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Successful Blogging: True Story
I just returned from a "working vacation" which makes for a great example of just how important it is to choose the right niche for your blog...
If you want to be successful, make money AND have fun at it, that is.
Every year Willie Crawford hosts a fun, casual Beach Meetup at The Crab Trap on Fort Walton Beach.
This was my third time attending, and it's great for networking and catching up with people you know & work with online. But it's also a great excuse to take a tax-deductible trip to the beach.
As you know, I have two blogs. The one you're reading now where I share blogging & internet marketing tips from my 17 years experience in online business. And of course I have my low carb travel blog as well.
I also have a Personal Vlog (Video Blog) at LynnTerry.TV which I'm "bringing back" (yay!), which is where I ramble about anything & everything -lol.
This trip was great for all three blogs in regards to content ideas - and great photos, videos, blog posts & social media updates. It was also good for scouting brands to work with, discussing potential JV's, networking with other business owners & sharing ideas, and making some "travel connections" for my TLC blog.
That's Willie on the left in the picture above, me in the middle of course, and Ricky (my handsome fellow) went with me this time. It was an 8 hour road trip, which was tons of fun! - and made for some great #roadtrip updates along the way.
This is what being a (happy, successful!) professional blogger is all about!
I had a great time hanging out with friends, playing in the ocean, taking long beach walks, enjoying amazing seafood dishes, and all the great things a "beach trip" should be about.
But I was also "working" (which I just have to put in quotes for a reason!) throughout the trip: taking photos, jotting down notes & ideas, sharing pictures & "live" updates online, etc.
In this photo I'd just enjoyed a nice morning swim and a healthy breakfast, which I was sharing as social media updates along the way - but also documenting for a blog post on how to stay healthy on vacation.
Then I was taking photos of the grounds on my way back from the cafe, and before we did a little shopping, for my review of the beach resort.
Work. Yes. It's hard to call it that word. lol.
This is what successful niche blogging is all about. Ideally it should fit into your lifestyle - your ideal lifestyle, that is - so that you're not "working to play"... but "playing to work"!!
There's a BIG difference.
It all boils down to quality of life. And done right, working online and being a successful blogger can give you that ideal lifestyle you most want. That's exactly what I teach in my Niche Success Blueprint. I discussed this too in my recent post about What I'm Working On, and how great it is to live life on your own terms!
It's not difficult to be successful at blogging and have that "laptop lifestyle" that I enjoy myself. There's nothing hard about it at all. It does take time to establish yourself and your business, and grow your following, but it's SO worth it! And while yes, it IS work, as you can see... it can be FUN work.
It's all in choosing a niche that allows you to ENJOY every single second of it!
In addition to tons of content for my TravelingLowCarb.com blog, I shared updates for ClickNewz readers along the way as well. And ultimately wrote this blog post you're reading now. So as you can see, LOTS of content ideas and social media updates came out of this "working vacation" trip.
The updates on my low carb Facebook Page (plus Twitter & Instagram etc) got a lot of replies and engagement - and generated interest in my low carb challenge, so the trip was a big success in that regard.
Here are some of the updates I shared on my ClickNewz Facebook Page as an example too, which was a fun way to include everyone on my trip, and inspire people to achieve that coveted "laptop lifestyle"...
What's in the bag, you ask? First, it's an AmeriLeather Rainbow Mazy Tote (Rainbow)
- which I love! Inside is my Macbook, a printed copy of my Niche Success Blueprint, a notebook/journal and my favorite ink pen, my iPad, Android mobile phone, and chargers for each. That's it!
Since Ricky was driving, I took advantage of the 8 hours on the road (both ways) to do some writing and brainstorming. There's nothing like a change of scenery to spark tons of creative ideas!
I shared this picture from the beach (above) when I got back in my home office on Monday morning, because after sharing everything I was doing & working on all weekend... I wanted to hear what everyone else was working on for the week.
Come leave a comment and share what you're working on!
I absolutely love what I do for a living. This post (and the links I shared throughout) should give you a pretty good idea of what my life as a blogger is all about. I get to meet great people from all over the world, connect with companies and brands that I use and love, travel and have fun, and of course experience that true financial freedom & laptop lifestyle that goes along with being a successful blogger.
Work and Play don't have to be separate. I encourage you to create a life you love, where living it... is profitable!
Next, see: Want To Make More Money With Your Blog?
Best,
p.s. My Niche Success Blueprint is ideal if you'd like to achieve this same lifestyle for yourself. If you want hands-on help, I'd be happy to work with you personally too. And if you join my Private Brainstorming Group where I can work with you step-by-step, you'll get the Niche Success Blueprint for free! I give members lots of cool perks.
Note: If you grab this 4-Module download of the Niche Success Blueprint, you'll get the opportunity to sign up for the entire course at a deep discount off the public rate. (Miss the crazy good discount before?? Grab it today!)
If you enroll in the course after checking out those four modules, I'll even refund your $29 purchase. How's that for fair?
Do Affiliate Marketers Qualify As Entrepreneurs?
Justin Brooke started a great discussion on Facebook a few months ago, asking if Affiliate Marketers qualified as Entrepreneurs.
I'm a Super Affiliate and earn the majority of my income online via Affiliate Marketing, so I found this topic very interesting.
You may be asking "Why does it even matter?" - and in fact, several people asked that very thing in the original thread. And while I'm not sure it does matter, some very interesting things came up in that discussion regarding the difference between making money online, being an entrepreneur, and being "just" a business owner...
Here are just a few responses to the question:
I liked the "Affiliates are just hustlers" comment. lol
My response? I said:
"A professional affiliate makes good business of bringing products to markets, and markets to merchants. And a smart affiliate marketer has a variety of revenue sources, with a business that serves a market to the point that it's independent of any individual revenue source or single merchant." -Lynn Terry
So what's the real difference between a small business owner, an entrepreneur, and a "hustler"?
A Small Business Owner wants a regular income, and the stability and enjoyment of being self-employed. They are content to make a good living and run their business doing the day to day tasks.
A Hustler is out to make a quick buck and "cash in" then "cash out". They aren't committed to a cause or a lifestyle, but rather money-focused and looking for the fastest, easiest way to make money online - with no real roots, or business to manage.
An Entrepreneur is a visionary, with a mission and a purpose larger than themselves - and their own life. They seek to make a difference, leave a mark, and add value to the world (or to a market).
(Those are my definitions and my thoughts - I'd love to hear yours!)
The best resource I found in that conversation was a link to this chart, outlining some of the main differences between a small business owner and a true entrepreneur...
Top 12 Differences Between A Small Business Owner and Entrepreneur:
I found that chart very interesting, and very well done. It confirmed that I am indeed an entrepreneur, which of course I already knew.
I've been in business more than 17 years now, weaving through a variety of business models and markets - with two primary goals: to make a real difference, and to have the freedom to use my talents to do so.
A big part of that (for me) is for my life to mean something. To have a mission that fuels me, and something that gives meaning to the otherwise mundane cyle of eating / working / sleeping / etc that makes up everyday life.
Of course, I also wanted to create an ideal lifestyle for myself and my family (which includes two awesome children, and now two beautiful Great Danes). I wanted to be a full time parent and have an awesome career at the same time, and under the same roof. Mission accomplished!
I work from my home office, and often from my back deck as you can see in the photo above. I used to have an office and shop in the city, but for more than a decade now I've been working from virtually anywhere - from mobile devices in airports, with a beach view in Australia, on a gorgeous resort patio overlooking the mountains in Colorado, you name it!
Back when I still had clients (before I phased out my service-based business), I was "quiet" about my nomadic office space. I had my business line forwarded to my cell phone, and kept a professional "appearance" even if I was sitting poolside with my laptop. These days it doesn't really matter where I am - so long as I'm moving toward my goals - and I love that!
I don't miss having an office, and I especially don't miss having "office hours". When I get bored with my home office, I grab a few things and go sit by the river to work - like in the photo above where I was writing my review of the Problogger Workbook.
Am I an affiliate marketer? Yes.
Am I a business owner? Yes. (The IRS agrees. lol)
Am I an entrepreneur? Definitely!
While labels don't really matter in the grand scheme of things, knowing who you are - or knowing your objectives, and knowing who you want to be - is definitely the key in reaching your goals in life.
Regardless of whether you're an "entrepreneur" or just a "hustler", I say go at it full-on!
Your thoughts?
Best,
Text Link Ads is now Matomy Media Group
If you've been around for awhile you may remember Text Link Ads. I worked with them myself several years ago. They've now rebranded to Matomy SEO Media Group and offer a variety of new solutions for both advertisers and publishers, including:
I signed back up to review their new suite of services, and you can join too (through my referral link) by using any of the links above if you'd like to test it as a new way to get traffic and/or monetize your website.
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