Every January for the past five years, hundreds of creatives have descended upon Salt Lake City for Alt Summit for three action packed days. Last year, as well this year, I joined them. A theme common to last year's Alt, Alt SF, and this year's Alt, was blogging as a business.
One of three sessions that I found extremely valuable was Erica Domesek's "Emotional Analytics: Well-Branded is the New Well-Rounded." Advice she'd been given along the way especially struck me.
She'd been asked, "What do you have: a lifestyle or a business?" At the time she'd answered, "A lifestyle business." She was told no. A lifestyle is where you have a blog, attend events, and maybe work with sponsors. You chose when you want to engage. A business is something that makes money when you go to sleep. You don't have both.
Erica believed "we are passionate about what we do and we want others to be excited about our passions." But, she was quick to point out that "even though you love what you do, you should be compensated." Her anecdote stressed that as bloggers, we have a decision to make.
Which do you have:
a lifestyle or a business?
Which do you want?
a lifestyle or a business?
Which do you want?
Regardless of your decision, working part-time (a lifestyle) or full-time (a business), we need not to work for free, or solely for "exposure," just because we love what we do.
Ciao Bella!
Eden!
