Assumptions aren’t necessarily a bad thing. Indeed, they’re vital to our survival. We assume that when we are served a glass of water in a restaurant, it’s safe for us to drink. We assume that the cars will stick to the “right” side of the road and follow traffic laws… despite repeated evidence to the contrary. That’s just life. And when you start to consider different life transitions, you’ll likely also make a number of assumptions.
Many people assume — and they’re totally right — that most new parents are severely sleep-deprived and they can feel overwhelmed. But what about the business of blogging online? I’m not talking about the hobbyist who writes “for fun,” but rather someone who wants to turn it into a viable side hustle, if not a business that can replace a full-time income. It probably won’t surprise you that assumptions rear their head too, except these assumptions can oftentimes contradict themselves too.
1. You’re Barely Ever Working
I get it. You follow a blog like John’s, and you see him jetting off to the Bahamas and enjoying three-hour lunches with friends in the middle of the week. Does he ever work? I also get that this is likely the biggest appeal of the “dot com lifestyle,” because we get this sense that you don’t really have to put in much work. To this end, many outsiders can view bloggers as either lazy, spoiled, or both.
On the flip side, there’s the complete opposite assumption too. You see the hustle of people like Casey Neistat (less so now, but very much so during the run of the daily vlogs) who seem like they’re working the craziest of schedules, from the moment they get up until they plop down to sleep in the early hours of the morning. It seems like they’re working all the time. I joke that you’re leaving the 9-to-5 to live the 24/7.
The reality exists somewhere in between. On some level, you get to choose how much you work. And that choice has ramifications.
2. You’ll Make No Money
The number one reason people say why they can’t get into blogging for a living is that the income is a pipe dream. They assume that bloggers don’t really make any money and it’s little more than a glorified hobby. On a macro level, there may be some truth to this in that the majority of bloggers don’t make a full-time income from blogging alone. It’s also true that the overwhelming majority of bloggers don’t blog full time either. It’s a skewed presentation.
Conversely, you might see bloggers living the most glamorous of lifestyles. You then assume that they must be making mountains of money, hand over fist. You hear of YouTubers making seven figures a year. Instagram influencers too. This is certainly possible. There are lots of success stories.
Again, the reality exists somewhere in between. With hard work and a bit of luck, you can make this work. (Pun intended.)
3. Anyone Can Do It
Pfft. All you have to do is type up some words, throw them up on a pre-made template, and just wait for the ad money to come pouring in through your front door. So many people assume that anyone can be a blogger if they really wanted to do it. How hard could it possibly be? The only reason they’re not doing it is because there’s no money in it, right?
And then when you ask these same people to sit down and write a blog post, they oftentimes can’t. Or what they write is trash. Or they might write one post, but they can’t keep it up day after day, week after week, year after year. Or they might claim they have nothing to prove to you. Either way, they’re proving that NOT everyone can do it.
Sort of. The notion that anyone can do it is oversimplified. It’s also true that anyone can be an astrophysicist or a brain surgeon “if they just put their mind to it.” Creating content on the Internet and leveraging that into a revenue stream is a business and profession like any other.
Forget the Assumptions
To this end, don’t worry about whether or not “anyone” can do it. Focus more on whether YOU can do it. And whether YOU have the self-discipline to work when you really don’t want to. And whether YOU will have the dedication and ingenuity to make money doing it. It’s not about them or “anyone” or “everyone.” It’s about you. So, forget these assumptions and just do you.