Blogging, Income Report

July 2016 Travel Blog Income Report (And Traffic, Too)

July is the month where I should give up…

Back in January, I set specific goals for the year. By July, I wanted to hit 10k a month in traffic. By October, I wanted to cover the mortgage plus fulltime childcare with income from my blog and writing.

My first goal has reached its deadline, and I failed. I’m off by over 2k hits. To add insult to injury, I also had my lowest income of the year in July – making the goal of covering the mortgage plus fulltime childcare look impossible.

 

Each month I publish a travel blog income report to inspire others to plan their own exit strategy from the cubicle hamster race. Here's July's edition.

 

Yet, it gets worse. On the afternoon of Friday, July 9, I was hard at work in the home office when the garage door opened. My wife wasn’t expected home for another two hours. Instinctively, I knew what happened. She was laid off. It was a move we’ve been expecting since she went back to work from maternity leave only to find her position given away. The company waited until any FMLA protection window was over and laid her off. Her department is now full of only men. I guess her company doesn’t want to deal with those pesky things called moms…

I could go on about the injustice and lack of ethics of her old company, but I won’t. The point is that she was the breadwinner. With her out of work, it looks like my dream should finally come to end.

 

Each month I publish a travel blog income report to inspire others to plan their own exit strategy from the cubicle hamster race. Here's July's edition.

 

Yet, for some reason, I feel renewed. Call it insane, but I’m not ready to toss in the towel. The following reasons are keeping me going:

  1. I landed four major contracts / opportunities right as the rug was pulled out from under us. All of those will come to fruition in August or later.
  2. The summer is a slow time for blogs. People are on vacation or outside playing Pokemon. Most bloggers I know are experiencing similar drops.
  3. My course development is coming along very well. The survey results from the beta were very positive. I truly believe my course (plus one of the above-mentioned deals I closed) will push my income and traffic to the levels I set out.
  4. My wife is wickedly smart and a hard worker. I’m confident she will come out of this with a raise and promotion at a company that is nowhere near as toxic as her old employer.

 

Each month I publish a travel blog income report to inspire others to plan their own exit strategy from the cubicle hamster race. Here's July's edition.

 

In other happenings for July, Deacon made his television debut! He went Charlotte Today with me as a prop for a segment on tips for taking a road trip with a baby. I think he did amazing! What do you think?

Travel-wise, the month was slow. We had a beach vacation planned but postponed it due to Shannan losing her job. Never fear, as we made it up in August, and it was amazing!

 

Each month I publish a travel blog income report to inspire others to plan their own exit strategy from the cubicle hamster race. Here's July's edition.

 

Travel Blog Income Report

I only made $678 in July from my blog and freelance writing.

Honestly, I feel like I got sucker-punched, and I’m on the ground gasping for air. I have no excuses nor any idea what happened other than I slowed down development of my course, 15 Steps to Sponsored Blog Travel.

 

Each month I publish a travel blog income report to inspire others to plan their own exit strategy from the cubicle hamster race. Here's July's edition.

 

The beta is done and the feedback was all positive. I could have released it as is but felt there was still room for improvement. The marketing plan wasn’t exactly solid, either. I actually have Shannan helping with the launch as her project management and product develop expertise is exactly what I need right now. I’m hoping to launch the course in mid-Sept with pre-sells starting in August.

 

Each month I publish a travel blog income report to inspire others to plan their own exit strategy from the cubicle hamster race. Here's July's edition.

 

If you’re interested in learning more about 15 Steps to Sponsored Blog travel, please provide your email address below:

 

Business Operating Expenses

My business operating expenses were relatively normal with the exception of a $200 write-off. I miscalculated a “bonus” from a freelance client for article shares. Also, July marks the last month I will employ a virtual assistant until my wife goes back to work. With our income down, I could no longer justify the expense. It’s a shame because my virtual assistant was awesome. However, I’m now doing her roles while I shift some more technical stuff over to Shannan.

 

Each month I publish a travel blog income report to inspire others to plan their own exit strategy from the cubicle hamster race. Here's July's edition.

 

Traffic Report

Even though I didn’t hit my monthly traffic goal in July, it was my second highest month of the year at 7,524 hits. I oddly interpret this as a positive sign.

 

Each month I publish a travel blog income report to inspire others to plan their own exit strategy from the cubicle hamster race. Here's July's edition.

 

I also interpret my top blog posts for July as a positive sign. As always during the summer, my What to Wear in Europe post sits at the top. The rest of the posts are either from July or related to beer travel. This is exactly what I want to see in my top five posts as I am a craft beer travel blog and I want to make sure my current posts are relevant.

  1. What to Wear in Europe this Summer
  2. Daytrip to Shelby to Visit Bridges Barbecue Lodge and Newgrass Brewing
  3. 48 Hours in Asheville, North Carolina: A Self-Guided Brewery Tour
  4. 21 Essential Trips for a Successful Road Trip with a Baby
  5. A Craft Beer Lovers Aruba Beer Guide

 

Do you love travel blog income reports? Sign-up to receive mine directly in your inbox.

 

Each month I publish a travel blog income report to inspire others to plan their own exit strategy from the cubicle hamster race. Here's July's edition.