The $1 That Started My Blogging Journey

I still remember the day I earned my very first dollar from blogging. It wasn’t a lot, but it was a huge achievement for me. I told myself, _“This is the beginning.”_ ### How It All Started  It all began when I was scrolling on Facebook and a random guy sent me a message inviting me to join a platform. I was hesitant at first, but I gave it a try. The next day, I actually earned my first dollar. Back then, it was during the COVID-19 pandemic. I had no work and no school, so I had a lot of time. I was always looking for side hustles that could help me earn money, and this was one of them. ### Finding My Niche  At first, I started writing without any clear plan. I made it a hobby to share everything that was happening in my life. I wrote about any topic until I discovered my niche. I learned that I was passionate about writing about [personal finance](https://marklaurence.net/how-to-manage-your-money-as-a-student/), [digital marketing](https://marklaurence.net/maximizing-your-marketing-strategy-the-5-best-social-media-tools-for-generating-quality-leads/), and [authentic blogging](https://marklaurence.net/what-i-wish-i-knew-before-i-started-blogging/). I spent weeks learning more about these topics until I mastered them; learning from my mistakes, my experiences, and from others. Eventually, I decided to start my [own website](https://marklaurence.net/my-website-is-live-whats-inside-and-get-featured/) on [WordPress.](https://wordpress.com/support/five-step-blog-setup/) I learned about [SEO](https://marklaurence.net/the-basics-of-seo-that-you-must-know-to-rank-on-google-in-2022/) and other marketing strategies to grow my blog. Although not many people were reading, I kept writing until I became consistent. ### Growing on the Platform  After earning my first dollar, I decided to push myself to write more-sometimes every day. I also learned that being active on the platform paid more. It was your activity inside the platform that mattered. There were no days that I skipped using it. I wrote more. I commented and interacted. I upvoted other users’ posts. It felt like climbing a ladder to be known on the platform, and it was worth it because it paid off. ### Why That First Dollar Mattered  My website has still been running until now. I still make updates sometimes just to document my life and progress in blogging. I would say that my very first dollar mattered. Of course, it was little for some, but it made a huge impact on who I am right now. It taught me creativity, consciousness, and confidence. Now, I am always trying to [document my life](https://marklaurence.net/how-to-stay-motivated-in-writing/) through writing on various platforms. Although I sometimes feel like a mushroom — I appear today but not tomorrow —  the skills and valuable lessons I learned have stayed with me. If that moment had never happened, I might not be [writing online](https://marklaurence.net/building-my-second-brain-on-hive/) and sharing the knowledge I have through content creation. ### Where I Am Now  I wouldn’t say I am living off blogging because now that I’ve stopped blogging consistently, unlike before, I barely earn money. This is just a pure hobby and my own choice to appear and write sometimes. This clearly became my skill and improved my creativity. I never became rich through writing, but let me say this of the money I earned from writing before is still money today. I mean, I still spend that money until now because I invested and saved some of it, and it made me some profit. By the way, this is not sponsored, but this video also pushed me why I write online until today. https://youtu.be/vyVpRiqOvt4 ---------- _Originally published at_ [_https://marklaurence.net_](https://marklaurence.net/how-i-started-my-blogging-journey/) _on August 8, 2025. All images are generated using PeakD AI Image Genarator._