Freedom after 50: My Blog Monetization Story and 4 Savvy Tips for Your Business

It's been a minute (or several months!) since my last post.

I'll be honest: this Free At 50 blog has not been my focus. What has? Diving into life as a history blogger! And I'm loving it.

The truth of the matter is this: I learned a lot creating this blog, meeting people, purchasing products and services, building an online presence... all the things.

But as I was having a conversation with a fellow entrepreneur and old friend earlier this week, I made a statement that was an affirmation: that I didn't love doing the things I'd need to do to make this blog income-earning.

What I do love to do: write. Thus, if you read about my pivot awhile back, you know that I decided to make my hobby blog [What American History Is About] my business and my business blog [this one] into my hobby blog.

Why? Because I still want to encourage you all to do the midlife reset, to go after time freedom... all the things this blog stands for.

RELATED: My post announcing my pivot.

Necessary disclaimer: As a blogger, I use affiliate links sometimes! I may receive commission from purchases I share; it does not change your price but sometimes you might get a discount.

What I've been up to.

In that conversation with my friend mentioned previously, I was excited to share that I discovered the history blog's opportunities for monetization encompass things I ENJOY.

That's my monetization story. I'm enjoying working on building my history blog into an income-earning business!

The last year has been focused on it. Building the brand, researching, writing, and of course: creating a business that will be income-earning.

Specifically I've been:

• organizing my brand, mission statement, guiding principles, etc.
• narrowing my options for monetization
• visiting historical sites
• researching people, places, objects, art - all of it!
• meeting people in the history field
• learning how to do all of the above
• getting certified to give tours in the historic area of Colonial Williamsburg
• continuously writing and creating
• focusing on Instagram
• focusing on affiliate partnerships that are targeted to my goals

...and a bit more if I'm honest!

I've never felt more confident about the direction I'm headed and the results I'm experiencing.

4 savvy tips to consider on your journey.

It's in the spirit of this blog, which focuses on six steps to escaping the 9-5, that I was inspired to write a post. You see, I did those six steps myself - again. I took the time to re-imagine and re-create my business and my life as a blogger.

No matter where you are in your journey, I have some tips to share with you for your 9-5 escape.

Savvy tip 1: Use The Essential Habits of 6-Figure Bloggers as a guide to organize your business.

I will not beat around the bush. Simply put, this book authored by Sally Miller has a step-by-step process for creating your mission statement, identifying your guiding principles, and yes- even organizing the best approach to monetizing your business.

Therefore, I'm giving you two calls to action, to do right now.

• Buy the book by clicking here. (not the audiobook, the actual paper copy- trust me on this one!)
• Read how I used it by clicking here. (the link will open in a new tab so you can finish this article first!)

Quote for Essential Habits of 6-Figure Bloggers by Sally Miller

Savvy tip 2: Set goals and create tasks to reach them.

Two ideas on how to do this:

• use the SMART goal system, outlined in my friend Margaret Bourne's blog post- while her target audience are bloggers, the SMART method is explained well in her article - for any entrepreneur
• use a business planner and set goals as outlined in the planner- my favorite planner is the Epic Blog Planner (again: sounds like it's for bloggers, but it's excellent for many types of entrepreneurs)

Savvy tip 3: Ensure you are legal.

For this tip, I'll drop an example of my recent experience.

I currently have an LLC based in Michigan, where I resided when I started my business.

But in order to offer both tours and travel itineraries to history blog readers and social media followers wanting to purchase curated and custom services, I needed to:

• get a tour guide's license through our local police department
• register with the city's zoning commission (yes, for an online and walking tour business... but hey, I don't make the laws!)
• purchase a Williamsburg city business license, which will need to be renewed annually (and includes reporting of income as part of the cost determination)

Thank goodness I had some fantastic people in town to walk me through each step!

Make sure you explore all the requirements to operate your business.

Side note: you can see what my business ventures are about by following me on Instagram!

Savvy tip 4: Stay the course and track everything.

The planner:

Again, I'll mention my Epic Blog Planner.

The calendar section is set up well for planning events and site visits, as well as meetings. With America's 250th in progress, there are so many events I want to add to my planner! (in addition to what I'd normally drop into it)

Other valuable sections:

• annual goals/ planning
• monthly income and expenditures
• blog/ website analytics
• monthly goals
• projects/ tasks
• affiliate partnership details

...and more.

Google docs:

• placement of affiliate and tour/itinerary links in my blog posts
• tour stops coinciding with topics (outlines for each tour idea make my life so much easier!)
• marketing tasks for the new aspects of my business
• historical sites / contact information / tours and meetings associated with them
• photos I need/have taken that can be used for specific blog topics and social media graphics

Organizational needs have to be recorded for success in my opinion. But also: tracking your stats is vital. Both of these things will keep you moving forward and not wasting time and effort.

In closing, I hope these 4 savvy tips, are a solid kickstart (or re-motivator!) for you. Cheers to living your best life!