Listen Now

029. Hey, y’all! This episode is a little different from my usually-at-least-somewhat-planned-out content. Sometimes I actually script out entire episodes because I have a lot to say on the topic and I want to make sure I say it right or say everything I want to say. But this time, it’s the opposite. I had 3 words written down in my notes before I hit the record button: Ads, Redesigns, and Rebrands. The truth is that I’ve been super bogged down by a lot of difficult things going on in my personal life. Both of my parents went into the hospital around Thanksgiving of last year. My mom passed away and my dad damn near did too. Because of all of this, it’s been hard to find the time or desire to create a creative space in my business these past few months. I’ve been trying to keep my head above water and juggle a lot of personal stuff.  Long story short… this episode is just an honest chat about some of the things I’ve been prioritizing lately. They're not flashy or particularly exciting topics, but advertising and optimizing your products is an important part of any business--especially if you’ve hit the stage of growth that we have.  Today, I’m sharing some of our experiences with paid ads for our blog, including using an ads company for almost a year now.  I’ve also been spending most of my limited work time on redesigning our sales pages, and I’ve found a helpful work-around for improving the sales pages within Teachable, which should lead to higher conversion rates.  Finally, I’m talking about why I’ve rebranded one of the courses, and what that means for our students. So if you’re dealing with any of these business steps right now, or might be in the future, I hope the info and experiences I’m sharing today will help you in that process.   What I’m talking about in this episode:  Ads (webinars and more) Redesigns (new sales pages!) Rebrands (new course name change – Six-Figure Course Creator) For additional resources and show notes, visit the episode podcast page on our website. Resources and Mentions: LeadPages Teachable Course Mentioned: Six-Figure Course Creator Tutorial: How to Start a Successful Blog Start your first blog with our Free 5-Day Blogging Bootcamp

028. I have some exciting news to share today: I sold a website! Well, okay–Alex and I sold our first website together. (Technically it’s our second website, but we don’t count our first failed website for obvious reasons.) If you’ve been following us at Create and Go for very long, or if you’ve taken any of our courses, then you’ve definitely heard us mention the blog we’re talking about today–Avocadu, our health and wellness blog. It’s crazy to think about how a health + wellness website I started with Alex after we met on Tinder changed the whole trajectory of my life. We wouldn’t have started Create and Go without this first successful website. I definitely wouldn’t be talking to all of you on this podcast. And I probably wouldn’t have met my husband, most of my friends, moved to Germany, or had anywhere near this much financial freedom. This website is truly my first business baby, and deciding to part with it was no easy task.  So join me today as I take a look back at this journey, and how it changed my life.  I’m also sharing some helpful tips and resources for those of you who might be thinking about buying or selling a blog, including our favorite marketplace for doing that.  In this episode, I’m discussing: The transition from starting this first blog, to deciding to finally sell it Why we waited until now to part with it Our biggest accomplishments + everything we gained with Avocadu How this health + wellness blog changed our lives forever  Who we sold it to How much we sold it for Tips for buying or selling a own blog And more For additional resources and show notes, visit the episode podcast page on our website. Resources and Mentions: The blog we sold: Avocadu Where you can find Cathy Dean: Our team page Her keto blog: Healthy Ambitions Her social media channels: YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest Facebook Marketplace for buying + selling blogs: Empire Flippers Tutorial: How to Start a Successful Blog Start your first blog with our Free 5-Day Blogging Bootcamp

027. If you’ve ever found yourself hesitating at the starting line…  Or suddenly feeling unqualified to present your content… Or deciding you just need to do x, y, and z, and then you’ll get started… You’re probably struggling with imposter syndrome. Almost all of us experience imposter syndrome at some point or another, whether you want to give it that label or not.  It’s that little voice in your head that says, “Can I really do this thing? Am I really qualified? Will anyone actually like this?” It keeps a lot of people from ever getting started. I still struggle with it–although I do a pretty good job of hiding that in most of my content. And that’s a big reason why I wanted to record this episode–because I guarantee you that even the most successful, confident creators you follow sometimes feel imposter syndrome, too.  So today, I’m sharing my experience with imposter syndrome, and how you can learn to recognize it so you don’t lose momentum on your journey to blog biz success.  In this episode, I’m discussing: What imposter syndrome is The different ways it shows up in business How it can change and manifest in different ways over time Why getting out of your comfort zone relates to imposter syndrome Tips for dealing with imposter syndrome so you don’t lose momentum And more For additional resources and show notes, visit the episode podcast page on our website. Resources and Mentions: Related podcast episode: Get Out of Your Comfort Zone This Year Tutorial: How to Start a Successful Blog Start your first blog with our Free 5-Day Blogging Bootcamp

026. Ok, y’all–it’s time to talk about the big, red elephant in the room: Pinterest. The platform we all love to hate. All the changes to the algorithm, video pins, idea pins, pins without links…it’s all so frustrating and enough to make you think about dropping Pinterest altogether.  Most content creators (including us), have been negatively impacted by Pinterest’s many changes–especially over the last year.  And it has left us all wondering…  Whyyyyyyy!!!?? Is Pinterest even worth it anymore? To help answer these questions, I’m speaking with someone whose entire business is focused on driving traffic from Pinterest–Kate Ahl of Simple Pin Media.  Kate has been on Pinterest twice as long as we have, and is deep in the Pinterest trenches all day, every day–so she has a lot of valuable insight and perspective to share.  I know the Pinterest changes are frustrating, and it’s easy to just dismiss Pinterest as a viable traffic source when you see your numbers dropping. But while getting traffic from Pinterest isn’t quite as easy as it used to be, it can still be an incredible source of relevant, high-quality blog traffic–if you know what you’re doing, and are willing to stay flexible and determined.  In this episode, Kate and I are discussing: Pinterest’s past, present, and future changes How Pinterest compares to other social media platforms Idea pins, and other Pinterest changes Adjusting your mindset and perspective around Pinterest How to overcome the frustration and fatigue of social media marketing Staying focused in an online world built for distractions And more. For additional resources and show notes, visit the episode podcast page on our website. Resources and Mentions: Kate Ahl’s company website: SimplePinMedia.com The Simple Pin Podcast The Simple Pin Media Blog Kate’s post: Is Pinterest Still a Search Engine? Simple Pin Media on Pinterest Create and Go’s Pinterest Course: Pinterest Traffic Avalanche  Tutorial: How to Start a Successful Blog Start your first blog with our Free 5-Day Blogging Bootcamp

025. Making money from a new blog can take quite some time.  It took us months before we finally turned a profit on our health and wellness blog, and y’all already know about how our first blog failed miserably.  But just because it can take a while to start making money blogging, doesn’t mean it has to.  Our student, Amira Irfan–business lawyer, blogger, and coach at ASelfGuru.com, is the exception. Amira made $1,000 from her blog in her very first MONTH. She made her first $10,000 in 4 months, and has since earned more than $1,000,000 in a single year with her online business..  And she didn’t achieve that quick success by accident, or by luck.  Amira definitely put in the work, including doing a ton of networking and collaborating.  But what really set her apart was that she didn’t let fear or perfectionism hold her back from making important strategic moves.  So today, Amira and I are taking a deep dive into how she was able to make her blog profitable so quickly, and how she has achieved such a high level of success.  We’ll also be digging into Amira’s specialty–the legal side of blogging–and how you can protect yourself and your blog biz.  In this episode, Amira and I are discussing: Amira’s blogging success journey + tips for growth How Amira made $1,000 in her first month blogging The mindset that helped Amira be so successful so fast How Amira has grown her blog biz to over $1,000,000 What dangers her legal templates protect bloggers from What’s next for Amira And more. For additional resources and show notes, visit the episode podcast page on our website. Resources and Mentions: Amira’s Blog: ASelfGuru.com Amira’s Facebook Group Amira’s Legal Templates Amira’s New ADA Compliance Bundle Create and Go Course mentioned: Pro Blogger Bundle  Tutorial: How to Start a Successful Blog Start your first blog with our Free 5-Day Blogging Bootcamp

024. Happy New Year, y’all, and welcome to 2022! It’s that time of year again… Lots of people are making resolutions, setting goals, and planning for the brand new year ahead.  So today, I’m taking a deep dive into the place where growth happens: Outside of your comfort zone.  Getting out of my comfort zone is something I’ve always struggled with, both personally and professionally.  The pandemic definitely hasn’t helped matters for me, and I’ve been finding it more difficult than usual to put myself out there. But I know from experience that growth doesn’t happen in the safety of your comfort zone, and I don’t want my business or my personal life to stop growing.  So, we continue to push forward. If we don’t, that little world will take up more and more space, until you’re isolated in a prison of your own making.  So if you’re ready to make this your year of change, growth, and personal and professional improvement, you need to figure out where the boundaries of your comfort zone are, and push yourself past them as much as possible.  In this episode, I’m discussing: How to get out of your comfort zone, and why you need to The impact of the pandemic on our comfort zones Why staying in your comfort zone is dangerous The importance of goal setting and time management Tips and questions to make sure you continue to grow And more. For additional resources and show notes, visit the episode podcast page on our website. Resources and Mentions: Podcast episode mentioned: From $206k in Student Loans to Super Successful Entrepreneur (with Natalie Bacon) Tutorial: How to Start a Successful Blog Start your first blog with our Free 5-Day Blogging Bootcamp

023. Well, y’all, we finally made it to the end of 2021! And what a year it was…  Everyone said 2020 was really rough, and it was in some ways. But financially speaking, it was a great year for us. So, naturally, we went into 2021 expecting more great things.  And we definitely created some awesome things: our podcast and new SEO course. But we’ve also hit a few speed bumps this year. Overall, it was a  year filled with a lot of change and a whole lot of learning and adjusting. There were a lot of opportunities this year for me to get discouraged, but I did my best to keep my mindset in check and continue looking forward. It’s about more than positive thoughts. It’s about being flexible, learning how to adapt, and trusting in your abilities.  Every year, I like to reflect back on the ups and downs, the wins, the failures, and everything in between. It’s the only real way to pave the way for new growth. I encourage all of you to take a few moments to listen and reflect with me, and make sure you’re starting your new year with the right mindset and direction.  In this episode, I’m discussing: The impact of the pandemic on our business + on the world All of our ups and downs over the last year Recapping and reflecting on our biggest business changes How we’re adapting to the changing online business world Important questions to consider for the new year What’s next for us in 2022 And more! For additional resources and show notes, visit the episode podcast page on our website. Resources and Mentions: Our courses: Launch Your Blog Biz Pinterest Traffic Avalanche  SEO Blueprint for Bloggers Six Figure Blogger Pro Blogger Bundle Tutorial: How to Start a Successful Blog Start your first blog with our Free 5-Day Blogging Bootcamp

022. Do you ever wonder about the sustainability of a business like this? The evolution and growth that you need to make this work in the long-term? I certainly wonder about it pretty often… If you do too, you’ll want to stick around for a minute today. Many of you that have followed us for a while are familiar with Natalie Bacon’s story: $206,000 in student loan debt to very successful blog (500k+/year). She’s another classic case of someone that started a blog with a few ideas and then found a way to monetize it and turn it into a full-time career. Natalie quit her job as a full-time lawyer (with all that debt) and took a job and a paycut as a Certified Financial Planner to have more time to work on her blog. We’ve shared Natalie’s story before, as she was our first student to reach six figures after taking our courses, and has since become a great friend. But today, I’m diving deeper into Natalie’s story and you’re going to get to hear more about how she started. But also… We’re talking about what’s going on now. Transitioning from selling traditional online courses to membership programs and overall long-term, sustainability in the online business world. I personally loved recording this latest podcast episode with Natalie because I also am finding myself at a turning point in my business where I’m often wondering what’s next and what direction I want to take to ensure my business is successful in the coming years... In this episode, Natalie and I are discussing: Natalie’s journey from lawyer to blogger to CEO of her own company The importance of mindset and personal development  Building a sustainable business How and why she transitioned from selling courses to a membership program Deep questions that keep Natalie focused and excited about her business The challenges of business growth, and managing your changing role How Natalie grew her blog biz income to over $500,000 per year And more. For additional resources and show notes, visit the episode podcast page on our website. Resources and Mentions: Natalie’s Blog: NatalieBacon.com Natalie’s Podcast: Design Your Dream Life Listen on: Apple Spotify Stitcher Create and Go Course mentioned: Six Figure Blogger Tutorial: How to Start a Successful Blog Start your first blog with our Free 5-Day Blogging Bootcamp

021. The beauty of running an online business is that you can do so in the comfort of your own home. In your pajamas, yoga pants, whatever your jam is... You can create your own schedule and really just do you every day. If that sounds like an introvert paradise to you, you’re not alone! For introvert Mia Brox of She Dreams All Day blog, blogging seemed like the perfect way to express her creative side and make some extra income, while staying out of the limelight.  She even launched her blog in secret, and didn’t share her name or picture with her audience for quite a while.  But eventually, she realized if she wanted to grow her blog to the next level, she needed to create a personal connection with her audience--which meant actually sharing more about herself as a person. Mia has been a Create and Go student since 2018, has taken all of our courses, and is one of our favorite success stories.  With the skills and knowledge from our courses, plus a lot of passion and determination, she was able to grow her blog from fresh start-up in 2018 to making over $10,000 each month in 2021! Today, Mia is sharing how she went from anonymous blogger to popular YouTuber and business coach, and how you can do the same.  In this episode, Mia and I are discussing: How Mia started blogging, and eventually found her niche Which social media platforms work best for her blog How she incorporates coaching into her business The insecurities many bloggers face (including the extroverts!) How Mia grew her blog to over $10,000/month And more. For additional resources and show notes, visit the episode podcast page on our website. Resources and Mentions: Mia’s Blog: SheDreamsAllDay.com  Mia’s Instagram: @shedreamsallday Mia’s YouTube: Mia Brox: Introvert Life & Mindset Create and Go Courses Mia took:  Launch Your Blog Biz SEO Blueprint for Bloggers Pinterest Traffic Avalanche Six-Figure Blogger Tutorial: How to Start a Successful Blog Start your first blog with our Free 5-Day Blogging Bootcamp

020. Earning six figures is a pretty big motivator, but you know what’s even more compelling? Needing to pay off six figures worth of debt... That’s exactly what Debbie Gartner of The Flooring Girl blog was facing back in 2016, when she lost her flooring company, and suddenly found herself staring down the barrel of impending financial doom.  Debbie actually started her first blog to help her get local clients to her physical business. She was a flooring consultant that helped people, mostly women, navigate the complexities of choosing and installing new flooring in their homes. She didn’t have a care or a thought in the world about actually monetizing the site itself. But through a series of unfortunate events (that she can’t even discuss in detail due to a non-disclosure agreement), she found herself suddenly with no job, almost no money, and more than $238,000 in debt.  Oh, and to top things off, she lived just outside of New York City, so she needed to be making $10,000 a month just to manage the debt and put food on the table.  *Cue the panic attack!* With few options in front of her, Debbie turned to her online blog for answers. She didn’t know anything about monetizing it at the time, but she had learned a lot about SEO in her efforts to use her website to bring in more physical clients to her business. So, from there, she learned. And through a lot of hard work and what Debbie refers to as “grit,” she was able to:  become a highly sought-after SEO consultant,  make $1,100 her first month with ads and affiliate sales,  write two very successful ebooks on SEO techniques,  and grow her blog to over $20,000 per month in income. Debbie’s journey to blogging success was anything but smooth, and she’s sharing all the gritty details with me in today’s podcast episode.  In this episode, Debbie and I are discussing: Debbie’s journey from flooring salesperson to full-time blogger How she dug herself out of over $238,000 of debt The major role SEO played in her success Affiliate marketing pro tips Some big failures and bigger successes along the way And more. For additional resources and show notes, visit the episode podcast page on our website. Resources and Mentions: Debbie’s Blog: TheFlooringGirl.com  Debbie’s books, courses, resources, and more Debbie’s free SEO course Debbie’s free Amazon Associate guide Course Mentioned: Six Figure Blogger Tutorial: How to Start a Successful Blog Start your first blog with our Free 5-Day Blogging Bootcamp

019. We’ve probably said this a thousand times now, but we made some big mistakes with SEO when we first started Create and Go that still haunt us to this day. In our last episode, we talked about our dark history with SEO, and how Noah and Alex managed to dig us out of the hole we accidentally made for ourselves.  Y’all, I can’t tell you how much it hurts me to think of all the time, effort, energy, and money we could have saved (and how much more successful we could be even today) if we hadn’t blown off focusing on SEO in the beginning.  It wasn’t that we didn’t know SEO was important (although we didn’t realize exactly how vital it was).  But we were doing so well with the traffic we drove from Pinterest and YouTube that we figured SEO was something we could focus on later.  We kicked the can down the road, and boy, did it come back to bite us! Our strategies with social media were great in the short-term; but every blog needs a plan that includes SEO, or you won’t make it long-term. Period.  Today, Noah and I are going over:  exactly where we went wrong,  the three biggest mistakes we made, and how you can avoid them. Ignorance might be bliss, but y’all...knowledge is power.  And SEO knowledge is the most powerful and valuable knowledge you can have in the blogging world.   We want you to empower you to get this right the first time, get an SEO strategy in place, and avoid making the major mistakes we made. (But if you’re like us, and have already been kicking the can down the road, you can still fix it!) In this episode, Part 2, Noah and I are discussing: Our mindset on traffic in the beginning Why we didn’t have an SEO plan at first The three biggest SEO mistakes we made when we started Create and Go How our lack of knowledge and planning came back to bite us What you can do to avoid making the same mistakes we made For additional resources and show notes, visit the episode podcast page on our website. Resources and Mentions: Podcast: SEO Pt 1: Do You Need an SEO Strategy for Your Blog? [With Noah Riggs] Course Mentioned: SEO Blueprint for Bloggers Related Post: Blog SEO: 10 Step Beginner’s Guide to Ranking Blog Posts Related Video: SEO for Beginners: 10 Steps to get More Organic Traffic to Your Blog Tutorial: How to Start a Successful Blog Start your first blog with our Free 5-Day Blogging Bootcamp

018. You know what they say… Ignorance is bliss. We made a lot of SEO mistakes when we started Create and Go.  But for a while, we were blissfully unaware of those mistakes.  For a long time, we didn’t even care about SEO. Pinterest and YouTube traffic were enough for us. But when we did start caring… yikes, that was a tough road to go down. It became apparent pretty quickly that some things were just wrong.  And it took us a full year to really figure them out and get on the right path again.  We owe most of this credit to Noah Riggs. Noah didn’t have any SEO experience or background before he started working for us. He learned all of it along the way -- working with Alex to right these wrongs. After a year of deep-diving, hard, focused work learning everything they could about SEO, Noah and Alex were able to: finally figure out where we went wrong,  fix the problems,  and boost our SEO traffic exponentially.   It wasn’t easy, but for us, it was SO worth it. This is part 1 of a 2-part series on our SEO journey. In the next episode, Noah will return again to give us the biggest SEO mistakes he sees people making along with a couple of the specific mistakes that WE made along the way. In this episode, Part 1, Noah and I are discussing: Our SEO journey Who Noah is, and how he helped us fix our SEO problems Why we finally turned our focus to SEO Why we wish we had focused on SEO sooner Whether or not you need an SEO strategy for your blog What to expect in the next episode For additional resources and show notes, visit the episode podcast page on our website. Resources and Mentions: Related Post: Blog SEO: 10 Step Beginner’s Guide to Ranking Blog Posts Related Video: SEO for Beginners: 10 Steps to get More Organic Traffic to Your Blog Course Mentioned: SEO Blueprint for Bloggers Tutorial: How to Start a Successful Blog Start your first blog with our Free 5-Day Blogging Bootcamp

017. When you’re thinking about starting a new blog--or a new business, diet, lifestyle change, or a new anything, really--it’s pretty easy to get started.  Most people love starting new things--I know I do.  You get the instant dopamine hit of learning all the new information: taking a new course, discovering a new podcast, finding a new YouTube channel…  It makes us feel motivated and excited for a change or a new start. We envision the results and where our lives might be in this new and different version of ourselves. But the problem is that most of the time, we never get there. Learning theory is one thing. Putting that theory into practice and realizing actual results is an entirely different beast. .  This is the part where many people lose interest or get overwhelmed, and move on to the next shiny, new thing.  Because it’s easy to get stuck in theory. It’s a comfort zone, in a way. A place where we aren’t yet responsible for any results or lack thereof. This can apply to nearly everything or anything you are trying to accomplish. My inspiration for this episode actually came from my half-assed attempts to learn Spanish over the last 4 years. I’ve just moved to Germany and I need to learn German, and I don’t want to repeat this vicious cycle again. But it also applies to starting a blogging business. The amount of people that learn everything they need to know about starting their first course but then don’t actually build the thing… This is what getting stuck in the middle of the practice phase can look like.  Sticking with something long enough or intense enough to accomplish your goals is no easy feat, and reaching success requires a lot of dedication.  I’ve got some opinions born out of my own personal experience that I think can help you make it survive the practice phase a little better -- and hopefully accomplish more.    It’s not easy, but it also isn’t complicated, and I’m no expert either. We’re all just trying to “be a little better.” In this episode, I’m sharing my thoughts, strategies, and tips on how to identify and navigate the theory and practice arenas so you can do and achieve more. I’m sharing:  The differences between theory and practice  How to know which stage you’re in Strategies to help you set the right goals at the right time Tips for staying motivated along the way Six steps to help you achieve your goals For additional resources and show notes, visit the episode podcast page on our website. Resources and Mentions: Tutorial: How to Start a Successful Blog Start your first blog with our Free 5-Day Blogging Bootcamp Course Mentioned: Six Figure Blogger

016. It’s finally time for us to tell the other side of our story.  Many of you know from following us -- or from creeping on old photos of us on Instagram (you know who you are) -- that Alex and I used to date. It was amazing, because blogging can feel pretty isolating at times. Your family and friends probably don’t understand what you’re doing, or what you’re going through, and they might be skeptical or downright unsupportive of your new business venture.  Having a business partner, whether it’s your significant other or a friend or acquaintance, can make this journey more fun and oftentimes more successful.  We were so passionate in the beginning, and more than that, we both understood each other, and what we were going through with starting our blog, and it was a level of understanding that no one else in our lives could provide.  But at some point, there was a shift... We got to a point where, while our business was flourishing, our relationship had just quietly...stopped developing.  Now what do we do? How do we disentangle our personal lives without making any changes to our really successful business? It wasn’t always easy and the road has been a bit bumpy. We kept these details private for a long time because we didn’t want to damage the persona that we had created as this “power couple.” And while we did update our About Us page to reflect the true events, we didn’t go into detail. Until now… We finally feel like we have the right platform to express our feelings about how we managed our breakup and continue to run our business together successfully today. So this episode is going to be a little different, and a lot more personal. And since mixing personal relationships and business can be really hard more often than not, we hope our story will help some of you who also might be navigating these rough waters.  We’re sharing:  Our experiences with starting an online business as a couple What our work life balance was like in the beginning  The ups and downs of starting a business together, and how we made it work   How we navigated our breakup while still running our business together Rebuilding our working relationship, and redefining our roles in the business  Why we’ll never just be business partners What our relationship is like now For additional resources and show notes, visit the episode podcast page on our website. Resources and Mentions: Episode 1: Our Story Episode 4: How We Started Blogging With a Failure Tutorial: How to Start a Successful Blog Start your first blog with our Free 5-Day Blogging Bootcamp

015. When it comes to running and managing my business, I’m the first person to admit that I would prefer to do everything myself, at all times.  Not that I want to do all that work, I’m just very particular about how I want things done.  But there just aren’t enough hours in my day, and I don’t want to spend all of my hours on my computer. If you want to run a successful online business, at some point, you’re going to need to hire help. But how do you know when you’ve reached that point? In this episode, I’m sharing our experiences with hiring our first team member, including how we determined it was time to hire some help, and what we wish we had done differently.  Alex and I never set out to be people managers, but as our business grew, things started to fall off our plates--and that translated to lost revenue.  There’s a certain point in pretty much every company’s growth where it actually becomes more profitable to hire help. But even before you reach that point, it’s important to think about your other resources--specifically, your time.  Y’all, you can make more money, but you can’t really make more time.  However, you can save time, or free up time, when you outsource tasks that don’t really need you in them.  We’ve learned a lot (and personally, I’m still learning some important things) about when to hire out some of your tasks, and how to empower the people you hire. I’m sharing those lessons with you in this episode so you can hopefully avoid some of the pitfalls we made in the beginning.  I’m sharing:  How to determine when you need to hire help The first two roles we recommend outsourcing, and why Potential roadblocks to success, and how to avoid them Our top three mindset tips when hiring help What to do when things start falling off your plate For additional resources and show notes, visit the episode podcast page on our website. Resources and Mentions: Episode 3: What Does Running a Blog Really Look Like? Ready to hire help? Start your search on Fiverr Tutorial: How to Start a Successful Blog Start your first blog with our Free 5-Day Blogging Bootcamp

014. Welcome to the third and final episode of our 3-part series on how to make money blogging!  In our last episode, I shared the first half of how we make most of our income: affiliate marketing. Give it a listen, if you haven’t already, because that was the very first and very important step that we took to start selling products.. Next, I’m sharing the second half of that equation: Selling our own digital products.  This is the income source that has made us the most money, and more importantly, has given us the freedom and control to build the lifestyle we want.  While there is definitely more work involved in creating your own digital products or services, especially in the beginning, the payoff can be huge--if you know what you’re doing.  We missed some key steps when we created our very first digital product for our failed blog, but we learned a lot from that--and knowing what not to do made a huge difference the second time around! Our first successful product, along with all the lessons we learned from our failed first try, is how we were able to turn up the volume and truly scale our income.  We were actually able to double our revenues for the first five months of business--growing our monthly revenues from $2,000 into $4,000, and then into $5,000 and $6,000, and eventually into $10,000.  The difference this time was that we understood our audience, and we created a system that worked--allowing us to create more products, and sell them successfully using that same system.  This episode will help you understand if creating digital products or services is right for you, and how to choose the best sales strategies.  I’m sharing:  What online products and services are The ups and downs of creating and selling your own products and services Which kinds of products we love and recommend, and which ones we will personally never offer The two best ways to get your products and services in front of customers, and the pros and cons of each The strategy we use to sell our products My personal thoughts on imposter syndrome when it comes to creating your own products and services, and how it could be holding you back How to get started with creating your own products and services For additional resources and show notes, visit the episode podcast page on our website. Resources and Mentions: Make Money Blogging Pt 1: What Not To Do Make Money Blogging Pt 2: Affiliate Marketing Book recommendation: Untamed by Glennon Doyle Convertkit Tutorial: How to Start a Successful Blog Start your first blog with our Free 5-Day Blogging Bootcamp

013. Welcome to the second episode of our 3-part series on how to make money blogging. This is where things get exciting! In past episodes I’ve taken you through how to build a foundation for your blogging biz, how to build an engaged audience, and in our last episode I even shared what not to do when it comes to making money blogging. Give it a listen, if you haven’t already, because knowing what NOT to do is almost, if not equally, as important as knowing what TO do. Now it’s time for what did work for us so you can be more intentional, with less guesswork as you start to monetize your blog. We make the majority of our income through:  Affiliate marketing Selling our own digital products (eBooks and online courses) This is how we started, and I can tell you that not much has really changed over the years. Which is great, because that means that this income from these sources has turned fairly passive! We recommend starting with affiliate marketing first and I'll share more about selling your own products in part 3.  It’s really helpful to understand why value-added content is more important in the long run than trying to make a buck or two quickly.  All affiliate marketing is not created equal and there are for sure some pitfalls you’ll want to avoid as you’re starting out.  I’m sharing:  What affiliate marketing is The pros and cons of affiliate marketing  How we use it My personal thoughts on how to get the most success from your affiliate marketing strategy  My personal thoughts on the future of affiliate marketing For additional resources and show notes, visit the episode podcast page on our website.Resources and Mentions: Make Money Blogging Pt 1: What Not To Do Convertkit Tutorial: How to Start a Successful Blog Start your first blog with our Free 5-Day Blogging Bootcamp

012. The next saga in our fast and furious failures is here… (and we’ve had many more than these movies, I can assure you). This episode is Part 1 of 3 in a series on making money with your blog.  And as we often do here, we’re first sharing what did NOT work out for us before we share what did. Including our first attempt at webinars, which I consider our real rock-bottom, most cringe-worthy moment. I won’t spoil the story here, but it was an epic catastrophe -- and one that our MOMS were there to witness. 🙈 Y’all, we tried everything: Ads Amazon products Launches and webinars Affiliate marketing and selling other people’s products Our own products Tripwires and upsells And they were all failures. But the really cool thing here is… Almost all of the methods to make money that we tried weren’t complete failures. They were just failures at that point in time. We ended up making money using these same methods several months later when we had a better idea of what the heck we were doing. We’ll talk more about that in Part 2 and Part 3 of this series. And I’m excited to announce that joining me in this first episode of the series is my co-founder, Alex Nerney! I couldn’t really tell this part of the story without him. For additional resources and show notes, visit the episode podcast page on our website.Resources and Mentions: Tutorial: How to Start a Successful Blog Start your first blog with our Free 5-Day Blogging Bootcamp

011. This is the 3rd and final part in our series on how to build an audience. In part one, we talked about driving traffic (visitors) to your website through various platforms. In part two, we went a step further to talk about how to get the right visitors to subscribe to your email list -- the people who are actually the most interested in what you have to say.  In this episode, we talk about how to have engaged subscribers who are opening your emails and taking action on the content you’re offering.  This is what turns your subscribers into fans who follow you for years and years to come. People who grow with you and support you.  The gurus aren’t lying when they say that you can make money while you sleep. Having email sales funnels in place has given us the flexibility to do other things to grow our business, like creating courses, growing our YouTube channel, and starting this podcast -- all on a schedule that is entirely on our terms..  And I can honestly tell you that the email funnels we have right now, they’ve been in place for a while and we’ve had to make very few changes over the years.  But it’s not just about sales, y’all. That’s the end goal, but the stories and relationships that get you there are what this is really about. What we’re talking about in this episode: What kind of content to send your email subscribers An inside look at email funnels  Emails for automating your business  Tips for building relationships with your audience For additional resources and show notes, visit the episode podcast page on our website.Resources and Mentions: We use and recommend ConvertKit's email software Episode 9: Building an Audience Pt 1: Getting Visitors to Your Blog Episode 10: Building an Audience Pt 2: Building an Email List Tutorial: How to Start a Successful Blog Start your first blog with our Free 5-Day Blogging Bootcamp

010. You’re creating content and finally getting people to your website. But now what do you do with that traffic? What you do next is going to make the difference between getting stuck in the hamster wheel of the traffic-driving phase or creating content for an audience who already likes you. Y’all, it’s hard enough getting people to your content the first time around! If you can have a way to reach those visitors again, it’s going to be SO much easier to get your content seen and heard in the future.  The people that come back for more are the people that really matter. They’re the people that are ultimately buying your products.  Email is without a doubt the single most important tool we use to drive sales and make money online. Period.  So many people think that making money with a blog or website is just about creating great content and creating great products. And it is. Those things are important. You can’t just have your products listed up on your website and expect people to absorb your content and buy. Some will, but most won’t. It’s what connects the two that makes the difference between a few scattered sales here and there and a steady and consistent stream of income. Bottom line, if you have any kind of online biz, you need an email list and you need to understand how to connect with your audience through email.   What we’re talking about in this episode: Why building your list directly impacts your biz (“The money is in the list!”). How email is the single most important tool we use to drive sales and make money. The upside of email – NOT IMPACTED BY DREADED ALGORITHMS! Building connections and sharing content just got easier. HOW to build your list! (HINT: “Sign up for my newsletter” doesn’t work!) For additional resources and show notes, visit the episode podcast page on our website.Resources and Mentions: We use and recommend ConvertKit's email software Read the Article: How to Build an Email List: 5 Ways to Get Subscribers to Your Blog Episode 9: Building an Audience Pt 1: Getting Visitors to Your Blog Tutorial: How to Start a Successful Blog Start your first blog with our Free 5-Day Blogging Bootcamp