Today Chrissy Scivicque from OfficeArrow.com shares her story of building up her blog, selling it and then being hired to keep developing it – many bloggers dream.
There’s no denying it: blogging is now considered a legitimate way to launch the career of your dreams. The opportunities for bloggers are numerous and they only continue to grow. Take it from me: that blog you’re building may lead you in directions you never would have imagined possible.
My story is pretty cool, actually. There I was, a 28 year old Executive Assistant, struggling to find my way in what many view as a thankless career. I started my blog, The Executive Assistant’s Toolbox, in August of 2007 as a way to meet other office professionals and share my experiences in a helpful way. It didn’t hurt that I loved to write and secretly always dreamed of doing it for a living.
Now, less than a year later, my blog has been purchased by a start-up company (at a price tag many would be shocked by) and I’ve been hired by them to manage their entire content strategy and yes, write full-time. Bye bye same old, same old. Hello, career of my dreams!
The Opportunities
My story could have gone in a couple of different directions. I always treated my blog as a business. I had high hopes from the beginning, though I wasn’t quite sure of my ultimate goal. As I saw it, bloggers had the following opportunities:
Become a ProBlogger
In this scenario, I imagined working from home and making a full-time income from my blog (perhaps a few different blogs). I quickly monetized my blog with Google Adsense and Amazon Affiliate marketing and I was making a nice side income within about 4 months. But this route was going to be a long and difficult road for a non-techie like me.
Use the Blog to Promote Services
Bloggers have a huge opportunity to use their platform to promote their personal services such as coaching, consulting or freelance writing. I was considering becoming a Virtual Assistant and Career Coach – services that would have been easily promotable to my audience.
Build Blog, Sell Blog, Repeat
This has been a popular option in the recent past. With sites being auctioned off each day (some for astronomical figures!), this became an interesting possibility for me. The only problem seemed to be the time involved. Building a popular blog isn’t easy – as most of you know. I couldn’t imagine doing it many times over again. And on top of that, I couldn’t bear the thought of selling my baby. I had poured my heart and soul into this thing. The price tag would have to be pretty high…
The option I never really considered is the one that happened: “The Package Deal”
So, yes, blog sales happen all the time these days. Occasionally, the founder stays on for a while through the transition. But typically, the blog becomes under the full control of the new owner within a few months. However, in some instances, the purchaser may have a long-term need for the founder’s expertise. In my case, I had experience as an actual “member” of the target market, credibility with the audience and I loved writing. But I had little technical know-how and close to zero dollars to invest in building the site myself.
It was a match made in heaven: OfficeArrow purchased my site, merged it with theirs, and brought me on to help guide the growing business. A win-win for all. And with a hefty sum of future stock units included in that deal, I don’t feel as if I’ve completely given up my ownership interest.
Of course, I still had a touch of emotional separation anxiety as I watched my baby become a part of another family. It was exciting and scary all at once. Now I’m watching my baby grow up, living the life she always deserved. And thankfully, since I’m a part of her new family, I still get a say in her upbringing! “The Package Deal” offers the best of all worlds.
These are just some of the opportunities available for bloggers. To take advantage of any of these however, your blog needs to be something special. There are several strategies you can employ to stand out from the crowd. Tomorrow, in Part 2 of this article, I’ll share some of the things I did and why they helped me achieve “The Package Deal”.
Chrissy Scivicque is the Senior Content Manager at OfficeArrow.com – the world’s first online community created for office professionals, by office professionals. She writes a wide variety of articles to help people do their jobs more effectively and with less frustration. You can follow her journey by joining the OfficeArrow Community today – membership is free!
