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I have worked in a variety of jobs and businesses throughout my life ranging from mopping the floors at McDonalds to owning and running a multi-million dollar technology company.  I’ve worked within many different types of business models and had first-hand experience with the benefits and pitfalls of each.  I’ve worked within sole proprietorships, partnerships, private companies, public companies, MLM companies and franchises.

I’m always studying business models and looking for the “perfect” one.  Of course the term “perfect” is completely subjective as everyone has different tastes and preferences when it comes to business.  Today I just wanted to briefly discuss Blogging as a Business model to see if perhaps it sparks an interest for you.

From my two years of Blogging experience, I’ve been able to identify the following benefits of this model:

• Very low startup costs. Whereas a typical business requires anywhere from $5,000 - $10,000 in startup capital, and a typical franchise upwards of $250,000 to start, starting a Blog can be easily achieved by scrounging up the loose change you have in your couch, and returning the pop cans in your garage.  Although there are free blogging platforms available out there, I am referring to the “Blogging as  Business” model which in my opinion does require a domain (Less than $10/year) and good hosting (Less than $9/month).
• Scalable Income. Blogging can provide you with a scalable income stream that grows almost immediately.  Meaning, you can technically start making money from your Blog within minutes of launching it using something like Google Adwords.  It’s not going to be much at first but the point is that you can technically be producing an income right away.  The income is then scalable as time goes on and you build your Blog.  This is in contrast to some business models out there in which you don’t make any money for a certain period of time (if ever) and then all of a sudden if everything goes well you make millions of dollars.
• Establishing Authority. Blogging can help you establish authority.  In the “old days” people used to establish authority by getting Ph.D’s and/or by writing books and getting published, or by becoming celebrities.  Now, with a Blog you can start writing on a topic you know about and over time you can establish yourself as an expert in the field.
• Road to Get Published. If one day you’d love to write your own book and get it published by a major publisher, Blogging can help you get there.  Not only does writing help you become a better writer, it also establishes your authority and writing style in the marketplace and “proves” to the publisher that you’ve got an audience.  Publishers are starting to really take notice of Professional Bloggers and to offer them book deals.  Blogging could be your ticket to get published if that’s what you’re looking for down the line.
• Selling your Services. Even if your intention is not to make money from your Blog in the traditional sense by having advertising etc., you can still use your Blog to establish an audience for your services.  For example, lets say that you are a life coach.  You could write a Blog and build an audience and then simply use the Blog as a way to get more clients for your coaching business.  You don’t need to make money from Blogging to make money WITH your Blog.
• Feedback. Blogging can provide you with a feedback forum for your ideas.  People will read your Blog posts, comment on them, provide feedback and it helps you to grow and evolve your ideas.  This can be an invaluable resource for you.
• Master of Your Own Domain. Everything you need to build a six-figure Blogging business is at your fingertips.  You can do it without any employees, not a lot of startup capital, and no other major resources needed besides your own energy and time.  You live and die by your own sword and whether your Blog is a success or a dud is completely up to you.  Your fate is in your hands alone.
• No Competition. When I talk to people about Blogging, inevitably if they start to research the path and consider starting their own Blog they generally get overwhelmed by all the “competition” out there because there are already so many Blogs out there.  This is a complete illusion.  You can never have any competition because there is only one of you, and your uniqueness and the uniqueness of your opinion makes it impossible for anyone else to compete.
• Planet Friendly. Blogging saves the planet. :)  Instead of printing books on paper we write articles in digital format.  You can Blog from home so it saves on all the gas burned driving to a job.  It’s probably not very expensive to offset the carbon footprint of a Blog.
• First Mover Advantage. I remember not so long ago people used to ask “Do you have an email address?” and not everyone did.  Then everyone had an email address and the question changed to “What’s your email address?”  Then, things changed again and now the question is “Which email address do you want me to send this to?” since now everyone has multiple email addresses.  I totally believe that just like with email addresses, pretty soon everyone will have an online website/blog.  Right now people are still in that stage of “Do you have a website / Blog?” but it’s just a matter of time before the tipping point changes that to “What’s your website?”  If you get started on yours now, you’ll have an advantage over others.
• You Don’t Have to be a Programmer. Unlike traditional website design and programming, you can create and setup a Wordpress Blog and learn how to run it effectively even if you’re not a computer programmer.  I think it’s even going to get easier as time goes on.
• Rewarding. Blogging can be really rewarding.  Knowing that you’ve helped out some stranger in another country you’ve never even met can be very fulfilling.  I’ve personally received many emails from people thanking me for helping them in their lives and I’ve even connected and built friendships with people I would have never met if it wasn’t for launching this Blog.
• Overcome Your Fears. Building a Blog can help you to overcome personal fears of getting your opinion out there into the public.  This can have a huge positive impact in your personal and business life.  It helps you to establish your “voice”, build authority and gain confidence.
• Freedom over Your Schedule. You are free to work when you’re most productive.  If that’s from 2am to 4am, or 3pm to 10pm, it’s entirely up to you.  You can use the Wordpress scheduled Post feature to post your articles whenever you want, regardless when you write them.
• Eventual Passive Income. Although in the beginning the whole “Passive Income Stream” idea in Blogging is a bit of a myth, as time goes on and you build your Blog up it really does become a semi-passive income stream.  Every article you write can continue to produce income for you many years into the future.  It’s entirely possible that a Blog post you write today can still be making income for you 50 years from now and beyond.

This list is far from all-inclusive.  There are many other benefits, but I just wanted to give you a sampling of what Blogging brings to the table in case it sparks at interest in you as a possible business path.  Of course there are some disadvantages to the model as well which I didn’t go into because for today I just wanted to highlight some of the advantages.

I am currently working on a Membership Site which will teach people how to start and build a “Blogging For Money” online business.

Stay tuned!