Scratch to Scripture

Why Start a Blog in 2026?

Why start? Why not?

Now, I’m still very early in this journey—only a month or two into really giving blogging a consistent try—so I don’t have all the answers yet. But I keep coming back to the same thought: if it works for so many other people, why not me too?

Because if it does work, the possibilities are big. Financial freedom, the ability to work from home, long-term growth, and more time with my family are all things that make this worth pursuing.

Someone once told me, “Let God allow you to fail, not your fear of failing.” And that really stuck with me.

You have to have a kind of crazy faith for this—because it only sounds “crazy” until it actually works.

So again… if they can do it, why not me? And honestly, why not you too?

Choose Your Blog Niche (MOST IMPORTANT)

When I first attempted blogging—and yes, this isn’t my first time—I thought I knew exactly what my niche would be… a little bit of everything.

I loved cooking, food, travel, clean ingredients, and I figured, “I’ll just talk about it all.”

But it didn’t work out the way I expected.

Not because the platform or guidance I was using was bad, but because I wasn’t truly excited about my blog. I wasn’t confident in the name I chose, I didn’t feel motivated to write, and honestly… I didn’t even know what to write about.

I had a couple posts about products I used and recommended, but beyond that, I felt stuck.

And at the time, I was pregnant.

My main focus shifted to having a healthy pregnancy and removing as much stress as possible. And if I’m being honest, the blog started to feel like stress—and I remember thinking, “It shouldn’t feel like this… maybe this just isn’t for me.”

So I stopped.

Telling myself I’d come back to it after the baby was born.

I did try again during maternity leave—working on writing and fixing up the look of my blog—but that was a lot harder than I expected. First-time mom here… I definitely underestimated that.

And once again, it started to feel overwhelming.

It wasn’t something I enjoyed—it was something that added stress to my day.

So I stopped again.

A few months later, something shifted.

I found myself really desiring to stay home with my husband and my baby. At this time, my husband is the stay-at-home parent, and while we were making things work financially, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I wanted to be home too.

That’s when blogging came back to my mind.

And I had to ask myself honestly… could I actually do this?

This time, I knew I needed a fresh start—from the ground up.

That’s one of the reasons I’m so glad I chose Taylor Stanford’s blogging course. It gave me the flexibility to step away when I needed to and come back when I was ready. You can move at your own pace, and you don’t lose access after a short time—which made a huge difference for me in this season of life.

Even more than that, having guidance and support along the way has helped me feel more confident in what I’m building.

And this time, something is different.

I finally chose a niche I’m genuinely excited about. I’m writing about things I love—sharing, learning, and growing along the way.

And that’s when I realized “Taylor was right” 

You have to love what you’re writing about—because it matters more than you think.

Pick a Blog Name + Domain

When I picked my first blog name—don’t laugh—“Naturally All-Inclusive.”

At the time, it made sense to me. I wanted to talk about everything—clean living, food, travel, natural ingredients… all of it. And I do care deeply about using clean, natural products in our home.

But looking back, there were a few problems:

1. I didn’t actually love the name—not even from the beginning. I rushed into it.
2. I was trying to talk about everything… and because of that, I didn’t know where to start. It felt overwhelming.
3. I didn’t have the motivation at the time—my focus was on my pregnancy.
4. And honestly, I let doubt get in my head.

When I look back now, I can see that I set myself up in a way that made it harder than it needed to be.

So when I decided to give blogging a real try this time, I knew one thing had to be different—I needed a name I actually loved.

It took weeks to figure out, but when I finally landed on it… I just knew. That was it.

And if there’s one piece of advice I’d give here, it’s this: take your time choosing your blog name. Make sure you truly love it, because it becomes a big part of your brand.

Using Taylor Stanford’s blogging course has also helped me work through a lot of the doubt—not just in the technical side of blogging, but mentally too. I’ve been able to ask questions, get guidance, and feel more confident moving forward.

Because the truth is, when you start sharing this idea with people, some of them might look at you like you’re a little crazy.

Not because they don’t care—but because they can’t picture it working.

But just because someone else can’t see it… doesn’t mean it isn’t possible.

It does work—for so many people.

So again, I come back to the same thought:

why not me? And why not you?

Write Your First Blog Posts

When you sit down to write—after you’ve finally decided on a topic—I’ve learned that it should feel somewhat natural.

Not perfect, and not effortless the entire time, but overall… it should flow.

There will always be moments where you pause or have to think through what to say next. That’s normal. But for the most part, your thoughts should come easier once you start.

I remember when I first started, I would sit there staring at my screen thinking, “I have no idea where to even begin…”

And now, it feels different.

Writing doesn’t feel as heavy or overwhelming anymore. It actually feels easier—at least most of the time.

And I think that comes down to one thing:

When you’re writing about something you genuinely care about, it shows. It flows better. It feels more natural.

So whatever you decide to blog about, make sure it’s something you truly have a passion for—because that makes all the difference.

How Blogs Make Money (Simple Overview)

I’m not at the point where I’ve made money yet—but I am learning.

And one thing I’ve already realized is that there are multiple ways to make money blogging: affiliate programs, digital products, ads, and email lists.

I don’t fully understand all of them yet—especially the email list side of things—but I also know I just haven’t gotten to that part in my course yet (lol).

What I do understand is this: blogging takes time and patience.

This isn’t something you jump into thinking, “I’ll have my blog up and quit my job in a month.” And if someone does pull that off—that’s amazing—but for most people, it’s a slower process.

For me, I decided to start with the Amazon affiliate program because it felt like the simplest place to begin.

Since I care a lot about the ingredients in our food and the products we use in our home—everything from cooking to laundry—I’m able to share the exact brands I personally use. And if someone chooses to purchase through my link, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to them.

Right now, my blog has only been live for about two weeks, so I haven’t made any income yet—but I’m okay with that.

Because I know I’m in the building stage.

I’m going to keep writing, keep learning, and keep showing up. And over time, my blog will grow with recipes, faith-based content, and all the everyday things in between.

Honestly, I’m just excited to have a space where I can share our favorite clean and natural products—from deodorant to pantry staples to anything we truly love using in our home.

Common Mistakes Beginners Make

I made plenty of mistakes when I first started—from choosing a blog name in about 10 minutes (lol) to trying to make my niche everything.

So if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: keep it simple.

Talk about what you genuinely love. And if you’re like me and feel like you love everything, try narrowing it down to 2–3 main topics. You can always sprinkle in other interests here and there, but your blog doesn’t need to cover everything all at once.

It’s also okay if it’s not perfect.

You’ll learn as you go—and I know that’s easier said than done. It’s tempting to want everything to look perfect and sound perfect before you hit publish. I still struggle with that.

Even right now, there are things on my blog design that I can’t quite figure out, and honestly… it’s a little frustrating.

But I have to remind myself: it doesn’t have to be perfect—it just has to be posted.

You can always go back and improve things later.

And most importantly—stay consistent.

In the beginning (like where I’m at right now), there may be very few people reading your blog. Maybe none at all.

But that doesn’t mean it’s not working.

It just means you’re in the building phase.

And while I’m waiting, I’m focusing on filling my blog with content that I hope will be helpful, meaningful, and worth coming back to.

Encouragement

If you’re sitting here feeling like you don’t have it all figured out yet, I just want to remind you—you don’t need to.

You don’t need a perfect plan, the perfect name, or even complete confidence to start. You just need a starting point and the willingness to learn as you go.

I’m still in the early stages of my own journey, figuring things out step by step, and I’ve already learned that clarity comes after you begin, not before.

So if you’ve been waiting for a sign… maybe this is it.

You don’t have to have it all figured out to start. You just need to start.

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