This post is part of Business Diaries, where I document my journey to grow a business around my blog The ADHD Homestead. You can read the full series here.
I’ll get into the nitty-gritty of my writing business in future posts, but first an introduction:
I founded The ADHD Homestead in 2014 with a dedicated but tiny audience. I felt committed to the blog, but didn’t immediately couple it to my professional identity. Who knew if it would take off, or if I’d be able to stay the course?
Several years later, The ADHD Homestead has eclipsed my other writing projects and become my primary focus, in part thanks to the following I’ve developed. Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t Made It Big or anything. I’ve yet to clinch the coveted blue checkmark on any of my social media accounts. But I think it’s safe to say I’m established.
While I took my work seriously even in the early days, I didn’t necessarily take my business seriously. And perhaps my caution was warranted, at least at first. My business ideas, like most of my ideas, haven’t always lasted. But over the years, my blog has became more of a fixture in the ADHD community. In addition to my hundreds of thousands of words of online content, I’ve also written a full-length book. At some point, I needed to get serious.
First up for 2019: LLC formation
Perhaps a couple years after I should’ve addressed the need for this (hello, ADHD), my first task for 2019 is to create a limited liability corporation (LLC) for my writing business.
Non-fiction writers especially, take note: my work in the self-help arena exposes me to some liability. Even though I make it pretty clear I’m not a doctor, a lawyer, or a mental health professional, there’s always a chance someone could misunderstand. The LLC creates a legal separation between my business and personal assets. If anyone ever tries to take legal action against me, I won’t risk my family’s financial security. That’s a huge win for peace of mind.
In addition to managing liability, the LLC will remove the last few bits of commingling between my personal and business finances. The business has had its own bank account and credit card for a while, but business-only PayPal and Square accounts will be a welcome change.
All in all, this feels like a big step in the right direction. Finally forming the LLC — and being able to pay the legal fees from my business, not my personal, bank account — legitimizes a lot of the hard work I’ve done over the past four years.
Broad goals for 2019: increase passive income and maybe go ad-free
I’d love to go ad-free by the end of 2019. Actually, I think I could do it tomorrow and still balance the budget. But that feels like a missed opportunity to be intentional with my readers about my business model. While I’m considering Patreon, it’d take work to offer tiered access to content. I don’t want to restrict my current content, nor am I crazy about the idea of creating new exclusive material just for Patreon. So we’ll see.
Before looking seriously at Patreon, I want to add a storefront to The ADHD Homestead. I’m currently editing and expanding some of my star content into short ebooks. These ebooks will make critical information more accessible for people seeking an introductory guide to key topics. The storefront will also add a passive income stream I completely own and control, unlike affiliate programs or Kindle Direct Publishing (where I published Order from Chaos).
Speaking of passive income, it’ll be the name of my game in 2019. In addition to new downloadable content, I need to step it up on my book marketing. Order from Chaos has done well despite my lackluster marketing efforts, which tells me a little extra effort might go a long way. Increasing passive income will give me breathing room to embark on a huge new project I hope to bring my readers over the next year or so.
2019’s big project: Do The Thing
I’ve mentioned the huge new project a few times before and given it a working codename of Do The Thing. Do The Thing is a GTD-inspired productivity app that builds upon the tools offered in Order from Chaos (and on the blog). It’ll feature a clean, simple interface with ADHD-friendly notifications and coaching. Basically, it’s a productivity app designed for people who give up on productivity apps.
A lot of bloggers spin their success into teaching, coaching, or consulting. Do The Thing is my answer to that. If I code the Order from Chaos ethos into an app, I can help more people and make a bigger impact, all while sticking to my strengths.
From a business perspective, I had to do a lot of soul-searching before committing to this project. I eventually decided Do The Thing was important. Important enough for me to make it happen even if I don’t write every line of code myself. What that means for my business and for me personally, I’m not yet sure. For now, I’m taking a few months to do some coding and some more soul-searching.
In the works for first-quarter 2019
All that said, I feel pretty good about my early-2019 goals. I’m trying really hard to keep things simple and not overcommit myself. Here are my specific goals, distilled from everything I said above:
- Learn and practice some key iOS development stuff. Make a list of all the topics and tutorials I want to prioritize. Think about how I can make the app happen on a reasonable timeline.
- Create a 2019 budget for my business (this one’s already done!)
- Write my 2019 reader survey. Improve upon last year’s by thinking about how I want to be able to analyze/visualize the data I collect.
- Grow my Instagram following.
- Get serious about analytics and documenting changes/additions to my marketing activities.
- Add an online downloadable content shop to The ADHD Homestead
- Keep creating and sharing valuable content
This week I’m headed to a super-casual ski retreat with a bunch of Mac/iOS developers. It’ll be a good opportunity for me to build and strengthen connections in a field where I have little experience or expertise. I also find it super valuable to spend a few days in a community of people doing similar work. I’ve had some of my best ideas at conferences and retreats.
Dreaming big, working small
As I mentioned in a previous post, 2018 marked the first year my business paid all its own bills. That feels pretty good, and obviously I’d like to repeat it in 2019. Someday I want to start paying myself, too, but for now I plan to continue investing my business income into growth and professional development.
While I certainly have a lot of room to grow, I’m proud to have built a business that supports itself. I appreciate being able to make plans and budget for goals using business funds, not my family’s bank account. It means I can make all my own decisions. I don’t have to discuss with my husband whether my attending a conference is worth our family’s money. It’s a freedom many writers don’t have, and I definitely don’t take it for granted.
That said, I sometimes feel like success has come to me gradually and maybe a bit too slowly. I get frustrated by my need to balance this work with responsibilities to my home and family. Like all work-at-home moms, I wish I had more time. Hopefully I can crack that nut this year and get some of these projects rolling at a steadier speed.
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