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$12,787 in June – Site Redesign and More Motivation

Last Updated: BY Michelle Schroeder-Gardner - 87 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

Find out how I made $12,787 from blogging in June.At the beginning of every month, I publish my monthly business income report.

This all started out as my “extra income” report because before October of 2013, I still had my day job. In those extra income reports, I included all income that I made except for income from my day job.

However, in September of 2013, I turned in my notice at my day job, and my last day was in October of 2013. Now, my income reports consist of the main way that I make an income each month, which is through my freelancing business.

I publish my income reports each month for many reasons.

The main reason why I started side hustling is because I was reading other bloggers’ (Smart Passive Income, Budgeting In The Fun Stuff, Newlyweds on a Budget) monthly income reports and they got me really interested and motivated.

It was interesting and motivating to see how others were making money online. And these are REAL people. I didn’t even know about any of this before I started blogging.

If it weren’t for others posting their monthly online income reports, I don’t know if I would have really gotten into side hustling.

Also, I like to publish my income reports each month because it’s a way for me to look back, learn from my mistakes and see what I need to change or improve the following month. Just sitting here and typing up this income report is a great way to keep in touch with my business goals.

I know I say this every month, but it is the truth. Life is just so great now that I am doing what I want to do. I look forward to each and every day and it’s a wonderful thing.

I started my blog just as an outlet. I never thought it would turn into a side income or into my full-time career. If you would have told me this a few years ago, I never would have believed you – I probably would have just laughed it off.

 

How was June?

June was a great month. Yes, I made only $40 more than the previous month, but I still call that a win.

I also got married last month, and I can already tell that a ton of time has been freed up now that wedding planning is over with. I am working like crazy right now because I have so many ideas for my business and what I want to do over the next few months.

Working is great when you are motivated to succeed. Also, I can already tell that July will shape up to be a good month if this first week is any indicator!

In June of 2014, I made $13,787 in business income, before expenses. It was another good month!

 

$12,787 in June - Site Redesign and Motivation

This is for the month of June and before fees and expenses (fees and expenses that lower the amount above total around $1,000, which includes VAs for my other websites, technical assistance on my websites, PayPal fees, etc.) being taken out.

After all expenses and fees, I made approximately $12,747. In the amount above, I do not include the amount that I bring in to websites that I provide services to, I only include the amounts that are my actual earnings from my services. So, if a website I manage makes an income of $2,000, I only include my payment for my services- not the full $2,000.

To read my posts about extra income, click here. Below are my extra income updates:

 

I love self-employment, but this is still a job, a career, and a business.

One thing that I still have to remind others is that my freelancing business is still a job. I spend many hours every day, every week, and every month on my business.

It does help that I have gotten much better at streamlining tasks and hiring others for certain jobs that I need done. It’s all about finding what you are good at and outsourcing other tasks that you need done.

This is not passive income, although one day I hope that much of my income is passive.

I have also been growing my freelancing business and services for quite some time, and for around one year I was not making a single dollar, but I was still putting full-time hours into my side jobs.

Taxes also take approximately 30% of my extra income. I also have to provide for my own retirement, health insurance, vacation time, and more. This is something that not everyone thinks about.

This is my full-time job, and for a few years I was working my full-time job while having my business as well. There were many sleepless nights! I was a workaholic, but thankfully it all paid off and worked out for me in the end.

You can find my 2014 goals update here.

As always, if you have any questions about my monthly business income that you would like me to include next month, please let me know.

 

Blog News – I had a site redesign.

The big thing that has happened recently is that I had a site redesign!

My designer was Chelsea at Olive & Ivy Design. She’s been my blog friend for awhile now, and I love how simple, clean, and fun her designs always are. She is also very affordable, and you can check out her packages here which start at $200 for a design on Blogger. She does designs on WordPress as well.

I recommend Chelsea if you need a site design. She is super friendly and she stuck by my side even though my mind was all over the place when it came to what kind of design that I was looking for. Luckily, she could read my mind and she hit everything dead on with what I wanted!

My self-employment/financial independence blog Diversified Finances is still doing well. I’m hoping to do a site redesign on there soon as that current design is pretty basic (I made it haha).

I have a travel blog that I started last year as well. I haven’t shared the name yet, as I’m still building it up. Once I get an official site design on there, I will share that too. I do love my travel blog a lot. It’s a great way to talk about my other love, which is traveling.

If you are looking to start a blog, don’t forget to read my post How To Start a Blog. It gives step by step instructions on starting your own blog. Also, read How To Make Money Blogging.

 

Working on the road.

In June, we also went on a 2 week long road trip to Colorado. For the most part, it wasn’t much different working on the road than it was if I were just at home. Scheduling work and completing it ahead of time definitely helped me enjoy my trip.

What tips do you have for working on the road?

 

My plans for my website and my business:

  1. Start an eBook. – I started an outline of a possible eBook, but I still need to devote more time to this.
  2. Build my brand. – This is still slowly happening.
  3. Promote more. – I have been getting better at promoting, but I would really like to work on this more. I would love for something to go viral.
  4. Accept more interviews. – I had three interviews in June, and I have one scheduled for July already.

 

 

Staff Writing

June wasn’t a bad month for staff writing, but it wasn’t one of my best. Over the next few months, I plan on applying for at least a few staff writing positions so that I can get my name out there more.

I have been adding more and more travel blogs to my staff writing portfolio, which has been great. It’s nice to talk about something else besides personal finance all the time, even though I still do love personal finance.

 

What should I do to find more staff writing or virtual assistant jobs? 

This is a question that I receive often. This question is now a permanent fixture of my monthly business income posts because it is such a popular question each month.

There are two main ways for you to find staff writing and/or virtual assistant jobs – either they find you or you find them. Them finding you can be more difficult, as there is nothing really too active that you can do to speed up the process. So, if you want another job sooner rather than later, then you should go out there and try to find a new staff writing or virtual assistant position yourself.

If you are wanting new clients to find you, then there are things you can do though. Usually website owners find me through my Contact/Hire Me tab above, and this is something that I think all bloggers should have on their website. Start one now! That is my number one tip! No one can hire you if they don’t even know that you are looking for a freelancing job.

You also might want to post in related forums. There are online job forums out there, you just have to search for them. You need to let your services be known and possibly even ask others to spread the word.

If you are wanting to find clients yourself, then there are a few different ways you can do this as well. You can search job boards, reach out to publishers that you want to work for, and more. Check out my article How To Find A Writing Job for more information on this.

Here’s my monthly shameless plugin: If any of you need a staff writer or just a one-time content writer, let me know. Whether you need a couple of articles every week, or just a single post with no ongoing relationship, I am your writer. I can write regular content and be hired as a staff writer, content to fill in gaps in your writing schedule, content for advertising and so on. My turnaround is fairly quick and I am reliable.

I created the article titled Do You Want to Be a Freelance Writer, so please read further about this topic if you are interested in staff writing as a way to make money online.

 

Buying websites

I have bought two websites so far, and I have built four. That means I have a total of 6 websites that I own myself.

I also manage a handful of other websites. I am thinking about adding a few more websites to my portfolio so that I can grow them and hopefully one day make an income from them.

In March, I started my series on buying websites for profit on DiversifiedFinances. Read Buying Blogs/Websites For Profit Part 1. I am no expert in buying websites, but it is something that I would like to start doing more often.

Do you plan on buying websites in the future? Why or why not?

 

Update On My Blog and Social Media Management Services

In the month of June, I managed a few different websites for other owners. They all went well, and blog/media management is a service I enjoy.

For some, I completely manage the website (everything from e-mails to fixing old articles) and I try to make money for the original website owner through advertising and affiliate income, and then I forward their share of what their website made. I am in complete control of these websites, and the blog owner sits back and enjoys some passive income.

For others, I just manage a few aspects. I might help them answer emails, monitor their website to make sure nothing happens, or I handle their social media.

Blog and social media management are something that I would like to keep growing. I have seen many blog owners who are interested in having me manage their website while they are on vacation or if they need a break. This is something that I love to do, and you can sleep easily while you are taking a break from your website because I believe I can successfully manage your website.

I also know how it feels to go on vacation. You might be hesitant in hiring help because your blog means so much to you. However, that is why I love offering this. I truly know how much a website means to a person, and I try my hardest to make the transition (no matter how short) a smooth one. A vacation from your website is needed every now and then – and I’m here to help!

Pricing is on an individual basis because no two websites/blogs are alike. If you are interested, send me an email and I would love to help you out.

 

Here are various services that relate to blog and social media management:

  • Manage and approve comments. If you are busy, then you want your blog to continue on just like if you were still there. I get rid of any spam, and approve real comments. I also reply to comments on your articles if that is something that you normally do (such as answering any questions and so on).
  • Watch to make sure that your website does not go down. I check multiple times throughout the day to make sure that your website is up.
  • Monitor e-mails and reply when and if necessary. If you want a total break from your website, then e-mail management is something that most of my clients sign up for.
  • Make sure postings go live when they should. Sometimes they won’t, and this is where I come in. I will make sure that everything is scheduled correctly and actually happens.
  • Write articles while you are away (including ghost-written articles).
  • Manage social media – this includes looking for new potential followers and engaging with current followers.

 

Are you interested in becoming a virtual assistant? Don’t forget to also read about what exactly a virtual assistant does.

 

Affiliate income – Boy, has this been slow.

My goal for 2014 is to get more into affiliate income. Affiliate income is great because it can be a lot like passive income – in that I can create an affiliate article, do little things to maintain it, and hopefully it will continue to bring in income for me.

I started to get more into affiliate income in June, but not as much as I would have liked. I have many programs and services that I would like to review soon, but I have found that they are much harder than writing one of my usual posts. A lot more research goes into them because I want to make sure that I am going over all positives and negatives for my readers so that reviews on my website don’t just sound like a boring advertisement and a waste of everyone’s time.

What type of reviews would you like to see?

Business Income June 2014 Chart

Business and Extra Income in June ($12,787, after most expenses)

  • Staff writing – $790
  • Managing websites and social media for clients – $5,149
  • Website-Related (From all 6 of the websites I own – advertising, partnerships & Adsense) – $5,998
  • Affiliate Income – $525
  • Selling Items From Our Home – $0
  • Miscellaneous (not related to blogging and online income) – $0
  • Mystery Shopping – $0
  • Rent (we rent a room in our house to my sister) – $325

 

One thing that I am asked nearly every time I publish my monthly income report is whether or not I can further break down my income.  This is something I have never done before last month, mainly to protect myself and those I provide services to.

Mainly, I kept it private in the past because I wanted to have a little bit of privacy. Above, I sort of broke it all out for the second time ever, and in the next few months I plan on breaking it apart further and further. I know some of you are waiting for me to break it apart down to the very exact amount from the very exact source, but I do like to keep it a little private for now because I do need to protect the income that I am making since this is my livelihood.

I have heard of other bloggers who have stated exactly how much money that they made and the sources, and then another person has gone in and completely stole that contact/client from them. That is something that I definitely do NOT want to happen, and that is why I like to keep my exact sources a secret.

Website related income includes all of my websites that I own. So, if I provide social media management or blog management for someone, that amount gets put into the “Managing websites and social media for clients” income instead and not in the “Website related income” category.

Also, please keep in mind that I work for myself. This means that I have to cover all taxes (which are around 30%), health insurance, and all other benefits that an employer would normally provide.

 

Comparisons and 2014 Business Income total (after expenses, but before taxes)

  • Total extra income for June: $12,787
  • Income in May: $12,747
  • Difference: +40
  • Total in 2014: $77,221

How did you do in June? What are your extra/business income goals?

Related Posts

About Michelle Schroeder-Gardner

Michelle is the founder of Making Sense of Cents, a blog about personal finance and traveling. She discusses how her business has evolved in her side income series. She paid off $40,000 in student loans by the age of 24 mainly due to her freelancing side hustles. Click here to learn more about starting a blog!

Comments

  2. Liquid says

    It’s all about the progress. $40 more isn’t much but it’s still an improvement 🙂 Nice that you’re able to keep your monthly income consistently above $12K now. I made about $1,300 from side hustles and passive income in June. The new design looks great by the way. I’m digging the $ense logo.

    Reply

  4. Izy Berry @ Wealth Way Online says

    Congratulations! Not a bad month at all, especially considering you managed to fit a wedding in there too 🙂 I would also love to get more into affiliate income/marketing, but that’s something I’m going to wait until we’re more settled for. Probably Oct/Novemberish. For now I’ll just focus on growing.

    I had something go semi viral on Stumble Upon (my post about what growing up poor taught me about money)… I got about 13x my usual views for a few days, was cool, but now it’s over. Would love to get something viral in the millions ha ha one day maybe?

    I like your new design too – very flash!

    Reply

  5. MMD says

    The new site design looks great! Very sleek and clean.

    Nice work on the income this month – almost 12x what I made 🙂

    Reply

  7. Mrs. Pop @ Planting Our Pennies says

    Pretty great for it being a month when you had your wedding and a road trip! =)

    Reply

  8. John @ Wise Dollar says

    Great new look Michelle! I can definitely relate to a designer being there when my mind is all over the place on what I want. Thankfully, mine should be live very soon. 🙂 Great month, especially with the wedding and road trip as well!

    Reply

  10. Alicia @ Financial Diffraction says

    I told you on twitter that I love the site, but I thought I’d tell you again because I still do!! I followed Chelsea on twitter so that when I have some more affiliate income I can get one of her packages. They’re quite reasonable, and I love the look of them!

    As always, you’re killing the self-employed income 🙂

    Reply

  11. DC @ Young Adult Money says

    I really enjoy reading your updates, Michelle, and this one is no different. I also think you’re smart for mentioning the profit-sharing blog setups you have where you control websites and forward on profits made to the owner. It’s something I would consider looking into if one of my other website/side hustle ideas started to “take off” or I really wanted to invest my time in them.

    I have no tips for working on the road because I don’t travel that often and when I do I make sure I’m not working! I have one staff writing job at FeeX and I’m really enjoying it. I’m considering looking for a second because it seems like pretty solid income if you can get in at the right site/company.

    Reply

  14. Thomas @ i need money NOW! says

    Love the site redesign Michelle! Is it responsive now? It looks great on my iPhone. Since I do a lot of my blogging/commenting from my phone I always notice and appreciate a responsive site design. BTW, one suggestion, the ad in the post scrolls off the page on my phone, you should look at getting a responsive ad unit too, it’ll look good on mobile and desktop. Cheers!

    Reply

  15. Brian @ Luke1428 says

    Site redesigns are so much fun. It’s really like starting over fresh. If I ever do one again though, I think I’ll hire someone to work with. Transferring all the information to the new theme by myself was scary. Love the new look!

    Reply

  17. Shannon @ Financially Blonde says

    I love the new design Michelle and I think it is amazing how well you did last month, especially with the wedding. I was glad that I planned my wedding when I had a salaried job, otherwise, I would have definitely lost a ton of money since my wedding felt like a second job during the last month of planning.

    Reply

  18. Will says

    Thanks so much for these posts!!!

    I just finished The 4-Hour Work Week a few days ago so I’m interested in VA’s quite a bit. Where are most of yours located? What’s your advice for selected good ones? Are you quick to dismiss them if their English isn’t great even if they weren’t hired for writing? I find the poor English/grammar to be quite frustrating.

    Reply

    • Michelle S. says

      Hey Will! I used to have one VA located in the United States (she only spoke English, so there were no problems with that). I now have one from the Philippines that I found through a recommendation from another blogger actually.

      Reply

  20. Victoria Virgo says

    Love the new look to the site. Absolutely fabulous. I am still working with the basic WordPress site until I can decide on a colour scheme that I can live with. lol

    Also congrats on the wedding. The photos looked lovely. I wish you a wonderful and prosperous future.

    Lastly, thank you for sharing your monthly income. It is an inspiration to read posts like these. It shows how much is possible in the online world, if you are willing to put the work in. Congrats on all your successes 🙂

    Reply

  21. Nicola says

    I told you on Twitter I loved the site but that’s before it was finished – I LOVE it! 🙂 I’ll have to keep her name in mind; maybe in the future I’ll need to do a site design 🙂 and, as always, your income is super impressive. I hope one day I can be posting numbers like these!

    Reply

  22. Sistergirl says

    I follow you every month. I hope to make money on my blog/website in the upcoming year too. you are my motivator. I don’t want you to share your clients, there is no need to be more specific. I think some people are being dishonest. I have not been successful with Adsense, after over 7 years they just accepted my blog and I’ve only made $2.00. I feel like all that wait was a waste of time.

    Reply

    • Michelle S. says

      Aww thanks! 🙂

      Adsense is tough to be successful with. You need a LOT of readers in order to really make any money from it. I haven’t been super successful with it either – it takes a lot of time and testing to determine what works best.

      Reply

  24. Jason B says

    I like the new site design. My June was pretty good especially the last week. I can’t wait to view your travel blog when it goes live.

    Reply

  26. Grayson @ Debt Roundup says

    Nice work Michelle and I like the design. Nice and clean. The only thing I am having a problem with is the color of the links. The yellow is barely showing up on my browsers and I have adjusted my screen settings. Other than that, great look!

    Reply

  27. Buttercup says

    Your new design looks great Michelle (and Chelsea)! I always enjoy reading your updates and I am very much anticipating when you reveal your travel blog. I love to travel and just recently went to Jamaica so I’ve got the bug bad!

    Reply

  28. Russ Benk says

    Great to see how your income has been growing over the past few years. Very early days for me, but posts like this keep me going. Thanks alot for sharing.

    Reply

  32. James Salmons says

    Thank you so much for doing these report posts. I know they are a lot of work for you but I can’t think of anything better you could do to both help and inspire folks who want to develop work online.

    On my primary site, I teach people personal finance (how to get in control of their money and achieve financial success). When I discuss working online I like to refer to your site and I have your blog on my recommended reading list.

    Keep up the good work and congratulations on your continuing growth.

    Good Success.

    Reply

  33. Stefanie @ The Broke and Beautiful Life says

    Blown away and inspired by your income report as usual. What impresses me even more is that you’re looking to take on even MORE work. Sometimes I feel so overwhelmed with my staff writing alone that I don’t think I’ll ever get around to my own site.

    ps. Would love to read a post about the point at which you think you should hire a VA. Yes, it’s an expense, but would it free up more time for you to make more than enough to cover that expense? This is something I’m struggling with.

    Reply

  34. Michelle S. says

    Haha I actually hired my sister just the other day to start helping me as well. I am trying to get her more and more involved – luckily she is interested!

    Reply

  36. Corinna says

    It sounds like you’re incredibly busy and working on being incredibly successful as well. I think it’s fantastic you’ve managed to make blogging such a lucrative activity, and at some point in time, I’d like to do the same. I love blogging about weddings and I’m so happy to have found something that I truly LOVE to do. It’s not for everyone, but it can be the greatest personal achievement for certain individuals and finding something so wonderful and exciting to do every day is a gift. I love your blog design too. I wasn’t familiar with the former, but the blog header looks so professional and creative.

    Reply

  38. Lisa E. @ Lisa vs. the Loans says

    Love the new design – looks great! Can’t wait for you to share your travel blog! 🙂

    Reply

  41. Little House says

    Another great month! I really like the new site design – it’s simple and clean. I have to pick your brain about Colorado. (Yes, all this information about your income and I’m stuck on the fact that you visited CO for 2 weeks!) What cities did you visit and which was your favorite? I’ve been trying to convince Mr. LH that it might be a great place to eventually move to in the future (probably retirement, though.) He’s hesitant because he HATES snow.

    Reply

  44. Lee @ BaldFinance.com says

    Congrats on another great month. My website is relatively new, but I’m continuing to add content and hope one day to make meaningful side income from it. What you’re doing is a great inspiration to me. Good luck!

    Reply

  45. Courtney says

    Wow! You’re really successful with internet income! Congrats ^^ It looks like you work with clients who are actually willing to pay you fair rates. I have such a hard time locating clients who want to pay more than $1 to $10 an hour…it’s ridiculous!

    Reply

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