First things first, a huge thank you to all of you who have already opted into taking my readership survey! One of you will win 25 buckaroos to Starbucks because of it, so cheers to that. If you haven’t taken the 10 Q survey, there’s still time…just click here and you can take the survey + enter to win coffee all in the same place. Boom. Now, it’s income report time!

Now WOO LEARNING! Welcome to another month’s income report. ICYMI, an income report is basically like Glassdoor for bloggers and other online entrepreneurs who rock the digital sphere without a real “job description.”

My whole mission with Coming Up Roses is to be like your best friend in a blog. A really great best friend is always there for you, is always honest with you, and keeps it real with the intention of truly helping you. Check, check, and check – this is why I do these buggers, my friends. If you’re an aspiring blogger or are hoping to start making money online doing what you love, I want to show you that a.) it’s possible, b.) it can be really hard, c.) it’s still possible, d.) I can personally help you get there.

Let’s dive in, shall we? December’s Income Report.

REVENUE:

Clever Girls: $50

Blog Meets Brand: $300

Mode Media: $258.71

Acorn Influence: $300

Various sponsored: $500

Affiliate Revenue: $3.75

TOTAL before expenses: $1412.42

 

EXPENSES:

The Blog Hive: $497

Giveaway participations: $70

FINAL TOTAL: $845.42

 

My biggest takeaways with making money this month:

1. Even when traffic is slower, you can still make a few bucks! December’s blog traffic is usually pretty snail speed, because it’s smackdab in the middle of holiday season. It’s a GOOD thing that folks are unplugging and getting offline to spend some QT with friends and family, but it usually means less eyes on blog posts. No problemo though, in my opinion…family first!
2. To make money, you’ve gotta spend money (wisely). I’m a huge advocate for smartly spending in order to make more in the future. When you invest in yourself, you’re giving yourself tools to help you succeed. Now don’t get me wrong – throwing your hard-earned cash at anyone who tries to sell you anything is just plain silly. You’ve gotta do your research and figure out the direct value that any given product or service has for y-o-u. It’s like shopping for a new house product on Amazon. If you’re really looking for something to transform your cleaning experience, you’re mentally, emotionally, and financially committed to meet your needs and take your house to the next level. You read reviews. You check out all product features. You make sure that what the product offers is good for your own house (Gentle on your hardwood floors? Check! No ammonia smell to keep your pets and kids safe? Check!). By the time you hit “BUY,” you’re confident that you’re getting a quality product in the mail, and you’re excited to start using it regularly and seeing results. The same goes for investing in your blog! If you just drop a few bucks on random things here or there, you’re less likely to get the results you’re looking for, and you’re less likely to remain committed to using those products after a bit of time. BUT, if you do your due diligence and match blogging products and services to your own needs and goals, you’re bound to find a few goodies that’ll take your game to the next level.
3. Only take on sponsored opportunities that you absolutely, wholeheartedly believe in 100%. This is and always has been at the top of my list. When you’re building a brand, who you align yourself with is just as important as what you say on your own. Make sure that the chance for dollar signs in your bank account never clouds your vision, purpose, or brand. This comes down to making sure you have a really solid brand strategy – and NO, your brand strategy is *not* just your graphic design, logo, and social media platforms. I’ll be diving more into brand strategy tidbits in later posts, because that’s my professional obsession outside of typical Coming Up Roses schtuff. But pleasepleaseplease know that anything “sponsored” that you’ll ever see on CUR is something that I personally believe in, support, and/or use myself. I never lie to you and I never falsely recommend things – that would be SO messed up. Keep up on your own brand by strategically collaborating with companies, and you’ll end up building amazing relationships along the way!
4. Taking time off can help your blog, business, mindset…everything! I took off the entire week of Christmas. Besides traffic being low, I just didn’t want to be working myself – I wanted to be intentionally spending more time with J and my family! So that’s exactly what I did, and BOY did it feel good. Sometimes a lil’ battery recharge goes a loooooong way. By the time my break was up, I was ready to jump right back in with new ideas and projects. Give yourself the time to revamp and gear up for new things, and you’ll feel more motivated and excited to do them full force!

If you want to jumpstart your branding and blogging knowledge, I’ve got a second email list that is waiting to have your name on it! The first information-packed message is hitting inboxes this week, so get on this list to make sure you don’t miss it. My income report only shows the final results, but I’ll be sharing the why’s and the how’s to brand and blog-related email list (HINT: it’s a *different* list than my Sunday night newsbreak!).

AAAAAAAAND, if you’re in the mindset of making smart investments for your own blog and brand (because regardless of whether or not your blog is earning you money *yet*, it’s still a brand! YOU are a brand!), I’d love to offer you a 30 minute call to hear about what you’re working on and struggling with to see if I might be able to personally help you. Just click here and you’ll be able to schedule something with me directly!

What have you smartly invested in lately for your blog and/or business?

I’d love to hear what you’re putting to good use and how you like it! Let me know in a comment below, and feel free to shoot any blogging and/or brand-related questions my way in an email! I hope this income report has been helpful for you…now go have a very happy hump day.