Starting your own blog can lead to many positives in life, including possibly blogging as a career.
That’s exactly what happened to me. Almost two years ago, I left my high paying and secure job so that I could blog full-time.
However, let’s rewind a little bit. Before I started full-time blogging and running my online business, I worked as a financial analyst at a small investment/valuation firm.
It wasn’t the greatest job on earth, but it was stable, the income was good, the bonuses were great, and there were benefits. Plus, my employer told me from the very beginning that it would be a “lifer” job, so I knew as long as I kept on improving that I would have a job for a very long time and that one day I would be running the company.
However, that just wasn’t for me.
My job was very stressful yet still extremely boring at the same time (further described below).
Now, most of the above probably makes it sound like I had a great career and that I’m just a complainer. Due to this, I am often asked why I left my “good” job to become a full-time blogger and online business owner.
Some even tell me I’m crazy for blogging as a career.
Others say I’ve made a big mistake.
However, I don’t care what anyone says. I’m happier than ever as a full-time blogger and online business owner and I could never imagine a life different from the one I’m currently living. If starting your own blog, earning a living, and blogging as a career makes you happy, then you should go for it as well!
Below are some of the many reasons for why I’m happy that I left my secure job for blogging as a career.
My income potential has no limit.
One major reason for why I’m happy that I left my secure job for full-time blogging is that my income potential has no limit. I can work as hard or as little as I want – it all depends on me. I also love what I do, so being able to earn a living from it is a no-brainer.
It’s also no secret that I make a good living as a full-time online business owner. My income is now over double what I was earning in 2013 when I left my day job and I project that it will continue to grow well into the future.
I enjoy being my own boss.
Being my own boss is another reason for why I’m happy that I left my secure job for blogging as a career.
I’ve been my own boss full-time for around two years now and I never see myself going back. I enjoy blogging as a career and being in control of everything that has to do with my business.
I enjoy deciding what I will do each day, creating my own schedule, determining my business goals, handling everything behind the scenes, and more.
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I love what I do.
Like I said above, my old job was not absolutely horrible.
However, it was stressful dealing with mergers and acquisitions, valuing companies, analyzing contracts and agreements, and more 24/7. It was not fun and there was not a single task I enjoyed at my day job.
Now, I love each and every service I provide, and here’s yet another reason for why I’m happy that I left my secure job for blogging as a career. There’s not a single thing I do not enjoy (except for maybe taxes and dealing with health insurance…).
Running an online business may not be for everyone and it may not be understood by everyone, but it’s something I enjoy.
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Location independence allows me to work from wherever.
My online business allows me to work from the comfort of my home and it also allows me to be location independent. It’s great to be able to work from wherever.
I can travel wherever I want and right now we are even debating getting an RV. This wouldn’t be nearly as possible without my online business and it’s another great reason for why I enjoy full-time blogging.
I have a better social life.
Many often tell me that I must be bored out of mind since I work from home and I must have no one to talk to. That is far from the truth though!
At my old day job, I was one of the only females in the industry and everyone was at least 20-30 years older than me. That doesn’t make much room for friendships right there so I often spent most of my time in my office without speaking a word all day long, unless I was speaking to a client.
Nowadays, I talk to people all day long and it’s another plus that full-time blogging has over my old day job. I have Wes working alongside me each and every day, I see and talk to people when I do activities outdoors each day, I talk to my friends and blogging buddies every day, and more.
My flexible schedule is amazing.
I know that it’s just life, but working from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. with just a few weeks of vacation each year was just not for me.
What I love about what I do now is that I have a flexible schedule and I can schedule my day for when I work best.
I can wake up early in the morning and work a little, enjoy the daylight hours by doing something outside, and work again later at night. Or, I can switch it up and do whatever. Whatever I decide to do each day, it’s nice to be able to have a flexible schedule and have more options.
I look forward to working each and every single day as a full-time blogger. It’s almost an addiction now.
Do you love what you do? Why or why not? Would you ever leave a stable job so that you could do what you love? Is starting your own blog and then blogging as a career something you are aiming for?
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Great read. I wish I had the courage to quit, but I’m trying to grow my online business in parallel, to guarantee some sort of financial security for my family. I think the niche I’ve chosen doesn’t have that much room for growth, so I need to tread carefully. I envy you Michelle, but soon I’ll get there 🙂
May I ask what the niche is of your online business?
It is a subset of the video games niche (I can’t be too specific here because I don’t want my personal FIRE goals to be tightly linked to my online business, and the niche is so small I’d be easily identified by giving more details). The problem is that there is no “product” to sell, affiliate marketing is almost non existent so the revenue relies mostly on advertising.
But video game sites suffer from the highest rate of “adblock users” (42% people block ads on my site), so as a result, one needs extremely high amounts of traffic to get by. Since I already pretty much cornered the niche (I have by far the biggest site in that specific niche), I don’t see much growth potential.
One could say I chose poorly, but it is my passion and that’s what matters the most to me 🙂
If it’s your passion then I believe you made a great decision 🙂
You are such an inspiration! I am looking forward to the day where I can blog, vlog, and pod full time and make an income while doing so. Right now, I’m working a 50-60 hour per week and sometimes nights and weekends salary job. Plus, teaching fitness classes a few times per week (which I will continue doing). While I love what I do, I enjoy reaching an even bigger audience through blogging and vlogging covering the same topics the way I want to. I’ve only been blogging since November and vlogging since May, but since successful bloggers like you are so willing to share information, I’ve learned SO much since then and I really feel like I’m on the right road to success. Thank you! I have subscribed to your newsletter so I will continue to follow you to help me grow and to live my goals and dreams.
Thanks Mindy! I wish you the best of luck with your blogging and vlogging career 🙂
Self-employment sounds like such a dream come true. For all of my adult life, I thought that I wanted a steady 8-5. But now I’m beginning to realize how limiting it can be, especially when you mentioned that there’s no limit on your earning potential. That right there is pretty motivating for me to try to figure out my own path towards self-employment!
Thanks! Some hate self-employment, but I love it.
Michelle I love that you make a living at it and you do it by being organized and consistent! This post is something you could package and sell. Your success is beautiful because it is repeatable for anyone just about anywhere!
Thanks Jesse!
Sounds great Sylvia!
Michelle, thanks for sharing this! I’m in the planning stages of blogging as a career and have already started getting the questions about ‘why I would want to leave a stable income for blogging?’
Maybe it’s just me but I don’t see a job (with one source of income) ‘more stable’ than having an online business (with unlimited income) as more stable. And that’s not even considering all of the other benefits you’ve mentioned. This post has definitely reinforced my belief that I’m heading in the right direction!
Thanks!
I recently quit my job to start my own company (my blog is a big part of what I’m going to be doing). I love helping other young people with student loan deb, and it turned into my passion when I started blogging. I got the same stuff: I’m crazy, probably a bad idea, etc. People that stay employed in situations they don’t love are afraid to take risk. I never want to look back and say that I should have been bolder or taken more chances in life. Congrats on your successful business!
Thanks! Who cares about what other people think 🙂
Thanks Elise!
I’m definitely planning for blogging as a career. I am ready to be location independent so that I can see more of the world.
Awesome Jason!
Michelle,
Couldn’t agree more. I left my middle-class, but secure, job in the auto industry last year to pursue blogging full-time and it’s been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. My end goal is financial independence, but blogging full-time allows me a lot of the benefits and flexibility that I find so attractive in financial independence anyway. So it’s like I achieved my dream eight years faster than I set out to.
Keep up the great work!
Best regards.
Thanks! And great job to you as well!
That’s awesome! I’m hoping to eventually make some income from blogging, someday. I don’t need a full time income, but I would like to break even on expenses at the very least.
Thanks Sarah!
Wait-do you mean to say this isn’t all part of your plan to get back into investment banking?
Haha never!
Great call Michelle venturing out on your own. The buck now stops with you so to speak and your income is entirely dependent on you. Good article.
Thanks!
You’re actually one of the main reasons I’m pursuing my passion right now. I work full-time in retail as a department supervisor, and let me tell you I absolutely hate it. Not only that, but I can’t even make a livable income on it so there is no motivation whatsoever. But I love writing, and I love helping people. I want to travel the world, and the possibilities with me being my own boss are endless. The most motivational thing for me is that I want to live a life that I don’t need to take a vacation from.
Yes! Definitely aim to live a life that you don’t need a vacation from.
Yeah, it’s definitely not for everyone. I’ve met a few people who left self-employment because they didn’t like it.