MAKING A SHIFT TO FULL TIME BLOGGING IN INDIA

Very often I get messages from aspiring and established bloggers who want to quit their regular jobsand make a shift to blogging full time. In most of the cases, they’re not completely sure if they’re ready to let go off a secure job that gets them a regular income. No matter how much you enjoy creating content and blogging, this decision could be a tricky one. Here is why-

• Blogging is an unorganized industry. There are no rules and no safety nets. There are also no guarantees.
• Since we are the first generation of bloggers, we still don’t know how sustainable a career in blogging is.
• As would be the case for any one freelancing, some moths could be great monetarily while others could be super slow. It will take time to stabilize your income.
• How much you earn depends on you and your negotiation skills, besides the number of opportunities that come your way. There are no industry rates as such. Some one with more reach could be earning less than someone who isn’t as established, purely because of how well they can negotiate. That is how this industry works.

I don’t mean to scare you. The idea is to introduce you to the other side of the industry that looks all too easy from outside. I’ll complete one year of blogging full time in June. When I graduated from Hindu College, Delhi University last year, I made the decision of taking up blogging as a career, unlike my friends who either decided to do their post grad or prep for their civils. I’ve not regretted a day of making the decision of blogging full time but I do have my moments of insecurity where I question myself and if I’m doing enough.

While it may be tough, there are a lot of bloggers in India who made the decision of leaving their regular jobs to take up full time blogging. I got in touch with three such bloggers- Richa from My Food Story, Ankiet from Belly Over Mind and Kalyan from Finely Chopped. I believe reading about their successful transition from having a regular job to making a full time career in blogging will help you figure what may or may not work for you. But as I said, this industry has no rules and there is no set formula to success here. Read on-

RICHA’S STORY –

1) What was your job before you started blogging full time? Now that you look back, what is that about blogging that appeals you more than your previous job? 

I used to work as Marketing Communications Manager at Honeywell before I started blogging full time. In fact I started my blog while I was working there.While I loved my job, I’ve always been really passionate about food and cooking. And that’s the most exciting thing about this – that I get to do what I love. I really enjoy the fact that I can share my love for food and cooking with people from around the world and that I have been able to build a community – actually more like a family – of people who get as excited as I do about food.I also love the fact that I am my own boss, though I have to say that I work way longer hours now than I did at my previous job. Blogging also helped me build a completely new skill set with photography, styling, understanding SEO, working with social media and brand building.

2) When did you decide to take the decision of blogging full time? Was it a tough decision to make?

I decided to quit my job to become a full time blogger one and half years after I started blogging. It was both – a tough and easy decision to make. It was tough because making a salary at the end of the month is safe, and doing something you’ve done for five years is comfortable; but it was easy because I knew this was what I wanted to do, my family 200% supported me, and the blog was already doing well. I was making almost as much as my current job, which gave me confidence that this could really become a full time thing.

3) Is there a right time to make the switch? Is it important to have a back-up plan?

I always like to play safe which is why I waited till I was making as much as my current job before quitting. Having said that, I don’t think there is a ‘right time’. If this is something you want to do, you should just jump in and do it.

4) Talk about your transition period from a regular job to blogging full time. Were there any challenges? If yes, how did you tackle them?

The worst challenge was overcoming the urge to sit in my pyjamas all day and watch Netflix. I still don’t think I’ve figured that out and I give in sometimes. But seriously, it was a little difficult in the beginning. Working from home needs a lot of self-motivation. Running your own business also means that at least in the beginning, you wear many hats and basically end up being the content creator, writer, photographer, tech guy, SEO expert, marketing person – all at one go. But it also means that you learn so much along the way. Which can be fun!

Eventually, I figured out how to prioritise and how to say no. Which is one of the most important things in this business. There are so many exciting projects that’ll come your way that it’ll be a tough choice but saying no has helped me give my best, and doing only the things that I truly love. I also have a lovely set of people who work with me and help make My Food Story what it is today. Delegating and trying not to do everything by yourself can go a long way to making a business successful.

5) Do you have any advice for people who’re contemplating quitting their jobs to take up blogging as a full-time profession? 

My biggest advice would be to find a niche. Don’t try and do what everyone else is doing – find what’s unique about you and what’s your story and find a way to share that. Also, if your goal is create an income from blogging, treat it as a business from the start. This helps straighten a lot of things out. This doesn’t mean that you stop having fun – it just means that you do both!

ANKIET’S STORY-

1) What was your job before you started blogging full time? Now that you look back, what is that about blogging that appeals you more than your previous job?

I was a features writer for a food magazine before I started blogging full time. Blogging will always be that creative outlet that I use to express my own opinions, record my journey by way of every dish I cook, and help inspire so many along the way. That feeling of elation when someone connects with you via something you’ve written or cooked can never compare to a boring desk job. 

2) When did you decide to take the decision of blogging full time? Was it a tough decision to make?

 It was at first. It must have been 2015 when I knew that this was something I wanted to do full time because it made me happy. I didn’t think back then about monetising it, and didn’t even know how to grab more eyeballs, but what was more important was that I believed in myself enough to take the plunge and say, “no you’re good. You just need to get out there and start”. Everything since has fallen into place thankfully. 

3) Is there a right time to make the switch? Is it important to have a back-up plan?

 I would say use your existing job if you have one to fund your blog from the ground up. After that, just keep creating quality content passionately and regularly. Good work will always pay off. Keep at it till you can make the switch from your job to blogging full time.

4) Talk about your transition period from a regular job to blogging full time. Were there any challenges? If yes, how did you tackle them?

When I made the switch I had more time on my hands and there were moments that I would get complacent because working for yourself can feel like a little vacation sometimes. However, this vacation was very short because I pumped all this extra time back into the blog developing plans for growth, marketing it shamelessly, and creating endless lists and schedules for myself. If I had to support myself from this point on, I had to wake up every morning with a purpose, and this attitude helped me shape the blog into what it is today. 

5) Do you have any advice for people who’re contemplating quitting their jobs to take up blogging as a full-time profession?

Do it slowly. There’s no rush and while you may feel like there are many out there, and I admit it can be intimidating, just remind yourself that your voice is unique and no one can take that away from you.

KALYAN’S STORY-

1) What was your job before you started blogging full time? Now that you look back, what is that about blogging that appeals you more than your previous job?

I spent most of my career as a market researcher, before I became a freelance food writer, apart from a short stint in strategic planning in an ad agency. I began blogging in 2007 while I was working as a market researcher and started to make a move out of the agency world in 2013.

What I like about my life as a food writer is that it allows me to focus on food and tell stories about it which is what I love to do. I love the fact that it has allowed me to become an entrepreneur of sorts and that I have got to combine my past experience as a market researcher and my current role as a content creator. I also love the fact that helps me connect with people from different parts of the world and from different fields of life. Above all, I am a lot happier now than I was before.

2) When did you decide to take the decision of blogging full time? Was it a tough decision to make?

I had taken a sabbatical from market research and that’s when I decided to give food writing a shot. Things didn’t really fall into place till my book, The Travelling Belly, was commissioned by Hachette. That’s when I felt that there was an objective to work towards and the rest then followed.

It was a tough decision to make. I belong to a generation where job roles were limited to medicine, engineering and the IAS and I had done neither to start with. To top that, I come from a Bengali middle class background where entrepreneurship is not espoused and where having a stable job is paramount. Add to that the fact that food blogging was and is still a new field and one didn’t know how to make a living out of it. Not that one knows entirely yet.

3) Is there a right time to make the switch? Is it important to have a back-up plan?

You will know when it is time to make a switch. This is when you have developed a bank of work and have proud yourself, first to yourself and then to others,

Back up plan is important. In terms of savings to start with and by keeping liabilities to a minimum.

4) Talk about your transition period from a regular job to blogging full time. Were there any challenges? If yes, how did you tackle them?

My biggest challenges was finding purpose in what I do? Figuring out what to do with all the free time that I had compared to the earlier. Not knowing how to proceed in a nascent industry.

To tackle them, I had to motivate myself first. Three things helped. Going for yoga at the Yoga Institute in Santa Cruz every evening which gave me something to do with my time and going to the campus gave me a sense of serenity. I joined the Soka Gakkai International, a lay Buddhist organisation. and that’s where I helped discover the purpose behind what I should do. That is, write stories of peace, happiness and hope from the world of food. That gave me fresh energy to write again and work then followed. Last and not the least was the unstinting support of my wife who said that she believed in me and urged me to live my dream. It’s just that I had to figure out what it was!

5) Do you have any advice for people who’re contemplating quitting their jobs to take up blogging as a full-time profession?

Don’t be in a hurry. Hone your writing skills. Figure out your purpose  in life. What excites you. Have faith and belief in yourself and then, what are you waiting for?

Also read Shivesh’s blog for more practical tips on how to do so 🙂