About four years ago, I stumbled across some of the first personal finance blogs I ever read. I was hooked. I don’t recall too any of the original blogs I followed, but it didn’t take long until the thought hit me, “Why don’t I give this a shot?” With that, Money Beagle was born.
I’ve been going for a little over three years now. I’ve had some stops and starts along the way, but I thought I’d take a look at how blogging has changed my life. That sounds pretty big, to say that it’s changed “my life”, but it’s no exaggeration.
A Moment In Time
I remember pitching the idea of my blog to my wife. We were at the beach one evening after work enjoying some time. This was a few months before we got pregnant with our first child, so the memory is a peaceful one :) I remember pitching the idea of my yet unnamed blog, and she was so supportive it overwhelmed me. That moment, knowing I had her support and bringing her in the loop of my vision, is one I’ll cherish forever.
Finding My Motivation
A couple months later, I finally launched Money Beagle. I was excited. A few friends and family started reading my blog, and my biggest motivation came when I started getting regular comments from a blogger I’d never heard of. Shtinkykat (who still has a blog) became a follower, and I in turn became a regular on her blog. It was my first experience of seeing how blogging can bring people into your lives that wouldn’t otherwise be there. I was also happy because now I had a forum to share my successes and failures, to list my goals and more importantly, to hold myself accountable to them.
Losing Touch
The initial euphoria of starting a new venture and getting some readers faded a bit. So much, that after a few months, I started getting discouraged. I started seeing other blogs that had started around the same time find greater success, get more readers, and build better relationships. My posting schedule went out the window. It was days between posts, then weeks, and maybe even more than a month. When my hosting contract came up, I didn’t even renew. My blog, for awhile, went dark.
When Beagle Got His Groove Back
I thought when I let Money Beagle fade that nobody would notice. But, people did. I didn’t give up the domain name, so I still got my e-mails, a couple flowed in asking what had happened. The biggest kick in the pants came when my parents and my wife reminded me how much I loved it, and encouraged me to continue. It was then that I realized I had lost sight of why I started. My initial goal was to share my experiences about money. When I started getting focused on SEO, and subscribers, and page visits, and other blogs, I lost sight. It hit me that I needed to forget all that, or at least put those things down on the priority list. I re-launched my blog, pulled out most of the old posts, started writing on a regular schedule again. Although, many of those items are still important to me, none is more important than writing simply because I enjoy it.
The Rainbow That Shines
One of the frustrations I had during my dark period was that it seemed that many big blogs kept getting bigger, and I didn’t see any hope of ever being able to ‘make it and getting any support from any of those ‘mega-blogs’ was all but impossible’. Then, out of nowhere came a rainbow. A rainbow called…Yakezie. This was what I had dreamed of without even knowing: A network of blogs where blogs of varying size were committed to helping each other grow and prosper. The moment I described above when I pitched the blog is the most important moment of Money Beagle’s life. Reading about the Yakezie is a close second.
With the Yakezie, I’ve developed blogging relationships with many other bloggers that I would probably never have had the opportunity to otherwise. I’ve learned more about such things as SEO and monetization than I would have in ten years otherwise. I’ve gotten support from so many Yakezie members in countless ways. I find that more and more time I spend wearing my ‘blogging hat’ goes to the Yakezie. And, the part that blows my mind? As much as I’ve worked on getting more involved, I know I’ve just scratched the surface! The Yakezie has so much to offer.
Moving Forward
Blogging has changed my life in so many ways. It’s given me a forum to express myself. It’s given me relationships that I wouldn’t have otherwise have. It’s given me determination. It has let me experience happiness, sadness, frustration, joy, and everything in between. But, most of all and most importantly, it’s given me better insight to myself and it’s given me more pride in myself, and for those things, I am very grateful. I can’t wait to see where blogging takes me next!
STARTING A MONEY MAKING BLOG
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Updated for 2017 and beyond.
Thanks for the reminder MoneyBeagle. It’s pretty easy to lose site of what I used to enjoy with my site. Lately, I’ve been focusing more on the numbers rather than just having fun with the content. Thanks for sharing!
The numbers are important and it’s OK to focus on those just so long as there’s a balance. That’s what I’ve found anyways!
Me too. I have been focusing on the growth more than the enjoyment I used to get. It has turned more into a job than a hobby. Thanks for the reminder.
Glad you got your groove back! I think many of us have gone through those same stages only to make our way back to blogging again!
Me too! I’m sure there will be more highs and lows along the way, but time has definitely taught me well.
I think we all have those moments where we are just about to give up and then something happens and we are back in again :) I glad you stuck around Money Beagle!
Thanks, Tushar. I’m glad to be here especially at the Yakezie, where it seems I definitely learn something new every single day!
Thanks for the reminder and encouragement. It is hard when you focus just on the numbers. I too just enjoy writing and it is important to be reminded of that every now and then.
You’re welcome. One thing I’ve found is that when I write articles that I think will help me with numbers, they often get little traffic & few comments, but when I write an article that I think ‘I’m not even sure this applies to personal finance but I really want to write about it’, they often turn into my most popular and commented on posts. So writing for what I enjoy is definitely key!
I still sometimes compare my blogs to others that started the same time as mine or later, but that is really just an exercise in frustration. I agree that Yakezie makes a world of difference. Thanks for sharing your story!
The Yakezie was huge in changing my perspective on this one. Instead of comparing and trying to compete, I now look at blogs of all sizes as opportunities to collaborate and grow together.
I try not to let myself think about the big blogs because I know I’ll never be able to compete. Sometimes I get a little depressed about it, but then I realize I have a pretty good little community myself. Every now and then I get comments from readers and realize there are at least a few people who find value in what I have to say.
I guess it’s like anything else – we’ll have great moments and crappy moments. But I’m glad you’re still blogging, Money Beagle, despite the times that aren’t as great as others!
Getting comments is one of the most fulfilling things that keeps me going. Seeing a great comment is better than any page view number I could see!
Beautiful member post! I felt, endured, many of your frustrations, too. Besides a way to express ourselves, it is pretty amazing how blogging helps us discover who we are and gives us confidence. Glad you didn’t quit and thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Buck. Glad you could relate and I appreciate the kind words.
Fantastic post, I think you were one of the blogs that I read when I first started (bet you can find some old comments from me). I was bummed when you took that break but pumped you are back and with some force!
I certainly do remember. One of the biggest things that bums me out is that when I did think about quitting, I let my self-hosting agreement go, and even though I was able to re-post all my articles, I lost all my comments. *sigh*
very inspiring. also very refreshing to read about all the goodness w/o the mention of a financial reward back. shows your true passion – may your passion continue to fuel your success.
Thanks, Sunil. Passion is key otherwise it becomes work, and I don’t consider my blog work at all :)
I really like your candor. Blogging is a marathon not a sprint. If you want to endure, I remind myself to be the “turtle” not the hare. And as in life, comparing oneself to others doing better is a recipe for disaster. Thanks for bringing to life important lessons!
Thanks, Barb. Good to see you back after your move. I like the turtle analogy though I, of course, would probably find a way to get ‘beagles’ worked in somehow :)
That’s a great story, Money Beagle. It’s always interesting how blogging became a part of people’s lives. You’ve been at it for a while, glad you’re still going strong and really into it!
For me, blogging has been a great outlet for my interest in personal finance. Learning and getting different perspectives on personal finance has been enjoyable, as well as interacting with others having a similar interest. Plus, having a platorm to manage and grow has become fun as well.
Getting other ideas and perspectives, often on the same ideas or topics, is another reason why I love blogging. More specifically, it’s why I have over 100 other blogs in my Google Reader!
Great post! I think we have all been there in letting it fade, and it is always surprising to see how much other people enjoy it!
Thanks, and since today is your two year blog-birthday, I am sure you have been through many of the same (and probably different) ups and downs, and I applaud your success!
Great post, and great reminder and encouragement to stick with it! I started my site a little over two years ago, but I didn’t have much of a focus. As such, for most of the last two years, I haven’t posted anything. A couple of months ago, I decided that the site was worth adding to. Posts like this and Yakezie in general are great encouragements.
Great! As long as you help/inspire/motivate one person, it’s worth it. Hope to hear of more success moving forward. Best of luck!
Awesome post and Yakezie is great for the every aspect of our blogs. Glad you didn’t give up totally!
I’m glad, too! Thanks, Forest, and I agree that Yakezie is *great*!
Loved the post money beagle. I also go to a point where I simply don’t care about where other blogs are at. My passion is to write about subjects I enjoy when I feel like it. You’d be surprised how it will change your life slowly. You will get burned if you’re in it as a competition.
Thanks, I agree that you should always write about stuff you’re passionate about or at the very least, interested in. Otherwise, there’s really no point! :)
Thanks for sharing! I didn’t know you were around for so long. I only started reading PF blogs regularly for the last 2 years or so. Before that, I stumbled into them once in a while when I have a finance question. I saw Financial Samurai’s comments in many blogs and eventually that led me to Yakezie. :)
Thanks, ‘blogging buddy’! Yes, I guess three years is quite a long time though it doesn’t feel that long at all!
Thanks for sharing MoneyBeagle. I enjoy blogging because it encourages me to read more content than I used to. In this, I enjoy continued learning. This is why I think blogging can be a great hobby that has potential to turn in to an income. Although, it can definitely have it’s cycles as you mentioned in your article. Thanks for the reminder. :)
Getting exposed to new content is definitely another great benefit of Yakezie. Not only do we network more, but I think we encourage each other to write better and more interesting content.
I’m glad you didn’t give up. I can relate to what you went through. It’s hard not to get caught up in comparing our own progress to other blogs sometimes. That’s why I try not to worry if I have less comments and revenue than other bloggers. I like to focus on helping people, sharing stories, and having fun!
Having fun is key as well! If you don’t enjoy it you shouldn’t be doing it. I think, for me, it was figuring out how to get the fun back. And very thankfully, I did!
Your journey reminds me that it takes time and effort to reach your goals. I thought effort trumps time, but it takes both. Thanks for sharing.
Some days you need more time, others you need more effort, and that can apply to getting out of bed and anything else you have to do as part of your day, not just blogging!
Thanks for sharing your experience! It’s really good to see that your wife supported you from the beginning and your family encouraged you. Family is so important to our success.
Great post. I think that this is something most of us can identify with.
I read a ton of Problogger articles, etc, when I began blogging, and they would always caution bloggers to pick a topic they were passionate about, but then would launch into explanations of how to improve your SEO, your marketing, your readers… etc. Statistics are important, especially if your goal is to make money blogging, but most of us wouldn’t be blogging if we didn’t enjoy the process, and sometimes it’s good to remind yourself of that, rather than just worrying about how many people are reading.
Great post Money Beagle! Blogging has given me a pulpit of sorts… a place to voice my opinion where more than my self can hear it lol…this is actually a huge motivator for me.
Thanks Money Beagle. Great to hear your story. You keep your nose on the prize, and continue to improve your content, and the rest doesn’t matter much does it?
Nicely written, Money Beagle. Here’s to another three years…. I drilled down into some of your older archives, and you can definitely see the difference in writing style.
It is nicce of you to share some of your background! I love reading how we all started and where we’ve all come from. Have a great week!
Good to see that you moved back the dark days and you were able to rediscover your original passion and bring it back alive! The Yakezie has been a big boost to me as well.
Blogging certainly changed my life, I used to be a freelance market research interviewer and now I’m a full time online publisher.
Good stuff and welcome to the Challenge! Your latest post’s comments are closed btw. You can click a box on the post page to open them up if you wish. thx
I do love blogging (most of the time) and have enjoyed the small extra income, but I am still struggling to get more visitors to my site. I literally have a shoe string budget and not sure what avenues to pursue to get my site noticed. I see similar blogs to mine that have a ton of visitors, twitter follows and facebook fans, but I am not getting anywhere near that. I blog everyday (several times) each day.
I would appreciate any advice any fellow bloggers could give. I am on BLOGGER and not WordPressand wondered if that had any impact on traffic. Any thoughts?
Hey MB it’s really easy to loose focus – thanks for the reminder and thanks for your story!
Thanks for a heartfelt post, Beags! I appreciate your reminder that writing from the heart and connecting on Yakezie is a powerful combination. Wishing you continued success.