The Bomb Life 101: The Business of Blogging (Get it in Writing)

Blogging is fun and for many it is a fulfilling hobby! But then there comes a point when you start to make money from blogging. Then your blog becomes a business.

There are many mistakes we make as beginning business owners. And most of them are expensive, lesson learning, wish-I-had-known-that-before mistakes. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is not paying the IRS (just because you are in your basement writing on your laptop doesn’t mean the US government is not entitled to take a percentage). Another big mistake is not making sure you get things in writing and signed before you complete your work.

Not everything requires a signed contract. But it’s best to be clear on expectations, deliverables, and payment terms before you engage in a service. Otherwise, you might do work or spend money/time for nothing.

I’ll give you an example. Once upon a time, I was asked by a huge company to fly to Vegas to cover a New Year’s Eve party. I was super excited! The event was sure to be laced with A-listers and would be an amazing opportunity for me! I asked if they could fly me in and cover my expenses. They said no, so I dug in my coffers and covered the costs myself. I flew to New York from Guatemala, took a disco nap, then flew to Las Vegas. And when I landed, after spending thousands of dollars, I was informed that the party was canceled. There would be no A-lister laced party. I had made all that effort for naught. Face Palm.

I could have caused a stink. I could have demanded they cover some of my expenses. But instead, I vented to my friends, then played it cool. Was it an expensive mistake? Sure! But I pledged that the next time I did business with this company, I would make sure they would cover the costs…and put everything in writing. Fast forward a few months later, and this company has commissioned me to work for them again. My first paycheck from them was almost five times what I spent to fly to Vegas. Who knows, maybe they were scouting me out to see to what lengths I would go for the company? Or seeing what I was willing to sacrifice to fuel a future dream?

From this situation, I learned a few things: Keep it cool. Even if you are frustrated, don’t aggravate people who can help you in a bigger way one day. If you make an expensive mistake, take your lumps, pledge to do better next time, and keep going.

Love & Light,

*Yesterday, I attended BMW’s Pay it 4ward event, and realized how many people in the room I’ve known for years. We all continue to support each other because we’ve all been in this industry for so long. A strong key to longevity is to avoid drama and messy situations. You do that from always having clear understandings from the get go. When you are doing business, get it in writing. Thank me Later.
**I wore a suit by Arryles.