Jennifer’s Blogging Journey
SHOW NOTES: Episode 7
Hey there! It’s Jennifer here and I am solo on today’s episode sharing all about my blogging journey and what led me to where I am today. I hope my story can bring you encouragement.
College days
My story starts back in college. I went to Kansas State University for accounting. When I started college, the internet was just starting to become more widely used and dial-up was service provided. I could never imagine that my life would look so different in years to come, with the Internet being a huge part of my life.
Accountant?
I started as a public accountant for a firm doing income taxes. As much as I loved it, during tax season I would work 80+ weeks sometimes and I knew that wasn’t what I wanted for my future.
After 3 years, I started a new job at a new company doing their corporate income tax. I worked there for 10 years and I loved the work but somehow I always felt like something was missing. I dreamed of owning my own business, a coffee shop but it just didn’t seem like a profitable option with startup costs, etc.
During my 10 years at this new company, Internet became more popular and blogs started gaining more popularity. My life also changed a good bit during those 10 years. I adopted my first child, my son. I ended up going part-time as an accountant and really started focusing on feeding my family healthier food. That is when I really started reading different food blogs and was trying out new recipes.
Blogging?
In 2012-2013, I ended up quitting my job as an accountant to stay home and homeschool my son. We adopted our daughter. I continued researching and reading blogs to plan meals or try out new recipes to have my family eat healthier, finding myself creating new recipes or finding a way to make them my own. Friends and family were asking about my recipes so I started thinking about how blogs (maybe on Blogspot) could help me share my recipes with them. I then came across a few bloggers who had posts about how they made money blogging and it occurred to me that I could do this too!
This was such a great option with owning my own business because the startup cost is low in comparison to other businesses. My husband was in IT at the time and helped me understand that Blogspot would not be a good fit long-term if I wanted to grow and monetize my blog. It’s important o know what your goals are long-term and start things the right way from the beginning.
Launching my blog
I launched my blog around Thanksgiving 2013, persevering even when it felt like I didn’t know what I was doing. I ended up figuring things out slowly and everyday got a little bit better. When I had the opportunity I would go to conferences in my area and I joined some Facebook blogging groups because I believe you can learn so much from other people.
Monetizing my blog
It took me 4-5 years to replace the income I made while working full-time as an accountant. I was figuring out every piece for myself and looking back I am thankful I had time to learn and grow and spend time with my family. It is a lot easier to find resources to help nowadays as blogs are more popular.
How my days look now
I used to do things a lot different than I do now and used to fit working time where I could in my day. Now I batch my work and treat it a little more like a business. I really enjoy what I do.
It is so important to have an idea of what your goals are and how you are going to get there. Don’t compare yourself. Go after your goals. Believe in yourself and have a passion for what you are sharing.
I hope that my story could give you some encouragement and help you in some way. If you loved this episode, connect with me (and Amy) on Instagram: @sparkmediaconcepts. We would love to chat with you!
Are you interested in starting a blog? Check out the Ultimate Blog Bootcamp!
IN THIS EPISODE, WE COVERED:
- Jennifer’s blogging journey
LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
- Check out the Slow Cooker Gourmet blog here!
- Orange Chicken Recipe
- Buffalo Chicken Chili Recipe
- Check out our episode on monetizing a blog through affiliate marketing and sponsored posts with Shannon Hutcheson
- Wanting to learn more about starting a blog? Start here!
- Follow us on Instagram: @sparkmediaconcepts
MORE ABOUT THE ULTIMATE BLOG PODCAST:
Welcome to The Ultimate Blog Podcast! This podcast is for you if you’ve ever wanted to learn blogging basics so that you can start your own blog or if you have been a blogger for years but are struggling to grow or need inspiration and community.
Every Tuesday we will be sharing a new episode where we will cover topics from the basics of starting a blog, monetizing and growing your site, to finding the inspiration you need to keep going. You will also find guest interviews with experts on different blogging topics as well as interviews with bloggers who’ve been in your shoes.
Amy Reinecke and Jennifer Draper are bloggers themselves who want to encourage you to believe in your potential, step outside the norm and step into a life where you create your own schedule, your own success and your own story.
We’d love to connect with you on our other platforms so please visit us at www.sparkmediaconcepts.com or follow us on Instagram at @sparkmediaconcepts