Should you start a blog in 2019? I started a blog because I read a post on all of the reasons you should start a blog. It was a great post and very inspiring, but it hid the realities of what it takes to be successful blogging.
Anyone can start a blog, but not just anyone will be successful. That's why I want to start by sharing the reasons you should not start a blog in 2019 and end with the reasons why you should.
I started a blog in the midst of a “quarter-life-crisis” as someone looking for a long sought-after career path. From what I was reading, blogging seemed to be the perfect fit. I poured my all into this blog, spending countless hours building the website, writing content, creating resources and scouring the internet to learn the craft.
And my blog grew really quickly. I started seeing exponential growth in my subscribers, in my readers, in an engaged audience. But there were specific things I did that helped my blog to be successful and there were very important reasons that it worked for me.

It has since been several years and you are seeing the results of this time - 2 blogs with growing audiences, lots of content and an increasing income.
Through it all, I have learned what blogging is and what it isn’t.
So often when I tell others that I blog, I get the response of something like, “Oh, so you write about your personal life?” So many people still think blogging is a chronicle of personal stories. So how in the world can you make a living doing that?!
Short answer - you can’t.
Blogging is actually an intensive career path that requires a lot of your time, energy and stamina. It takes discipline and creativity. It isn't easy and it takes the right motivations.
If you’re still reading this post, you’re probably thinking about starting a blog.
Don’t quit reading just yet. Because in these 3 reasons not to start a blog in 2019, you will learn all the reasons why you should.
1. It’s a Quick Way to Make Money
Blogging takes time to grow. Every now and then you will read about someone who suddenly started making an income of thousands of dollars in their first month. Chances are, this person got really lucky or it’s their not first go-around with online work.
There are two types of people: those who just go & those who take time to research and plan before they go.
To make money with a blog takes an engaged audience - big or small, lots of content and an understanding of your market and income possibilities.
You will get out of it what you put into it. If you put in time, energy and lots of hard work, you can start making an income much faster than if blogging is a weekend hobby.
Don’t jump into blogging as a quick way to make cash. When you do start a blog, I want to encourage you to be patient and consistent. Because it will take time to grow an income. But if you are patient and you work hard, it is possible.
Consistent content and hard work is the key to building your blog to be a source of income.
2. It’s an Easy Way to Get Your Opinion Out There
You can write all the blog posts you want, but until you focus on growing a loyal and engaged audience, no one will be reading your posts!
A blog is much more than just the writing. In fact, I spend probably less than 10% of my time writing posts for my blogs.
90% of my work week involves all the other stuff. Managing the website, marketing, graphic creation, resource creation, social media, networking, learning more about blogging, etc.
If you want to share the wealth of knowledge you have - and I know you have it - it will take time and hard work to get it out there.
But when you spend time doing these other things, you will be amazed at how many people will read your posts.
And every so often, with the right techniques and a powerful topic, you will have a post go viral.
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3. You’re Only Goal is to Make Money
As you have probably discovered by now, it takes a lot to grow your blog, get your stuff out there and to make money.
If your only goal is to make money, blogging may not be for you.
I’m not saying that it cannot be a major goal. It was one of my top motivations in starting my blog and online business.
But because blogging takes so much time, energy and work, you have to have other motivations, both intrinsic and extrinsic in order to sustain your blog.
You need to be passionate about what you’re blogging about.
You will be spending a lot of time researching and writing about the topic. Because of this, you will need to have a passion for it or you will burn out.
You need to be disciplined and motivated to learn about online business and your target audience
Online business definitely takes a certain person. You have to be able to be disciplined with your time and able to follow through with a personal schedule and to do list. If you struggle to stay away from Netflix or Facebook, you won’t make much progress in making money online.
Now that we’ve discussed the reasons not to start a blog, you can probably pick up on the reasons why you should start one. If not, I’ll list them below:
Reasons You SHOULD Start a Blog in 2018
- It is a powerful way to make a passive and consistent income
- With the right technique, you can spread your knowledge and opinions to all corners of the internet
- It is an amazing way to make a living doing something you are passionate about and love. Not to mention, the job can be flexible and scalable.
Will you be starting a blog this year? Why or why not? Answer in the comments below 🙂

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If your just out to make money or sell something most of the time it doesn’t happen. It takes years sometimes and tons and tons of hours. Hard work.
I love your perspective on the whole thing! I wish I would have read this before I started blogging. It wouldn’t have deterred me, but it would have give me more realistic expectations.
Yep! This sums it up! I’ve been blogging for almost a decade but only recently in a way to produce income, and let me tell ya – IT TAKES WORK! I have to keep in mind my WHY and not deviate from that. It’s when I stay true to myself that I see the most reward.
I’d like to make money with my blog this year, I haven’t had a lot of time since I started it almost 2 years ago but I love doing it, it’s so much fun.
A really fabulous and refreshing post! People considering starting a blog, or new bloggers should definitely read this 🙂
Thank you for sharing this perspective!
This is great encouragement to keep going on the path I’m on. I’m kind of one of those that jumped in and started without doing pre-research but have thankfully found that other bloggers (like yourself) are helpful and kind. I’ts the 90% on those other things that are still hard for me but it’s been a big year of growth. Thanks for the tips and encouragement!
you are so right! many think blogging is a get rich quick scheme and its so not the case
I remember when I started blogging and there were so many things I wish I knew then. Blogging is not easy if you want to be successful. However, it’s extremely rewarding if you are able to put time into it.
Blogging isn’t for the faint of heart thats for sure! It’s a lot of work and dedication and isn’t a get rich quick scheme either.
Love this! Starting a blog takes lots of dedication and work. You don’t start making money right off the bat!
It’s definitely not easy to make money from a blog so you for sure have to love it for other reasons first! Such a great take for those getting into it. 🙂
This is so true. Blogging takes so much time and hard work. If a person is only in it for quick money or only for the money in general, it probably isn’t a good option. Blogging takes a good amount of passion, research, and perseverance. Good post, Nicole!
I started a blog a little over 11 years ago now, so it has definitely grown and changed. I don’t make much money, but I’m hoping to grow more in 2019 and find more of those opportunities (helps with blog costs too LOL). Great post! I think new bloggers are great, but you have to go in with an open mind.
-Lauren
All so true! Everyone thinks it’s so easy to make money as a blogger but truth be told I work harder and more hours that I have ever worked.
These are all such great points! Blogging definitely takes a lot more time and work than I anticipated it would!
So many people go in it just to the money and really that’s true about so many things in life. Why have people stopped doing things they love and started focusing on money??? I’m still very new to blogging and this year my focus is not $$, but rather reaching people.