How This Blogger Refuses to Give Up on Her Dream

I am a full-time blogger. I am a full-time blogger. I am a full-time blogger.

Do you think if I say it enough it will become a reality?

That is my dream. But no matter how much I talk about it, want it, and dream about it, alas it seems to be an elusive dream I’m watching everyone else achieve but me.

Do you feel that way too?

I love to plan. I love to learn. I love to read. I love to research. Then I analyze it all to death, make checklists, editorial calendars, keyword lists and then I don’t act.

I’m a 100% self-proclaimed course junkie too.

I own almost every course Suzi has ever produced as well as numerous other course creators’ big blogging courses. I refuse to look at how much money I have spent on courses the past 5 years since the inception of my first blog.

What do I have to show for it?

After 5 years of blogging, I have 1,693 subscribers, consistently 4,000 visitors a month to my blog and make about $100/month on average. Not shockingly good numbers, eh?

This post contains affiliate links. See my disclosure for more information.

Why Do I Even Bother?

Because I love the idea of being able to help others. I’m a total introvert and do not do well in big groups or parties. But get me one on one, and I will have an in-depth conversation with you.

Blogging gives me that outlet. It gives me the voice that I’ve always been afraid to share in big group settings.

Blogging also gives me a way to share what I’m learning in hopes that it may help someone else. The family and friends I have near me aren’t interested in the things I love to learn, so when you can share it with the world, it feels like my knowledge can help!

That is why I keep blogging.

Related: How to start a blog

Why Has My Blog Not Grown as Fast as Others?

I have been very inconsistent. I will publish 4 posts one month, email my subscribers once a week for a month, then completely ignore the blog for 6 months!

That goes against all the advice given in the courses I have taken! I know better.

I have been a CPA for over 24 years. And as much as I don’t want to wrap my identity around a career, that is what my closest friends and family know me for.

I’m never looking for work. There is always a local firm needing help during tax season or for an audit, or a friend referring clients my way.

That would be a great thing if I was looking to grow my own firm into a large business, but that is not my heart’s desire. I would rather educate and share on my blog with posts and courses to help more people than I can just by offering services. My reach is greater that way, and the income is passive to an extent.

And that is what really excites me!

The fact that I can create a course or post this week and it pay me dividends for years to come! What other “job” or “business” allows that to happen?

Most of us must trade hours for pay. So that is why I don’t give up on the idea of blogging full time. That is my hope. That is my dream!

I know what to do. Just look at my Teachable account. It looks like a full-blown University with all the courses I have purchased!

I just need to be consistent. I need to treat it like a job. With consistent hours and days and be held accountable to someone other than me to make it happen.

I need to switch from thinking my accounting business is my full-time job and treat it as a side gig.

Blogging is my full-time job!

It’s All a Mindset Issue

I started my blog around the same time Suzi started hers (February 2015). I remember joining her list in 2015 before she even launched her first eBook.

It has been so rewarding to see her success along the way, but to be honest, it is also a reminder of how much time I have wasted when comparing her success to my progress.

One thing that she did that I failed to do, is be consistent and true to who she is. She never disappeared for months at a time when life happened.

My husband was laid off in 2015 shortly after starting my blog, I also had a newborn baby girl. We had just moved into our newly built dream home. I think the shock of the job loss put us both in panic mode.

We started an Amazon FBA business that year and that took up most of our time along with raising and homeschooling our 4 daughters.

A few years later, we decided to move closer to my family, so we moved 8 hours back “home”. I went back to work full-time shortly after at a local CPA firm knowing that my oldest would be starting college soon and we needed the extra income.

Why am I telling you all of this?

These are all excuses!

Excuses I used for the reason my blog was not earning the income I wished it was.

Excuses for not completing all the courses I was buying and not putting the knowledge into action.

I was reading stories all the time about moms who had newborn babies (Suzi), full time jobs outside the home, single moms with no spouse to help with the kids, who were making the time to grow their blogs and were successful at doing so!

So why couldn’t I do the same?

The Answer to Why My Blog Has Not Grown in the Last 5 Years

This past year I realized why.

I was treating my blog as a hobby, not as a business.

I always had a plan B. I would take on more accounting clients and work more hours at the firm if I wanted extra money.

I needed to change my mindset.

My dream was just that…. a dream. That I deep-down thought would never happen.

When I realized that, I started taking MASSIVE ACTION!

As another successful blogger, Jennifer Maker, once said “We create our own limitations, and if we can avoid letting them stop us and focus on what truly matters, we can soar to new heights!”

Steps I am Taking Right Now to Become a Successful Blogger

Here are the steps I took recently to start working towards treating my blog as a business and working towards making the dream of being a successful full-time blogger a reality:

• Quit my CPA position at the local firm
• Only take on accounting clients that are a good fit for my schedule and expertise
• Committed to treating blogging as my full-time job and accounting as my side income
• Sticking to a morning routine and evening routine consistently
• I combined all my personal and business email addresses into Outlook and only check email 3 times a day
• Stopped trying to multi-task and focus on only one thing at a time
• Started using Trello for my To Do list and Editorial Calendar (using Suzi’s Trello board for posts)
• Batching tasks (Accounting tasks in the morning, Blogging in the afternoon and evening)
• I use the speed up function when watching course videos to get through them faster and take notes on actions to take. I add the actions to my Trello To Do list and do them!
• I utilize Time Blocking to make appointments that are not allowed to be canceled for important tasks such as writing, making pins for Pinterest, preparing tax returns, and monthly bookkeeping for clients

Once I started doing the items above consistently, I started making massive progress.

At the time of writing this post, I have been utilizing these systems for about one month.

Massive Action = Massive Progress

In one month, I have:

• Finished 2 blogging courses and put the lessons learned into action
• Written an eBook about Tax Deductions for Bloggers
• Created an Accounting course for small business owners teaching how to simplify their books and catch them up for the whole year quickly (I’ve sold 2 copies so far! It’s progress!)
• Marketed my course and networked with other bloggers and small business owners
• Gained 2 new accounting clients
• Created an editorial calendar for the rest of the year for my blog

Imagine if I would have made the mindset change years ago!

With my new schedule and consistently staying focused and on task, I am still able to spend quality time with my 4 daughters, my husband of 25 years, and grow 2 businesses all at the same time.

I feel great and so accomplished at the end of the day seeing my progress.

You Can Be a Successful Blogger Too!

If you can relate at all to my story, and dream of one day having a successful blog like Suzi and so many others, rest assured that it is possible with the right mindset.

Someone once said, “Sloppy Success Beats Perfect Failure”.

I have that written in my planner so that I can see that each day.

Take massive action, put your knowledge out there for others to see and learn from you, and refine it as you go.

As Mel Robbins shares “5-4-3-2-1” Go!  

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Kim is a CPA, mom to 4 girls, married to her high school sweetheart for 25+ years, introvert, lover of routines and the simple life. She enjoys helping business owners save money on taxes and increase their profits through her accounting expertise. She also enjoys discussing all things mom-related on her lifestyle blog. You can check out her courses and eBooks here to help simplify your life and save more money.

PS – If you have any accounting or tax questions, set up a free 15 minute discovery call with Kim!