An Interview with Mike Cliffe Jones

In the world of blogging there are hobby bloggers and there are business bloggers. Mike CJ is the latter. This guy inspires me. From what I can tell, he spends a lot of time diving, cooking, and fixing up his very cool house. And yet, he manages to post at least once a day on Mike’s Life. And, I haven’t even mentioned his diving blog, the travel blog he and his wife run, or the Beyond Blogging project… I don’t know when this man sleeps!

I’m very excited to introduce to you, Mike Cliffe Jones!

Tell us when you started for first blog, and what it was about.

I started Mike’s Life and Lanzarote Information together in 2008. The first is a blog about helping new and learning bloggers, with a passion for writing, earn a sustainable income from blogging. And the second is a travel blog about the island we live on.

How many blogs have you started, and of those, how many do you still update?

As well as the above, I run a scuba diving blog, the blog that relates to my book Beyond Blogging, one related to my real estate business, and one which acts as a promotional tool for my writing. They’re all still live and regularly updated, but not as frequently as the two main ones.

At what time in your blogging journey did you realize you could turn this cool journaling into a business?

Right at the start. It was always the plan to create a business with the blogs.

What has been the hardest part of your blogging journey?

Workload and patience! In the beginning, it’s such hard work, with almost no reward. You churn out great content that nobody reads, and you get paid a few dollars a month for it. You just have to hang in there until you reach a tipping point in terms of traffic and income.

If you sell a product of your own on your blog, what is it, and why do you feel it’s important for bloggers to have a product of their own?

I sell several products, ranging from E Books to physical books to training and mentoring programs. Having your own products to sell is essential for bloggers, because the income can be substantial when compared to selling affiliate products. The first one I created was an E Book called The Beginner’s Guide to Twitter. I wrote that over a year ago (although I have revised it several times since) and it just sells week in, week out for me. That time investment has repaid itself many times over. That one product won’t make me rich, but it contributes to my sustainable income.

Who designed your blog and how important is having a good design?

Design is vital – both from the aesthetic and usability point of view. It can create a good or bad impression of your brand within seconds for a new reader. I did my own design, with a lot of help for my wife, but the next step later this year is to go for a totally new design, which will be custom for both main blogs.

If you were just starting and you had $100 to spend on your blog, where would you spend it?

I’d invest it in an Aweber email account and a good quality theme.

What is your passion?

So many things! I love writing and reading good writing. Personally, I’m an avid scuba diver and I love Formula 1 Motor racing.

Mike CJ runs Mike’s Life – a great resource for new and learning bloggers, and is the author of Beyond Blogging. He lives on a small desert island close to Africa and spends as much time as possible in, on or under the ocean. You can find him on Twitter @mikecj

Have more questions for Mike? Ask in the comments!

Oh, and be sure to wish him  a happy birthday today!!