Picture this: You have a great idea for a product and you build up a business around it. It takes off for a while – you’ve got a great team with a common vision and great marketing ideas. Maybe your business does well…for a while.

Then sales start to suffer. Customers come once but don’t return. Your marketing might be working decently enough for customers to come and buy your product once, but you don’t have the marketing and rapport with your customers to keep them coming back.

Sound familiar? Seeing as 80 percent of start-ups crash and burn within the first year of establishment, this scenario isn’t uncommon among entrepreneurs. So how do you establish that rapport with customers so you keep them coming back? Simple: Create a blog.

That answer might sound painfully simple, but I can’t tell you how many entrepreneurs struggle to write engaging and consistent blogs. In fact, I’ve had several reach out to me and ask me to keep up the blog for them. Let me tell you what I always tell them: When you’re first starting out with your business, you should always be the one writing the blog. Here are a few reasons why:

1. It allows your customers to see the man behind the curtain

Your blog should give you the freedom to completely express yourself – be real with your readers. People are much more intuitive than you might give them credit for, which means that they can sense when you’re not being real with them. Show them that you’re more than a salesman in a suit.

Tell them about how this idea of a business came about and why you want to share it with others. Tell them about your struggles and your doubts as a business owner. Give them an intimate view of your journey, and they’ll be far more likely to return to your business in the future.

2. It can generate ideas

When you blog consistently, your readers know they can count on your content delivery regularly. And the more you talk to them, the more they’ll talk to you. They might offer feedback that could give you suggestions and ideas for moving forward.

When people know there’s a real person behind the business, they’re far more likely to interact with you. Think about it: would you offer suggestions and opinions to a generated email that might not ever reach a real person?

3. It builds trust

Tell your audience why they can count on you to deliver the most reliable product for them. Share your expertise, your trial and error, your background, etc. Don’t hesitate to share your struggles. Being vulnerable with your readers means you’re humble and willing to learn. Sharing your mistakes with them shows them that you’re committed to creating the best product for them, even when you’re discouraged. It shows passion and commitment. And, of course, it shows them that you’re human.

If you’re not confident in your writing skills, hire a copy editor! You shouldn’t have to wait until you’re completely confident in something to get out there and start doing it. But you probably knew that – after all, you’re an entrepreneur, aren’t you?