Meet Monika, a German writer and blogger who has successfully made her work at home (and while travelling!) dreams a reality. Check out her interview below…
1. Please introduce yourself.
My name is Monika Fuchs and I am married to Petar. We live in the outskirts of Munich, Germany, in a small village not far from the airport.
2. When did you start working from home? What inspired the change?
I have been working from home since 2005, when my blog and travel website became so demanding that I had to decide to either stop working on them and concentrate on my previous job, which was tour guiding, or on my writing career. Since writing about travel was all I ever wanted to do, the decision was easy.
3. What different ways have you tried to earn an income working from home? What do you do now to earn money?
Actually I am doing many different things. I am writing for several print and online magazines. I am publishing my blog together with my husband who contributes the videos. And I am selling eBooks on Amazon. In order to be successful in online publishing you have to be flexible and have as many income streams as possible. And there are always times during the year where you have to live off what you have earned previously.
Monika working while travelling
4. How long did it take you to earn enough money to quit your day job?
I started publishing online in 2001 and did this in between trips. Working as a tour guide always gave me time off, which I wanted to spend in a meaningful way. That’s how I got started. And when I earned enough money I quit my job as a tour guide.
5. How much do you earn in an average month now?
As I said above: this can vary tremendously. There are months when I earn a lot, but there are also months when I have to live off money I have saved. So it’s not a continuous income you can count on.
6. What tips would you give yourself if you could go back in time to when you first started working at home?
Do not rely on one partner. Try to find as many partnerships as possible. And be very flexible.
7. What has been the secret to your success?
Try to find as many income streams as possible.
8. What mistakes have you made along the way?
I relied too much on Google to send organic traffic. I didn’t count on their volatile handling of search engine results. So I have concentrated on finding other publishing partners where I publish my articles as well as increased my activities on social media. Both have increased the amount of traffic I get through referrals and through social media.
Monika doing culinary research in France. It’s a tough job but someone has to do it :)
9. What is the best part about working from home?
Definitely the creative freedom I have for my own life. If I make a good decision and it is successful, it is my own. But also: if I make a bad decision there is only me responsible for it.
10. What is the worst part about working from home?
It is not an easy life. You always have to think about what is best for your business. There is no free time. Everything I do is somehow related to my work.
11. What advice do you have for anyone starting out?
Be absolutely sure this is what you want to do and choose a topic that you are very familiar with and will still love to work on years from now. Do not get involved in anything that does not interest you.
