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When you’re faced with several changes all at once, there’s two things you can do: 1) break down or 2) take control.

I chose 1 and 2. 

Moving to South Florida was probably one of the scariest, yet most rewarding experiences I’ve ever encountered. When I no longer had my family and friends to lean on for support, I found strength by relying on my little family.

It wasn’t the easiest, but blogging has really helped me face a lot of my fears. It does help that much of what I do today relates to what I did back when I worked for a small digital publishing company in New Jersey.

Many of the people I have met over the past two and a half years since the move have been quite influential. Most of them are fearless mompreneurs. Fearless in the sense that nothing really stops them from accomplishing their goals. They’re driven and stop at nothing to achieve their dreams of finding the perfect work and life balance.

Yes, You Can!
I’ve never considered myself to be the best writer, yet some of my family and friends have always told me how great I write. Because there’s always room for improvement, I picked up “Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content” by Ann Handley. Her book is a guide for anyone who is looking to focus on writing for an audience, or even for themselves.

I’ve connected with Ann in the past for a content marketing event we put together at my previous job. Standing next to Ann made me feel like a teenager seeing one of her favorite boy bands. I didn’t need her autograph because I had something better at the time. I had read several of her posts on ways to improve my content. I was young and eager to learn more.

Since launching Motherhood Through My Eyes, I’ve been my biggest critic, but not in a bad way. I’ve always believed a good book can take you anywhere, and many of the points Ann mentions in hers has led me to create one of the best types of content for brands.

Taking The Social Plunge
Social media is a huge game-changer. It has really opened doors for so many people seeking freelance work. I know several bloggers who have put the skills they’ve learned from promoting their blog into practice by helping local companies expand their reach through social media marketing. Throughout the years, I’ve been able to really understand the power behind social media.
Many of the things I’ve learned to do with online marketing and being able to mold into my own is all thanks to Gary Vaynerchuk. A former co-worker introduced me to him and I’m forever grateful for this. His book, “Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World,” was my inspiration to focus on traditional media and find key ways to integrate it with social media. I’m a firm believer that social media is a great way to build relationships with not just brands, but the people behind them.
Several of the tactics I’ve implemented into my social promo comes from Gary. I’ve learned to just be transparent in anything that I do. If my goal is to sell you on something, I let it be known.
Understanding The Risks
It’s been less than two months since I got my laptop back, and I’m so thankful. For almost a year I managed my blog from my iPhone, and unless I told you about it, you wouldn’t know the difference. It’s amazing how much you can do from your smartphone these days!

During the time that I was using my iPhone, I reached out to a lot of companies through social media. I was a lot more focused and strategic about everything. Whenever the kids were down, I was up working on my next piece. This often meant I had to wake up at 4am and clock out by 10pm. I was overwhelmed, but it paid off.

Just as I was feeling overworked with managing a household and a blog, a fellow blogger had published a book. It wasn’t her first, nor will it be her last, but this one resonated with me.

In a time when I needed a sign to keep going, her book, “REACH! from single mom on welfare to digital entrepreneur,” helped me realize there was more to blogging than I ever imagined. The time I was investing into working with brands was valuable. I was leaving my mark on everything I worked on.

When you use your blog for business you have to learn how to hustle. I spoke with Jeff recently about some ideas I came up with for a brand I was pitching. He laughed and said I was becoming a salesperson. He knows how much I really hate selling, but like my good friend Sarah from ND Consulting says, “Bloggers are in the business of sales.” 

Creating a set schedule allowed me to build meaningful relationships, not only with brands but other bloggers as well. Monday through Friday, like a typical work week, I write, create and publish. Oh, and we can’t forget promo! That’s something that happens on an on-going basis.

By giving myself time to work on my blog, I avoid cutting into family time to answer an email. This was a huge problem I had to overcome. My blogging friends have really helped me in the transition.

Want to purchase any of the three books I’ve mentioned? Click on any of the links below: 

                  

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