Page 12 - Payout Magazine Online Volume 8.7

Blogging As

a Business

ven though it seems like everybody has thinking Like a business owner To run a successful blog, you should
Ea blog these days, the fact remains: consider hiring virtual assistants and writers-
blogging can be the core of a successful Let’s face it: most bloggers aren’t exactly -not only is this friendlier to your budget, it will
business. “entrepreneurs.” They usually fall under the allow you to pay for their efforts as you need
“creative” side of things. This is actually them, as opposed to having them “on the
While there will always be skeptics to tell good for you; you can get a boost over other payroll,” collecting a check no matter how busy
you that blogging won’t work as a long-term bloggers by launching your blog more like a you are or how much traffic your blog is getting.
business, there are plenty of examples and startup owner would.
reasons to believe the exact opposite. Their Running this kind of virtual team requires
skepticism is understandable; most people This means, among other things: a very different strategy than, say, an office
don’t run their blogs in a way that will allow manager would use. You’ll likely have to take
proper monetization, but if you follow the tips � Creating a Pre-launch Phase: building buzz time zone considerations into account, as
we list below, you’ll be on your way to operating for your blog among friends, potential well as differing tax codes (if you’re hiring
a great blog. readers, and customers international assistance). Fortunately, there are
many resources available to the world’s new
� A Beta phase: allowing a select group of “virtual bosses.”
turning your blog into a business people to try out the blog
Some of the most important work you an do turning your blog into a business:
occurs in the startup phase of your blog. At this � Your Actual Launch: going public deciding where your Profits will
early stage, you’ll need to:
Come from
Hiring a virtual staff
� Register your desired domain name Earlier, we talked about the “haters” who
Now that you’ve laid the groundwork for want to tell you that your blog is not going
� Deciding your content managment system your blog/business, it’s time to start building to work as a business opportunity. While you
(CMS) your team. should ignore their negative attitude, you
should also give some creedence to the advice
� Choosing the necessary plugins to make These days you don’t need a standard they’re offering.
your blog easy-to-navigate office set-up to run a successful business. It’s
easier than ever to find people who will work The brutally honest truth is this: you’re not
� Establishing your publishing calendar on a freelance, pay-per-job basis. going to make money blogging unless you sell

12 PayOutMagazine