Freelancer vs Blogger vs Course Creator: Which Business Model is Right for You?

Welcome to another episode of the podcast. I’m so excited for the topic I’m covering today because it will help almost anyone out there interested in business.

I will discuss the pros and cons and anything in-between about the 3 business models I’ve tried. It will all come from experience, you’ll learn exactly why I switched from one to another, what my current goals are and what I’m leaving behind, what I loved about each of these types of business over the years and how it completed the stage of life I was in, what happens when you want to outgrow it because a change in business models requires a change in mindset and workflow, and more.

So whether you’re thinking of becoming a freelancer, blogger or course creator, are transitioning from one to another, or are just curious about my experience with these, you’ll get a lot from this episode.

Tune in below:

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Show Notes:

[05:01] My first business model and why it was the only one that made sense for me back then
[06:11] The exact steps I took to start earning as a freelancer
[06:59] Why I was okay with being underpaid and how I increased that income
[8:36] Why I couldn’t do any more client work, and what I wanted instead
[10:15] Why blogging is my jam and what it actually means to be a blogger
[11:50] My take on the blogging industry
[14:40] What I love the most about blogging, and which income stream is my main focus now
[16:17] What I do before transitioning to a new business model
[18:24] The story of my signature course
[20:59] The mindset shifts that come with an online course business

Mentioned:

Jill & Josh of Screw The Nine to Five
Fearless Content
Episode 1: My Business Journey
Upwork
Blog to Biz System [my signature program]
Teachable

Transcript

Freelancer

I am where I am today thanks to being a freelance writer first. See, I didn’t believe I could make money from my own platforms, or in any way online for that matter, back in the days.

I had just started this hobby blog on personal development and wanted to write and publish content. That gave me so much satisfaction that I was learning more about ways to earn from your writing as I could maybe turn it into my career and use that income to not just do what I love, but also move out of my country and start a new life somewhere else.

You can go back to episode 1 if you want where I share my business journey. There I talk about how my income goal was $80/week. Once it started happening, I was shocked. It also allowed me to increase that number eventually, to charge more, and to want to earn from my blog.

But client work is what my first business model was. I was writing for my blog so the only possible way I could think of to monetize my one skill, which luckily was and is in demand, was to offer to write that same content for other people.

So I signed up for Upwork and other sites (back then it was not even called Upwork yet by the way) and I created a profile. I started reading and learning all I could about making it as a freelancer. There’s always a learning curve and I was excited about it.

I browsed jobs and whatever seemed like the right fit for me, meaning whoever was looking for a writer to create articles on personal development for them, I’d send them a pitch.

The only way I could show them my expertise was by using my published blog posts as my portfolio and telling them I’d like to create something similar for their project. It worked.

I was underpaid but knowing that I come from a cheap country, didn’t even believe anyone would pay me without a degree in this, connections, experience in the industry or English being my native language, I couldn’t ask for more.

I was easily accepting what the client would offer, doing the work, and it either get accepted immediately (those were the happy moments) or edits were requested and we had to communicate back and forth. I was sending them more drafts, which wasn’t really paid time as the price we agreed on was per project.

I think I was paid $20 per article of 500 words, and sometimes $25 or $30 for one of 1000 words. But I didn’t know any better. And I was literally just starting out so these were great opportunities for me to improve my writing skills, learn about the freelance world, and get good reviews that show up on my profile which immediately builds trust with future clients.

That’s how it all began. From there, I got better at spotting the right jobs for me, increasing my rate, negotiating conditions, being more assertive, doing a better job for clients, etc.

On the side, I always kept publishing content on the blog.

At some point, my freelance income reached $800 a month, I started earning a bit from my blog too, so there we go – that’s how I got to making $1000/month online as a writer.

When it increased a bit more and I had savings, I also relocated to my favorite country, the Netherlands, which was nearly 5 years ago.

But then I stopped enjoying that work. I was enjoying my new lifestyle and environment and respected my clients as thanks to them, I was able to pay my bills, travel and live anywhere I want. But I was exchanging time for money, chasing clients, meeting deadlines, having unpleasant experiences such as clients disappearing or not paying or someone requesting too many edits and never being satisfied.

Every day, my most productive hours were invested in this. Doing client work and looking for new clients, which means applying for more jobs.

I had already increased my income from blogging by then and my next goal was clear – I wanted to be a full-time blogger. So let’s talk about that next.

But a few final things to say about freelancing are these – it can be a rewarding experience for some people and they might never find it challenging. Also, people feel safer when there are clients paying them as opposed to building their own income streams and taking full responsibility of their salary and making it every next month.

Freelancing can be easier too if you are really good at what you do, charge more and work with fewer clients but know they will come back often, recommend you to their network and there’s always more work coming your way.

I just felt exhausted at the end and knew I’d given that industry all I could. It was a burden now and not the freedom I craved, so I had to make adjustments.

Let’s talk about the next business model.

Blogger

Ah, blogging. From all the things I can teach you about business, this is what I’m most experienced with – starting and growing a blog. That’s why my signature program Blog to Biz System is dedicated to that. I also have a more affordable and easier to digest course called $1K Blogger. It’s actually my most popular product.

Blogging is my jam, you guys. I have so much to say about it and can probably answer any question you can think of related to it.

I went from a hobby blogger to learning all I could about the business of blogging and hitting $5K months. It’s indeed possible to make a living just from 1 website.

There are many other elements that go into this, of course, such as:

email marketing
monetizing in different ways
bringing enough traffic to your blog and knowing what to do with that traffic
posting consistently
sharing your content on different platforms
building a brand around your blog
optimizing your whole website as well as each individual page

and so much more.

I’ve taken my time to explore anything related to blogging and work on it. The main ways to earn as a blogger are from advertising, affiliate marketing, sponsored content and selling your own products. These are my 4 income streams and it has taken me a long time to build each separately.

Together, they are how I can make a living and each can be grown in many ways as long as you’re willing to do the work and get to the next level.

The blogging industry is changing all the time but it’s definitely not dead.

You might feel like it if you’re mostly on Instagram and see how much video content others produce and that not many people blog. But here’s the thing about bloggers – they don’t need to be on Instagram, they are often behind the scenes.

There are 6 and 7 figure bloggers and I’ve personally interviewed them. They all started from nothing and built their site from the ground up.