The Coronavirus lock down hit most of us without any warning. Even though I saw the virus coming back in December (I watch way too much Walking Dead), it never occurred to me that we’d all be sitting at home with the world pretty much shut down by March. 

There may be links in this blog post, some of them might be affiliate links for which I earn a small amount if you click on them, a really small amount it turns out. Still, full disclosure and all that…

The shut down has decimated industries like travel, entertainment and retail, but it’s been a boom to anything and anyone that does business online. Amazon is raking in the dough, and so are smaller online only retailers. Not only are brick and mortar shops closed, but there’s a captive audience stuck at home. Barely anyone had heard of Zoom before March 2020 and now we’ve all got our own Tiger King background.

The pandemic has been horrible, and I don’t want to in any way minimize the devastation it has caused, but it has also revealed opportunity. All signs point to us being locked down again in the fall or having rolling lock downs for the next year or until there is a vaccine. If you’ve been furloughed or laid off, now is a very good time to start a new side gig. And if done right, that side gig can turn into a full time job that you can’t be laid off from in the future.

I started this blog back in 2007 on a little platform called Blogger. It was free and relatively easy to do. I had read an article in the local paper about a few women who had started blogging to promote a cookbook they had self published. Since I was writing a book, I knew I would eventually have to market it. I also knew I was going to monetize my blog with ads and sponsored reviews. Blogging has opened up opportunities I could never have imagined and to this day I make my living blogging.

If you’ve got a skill that can translate into a service or product, there’s never been a better time to launch your own website or blog. Making money with a blog or website doesn’t happen overnight, and it takes hard work and dedication, but you are your own boss, and you can work from home. All you need is a computer, an internet connection and you can set up shop.

Setting up shop has never been easier with WordPress, the free open-source content management system that allows you to easily create stunning websites. The cost of your domain and hosting – the server where your website is located – is minimal, even if you go all out and purchase a premium theme.

If you’re interested in starting your own blog or website I’ll help you out (when I first started blogging I had a lot of help and promised myself I would pass it on). Sign up with Bluehost (they’ll give a free domain when you sign up) and I’ll walk you through installing WordPress and adding either a free or premium theme. I use Bluehost for my hosting and for my client’s hosting. They are by far the best hosting company I have ever experienced and I’ve experienced a lot them. Their tech support is superb and available 24/7 (this will come in handy, I promise you).

How can you make money with a blog or website? 

There is no limit to how you can make money with your blog or website, but some of the most popular ways include – paid advertising, affiliate links, reviews, selling ebooks, selling ebooks that you’ve created (by far the better option), selling your services, coaching, podcasts, how-to articles, etc. You can even sell your own physical items like jewelry, paintings, photography, crafts, music – really anything you can think of. Have you ever dreamed of being an influencer? This is how you get started.

If you’d like my help (for free) installing WordPress and installing a theme send me an email – jen@redheadranting.com – and we’ll get started.