I’ve never considered returning to a desk job. In fact, now I homeschool while I work on the website(s).
I am raising my kids and working for myself from home.
(If I didn’t have kids, I could be working for myself from anywhere.)
It’s not a pipe dream at all.
The longer I do this, the more I love it. There are ups and downs with my income, sure – but it still beats a “real” job.
And if we are going into a recession, I’m not as concerned about my job as many others are. Will my income go down a bit? Almost inevitably, as advertisers pull back their spending.
But will it go away entirely?
Wildly unlikely.
How Get Started as a Blogger:
First of all, start now.
Just do it. (It really is cheap to get started. you just need a domain name, hosting, and a good course on wordpress (this one is free). THEN, I want you to watch this – also free – bootcamp on making money with a website.)
There is no time like now. If I hadn’t started nine years ago, the time would still have passed.
Whatever reason you have for not starting, it’s probably not good enough. You are capable – if you decide to be.
I am nothing special.
That’s not a self-esteem “issue” statement – I’m a pretty confident lady – it’s just a fact.
I have no education, no special talents, no anything about me that sets me apart from you or from anyone else. I am not more qualified than you. (Maybe I am more determined, but that’s something that you have complete control over!) I just decided to do it, and then I did it.
Secondly, you need to understand how to actually make money with a blog.
This is key.
I run into a LOT of people who do not understand what it takes to create a profitable website – and these days that starts with your niche.
I strongly recommend watching this free video on the subject before you start.
Last – and perhaps most important – plan to give it time.
This is not an over-night thing.
Plan to invest your time for up to a year before you make any determinations on if this is working or not.
Would this work for anyone? Can it work for you?
I do NOT think that just anyone can do this, but YOU get to decide if you can or not!
Fact of the matter is, if you don’t think it will work for you, then it won’t.
If you are ready to work for yourself, then do it.
Let’s be real. (There’s an awful lot of not real on the internet, and I hope you know you won’t find that stuff here.)
I am not (even though I do joke about it) working part time from my couch in my jammies. I am putting on pants, and choosing to work day in and day out when I would rather not.
It is hard to work for yourself. It is hard to make something – with your bare hands – that amounts to anything.
If it was easy, everyone would be doing it.
But here’s the thing. It’s also hard to hate what you do, hate paying some else to raise your kids, hate that you’re trading two hours of sleep every day for two hours on the train.
It might be the path of least resistance, but it’s still hard.
So choose your hard.
Related: How This Blog Makes Money
Related: 4 Secrets of People Who Successfully Work From Home
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Congrats on all your success. I started a blog in late April and I’ve been working really hard on making great content myself. I personally work part-time from home and it’s only made me hungrier to be a stay-at-home mom. I’m dying to stop working on someone else’s to-do list. I don’t want to throat punch anyone, but I do want to get away from the crazy. I like tailwind myself, but I’m skeptical to paying full price for it now that my free trial is over. What do you like best for scheduling pins on pinterest? I’ve read others recommend Board Booster and I don’t know which one to pull the trigger on.
HI Katie! I’m the WORST person to ask… I recommend 100% manual pinning. I don’t schedule any of my pins, and I believe that is a large part of the reason I have great Pinterest traffic. I Have a book about this – https://www.mommyonpurpose.com/pinteresting-strategies/
Thank you for this post! I’m very happy for your success and it inspires me to not quit. I started blogging last year and just recently put ads and started using amazon links. I’m a stay at home mom but it’s been very difficult and I need extra income but do not want anyone raising my kids. I get 20 page views and not making income. This is a huge motivation that it’s possible. I won’t be watching tv, cleaning, cooking, sleeping and make it happen lol
Xoxo,
Jenny
Hi Jenny!! I’m so glad you enjoyed the post! IT really is an uphill battle to make a full time income from a blog but it is totally worth the effort! I wish you ALL the best 🙂 xx
Hey,this seems very interesting and inspiring.Even I started my own blog, although not making any substantial money. But,the feeling of working for yourself and building an asset is really soothing.I am actually enjoying this adventurous blogging journey.
“It is hard to work for yourself. It is hard to make something – with your bare hands – that amounts to anything.If it was easy, everyone would be doing it. ” so true. One needs to be calm and have patience in the blogging field.
HI Harleen – yes… PATIENCE is so important! Just keep going – the making money part takes some time to figure out. 🙂
I have read so many of these kinds of blogs and I am so glad to have stumbled upon yours! I think it resonates more with me than others because your story is similar to mine. I am an avid book reader/lover and have always dreamed of writing, unfortunately, it is not something that gets a whole lot of support when you tell people that. I have an idea and some hopes for a blog (and more) and would truly love some advice and feedback! Thanks!
Hi Sari!! Thanks for your comment! I hope if you choose to jump into blogging you just remember to take it slow and enjoy every minute of it!
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So glad I found your blog! I just started my own and hope to eventually have the same outcome. with lots of time and hard work of course! I’m looking forward to the future with this new step in life.
Good luck Jessie!! I hope the same for you 🙂
I loved reading this post! Super helpful and informative! It gives me some inspiration as my traffic isn’t too high. Thank you so much!
SO glad you enjoyed it Nicole!
Congrats on your success! I am just starting out with my blog, and hope to be where you are some day. Great Information and inspiration!
Thanks Kate!! I hope the same for you 🙂 Best of luck on your journey!
Welp, this is quite the encouragement for me as I just rebranded my 6 year old blog to make it fit my message better and am ready to dive in with grit! I have like 5 tabs open now to go read from this post alone! Hugs lady! Way to rock it! I hope our paths cross as my blog becomes a frontline mom blog too ???. Holding the vision I’ve been given!!! Question: do you attend blogging conferences too? And, what do you think is actually a waste of money for blogging? Thanks!
He Julie!! I wish you ALL THE BEST going forward with monetizing your blog! You have such a huge head start – WOOT! I haven’t been to any blogging conferences yet… hopefully one day soon? I think they are probably a waste of money to begin with… and then once you have grown a bit they might be worth it 🙂
Hi Carly, just been reading the comments, I also have just found you on Pinterest and have a bunch of your tabs all competing for my attention. After a year and a bit of blogging, which I’m a bit addicted to (I’m thinking more about writing than I am praying, maybe that should change!), I’ve decided to take it to the next level and actually turn it from a hobby into a job – just have to figure out HOW. You have inspired me! I’m just a little worried it will take over my life and I’ll ignore my children too much 🙂
I wish I could say it won’t take over your life, but it DOES! It’s so hard to keep a good balance. I’m guilty of paying more attention to my blog than to my life, and I am working really hard on finding some balance. I wish you all the best on your blogging journey! (And balance, I wish you balance too!)
Awesome post 🙂
I love reading success stories and can relate to what you say, I started my blog in April and am just plugging away, the learning curve is huge but I will not be quitting until I can leave my job and spend more time at home with my family.
I work away and am sat writing this in a crap hotel 200 miles away from home wishing I was with my wife and son.
I have just got your book so working my way through that and will be implementing once finished.
Thank you again and wishing you continued success with your blog.
Thank you so much Mark! I hope that very soon you can write a VERY similar post!
God always has great surprises for us. 🙂 Thanks for your inspiration, i’ve been working my ass off for more than a year now and needed the input.
Keep working girl! I know it feels like a loooooooong road lol
Thank you so much for your honesty in your post. I have been on the fence about starting a blog for months now. I have a full time job and two young children. I am a single parent as well. My job, even though I love it, just isn’t bringing in enough income. I need to make more, but I’m nervous about beginning a blog. Mainly because I am afraid 1- it wont be profitable and 2- what if I can’t write enough? What if I draw blanks and cant’ come up with anything to keep the blog going? Do you have any suggestions for this?
HI Sarah!! Writing is the hardest part of blogging for me too. I have blanks in my head ALL THE TIME. In fact, I think content creation is the thing that’s holding my blog back – I’m sorry that’s probably not what you wanted to hear!
Thank you for writing that kind of blogs.It is a lot helping.i subscribed it and i am also writing blogs but i am not getting results.
I will appreciate if you will check it once and give me feedback to do better.
plz check once http://www.iaminblog.tk
HI Shawn, I had a look at your blog and it looks like you do have a way to go – but that’s ok! It’s a learning curve. For one thing, I can’t tell what your blog is about… there is no clear message when I land on your page. I would work on that first of all! Best of luck to you 🙂
Hey Carly, I stumbled across your blog on Pinterest and I found your blog post very helpful to me as someone who literally just started blogging. I hope I can be like you one day. I.e., your own boss and killing it! Love how your tone is so sincere. It makes me feel like we are having an actual conversation. Keep it up!
I wish you all the best Rachel! The important thing is to just KEEP GOING even when it’s hard!
Hi Carly! This is such a motivating post. I’ve been blogging since the beginning of July, bought your Pinterest book in August, have had some Pinterest success and made a little money from being an affiliate for your book (thank you by the way!). I lost my job of 15 years at the end of September and will have to find a new one soon since my blog is making so little money but I plan to stick with it! If I quit now, who knows what I could be missing out on the coming months, right? I love your honesty and directness. If you’d have a minute to look at my blog and make any suggestions, I would love to hear them. http://www.lazysundaysblog.com Thank you so much!
Hey Keli!! Thank YOU for being an affiliate! I so appreciate it! I will shoot you an email 🙂
Hi Carly, this was interesting information! Thank you for sharing. I recently started a blog and am struggling to get it off the ground (I’ve been active for about 3 months). Your site is awesome! Could I email you about your site setup?
You sure could!
Hi Carly!
Congrats on your success! It’s AWESOME that this worked out very well for you!
I just started my blog and I know there’s SO much to learn! It’s also very tough w/ a day job but I’m still pouring in as much time as I can, trying to not burn myself.
The bad part is I even think about my blog while working my day job (dying to get off so I can work in it)… I catch myself thinking about it almost 24/7 for two months now, which can get stressful and overwhelming. The second I’m not doing anything related to the blog, I feel like I’m slacking off. Am I the only one? Or did you feel this too when you started? Lol…
When I started? Still? lol. Honestly I wish I could let it go a little. I’m alllllllways working, even if it’s just in my head. BUT I think that’s part of what allowed me to see success in a short time.