One of my favorite things about the blogging niche is that so many people get started with their own blog to document their process for starting their own business and maybe even leaving their job. This is something that Eric has done with his blog over at My 4 Hour Workweek. The site is loaded up with great content for anyone who is looking to start their own blog or business online, but also goes into detail on Eric?s earnings, his niche sites and many of the other resources and experiences he had in the world of online marketing. Yet another awesome addition in the meet the bloggers interview series.
1.) Please tell us about yourself and how you got into blogging?
Very briefly about me: I?m a 28 year old CPA who lives in Chicago, and I have a little over 4 years of experience working at an accounting firm.? I like what I do, but I?ve always felt that there was more I could be doing outside of work.
For me, blogging was initially inspired by the book ?The 4-Hour Workweek?.? I knew I wanted to create some kind of income outside of my ?9 to 5? job, and I wanted a blog to document my journey.
So, in 2009, My 4-Hour Workweek was born.? Although the blog has grown in popularity over the past few years (now hovering around 25,000-30,000 visits per month, with over 8,000 subscribers between RSS and my Aweber e-mail list), I?m still a regular guy with a regular job.? I mention this not as a point of pride, but more as a partial explanation for why I haven?t achieved the great success that many other bloggers have (who you have interviewed in this series).? As much as I hate to admit it, my job as a CPA still comes first.
In a way, one of my goals is to show people that you can have a very time consuming ?day job? and still make some significant money online.
2.) What is the focus of your blog and why did you choose that niche?
The focus of my blog is really about my journey to create sources of online income (preferably passive income).? You could call it an ?internet marketing? blog, but it?s really much more than that ? and I definitely don?t consider myself an internet marketing ?expert? or ?guru?.
I like to think that one day, if/when I ?make it big?, someone else or I will be able to look back at all my posts and clearly see what led me to success, and more importantly, where I failed along the way.? I chose this niche because it allows me to discuss everything that I?m doing online to make money, all in one place.
3.) How are you currently monetizing your blog traffic?
Because I don?t sell ad space or use PPC ads like AdSense, my blog traffic is almost exclusively monetized using affiliate links.? My top income source is usually Commission Junction, where I earn affiliate income through hosting services, peer-to-peer lending, and other services/products offered through CJ (that are relevant to my readers).? Because my blog was not intended to be a source of my income online (it?s merely supposed to document my journey), I don?t aggressively try to monetize it.? However, it still happens to be the most lucrative part of my online business.
One of my recent successes was with this page that I was able to rank on page 1 of Google for the highly competitive phrase ?make money online? for the past 6+ months.? The ranking fluctuates quite a bit, as you would imagine ? at one point, I was ranked #2 on page 1, and currently, I?ve fallen to the second page (depending on where you look).? The crazy part is, I had no intention of ranking for that phrase, but nevertheless it turned out to be a great source of my blog?s income.
4.) What do you know now that you wish you knew when you first started blogging?
The importance of working hard and sticking with it despite slow growth initially.? It?s so easy to give up when you?re first starting out and not seeing results.? I know my first year of blogging was nearly wasted because I didn?t think anyone would ever read my writing.? If I would?ve put a little bit more effort in early on, and started many projects sooner, I probably would be a lot further ahead today.
5.) What are three blogs that you visit almost daily?
1.? Smart Passive Income
2.? Quick Sprout
3.? Niche Pursuits
6.) Can you give us three recommended tools/services that you use with your blogging?
Because I know most bloggers use WordPress, here are 3 plugins that I find helpful:
1.? WordPress SEO by Joost ? This is probably the only SEO plugin most blogger?s need, as it makes just about everything SEO-related easier for you.
2.? Tweet Old Post ? A great way to give some love to your older blog posts automatically ? I use this on a few of my blogs, and it works quite well.
3.? Sharebar ? An attractive way to add sharing buttons (Tweet, ?Like?, etc.) to your blog posts.
7.) What advice would you have for someone who is just starting with their first blog?
1.? Keep pushing forward.? As I mentioned above, it?s so easy to give up when you?re starting out.? Success (except in very rare occasions) doesn?t happen quickly.? And even those who appear to succeed quickly probably had many earlier failures that you just aren?t aware of.
2.? Work hard and be consistent.? This probably applies to many areas of life, but it?s especially true with blogging.? Fight the urge to be lazy ? if you planned to blog three times a week, hold yourself to that schedule.? And as a side note, don?t sacrifice quality just to publish a blog post.? Once you?ve start putting out quality content with a level of consistency, you will find that your audience will return with consistency.
8.) What?s the best advice or tip you?ve discovered about blogging since getting started?
Build relationships ? even though most of your online relationships are virtual, they can have a very real impact on your blog?s success.? You can build relationships by starting small and doing something as simple as leaving a comment on another blog in your niche.
Get to know people, and don?t immediately jump on the opportunity to ask for something.? Strong relationships are built on a two way street, and the best thing you can do is offer value without expecting anything in return.? Don?t worry, good things will come.
9.) If you only had $100 to start a new blog, how would you use it?
I would probably buy hosting, a domain, and good keyword research software (such as Market Samurai or Long Tail Pro).? You won?t know how to use it right away, but there is plenty of free information out there to show you how to use it.
I wouldn?t spend a dime on any eBooks or training courses (with a few exceptions) ? again, there is a wealth of free information on the internet, and if you?re willing to invest your time, you can do most things without spending any money.
10.) How can readers of the blog get in touch with you?
Blog: http://www.my4hrworkweek.com
Twitter: @My4HWW
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/100898169973038258562
Thanks again Eric for taking the time to share your advice and story with the Blogging Tips community. If you would like to learn about other bloggers and how they are finding success online, be sure to read through our blogger interview series.
Source: http://www.bloggingtips.com/2013/05/18/meet-eric-gati-my4hrworkweekcom/
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