Did you know I recently filed as a business as a blogger?
If you’re asking yourself how to turn your blog into a business or can your blog be considered a business, this blog post is for you.
In January 2018, I knew I wanted to file as a business – even though I didn’t know what type or how to file as a one. At this point of my blogging journey, I was at 14,000 followers on Instagram and driving 1,000-2,000 page views a month. I also finished the end of the year strong as I closed out collaborations with H&M, Delsey USA, and the Tacoma Mall.
Ironically I also had NO brand collaborations in the entire month of January. Even though I knew I needed to file as a business sometime this year, I was freaked out as no brands reached out or responded to my pitches. As I look back at the start of the year, I realize now that not having any brand collaborations actually allowed me the time and space to think about what I needed to do to file as a business.
With this main goal in mind, I came up with three goals:
Goal #1: Drive 10,000 monthly page views a month
Goal #2: Bring in $500 from blog collaborations a month
Goal #3: Research and determine what type of business to file for these next 6 months – and file as business
If I wanted to file as a business, I knew I had to prioritize these three things in my blogging journey. I’m proud to share how I achieved these goals in 10 months:
Goal #1: Drive 10,000 monthly page views a month
Besides building my Instagram audience, I knew I needed to prioritize building my blog audience. I learned in 2017 that increasing the number of blog posts per month, focusing on SEO, and continuing to create valuable content for my audience was going to help get me there. You can read about the 7 key things I did to drive traffic to my blog here.
Goal #2: Bring in $500 from blog collaborations a month
To be honest, I knew if I focused on driving more traffic to my blog, I knew the brand collaborations would come. I’ve mentioned this before in my 10 Blogging Secrets Part 1 and Part 2 blog posts, but 80-90% of my brand collaborations are the brands finding me. Even when I was trading free clothes for Instagram posts, it’s mainly the brands reaching out to me via Instagram or email.
I had a financial goal but I didn’t focus on the money, I focused on the content and being consistent.
Goal #3: Research and determine what type of business to file for these next 6 months
One of the core requirements of my master’s program is the Law of Digital Media class. I enrolled in this class spring quarter and we were tasked to create a project that circulated around the digital media space and how laws affected or impacted our specific subject. I used this project to achieve my third goal. I spent the entire quarter researching what types of businesses were out there and when bloggers should file as a business. I also did extensive research on the tax laws around gift giving/bartering and trade.
After 10 weeks, I produced three major blog posts as my final project for the class:
The Business of Blogging: Is your blog a hobby or business?
This blog posts introduces why I chose this as my final project. I also explore the influencer marketing industry explosion (it’s projected to be a $2 billion industry in 2019). Additionally, I shared the 9 questions the IRS published to help taxpayers determine if they’re a business or not. I rewrote these 9 questions into 6 blogger specific questions to help bloggers figure out if they should file as a business or not.
The Business of Blogging: Types of Business Entities to File as a Blogger
If you haven’t filed as a business yet but are interested learning what types of business to file as, this blog post is for you. I share the pros and cons of each business type and relevant tax information I learned from the IRS website.
The Business of Blogging: Blogging as a Hobby? Here’s what you need to know
Did you know you’re supposed to be reporting those gifted items? Did you know they’re considered bartering income? Did you know you’re supposed to report our earnings if you’ve earned more than $400?
After completing this class project in June, I knew I was better equipped to file as a business. I had achieved 2 out of the 3 goals I had outlined at the beginning of the year. I was feeling good but I still questioned if it was the right time. Honestly, I should have filed as a business in June but my confidence held me back.
After having an incredible summer of partnerships and devoting even more time to the blog since I took summer off for grad school, I finally decided to file as a business at the end of August. And in September, I broke my goal of 10,000 page views a month.
So I did it! I achieved all three of my goals and here are the main reasons why I decided to file as a business:
The 5 main reasons why I filed as a business:
Why I Filed as a Business #1: I filed as a business to protect my personal assets
When you file as a business (LLC, general partnership, and corporations), your personal assets are protected. This means if a brand sues you, they can only go after your business assets.
If you file or record your tax forms as a sole proprietor, you’re putting your personal assets at risk. If a brand sues you, they can go after your personal savings, car, and house.
Why I Filed as a Business #2: I wanted to make sure I’m paying the right taxes
Honestly, I knew I was making too much money to be considered a sole proprietor. I wanted to make sure I was also paying the right taxes. I’ll be working with my aunt (she does taxes for a living) this year to make sure I have the right forms for my future partnerships.
Why I Filed as a Business #3: I wanted to track and record my expenses
Up until this year, I only spent money for photography and budgeted it for it on a monthly basis. But I’ve taken a few blogging trips (to NYFW and with Travel Oregon) where I’ve spent money on food, airfare, and etc. I want to make sure I’m tracking my expenses against my revenue to ensure I’m actually making a profit as a blogger! Mileage, meals, photo shoots, and props for flat lays all add up.
Why I Filed as a Business #4: I had to make it official – I achieved my goals and put so much work into blogging
Blogging is my second career and full time job. I probably spent at least 15-20 hours a week on blogging on top of my full time job and school. At this point of my blogging career, I’m negotiating with brands with rates and the level of statement of work. I’m traveling for events, managing multiple collaborations each week, and I’m always brainstorming and writing content.
Have you filed as a business yet? What point did you decide to file as a business?
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Thank you for reading!
Love,
Emma
This is really helpful! I just filed as a business a few months ago after I started getting a lot of brand sponsorships and ad revenue. I’ve been keeping track of all goods/services, but didn’t realize the threshold was only $400!