Income report, we meet again. If you’re new around these rosy parts (welcome, welcome, welcome!), you might’ve come across this lil’ thing called an Income Report (and/or Traffic Report). So ya know, sometimes I share my monthly Income Report with you.

It’s not at *all* to boast or show off – it’s actually pretty darn uncomfortable and I’d rather not.

But I do it for you.

Because I believe in transparency, I believe in not skimping on the value for you. I want to give you some serious GOODIES that genuinely *help* you by not only showing you an end result, but by showing you the how the end result became possible. For any of you who aspire to make more online doing what you lovelovelove, whether that means making enough to cover a month’s worth of Starbucks, your first designer bag, or your rent, I like publishing an income report to show you that when you work your buns off, magic can happen.

The how is always the hard part, and it’s always the part that any paid product is charging you for. SO, besides seeing how much money came from specific sources, I’d encourage you to get the most bang for your free buck on this guide by really absorbing all of the takeaways below the numbers. I’m more of a words-girl, so numbers were never my jam anyways. 😉 Enter, le monthly income report.

REVENUE:

Clever Girls: $250

Her Campus Media: $595

Popular Pays: $100

Mode Media: $500.27

Community + Influence Coaching Package: $497

Other social media/brand strategy mini-packages: $297

Blog Meets Brand: $350

Other sponsored activities: $150

Affiliate Revenue: $0

TOTAL before expenses: $2,739.27

 

EXPENSES:

Courses: $127

Giveaway participations: $65

New Business Cards: $37.58

Business Coaching Deposit Payment: $2,000

FINAL TOTAL: $509.69

 

My biggest takeaways with making money this month:

1. Sometimes, you need to make hella huge investments in yourself. You’ll notice my revenue before expenditures is waaaaaaay bigger than the final total at the end of the month. And that’s not even 100% accurate, because I had random expenses too for anything from photoshoot props to a giveaway winner’s prize…so my final total is likely less. But. That’s okay, because I made the decision to hire a kickass business coach for myself for my actual hard launch of crazy awesome goodies for you in the near future and beyond, because I believe that you never stop learning. Every good businesswoman has a mentor and/or coach right alongside her – many even have more than one! Having the wisdom and courage to hire help is not a sign of weakness or incompetence. In fact, it’s the complete opposite. No Superwoman is without a trusty sidekick, and hiring the right person to help you every step of the way with *your exact needs* is essential to taking your business to the next level. You’re worth it.
2. Make *smart* investments. Building off of point numero uno, investments can also be dumb. Like, DUMB. Don’t spend money for the sake of spending money (easier done on clothes and makeup than on biz necessities, but still). Do your research. I’ve said it before in past income reports, but I still am surprised every time I see someone on social media not happy with the product or service they received because it wasn’t what they thought it would be, or because they didn’t actually find their coach helpful, etc. While yes, there are crappy people out there who con folks outta cash (just like in many industries, unfortunately), there are also people who have good intentions – and maybe even good products or services! – but just aren’t the right fit for you. And if you still choose to buy from them, here’s the honest to God truth…it’s your own fault. Point blank period. Do your research. Think long and hard and come up with specific questions for someone about themselves, their product, their service, etc. *before* you hit the buy button, so that you just KNOW that what you’re smartly investing is the solution you’ve been needing all along.
3. Not all of the *work* to make this money was actually done in this month. Because I just took care of the dreaded T-word (lookin’ at you, taxes), I realized how much money I made this month that was either a carry-over from previous months’ work where I hadn’t been paid, or payment for a service to be provided in the future. As Avril Lavigne would say, #complicated.
4. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – it’s not all about pageviews. February was actually a lower-than-average pageview month, and somehow, it was still really profitable. Why? Because it’s not all about pageviews. It’s about VALUE. When it comes to collaborating with brands, it’s about bringing value to your readers and causing them to *take action*, therefore bringing value to a brand. 100,000 pageviews a month means nothing if no one is genuinely engaging with your content and/or EXCITED to engage with your content. 1,000 really loyal, dedicated, action-taking followers may be more valuable to a brand if you can get 600/1,000 to do something, versus if only 600/100,000 people take action. I know I know…you guys thought you were done with math by now, right? 😉 The focus needs to be not on numbers, but on influence. People actually being influenced by what you say (organically and genuinely). Being in Facebook groups and other social media sharing platforms and communities is fabulous when it comes to building relationships with other bloggers and having actual *friendships* come from it (heck, y’all know my #1 blog bestie success story). But, it can make it difficult sometimes to gauge your actual influence. I’d recommend trying to up your engagement this week by upping your own interactions with others. Instead of focusing on getting clicks, focus on getting friends. Build relationships, and the pageviews will come…but people buy after a relationship is already built, so it’ll be more beneficial for you AND future brand collaborators to have a platform built on authentic relationships!
5. Stop doing free. Across the board. Stop working for brands for free, and stop trying to get by and “grow” by just grabbing hold of any and every free piece of content or learning material that you possibly can. Don’t get me wrong – there is some *hella* good free content out there and that can most definitely help you if you carpe diem with it and implement what you learn. BUT. Free content is free usually because it’s not giving away all the secrets. The more you just keep soaking up free content, the more you aren’t learning actual HOW’s to *really* take your blog to the next level. Oftentimes, free content is designed to be the gateway drug to paid content. So it’s likely NOT telling the full picture…it’s just enough to wet your whistle and leave you wanting more. #science. Like I said in earlier points – invest in yo’self, lady. Invest in a specific coaching package tailored to help you achieve a specific result or target a specific problem you’re experiencing. Invest in courses and classes that you KNOW are going to give you the full picture instead of bits and pieces of wisdom, leaving you out to dry on the rest. Invest in a longer-term coach if you’re super serious about making it happen, doing #allthethings, and turning your blog into a booming biz. Invest in yourself, allow yourself to grow more, and then watch as more money-making opportunities are at your digital doorstep. ALSO, if you want to make more on your blog…you’ve gotta stop undervaluing yourself, chica. This is a toughie, and it’s really a case-by-case sorta spiel, so it’s something I love coaching y’all on 1:1. But, not all brands are on board yet with paying bloggers what they’re worth. Some brands are faaaaaabulous and already know and fully understand the insane value in influencer marketing, and they’re fairly compensating bloggers for their time, work, and reach. The ticker here is actual influence, and that’s a topic for a whole ‘nother post. But generally speaking, a free face mask or no product whatsoever is NOT an appropriate trade for your work. Read rants here and here for why this is, and for how to handle sticky situations with it.

I hope this income report has been insanely valuable for you. If you’re on the edge of your seat like, “But Erica, I want MORE!!!!” then I applaud you and your go-getter attitude – I know you’re a total #boss. Get your MORE by opting into this email party of blog + biz + brand strategy goodness (you’ll get access to a free resource library, but no worries…it’s free only because I care THAT MUCH about you joining the party. You’re invited. Please. Come. Grab yo’ champagne and stay awhile. 😉 )

If you’re feelin’ like you’re in total SLAY mode and you’re ready to start taking your blog seriously to impact mo’ people and make mo’ money, schedule a free 30 minute discovery call with me and we’ll chat about whether or not 1:1 help might be a good move for ya.

Are you making the money you want to be making online?

Let’s chat $$$ in the comments below! Time to make your own income report shine.