Blogs have the potential to turn into relatively big businesses when they’re managed professionally as there are numerous ways you can monetise a blog. To the casual observer or reader, they seem simple, but that’s the effect of clever management.
Professional bloggers know there’s a lot of hard work and some long hours behind every ‘quick’, simple, entertaining, or informative post.
Creating a professional workspace is important right from the start. It becomes even more so as the blog audience and associated social channels grow. You may even find you need chat moderators, studio space and professional grade editing or photographic equipment.
Starting Out
When you’re starting a blog, it might be tempting to approach it as your ‘little corner’ of the internet. There’s nothing wrong with that: it sounds cosy, friendly, and approachable to readers.
But make no mistake, if you’re serious about making a blog as a business you absolutely must form a business mindset and attitude from the very beginning. Even your choice of domain name and hosting platform will have an impact on your branding and readership in the future.
So before you do anything, have a long think about your motivation for starting the blog, its content, who will read it, what your publishing schedule will be, and what supporting social channels you’ll maintain. Also consider how you’ll grow your network and where potential income might come from – there are lots of choices, from affiliate marketing, sponsorships, advertising, product sales or working with brands.
When the internet was young, blogs were hobby sites, often like online diaries. Today, we’ve all matured, and blogs are now serious business contenders with some people working very hard to turn their hobby in to a business.
Settling In
Having pondered all the above, and hopefully come up with some answers, you’re ready to start putting together the kind of space that inspires and prompts creativity.
Just like no one can tell you what your blog should be about, there are no rules either about where you run it from. You don’t even need a desk if you don’t want one as long as you’ve got a good internet connection and a reasonably modern computer.
Whether you are creating your own productive home office or you’re sharing space with the family, surround your preferred work spot with stuff that inspires. It could be:
· Motivational Quotes
· Inspiring images
· Your favourite pens or notebooks
· Handy tubs or baskets for peripheral necessities or reference materials.
Think about what ambiance you need to work at your best:
· Music?
· Silence?
· Privacy?
· People?
Arrange things so you achieve whatever kind of atmosphere you need as best you can. Let go of perfect to start with, just get as close as possible. If you have a good grip on the nuts and bolts of ‘why, how and when’, the rest will follow.
Even in shared rooms it’s possible to make the illusion of privacy if that’s what you need. Use a room divider to cordon off the computer desk from the rest of the room. It could be a purpose made screen or even a bookcase turned out from the wall, especially a tall one. Use trailing plants as well as books on the shelves to make a small ‘living wall’.
If you like the TV on while you curl up with a laptop in a favourite armchair, do that. Do whatever makes you feel productive, confident, and secure in your work. In the beginning, mindset and attitude are as important as material attributes. When you’re trying to blog surrounded by family, they’ll take their cue for attitude from you – treat it seriously, and they will too.
You might want to consider creating a dedicated home office, in which case some reorganisation of your domestic furnishings is called for. If you need to clear some space, either in a spare bedroom or your dining room, think about self storage units for the items you’ll need to store.
Moving Forward
As the blog gains momentum and grows, you might find your starting set-up isn’t enough anymore. It’s not beyond the realms of possibility to find you need professional help such as with accounting, advertising, managing communications or maintaining stock levels if your blog supports an online retail enterprise. A self storage unit could help with space for stock.
Alternatively, maybe you expanded into videos or live streaming and need somewhere to make a production and editing studio. Maybe you now need an actual office. That can be a scary prospect when you investigate traditional premises for business, what with long, expensive contracts and complicated paperwork.
If this is your growth route, look instead at flexible offices, which simplify the whole professional rental process and make it much more manageable. You’ll have the same level of security and standard of facilities, but without the associated risk and long-term financial commitment.
Blogging is a long game, so comfort and the right surroundings are important. Whether you’re at the start of your blogging journey or established and want to move to the next level, careful consideration of what you need to help you move on is always the first step.
For more ways to help you take your blogging journey to the next level check out these 7 tools and tips.