Last year, I published my first Ask Me Anything here on Making Sense of Cents. That went super well, so I decided to make it more of a regular thing!
Ask Me Anything is literally that – you can ask me anything. If you’re struggling to figure out what to ask, here are a few of the topics you may want to know more about:
- Personal finance
- Blogging
- My life
- Travel
- RVing
- Sailing
- Being location independent
- Business
- Making extra money
- Questions about my dogs
And so on, and so on.
Seriously, ask me anything in the comments below, and I will take the time to answer every single one. Of course, please nothing inappropriate or creepy. I’ll let you be the judge of what is creepy, I guess, haha!
All right, go for it, ask away!
P.S. If you’re looking to see all of the comments and questions, make sure to hit “Older Comments” or “Newer Comments” below. The comments break apart in pages once there are over 50 comments.
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Are you planning on doing a YouTube/vlog detailing your sailing adventures?
I’m not sure! Right now, I don’t think so, as a vlog is a ton of work. I may start a sailing blog, though.
Where are you planning on going with your boat this upcoming winter season?
We’re going to start with the Keys and then head to the Bahamas most likely!
What are the best way to start making money online?
My favorite way is blogging 🙂
Hello Michelle, I really enjoyed your blogging course. I’m going to start my blog soon. What is the best way to get traffic to the blog that I create??
My favorite way is through social media! I recommend reading this – https://fund-rise.live/2018/04/making-money-from-a-blog.html%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Do you think you’ll go back to full time RV’ing after your sailing adventure?
I definitely think we’ll RV again in the future.
How do you go from the 9-5 grind to Location Independent? Or work less and travel more?
Do you mean, how can you find a job?
I should really do another one of these…maybe I will. 🙂
Question: Aside from motivation, determination, perseverance (or any other related word), what’s the #1 quality that a blogger needs to have to make significant money blogging?
You should!
I think another great quality is the desire to learn. Things are constantly changing with blogging and there are always new things to learn, new courses to take, new algorithms to mess things up, and so on.
Hi Michelle!
How many months into your blog did you start getting decent traffic (100+ visitors per day?). I know your blog is a few years old, but if you can remember that would be awesome.
I just started mine two months ago and am only seeing 5 visitors a day. Makes me think it may not be a good topic. Or maybe I’m just impatient? Thanks!
I didn’t have Google Analytics installed in the beginning, so I am not sure (I think I went about a year without it). I started my blog all as a hobby so I wasn’t looking at stats.
Two months isn’t a long time, but I do think you should be able to increase it. I noticed you didn’t leave your URL in the comment box – when you leave comments, you should definitely not leave that box blank as it can be a way to network and get traffic back to your blog 🙂
Hi there! I’m going to be adopting a dog in the beginning of December. I would love your thoughts on how to keep the pup sufficiently spoiled without going overboard on spending things that aren’t necessary.
Lots of walks is the best way to spoil your dog 🙂
What is the single best thing a new blogger can do to build traffic?
Network! Attend conferences, make blogging friends, take part in roundups, contribute as an expert to articles, be active on social media, and more.
Yes it’s that time again! Thanks for doing these Michelle. I watched you on the Teachable course too 🤭 I just finished your sense of affiliates course!
1. What is your preferred protocol and requirements for someone who wants to join on of your Pinterest group boards?
I wanted to ask but you must get tons of requests so I didn’t want to make a fool of myself haha.
2. Are you really making a new course on sponsored posts?!
3. Which Pinterest seo course do you recommend? Or is this something that’s a mystery because Pinterest changes constantly?
Thank you 😀
-Lily
Thank you! 🙂
1) I don’t manage any Pinterest group boards.
2) Yes! I’m actually writing a few lessons today.
3) Here’s my affiliate link for my favorite Pinterest course – https://courses.createandgo.co/p/pinterest-traffic-avalanche?affcode=119684_em78z7wf
Two unrelated questions.
1. if you were to start your blog today do you think you could reach the same success? Or has the “blog wave” passed?
2. what’s your suggested safety net before quitting a main job to start a passion job? I follow Dave Ramesy and do have 5 months expenses put up but it doesnt feel like enough to make the plunge.
Hi! I’m not Michelle, but I’ve been in business for myself for over 30 years, so I thought I’d go ahead and throw in my answer for number 2.
I’d say if it “feel” like it’s not enough money, than it isn’t. Most experts suggest at least 6 months of income saved, and as much as a year’s worth. If you are living solely off your own pay, without any support from an outside income source (such as a working spouse or parents), you’ll need that safety net.
However, you don’t have to leave your “main” job to start your passion job… and I would seriously suggest that you start “moonlighting” that passion career now, if you haven’t done so already, first, before even considering quitting, no matter how much income you have. Work it as much as you can at a part-time level first. It may mean extra hours working, a little less family time, and a whole lot less sleep, but that’s the initial sacrifice. Then, once you’ve established that a) the career is working for you, b) it’s truly what you love and want to do, and c) it’s making serious, live-off-of money — then, that, along with a good nest egg savings, is the time to make the leap. I hope this helps! Let’s see what Michelle has to add or even if she agrees with me. 🙂
Hey Shannon!
1. The blog wave has not passed. People were saying the same thing when I first started Making Sense of Cents – that people who started in 2011 were starting too late and that no one would ever be successful with it.
However, that’s definitely not the case.
Just last night, I read a statistic that said that the majority of marketers believe that bloggers and online influencers are the best way to market companies.
There is a lot of room for bloggers and there is plenty of room for growth well into the future. I believe that companies and advertisers are only recently starting to realize the value in online influencers, such as bloggers, which means that the blogging world will continue to grow well into the future and that income from blogging will continue to increase.
More and more companies are starting to advertise with online influencers on their blogs, social media accounts, and more, and I expect this to just continue to grow well into the future. Whereas in the past it was mainly celebrities that companies advertised with, it is actually shifting to bloggers and other online influencers (such as Youtubers and Instagrammers!).
The world is a huge place and the online world is just going to keep growing. Every blogger earns a living online in a slightly different way and everyone has a different message/story. Plus, there are TONS of different ways to make money through a blog and I expect this to keep growing.
Of course, blogging is constantly evolving and there are always new things to learn, which will probably always be the case for managing any online business.
2. This depends on so many different factors. Have you already started your passion job? Do you know how much you will make from it? If it’s a business, you may want to save up more, such as 1 year if you don’t feel comfortable.
When you first started blogging, what method was the best way of getting visitors to your blog? Social media or newsletter – or did you do Facebook threads for example – OR all 3?!
I’m not sure if you know my blogging story, but I started entirely as a hobby. So, in the beginning, I didn’t have social media, a newsletter, or anything like that.
I started by mainly just networking with other personal finance blogs, such as by leaving thoughtful comments on their websites and having engaging content.
Hi Michelle!
Does your husband help you in any way with your business? Or are you the sole worker/income for your family. I’m trying to figure out the dynamics with my own fiance. Thanks!
Wes mainly handles our full-time travel life – fixing things on the boat, being our boat’s captain, cleaning, and taking care of all of us.
Hi Michelle – I started my blog about investing last December. Is there a way you can mentor me on improving my blog? Let me know if there is an option.
Thanks
Unfortunately, my blog coaching services are currently on hold while I focus on other projects.
Do you use Ad Sense on your blog? Is it a decent way to pull in extra money? I’m in your affiliate course, so I want to go that route, but want to be sure not to overwhelm the reader with ads out the wazoo. 🙂
I use Adthrive 🙂 Mediavine is great too!