Want to make a living blogging? Here is what is needed in the space.
Dec 20, 2014, 8:52 pm
#31
Join Date: Jul 2014
Programs: Jeff is Deaf
Posts: 541
Running a blog is not the same as running a physical business. Online ventures require practical zero sunken costs and almost no real overhead. Not applicable in the "real world".
Dec 21, 2014, 7:14 pm
#32
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Brooklyn
Programs: AMEX Plat, AAdvantage Gold, UA, SPG Gold, HHonors Gold
Posts: 963
Not true. Online businesses or 'Blogs' can cost thousands per month to run, and 'real businesses' can cost almost nothing.
Dec 22, 2014, 3:21 am
#33
Join Date: Jul 2014
Programs: Jeff is Deaf
Posts: 541
Rent in a physical space + basic inventory is a whole different beast compared to online sites that don't actually sell any products.
Name me one thing that would cost a BA blog "thousands of dollars". Blogs are among the most low entry barrier "ventures" one can enter. Why do you think there are so many people who aspire to be "bloggers".
The ONLY exceptions are if you are building a from scratch website that requires paying high wages to skilled programmers, or your site is already popular enough that you require many dedicated servers.
Dec 22, 2014, 7:32 am
#34
Join Date: May 2009
Location: South Park, CO
Programs: Tegridy Elite
Posts: 5,678
If your online business operational costs are in the thousands without making any sort of profit, you really have completely mismanaged your expenses.
Rent in a physical space + basic inventory is a whole different beast compared to online sites that don't actually sell any products.
Name me one thing that would cost a BA blog "thousands of dollars". Blogs are among the most low entry barrier "ventures" one can enter. Why do you think there are so many people who aspire to be "bloggers".
The ONLY exceptions are if you are building a from scratch website that requires paying high wages to skilled programmers, or your site is already popular enough that you require many dedicated servers.
Rent in a physical space + basic inventory is a whole different beast compared to online sites that don't actually sell any products.
Name me one thing that would cost a BA blog "thousands of dollars". Blogs are among the most low entry barrier "ventures" one can enter. Why do you think there are so many people who aspire to be "bloggers".
The ONLY exceptions are if you are building a from scratch website that requires paying high wages to skilled programmers, or your site is already popular enough that you require many dedicated servers.
This thread is about whether an airline-specific blog is needed/feasible/etc - not the economics of an online vs. B&M business. Is there something about the economics of a blog that you think drives the decision whether to focus on a particular airline?
Dec 22, 2014, 7:32 am
#35
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: London
Programs: BA, VS, HH, IHG, MB, MR
Posts: 26,871
You are comparing a blog to a business that 'makes things', though.
Compared to, say, recruitment consultancy, small scale accountancy, one-man management consultancy firms, wealth advisers etc the costs are roughly the same - ie nothing.
What percentage of small business start-ups actually involve taking retail premises on day one, or investing large amounts in stock or machinery? Not that many these days.
The cost of starting a blog is obviously lower than opening a bakery but its not a lot different to becoming a recruitment consultant, for eg, where all you need is a phone.
As you get bigger your blog overheads do increase, though. I'm about to move to MailChimp instead of the free WordPress email service which adds $50 a month to overheads. I should (but so far have not) moved to a proper hosting arrangement which would be $30 a month. Other bits and pieces (back-up services, name registration, paying for some premium plug-ins) might add £1k a year, but even then you wouldn't get beyond say $3,000 pa. I can do my own accounts etc, though, which keeps down some costs.
Compared to, say, recruitment consultancy, small scale accountancy, one-man management consultancy firms, wealth advisers etc the costs are roughly the same - ie nothing.
What percentage of small business start-ups actually involve taking retail premises on day one, or investing large amounts in stock or machinery? Not that many these days.
The cost of starting a blog is obviously lower than opening a bakery but its not a lot different to becoming a recruitment consultant, for eg, where all you need is a phone.
As you get bigger your blog overheads do increase, though. I'm about to move to MailChimp instead of the free WordPress email service which adds $50 a month to overheads. I should (but so far have not) moved to a proper hosting arrangement which would be $30 a month. Other bits and pieces (back-up services, name registration, paying for some premium plug-ins) might add £1k a year, but even then you wouldn't get beyond say $3,000 pa. I can do my own accounts etc, though, which keeps down some costs.
Dec 22, 2014, 8:33 am
#36
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: CLE
Programs: UA GS+LT UC, AA EXP+LT PLT, Fairmont LT PLT, Marriott PLT, Hilton DIA, Hyatt Glob, Avis CHM
Posts: 4,671
You are comparing a blog to a business that 'makes things', though.
Compared to, say, recruitment consultancy, small scale accountancy, one-man management consultancy firms, wealth advisers etc the costs are roughly the same - ie nothing.
What percentage of small business start-ups actually involve taking retail premises on day one, or investing large amounts in stock or machinery? Not that many these days.
The cost of starting a blog is obviously lower than opening a bakery but its not a lot different to becoming a recruitment consultant, for eg, where all you need is a phone.
As you get bigger your blog overheads do increase, though. I'm about to move to MailChimp instead of the free WordPress email service which adds $50 a month to overheads. I should (but so far have not) moved to a proper hosting arrangement which would be $30 a month. Other bits and pieces (back-up services, name registration, paying for some premium plug-ins) might add £1k a year, but even then you wouldn't get beyond say $3,000 pa. I can do my own accounts etc, though, which keeps down some costs.
Compared to, say, recruitment consultancy, small scale accountancy, one-man management consultancy firms, wealth advisers etc the costs are roughly the same - ie nothing.
What percentage of small business start-ups actually involve taking retail premises on day one, or investing large amounts in stock or machinery? Not that many these days.
The cost of starting a blog is obviously lower than opening a bakery but its not a lot different to becoming a recruitment consultant, for eg, where all you need is a phone.
As you get bigger your blog overheads do increase, though. I'm about to move to MailChimp instead of the free WordPress email service which adds $50 a month to overheads. I should (but so far have not) moved to a proper hosting arrangement which would be $30 a month. Other bits and pieces (back-up services, name registration, paying for some premium plug-ins) might add £1k a year, but even then you wouldn't get beyond say $3,000 pa. I can do my own accounts etc, though, which keeps down some costs.
Dec 22, 2014, 3:17 pm
#37
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: London
Programs: BA, VS, HH, IHG, MB, MR
Posts: 26,871
I do 20,000 page views a day on a $5 a month GoDaddy plan, with surprisingly good speed and minimal downtime! The only reason I think I should move is that their support is as you would expect for $5 and, if it did go down for an extended period, it would be expensive.
Dec 23, 2014, 11:31 am
#38
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: CLE
Programs: UA GS+LT UC, AA EXP+LT PLT, Fairmont LT PLT, Marriott PLT, Hilton DIA, Hyatt Glob, Avis CHM
Posts: 4,671
But if you post anything that goes even mildly viral and gets more than a few hundred live visitors (viewable at https://www.google.com/analytics/web/?hl=en#realtime/ ) you're going to go down on a shared hosting plan.
I'd love to be on a $5/month plan (or even a $50 or $250/month plan) but speaking from experience they're worthless when you need it most.
Good news is that you're correct, until you get big you can start up for cheap.
Dec 25, 2014, 11:00 am
#39
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Programs: Airline Free Agent, Fairmont Lifetime Platinum, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Honors Diamond
Posts: 3,041
I have been with GoDaddy and am generally pleased. And I can't wait to see their Superbowl commercials again 
Dec 25, 2014, 3:25 pm
#40
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Brooklyn
Programs: AMEX Plat, AAdvantage Gold, UA, SPG Gold, HHonors Gold
Posts: 963
If your online business operational costs are in the thousands without making any sort of profit, you really have completely mismanaged your expenses.
Rent in a physical space + basic inventory is a whole different beast compared to online sites that don't actually sell any products.
Name me one thing that would cost a BA blog "thousands of dollars". Blogs are among the most low entry barrier "ventures" one can enter. Why do you think there are so many people who aspire to be "bloggers".
The ONLY exceptions are if you are building a from scratch website that requires paying high wages to skilled programmers, or your site is already popular enough that you require many dedicated servers.
Rent in a physical space + basic inventory is a whole different beast compared to online sites that don't actually sell any products.
Name me one thing that would cost a BA blog "thousands of dollars". Blogs are among the most low entry barrier "ventures" one can enter. Why do you think there are so many people who aspire to be "bloggers".
The ONLY exceptions are if you are building a from scratch website that requires paying high wages to skilled programmers, or your site is already popular enough that you require many dedicated servers.
As Raffles mentions, other 'real businesses' that I have operated include exactly those examples, and I can generate a lot of revenue on really almost zero costs.