SOCIAL MEDIA

Sunday 2 December 2018

People who do things | #12 Professional Blogger




Today on People Who Do Things we are joined by Victoria, a Professional Blogger! I am sure a lot of you would love to quit your day job and spend your time concentrating on your blog and all of the social media that comes with it! Victoria shall be sharing how she got to do exactly that, how she sets herself a work routine, some money making hacks on the side and if she thinks blogging will be around forever...








You're a full time blogger, I'm sure that a lot of my followers would love to be able to drop their day jobs to be able to completely focus on their blog! What has your education/career path been before being able to make your blog your full time job? At University I studied Theology, though I only stayed one year as I didn't enjoy the course or University life, if I went back in time I'd probably pick something along the lines of Business, Marketing or Creative Writing. Before my blog and pre-kids I worked for Superdry for nine years, I actually started there when it was called Cult Clothing and they hadn't yet invented their Superdry brand. I worked my way up to Head Office and had varies roles, it was obviously totally different to blogging!
For my blog specifically it's simply been a passion for writing along with determination and a lot of self-motivation. I've always enjoyed writing, whether that was making up poems as a youngster, writing letters to pen pals or keeping a journal as a teenager. I never set out to be a writer or blogger and it all happened rather accidentally. My original aim was to be an online retailer and I set up a blog to go alongside my fashion accessories website to create more content. I rediscovered my love for writing and a lifestyle blog was born. I blogged for three years as a hobby with the aim of getting more footfall on my online shop, but the blog soon took over and I realised I'd lost the passion for online selling and instead found it in blogging. I then started getting approached by companies to collaborate, which at first I declined, but then I realised I might be able to make a living from blogging, so why not? I've never looked back and have been making money from my blog for two years.

What was the moment when you thought 'I've made it in the blogging industry and I can actually make this into a career'? When I'd earned a full time wage for six months consecutively. I was working a part time evening job and caring for my youngest in the day. I realised if I quit my part time job and really went for it then I could hopefully sustain the income. It was terrifying, but it was the best decision ever.

What does a day in your work life look like? I have two young children aged three and six, so I have to fit work around Mum duties. I drop the kids at nursery and school and then get home as quickly as I can to start work. I usually start by 9:15am and finish at 2:45pm, then once the children are in bed I will work again from 7:30pm - 9:30pm, or later if needs be. The majority of my day is spent on admin tasks, I'd love for it to purely be writing blog posts as that would be the dream, but with making it a self-employed job there are a lot of emails to write and respond to, accounts to check and keep, paid work to find and apply for, social media to update, invoices to chase etc. I also make sure to keep an eye on lots of Facebook groups to see what's going in the Blog-asphere and to hear about new brand campaigns. I usually post as least once a day, but there may be the off day I don't even write at all as I'm doing admin all day! Other days I can write 3-5 blog posts and this will take up all my time.

Do you see this as your forever job and do you think blogging will continue as Social Platforms are evolving and changing daily? I really do hope so for both. I love blogging and I've even set up a second blog as I love having a niche blog for my biggest passion and I hope I can also monetise from this blog too. I think as long as the internet is here then blogging will be here to stay.  Whether there will always be the same ways to make money from blogging, I'm not so sure. Digital Marketing changed constantly so I have no idea what the future really holds for professional bloggers, but I'm sure going to enjoy this as my job whilst I can!

When did you create your blogs? My main blog, www.lyliarose.com, was created in April 2013, so over 5 years ago. My Healthy Vix blog was created this year in January.

What's the ethos/mission/theme for your blogs? Lylia Rose is about Mum's who want to be healthier and wealthier, like I do. It's a UK lifestyle blog that covers all the topics that interest me so there is no specific niche. I write about family lifestyle, home & garden, making money online, money in general, self-employment, blogging and more. Healthy Vix is my blog all about being healthy. I love healthy living and have been becoming more eco-conscious in recent years, I follow a plant based vegan diet, love to exercise and do yoga, as well as creating a non-toxic environment around the home.

Being self-employed must mean you have to be incredibly disciplined with setting yourself deadlines and just making sure you actually work, do you have any tips for this? I am very self-motivated and a determined workaholic! These qualities definitely help. My blog and business are my babies and though it's a passion it's also an obsession! I'd say you must set yourself a working routine and remember if you don't work then you won't earn any money!

I'm sure, like the best of us, you get writers block and sometimes don't know what post to schedule for the week, where do you find your inspiration at these times? Luckily, I don't get it too often, but sometimes I just cant think how to start a post. When this happens then I know I just need a break from the screen for 20 minutes to clear my mind, then when I go back to a blank page I can start typing.
What is the most rewarding part of your job? Getting to make my own money, it feels amazing to work for yourself and make your own income.
What are the biggest misconceptions about your job? That is easy! I'm sure some people don't think I do anything, but they don't realise how much effort I put into my blog for three years without it making any money and now that it does I work a 40 hour week just like everybody else, sometimes more. It's not just sitting around and writing one blog post per day, there's a lot more to it!
What's your side hustle? I have a few money making side hustles such as matched betting, Ebay selling, website testing and mystery shopping. These all help to top up my income so if I'm ever up to date with my blog work then I'll crack on with these to make the most of my work time and maximise my earnings.
And finally, the question we all want to know the answer of, what are the perks of the job? Getting to work from home and plan my days around my children, that's the biggest perk for me as in a normal job I'd have to fork out a lot more in childcare. I also love the variety, no two days are the same and I get to research and learn new things everyday!





A massive thank you to Victoria for taking the time to share her job as a Professional Blogger, I hope you found this interesting. This is the last post in series 1 of people who do things, perhaps it shall be back with a series 2 next year!

If you're in a job that you love make sure to DM me on Instagram @greatestformofflatteryblog and I can feature you!




KEEP SMILING



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