Choosing Business Models for Tough Blog Niches – Stephanie Schuttler

Stephanie (stephanieschuttler.com) has a wildlife biologist position, but that position is ending.

She’s traveled the world, done a TON of speaking engagements (including TEDx), been featured in the media, and has interests in fashion, sustainable living, and blogging.

And now she needs to turn it into a business…

*cue dramatic music

Ok–it’s not really that dramatic, but I DID want to have Stephanie on the show to talk…

• How to choose a business model
• (i.e. how to get clarity and find a focus for monetization)
• How to leverage the blog for future career opportunities
• etc.

Enjoy this interview!

Here are some of my top takeaways from this episode…

1. Set yourself up for FUTURE success…

…no matter what.

If you’re looking to your blog/podcast to replace a full-time income, or even just make a few bucks on the side, there are few different outcomes.

1. You hit it big and make $$$$ really quick
2. You grow and make money, but it takes way longer than you expected.
3. You don’t make money and do something else.
4. You don’t make money and keep blogging

Given the uncertainty of blogging as a business, it’s crucial you make decisions that will help out “future you,” regardless of the outcome.

Re-read that ????

Whether it’s choosing a blog topic, experimenting with a podcast, or going all-in on a new project or business model–make sure you are getting something out of the process.

Set yourself to learn something or have a resume-boosting experience.

Set yourself up for success–even if you fail.

Don’t limit yourself to the “standard” blog monetization methods.

There are TONS of different ways to make money in this world, and even different ways to monetize a blog.

Take a close look at my friend Alex, who runs a real estate blog.

How does he monetize his blog?

By leveraging it to make connections offline that yield real estate deals.

Similarly, almost all of the travel hacking podcast guests (like Lee Huff or Traveling Tanya) leverage their blog to save big bucks on travel.

Could you use your blog to…

• Get more freelance clients?
• Grow a local small business?
• Get a better full-time job?
• Get paid speaking gigs?

When it comes to your blog and making money, have a bigger picture in mind.

**

Speaking of monetizing…

Next week on the podcast, Chelsea from Smart Money Mamas will be joining us to chat about finding product ideas (and how she made $90k in 12 months from a PDF).

Don’t miss it!