Fight the Cubicle

How to build an online business and escape from the cubicle for good

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The Best Alternatives To Google Adsense

Google Adsense is the go-to ad network for bloggers and publishers. It’s relatively easy to join and has low traffic requirements.

Although Google Adsense helps you start earning income from a new blog but if you’ve used Google Adsense you’ve probably already realized that there are serious limitations to this ad network, from low pay to slowing down site speed. 

In this post, we’ll be talking about the best alternatives to Google Adsense, their requirements, and how you can join them. Let’s jump right in. 

How does display advertising work?

Display advertising is one of the most lucrative ways to make money blogging. Ads allow you to make passive income from your blog while you sleep. That’s why so many bloggers hustle to get enough traffic to qualify for ad networks. However, not all ad networks are created equal.

First, let’s go over how display advertising works. That way, you have a better idea of how to use ads to monetize your blog. In a nutshell, display advertising is selling space on your blog to allow brands to promote their products to your audience. First, you have to set up a self-hosted blog, choose a profitable niche, and then write quality content that solves problems. As you write more content, your traffic will naturally grow. 

When you hit a certain traffic threshold, then you can apply to premium ad networks. Different ad networks have their own requirements for admission. Some are stricter than others. Generally speaking, the stricter the admission requirements, the better the ad network. If you’re accepted to an ad network, the team will give you a code to install on your blog. This code contains the information to allow ads to run on your site – on your sidebar, on your footer, in between text, and so on. After you install that code, then ads will start showing on your blog.  

Ad networks have partnerships with brands that want to promote their products on blogs and websites. These are known as advertising partners. Each advertising partner wants its ads to appear in blogs within a certain niche. For instance, a weight loss brand would naturally want its ads to appear on health and wellness blogs. That way, it can reach the readers who are most likely to buy its products. 

When you join an ad network, it will display ads on your site based on your niche and the needs of its advertising partners. For instance, my travel blog runs on the Mediavine ad network, which we’ll talk about later. Unsurprisingly, you’ll find many display ads for hotels, flight booking sites, and travel insurance. There are also ads for non-travel brands, but Mediavine, like other ad networks, deliberately selects niche-specific as to display. 

How do blogs make money with ads?

There are two models that ad networks use to pay publishers:

  • Pay per click (PPC)

The ad network pays the publisher for every visitor who clicks on the ads. 

  • Pay per view (PPV) 

The ad network the pays the publisher for every visitor who sees the ads. 

Generally speaking, it’s easier to make money on ad networks with a PPV model than those with a PPC model. That’s because the percentage of visitors who actually click on ads is small. Visitors will generally skip over ads unless it’s something they want. On the other hand, any visitor who comes to your site is likely to see an ad. That’s why the PPV model is more lucrative. You only have to drive visitors to your site, and the rest kind of takes care of itself. 

Why should you not use Google Adsense?

Because Google Adsense has a low traffic requirement, it’s attractive to new bloggers. Many blogging gurus also recommend Google Adsense as a good ad network to start with. I disagree. In fact, I caution bloggers against using Google Adsense.

The problem with Google Adsense is that the pay is quite low. Most bloggers make just a few dollars a month on Google Adsense. Because of that, it might not be worth it to interrupt the user experience on your site in exchange for a quick buck. I used Google Adsense for two months and made about $200, which is actually high for the network. On the other hand, I made $600 during my first month on Mediavine. When you consider how much you’ll earn, Google Adsense is simply not worth it. 

Another issue is that you need to be in good standing with Google Adsense in order to apply to higher-paying ad networks like Mediavine. If for some reason, you’re not in good standing with Google Adsense, you’ll be automatically disqualified from applying to other ad networks. While this situation isn’t common, does happen. That’s why I recommend that bloggers wait until they have enough traffic to qualify for premium ad networks that will pay them enough money to make ads worthwhile. 

1. Ezoic

  • Traffic requirement: 10,000 monthly sessions
  • Payment method: PPV

Ezoic is a small ad network that currently powers display advertising on 10,000 websites. This ad network is ideal for new bloggers because its requirements are easier to meet. It requires 10,000 monthly sessions, original content, and good standing with Google (if you previously used Google Adsense.) Once you hit the 10,000 monthly sessions requirement, you can apply to Ezoic and wait for the approval. As soon as you’re approved, the team will send you instructions to get ads up and running on your blog. 

2. Monumetric

  • Traffic requirement: 10,000 monthly page views 
  • Payment method: PPV

Monumetric is another ad network that works perfectly for those with small blogs. The company requires at least 10,000 page views per month but works with bloggers at all traffic levels. Monumetric differs from other ad networks in that it provides a unique ad strategy for your blog depending on the amount of traffic it gets. The diagram below shows the monetization strategy Ezoic uses based depending on your blog traffic.

3. Media.net

  • Traffic requirement: 10,000 monthly sessions
  • Payment method: PPV

Media.net is an ad network that manages display ads and native ads on websites. Unlike display ads, native ads match the look and feel of your website so they don’t stand out as much. If you’re looking to include ads that aren’t so glaringly obvious on your site, Media.net may be a good option. It doesn’t have a strict minimum number of page views you need to qualify. Instead, it requires a “reasonable volume of visitors,” content that is mainly in English, and the majority of traffic coming from the US, Canada, and/or the UK. 

4. Mediavine

  • Traffic requirement: 10,000 monthly sessions
  • Payment method: PPV

Mediavine is the holy-grail ad network for bloggers. Go on any blogging group and you’ll see more than a few threads about getting into Mediavine. So what makes Mediavine so special? It’s just competitive enough to get into (50,000 monthly sessions) and offers a high CPC. In evaluating blogs to accept, Mediavine also looks for long-form, original content and good standing with Google Adsense.

My travel blog has been running Mediavine ads since April 2019. Ad revenue accounts for as much as 50% of my monthly blogging income. Some blogs, such as Anastasia Blogger and Credit Take Off, make a full-time income ($5,000+ per month) just from Mediavine. This ad network can be very lucrative, and the management team takes great care of publishers. 

Mediavine pays publishers based on a metric called RPM, also known as revenue per mille or revenue per 1,000 impressions. Your RPM is determined by a variety of factors, such as the time of the year and your niche. You can also increase your RPM by enabling video ads, which are often favored by advertisers.

5. Adthrive

  • Traffic requirement: 100,000 monthly page views
  • Payment method: PPV 

Adthrive is widely regarded as the most exclusive ad network on the market. It’s also the highest paying ad network in terms of CPC. Adthrive requires 100,000 monthly pageviews to qualify for its ad management services. In addition to that, you need the majority of your traffic coming from the US, original content suitable for their advertisers, and good standing with any previous advertisers. Because Adthrive has a higher requirement than most other networks, it typically works with the most established and successful bloggers.

Which ad network pays the best?

The amount of money you can earn from an ad network depends on your traffic and your Pay Per Click or Pay Per View. That said, Mediavine and Adthrive have traditionally been the highest paying ad networks for bloggers on a Pay Per Click basis. These are the ad networks that allow bloggers to earn a full-time income just from ads. 

How do bloggers get advertisers?

Bloggers can get advertisers by applying to ad networks. Once you hit the minimum traffic numbers and other admission requirements, you can apply to an ad network. If you get approved, you’ll receive instructions to set up the ads on your website and start earning money on a PPC or PPV basis. 

Can I use multiple ad networks?

Yes, you can use multiple ad networks at the same time. While you can use multiple ad networks, this is not recommended. You also have to think about the user experience. Having ads everywhere can interfere with visitors’ ability to read your content. Your top goal is to make it as easy as possible for visitors to navigate your site and consume your content. If ads interfere with the user experience, this can lead to a drop in Google rankings and traffic. 

One more thing: if you found this post helpful, please share it!

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10 Things No One Tells You About Starting a Business 

The media often glamourizes the idea of starting a business and becoming your own boss. You hear about successful startups run by 20-something college dropouts that rake in millions of dollars.

Behind all that glamour are stories of failure, hardship, bankruptcy, 100-hour weeks, family disputes – all the unsexy stuff in starting a business. Before you sign up for the rollercoaster ride of entrepreneurship, it’s important to have a clear idea of what you’re getting yourself into.

This post breaks down 10 not-so-sexy things no one tells you about starting a business. The more informed you are, the better you can prepare yourself for what’s ahead. 

1. Ideas are worthless

Great ideas are just potential. People come up with brilliant ideas all the time, but very few of them will become millionaires after starting a business.

When you come up with a business idea, it’s important not to get too attached to it. As entrepreneurs, we often become obsessed with our ideas instead of focusing on whether there’s a need for them. Your business idea may not work. The sooner you can recover and pivot, the better your chances of success. 

Keep this in mind: people don’t care about your brilliant ideas. They want products to solve their problems. Plain and simple. It’s up to the marketplace to determine the value of your idea. If people won’t pay money for it, then you need to go back to the drawing board.

Even once you’ve validated your business idea, you’re still not done yet. The most important step that makes all the difference is execution. A mediocre idea executed well is better than a brilliant idea executed poorly. That’s why planning is so important before starting a business. Give yourself ample time to plan out your launch, work out any kinks.

2. Learn how to sell or go home 

It doesn’t matter what kind of business you run. If you can’t figure out how to get consistent, reliable sales, you won’t be in business for long. That’s the brutal truth. Unfortunately, many new entrepreneurs have negative associations with sales. They see it as sleazy, pushy, or immoral. I think this is just part of our social conditioning.

We look down on telemarketers, used car salesmen, and those people who go door to door selling knives. We see sales as tacky or icky. I was one of those people who thought sales were beneath me. However, after experiencing month after month of little to no revenue, I had to quickly reframe my approach to sales.

I enrolled in an intensive sales coaching program, learned from the best copywriters, and did dozens of sales calls. I quickly came to see sales not as something tacky, but as a process of serving your potential customers and guiding them to make the best decisions. This was a game-changer for my business. Learning sales took me from struggling to selling out my high-ticket coaching program.

“Sales” is the most important skill you can learn as an entrepreneur. You have to know how to talk to your target audience and explain the value you provide to them. This requires a deep understanding of your customer’s pain points. If you can communicate to someone exactly what they’re struggling with, then they’ll trust that you can solve their problem.  

3. Failures and disappointments are the norms

The first time I launched my Pinterest course, I made a grand total of $. Exactly three people purchased it. My launch goal was $5,000.

I’ve been rejected by at least 30 brands that I pitched for a collaboration.

One of my first clients refused to pay me.  I had to threaten him with a lawsuit before he finally paid – 9 months later! 

An editor from a major business magazine reached out to me to write a piece only to change his mind at the last minute.

Facebook rejected my ads and suspended my account.

Pinterest suspended my account two times (as I write this my account is currently suspended.) 

These are just some of the many stories of failure and disappointment that I’ve accumulated over the last 3 years as an entrepreneur. You have to have some thick skin to be an entrepreneur because things will go wrong. 

Your product might flop.

Even Jeff Bezos has had countless failed products and launches. 

You may spend thousands on ads and not sell anything.

One of my fellow blogging friends spent $20,000 on ads and only made $8,000.

Failure is necessary for success; it’s a part of the process. If you’re not failing once in a while, you’re not even trying. That might so cliche, but it’s the truth. As an entrepreneur, you are by nature a risk-taker. Some risks will pay off and some won’t. Learn what went wrong. Adjust your strategy, and keep going. 

4. It will probably take you longer than expected to be profitable

My advice to anyone who wants to be an entrepreneur is to give it at least five years of consistent effort after starting a business. Yes, five years. Many people underestimate how much time it takes to build a successful business. I’m in year three of my business and I’m still discovering so much that I don’t know. I say five years because, assuming that you don’t have any business background, there will be a learning curve. You will make mistakes. You may have to pivot your business a few times before it finally works.

Giving yourself five years keeps expectations reasonable and pressure low. It allows space for all the learning, mistakes, and growth you need to experience to become the best entrepreneur you can be. 

5. Building a business is a journey, not an event

That’s why one of the most important traits you can have as an entrepreneur is patience. You must keep working even when you don’t see results. This is one of the hardest things to do because it’s natural to become unmotivated when you don’t see the fruits of your labor.

However, you must keep your eyes on the big goal. When times get tough, remember why you became an entrepreneur in the first place. That will give you the strength to push through obstacles. 

6. Your mindset is 90% of the battle

We all carry baggage from our previous experiences, stemming as far back as childhood. We often have negative thoughts and limiting beliefs about money, about ourselves, and about what’s possible for us. When you start a business, all that baggage will come creeping up. For me, it was low self-esteem and a negative association with money, both of which date back to my childhood. 

The low self-esteem came mainly from bullies in grade school; the negative association with money came from witnessing massive corruption and embezzlement as a child in Nigeria. I had a hard time selling myself and selling my products because of these disempowering beliefs, which were buried in my subconscious.

When 2019 came around, I took a step back and focused on developing myself. I attended the Millionaire Mind Intensive to start the process of overcoming my money blocks. I also went to therapy specifically to deal with my self-esteem issues. I’m sharing this to show you that you can’t ignore the emotional/mental baggage if you want to succeed in business. Identify the things that hold you back and tackle them head-on before starting a business.

7. There’s no one-size-fits-all path to success

Beware of anyone who promises you the simple 3-step formula to solve all your business problems. It doesn’t exist! You can learn from what others did to be successful. However, you have to adapt their strategies to your own business.

I’ve invested over $30,000 in courses and coaching. These programs didn’t magically change my business just because I learned something new. I had to apply the teachings over the course of months to get results. I think investing in business education is always a smart move, but don’t expect it to fit your business. You are in charge so it’s up to you to make your business work. 

8. You may have no life for years

Someone said that when you become an entrepreneur, you trade your 9-5 for a 5-9. That couldn’t be more true. When you’re an entrepreneur, the work isn’t done when the clock hits five. It’s done when you’ve completed that new launch, that blog post, or whatever you’re working in.

Even then, you’re not done. There are newsletters to write, social media posts to share, taxes to file, and the list goes on. The work is never truly done.  

It’s normal to work 14-hour days in your first few years. As you expand and hire employees, your workload decreases. You’ll end up working less and making more, That’s when a 4-hour workweek actually becomes feasible. Until then, you have to grind six or seven days a week. Forget about going to happy hour with your friends after starting a business.

9. Be prepared to be broke for a while

Making $10 million in two years is certainly a possibility when you have a winning business idea. It’s not the norm for most entrepreneurs.

Unless you have a trust fund, you’ll probably be living on ramen noodles and canned beans for a few years. This is assuming you quit your job to go full-entrepreneur without much savings as I did. I moved in with my parents to keep costs low. That’s just the price you have to pay for long-term success. As an entrepreneur, you trade short-term comfort for long-term luxury. 

10. Your family and friends will question your sanity

Entrepreneurship can be a lonely journey because chances are, every one of your friends and family works a 9 to 5. If you come from an immigrant family like myself, that compounds the problem. Immigrant families, in particular, tend to frown upon risk-taking.

To my Nigerian parents, the idea of trading a comfy job for a business that has no guarantee of success just doesn’t make sense. Coming from a country where there are no jobs and little opportunity, their primary concern is job security and putting food on the table. A job in healthcare provides that. Entrepreneurship does not. When I told my parents that I was quitting my job to become a blogger, they thought I was joking! Over the years, I’ve gotten awkward questions, like 

“How much money are you making now?”

“So when are you going to get a real job?”

I’ve also gotten objections like “that won’t work” or “it’s not possible.” 

Don’t let objections from family and friends discourage you from pursuing your dreams. You know deep down why you chose this path. As long as you have a compelling reason driving you, what others think doesn’t matter.

I know it can be disheartening to put your heart and soul into something, and people look at you as if you’re crazy. But that’s the price to pay if you want to be exceptional. You have to go against the grain.

You will question yourself repeatedly

What am I doing? 

That’s a question that will likely cross your mind many times throughout your entrepreneurial journey.

You will doubt your abilities, compare yourself to others, feel like an impostor, and wonder why you couldn’t just settle for a job like everyone else. Over the past three years, I’ve felt like throwing in the towel so many times. But I knew that simply wasn’t an option. I was fully committed to this path. I figuratively burned the ships so there was no chance of retreat.

Final Note on Starting a Business:

In the end, the prospect of spending 40 of the best years of my life working for someone else was far more painful than 5 years of poverty and failure. I knew that I could earn more money and have more impact working for myself than I ever could as an employee. That’s why I toil day in and day out and will never quit.

What’s your reason?

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How Much Does It Really Cost To Start a Blog?

You’ve heard that it’s inexpensive to start a blog. That’s one of the biggest selling points that attract people to blogging. Low startup costs mean there’s a low barrier to entry so virtually anyone with a laptop and a WiFi connection can start a blog. 

But is starting a blog really as inexpensive as they say? In this post, we’re going to break down the true cost to start a blog, uncovering any hidden fees or additional expenses. That way, you can get a true sense of how much you should expect to invest to give your blog a solid chance of success. 

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links as explained in my disclosure-policy.

The Non-Negotiable Expenses

First, let’s go over the expenses you have to make to run and start a blog. 

Domain Registration

After you choose a name for your blog, you need to officially register it as your own. That way, no one else can use that name. The process of doing this is called domain registration. I registered my first domain name somtoseeks.com with Bluehost back in 2017. Because I also signed up for web hosting, which I’ll talk about next, I got the domain registration for free. Some web hosting companies give you free domain registration when you sign up for their hosting services.

I had a terrible experience with Bluehost and moved both my domain registration and my hosting over to Siteground. The cost of domain registration on Siteground is $15.95. I researched the most popular hosting companies and the cost of domain registration ranges from $10-$20 per year. Note that you have to renew your domain registration every year. This is to ensure that your site is still active. Many domains go dormant after some time or are never even used in the first place. 

Web Hosting 

Every website needs an online storage space to keep files, images, code, and all the components necessary to run properly. A web hosting service provides this storage space for a fee. It stores your website information on a server so that it can be viewable online. Think of it as a digital parking lot for your website. 

Web hosting is the process of renting a space on a server for your website. As a blogger, you’ll need to purchase web hosting. While there are free blogging platforms, I do not recommend using those. For instance, you can set up a blog for free on a site like Wix, Weebly, and Blogger. The problem with those platforms is that they don’t give you much control of the design, customization, and branding of your site. 

First, when you sing up for these free blogging platforms, you get a domain name that looks like yourname.weebly.com or yourname.wix.com. That prevents you from establishing a professional domain name that is unique to your blog. Secondly, you’ll be forced to have the ads and logos of these free platforms on your blog. This, too, limits your ability to create a professional blog that you can grow and earn money from. You can’t, for instance, work with high-paying ad networks like Mediavine or AdThrive if you’re using a free blogging platform. This is simply because you can’t install the code to run those ads. 

So what platform should you use for your blog? I recommend that all new bloggers create a self-hosted blog on WordPress.org. This is the best option if your goal is to build a professional blog and make money from it. WordPress.org is a free content management system that powers over 30% of all the blogs on the internet. It is a platform that you can use to write and publish content, manage your blog’s appearance, respond to reader comments, and more. While WordPress.org is free, you need to pay for a domain name and web hosting to maintain your blog. 

Going the self-hosted route may seem more complicated, but it gives you complete control over the design, branding, and monetization of your blog. If you’ve never used WordPress.org before, there may be a learning curve in the beginning. However, you’ll get used to it with time. 

There are hundreds of web hosting companies out there that offer starter plans for $3-$10 a month. However, not all of them are created equal. Based on my experience and research, I wholeheartedly recommend Siteground and caution you to avoid Bluehost. Many established bloggers recommend Bluehost to their readers, but don’t take their word for it. These bloggers are affiliates of Bluehost and make money every time someone purchases from their link. The people you should pay attention to when choosing a web hosting service are impartial users – small business owners, web developers, and bloggers who aren’t affiliates of Bluehost. Those people overwhelmingly rate Siteground highly. In fact, according to Webhosting Geeks, a hosting review site, 92% of users give Siteground 4 or 5 stars. Compare that to just 28% of Bluehost users.

I recommend Siteground, which starts at $6.99 a month for the StartUp Plan. When you purchase a Siteground plan, you can choose the length of your hosting: 1 month, 12 months, 24 months, or 36 months. The 12 months of hosting is the best deal so I recommend you choose that plan. The total comes out to be $83.88 for your first year. 

A Premium Theme

A critical part of your blog’s success is the user experience. The design of your blog determines how readers interact with your blog, how long they stay, and whether or not they’ll return. That’s why it’s important to purchase a professional theme for your blog,

A theme is essentially a series of code that determines the look and functionality of your blog. While there are free themes you can choose from on WordPress, they tend to be quite limited in their design and functionality. I tried using a free theme when I started my first blog, and it was next to impossible to customize. I wasted hours trying to design my site on a theme with no space for customization. Don’t make the same mistake I did. Purchase a professional theme from the start.  

If you’re looking for a professional theme for your blog, then I would recommend a premium StudioPress theme with the Genesis Framework. This is the theme I use for both of my blogs. The Genesis framework, which acts as a foundation for a theme, is regarded by web developers as the most secure and reliable framework for websites. StudioPress themes are highly customizable and mobile responsive. There are over 400 themes to choose from. These themes start at $39 and go up to $200. One perk of Studiopress is that once you purchase one theme, all subsequent purchases are 50% off. 

Blogging Education

Another expense that I think is critical to growing your blog is education. By education, I’m not talking about enrolling in a 2-year MBA program. I’m referring to online courses that you can take to learn specific information you need to know to grow your blog. These range from all-in-one blogging courses to subject-specific courses about Pinterest or SEO. You may also want to invest in coaching to improve skills like sales, leadership that will help you become a better business owner. 

To date, I’ve invested over $30,000 on business coaching and online courses. These investments have been worth every penny, allowing me to fast-track my success. I truly believe that if you want to succeed as an entrepreneur, you can’t be afraid to spend money. It doesn’t mean you need to spend thousands of dollars. It just means that you must be willing to invest in yourself and your business to achieve your goals. Here are some of the most valuable paid courses for new bloggers in any niche. 

  • Superstar Blogging Masterclass – $49/month
  • Stupid Simple SEO – $297
  • Pinteresting Strategies – $57
  • Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing – $197

The 0ptional Expenses

Email Service Provider

Any typical ‘how to start a blog’ post will tell you to create an email list right from the start. The money is in the list, they say. An email list is a database of email contacts who have given you permission to send them communications. Unlike your social media accounts, you actually own your email list. That’s why it’s often considered the most valuable asset you can have as an online business owner. When you get someone’s email, they’re giving you access to their inbox, which is a sacred space. 

An email service provider is a platform you use to manage your email list. There are several free email service providers that are great for new bloggers, such as Mailchimp and Mailerlite. Mailchimp is free for up to 2,000 subscribers and Mailerlite is free for up to 1,000 subscribers. 

You don’t need an email list to be a successful blogger. An email list is only useful if you take the time to engage with your list and get your subscribers to trust you. Just having an email list doesn’t mean you’ll be printing money. That’s one major misconception that new bloggers have. If you don’t have a specific action that you want your list to take, then building an email list may be a waste of time. However, if you know that you want to eventually launch your own product, then building an email list would be helpful. Of course, this is only if you regularly communicate with your list to build a relationship with your subscribers. Otherwise, you may be better off focusing on other efforts to build your blog. 

I use an email service provider called ConvertKit, and I’ve been using it from the beginning of my blogging journey. However, I don’t think you need Convertkit when you’re a new blogger. It starts at $39/month, which can quickly add up when your blog isn’t yet generating income. I would recommend Convertkit if you committed to building an email marketing strategy to sell your own products or promote affiliate products. Otherwise, it’s best to use Mailchimp or Mailerlit. 

Premium Plugins

A WordPress plugin is a piece of software that allows you to add more functions and features to your blog. You can use plugins for a variety of purposes, from compressing images to speed up your site to showing your Instagram feed on your sidebar. Plugins exist because even the most sophisticated WordPress themes can’t possibly offer every single feature bloggers may want or need.    

Plugins come in both free and paid versions. You can learn about the free plugins to optimize your blog’s performance on my recommendations page. Paid plugins are also known as premium plugins. These plugins charge a monthly or yearly fee to use their services. Here are some premium plugins that may be worth the money to start a blog.

MiloTree – $9/month

MiloTree is a plugin that you can use to grow your email list subscribers and social media followers. It allows you to create non-intrusive popups or a sidebar icon that prompts your readers to take a specific action. This can help you fast-track the growth of your email list or social media followers if these are important to your business strategy.

SeedProd – $37/year

SeedProd is a plugin that allows you to create landing pages on WordPress. A landing page is any page that’s focused on persuading prospective customers to take one action – join your email list, buy your product, download an ebook, etc. With SeedProd, you can create a custom coming soon page for your blog when it’s still in the works or a sales page for your product. There are over 100 templates to choose from. This plugin also integrates with ConvertKit.

Tally of Costs

Now that we’ve gone over all the essential and non-essential costs of blogging, I’m going to tally the costs of blogging for a year. 

Non-negotiable expenses

  • Domain registration – $15.95
  • Web hosting for a year – $83.88
  • Premium WordPress theme – $39

Total = $138.83

Non-negotiable expenses + optional expenses

  • Domain registration – $15.95
  • Web hosting for a year – $83.88
  • Premium WordPress theme – $39
  • Convertkit – $39 x 12 = $468
  • Superstar Blogging Masterclass ($49 x 3 months) =$147
  • Stupid Simple SEO = $297
  • Pinteresting Strategies = $57
  • Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing = $197
  • Milo Tree – $108
  • SeedProd – $37

Total = $1449.83

Based on this tally, it will cost you between $138.83 and $1449.83 to start a blog with the right foundations. That’s not bad at all when you compare it to the cost of starting a traditional brick-and-mortar business. While it may be relatively inexpensive to start a blog, it still costs money to ensure that your blog is successful. Determine your budget, evaluate your weaknesses, and invest in the right education and tools to help you become the best blogger possible. 

One more thing: if you enjoyed this post, please share it!

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The Best Blogging Courses To Grow Your Income

Are you looking for the best blogging courses to help you grow your blog? I’ve broken down the best blogging courses by category to help you navigate the list more easily.

With thousands of blogging courses on the market, it can be hard to decide which ones are worthwhile. Luckily, you’ve come to someone who has sifted through dozens of blogging courses and can guide you in the right direction. 

I’m a self-confessed course addict who has taken over 35 blogging courses in my three-year blogging career. I like to joke that it’s easier for me to name the courses I haven’t taken than the ones I’ve taken. I have an insatiable appetite for learning and regularly invest in courses to upgrade my knowledge and grow my business. Like Warren Buffet says, the more you learn, the more you earn.

I’ll start with the courses I’ve taken and then talk about those I haven’t taken but are taught or recommended by people I trust. Still, I should note that I’ve taken 90% of these courses and can provide insight into the quality of the content and the instructor. Let’s get started. 

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links as explained in my disclosure policy.

Are blogging courses worth the investment?

With tons of free information on YouTube and on blogs, why bother buying blogging courses? Why not just read and watch all that free information? The first problem is that sifting through all the free information online is time-consuming and unproductive. You jump from video to video or from article to article trying to piece everything together by yourself. Who has time for that?

The second problem is that there is a ton of misinformation online about blogging. You’ll find a sizable number of ‘gurus’ who tell you that blogging is as easy as signing up for Bluehost and writing about your passions. I would say that 90% of the blogging information online is complete rubbish. That’s why, with the exception of a few trusted sources, I don’t read free advice about blogging. Instead, I refer back to my courses to make sure I’m getting credible information from people who achieved what I want to achieve.

That brings me to my third point, which is summarized by this simple idea:

If you want to be successful, find someone who has achieved the results you want and copy what they do and you’ll achieve the same results.

Tony Robbins 

In any field, there are people who’ve already made it to the top. They followed a particular process to get there. That’s why there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. The quickest way to success is to find out what successful people did and replicate it. It’s no different with blogging. 

There are plenty of examples of bloggers in different niches who have found tremendous success. At the beginning of my blogging career, I spent a lot of time and money learning from them and studying what they did. I attribute investing in learning for my success in the competitive solo female travel niche. In less than two years, I replaced the income from my old job, worked with dozens of brands, landed paid speaking engagements, and received almost one million visitors. Learning from those ahead of you is the only shortcut to success.

Some people blog for 5+ years without making a dime. They go from one strategy to another, watching Youtube videos and trying to figure things out by themselves. You can avoid this trap by setting yourself up for success from the beginning. Guesswork is not a good strategy! Investing in blogging courses allows you to speed up your success by learning from people who’ve already achieved your goal.

While I’m a huge proponent of investing in online courses, I know first-hand that not all online courses are created equal. Some are life-changing while others are frankly garbage slapped together to make a quick buck. I know that as a new blogger, you’re skeptical about all the blogging courses out there. You don’t have a ton of money to spend so you want to make sure you invest your money wisely. The goal of this post is to show you the blogging courses that have, based on my own experience and those of other bloggers, proven to be helpful and worth the money.

All-in-one blogging courses

These are courses that provide a comprehensive guide to blogging, covering different components of running a successful blogging business. 

1. Blog Simple Guide

Price: Free

If you want to understand not only the strategies but also the mindset behind creating a successful blog, then I recommend you sign up for the free Blog Simple Guide. This free introductory course is taught by Paul Scrivens, a seasoned blogger who runs 13 blogs in different niches. Most of his blogs receive between 100,000-400,000 visitors a month, and he earns more than $50k/month from his blogging empire.

Scrivs has figured out what works and what doesn’t when it comes to creating a money-making blog. Because he runs so many blogs, he has a unique insight into which niches are most profitable and what growth strategies are applicable to each niche. Scrivs is also a straight shooter who won’t sugarcoat anything, which is refreshing in an industry filled with people trying to sell you the make-money-blogging-quickly dream. If you want a frank guide to blogging for money, this course is for you. It’s a crash course on the fundamentals of blogging to help you get a sense of what you’re signing up for. Here’s what the course covers:

  1. Choosing a Blog Niche
  2. Understanding SEO
  3. Writing Blog Content
  4. How to Make Money
  5. Building an Email List
  6. Choosing a Web Host
  7. Choosing a Theme
  8. Launching Your Blog
  9. Driving Traffic To Your Blog
  10. The Blogging Mindset
  11. The Blogging Sales Funnel

The information covered in this free ebook is enough to get your started. However, the ebook doesn’t go in-depth into the different topics because it’s an introductory course. It simply gives you an overview of the blogging landscape. To understand the full scope of blogging for money, I would recommend Scrivs’ signature blogging course, Dare To Conquer. 

2. Dare To Conquer

Price:  $457 for lifetime membership

Dare To Conquer (DTC) is the flagship blogging course of serial blogger Paul Scrivens, aka Scrivs. Originally called the Billionaire Blog Club, this course is one of the best value all-in-one blogging courses on the market. It is run by Scrivs and his community manager, Marybeth, who moderates the private members forum. 

DTC is not just one course but a group of courses that teaches different components of building a blogging business. You can either buy the courses individually or become a DTC member to get lifetime access to all the courses and access to the blogging community.  

The best thing about DTC is that it is constantly evolving, just like the world of blogging. I joined the community in February 2018 and, since then, the course has undergone three major transformations. Scrivs is always updating information and throwing out old information to stay current with trends in blogging. Recently, he scraped all the available courses and started afresh. He even starts new blogs to test his strategies and relays his findings to DTC members so that they know what’s currently working and what’s not. There are currently two courses within Dare To Conquer:

  • The Blog Simple Framework: a guide to build a six-figure blog in 18 months
  • Seek the Offer: a guide to create a micro-course that people will actually buy

Unlike typical online courses that come with a free Facebook group (which are usually inactive), DTC comes with a private Slack group that gives you personalized feedback and access to an active community of bloggers. Through this community, I have been able to meet other bloggers with whom I’ve collaborated on guest posts. 

3. 48 Hour Blogger Bootcamp 

Price: $197

Formerly called 48 Hour Fashion Blog, this video-based course is a must for those who want to build a fashion or lifestyle blog. It is taught by Marina De Giovanni, the fashion blogger behind Not A Model. Marina started blogging in 2013 and within 12 months was able to quit her 6-figure corporate job. She is social media and marketing genius who is super down to earth and approachable. It was this approachability that made me decide to invest in 48 Hour Blogger Bootcamp. 

Although I was starting a travel blog when I took this course, it helped me tremendously in two areas: social media and content planning. The key distinction between 48 Hour Blogger Bootcamp and other blogging courses on this list is that it’s focused on monetizing your blog by working with brands. You won’t learn about affiliate marketing or qualifying for ad networks in this course. Rather, you’ll learn about building a powerful brand that attracts high-profile companies who will pay you for sponsored blog posts and Instagram campaigns. You’ll learn about building a social media presence that attracts thousands of loyal fans. Marina’s social media tips helped me grow my Instagram from 0 – 10k followers in a year.

In addition to growing my social media presence, I also mastered content planning through this course. The editorial calendar that Marina provides in the course is the one I still use today. She helped me understand how to break your content down into categories and subcategories and keep track of all my blog post ideas. When starting this blog, I went back to the editorial calendar lesson in the course to refresh my memory so that I could streamline my content creation process. 

The promise of the 48 Hour Blogger Bootcamp is to teach you the exact steps to create a blog in 48 hours. However, it does much more than that. It gives you a framework to treat your blog as a business from day one. The lessons and exercises, such as finding your “Blog Profit Topic” and “Discovering Your Voice and Unique Style” helped me find clarity, define my blogging voice, and formulate a monetization plan for my blog. Here’s a breakdown of the topics covered in the course: 

  • Module 1: Discover Your Blog Profit Topic
  • Module 2: How To Choose the Perfect Blog Name
  • Module 3: The Secret To Creating a Popular Fashion or Lifestyle Blog
  • Module 4: How To Easily and Cheaply Design a Blog
  • Module 5: Kick-Ass Content Creation System
  • Bonus: The Step by Step Ultimate Execution Plan for Creating Your Blog
  • Bonus: Mindset Masterclass
  • Bonus: Social Success Formula
  • Bonus: How To Create the Perfect Blog Post

4. Superstar Blogging Masterclass

Price: $49/month or $399/year

Superstar-Blogging-Masterclass

Superstar Blogging, the first blogging course I purchased, is a great start for a blogging newbie with zero technical or business experience. It was created by Matthew Kepnes, more commonly known as Nomadic Matt. Matt is one of the most successful travel bloggers ever. His blog gets over a million monthly visitors to his blog. He has also written a New York Times Best Seller about budget travel. 

The Business of Travel Blogging is a 12-week step by step guide to create a travel blog from scratch. Each week is focused on one critical element of running a successful blog. I consider this course to be one of the best investments I’ve made in my business. It helped me set up my blog, from installing WordPress and signing for web hosting to publishing my first posts and learning about SEO. As a student, I got direct feedback on my writing from Nomadic Matt himself. This was invaluable to me as a new blogger, helping me produce content that could drive traffic.

I signed up for this course back in 2017 so a lot has changed since then. Matt has added even more support, incorporating two weekly coaching calls. There’s also ongoing tech support. I reached out to Chris, the tech guy, quite a lot during and after completing the course. Lastly, Matt is super down to earth and honest. He’ll tell what to do and what to avoid to fast-track your success. Here’s a breakdown of what the course covers:

  • Develop a strategy – You’ll learn the story of Nomadic Matt, how he got started, and lessons he’s learned from 10+ years of blogging. This will give you a deeper perspective on blogging and help you develop a strategy to serve your audience and stand out in your niche. 
  • Master the tech stuff – Get a step by step guide to set up web hosting, install WordPress, download plugins, set up your email service provider, and more. This is a godsend for non-techy folks like me. 
  • Create a lasting brand that people will remember – Learn how to create a unique online presence that will help you stand out from the crowd and attract your ideal audience.
  • Write content people want to read and share – Through step-by-step examples, you’ll learn how to write stories people want to read and share online.
  • Rank high in search engines –  Learn the ins and outs of search engine optimization (SEO) and get your posts to rank on the first page of Google.
  • Crush it on social media – Master specific hacks and strategies to create epic content on social media, collaborate with other content creators,  and grow your following.
  • Get press coverage – Discover the secrets to getting featured in major media publications and get journalists to answer your emails.
  • Grow your email list – An engaged email list is the one of the most valuable assets you can have as a blogger. Learn about how to build an email list from scratch and grow it to thousands of raving fans.
  • Make enough money to support yourself – Develop a fail-proof monetization plan to make money from your blog from anywhere in the world. Learn about affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, and creating your own products. Matt will show you a step-by-step breakdown of how he makes 7 figures from his blog.

Grow your traffic

These are courses that teach you strategies to grow your blog traffic, including content creation, SEO, and Pinterest.

1. Pinteresting Strategies

Price: $57

Pinteresting-Strategies-course-table-of-contents

Pinteresting Strategies is the ideal course for you already understand the basics of Pinterest and want to gain a deeper understanding of how the Pinterest algorithm works. Carly Campbell from Mommy on Purpose gets 200,000 page views every month from Pinterest using a manual pinning strategy. In the course, she thoroughly explains the Pinterest algorithm in layman’s terms and demonstrates why manual pinning is effective. 

I tried manual pinning with my first blog for three months and grew my Pinterest traffic from 2k to 15k. The information and strategies I learned from this ebook drastically changed the way I think about Pinterest traffic. As I worked through the course, I had one aha moment after another. I got through the entire course in one sitting and remember experiencing a breakthrough. Pinterest finally made complete sense to me. 

2. Pinterest Ninja

Price: $69.99

Pinterest Ninja course banner

Pinterest Ninja is a comprehensive Pinterest course for beginners. Taught by blogger and Pinterest expert, Megan Johnson, it goes over how to set up a Pinterest account from scratch, claim your website, create boards, and join group boards. Megan gets up to 200,000 monthly pageviews a month from Pinterest. 

This course helped me understand Pinterest SEO better than any other course I’ve taken. It includes in-depth videos showing you how to use keywords on Pinterest, which is critical for your success. Pinterest is a search engine like Google. That means you have to optimize your content for keywords to get found. Without an understanding of proper keyword research, it doesn’t matter how beautiful your pins are. Keywords will make or break your success on Pinterest! They are that important. 

I credit Pinterest Ninja with helping me get started on Pinterest the right way. It was the very first Pinterest course I ever took. As I worked through the course, I set up my account, created my personal boards, joined group boards, and set up my Tailwind account. I still refer back to Pinterest Ninja when I need a refresher on Pinterest keyword research and pin design.

3. Pinterest Primer

Price: Free 

Pinterest Primer course banner

Pinterest Primer is a free course for those who are brand new to Pinterest. It covers the basics of how Pinterest works and how to set up an optimized Pinterest account for your business. You’ll also learn about common Pinterest mistakes to avoid and Pinterest myths to ignore. In essence, Pinterest Primer will give you the foundational information you need to succeed on Pinterest. Here’s what you’ll learn in Pinterest Primer:

  • Day one: How to create perfectly optimized Pinterest profile
  • Day two: Secret strategies for creating viral pins
  • Day three: How to be present on Pinterest all day with only an hour of work per week
  • Day four: Pinterest myths to ignore and what to pay attention to
  • Day five: The biggest mistakes that keep bloggers from succeeding on Pinterest

4. The Traffic Transformation Guide

Price: $79

Traffic Transformation Guide course banner

The Traffic Transformation Guide course is a step-by-step breakdown of how Lena Gott from Mommy Minded Mommy went from 17k to 400k page views in just 10 months. This course is a must if you’ve been trying everything to grow your traffic and not seeing results. It is a goldmine of information and strategies that will help you get unstuck. 

The Traffic Transformation Guide is the most comprehensive of all the courses I’ve taken about growing blog traffic. In 102 pages, Lena walks you through 21 strategies she has used to skyrocket her blog traffic after feeling stuck for years. The course is not only actionable but also really encouraging. Topics covered include how to narrow your blog’s focus, create a content plan, and interlink your posts.

5. 5-Day SEO Bootcamp

Price: Free

The 5-Day SEO Bootcamp is a free introductory course to SEO. This email course is ideal for bloggers who know that SEO is important but have no clue where to start. It is taught by Mike Pearson, who I believe is one of the best teachers on the internet. His careful, thoughtful approach to explaining SEO makes it super easy to understand. I regularly watch Mike’s Facebook lives and read his emails because he shares so much value-packed information. This email course is no different.  Here’s a breakdown of what you’ll learn each day:

  • Day 1: Google SEO 101
  • Day 2: Relevance
  • Day 3: The Best Way To Do Keyword Research
  • Day 4: How To Create Epic Content
  • Day 5: Why Most Blogs Fail with SEO

6. Stupid Simple SEO

Price: $197

Stupid Simple SEO banner

After taking Mike Pearson’s 5-Day SEO Bootcamp, I enrolled in his full SEO course – Stupid Simple SEO. This is by far the best course I’ve taken about search engine optimization. It takes a seemingly complicated topic and breaks it down into understandable nuggets. 

SEO is probably the most intimidating topic for bloggers. However, it’s not as scary as it seems if you find the right teacher to walk you through it. Mike Pearson is an SEO expert and just the type of teacher you need to break down SEO for you. In easy-to-follow videos, Mike explains what SEO is and how it works in layman’s terms. After taking this course, you’ll never be intimidated by SEO again.

Affiliate marketing

These courses teach about the fundamentals of affiliate marketing and strategies for growing your affiliate income. 

1. Pin To Profits – Affiliate Marketing

Price: $47

Pin-To-Profits-Affiliate-Marketing-instructor-bio

Pin to Profits – Affiliate Marketing is a step-by-step guide to making money with affiliate marketing on Pinterest. It is taught by mom blogger and Pinterest expert McKinzie Bean. This video-based course walks you through the process of creating and posting affiliate pins on Pinterest to generate commissions. It covers topics such as how to create click-worthy affiliate pins, what boards to post your pins to, and what types of products do well on Pinterest.

2. Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing

Price: $197

Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing modules

Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing is a comprehensive guide to affiliate marketing on the market. It is taught by personal finance blogger Michelle Schroeder-Gardner, who consistently makes $50,000/month from affiliate marketing. Michelle explains the ins and outs of affiliate marketing, from the legal aspects to the best strategies to drive conversions. This is a text-based course that comes with workbooks and actionable steps to implement what you’ve learned. Here’s what you’ll learn in this course:

  • Module 1: What Is Affiliate Marketing?

You’ll learn about what exactly affiliate marketing is, why companies have affiliate programs, and how affiliate links work.

  • Module 2: How To Find and Apply To Affiliate Programs

You’ll learn about how to choose the right products to promote and where to find affiliate programs. 

  • Module 3: Follow The Rules

You’ll learn about the legal disclosures that you must include in all affiliate posts to abide by Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidelines. 

  • Module 4: How To Get Your Readers To Convert

You’ll learn about the strategies to get readers to click on your affiliate links and make a purchase. 

  • Module 5: Strategies and Ways To Promote Affiliate Links

You’ll learn about the best promotional channels to advertise your affiliate products so that you can increase your chances of earning commissions. 

  • Module 6: Rinse and Repeat

You’ll learn about how to maintain a long term affiliate marketing strategy. This section includes an affiliate strategy maintenance checklist.

Check out my Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing review and my interview with Michelle Schroeder-Gardner to learn more about the course.

3. Affiliate Marketing for Bloggers

Price: $79

Affiliate Marketing for Bloggers course

Affiliate Marketing for Bloggers is a beginner affiliate marketing course taught by mommy blogger, Carly Campbell. I’ve been following Carly for years as a subscriber to her email list, member of her Blogging Like You Mean It Facebook group, and student of her Pinteresting Strategies course. I also read her income reports for inspiration. As you can see, I’m a big fan of Carly. I appreciate her honesty and straightforward blogging advice.

In Affiliate Marketing for Bloggers, Carly teaches bloggers how to do affiliate marketing two ways: through blog posts and through email. For affiliate marketing through blog posts, she addresses important factors like:

  • The earning potential of different niches
  • The four best types of affiliates for the average blogger
  • Finding the right affiliates to promote
  • Writing content that converts
  • Drawing attention to your links

The second part of the course focuses on affiliate marketing through email. In it, Carly discusses her email marketing philosophy and includes several case studies to illustrate how to effectively sell affiliate products to your email list. Topics covered include:

  • How to write emails that people read
  • How to include affiliate links in a regular newsletter
  • How to do affiliate launches via email

Social Media

These courses teach about how to use social media to grow your blog or how to make money directly on social media.

1. Pitch It Perfect 

Price: One payment of $699 or 6 payments of $134

Pitch It Perfect course banner

Pitch It Perfect is an online course that teaches online entrepreneurs how to pitch and negotiate brand deals, even with a small following. It is taught by Julie Solomon, a PR and branding expert, New York Times-Best Selling author, and host of the Influencer Podcast. She worked as a publicist for years before starting her own PR company.

With less than 12,000 followers, Julie negotiated $250,000 worth of paid brand deals in one year. In Pitch It Perfect, she teaches the mindset, principles, and strategies to successfully pitch brands or negotiate incoming offers on a consistent basis. To date, this is by far the best course I’ve taken on the subject of Instagram brand collaborations. It has paid for itself many times over. Within 10 months of taking this course, I landed $10,000 worth of brand collaborations. 

The course comes with five modules, which cover the following topics:

  • Module 1: The Purpose of Pitching
  • Module 2: Preparing to Pitch
  • Module 3: Pitching Principles
  • Module 4: Pitch Practices
  • Module 5: Post Pitching 

Pitch is Perfect is a premium course so I recommend that you purchase it only if you’re committed to pitching brands on a consistent basis. You have to do the work to see results. But with the incredible amount of value and timeless strategies in the course, I’m confident that anyone who applies the lessons can land partnerships with their dream brands.

Click here to sign up for a free masterclass with Julie Solomon to learn more about landing brand deals. 

2. Instagrowth Boss

Price: One payment of $997 or 4 payments of $297

Elise Darma is an Instagram marketing genius that I have been following for years. She’s not only super smart but also funny. She teaches in a way that is entertaining. While I have only consumed her free content as a subscriber to her email list, I have heard nothing but rave reviews about her courses. Instagrowth Boss is a course that helps online entrepreneurs – coaches, course creators, freelancers, and service providers – grow their businesses with Instagram.

This course is not only about how to grow an engaged Instagram following, but also how to generate leads, clients, and sales through Instagram. It’s not about being Instagram famous but using Instagram as a revenue stream for your business. 

Email List

These courses teach the fundamentals of email marketing and email list building for bloggers and online entrepreneurs. 

1. Email Lists for Newbies

Price: Free

Email Lists for Newbies is a beginner email list building course. If you just barely found out what an email list is, this would be a great course for you. It is taught by Meera Kothand, an email marketing expert who writes about all things email marketing on MeeraKothand.com. When I was starting to grow my email list, I read her blog posts and found them incredibly insightful. Meera constantly tests email marketing strategies and stays up-to-date on what’s working and what’s not.

Here’s what you’ll learn from the course:

  • What you should be sending your subscribers 
  • How to earn passive income from my email list
  • Email list mistakes you may be making & what to do instead
  • Critical things you need to have before you send a single email or start promoting products to your list
  • The secret to list building that most people ignore
  • The formula for getting your emails opened and read

2. 10k Subs 

Price: $299

This intensive email list growth course was created by Growth Tools (formerly VideoFruit). The company specializes in testing email marketing strategies and helping business owners use data to accelerate their email list growth. Their obsession with testing and data is what drew me to their course, 10K Subs. 

The goal of 10k subs is to teach you the strategies to rapidly grow your list from 0-10k. You’ll learn about how to choose the perfect lead magnet/opt-in freebie, how to write a copy that catches your readers’ attention, and even how to arrange your website homepage to increase conversions.

While I didn’t hit the 10k goal, I was able to get my first 2,000 subscribers from what I learned in this course, which I thought was a feat. I was so intimidated by email list growth and email marketing in general. This course helped me see that list growth can actually be an exciting process as you implement different tried and tested strategies and see what works best for you. 

3. List Builders Society

Price: One payment of $397 or 3 payments of $153

List Builders Society is an online course that teaches online entrepreneurs a framework for predictably growing, scaling, and making money from their email list. It is taught by Amy Porterfield, an 8-figure entrepreneur and one of the biggest names in digital marketing. She helps online business owners grow their email lists and sell digital products. I’ve been on Amy’s email list for a couple of years and occasionally tune in for her Facebook lives. Having run an online business since 2009, she has an incredible level of expertise and also knows how to communicate it clearly.

Amy focuses on three-step framework for list building in List Builders Society:

  • Define: Get clarity on who you want to attract to your email list and how you plan to support them 
  • Create: Create a lead magnet and captivating content that will fuel your email list growth.
  • Attract: Leverage proven attraction strategies to take your list growth to a new level.

Ads

These courses teach bloggers and online business owners how to use ads to grow their traffic, email list, and sales. 

1. Pin Practical Promotions

Price: $49

Pin Practical Guide is an introduction to using cost-effective Pinterest ads to grow your business. This is not to be confused with Pin Practical Promotions, which is the full course. Monica Froese is the mom blogger behind Redefining Mom and a Pinterest expert. She has used Pinterest ads to grow her business to six figures and explains the process of creating effective Pinterest ads in the course. Here is what’s covered in the guide:

2. Power Your Launch

Price: $1497

Power Your Launch is a 6-week, intensive coaching program that teaches online business owners how to use low-cost Facebook ads to promote their products and services. I took this course back in 2019 and finally mastered something I had struggled with for years:

  • How to create a profitable funnel

What is a funnel you may ask? It’s a series of steps that a prospective customer takes to go from stranger to paying customer. Let’s say that you s

Power Your Launch isn’t just focused on running ads but laying the foundation to ensure that your ads are successful. I learned that ads are pointless unless you have a proper funnel in place. That’s why so many entrepreneurs lose thousands of dollars on ads and don’t see results. In fact, some of them end up losing money in the process.

You have to lead potential customers through a journey to convert them to paying customers. This may mean running ads to an opt-in to grow your email list. It could also mean running ads to a webinar sign up to teach prospect customers things they would need to understand before purchasing your course. I tried the former strategy and grew my email list by 40% after it had been stagnant for over a year.

I would only recommend this course if you’re confident that you want to run ads for your business yourself. Otherwise, I would just hire a Facebook ads manager from a site like Fiverr. 

One more thing: if you found this post helpful, please share it with others who can find these best blogging courses valuable.

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7 Mindset Shifts To Go From Employee To Entrepreneur

Do you have the right mindset to succeed as an entrepreneur?

Maybe you’ve already decided on a business idea and filed the paperwork to register your business. You’ve read some books or taken a course or two. Those are the typical steps that new entrepreneurs take. However, they often neglect one crucial component of entrepreneurial success: mindset.

Making the transition from employee to entrepreneur requires more than learning about marketing and sales. If you’ve only ever worked as an employee, you’re probably accustomed to certain ways of thinking and doing things. Unfortunately, those thinking patterns may not be conducive to building a successful business.

To become a successful entrepreneur, there are specific mindset shifts you’ll need to make. Because let’s face it: you can have all the best tools in the world, but if your mindset isn’t geared towards success, you won’t make it. In this post, I will go over 7 major mindset shifts that are necessary to go from employee to entrepreneur. 

Let go of the fear of failure. 

The school system teaches us from a young age that failure is a bad thing that we should avoid at all costs. It punishes us for making mistakes. When you get questions wrong on a test, you get a bad grade. If you get too many bad grades, you’ll fail the class. If you fail a class, you’ll upset your parents, and your classmates will think you’re dumb.

Because of this social conditioning, many of us grow up with a deep fear of failure. We view it as something fatal when it is in fact just a natural part of learning. When you become an entrepreneur, you must let go of any fears you have about failure immediately. Failure is an integral part of entrepreneurship. When you take the risk of starting a business, you are guaranteed to fail at something along the way. 

  • Your first product may flop. 
  • Facebook may disapprove your ads 
  • Customers may ask for a refund

Failure is just feedback about what doesn’t work. As long as you learn from it, you’re still making progress. Three years into my entrepreneurial journey, I have failed so many times that I don’t even bat an eyelid when something goes wrong. I just make a note of what went wrong and keep moving. If you’re not comfortable with failure right now, becoming an entrepreneur will quickly change that. I used to be a hardcore perfectionist who wanted to do everything right the first time. Now, I’m completely okay with failing as long as I don’t make the same mistake twice. 

Sell your results, not your time

When you’re an employee, you’re paid based on your time. Even if you’re not productive the entire 40 hours or however long you work, you can still expect your paycheck every two weeks. That completely changes when you become an entrepreneur. Say goodbye to a biweekly paycheck. 

Entrepreneurs get paid based on results, not time. That’s what makes an entrepreneur’s income exponential. For instance, let’s say you create an online course that helps people invest in real estate. You’re selling a result: making money from real estate. The marketplace doesn’t care how many hours it took you to create the course. As long as your students make money from real estate and leave testimonials, you can continue to attract more customers. You earn money whenever someone purchases your course, not when you physically show up to work. In that way, you go from trading time for money to divorcing your time from your income. 

Even if you sell a done-for-you service, coaching, or consulting, you’re still selling results in the form of a transformation. People come to you because they have a painful problem that you can eliminate from their lives. The faster you can solve that problem, the more you can charge. This is why it’s a terrible idea to charge by the hour as a coach or consultant. This is based on the employee mindset of trading time for money. Do not sell your time! It severely limits your earning potential, just like a job does. Sell the result you can deliver – that’s what consumers care about. 

Think like a producer instead of a consumer

From birth, we are conditioned to be consumers. You wanted a barbie doll or a Tonka truck for your 7th birthday. When became old enough to drive, you wanted a cool car. We are bombarded by advertisements urging us to buy something every single day on TV or online. This is especially true if you live in a consumer-driven economy like the United States.

When you become an entrepreneur, you have to shift your focus from buying to selling. You must train yourself to look for problems and opportunities in the marketplace. This includes paying attention to what people around you complain about, what needs are unmet in your own life, and how existing products you use can be improved. After a few years of being an entrepreneur, you’ll naturally find yourself noticing problems and coming up with new product ideas. 

Take responsibility for your results – good or bad

When you run your own business, you take on a new level of responsibility. The success or failure of your venture comes down to your and your leadership abilities. Even if you’re a solopreneur, you still need to step up as a leader to market your business and build your brand. You’re responsible for making all the big decisions.

Whether or not you achieve your business goals, you have to take responsibility for your results. You can’t blame the economy, your parents, your boss, or your coworkers if something doesn’t work. Victimhood has no place in entrepreneurship. This is your business, and your results stem from your capabilities. If you’re not achieving the results you want, that’s fine. Take the time to analyze what’s working and what’s not. Spend more time researching your target customer. Hire a coach or consultant. Repackage your offer. There is a plethora of steps you can take to turn things around. 

On the flip side, celebrate your wins! Whether they are big or small, it’s important to celebrate your business successes. Doing so reinforces that pattern of success and makes you eager to go out and achieve more wins. 

Break the rules

If you don’t follow the rules set by your employer, you get fired. The 9 to 5 job system is not kind to rule breakers. I learned that the hard way. At my first job out of college, I naively decided to create a project to make a process more efficient. I spent hours working on this project instead of responding to customer service requests. Even worse, I didn’t ask my boss for permission to work on the side project. Long story short, I didn’t stay at that job for long. 

As an entrepreneur, there are no rules and standard operating procedures you have to follow. There’s no one to answer to except your customers. You create the rules. That’s one of the benefits of being an entrepreneur: you have the freedom to design your work life as you see fit. Of course, there are still laws you need to follow to operate your business. However, the day-to-day management of your business is up to you. Want to experiment with a new ad campaign? Go ahead. Want to rebrand your business? Sure. You don’t need to ask anyone for permission. In addition, you can experiment and innovate to your heart’s content. 

Get comfortable with uncertainty

In the early stages of your entrepreneurial journey, you may not know where your next client will come from or whether your next product launch will be a success.

Until you create a repeatable process to drive sales, there is a great deal of uncertainty. Some people can’t handle not knowing where their next paycheck will come from. This causes too much anxiety, and they have financial obligations to meet. That’s okay. Entrepreneurship isn’t for everyone. That’s part of my goal with this post: to show the realities of what entrepreneurs deal with on a day to day basis. 

If you read through this aren’t fazed then maybe you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur.

One more thing: if you found this post helpful, please share it!

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9 Signs You’re Not Meant For a 9 To 5 Job

How do you know you’re not meant for a 9 to 5 job? What are the tell-tale signs that you should probably become self-employed? Let’s dive in!

Steve Jobs had the best philosophy about work. While giving the commencement address at Stanford University in 2005, he said this: 

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.”

The last part is particularly important: don’t settle for society’s idea of what a ‘great job’ looks like. Growing up, we’re taught to follow a formula that looks like this:

  • Go to college 
  • Get a 9 to 5 job at a prestigious company
  • Hope you get a management position
  • Max out your 401(k)
  • Retire at 65 

The problem is that this path doesn’t lead to career satisfaction or personal fulfillment for so many people. Some of us are just not meant for a 9 to 5 office job, particularly at a big corporation with great benefits. Because the 40-hour desk job is the default work model, we often feel pressured to follow that path. This leads to misery and unrealized potential.

In this post, we’ll break down 10 signs that you are just not cut out for a 9 to 5 office job. 

1. You hated every job you’ve had

Millions of people hate their jobs for a variety of reasons. It may be because they’re in the wrong field, have a difficult boss, or don’t make enough money. On the other hand, some people just can’t stand the very idea of going into an office every day and performing assigned tasks. It doesn’t matter how prestigious or lucrative the job is. There’s no job out there that could possibly fulfill your creative drive and ambition. That’s why you hated every job you’ve had and feel like you’re better off doing your own thing. If this sounds like you, then you’re definitely not mean to work an office job. 

2. You can’t sit in a cubicle for 8 hours

Do you get restless after sitting in one place for hours? You may feel the need to go out for some fresh air several times a day. This could be a major sign that you’re not mean for an office job. 

Working in a corporate environment requires you to sit and concentrate on tasks for 8+ hours a day. If you find yourself struggling to keep up with this regimented work schedule, then you want to look into more flexible careers or self-employment.

3. You don’t like being told what to do

One of my biggest frustrations as an employee was being managed. At one job, my boss literally hovered over my shoulder, telling me what to do. I was miffed. I quickly learned that I didn’t like being managed by a superior. It gave me very little control of my work, and I felt uncomfortable being monitored all the time. If you resent authority, that’s a major sign that you’re not meant for a 9 to 5 job.

4. You don’t like asking for permission

When my favorite aunt died, I was in the middle of a major project at my job. My first instinct was to immediately book a flight for the funeral. There was no way I was going to miss such an important event. Unfortunately, the funeral date conflicted with work plans. I had to practically beg for permission to go to the funeral. That’s when I realized I didn’t want to ask anyone for permission to go on vacation, go to a doctor’s appointment, visit family, or attend events. If this freedom is important to you, then you probably shouldn’t be an employee. 

5. You have a problem with hierarchy

President. Senior Vice President. Regional Manager. Chief this. Chief that. Do all those titles make you roll your eyes? Do you prefer to work in a place where everyone is very much equal? Then you may want to stay away from the corporate world. Big corporations, in particular, naturally have a hierarchy, and this can be frustrating for creative types. If you have an idea, you have to pass it along to your boss. Then your boss has to pass it along to his boss. Before, you know it, the idea has died. A hierarchical structure slows an organization down. If having to jump through hoops to get simple things done sounds like a nightmare to you, then you may want to avoid working for a corporation.

6. You hate working in teams

They say teamwork makes the dream work. Teamwork is integral to any business. You will need to work in teams with people you may or may not like. If you have a strong preference for working by yourself, then you’ll struggle with this setup. 

That was the case for me. I’m an introvert by nature so I generally prefer to work alone. I’ve also dreaded teamwork since grade school after dealing with so many slackers. If teamwork drains you, then you may want to consider roles that don’t revolve around teamwork. That’s why I became a solopreneur and never looked back.  

7. You get bored easily

When you work in an office job, you typically have one role based on your skillset. That means you do the same thing every day. This can boring and repetitive really fast. If you find yourself yawning, twiddling your thumbs, or falling asleep, you may not have what it takes to build a career working for someone else. You’ll need to find a role that offers a greater variety of tasks or create one yourself.

8. You can’t stand rules and standard operating procedures

Rules are meant to be broken, right? If following a company’s list of standard operating procedures makes you want to run and hide, then you may not be cut out for a 9 to 5. Companies need to have carefully crafted rules in order to operate. If you’re someone who likes to break rules or rock the boat, you won’t last long. I learned that the hard way. You have to put your head down, perform your assigned tasks, and collect your paycheck. If you can’t see yourself doing that for 50 years, then self-employment may be a better option for you.

9. The security of a paycheck doesn’t appeal to you

The prospect of creating something new is more appealing to you than the security of a paycheck. Not everyone has the luxury to turn down a steady paycheck to pursue their dreams. I understand that. But maybe you’re in a place where you have paid off your student loans and you can keep your monthly expenses low. You would rather take a chance on your dreams than go with a predictable paycheck. Then you certainly have a risk-taking mindset and may be better off going after your deals.

Do any of these signs apply to you? What’s missing from this list?

One more thing: if you found this post helpful, please share it!