Blog Income Reports From a Multi-Million Blog (My Real Reports!)

If you’ve ever been curious about how blogging can become a profitable career, this page is dedicated to sharing insights from my own experience. Blogging has been more than just a passion; it has become a thriving business that has taught me a lot about finance, online marketing, and the digital world.

When I started my blog, Making Sense of Cents, over a decade ago, I never imagined it would turn into what it is today. I began documenting my journey through monthly blog income reports, detailing how much I was making and the different ways I was earning that income. These reports not only provided transparency but also served as a resource for others looking to understand the blogging business.

Why I Started Sharing Income Reports

In the early days of my blog, I wanted to track the income I was making from various side jobs, including blogging, mystery shopping, and selling items on eBay. As my blog began to grow, these income reports evolved into detailed accounts of how I was making money through blogging alone.

There were three main reasons why I shared my income reports:

1. Inspiration: Before I started blogging, I knew little about making money online. Seeing others share their success stories inspired me to start my own side hustles. My goal was to motivate others by showing that making money online was possible and could significantly improve your financial situation.
2. Accountability: Writing these reports helped me analyze what was working, what wasn’t, and where I needed to improve. They allowed me to stay accountable to my goals and make better business decisions.
3. Transparency: I wanted to be transparent about the reality of earning money online. Blogging can be a lucrative career, but it takes time, effort, and persistence. My reports aimed to show the ups and downs of the journey.

Why I Stopped Publishing Income Reports

After several years of sharing my income, I decided to stop publishing these reports. While they were valuable in many ways, they also added unnecessary pressure to continuously increase my earnings. I realized that focusing solely on income numbers wasn’t the best measure of success or happiness. Additionally, I started to value my privacy more as my blog and income grew.

A Snapshot of My Blogging Journey

Over the years, I’ve shared detailed reports, but here’s a brief look at my earnings:

• 2013: My first year after quitting my day job, I earned $116,519 from my blog.
• 2014: My income grew to $163,929, marking my first full year of self-employment.
• 2015: I made $320,888, focusing entirely on my blog and letting go of freelance work.
• 2016: This was a pivotal year, with earnings of $979,321, thanks in part to launching my first product, Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing.
• 2017: My blog earned $1,536,732.
• 2018: By November, my earnings had surpassed $1,500,000.

How I Built a Million-Dollar Blog

My journey began on a whim when I read about a personal finance website in a magazine. Initially, blogging was just a hobby to document my financial progress. But within six months, I was making money from my blog, which sparked my interest in monetization.

My first income came from an advertisement deal that a fellow blogger connected me with. That small success motivated me to take blogging more seriously, leading to the full-fledged business it is today.

Creating and Selling My Own Product

In 2016, I launched my first online course, Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing. Since then, it has helped over 8,000 students and earned over $1,000,000. The success of this course proved that creating valuable content and products could be a significant income stream for bloggers.

Where to Find My Blog Income Reports

For those interested in the details, I published income reports from 2012 to 2019. These reports include my earnings, how I made money, the goals I set, and the lessons I learned along the way. You can explore these reports to see how my income evolved over time.

Recommended Blogging Courses

I attribute much of my success to continuous learning. Here are some courses and resources that have been instrumental in my journey:

• Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing: My own course on affiliate marketing.
• Making Sense of Sponsored Posts: A course I co-created to help bloggers earn through sponsored content.
• Traffic Transformation: A guide on increasing blog traffic.
• Pinterest Traffic Avalanche: A course on driving traffic from Pinterest.
• Stupid Simple SEO: A comprehensive course on SEO strategies.
• Easy On Page SEO: A resource for mastering on-page SEO.
• Site Speed Course: Essential for improving your blog’s speed and performance.

Final Thoughts

Publishing my income reports was a rewarding experience that helped me grow my blog and inspired others to pursue online income opportunities. While I’ve stopped sharing these reports, the lessons I’ve learned and the success I’ve achieved continue to shape my business. If you’re interested in blogging or making money online, I encourage you to explore the resources and reports I’ve shared over the years.