Regardless of when you’re reading this post, THIS IS THE TIME.

As of writing this post, we’re going through a global pandemic due to COVID-19.

We’re stuck at our homes, unable to go outside unless it is to buy necessary things such as grocery or medicine, or outdoor exercise (while maintaining a social distance of 2 meter or 6 feet.)

As of this morning, 3.3 million people in the United States have filed for unemployment benefits. As of this morning, the United States has one of the most reported Coronavirus cases.

Things are bad.

The only reason I’m financially afloat right now is this blog.

So, if this is not the right time to start a blog, then I don’t know when it is.

Sure, you won’t make a profit overnight. Blogging takes time, effort, patience, and persistence. But, at the same time, know that Coronavirus is likely not the end of a pandemic. There’s more to come.

I’m sorry to sound the warning bells. If you want feel-good words right now, I understand. You’ll find plenty of other places where other people are giving you those optimistic doses of BS.

I’m sorry, but facts are facts. Not too long ago, Australia was burning. So was the Amazon. Some Asian countries were being ravaged by mega typhoons, and Puerto Rico still hasn’t bounced back from the hurricanes. California wildfires are getting worse every year. So yes, Coronavirus is a warning for most of us, and it requires re-evaluating what we understand to be the norms.

We all need to make some significant adjustments in our lives, and the way we think of making money or making a living is one of them.

If you depend on only one income stream, it is time to start a second one.

If you’re reading my blog, then I’m assuming you’re interested in the craft of blogging, and you most likely want to make a secondary income from your blog. If so, then allow me to tell you why you should start a blog right now. In act, I’ll give you 10 reasons!

1. Your blog could be your fall-back.

When I think back to the days before starting this blog in June 2018, I feel so grateful for the events that led me to start it. Things were pretty up in the air for me during those days. I was unsure of my job even though I liked the work and pay. Additionally, a bunch of other personal matters threatened to turn everything upside down.

We all have a time that we can look back to and think of it as a wake-up call. It comes for many people in many different forms, but we all have it. Mine was then. I knew I couldn’t count on a day-job for the rest of my life to sustain me. And now, when I look at what’s going on with the Coronavirus pandemic and the rising number of unemployment all around me, I can only be grateful for having my wake-up call at a time when things were still not as bad.

For many of you, the wake-up call may be right now, so use it to your advantage. You can turn a blind eye to this pandemic (and many are doing so, unfortunately), or accept that we need to re-evaluate how we have been living our lives and the things that are at stake.

We need to make a lot of changes. The way to think of our environment, the way we treat the animals so we can get cheap meat and animal products, the way we feel about each other!

We need to make a lot of adjustments, but how to think of our income is one of them.

Your blog could be your fall-back when the next crisis comes around. I sure would love to think that none of us will have to go through such a bizarre crisis ever again in our lifetime, but there is no guarantee, is there? So, think of the things we’re going through right now as your personal wake-up call, and prepare yourself.

It doesn’t have to be a blog, but again, since you’re reading The Side Blogger, I’m assuming that you’re interested in blogging. So, yes, this may very well be the perfect time for you to start a blog and prepare for the future should a crisis such as this one were to hit us again.

If you’re lucky and you can keep your job this time around, great! But next time may not be so kind to you, so please, prepare yourself! A blog may just be the fall-back you’ll be grateful for like I am right here and right now.

2. You can build your blog on the side, working at it only part-time.

Most businesses are not as flexible as blogging.

You can work on your blog part-time, like I do, and grow it on the side. If you do things right from the start, you could be making a significant income ($1,000 per month or more) in just 6 months to a year, depending on how much time you spend growing your blog and how well-versed you are at different monetization methods (or your chosen method).

In fact, I have a free course on how to start a blog that you can take right now (you can sign up for the 10-day email course below). Additionally, you can sign up for my Blogging Blueprint premium course bundle (three different courses within one bundle) that will teach you in-depth methods of 1) using Pinterest to drive traffic, 2) growing your email list, and 3) making money with affiliate marketing.

3. You don’t need to be perfect, just persistent, and patient.

I doubt many other businesses are as forgiving as blogging.

Nobody starts a blog and is perfect at it from the get-go. Heck, most of us continue to make mistakes, but as long as we do not stop learning and keep pushing for growth with persistence and patience, we can create a sizable income stream from blogging.

How much you make depends on a lot of factors such as your tenacity to grow your blog, how many products you make, how well you promote, how well-versed you are in terms of sales, how much time you spend creating valuable content, etc. But, at the end of the day, blogging can be emotionally as well as financially rewarding so long as you do not stop, and keep at it, and show up consistently.

4. Blogging allows you to help others.

With the internet, everything we seek is at our fingertips, but in having so, we forget about the people who, every day, do their best to put content out there for your and my benefit.

As bloggers, we can join them!

Sure, I have paid products and courses that I make money from, but this blog is and always will be free for anyone who wishes to learn how to start a blog on the side and make a substantial part-time income.

And I’m not the only one! The internet is full of such free content that we use every day and benefit from.

When you start a blog, you’ll be a part of it. And you’ll be able to help not just with your free blog posts, but in many more ways as you grow your blogging community. And if you have a chance to do so — teach others what you know and help them live a better life — then I invite you to start your blogging journey today!

Trust me, it’ll be worth every single penny and every single second you invest in your blog.

5. Blogging brings you financial and emotional independence.

Even if we didn’t have a COVID crisis right now, blogging would still be something many would benefit from as it offers financial independence.

Not only that, but it also means independence from having a boss, so to speak.

You can blog in your own time, in your own schedule, with your own rules. You’re your boss, and the money you make depends on whether you continue your blog or not. No employer can fire you and stop your paycheck.

And believe it or not, that’s a kind of stability and mental peace many of us need in our lives.

6. Blogging gives you an outlet.

The coolest thing about blogging is that you have an outlet for things that have nowhere else to go.

I have this blog, for example, where I talk about blogging and also a bit about graphic and web design. My background is in engineering, so having an outlet to write and explore different things is huge for me.

But, aside from this blog, I also write on a few other platforms like Medium, Patreon, etc., which allows me even more freedom as to what I share and who I share them with.

Blogging can be that outlet for you as well. You literally have no restriction on what you can write about. Many people say things like how you need the right niche to make an income from your blog. Goodness, why?

It may have been the case a few years ago, but with Pinterest, you can literally make it so that you do not have to go looking for your audience. Instead, your audience will find you!

So, no. Whatever your niche is no longer a factor, and those who’re still spouting this BS of a profitable niche are way behind in their research.

7. Blogging allows you a certain level of anonymity.

One of the coolest things about blogging is that you can stay anonymous.

I know many bloggers talk about using professionally taken photos to grow your audience.

I mean, sure, there may be some truth to it. But it’s not the only way! You can still make money without slathering a smiley picture of yourself all over the place. I’m not entirely anonymous, but more so than many others. And I’m making a sizable income from my blog, working only part-time at it, ain’t I?

If I can, so do others. Nobody needs to know everything about your life (unless that’s your branding.) You can exercise anonymity and still grow as a blogger and make a living from it (or at least make a good side-income).

8. Blogging adds to your skillset.

The things we bloggers have to do…

Setting up WordPress (and maintain it) in and of itself is something to be proud of. And once you’ve done it for yourself, you can start doing it for others too (oh hey, look! If you were wondering what else you could add to your income streams… here’s an idea!)

Blogging will also make you proficient at using Google Analytics and Search Console.

It’ll help you grow your graphic design skills (those daily Pin and social media graphics pay off, my friends!)

It’ll help you understand SEO better.

You’ll become a better writer over time, and you’ll also get better at selling with your words! (Copywriting, anyone?)

And these are just a few of the things you’ll learn as a blogger.

9. Blogging enables personal growth.

When you blog, you’re not just accountable to yourself, you’re accountable to your entire audience.

Your audience expects to hear from you at a specific interval. Be that once a week or twice a week or once a day. You have to show up, and you have to deliver.

That makes you a more responsible person, but along with that, it also makes you more disciplined, more productive, and more efficient at how you do, not just blog-related tasks, but literally everything else in your life.

Blogging helps you grow as a human being, and that’s big!

10. Blogging can create engagements and opportunities.

Blogging in and of itself is great, but even if you have a different type of business, blogging can still be beneficial to you.

For example, consider these:

• Blogging will help you create a community and engage with those in your community, which will help you generate leads. So, even if you have a different type of business (service business like photography, virtual assistance, web design and development, graphic design, etc.), blogging can help you get clients.
• Blogging can often open up speaking opportunities or offers of books and such. One blogger I knew got a YA fiction book deal partly thanks to her blog.
• Blogging will help you become an authority in your field, which will, in turn, help you in whatever you’re pursuing. Whether you’re selling a product or looking to get more speaking gigs or get a book published, people trust those with authority, and blogging can help you get that.

Bonus: Blogging allows you to write even when you’re not actually a writer, per se.

This is more personal for me.

You see, I love my profession as an engineer. I love the work, and it is satisfying on many levels.

I like my work so much that I never feel jealous of any other profession, never thought I wanted to do something else, or never looked at another person and thought, oh, I wish I could do what they’re doing.

There’s just one exception. I always hoped I could write like some of my favorite writers do. Reading an essay by Didion would keep me up at night, going over what I’d just read. I wished I could have that kind of impact on people.

Well, I’m no Didion. Or Kafka. Or Murakami, or Nabokov, or Moshfegh, or any of my favorite authors. And I know I’ll never be one of them.

But guess what? I found a way to write and get my word out and have them read. Sure, no one stays up at night with my words in their hearts and their brains, but I know there are those who read ’em.

And that’s enough for me.

Blogging has given me a way to get my words out, and I’m eternally grateful for that!

If you love words as much as I do, then I’m sure you’d love to be a blogger. Even if you weren’t a good writer, even if you couldn’t string words together like your favorite authors, you will still be able to write and get your words read by others. Wouldn’t you love that?

I know I do!

That’s it, guys. 10… no, 11 reasons why you should start a blog as soon as today! If you’re stuck inside like me, today may just be the day! In fact, make today the day you start your blog! Take charge, and start it already!

If you want to start your blog and grow it fast, you should sign up for my Blogging Blueprint course bundle. It will help you, and in this time of crisis, it will help me too!

Also, there’s a totally free course on how to start a blog that you can sign up for (below.)

Stay safe and stay inside as much as possible. Maintain social distance (6 ft), wash your hands, cough in your elbows, and stop touching your face!

Questions about starting your blog? Leave them in the comments below, and I’ll do my best to respond as soon as I can.