Author: I was able to help my husband achieve a {really} early retirement with my blog income in less than 4 months with my small blog. Now we make over $5000+ a month in less than 10 hours a week!
For most people early retirement is a far off dream – for us it’s an everyday reality! But before we could get to the dream, we definitely went through a nightmarish time that forced us to make a big change and ultimately resulted in my husband retiring at 35 years old!
It all started 3 years ago when my husband’s company transferred him to an at home work position. It was the exact same job, the exact same pay, but he got to do it all from home. We were ecstatic! And for 2 years it was the best of both worlds. He had a salary, but we got to live a completely different lifestyle from those who have office jobs.
Then on New Years Eve 2015 we got a call that would change the course of our entire lives. My husband was suddenly without work and we were faced with some really big decisions.
Not only did we have a 9 month old son to think about, but we also had a mortgage and life in the city that cost quite a lot – definitely a lot more money than our savings account would allow for long. So we were faced with the choice of my husband finding another desk job somewhere that would likely not be a work from home situation, or we could take the leap and rely on nothing but my blogging income.
At that time I was only playing around with my blog – in fact I was only making $5.43 a month when my husband lost his job – but I knew it had crazy potential. I knew if I was able to actually focus on it and treat it like an actual business that I would see the results quickly. So that’s what we did.
We sold our home and moved to 8 acres out in the middle of nowhere Texas. There was a little house on the land that needed some work, so we remodeled that tiny 1 bedroom, 800 square foot home and took the leap.
How to Make Real Money Blogging
I had always heard that blogs aren’t profitable until they hit 100,000 page views a month… well let me tell you, I started making real money well before I hit 100K!
Making the decision that I needed to focus on this blog as a business meant that I needed to make a few changes. I switched away from Bluehost which I’d used for 12 years to an amazingly reliable hosting service for the same cost that helped me build my income very quickly. You can’t make money with a slow blog!
I also started pursuing any and all sources of blogging income that I could find!
Within 4 months I had completely replaced my husbands income with less than 20 hours a week of effort. In another 4 months my blog income was DOUBLE what he had been making and it kept on growing!
Now we make over $5,000 a month online and I spend less than 10 hours a week working! No team, no virtual assistants. I do it all on my own; the blog, the Facebook pages, the Pinterest scheduling… all of it, in less than 10 hours a week.
Making $5,000 a month never happened in the city with a desk job that took 40 hours a week. But it happens every month now, with a small blog and just a few hours of effort!
GET THE EXACT DETAILS HERE
This blog has given us the freedom we never dreamed possible. The freedom to get the in the car and take a trip on a whim. The freedom to sleep in and watch movies under a big blanket in the middle of the week.
The freedom to spend our time as we see fit, rather than on someone else’s schedule. The freedom to be together as a family all day, every day.
If that sounds like a dream to you, you’re right. It’s like living in a real world fairy tale! But it’s not specific to me or this blog. You can live the life you’re dreaming of too! And it’s actually a lot easier than you might think!
Where Does the Money Come From?
So, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty money talk… You might be wondering if your blog is really big enough to make that much money every month.
I don’t even have to know anything about your blog to know that YES you really can make that much from your blog! I know people who make over $3000 a month from their blog with less than 4,000 page views a month!
On the flip side, I know bloggers with very large sites who make a fraction of that amount. Why? How?
One blogger knows how to leverage their page views, and the other doesn’t. It took me a long time and a lot of trial and error to figure it out, but eventually I did! And the best part is that it’s a system that is completely duplicate-able for any blog, of any size, in any niche!
Breakdown of Income
I’m going to just take a look at last month’s income and break down where it came from for you.
ADS
Yes, I have ads on my site. I’m in a great ad network that pays REALLY well and works with me regarding the types of ads I want shown on my site.
Last month, those ads brought in roughly 20% of my total income. If I hadn’t left AdSense, this amount would have been about 2% of my total, instead of 20%!
Note: Not all ad networks are created equal, and depending on your blog size and page view tier, you may be with the wrong one. Check here to make sure you know you’re in the best ad network for your blog!
AFFILIATE SALES
I’m very careful about the products that I recommend, so this number is a lot smaller than some other bloggers who promote a lot of different products. However, I very happy with my number in this area!
Last month, affiliate sales brought in about 35% of my total income.
I only recommend two products:
1. Amazon Products – While this isn’t just one product, I tend to only use Amazon to link products on my site. Amazon does a great job of closing the sale once people are on their site. I just have to get them there.
2. My Hosting Company – Why? Because they literally knock the socks off of every other hosting service and are the reason why I make so much on my blog! You can’t make money with a slow blog!!
MY OWN PRODUCTS
By far the area that brought in the most income for me was selling my own products! I have several products that sell really well, and in equal numbers each month!
Last month sales of my own products brought in 45% of my total income!!
Please, don’t try to convince yourself that you have nothing to offer. YOU DO!
People come to you every day for answers when they visit your blog. If you don’t have your own product yet YOU NEED ONE, and this tells you exactly how to find the perfect product for your audience!
No matter where you are in your blogging journey, or what your goals are, you’re a lot closer to success than you might think!
Retire your husband (or wife), pay off debt, buy a new home, take a dream vacation, pay for better schools… whatever your dream is, your blog really can help you achieve it.
[…] in detail how to earn a substantial income, even from a very small blog. She was able to retire her husband and supports her family exclusively with her blog. If you’re considering blogging as a […]