NERD BOSS MAGAZINE ISSUE 9
WERKING IT Amanda Bucci turns her love of fitness into an empire
5
WEIRD THINGS
ONLINE BIZ PEOPLE
CELEBRATE
QUIT THIS
Let's $$$
YOUR
How a gal from Utah turned her fashion blog into a booming business
BIGGEST BUSINESS
TIME SUCKS
YOU DESERVE IT!
DELEGATION
NATION Join the biz bosses who do NO grunt work
Little treats to buy when you get a win
Jer k !
How to not be a total asshole while growing your biz 1
Editor’s Notes
Kate McKibbin
Carly Jacobs
There have been a lot of “the online sky is falling” type freak outs happening on the Interwebs of late.
I really, really don’t want be that person who says this every single issue but HOT DAMN! How is it September already?
Facebook groups have been closing, people have been re-branding and everyone seems to know someone, who knows someone who just had their worst launch ever.
September creeps me out because it means Christmas is coming. And it’s always too soon for Christmas. Maybe if we just sit here quietly it won’t find us? Shhhh....
When even just a few people are running around your headspace or online space spouting off words like “can’t”, “shouldn’t”, “impossible” or “she just got lucky”, then man can it be hard not to let some of that angst work it’s way in.
This issue we’re looking at blogger CEOs. Business babes who are rocking the internet. I’ll tell you something, I was stoked to get our interviewees this month. I’ve been reading Pink Peonies since she started her blog so interviewing her was beyond amazing. I’m a new devotee to Amanda Bucci and she’s a cray powerhouse. These ladies are off chops.
So I wanted to create this issue to bust through some of the negative noise out there and shine a big old spotlight on some online business ladies who are absolutely killing it right now (along with some tips for how you can do the same) and to hopefully inspire you (yep... I’m looking right at ya) to ignore all the naysayers, keep doing you, and to have you best month yet!
Kate xx
There’s a whole bunch of other rad stuff in this issue too. If anyone wants to buy me the Tiffany arrow earring on the Crushin’ page, I would not stop you. Just using my words here. I’m going to bring Christmas up again one more time to give a stern but friendly reminder - get started on your Christmas planning now! Don’t leave it until half way through December because it’s way too late then. This my reminder to you. Don’t let me down. That’s all from me Boss Kittens, see you next issue!
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Car ly xx
CONTENTS 4 WHAT’S UP? Here you’ll find September appropriate content ideas. Handy right?
5 KATE SAYS STUFF!!! So you should definitely listen. She’s very smart.
11 TREAT YO’ SELF Lovely things to buy to celebrate your own awesomeness.
14 MAKING BANK FROM BENCH PRESSING Amanda Bucci is in the house this month to talk fitness biz.
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BLOGGING BEYONCE Meet Rachel Parcell of Pink Peonies. She KILLS the internet.
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BLOGS WE LOVE... Me and Orla (this is a goodie! I promise!)
19 WHAT’S YOUR HUSTLE STYLE?
32 ABSOLUTELY KILLING IT
Take our quiz to find out...
We highlight a Boss Squader who’s being totally brilliant.
21 ‘YAY! SOMEONE SUBSCRIBED TO MY EMAIL LIST!’
35 INTERNET HIGH FIVE More love for our Boss Squad but in mini form.
...and other weird things bloggers say.
23 GOTTA SECRET, NOT GONNA KEEP IT... We asked bloggers what they’d do differently if they had to start again.
30 ROOKIE MISTAKES
38 DON’T BE A DICK How not to piss people off while building your online following.
40 HATE FORMATTING YOUR BLOG POSTS? We’ll find someone to do it for you...
And how to avoid making them. 3
WHAT’S HAPPENING Have you ever had that thing happen where you have all these grand plans for fall/spring content and then you blink and it’s December and you didn’t so much as mention pumpkin spice/ spring cleaning? Here’s a handy little cheat sheet of things you should be preparing to blog about this month.
THEMES • Halloween • Spring/Fall Fashion • Costume Ideas • Party Ideas • Pumpkin Carving • Melbourne Cup (Aus) • Spring Cleaning
STUFF TO PIN • Labour Day • Comfort Food Recipes • Spring Food Recipes • Fall/Spring Fashion • Racing Season (Aus)
GRAM GUIDE Grandparents Day - 21st Sep #grandparentsday #grandmom #grandad #family #grandparents #ilovemygrandparents Day of Peace - 21st Sep #peace #internationaldayofpeace #peaceful #dayofpeace #worldpeaceday #peaceonearth #peaceandlove Northern Hemisphere #fall #autumn #sweaterweather ✌ď¸? đ&#x;?‚ Southern Hemisphere #spring #Ilovespring #springtime #springiscoming 4
HOW TO GET YOUR FIRST
1000
email subscribers
(in a month!)
Kate McKibbin Email subscribers. Everyone wants more of them, but most people don’t seem to know how to get them?
the others because I was some sort of online marketing savant. Or even because I had a choice in the matter.
So, I’m just going to put it out there. One of the best things I did when I started both my businesses, was to focus on building my email list.
Rather my first blog actually started out purely as a newsletter, or e-Zine as it was called back in the day (and only got it’s own website/blog about nine months later).
And to focus on it almost to the point of obsession. Yes I of course also dabbled (quite a bit) in social media, and SEO and every other item on the massive “ways a blogger can get their content out into the world” menu.
So of course I HAD to make growing my email subscriber list a priority. It was pretty much all I had! Which was lucky, because if I hadn’t I probably would not be anywhere near where I am today.
But my main focus was always on growing my email list.
You see I grew that list to over 25,000 subscribers in under a year.
And to be honest it wasn’t even really on purpose the first time around. It wasn’t like I chose this strategy over
And it was because I had such a massive list that I was able to make the switch from full-time employee, 5
to full-time nerd boss in under 12-months as well.
Most things in life can (when you first try them anyway!)
So the second time around, when I launched this blog, well this time it was very deliberate.
And you’re all busy, I get that.
I already had a few tricks up my sleeve, but I was also more than happy to experiment with a bunch of new stuff, too. Because I knew just how crucial building my email list was to the success of my business.
Because as far as getting the best return on your investment, the biggest bang for your buck, growing your email list wins every, single, time!
And the craziest thing is that most bloggers actually have “set up an email list” somewhere way near the bottom of their to-do list.
Are you ready to put down the hashtags, and step away from the pins for even just a couple of weeks so you can get this all set up and running?
Or not on it all.
Awesome, now let me share a few of my favourite ways for bloggers to grow their email list... fast (aka exactly what I do to get thousands of new email subscribers every single month.... without using pop ups... unless you want to use them of course!)
Rather than as priority numero uno. Including bloggers who have been blogging for years (not looking at anyone in particular... ahem... you know who you are!). And it’s absolutely nuts. As in crazier than Honey Boo Boo on a sugar-high kinda nuts. Sure, growing an email list can feel a bit scary, complicated or just like “too much work” at the start.
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But this is exactly why you should be fan-girling over all things email.
OK, OK, so have I got you convinced?
It’s a two step process. And it’s one that will probably take a little bit of time to get set up (maybe a few hours over a couple of weeks), but once you do, it is going to change your blog for the better. Significantly. I promise.
ST EP ONE:
Mastering Opt-In Bribes to get more email subscribers Create an AMAZING evergreen opt-in bribe. OK, you can’t be shocked by this one. I bang on about it ALL THE TIME. And yes, I could (and probably will) dedicate an entire blog post to exactly what goes into creating an amazing opt-in bribe (so watch this space). But for now it really comes down to knowing one key pain-point of your readers (and a seemingly simple and desirable small step towards helping them out with said issue). The key words here are:
1 - SIMPLE - aka a checklist,
not too hard, complicated or time consuming.
3 - ACHIEVABLE - it can’t sound
too hard, or too unrealistic either. Sure they might want to earn $1million in a week, but its not very likely to happen. But $1K in 30 days, sure... sounds like something they could do, right? You also need to have a killer headline for it (expressing how it is all the three things above), AND a nice image or screen shot of what this opt-in bribe is, so it seems like a real, tangible thing (Fivrr is great to get these done), AND you need to promote it absolutely everywhere.
planner, 5 best XYZs, worksheet, guide etc.. not an entire eBook
On your homepage, in your heading, on your social media. Everywhere.
2 - DESIRABLE
Yes, you can use a pop-up to promote it too, but you actually don’t have to if you are spruiking it everywhere else
- your suggested solution for fixing that problem needs to be something they want to do, aka
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(and following the next few steps as well). PRO TIP: Once you have your evergreen opt-in set up, and it’s working well, I’d recommend also creating a special page dedicated to it. So that you can easily link to and promote your opt-in via guest posts, pins, on social media etc.. as well. You can even play with running Facebook ads too, if you have the budget.
Add content upgrades to your content schedule & emails OK, so you have your bread-andbutter, awesome opt-in bribe. That is great, that will get you a pretty decent stream of new subscribers (especially when you follow the promotion ideas on page 10). But, if you really want to ramp it up, you’re going to need to make creating these opt-in bribes part of your monthly blogging schedule. You can of course do it more often if you like, but I think it’s better to keep your workload on the lighter, more achievable and realistic, side (or you just won’t do it!). So you need to add “Create An Opt-in Bribe” to your monthly to-do list. And it’s not just any opt-in bribe, you want something that relates to one of your blog posts, so you can promote it in that blog post (this is called a content upgrade), as well as send it as a little present to your current subscribers (I call these subscriber only bonuses). Again, follow the steps above and keep it really simple. If you don’t want to have to come up with a new idea each month you can even have something that ties in with one of your recurring posts. On DDG we used to have a monthly meal plan & printable recipes, here on SBB I send my subscribers a monthly blog planner worksheet and blog post prompts. And of course there are lots of different ways to deliver these monthly opt-in bribes too.
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My two favourite ways to get more email subscribers (because they are just the easiest!) are: 1 - Via Content Lock
You can use a plugin like Thrive Leads to hide the download button or link in your blog post until someone subscribes.
2 - Via a Resource Library
Upload all of your opt-in bribes to one custom page on your blog, or even just a shared Dropbox folder, and share the link to that page/ folder in your welcome email that people automatically get sent when they subscribe.
OK, so you have these awesome opt-ins ready to roll, and your existing readers and subscribers are loving them. Now it’s time to get MORE email subscribers. So, how do you make sure new people are loving all over them as well? 9
Promote on social (again & again) to get more email subscribers Remember how I said you’ll want to have a special page set up that you can link to for your opt-in bribes so you can easily promote them? Well this is where you are going to need that. You’ll also need all the links to those most popular posts you just riddled with opt-in offers and links.
TIME FOR PART TWO:
Promoting your email list & growing your email subscribers
- ON AUT OPILOT! Update popular posts for more email subscribers. This one is super fast, and super effective. Just jump into your Google analytics, find your 10-20 most popular posts over the last 6+ months (these are ones that are getting traffic all year round, not just when you publish them), and add links to your opt-in bribes in that post. Do a combination of simply adding links to related text, adding opt-in boxes into the post (you can do this with Thrive Leads also very easily), and highlighting a call to action and a link at the end of the post.
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And then, you want to go and use a FREE tool like Recurpost, and set up a recurring schedule to share (and re-share and re-share) links to your opt-in offers and also the posts containing them, at least 2-3 times a week on your Facebook and Twitter (if you use it). I normally upload at least 2-3 versions of each post share (aka using a different image from the post, a different heading or post text too). You can use Board Booster to do the same (but maybe a bit more often) on Pinterest. And you can use Schedugram to do the same for Instagram (just include the link to your main opt-in bribe page in your bio too).
Guest posting for email subscribers I am actually not normally a fan of guest posting, as usually it’s far too time-consuming for far too little reward. BUT if you combine guest posting with a few links back to a related opt-in bribe, not only will you increase your chances of driving some serious traffic back to your blog, you also will get a whole bunch of that traffic onto your email list too (so you can keep them coming back again and again).
Antique Salt Dish + Spoon Set from Ruth Bruten Ceramics $40.00 ruthbrutenceramics.bigcartel.com
Coral Ma Cherie Cashmere Sweater from Chinti & Parker £275.00 chintiandparker.com Cashmere darling! Cashmere! Wrap yourself in this cute sweater to know what truly being baller feels like.
Terracotta Pocket Bag from Nancy Bird
The true mark of success is a proper grown up place to put your salt. For real. It’s like having a fruit bowl or sheets you didn’t inherit from your parents.
Clark + Dumbo No. 11 Salt Water Candle from Etsy
$189 nancybird.com You obviously need something to carry all your cash and diamonds around in. Der.
$32.65 etsy.com If you’re not a lover of heavily fragranced candles, this salt water number will be right up your alley. Also it will make you feel like you live at the beach. Nothing says success like water front property... or the smell of it.
g n i h s u cr
LITTLE GIFTS TO BUY YOURSELF WHEN YOU KICK GOALS I LOVE BILLY Tendra Fuchsia Smooth from Style Tread $99.95 styletread.com.au Made a profit this month? Get yourself a pair of kick ass shoes for kicking even more ass. How cute are these?
Twiggargerie Bunting from Etsy
Carnivale Pom Hoop Earrings from Champagne Cartel
$82.50 etsy.com Next time you get a win, grab this sweet bunting for your office walls. Nothing like hanging the fruits of your achievements right where you can see them!
$24.55 champagnecartel.com People who wear pom pom earrings are total winners. You heard it here first. The perfect thing to get yourself when you hit an email subscriber bench mark!
Blushing Confetti Floral Daily Planner from Little Paper Lane $19.95 littlepaperlane.com.au Treat yourself to a new daily planner! You can schedule all the money you’re going to make in it...
Arrow Single Earring from Tiffany & Co. $205 tiffany.com.au This single arrow earring is the best because when people ask you what it’s pointing at you can just say ‘A winner.’ Drop mic. You’re gone. It’s also a fabulous bigger ticket pressie for one of your greater successes. 11
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g n i d l i u Body B Amanda Bucci, fitness queen and YouTube legend shares her tips on solid growth, which platform to focus on and how she met her partner via YouTube.
14
BOSS
How did you originally get into weightlifting and fitness? My mom was super into the gym, and when she noticed me struggling HARD in sports (I had exercise induced asthma, and was in awful shape) she got me a personal trainer at the gym. I was able to get individualised help and I was THRIVING on the progress I made.
“To me, the answer was clear. I knew that if I put my all into it, I couldn’t fail.”
When did you decide to take this online and turn it into a business? This decision was a very tough one. I was in between potentially becoming a nurse, and taking my online business full time at 22 years old. I had graduated nursing school, was so excited to move to California and get a nursing job, and I had my life and career set and ready to go. However, I was working part time doing online fitness coaching, growing my social media personal brand, and gaining sponsorships, all while working parttime as a nursing intern. Months later, my NCLEX exam came around - and let me tell you, I wanted so badly to be confident and prepared. But, my heart wasn’t in it. I didn’t end up passing regardless of being a very good test taker and doing very well in school. I then had to decide - do I want to REALLY redo this exam and pursue a nursing career? Or do I want to take this fitness “thing” full-time, and see what I can do. To me, the answer was clear. I knew that if I put my all into it, I couldn’t fail. When you first started who were your models? The people aspired to be like? My first role models in fitness were people like Layne Norton and Nick Cheadle - two social media fitness
gurus who shared knowledge and information to people, helping to explain consuming topics and get them started on their journey. I IMMERSED myself in their stuff, learning everything I possibly can to advance in my fitness journey. It felt so incredible to get answers from credible people who knew what they were talking about - and I wanted to also be that person. I want to give people the feeling that I got from them. Can you give three pieces of advice to new bloggers/business owners just starting out? What three things would you get them to concentrate on? 1. BE YOURSELF! The worst thing you can do, is pretend to be someone else who is successful. Yes, you can take things others do and extract which bits and pieces resonate with you - but don’t try to be the “next” Kate McKibbin. Try to be the NEXT best YOU. Your tribe will find you, if you put your true, genuine personality out there. 2. Concentrate on value. Concentrate on giving. Concentrate on impact. If this is in the forefront of your mind, you will attract your ideal crowd who will be completely happy to work with you when that time comes.
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3. Forgive yourself for not having all of the right answers when you start. Someone wise once told me“if you’re not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you launched too late.” What’s been your biggest business set back so far and how did you overcome it? My biggest setback has been making mistakes within my personal brand business, and having people on the internet rip me a new one for making it! That’s one of the downsides of having a following - everyone is there to say something when you mess up. I was doing an affiliate deal with a friend, who had a product that I thought fit my audience very well! It was well-intended, but I did NOT take the time to look into the copy of what he was sending to my people enough, to realise that it could easily be misconstrued as something very negative. It was one of the biggest challenges I’ve faced so far, and I’ve learned to spend more time being particular and careful with what I choose to associate with my name and brand.
“BE YOURSELF! The worst thing you can do, is pretend to be someone else who is successful.” 16
You’re relatively ‘‘new’ in the online business world - can you tell us when you started on this journey? I started simply doing online fitness coaching. My audience was growing on YouTube and Instagram, and the demand was there! I knew NOTHING about online marketing or business. I just had some people asking me to coach them, so I was like, sure! I made a little dopey website with my prices and services listed, and boom! I didn’t learn anything about REAL online marketing, until I joined a Mastermind with Lewis Howes (where I met our girl Kate!) with bloggers, launch queens and kings, and successful online marketers. IT IS SO COOL AND FUN. What are the top three apps you use on your phone every day? Good question. Instagram is #1. Messages #2. And mail, probably. YouTube and Facebook are closely tied for 3rd - but I try not to check my notifications too often.
“Instagram can be very lucrative if you use it properly to attract the right audience.” If you could go back and start your online business again what would you do differently?
management knowledge necessary in order to successfully coach a client online.
I’m not sure I’d do too much differently. Since I didn’t start with the intention of building an online business, I spent a lot of time just making videos for fun, for free, and added a lot of value! It helped build trust with my audience, and to not come off as someone always trying to sell something. However, it does make it difficult to START selling things now, because it’s a new focus and my people aren’t necessarily used to that. All in all, it’s still something that I think contributes to my success today.
If you could tell a new blogger to grow one social media platform which one would you tell them to concentrate on?
What’s your main business focus for the next twelve months? My main 3 focuses: 1. Grow and monetise my podcast, Bucci Radio! It’s my current fav platform and passion. 2. Grow and better my business, Influencer Academy! We teach our students how to leverage social media in order to build an online fitness business, learn their voice, and develop a viable, profitable, and sustainable business in 12 weeks. Lastly, LAUNCH my other program the Fitness Online Coaching Academy! This course is something I created with my fitness coach - it’s a certificate course that teaches aspiring fitness professionals the foundational nutrition, training,and client
Depends on WHERE their audience is. I have built mine on Instagram, and most of my students use and only focus on there. It can be very lucrative if you use it properly to attract the right audience. We heard a super cute rumour that you met your partner on Instagram - would you mind sharing that story with us? It sounds amazing. Aw, hehe. Actually, we met officially on YouTube. I had a channel that he had been following for a few months. He commented on all of my videos for months (one comment, “Bucci is my favourite luxury fitness brand,” what a cheese ball....lol). I finally clicked on his page one day (single girl looking for potential mate, blame me?) and he had a few of his own videos and was just getting started. I watched one, and I knew. I started following him everywhere, being very obvious and commenting on his page, started Snapchatting with him, FaceTiming, and eventually (3 weeks later) bought a plane ticket and flew across the country to meet him. It’s been 8 months, and I got him to move in with me in Los Angeles. He is amazing. 17
QUICKIES My favourite movie ever is... Wonder Woman If I go to a restaurant I’ll usually order... A massive salad with fresh fish *typical* If I had just $5 left in the world I’d spend it on... Investing in a phone call with a coach
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What’s the most influential book you’ve ever read? The One Thing by Gary Keller - influenced me to say YES to my ONE THING which was my passion! .......................... is my favourite song to dance to at weddings. Old school Britney Spears #90sbaby
What 's you r
Hu stle Style ? Ever wondered what kind of a hustler you are? Take our quiz to find out.
A = 4 POINTS B = 3 POINTS C = 2 POINTS
D = 1 POINT
1. How would people describe your phone habits?
3. What would other people say is your worst trait?
A) Totally switched on, all the time. I have a waterproof case for my phone so I can email in the shower.
A) I’m just too busy all the time: I hardly get to see anyone.
B) My phone is always near me so I can Google reputable sources for any argument at a moments notice.
B) I overthink everything: I send my friends way too many online articles. C) I ask too many questions: I always want a reason why.
C) I’m on my phone most of the day but sometimes I can’t even find it in the evening when I’m chilling out.
D) I’m hard to pin down: You never know where I might be.
D) I only have a phone because my carrier pigeon died but you can’t call it because I don’t know where it is.
4. Describe your perfect day
2. If you could have one magic power which one would you choose? A) Infinite wealth and fame. Der. B) Time travel so I can learn history first hand by looking at it and maybe chuck some money at Apple stocks in the 80s on my way back to the future. C) The power of foresight - so I can see what’s coming.
A) Spending my hard earned dosh on gorgeous clothes then having a fancy lunch with the gals. B) Researching something very involved and then playing complicated board games with my mates. C) Anything I planned to do. I don’t trust other people to plan things well. D) Gentle exercise, followed by reading and maybe going for a hike outside. Alone.
D) To be invisible - it would be so peaceful and quiet. 19
5. When someone asks for your business card you… A) Hand them over the latest version, complete with fancy laser cut outs and micro chip in case they lose it. B) Give them your business card that has your old email address on it, crossed out and replaced with your new one. No point in wasting all that printing. C) Ask why they want it and say if they want to get in contact, you’ll email them. D) Write your email address on a book you just finished and give it to them.
RESULTS 16 to 20 points = Queen Bee You are the ruler of the roost. Nothing gets past you - you’re on it! Just remember to take the time to smell the roses every now and then. Yes, you can Instagram them. It’s just who you are.
11 to 15 points = Wise One You’re super smart and you know exactly what you’re doing. The spotlight doesn’t interest you but just about everything else does. Keep learning, keep striving and keep on keeping on. That’s what the wise ones do. Don’t forget to let yourself sparkle every now and then though.
6 to 10 points = Clever yet Cautious You’re a smart cookie and you question everything which is great. There are far too many snake oil merchants in online business and you’re the type to keep them accountable - legend. Keep questioning things but don’t let it get in the way of getting things done. Your cautious nature may just be keeping you one step behind.
5 and under = Zen Spirit You’re a free floating soul who loves solitude and quiet. Online business is perfect for you because you can earn a living sitting in a tree house and not have to deal with the chaos of the corporate world. Just make sure you stay plugged in as often as you can handle .
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5
weird
milestones
you celebrate when you’re starting your
ONLINE BUSINESS own
Starting an online business is weirdly daunting. It’s just you, your laptop and probably your dressing gown and slippers (let’s be honest here!), putting this thing out into the world and it can feel really... anti-climatic. This is why those little milestones feel so amazing. Getting your first Instagram comment on your brand new account might not seem like a big deal to your offline friends, but it’s a really big deal. Little things like this is what keeps you chugging along, knowing that what you’re doing is working. Here’s a wee little list of weird milestones you (should) celebrate when you’re starting your own online business.
Setting your website live Ah that magic moment when you hit the deploy site button and your stomach drops to your knees and suddenly, you have a business. It’s a big moment, you should take the time to revel in it. I once saw a Facebook live of a business sending their new website live and they were all sitting around with glasses of champagne, dressed up like they were going to the theatre. How gorgeous is that? Don’t let this moment slide by with you sitting on the couch with crumbs on your 3-day-old t-shirt and ten half drunk cups of tea sitting around you. Make yourself a bit gorgeous, pour a glass of bubbly or fancy mineral water and give this moment the attention it deserves.
Getting your first comment on anything Okay put that champagne away. You can’t get trolleyed every time one awesome thing happens with your business. BUT acknowledge this because it’s a huge deal. It means you’re resonating with your audience and making a solid connection. Go get a fancy coffee and a treat from a cafe. This is a good milestone to celebrate. Your first email subscribers Do you remember the first time someone subscribed to your email list? I do. It felt like a mini marriage proposal or someone giving me the keys to their apartment. It’s a big deal when someone gets on your email list because people are so protective of their emails. If someone joins your email list, it means they’re really into 21
you. Celebrate by finding out where they live and driving slowly past their house... I’m kidding. Celebrate this one with a dance break. Crank some T-Swift and get bopping. You deserve it. Your first sale Your first sale is such an incredible rush. It means people want the thing you’re selling and that’s literally the best feeling in the world. It doesn’t matter if you made $2 or $100, when someone gives you money for something you’ve worked so hard on, that’s a cake and ice cream level 22
celebration. You can buy it with that bad ass boss money you just earned. #baller Your first month making a profit I’m calling it - first month making a profit calls for fancy dinner or fancy shoes. Or both if you had a really great profit. When your online business baby starts rolling out enough money for you to cover rent/expenses and leaves you with a little bit leftover you have to treat yo’ self. Not every month, but at least the first one because that’s freaking huge.
VOX POP What would you do differently if you started your blog again today? As a dinosaur blogger, I often get asked what I would do differently if I started my blog today. Honestly? I have no idea. What works for some people just doesn’t work for others and there’s a lot to be said for being in the right place at the right time. Having said that, there are definitely things I would do differently. I’d niche down and pick just one thing to blog about. I’d concentrate on building my email list (always with the email list!). I’d also start thinking about monetisation strategies earlier and how I could grow my audience to facilitate that. But enough from me... I asked around on the interwebs to see what other online bosses would do differently and here’s what they had to say.
Kayte I’d tell myself not to overthink anything. I spent a lot of time second guessing myself and it really held me back. Chantelle In the past we could write about anything and people wanted to read it because the internet wasn’t saturated with people’s personal stories. Starting again today, I’d have a VERY clear direction, make sure I was offering something of use, and have a definite point of difference so I could be heard amongst the noise.
Stacey If I was starting today (I probably wouldn’t haha) I would remind myself to be real - because real is really what people are looking for. Being human stands out. Stephen I’d grow my damn email list. I don’t know how many times I had to be told to do that. Kelly I’d be more consistent. I fluffed around a lot when I first started blogging and let it go for a while. By the time I came back there was so much more competition and the market was saturated. I would have had to totally change my direction to make it work properly. Jaycee I’d focus on pleasing people not Google! SEO is important but I treated it like it was the most important thing ever and every time Google makes an update, I lose half my traffic. My blog isn’t really fun to read (it’s very practical and informative) and I wished I’d tried to make a connection with my readers because apart from people find me through Google, I don’t really have ‘readers’ as such. Carly I’d stop spending so much time writing blog posts. Sometimes I’d spend a day on a single post - such a waste of time! Rafe I would have guest blogged more. I didn’t think it was a good idea but those links are so useful and I really wish I had more of them now. Merrin I wouldn’t have put my location in my blog name. Not for safety reasons but because I moved! 23
I'm going to g n i h t y r e v e e k ma a r ou nd me beautiful that w ill be
my life. ELSIE DE WOLF
secretbloggersbusiness.com 24
Pretty in Pink
Rachel Parcel is a true internet queen. Kicking off her blog in 2011, she soon shot to fame as one of the most prolific fashion bloggers in the US. Her blog is now a lucrative business with multiple income streams. Totally boss.
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You started your blog way back in 2011 as a place to document the things you love. Can you tell us why you started your blog and what type of content you were sharing back then? I originally started my blog as a way to document mine and my husband’s life as newlyweds. It was more of a life journal for my family and friends to follow. Not long after I started my blog our wedding was featured on the cover of Utah Valley Brides Magazine and that’s when I started seeing more and more traffic on my little space of the internet. My wedding photos were being pinned and re-pinned and I started receiving fashion questions from women all over the country. They were more interested in what top I was wearing or what shade of lipstick I had on than what my husband and I were doing that weekend. And that’s really what sparked the idea to change my focus and make Pink Peonies more of a fashion blog. 26
When you first started Pink Peonies did you have any idea how much it would change your life? Not at all!!! If you would have told me back then that my blog would become a business, I wouldn’t have believed you!
“Balance is something I think we all struggle with.”
What was your strategy for successfully combining your lifestyle and business when you first started out blogging full time? How did you reconcile living the life you wanted but also monetising your passion? When I first started taking photos of my outfits and posting them I had no idea that I could make money or commission. I started my blog because I had such a passion for fashion and beauty and I wanted to share it with whoever wanted to be a part of it! It didn’t take long for me to learn about affiliate links and as I started posting more and more brands like J.Crew and Nordstrom were intrigued at the amount of traffic a young girl from Utah’s blog was generating to their site! Eventually my husband and I decided I would leave my job and dedicate 100% of my attention to my blog, and we haven’t looked back since!!
“Instagram is a very powerful platform and is worth your time and attention.”
4. Can you give three pieces of advice to new bloggers/business owners just starting out? What three things would you get them to concentrate on? 1. Decide what kind of content or product you want to create and stick with it. Be confident in what you choose to produce or post! 2. Don’t compare yourself to others 3. Don’t give up when it gets hard. You have a family - how do you run a business and juggle the every day pressures of family life? Balance is something I think we all struggle with. I’m not perfect, but I’ve worked out a schedule where I keep all of my work projects, meetings 27
and photoshoots on the same days every week (2 1/2 days a week), so that when I’m home I can actually be home and focus on being with my two babies, rather than try to multitask.
What’s your main business focus for 2017? And can you tell us more about launching a physical product, like your line of clothing through an existing blog?
What are the top three apps you use on your phone every day?
My main goal for this year is to grow my clothing line and produce gorgeous products that women will love! I knew I always wanted a clothing line of my own, and because of my blog I already had built-in customers. I started by sketching five different dresses that I wanted manufactured, and from there it was quite the process trying to figure out the best companies to partner with. We launched May of 2016, so we are coming up on a year!! It has been amazing but a lot of work!
Instagram, Snapchat and Pinterest. If you could go back and start Pink Peonies again what would you do differently? From a work/life balance point of view? Honestly, nothing. I’m proud of the blog and business I’ve created and the lifestyle I have. I’ve worked hard for it and it hasn’t been an easy process, but it has definitely been worth it!
“If you would have told me back then that my blog would become a business, I wouldn’t have believed you.” 28
If you could tell a new blogger to grow one social media platform which one would you tell them to concentrate on? For sure Instagram! Back when I first started blogging Instagram didn’t even exist and Facebook was pretty big. But nowadays I feel like majority of people are on Instagram and they enjoy quickly scrolling through their feed and if they see something they like, they’ll click over to my blog to see more. But Instagram is a very powerful platform and is worth your time and attention!
QUICKIES My favourite food ever is... Guacamole! If I go to a bar I’ll usually order... I don’t drink, but I do love a good Diet Coke ;) If I could have dinner with one famous person I would choose... Alexander Hamilton (I’m such a fan of the show on Broadway and got to see it in NYC while I was there for fashion week! I have memorized most of the songs!)
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5
Rookie
Mistakes
You Shouldn’t Waste Your Time On
The internet is a big, pulsing, fluctuating beast of a thing. It constantly flips, it’s very moody and it will change its mind on a dime and we just have to figure out the best way to deal with it. Honestly? I don’t mind a lot of the changes. Facebook changed an algorithm recently that means I’m being shown posts that are days old but that’s fine because it’s popular and relevant content. That’s why it’s still being shown several days after its publish date. I love that for my content too. Sometimes a post of mine will float around for a few days because people keep interacting with it. This is all great. There are obviously some other things that aren’t great and it’s meant that lots of tried and true online business growth methods have become a bit redundant. Here are a few things you shouldn’t be wasting time on. Caveat - these are all things you should still do, just don’t waste all your time on them.
Building a blog for sponsorship purposes We all know editor Kate isn’t a fan of the sponsorship model ‘Hi Kate! *waves*’ and she’s dead right. It’s not a good model for blogging anymore. There are absolutely bloggers who still earn a decent income from sponsorships but they’re few and far between. Even bloggers with massive traffic and a steady stream of sponsorships, supplement that income with hosting events, selling books and courses or having a product for sale. Many bloggers built beautiful blogs back in the day, made quite a bit of coin on the sponsorship model and 30
ended up high and dry when sponsorships dried up. It’s still an okay thing to spend time on, just don’t let it be your sole focus because it’s probably not going to be the cash machine you’ve been led to believe it is.
Focussing hard on any platform you don’t own Back in the day, building up your Facebook and Instagram accounts was considered the highest of high priorities. I heard stories of bloggers setting alarms (this was before scheduling platforms existed) to post at 2am in the morning to reach their overseas audience. It was madness. Fast forward
to 2017 and there are many enormous Facebook accounts that get half the reach of smaller ones. No doubt this is on purpose (Facebook assumes large accounts are trying to make money and therefore limit their reach, so theoretically the owner of the large Facebook account will have pay to have their posts promoted) so all that time was wasted. The same thing applies in a much, much bigger way to Instagram. I spent quite a lot of time building my Instagram account and most of what I post gets shown to about 3% of my audience now. Thankfully I didn’t go too hard on Instagram, otherwise I’d really be kicking myself. I have no idea how professional Instagrammers are surviving these days. Everyones’ reach has dropped enormously in the last few months, even the big glamorous players. A similar thing happened on Pinterest a few years ago. Blogs were getting hundreds of thousands of hits from Pinterest and it all went away over night for some people. People who spent a lot of time getting that traffic.
This isn’t to say that you need to abandon these things - not at all. They’re super important just make sure you’re spending the majority of your time growing your email list and blog/website. Spend the most amount of time on the things you own, and much less time on the things you don’t own. Like Facebook and Instagram.
Trying to master every single skill yourself Back in the day bloggers had to wear all the hats. You had to be a stylist, a wordsmith, a photography master, a social media expert, a Google Analytics manager... the list goes on. These days, there are so many people offering these services there’s no need for you to ever attend a website building workshop unless you really want to. If you’ve never touched a line of code, it’s not the best use of your time. Focus on the things you’re good at and do those. Outsource the rest. It’s the biggest saver of time and money you can spend your budget on.
Obsessing over your website Most websites aren’t rubbish these days so don’t waste your time being finicky. Pick a platform, pick a theme and just go with it. Most themes these days are really clean and simple and that’s all you need. There’s no point in paying someone a few thousand dollars to do your website if you have no idea how to work it. If it’s readable and not totally hideous, you’re doing fine.
Commenting on other people’s websites This is still a great thing to do but it doesn’t yield the results it used to. Most blogs have automatic no follow links when you enter your website into the comment profile, so while you might get some organic traffic from having your link in a ‘big’ blogger’s comments, it’s not going to affect your SEO like it used to. Having said that, blog comments are quite rare these days so they’re a good way to get on the radar of bloggers you love. Comments are great just don’t spend too much time being strategic about it. 31
KillinBlgogitge! r of the Month
Janine Good
Every now and then we pick a legend from the Blog Squad who has been nailing their online game. This issue we’re shining the spotlight on Janine Good from Fill My Passport - fillmypassport.net. She’s a Disney loving, travel hungry, adventurous gal with some of the best blog engagement we’ve seen in recent years - seriously she clocks like 20 comments on some posts. That’s 2009 level stuff. Tell us about your blog? Fill My Passport is a travel resource for readers. It brings guides, tips, tricks, and planning tools as it morphs more detailed information for romantic getaways and Disney holidays. What’s your story - what or who inspired you to become a blogger? In 2013 I left home on a 5-month world trip. I quit my job and jetted off to see more of this incredible planet. The trip was motivated for personal growth and development, coupled with ever-nagging wanderlust. It was a chance to tick many a box on the bucket list as well as see places and landmarks that seemed would always be a dream. This trip changed my life. I met my future husband in Paris, a 32
native Australian from Sydney and cried upon arrival at the Great Wall of China. Through these monumental life changes and blessings, I felt a calling that I needed to educate readers and fellow travellers on the beauty of the earth, taking chances, and travelling to far off places. My husband cheered me on to start a blog and make it my little corner of the world, where I would become this digital travel guru. I didn’t know where to begin other than to share my untold stories and tips. I then decided to make it my calling and through this, opted to find key assistance and education to make things possible. Thanks Kate for your invaluable Blogger’s MBA that put my best foot forward in the blogosphere.
Do you remember having a sort of ‘Oh damn, I really can do this!’ moment? What was it?? When you receive recognition and support when you have been blogging for a while it makes you feel like making this happen is possible. There is still lots to do and develop, but having those kudos moments truly sink in has you further believing in yourself and your craft. What is the best blogging advice you have ever received? Comparison is the thief of happiness. There are certainly many many blogs out there for every niche you can imagine. Of course you will come across many in your niche and see exactly what they are doing in their blogging journey. The worst thing you can do is compare yourself with others. All you see is their web presence. You have no clue, their journey to get there, their stats, struggles, or anything in between. The last thing you can do is be hard on yourself and think yours isn’t as good. Once you keep this in mind and have the positive outlook that your blog is your baby and the best thing you have done, regardless of everyone else’s, you will be on the track for success.
What is the thing you are most proud of about your blog or something amazing that has happened because of blogging? The best thing that has happened for my blog was the honour of being chosen of the many many travel sites out there for one of the top 100 for 2017. Some of the biggest names in Travel blogging were on the same list, which made it such an incredible honour to be among those experts. I felt humbled and honoured as my blog will be 1 in June and is still just a baby. I am proud of this recognition, not to mention, Kate giving me Blogger of the Month. Truly wonderful in my short tenure as a blogger so far.
What do you find to be your biggest challenge, and what’s something that has really worked for you? Traffic and various social media channels’ growth I find challenging at times. I wonder to myself if I will ever conquer the algorithm beasts that do us all in now and then! But I just think to myself that my time will come and my content is great and informative that will eventually land in everyone’s search results. 33
Any tips for other bloggers who want to achieve something similar? Keep plugging away and again, don’t compare yourself to other bloggers! Follow every lead that you see through the channels of communication, don’t hesitate to apply for opportunities even if you don’t think you have a chance, and believe in yourself. I say to myself all the time that blogging as a hobby and as a career requires 3 P’s: Patience, Persistence, and Planning. If you have all three of these in line, you are on your way to a great blogging journey. If you could blog from anywhere in the world, where would it be? I am loving being at home blogging my way to success, but if I could choose one place? Probably Disney World in a teacup (I am such a Disney nerd!) or at a beautiful island with strong wifi. What was it that made you decide to join the Blog Squad / Boss Squad community? I wanted my blog to succeed and felt that Kate’s knowledge and expertise would point me in the right direction. I must confess that I haven’t partaken in too many trainings, but I do find the courses, templates, tools, and challenges extremely helpful and necessary for blogging success. What has been your biggest accomplishment since joining the Blog Squad / Boss Squad community? Getting my blog in the right direction from the beginning. Learning the ins and outs of social media channels that I never knew the importance 34
or significance of, all the work and energy that goes into a blog and running a site, and SEO mechanics that were serious gibberish to me. Those out there who think blogs are simple online journals seriously need to get educated and understand the work and skills behind blogging. How would you describe the Blog Squad / Boss Squad community to a friend? I have two close blogging friends who I have told about this community and how helpful it has been to my blog’s success. I have told them about the invaluable information, courses, and templates/tools that have helped me with the development of my blog. Moving forward, what’s next for you and your blog? I have a great project that I hope to roll out by the end of June and with my family, we have two other sites in the works in the wedding and dog care niches. Fill My Passport will be continuing as a travel resource with a new niche of romantic getaways and Disney specific planning, coupled with guides and products in the near future.
! s e v i F h g i H
Our community of bloggers are the absolute bomb. It’s just a delight popping into the Blog Squad and checking out what everyone is getting up to. We like to congratulate the people who are winning at being bosses! High fives for these rad peeps... This month, Ashleigh has been killing it with her stats. After going through her Google Analytics she was feeling a bit bummed (even though she only just started to blog) she decided to switch it up a bit and change the time she was posting. She went from 555 views to 878 users and 1163 page views! Well done Ashleigh - just goes to show it’s all in the timing. Let’s raise a glass to Jessica Devlin, one of our Blog Squad Babes. She has been so busy the last few months and has set up her own course and has already had sales - internet fist bump for you Jessica. Setting up courses is HARD WORK!
Another one of our Blog Squad Babes, Shivanii, has just completed her first Facebook live. Facebook Live can be super scary but thanks to our very own Carly sharing her amazing tips on Facebook Live, we think Shivanii aced it. You go girl! We are sending a huge high five to Christie who has just launched her first ecourse, Mindful Mums Project, where she helps mums find their real selves again. Also this month, one of our Boss Squad members has just started her very own podcast. Danelle has set up The Female Musicpreneur Podcast! Make sure you head over and give it a listen to find out what it’s all about! 35
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Asshole
HOW NOT TO BE AN
WHEN GROWING YOUR ONLINE AUDIENCE
You know what? You need to be bold to grow your online business. That’s a fact. However being bold doesn’t include being a dick. Most people know how to not behave like total fools but when you work alone on your online business, sometimes it can be hard to self monitor your behaviour. Especially if you only talk to people online. Here are a few little reminders just in case you need them...
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Don’t go into other people’s groups and pimp your stuff Unless it’s a group where you’re allowed to go in there and pimp your stuff, don’t do it. It’s their community. They built it and it’s not nice to come in and take advantage of their audience. If you’re replying to a comment or someone has specifically asked for something, go for it but just going into the group and slapping a link in there that leads to your latest opt-in is not okay. This is the same for blog posts. Also don’t pretend like the link you’re posting isn’t yours - ‘Hey guys! Thought you might like this article that I’m pretending I just discovered but I actually wrote it! Suckers!’. This never ends well.
Don’t sell 100% of the time This is the quickest way to alienate yourself. Yes, you need to sell but if every time you do anything on the internet you follow it with ‘Give me your money!’, no one is going to like you very much. You need to provide useful, inspiring content to get people in, going straight for the sale kill is like shoving a turkey in the oven before it’s heated up. Pre-heat your audience, people.
Don’t be nasty about your competitors We’d like to think this stuff doesn’t happen but I’ve seen big kahuna business people make public, notso-vague and actually quite obvious swipes at their competitors and it’s not cool. Even if you have a particularly nasty competitor, don’t go there. Even
if they swipe at you first. Nothing will make a nasty person look more foolish than leaving them to fight with themselves alone in corner.
Don’t promise the world then under deliver If you say you’re going to do something, do it. If you don’t think you can do it, don’t promise it. Nothing will ruin your reputation faster than disappointing people. This is the same for working with people in your community. If someone asks you for an interview, wants to collaborate or is waiting for response on something, get back to them. People talk on the internet so make sure what people say about you is super flattering.
Don’t pop up literally everywhere This is a thing that people do often and it’s a great strategy if it’s done well. If it’s not done well it doesn’t look good. If someone is trying to sell organic cotton t-shirts, it makes sense to seek out places where people are talking about organic cotton t-shirts and join the conversation. However if every time that topic is mentioned, that person pipes up with ‘I sell organic cotton t-shirts! What a coincidence!’ It looks like the virtual equivalent of a dog running around and peeing on everyone’s leg. Just chill. Jump into the conversation if you happen to see one but don’t go to websites you’ve never visited before and comment on a 3 year old blog post about your brand new business. That’s the opposite of chill. 39
TOOL BOX
PLACES YOU CAN GET PEOPLE TO DO
THINGS YOU
hate doing I adore blogging - obviously. I’ve been doing it for ten years and I don’t think I’ve done anything ever consistently for ten years. But there are some parts of it that royally suck. Like tracking stats (boring!), formatting blog posts (snooze fest) and editing photos (are you asleep yet?). The good news is that there are HEAPS of awesome places you can find people to do all the shit you don’t want to do. From editing videos to creating blog posts - there’s someone somewhere you will do the thing that makes you want to cry. How ace is that?
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Fiverr
www.fiverr.com This is a very basic place to start but you can find someone to do pretty much anything there. You just jump on and type in ‘video editing’ or ‘blog post writing’ and you can find someone who will do that. It’s pretty safe - the whole system is vetted by Fiverr and is based on ratings so there’s no real benefit to anyone ripping you off. The quality isn’t always amazing but if you need something basic done, Fiverr is a good place to start.
Virtual Staff Finder
www.virtualstafffinder.com
This is a genius concept from Chris Ducker. He basically connects people with VAs across the world. This saves time on searching, interviewing and vetting to make sure the person you’re hiring will do the job you want them to do. This is also great for security because if you’re going to give your passwords to someone in another country, you’ll want to make sure they’re legit.
Task Rabbit
www.taskrabbit.com This is a in-real-life Fiverr. So if you need someone to pack all your orders you got over night for your online business, you can jump on Task Rabbit and get someone to help. There’s no point in you wasting your time doing jobs you don’t enjoy/aren’t good at and if you can get someone else to come in and do it for you - bonza!
UpWork
www.upwork.com This place is specifically for freelancers so you can get writers, designers and web developers to do all the things you don’t like doing. UpWork is similar to Fiverr but the quality is slightly higher which means you have to pay a bit more but it’s worth it. Tip: Use Fiverr for non-creative tasks like scheduling and reporting and use UpWork for creative stuff like design.
Envato Studio studio.envato.com
Envato tends to attract higher level freelancers but it’s the perfect place to find someone of top notch quality to put together your e-book or do things like create an email flow or an opt in sequence. This is a great place to find an amazing app developer or someone to build your new website. 41
5 REASONS WHY I LOVE
a l r O & e M
I honestly don’t read many blogs religiously anymore. I used to back when Google Reader was a thing but I don’t like any of the new blog reader thingies (because I’m old and grumpy) so I kind of just read blogs when I remember to or when they pop up on Facebook, which is a truly terrible way of keeping up to date with the blogs I follow. I was doing some research for this mag and I stumbled across Me and Orla - meandorla. co.uk/blog and I’m quite obsessed. Sara is a lovely lass who lives in West Yorkshire in a gorgeous house she renovated. She takes beautiful photos of her daughter (Orla!) and has one of the loveliest Instagram feeds I’ve ever seen. I find myself typing her URL into my browser just to check if she’s posted and I haven’t done that in about 5 years. She’s the real deal. Here’s why I love her... 42
1. SHE’S REAL She writes with total honesty about everything. She’s funny, she’s open, she’s kind, she’s vulnerable and she’s extremely intelligent. Sara has a wonderful way of educating people without hitting them over the head with a stick. She has this soft but sensible tone that draws me in every time.
2. HER PHOTOGRAPHY IS ON POINT Sara identifies more as writer than a photographer but, girl be boss behind a lens. Her photography style is clean, whimsical and slightly moody with her daughter, beautiful fields, hands, flowers and crumbling old buildings as her main subjects. I legit want to move in with her.
3. SHE’S HELPFUL Sara has a fantastic podcast Hashtag Authentic where she interviews amazing online people and draws out all their wisdom for her listeners. There’s also a killer section on her blog full of Instagram tips for growing your online community. She’s crazy generous with her brain candy which is just lovely. She also runs courses for people who really want to knuckle down and get cracking with their social media following.
4. SHE’S ASPIRATIONAL She speaks quite honestly about her success and the growth of her business and doesn’t pretend like it was accidental. It’s really refreshing to see a successful Instagrammer map out exactly how her journey came about rather than being really silent and elusive about it. When real people succeed and are honest about their success, it’s extremely inspirational.
5. SHE’S TOTALLY BOSS Sara recently wrote a beautiful post about how her husband has just resigned from his job to join her team. It’s so freaking cool when that happens. Watching men work for their wives thriving businesses tickles every feminist bone in my body. That’s boss level awesome. 43
Are you ready to become a full-time blogger?
More than 9 years ago I started my first blog, Drop Dead Gorgeous Daily, from scratch. I was exactly where you are right now. 12-months later I was able to quit my job and blog full-time. Today I have two 6-figure blogs, 4 staff, and I have earned over $1million from blogging.
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