Blogger

  • Entrepreneurship

    Why I started blogging & what I have learnt

    This blog is fairly new to me but in reality I have been blogging now for almost 14 years and it is incredible to me that it has been that long. As I grew older and my tastes, passions and habits changed my blogs have changed and evolved entirely, but the art of blogging has remained firm at the centre of what I do.

    Where it all began

    I started my first blog “Beauty and the makeup bag” back in June 2006 when I had just finished university. Youtube beauty gurus were popular at the time, and while I was nowhere near comfortable in front of a camera to do something similar, I was confident enough to write. I set up a simple blog on Blogger and my blogging journey began.

    Beauty and the make up bag was a simple blog where I wrote about some of my favourite beauty products at the time, and although I was small fry I soon had a small following and decided to up my game. Sometime around 2007/2008 I moved my blog to WordPress, bought a domain, changed the name to Beauty Chic and self hosted it myself for the very first time. Soon I was blogging on Beauty Chic with my friend Ellie, who was as passionate as I was about make up at the time (a long way from where I am today – I haven’t put makeup on at all throughout 2020 at the this point) and we co-run beauty chic for many years. It was through Beauty Chic that I really found my love of blogging and also saw my first successes in the blogging world, where we were able to grow a large following who enjoyed our content for the first time. 

    So why did I leave Beauty Chic behind?

    As with so many things our time on Beauty Chic came to an end and although still firm friends to this day, Ellie and I had different projects we wanted to pursue in the long run. For me, I felt like I had said everything I wanted to say about makeup and wanted the freedom of being able to write about whatever I wanted to and the things I was passionate about. My birth into the world of Lifestyle blogging was born and I have never looked back. I still have my own lifestyle blog today and although I wouldn’t say I have the best track record of being consistent there, I love that I have it and it is a space just for me.

    I have learnt over the years that keeping space for lifestyle blogging is so important to me, as it is something I will forever come back to, despite having other passions such as this blog, where I continue to share everything to do with running a business, being a busy entrepreneur, Instagram growth, why Pinterest is important, how to build a personal brand and so much more.

    So let’s dive in, to the things I have learnt in all my years of blogging that I want to share with you.

    It is ok to be multi-passionate

    Some of my biggest quandaries across my business have come from being multi-passionate and not quite knowing which direction I am going in. My personal blog and Instagram account have been largely built on who I am and what I am passionate about and a lot of that includes motherhood, while my business is social media and personal branding. These two do have crossovers but don’t always fit together as easily as I wish they would, which is why I chose to keep them separate for the most part. It is totally ok to be multi-passionate and it is ok to have two (or more) spaces for your work. I bring my passions together where I can and keep them apart where it makes sense to. For example, I don’t think some of my Social Media business clients care too much about weaning.

    Niche’s are important, but not the end-all

    This kind of relates to the point above. Niche’s are important to know who your ideal client/audience/community is but they aren’t the be all, so don’t get too caught up in defining yourself at first. Keep in mind a goal and you why, and from there you will more than likely find a niche you belong in. Also, it’s ok to span a couple of niches if they aren’t too different too. As I mentioned above, being a multi-passionate digital creator within two very different niches has encouraged me to largely keep the two separate and at this point in my business I am more than happy with this decision. 

    Pinterest is king for getting your content out into the world

    I shout about it a lot and mostly nobody listens to me, but Pinterest is absolute king when it comes to marketing. If you know, you know! Pinterest is incredible and content can live on for days, months and even years within Pinterest meaning your content has life beyond just 12-24 hours like some other platforms. I know so many of us (me included) give so much power to Instagram and work so hard when our content there last for such a relatively little time. Honestly, give Pinterest a try, you won’t be disappointed.

    Always, always, ALWAYS start your email list early

    Don’t be like me and wait until you have been in the game for fourteen years before really starting your email list. Yep, that’s right, 2020 was the year I finally got a handle on what I needed to do. Don’t be like me, start now. And if you think you don’t need one, you do. Trust me.

    Ultimately, stay true to yourself

    Whatever you decide to do, whatever niche you decide to show up in the most important thing is to show up as the most authentic version of yourself. If you are showing up as you then you will find your audience and you will find your voice. Keep doing you, there is no-one else in this world like you and that’s your superpower.

    Are you a blogger too? Drop me a comment below with one of your top blogging tips that you would like to share with our community!

  • Entrepreneurship

    Why you need to start building your personal brand today!

    When it comes to everything social media I definitely don’t have all the answers, but one thing I am certain about is that if you’re on social media with a purpose then you need to be building a personal brand. That purpose could be something as simple as building your own like-minded community through your followers, it could be selling products (either yours or another’s), it could be building your own business, it could be getting involved in influencer marketing, being a blogger or it could be offering a service. If you are online with intention then this is for you – it’s time to really start figuring out how to build a personal brand.

    Social media is constantly filled with people launching, growing and  developing their own business and it fills me with so much joy to see people running after their dreams, taking their passion and turning it into their own business or another stream of income. That being said, there is such great importance in sharing your business online in the right way. We’ve all been party to or have noticed our social media connections dropping unsolicited messages in our inboxes telling us we’d be great at what they do and we’ve all been added to the facebook groups that we never asked to be a part of. It isn’t the ideal way to start and grow a business, so let’s dive into some ways that you can start authentically start growing a personal brand and why it is 100% the best thing you can do for yourself and your business.

    So what is a personal brand?

    So before we delve in any further I guess we ought to outline exactly what a personal brand is and why you ought to grow one online. A personal brand is brand YOU. It’s about you first, your life, your thoughts and who you represent. It let’s people get to know the person behind the business/community and lets them into your world. People are inherently curious about other people and love that glimpse into your world, and it gives your brand or business that human element, and it is these sort of connections that people are crying out for.

    personal brand

    So how can I start creating my personal brand?

    Your personal brand goes far beyond what you have to sell or offer and really starts with just you. The great thing about this is that you already know you, and who better to start representing you than you.

    Like I said, being brand you goes far beyond what you sell or offer, and can include some of the following:

    • What you share.
    • What you photograph.
    • The words you write.
    • Who you are.
    • The colour palette you choose.
    • The filters/presets you edit with.
    • The personality behind the posts.
    • The voice you have.

    Start thinking about who you are, how you want to market yourself and what you want to share with the world. You are going to be showing up as the most authentic version of yourself and you are wanting to connect with like minded individuals. One of the ways I find really helpful is to think about some categories you are known for/are passionate about/represent you. Once you dig deep and really understand who you are, what you want to share and what you want to show up as it will make creating your personal brand all that much easier.

    Some categories might include:

    • Food
    • Parenting
    • Fashion
    • Parenthood
    • Wellbeing
    • Health
    • Fitness
    • Journalling*

    You can choose anything that you feel represents you, your business or your brand, but my main piece of advice would be to ensure that it is authentic and really represents who you are as a person. 

    personal brand

    How do I share myself as a personal brand?

    So lets talk about what I personally do to build my personal brand online:

    1. I share within the 5 categories I want to be known for on my grid. These include running my own business, parenthood, wellbeing, growing a personal brand online and home decor/decluttering/being more minimal. These are all things I am passionate about which means I am always authentic when I am talking about them. My stories however, are a bit more a free-for-all.
    2. Using a grid planner to see how my grid will look. I am all about the aesthetically pleasing, so I use this predominantly for myself. I like to see what looks aesthetically pleasing to me, so I’ve been using Planoly and love it.
    3. Being creative with my photos and create photography that I love.
    4. Editing my photos using the same presets, I use my own Signature Lightroom Presets which include 15 different variations.
    5. Showing up as the real deal in my photos, in my captions and in my stories.

    Let’s build that personal brand

    Think back over the points I shared above (I’ll include them again below because I believe they are really important) and start brainstorming every element of your brand story (ie, YOUR story) and start thinking of ways in which you are able to grow and build as yourself.

    • What you share.
    • What you photograph.
    • The words you write.
    • Who you are.
    • The colour palette you choose.
    • The filters/presets you edit with.
    • The personality behind the posts.
    • The voice you have.

    Share the messy, the imperfect, the behind the scenes, the raw and the real. Sharing the human aspect of who you are and showing up as the truest version of yourself is the best way to build and grow online. 

    *This post contains affiliate links. This means if you purchase through these links I get a small financial kickback at no extra cost to you. Thanks as always for your support.

  • Entrepreneurship

    Social Media Detox: Do you need one?

    A post about the pro’s and con’s of a social media detox and whether you might need one.

    If living through the Coronavirus pandemic has taught me anything it has taught me some valuable lessons about the things that are important to me, what I value of high importance in my life and what I need for a more quiet, easy life. With that being said, one of the things I have evaluated is my time online and I have found in most cases, Instagram aside, that social media hasn’t made the cut.

    I’ve thought that I needed a social media detox for an extremely long time and although I haven’t been showing up on every platform for many years now, I kept my profiles and would occasionally dip in and out, and occasionally just lurk. For me, working as a content creator and having your entire business online, taking a social media detox was something I found a little more difficult to navigate because of where my work and content was tied up but instead of using this as a roadblock to taking that detox I instead found ways around it. When Coronavirus swept the globe and we were abruptly stopped in our tracks as we retreated into our homes and cut physical social contact you would think this might be a time where social media really might come into its own, but if you’re craving a detox and want to re-evaluate how you show up online then this article is for you. 

    Why I don’t believe in being everywhere

    You don’t have to be on social media to make an income or promote your business to be touched by the overwhelm to show up on every platform. Many of us will be connected to others via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at least and may even have explored others such as TikTok or Snapchat. Over the years I have picked up many different platforms; Facebook first, then Twitter and in more recent years Instagram. I have worked on all of them for myself and for clients, but also just as a personal user, and I’ve loved and hated them all in equal measure over time. 

    Long before this pandemic took over I had been working on myself and focusing only on the things that bring me joy and serve me in positive ways and social media was one of those. I knew where I loved showing up and I knew what brought me negative energy but it definitely took a while to take the leap and cut ties entirely. 

    I am a strong believer in not having to show up everywhere; I tell it to myself, to my Instagram followers and to my clients. It is not worth showing up on every platform if that is detrimental to your mental health. I would rather show up in one place, that serves me, that inspires me and connects me with like minded individuals, than show up on platforms I find toxic and negative. 

    If you’re growing a business or a personal brand right now I know you’re questioning what I am saying now because it isn’t the norm, right? Social media is the place to be and you can’t grow a business if you don’t have a presence on each and every one of these platforms….right?

    Wrong. Show up where you are inspired, where you find connection and where you feel at home. Show up there and show up well. Tackle one thing at a time because you will find more success in showing up well than spreading yourself thin and achieving nothing. Stop showing up in places that don’t do any of the above, because that is a negative impact on your life that you just don’t need.

    Drop the platforms that don’t serve you

    I knew a long time ago that Twitter and Facebook did not serve me. To me they are inherently toxic places and while they do have a great amount of good to them the negativity ultimately shines through and to me it was something which I just wasn’t prepared to keep in my life. 

    You might feel differently about those platforms in particular, and that’s fine, but I want you to think about your social media platforms and where you feel doesn’t serve you. What platform makes you roll your eyes? What platform isn’t fun for you? What platform affects your mental health negatively? Whatever you’re thinking right now – get rid of it.

    I deactivated both my Facebook and Twitter profiles and it has been the most liberating thing I have done. I have instantly cut that negativity out of my life and with Facebook in particular (because I haven’t had the Twittter app on my phone for months) I know I no longer mindlessly scroll and focus whatever time I was wasting there on something else in my life. 

    Remove apps

    If you don’t quite want to go the whole way and deactivate and wave goodbye to these platforms try removing the apps instead. This can help us mindlessly opening up apps and scrolling, and is great if you find a lot of your time being sucked away this way. You can still access the platforms via your browser but that requires a tad more work and therefore can definitely slow the amount of times you head to scroll.

    Silence all notifications

    This is something I have done for many years and there is honestly so much power in it, and that is removing almost all push notifications from all the apps on my phone, except my phone, text messages and whatsapp (although on the whole I mute most of my whatsapp chats too). This is a great way for keeping some peace in my life, not feeling permanently switched on and not having my phone buzz with notifications every few minutes.

    These days you will only find me on Instagram, blogging on my website and quietly pinning over on Pinterest – so Instagram is the only social media platform I am on, and even that can sometimes feel like a bit too much. 

    Listen to yourself and listen to what you need. Don’t show up where is doesn’t feel 100% right and only commit time to the things that are important to you.

    Do you have any other tips for social media detox tips?