Lessons Learned from the Self-Employed: Planning to take your business or blog full time?

Ever since launching our Lesson’s Learned Series, we’ve been getting more and more questions over entrepreneurial and blogging topics. Which is honestly amazing because we have been so excited about this series. It makes me feel like a teacher again. Whether it’s consulting with other aspiring entrepreneurs or speaking at various marketing tech conferences, it’s inspiring to see how many women are wanting to become their own boss. However, there’s been one question that continues to pop up: “How Do You Know When To Take Your Blog (or business) Full Time?”.  Ah — kind of a loaded question, right? But extremely valid and one worth discussing. So here’s my take.

Honestly, there’s no right answer to this question. With starting any business or venture, there will always be risk. But with risk, comes reward. What is important is how you manage that risk.

When I started The Teacher Diva back in 2012, it was a hobby. Blogs weren’t quite what they are today and influencer marketing wasn’t even something people were talking about. It took a while to get things moving — which is a great reminder that success doesn’t just happen overnight. I worked on my blog for nearly 3 years before considering leaving my full-time job. I sat down with my dear friend Katey Hellman, founder and creator of Chronicles of Frivolity, who started her blog nearly 5 years ago. She worked on her blog 2 years before taking the full-time leap. Katey told us that:

Taking your business full time is always exciting and terrifying all at once. When I could comfortably predict the next 6 months of my salary, I felt ready. Knowing your expenses is just as important as predicting your income. — Katey Hellman of Chronicles of Frivolity

For Katey, six months of salary predictions weren’t the result of some magic formula. Instead, it was an understood and accepted risk. While she might not have been able to comfortably predict her salary by next year, six months was enough time to test the waters. And if the risk paid off, great! If not, she had prepared enough time to make the necessary changes.

For you, it’s important to determine what your comfortable risk is. Do you have a history of income to back up your claim? What’s your plan for worst case scenario? These are all questions you have to ask yourself as a business owner.

What do you think? And if you are a blogger, have you considered taking your blog full time? Weigh in below!

xx Ashley

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