Blogging Business: From “Just a Blogger” to a Business Owner (+9 Starting Tips)

I read this phrase a few days ago on a friend’s Instagram post: “You are just a blogger” and she was clearly not happy. I couldn’t relate more to her feelings. Anyone who say that is definitely not one and has no idea what the blogging business means and all the work involved.

Blogging Business: Don’t be “Just a Blogger” become a Business Owner.

If you are already a blogger then you know what I mean and if you are thinking about becoming one, then know that blogging business is serious business. But done the right way and loving what you do, like any business, it’s greatly rewarding and satisfying.

We need to seriously kill that stigma for good. Blogging is a business. You work hard, you make money: it’s a job. It’s a business. Period.

I’ve put everything into my blog, most of my time, effort, dreams, sweat, tears and of course all my heart and love. Believe me, I don’t allow anyone to say you are “just a blogger”.

My Blogging Business Story

My blog didn’t start as a blog per-say. To be honest, I didn’t even understand very well what a blog was and I perceived it as any webpage. I was creating scrapbooking greeting cards back then and my mom insisted that I needed a blog to show them off. You can read more about my beginnings here.

Despite being a graduated graphic designer, my photos were not very good and with the lack of understanding on the subject, my first posts were horrible. I don’t really remember how I figured out what a blog really was but soon enough I discovered all the potential to make a business out of it.

That’s how I started to become a blogger. I started to create tutorials about things I love doing an that I’m good at: Crafts. I started to connect with other bloggers and learn all the ins and outs. My blog started to grow and expand. I started to do more Home Decor, Buiding Furniture, occasional recipes, etc.

Six years ago people didn’t understand any more than I did that blogging was a business. We could actually make money and MANY bloggers already did by then more easily than nowadays because Googe and internet were simpler. By definition, if you make money out of any activity, it is a business.

The question is:

is blogging being taken seriously?

Well, I started taken it seriously and put all my engines working on making it possible.

In the meantime, while I was creating content, I was also designing my own blog and soon people started to ask who designed it because they liked it. It was so nice to have that kind of feedback but I was not in that business.

Not long after that, my very best blogging friend, Dana from This Silly Girl’s Kitchen was in the lookout for a good design for her blog, since her birthday was approaching, I offered as a birthday gift to design her blog and I did it.

The word got spread and some other bloggers asked me to design their sites as well and I did. I realized I had a business opportunity right there. My mom being a developer also offered to be my partner and my blog grew up a step further offering design services.

I was spending long hours working on both creating content and designing for different clients. At some point, I had way more work than I could handle. So I asked my husband to step in and help me and he did.

This was the moment I actually realized was not “Just a Blogger” and never was. I had become a business owner the instant I set my course to make money with it and started putting all my time and efforts into it.

My stubbornness never let anyone discourage me or make me believe this goal was not worth it. I believed in this business with all my heart and fought for it. Trust me, many people tried to change my mind.

Like any business it kept growing and growing each day – thank God!-. The design side outgrew its space inside The Crafting Nook which lead me to decide that it was time for it to have a website of its own where it could live and grow by itself.

TCN DESIGN STUDIO WAS BORN.

I had to find a name and a domain for it but I still wanted to be somehow linked to where it was born. At this point, the business was called TCDesigns which stands for The Crafting Designs but that name was more than taken, even by more than one company. It was a hard time for me.

Looking at the limited possibilities around a name close enough to my blog, I decided to keep my three initials plus Design Studio which was available. TCN Design Studio opened its virtual doors a few months later.

It was a simple design at first but so full of love and lots of dreams, goals, support, and creativity to share.

Thanks to all the support and love from customers, the business kept growing and demanding new services. For this reason a couple of years later I had to restructure it and it evolved again to what it is now.

The New Improved TCN DESIGN STUDIO

I realize my true mission and passion is to help fellow female entrepreneurs to find their north and inner branding power. I understood that I love working with other women and helping them grow their business or starting them from scratch.

Among women, we need to support each other and help us grow instead of striking us down. This is what I like to call empowerment. We can do whatever we want and achieve whatever we set as goals. Business success is definitely part of it our empowerment.

Just like I understand I was not “just a blogger” but a full business owner, I also understand I could help others realize the same and exploit their full potential.

Now TCN Design Studio is a business and a community where you can find a wide variety of services and also support and guidance.

Make sure you check it out and sniff around, I’m sure you will find resources, testimonials and even a special freebie for you to grow your blogging business.

I’m always honest, I never promise something I can’t deliver, or say I can do something I can not. But I will always do my best and try.

I am not perfect. I’m not everyone’s style. I haven’t made it all perfect for everyone. But, I have worked hard putting a lot of love into each and every customer I’ve had. The reason I work hard is not only because there is money involved but because I truly value the trust people put in me. Also because some of my biggest and dearest friendships were born from that business relationship.

My goal is not only to deliver a pretty blog or design but is also to create a wonderful relationship and help in every way I can. I truly care about people, To me, this is all this is about. This might not make me the best businesswoman, but It’s something I can live with as long as each person I work with gets what they were looking for and I could make them happy in love with their designs.

Those of you who have known me for a while probably already know how hard I’ve worked to make it this far. And I must say this: this wouldn’t be possible if you hadn’t trusted me, if you hadn’t given me the opportunity to work with you.

Blogging Business Starting Tips

After all the experience I’ve got and all the ups and downs I’ve had to face,  I could give you a gazillion tips. But to make it short, I’ll list 9 of my most powerful and important tips for anyone who believes in starting a blogging business:

1. Think about what you do best (areas of expertise) before launching your blog. Do some research to make sure that the topic is profitable.
2. Don’t let anyone discourage you from your goal. Believe Blogging is a business. But be smart and read a lot before diving in.
3. OWN IT like your skin. Your blog, your business. It’s yours.
4. Listen only to those you truly trust and those who really know about blogging and online business.
5. Find like-minded friends. Connect. Join communities and mastermind groups. Understand that you can’t do it all alone.
6. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. All bloggers have gone through the same rough beginning. Don’t get discouraged if some don’t respond and just keep asking. You will find kind bloggers who are willing to help you. Here you have one!
7. Start your blog with the right foot. Don’t underestimate the power of your new blog’s look. Even on a low budget you can get a pretty blog design and start creating a brand.
8. Read, read and read as much as you can about blogging. From how to start a blog, to content creation best practice and marketing yourself. Pinterest is your best friend when it comes to finding great resources to read.
9. Never be afraid of starting something new.

There is no way to put in words all the feeling I’m having right now. There is a mix of happiness, expectations, a little bit of fear, but most of all excitement. I’m so thankful to have had the opportunity to start this and I hope I stay around for a long while making lots of blogs pretty and lots of friends too!

THANK YOU ALL, THANK YOU for being here, trusting me, supporting me and most of all for your friendship: those who already are and those who are to come!

Thank you for reading this long and hope to see you around our new site soon!

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