Every now and then someone asks me a question that catches them a little off guard. “Do you make money from your blog?” The answer is simple. No.
There are no pop-up advertisements. No pay-per-click revenue. No subscription fees. No premium articles hidden behind a paywall. I don’t earn anything simply because someone visited my website or spent five minutes reading something I wrote.
That surprises people.
In a world where almost everything online is trying to sell us something, it’s easy to assume every article exists to generate income. Every video wants another click. Every website wants another subscription. Every social media post is trying to funnel us toward the next purchase.
Mine isn’t.
Now, don’t misunderstand me. I have books available, and if someone enjoys my writing enough to buy one or invite me to speak, I’m grateful. Those projects require months, or sometimes years, of work and are part of what I hope will eventually become my full-time profession.
But the blogs? Those are different. The blogs are simply my way of giving something away. Sometimes it’s a lesson I’ve learned the hard way. Sometimes it’s a humorous observation about shopping carts, playgrounds from the 1970s, or the strange things we all do with our cell phones.
Sometimes it’s leadership. Sometimes it’s relationships. Sometimes it’s Scripture. Sometimes it’s just a reminder to slow down, breathe, and see the world a little differently. If something I’ve experienced can save someone else a little heartache, why wouldn’t I share it? If a funny story makes someone laugh after a difficult day, why wouldn’t I write it? If a different perspective causes someone to pause and think, even for a moment, isn’t that worth a few minutes of my time?
I think we’ve reached a place where we’ve forgotten that not everything valuable has to come with a price tag. Some things are simply meant to be shared.
One of the things I admire most about Christ’s earthly ministry is His generosity. He gave people truth. He gave them hope. He gave them wisdom. He met people where they were and invited them to grow. None of us can do what He did, but we can follow His example in our own small ways by freely sharing the gifts God has given us.
Writing happens to be one of mine. So I’ll keep writing. I’ll keep asking questions. I’ll keep making people laugh when I can. I’ll keep exploring faith, leadership, relationships, culture, and the little moments of everyday life that often teach us the biggest lessons. Some blogs will resonate with thousands of people. Others may only touch one.
Honestly, I’m not sure those numbers matter as much as we sometimes think they do.
If one person reads something I’ve written and walks away with a little more hope, a little more wisdom, a smile they didn’t have five minutes earlier, or a new way of looking at a difficult situation, then that blog accomplished exactly what it was supposed to accomplish.
Every blog I publish is a gift. Some people will unwrap it. Some will scroll right past it. Some may never see it at all. That’s okay. The value of a gift isn’t measured by how many people receive it. It’s measured by the heart that gave it. So tomorrow, and probably the day after that, you’ll find another blog waiting for you.
Not because it’s profitable. Not because it increases my income. But because somewhere out there, someone may need exactly what I had on my heart to write that day. And if I can make one person’s journey just a little lighter… Then it was worth writing.
Transformation doesn’t always begin with a life-changing moment. Sometimes it begins with a simple idea, freely shared, that quietly changes the way you see the world. If these blogs have encouraged you, challenged you, or made you think, you’ll find those same principles explored more deeply in my books, because lasting transformation is built one insight at a time.
Troy P Zehnder 