I have been blogging for – wait for it – twelve years.

Of course, when I started I was an angsty teenager with an "online journal" that was nothing more than hormonal prattle. It's still floating around out there in the webisphere, but I'll never tell you how to find it.

I have been blogging for business since 2008, so over six years. A lot of that is still floating around out there too, but I don't think I'll be sharing those either. However, growing pains aside, in my over-a-decade of sharing online, especially in the last couple of years, I've learned a couple of key things about blogging, particularly in it's relationship to doing business online.

one. You have to share to succeed.

People won't comment, follow, buy you, or hire you if you do not share. It's like a big universal give and take. For me, my blog is where I choose to do the lion's share of sharing. Some folks choose Facebook or other social platforms, I choose blogging (and Indie Tactics).

Blogging isn't just a creative/writing outlet that makes work a little more interesting, but it's a place where I can – in a lot of ways – bare my soul. Share my content. Reach others.

When done right, blogging becomes both a business and personal outlet, and it also becomes your calling card and your proof of expertise. I use my blog to show you that I'm cool (i.e. Studio Style, Cocktail Hour, and tattoos), that I'm business-smart (i.e. Indie Business, Get Your Sh*t Together), and that I'm reliable (I've been blogging regularly on this blog for over four years).

Blogging is a tool I use for my business, and it helps me succeed.

two. People connect with you (and become your friend/fan/client/customer) when you're open and honest.

Sharing content in general is a great starting point, but you make better, more meaningful connections when you really open up. When I blog about something deep (or better yet, when I get down and dirty in my Indie Tactics newsletters), I get more responses. I get more people emailing, responding, and even hiring me.

When you open up, you receive. (Whoa at the woo-woo.)

three. Even hard-core bloggers still feel hesitant to sometimes hit "Publish," but that's where the magic happens.

I talk to folks all the time who commend me on how effortlessly I blend personal and business into my blog. Or how gutsy/ballsy/in-your-face my posts sometimes are.

But, I have a secret: it doesn't feel effortless, and sometimes I am actually scared to hit that "Publish" button.

I also have friends who are bigger, ballsier bloggers than I am (for example, my dread-headed friend Kathleen), and we definitely spill the beans occasionally about how hesitant we were to post that recent gutsy post.

Years later, and it's still not all that effortless.

The secret: we bite fear in the ass, and hit "Publish" anyway.

The bigger not-so-secret: it's in those moments when you create the best proof of all.

four. It's hard, but it's worth it.

Most days I don't want to blog. Or I wrack my brain for a post. Or I get a bit scared when I'm publishing a ballsy post. Sometimes it's my least favorite part of my job. Sometimes I just don't want to.

But, I suck it up, because I really do like it, and – more importantly – I see the benefits in what I do. It connects me to hella-awesome people, it allows me to share myself and grow my business, and it has become a part of me. A large, ingrained part of me.

So, even though it's hard to sit down and crank out a post some days, I do it because it's worth it. Everyday it is worth it.

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Easily more than half of the people who hire me have hung around my blog for a while before making the jump, and I'm sure the others probably used my blog to help them be convinced that I was/am the girl for them. I use my blog as a tool for marketing and growing my business, and it's the most powerful tool that I have.

So, is blogging important for my business? Well, hell to the yes.

If blogging for your business has been something you have been considering, and need a little help, or a friendly nudge, my friend/client/friend April from Blacksburg Belle is doing a live workshop on CreativeLIVE for free on May 1st - 3rd.

You'll learn how to write killer headlines, take pretty photos, create a content strategy, and more. April's a smart (and adorable, and funny) gal, so hit her up for this free workshop if you're in need of some blogging how-to. (You know, the kind that doesn't include teenage angst.) RSVP to watch it live for free.

Also, be sure to check out these other blog tour posts by other super-awesome creatives, each with a little openness about how blogging has helped their business. You'll find a full list of those participating in helping the blog world way more cool over on Blacksburg Belle.

But really, go check out the workshop.

Because blogging is way cool.

This is not an affiliate post, but a friend-asking-a-friend-to-join-her-blog-tour post. I do believe in blogging a gazillion percent, and I do think you should check out April's workshop if you're interested in starting your own blog. I'm grateful April invited me to take part, and am happy to share my own experiences. And really, she's a cool cat.