I am targeting a niche , so not just anyone that is interested in blogging, but more specifically photographers who are interested in blogging. Hopefully by doing so I will be maximizing my potential to catch a larger percentage of a smaller audience rather than a small percentage of a much larger one due to much less competition and more targeted content to reach a specific audience segment.

The website will cover everything from the basic priciples of blogging, to technical tips and how-tos, and even discuss some more advanced ideas such as using inbound marketing strategies like SEO and social media to drive traffic to your photography blog/website.

Like any project I undertake… this one is born out of a serious passion; both for blogging and photography, however just like any project I follow through on, there are some ulterior financial motives.  In addition to simply providing valuable information and resources to photographers interested in starting or advancing their photography business online.   The website will act as a magnet for potential clients interested in taking their online presence farther than they are technically capable of achieving by themselves.

Picture this, A landscape photographer who sells stock photography decides they want a website to promote their work online.   They google “How to set up a photoblog” and find my post Quickstart Guide to Starting your Photography Blog.  They follow my tips and even though they are not that tech savy they manage to get their site going.  They are now finding a number of other helpful resources on Blogging Photographer, but then decide there are a few tweaks they’d like to make to their website, but they just don’t really care to learn HTML, CSS, PHP, or Wordpress to figure it out.

That’s where I come in.  I am generating an automated referral business, providing people with something of value hopefully people will continue coming to my site for useful information.  However when they want to take things one step farther… I will be there for them, offering my services to assist them in achieving their goals.

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My resistance the phone has only ever been the strain it would place on my financial well being. I was excited to check stocks on the train, look for the nearest bus stop at the bar, and compose an email at the beach.

The truth is this really is a revolutionary device and truly puts the worlds knowledge at your finger tips whenever and where ever you need it. (provided you have a data connection). Before I bought my phone there was a laundry list of things I had in my head I could do if I just had the phone. However I am finding something new everyday that I couldn’t do before that is just making it that much more of an amazing device.

I have about a 15 minute communte to my JOB downtown, in which I used to read magazines or merely stare out the window dreading, antcipating what the next 8 hours would have in store for me. Now I am able to stay up-to-date on my investments before the opening bell in the mornings, and my new goal is to use the 15 minute ride on the way home to compose a blog post everyday. Effectively using my time to be productive in thought, and document the day’s events rather than simply allowing the train to whisk me away from them.

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Ashley runs Upstart Blogger a blog whose tag line reads “Successful Blogging Made Simple”, pretty much sums it up.  I have been following his site pretty closely for the last few months and have been continuously impressed by the quantity and quality of its content.  I have managed to read just about every article available and feel I have soaked up some very valuable information and lessons as a result.  So I felt his was an opinion I could trust.

From my reading I knew that a significant portion of Ashley’s income at Upstart Blogger is attributed to an affiliate marketing campaign with his hosting provider, ANHosting.  They happen to offer a two tier marketing program which means in theory he not only earns money from his refferrals, but could potentially earn money on their referrals as well.

What I wanted to know was how important this second tier was to his overall blogging strategy, and if the income from this second tier was worth finding a reputable company I was willing to promote that offers such a program.

So I shot him an email to ask him exactly this.  He replied with some great advice that answered a lot of questions for me, and I think it is really worth sharing…

Hi Kirk,

Thanks for your kind words. Second, and subsequent, tier marketing is a market that makes me exactly zero! In fairness, however, that is probably because I don’t actively say good things about that side of my partnership with AN hosting.

Not that they aren’t good. It’s just that I don’t like the idea of trying to persuade someone to push the same product that I push.

The only people who are good at making second tier incomes tend to be those who make nothing from the first tier. That is why programs like text link ads are promoted so aggressively by some less scrupulous pro bloggers.

I suppose it is possible for there to be a middle ground – where someone makes a good income from every tier – but I’m pretty sure it’s an either-or situation.

If you are able to promote a product successfully – a product that is complimentary to your blog – your income is much more stable than if you rely on the little and often approach of the second tier.

I thoroughly recommend AN Hosting as a host. I’m a customer of theirs and they look after me. Promoting them is pretty easy since I use them transparently – everyone knows I’m a customer so it’s not a hard sell.

To sum up – find a complementary product or service and go for the first tier sales – that’s where 100% of my blogging income comes from and that’s what I would recommend anyone else to do unless there was a better reason not to.

Cheers,

Ashley

Ashley, thank you for taking the time to answer my questions you have shed light on a question I have been struggling to find answers to.  I am always looking forward to reading your updates over at  Upstart Blogger.  Keep up the good work!

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The vast Majority of people falsely assume that working for a large corporation is the safest way to make a living, but what happens when your employer downsizes and you get laid off?  What will you do then?  You have no control and no say in the situation, your only option is to accept it and move on.  Becoming self employed puts the power in your hands, quite literally, you will fail or succeed based solely on your own actions, abilities and determination, rendering the above scenario inconceivable.

However regardless of the source, relying on a single form of income is risky business.  Whether it is a paycheck from an employer, profits from a business venture, or passive income from an investment property you are putting yourself in harms way.   Again, what will you do when something out of your control goes wrong, the economy slows and your business starts losing money?  Or your investment property requires unforeseen repairs that break the bank?   A single source of income is a single point of failure, and only one step away from financial disaster.

Diversification is the answer and is just as important to your financial freedom as it is to your stock portfolio.  Diversification is a  back up plan for when things go wrong with one piece of the puzzle. Diversification gives you the peace of mind to know you can rely your other profit centers until the problem has been remedied.  As a result I have decided to focus my attention on three activities I am very passionate about, The Three Pillars to My Financial and Personal Freedom, are small business, real estate investing, and… blogging.

Everyone has their own individual passions, dreams and ideas, and it is absolutely imperative that you follow the dreams you are passionate about.   Achieving personal and financial freedom is essentially being the business of you.  You have to love what you do, and let the money follow your passion.  There is no separation between work life, and real life, there is just life.  The goal is to live the life I want to live, without worrying about how I am going to support that kind of lifestyle.  It will just happen, Why?  Because I am in the business of me, my life is my business, and the rest will take care of its self.

For the most part this website will be focusing on the he Three Pillars to My Financial and Personal Freedom; small business, real estate investing, and… blogging.  I will be documenting my experiences in an attempt to convey the lessons I have learned along the way, both good and bad, and will shine the spotlight on other inspiring entrepreneurs in an effort to learn from their successes and failures alike.

I hope that this exercise will not only prove to be a valuable tool for my climb down the corporate ladder to financial freedom, it is my hope that KirkHatesWork will provide you with an immensely useful resource for you on your own personal journey to financial independence.

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