When work and life demands keep you busy, it can be challenging to stay regular with a blog. Any small business owner spends time handling multiple demands in day, which tends to result in important tasks being neglected as more urgent matters are handled.

Writing is a big part of what I do for a living. Client work offers clear goals and results. I like to write. It’s not coming up with blog content that is the challenge, but instead, crafting ways to at least make me feel like I have an audience.

If you’re not having fun with your blog, you probably won’t stick with it. Personally, I find blogging to be not only therapeutic (it’s not often I get to play with pure opinion pieces) but also productive. We’ve built a loyal following on the Horse Sense and Cents site where company products are unusual and inexpensive enough that readers purchase often. This really helps to spur motivation to keep the free content coming.

This blog is a little more challenging. I launched it participating in the Ultimate Blog Challenge during July of last year. That was a fantastic experience that helped me gain readers immediately along with a group of people rallying for me and encouraging more with comments and shares. The horse blog has the benefit of more than five years of building trust and readers. This one is still in its infancy (although long overdue) without the longevity to produce a stream of monthly purchases. Plus, providing pure service offerings can be a bit tougher to sell if your goal is to ultimately convert some of your readers to buyers.

The New Year is a great time to assess while crafting better plans for the future. Focusing on tasks that excite you (or creating ways to make this so) while eliminating some of those that seem a drag makes a lot of sense. One thing I realized is I needed another boost for regular posts here that included a group of encouraging and helpful  cohorts. So, I’ve decided to participate in the Ultimate Blog Challenge this January. For those of you participating in this Challenge for the first time (or even seasoned contributors), you might appreciate some of the solutions I discovered for managing participation in a group blogging event. One of the keys is to establish a rhythm that keeps you charged and on track.

It’s always helpful to have a support network as you strive to achieve your small business goals. I see bad decisions occurring all the time (I’ve made them too) that may produce short-term fixes but can be very costly long-term. Neglected a blog can have unfortunate consequences. Based on what I’ve witnessed with my more established blog, I’m convinced this blog is a smart use of my time. Right now, though, I feel like I need the support and accountability I get from participating in the Ultimate Blog Challenge.

So, if you’ve become a regular reader of this blog, I thank you for your continued support. Expect almost daily posts during the month of January. I will be allocating some days during the month to crafting blog content for Halcyon Acres (for the chemical-free vegetable/herb gardening fans in the group, this blog is for you) along with the Horse Sense and Cents blog (all things horses). Come February, I’ll be more vigilant about posting regularly, but will back it off to two days a week. If you’re new here, I appreciate your checking it out. Feel free to note a particular topic you’d like to see covered in the comments below. Also, there’s a good search engine function at the top right of the page – check out the archives and you may find what you seek there.

Please keep the comments, shares, support and ideas coming. It’s wonderful to have met so many interesting people through this blog and participation in the UBC. Oh, and if you’d like more free material on better writing, marketing, sales and small business management – sign up at the top right corner of this page.