AD – This is an advertorial feature but all thoughts are my own
I always enjoy talking about self-employment related things on my blog because I know it’s a path that so many bloggers want to take eventually. Blogging has become such a recognized and worthwhile career, there’s no surprise that so many want a piece of the pie! But the blogging industry certainly isn’t for everyone and taking your blog full-time ISN’T all press trips, dreamy Instagram shots and getting paid for doing the bare minimum. Far from it.
Photo by Alexa Williams on Unsplash
Running a blog takes a lot of work, whether you’re self-employed or not, whether it’s your job or not. So taking that step to full-time or part-time isn’t a light decision to make. Like any career, you really need to want it, in order to do it and do it well.
I never in a million years thought that I’d be able to turn my blog into a career. Back when I was a little book blogger sharing reviews to like, 10 people. Who the heck would have expected my following to increase, my blog to grow to the extent it has and to eventually make an income from it? I certainly didn’t.
But it has. And it’s possible. I’m living proof of that. I didn’t set out to make this happen but somewhere along the line, believed in myself enough to realise that it could happen. And that was enough for me. I loved blogging that much that I put all of myself into it. And I’m so glad I did.
If this sounds like you, if you’re that person who’s sitting there who feels like it could happen for you, it absolutely can. Believe in yourself, honey! But first, here are some important things to consider when going self-employed:
Think about the why
If you want to become a self-employed blogger just because loads of other people are, that’s not a valid reason why you should. A business decision like this certainly shouldn’t be taken lightly so you’re going to have to establish your why and the reasons you want to become a self-employed blogger. Is it because you want to eventually take your blog full-time? Is it because you’re ready to quit your 9-5 and jump in head first?
It’s certainly NOT a quick money making scheme and it will take a lot of hard work and dedication to actually make it work. If you’re not prepared for that, then this could potentially be the wrong decision for you. Passion outweighs everything else here.
Are you earning money from your blog? You NEED to be registered as self employed
When we talk about a self employed blogger, we mean literally ANYONE who makes money through their blog. Even if blogging isn’t your job to any degree but you still work on sponsored posts every now and again, that money needs to be declared and you still need to be registered as self-employed. However you won’t pay tax until you earn more than £11,000 a year.
If the HMRC get an itch that you’re a business and you’re not declaring your earnings, then you might find yourself in some bother. So yes, you need to be registered if you earn money through your blog. Even if your blog ISN’T your job and you still consider it a hobby.
Consider income protection insurance
When you’re self employed with your blog, you don’t get sick pay. Or holiday pay. Or pay if/when something tragic happens that requires you to spend time away from work for a while. Any of these things are likely to happen to most of us, whether we’re self employed bloggers or not. We’re all going to get ill from time to time. Most of us take a holiday every now and again. And inevitably, shit happens.
Income Protection Insurance enables you to pay your bills on time and provide for yourself and your loved ones, should you fall ill and be unable to work. Where state benefits can and do change inline with government policy, this cover is a contract and a promise to you that won’t change and being unable to earn will be less of a worry when you know your wages are protected.
Are you prepared to deal with everything yourself?
Unless you have the money to hire an accountant which at present, I DO NOT, you’ll have to handle everything yourself. So the daily running of your blog and social channels will be your job of course but you’ll also have extra responsibilities, like registering as self-employed, filing your tax returns, paying National Insurance, keeping track of all your in-comings and various other boring AF jobs that you NEED to do because, well, it’s the law.
Can you handle irregular payments and potentially chasing late payments?
The perks of being employed is that you don’t have to worry where on when your wages are coming. They’re usually there, in your bank account, when expected. But that’s NOT the case with blogging full-time. You’ll likely have various income streams, which in itself is something you need to be able to keep on top of.
And on top of THAT, you also need to deal with contracts with brands and potential late payments which trust me… HAPPEN. In fact sometimes, you get ghosted entirely and don’t get paid at all. Which has happened to me 3 times in my blogging career. It’s infuriating but sadly something you might have to deal with.
How do you deal with loneliness?
If you struggle with loneliness, then definitely think about it CAREFULLY if you want to take your blog full-time. It’s a very isolating career. There have been days where I’ve not spoken a word out loud until 4/5 o’clock at night when the first person eventually gets home. Luckily I like quiet time to myself and need that quiet time to re-charge and work to the best of my ability. But some people don’t.
Related: 8 Reasons Why Working From Home Actually Sucks
Are you ready to not have a CLUE what to say to people when they ask you what you do for a living?
A bit of a lighthearted one to end on but it’s trueeeee. Oh my gosh, is it true. Even now, I still have no idea what to say to people when they ask me what I do. Of course it depends who asks. If it’s a younger person, I’ll probably tell them as they’re more likely to know and understand what blogging actually is. But most of the time, I end up waffling and making it worse.
It’s so weird and awkward. Sometimes I just say that I work in advertising because like, it’s not a COMPLETE lie but it is a little bit. So if I’ve ever told you I work in advertising… sorry. But I lied.