Hello
Do you ever feel like all the hours you put into your business are just not moving the needle?
Ever feel like your time is ‘wasted’?
Me too.
So today, I’d like to talk about why that’s a key part of the process.
It’s not only normal,
It’s essential.
Here’s why…
We all wish we could just do the required amount of work, and our business profits would grow in line with that.
But – spoiler alert – that’s not how small businesses work.
That’s how JOBS work.
And when you’ve had a job for 10, 20, 30 years of your life, you have a certain mindset that’s engrained in your brain.
With a business, there are times, when you’ll find yourself doing a shitload of work and having very little to show for it.
Totally normal. I promise.
My first experience of this was when I launched my first blog, 9 months before the pandemic.
For the first 6 months, I worked my arse off, every evening.
I worked all day in my day job, picked up my kids from nursery, put them to bed and then worked all evening on it.
I made about $50 in total.
Then the blog started to grow, and in month 8, it was accepted by Mediavine and I finally started to make some money.
Then in month 9, travel shut down and it was right back to making less than $1 per day.
I could have quit.
Suddenly, I needed to work in my day job, do homeschool and parent a toddler.
That would have been a valid reason to quit, right?
That would have been okay.
But I didn’t.
I kept going.
In 2024, I’ve expanded my team.
I’m investing more profits than ever before.
I’ve grown my skills and experience.
Yet my numbers are half of what they were last year.
And that’s okay too.
It’s normal.
Yet still, we all have that niggling doubt.
“What if it’s not okay?”
“What if this is all a waste of time?”
The doubt is strongest when we’re tired from juggling the work, the family, the pets, the chores…
When we have to choose between spending what little time is left on some much-needed sleep… or continuing to work on the blog… or the YouTube channel, or the Facebook page, or whatever else we feel we ‘should’ be doing.
How do we know if we should continue on the same path, pivot, or throw in the towel completely?
Well, it comes down to value.
How much value is your business offering to the world?
Value can be broken down like this:
the size of the problem you’re solving
multiplied by
the number of people you’re solving it for
If you can solve big problems, for a large number of people, you’re bound to make money (eventually).
In fact, it’s hard not to. Once you accept that success isn’t linear.
Now, when it comes to niche websites…
We like to obsess over the number of people that are visiting the site.
Because that’s easy to measure. Just open your phone, tap the app and there’s a graph you can look at. It’s effortless.
But what we should be obsessing over…
Is the size of the problems we’re solving.
Because if you can solve people’s problems, for free, they’ll come back to you again and again.
An example:
Let’s say you have a tech troubleshooting website.
A few years ago, your articles were solving problems. You were offering value. Your article was the only resource to help someone whose iPad screen had turned grey.
But now, your value is gone.
Google will give the searcher a faster, AI answer. Or, they can ask ChatGPT. Or they can watch a YouTube video. Or read a thread on Reddit. Or read one of the other 1000 articles that now answer the exact same question.
Your website no longer offers a high level of value because it’s no longer the best solution to the user’s problem
In this situation, you would be crazy to keep creating more of the same content.
Another example:
Let’s say you have a Disney blog.
A person has dreams of taking their kids to Disney World on the trip of a lifetime, but they have no idea where to start with the planning, and they’re busy (like all parents are).
So you come along with your Disney blog and you meet them on Facebook where they’re midlessly scrolling before bed.
Your ad says – “Visiting Disney World in 2025? Our simple tips will make it magical”.
So they like your page.
Over the next week on Facebook, they see your useful articles that explain key things like the best and worst parks to go to for kids of various ages, which dining options are great and which are a rip-off, what to pack and which items are banned.
When reading your articles, they see a popup offering a free download of a planner. They want that.
Now you have their email address.
Every day, you’re more and more helpful. You solve problems they didn’t even know they had.
You never ask for anything in return.
They wonder why your service is free, since it’s so good.
Your content is so helpful that when their friend also starts planning a trip, they say, “Take a look at this website I used”.
You’re solving big problems for these people.
And how many people visit Disney?
157 million each year.
So you can grow a big audience too.
THIS is how you make money with blogging.
If you’re doing all of this and not making money yet, then keep going, because you will, eventually.
I’m certain of it.
NSL
P.S. If you need any help with training, tools or resources, everything I use myself is here for you.