How I Failed at Being a Full Time Fashion Blogger

How to fail at being a full time fashion blogger. Yes, that is the title of this blog post and that is exactly what this post is about. No, there isn’t some hidden secret about how to reverse that failure, nor am I mad about it. I have been crafting this post in my head for months now and I am so excited to finally share it with you.

The Beginning

To start let’s rewind. Roughly 21 months ago I left my corporate job to help my husband run his business (he is in the military) and to focus my fashion blog full time. I had my content calendar planned out, I had dyed my hair the color I had always wanted to try (platinum blonde) and I was committed to my task. The first thing I did after quitting my job was go on a sponsored trip to London and the world seemed to open up. Look out here comes Rebecca!

Wahoo Content Calendars + A New Business

The next two few months I was entrenched in the reality of being a  full-time blogger. Content calendars have to be planned out, collaborations have to be found, contracts have to be signed etc. The not so glamorous stuff. I was perfectly comfortable with all of that filling my day until surprise, my husband and I decided to open a second business. Awesome.

The blog shifted back to a side hustle while still remaining my primary source of income while our lives became entrenched in transforming our original business while growing a second. This lasted about 9 months until the need for the second business basically disappeared and back we went to one business.

The Reality Sets In

At this point I was already failing. One year in and yes I was making a living blogging but 90% of my time and energy was spent on things that weren’t my blog. Oops. But as it turns out I love business. I love starting businesses, growing businesses, merchandising, analyzing data and watching things sell. I still loved blogging but I started to resent it a little bit because I was primarily blogging to make money which turns out I am not that good at.

Why I Started in the First Place

My blog started out as a whimsical outlet for me to create editorial inspired content using clothing that wasn’t editorially priced. It was great fun. However when your blog is your primary source of income that means it has to make money. Affiliate links can be one source but a better way to do that is brand collaborations. I have been so incredibly fortunate to work with brands that I adore and so many amazing local and international companies. However my blog is generally not commercial enough for 99% of the opportunities out there for bloggers to make money and I am ok with that. I have tried fitting a different mold in the past but it has never worked for me so I am sticking to what I do best. At the end of the day my blog is a creative outlet and I am 100% happy with that.

I Officially Failed

So ya, I failed at being a full time blogger, but I am actually really happy I did. I also don’t regret giving it a try because I learned SO much. My brother once told me when your hobby becomes your job you need a new hobby and he was right. Blogging will stay for me the side hustle it has always naturally been. I also have entirely too much fun being a badass business woman as a primary occupation to give that up either. As we close 2018 my lesson is this: try things and fail. Realize that not every job is for every person. Also, I may have failed at being a full time blogger BUT I succeeded at so many other things this year. I am ending 2018 as a resounding success, but more on that tomorrow.

Thank you as always for reading and happy (almost) new year.