Why You Need to Start a Blog This Week

Kraig | September 9, 2013 | 23 Comments · Doing What You Love

Last week, I linked to Chris Guillebeau's site, The Art of Non-Conformity, in my post featuring an interview with Sean Ogle of Location 180. I have to credit Sean for pushing me to take a closer look at Chris' site, giving me the chance to find this gem, 279 Days to Overnight Success, by Chris Guillebeau. This 79 page manifesto has changed the way I think about Create My Independence, giving me the inspiration, encouragement and tools to head down a different, better path.

279-Days-to-Overnight-Success

279 Days to Overnight Success

This document is a collection of Chris' thoughts and beliefs of how to add value for people in this day and age. It's directed at those of us non-conformists, who want something more from life than a 9-5 til 65, where we dress up in business casual attire, drive through rush hour traffic to spend 8-10 hours a day in a cubicle, get ourselves into unsustainable debt and become tied down to one job and one location. It's for us internally motivated people who want to make a difference with what we do every day while enjoying it and also having freedom to leave it when we want to do other things. Chris has coined the phrase, "World Domination", where he tells people, “You don’t have to live your life the way other people expect you to.” To spread this message and connect like-minded people who want to really change the world, he puts on the "World Domination Summit" every year, which I plan to attend in 2014. Here's Chris' outline for building an audience that allows you to add value to others and reach your potential at the same time:

Create a Compelling Story and Be Remarkable
Clearly Answer the “Reason Why”
Prioritize Writing and Marketing over Everything Else
Be Bigger Than You Really Are
Build Long-Lasting Relationships
Carefully Introduce Products and Services

Dig into the PDF for more information on those points. The overall message is to truly be remarkable at what you're doing and give it freely to people. If you invest heavily enough in other people through sharing what you have to give and building enough rapport, you can make this lifestyle a reality and not have to do work you hate for the rest of your life. Now, onto my main point for today:

Start a Blog This Week

It's 2013. The internet is a real thing these days and it's not going away. Resumes and cover letters have become LinkedIn profiles. Portfolios of work have become blogs and websites. Nine-to-five jobs are becoming a last resort. Opportunities are endless to build a business of your own, make money when you sleep and become location independent, where you can be wherever you want and work whenever you want. Sean did it. Chris did it too. This world domination stuff is actually possible these days for all of us.

Start-a-Blog

I've heard it said a countless number of times that the way to get started to a life like Sean's or Chris' is to start a blog. Starting my blog back in 2011 was one of the best decisions I ever made for my career. "But Kraig, it's a personal blog". No, it's not. In 2013, personal and professional are the same thing. My blog is my new resume. It shows you exactly who I am, what I'm capable of doing and what matters to me. It builds trust and credibility. It helps me network as well. I've met hundreds of people in person because of my blog and thousands of people digitally. I've even built real friendships through it with people who are a lot like me with similar values and goals in their life. Hands down, this blog has been one of the best things I've ever done professionally. I'd put it right up there with going to college. Whoah... did I just say that starting my blog was as important as going to college? I did. College was great for me. It helped me learn a lot, some of it useful, and some of it not useful. But in heading toward a life that's different than the norm, my college education didn't help me head in that direction. My blog did. My blog was the foundation of it all. And so were the blogs of Sean Ogle and Chris Guillebeau for them. Blogs are where it's at and if you want to live a life that's different from what others expect from you, I encourage you to STRONGLY consider starting a blog THIS WEEK.

How to Do It

To get you started, here's the basics of how to create a blog:

Choose a platform - I'll make this decision for you. Use Wordpress.
Get a hosting account and domain name - I'll make this choice for you too. Use Bluehost. It's about $100 per year ($8/month) and includes the domain name (which you can get at Bluehost). To support me in the process of creating your blog, please consider signing up for Bluehost using this link, which earns me a commission.
Install Wordpress through your Bluehost control panel.
Log into your new Wordpress site and write your first post.

Yes, it's really that easy.

Get My Free Video Series

Once you're convinced that you should start a blog, don't sweat it. There's still time. Sign up here to receive my free video series on how to start a blog that helps you create independence.

#Why You Should Start a Blog This Week #Start a Blog This Week #How to Start a Blog This Week #How to Start a Blog

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23 Comments

Michelle says:
September 9, 2013 at 12:56 PM
Great post! I love blogging and I definitely recommend it to others.
- Kraig @ Young Cheap Living says:
  September 9, 2013 at 1:06 PM
  Thanks, Michelle. Blogging does rock and it's definitely a stepping stone to building revenue outside of a job. Do you have anything add to my points on that? I know you focus highly on building income outside of your job.
Done by Forty says:
September 9, 2013 at 1:30 PM
I'm tempted to start another blog just to get your support... I'm still on Blogger & GoDaddy but haven't had enough reasons to switch over.
- Kraig @ Young Cheap Living says:
  September 9, 2013 at 1:34 PM
  DBF, Honestly, I don't know a ton about Blogger, but from the sounds of it in the blogging community, it's less awesome than Wordpress. If you want to give Wordpress/Bluehost a try, I'd be happy to help you make the transition. It may require more than I know how to do, but I could probably learn what I needed to learn. However, if Blogger is working for you and you don't see a need to switch, than what the heck, might as well stick with it. Take care,
Fast Weekly says:
September 9, 2013 at 3:44 PM
Thanks for the encouragement! I can't wait to check out the pdf. I think we all want the flexibility of being able to make good money working from anywhere, while doing what we love. By the way, congrats on the web traffic. That should be throwing off some pretty good revenue. Are you big enough to sell ads on your own, or do you prefer something like Adsense? -Bryan
- Kraig @ Young Cheap Living says:
  September 9, 2013 at 3:49 PM
  Hi Bryan, It's a great document. I'm glad you are excited to take a look at it. Actually, it isn't enough traffic to throw off good ad revenue. If you take a look at my site lately, you'll notice no ads, anywhere. To find out why I decided to pull them down, you'll also find that iin Chris' PDF on page 41. The fact is, I don't feel like selling out you reader to those companies advertising. I may add them back someday, but right now, I don't feel like they are adding value to my site, therefore, I removed them. My goal is offering value to readers in ways that I believe in. It's a longer term view, but one that I feel will better benefit readers. I'd love hear your thoughts after you reader that PDF.
- Kraig @ Young Cheap Living says:
  September 10, 2013 at 11:23 PM
  Hi Bryan, Glad you checked out the PDF. I absolutely love that piece of writing. I have to dig into more of what Chris has done on his site. He knows so much that I don't know. Thanks on the web traffic. It's not a huge amount of traffic, but it's something that I am proud of. The real awesomeness of it all is the community that we've created. When I get personal emails from people who have been impacted by this site and what's going on here, I'm so honored. I absolutely love it. Looking forward to continuing to talk and brainstorm about vision and strategy with you in the future!
krantcents says:
September 9, 2013 at 6:00 PM
I see his message as more universal! No excuses for not doing more and start today.
- Kraig @ Young Cheap Living says:
  September 10, 2013 at 11:20 PM
  KC, You're right. This is a universal message. Starting a blog is just... plain... AWESOME!!! Thanks for stopping by dude!
Brenden says:
September 9, 2013 at 6:46 PM
Great post. I finally started a blog after reading a similar post on Mr. Money Mustache. It is nice to have a place on the internet of my own. I went with Bluehost as well. It looks expensive in a lump sum but $8 a month is not bad at all. I don't know what direction to take my site but I will check out the PDF and maybe pick up a few ideas. Keep up the great work!
- Kraig @ Young Cheap Living says:
  September 10, 2013 at 11:19 PM
  Hi Brenden, Great to hear that MMM convinced you to get going and create your own place on the internet. It's kind of cool, isn't it? No, bluehost really is cool because it's cheap and they pay out nice commissions for those who refer people to it. Yeah, check that PDF out. I honestly reread it multiple times. Chris gave me a completely new perspective. In fact, I pulled down my ads in the last week because I agreed with everything he said about them. I simply couldn't keep them up. If you'd like to chat about the direction of your site, I'd love to brainstorm with you. Just shoot me an email. Talk to you soon!
Kevin Watts says:
September 12, 2013 at 12:03 AM
"In 2013, personal and professional are the same thing. My blog is my new resume. It shows you exactly who I am, what I’m capable of doing and what matters to me." I don't think anyone could have put that statement any better. Blogs are the new creative outlets, resumes, and cover letters all rolled into one. You not only get a sense of the persons hobbies, family life, thoughts, and beliefs, but a deeper insight into their dependability, effort, and skills.
- Kraig @ Young Cheap Living says:
  September 12, 2013 at 12:05 AM
  Kevin, Exactly. Glad you agree. This blogging thing is awesome stuff. It really is. We both know it, now we just have to communicate it out there with more people. Take care,
Brad says:
September 12, 2013 at 2:58 AM
Kraig, Thanks for posting this! It made me take the plunge to start a blog. I'll be reading the PDF, and hope to gain more ideas since I'm totally new to this.
Jamie says:
September 21, 2013 at 8:06 PM
See, I have mixed feelings about this. I mean, yes, posting a blog is an excellent idea, but I'm struggling with the 'content' portion of the equation. I don't have quite enough life experience to post about personal finance (as much as I love the topic), and I don't spend that much time thinking about anything else. That said, I'm still making the attempt.
Cedric says:
September 22, 2013 at 2:59 PM
I just started a blog a month ago about my journey removing debt from my life. It has really helped me be accountable by telling my story to whoever reads it. It is definitely hard work but it is one of the best decisions I have made. Hopefully in the future I can monetize it. That would be awesome! Great article!
Buttercup says:
September 23, 2013 at 8:23 AM
I just started my blog on August 18th! I really think and hope that it will be the best decision I ever make. I've read personal blogs for years now (mostly PF) and just recently got up the guts to create one of my own. Good luck to all those out there who are on this new journey as well!
- Cedric says:
  September 24, 2013 at 7:16 AM
  Hey Buttercup just checked out your website and its great! I just started out with my blog over a month ago and it's scary and exciting at the same time. Good luck!
Kevin Wilderman says:
September 24, 2013 at 10:55 AM
Really great points. I just started really getting into blogging over the past few years, and it was honestly one of the best decisions that I've ever made. I strongly recommend it to everyone!
Retire Before Dad says:
September 27, 2013 at 10:52 AM
Kraig, Thanks for the encouragement. I just started my blog this month. It's a slow process getting started, but I do believe it's going to be a fun long-term project that will grow from here. Been enjoying your blog for a while now. Craig
- Kraig @ Young Cheap Living says:
  September 27, 2013 at 4:31 PM
  RBD, Thanks for stopping by and saying hi. Congrats on starting a new blog. It is slow to get started, but once you get some writing under your belt, you can really change the direction of your life, make a difference to others and meet all kinds of new people who think like you. The fact that you're thinking long term with it is right on target. Good luck with it! Talk to you soon,
Chris says:
October 7, 2013 at 11:36 PM
Hey Kraig, I enjoyed the Wordpress tutorial you put on here. Can you show us an example on how you used Wordpress to make your blog home page? I think your homepage is very clean and people like me might appreciate the tour of "how you did it". Thx again for your help! Chris
- Kraig @ Young Cheap Living says:
  October 7, 2013 at 11:39 PM
  Hi Chris, Great suggestion. Let me see what I can do on this for you. Thanks for suggesting it!