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Here I Go - Starting a Design Blog

A detailed account of a Fastlane process...

NLRDesign

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I've put this off long enough. I am going to start recording my progress here every Sunday to keep myself accountable and I welcome any input along the way. Since I joined this Forum in March, I've been trying to absorb everything I could and find the right path to start my journey.

The past month I decided to put all my energy into starting a blog, with the goal being to monetize with affiliate programs and digital products and eventually evolve it into a full business with my own products. It has been easy to put all my spare energy into this, so think it is the right path for me. I've been listening to Nick Loper on the Side Hustle Nation Podcast (which I found on one of the threads here in the Forum) and have learned a lot from his guest bloggers and have been using Elite Blog Academy's intro workbook to get started. My biggest challenge the past couple of weeks has been narrowing down/differentiating my focus. They are all design related (my day job is in themed entertainment/experience design), but go in a few different sub-directions, for lack of a better term. I believe each area already has a wide audience and could be monetized and grow. Being the heavy researcher I am, I have talked myself in and out of each of them multiple times. I need to revisit the "Five Commandments," but am also I'm planning on reading Pat Flynn's Will It Fly over the next week and see if that helps me anymore. That being said, on the side my husband and I are working together on some T-shirt designs to sell with Merch by Amazon for some extra cash.

Being a mom and working full time while starting this is a challenge, but definitely doable. I haven't been this excited to come home and work on something in a long time. I am pretty confident I am going to make some pretty big ripples in my little pond over the next few months. Thanks for reading!
 
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Cnc1

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Looking forward to your future posts. Like Josh Billings once said : "Be like a postage stamp. Stick to one thing until you get there."
 

Argue

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Watching. I love design. I’m obsessed with it.
 
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NLRDesign

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Ok, week 2 of my recorded progress. As of my last post I was exploring three different niche areas and planned on Pat Flynn's Will It Fly. I did read the book and it helped quite a bit with working through my different ideas. I have narrowed it down to one area and am currently researching similar blogs, working on the blog structure, and exploring types of content. I am taking a couple more days to figure out how to really package it and choose the right domain name. By next week's post I plan on having my blog up and running with my first post.

A few side notes: I found out a woman I went to high school with is running a six figure blog - TheSoccerMomBlog.com. I guess knowing someone that has done it added a little more motivation/challenge to my efforts. If she can do it, I can do it right...

I also realized I know quite a few people, mostly women, that have started their own businesses or interest groups. I think I knew, but it never registered because it never mattered this much before. Also, as I am learning how to monetize my blog, it has really ignited a growing interest in digital marketing. I'm hoping perhaps I could grow that skill set on the side by offering to help some of my friends grow their online presence - we shall see.

I meant to mention this last week, but my husband is taking an online Certification course in digital marketing through Full Sail University. It's a new four part course, so he was offered it for free to test it. He is on the second part/course and I am basically taking it along with him. Helping him, is of course helping me. The timing is pretty interesting too. Everything seems to be lining up....

.....including FinCon 2018. It is coming to Orlando (right near home) in September, but the price is pretty steep, so I haven't decided to buy a ticket just yet.

So that's my update....next week I hope to be able to share more specifics about my actual blog setup. Thanks for reading.
 

NLRDesign

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Mar 25, 2018
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This is a few hours late, but I did a lot of soul searching over the last week. I thought I had everything planned and settled for my direction and was just trying to pick out a name. However, the more I started writing out the type of content I would produce, the more I thought is this the message I want to put out there and is this the brand I want to build for myself? I decided that while that direction was easiest for me, it would put me in the same position I am in my corporate position - filling unfulfilled - which would certainly lead to quick burnout. I can find other side hustles to help me build capital, but my blog really needs to stay true to my future goals. So, I reevaluated and wrote down everything that was important to my message and feel this direction is much stronger on a personal level. The site is still design based, but has been narrowed to focus on nature and the outdoors - specifically built/design/decorated spaces. I am still struggling with naming and refining, so this week, rather than thinking from the top down, I'm going to treat it like a book and create a couple of content pieces that will hopefully help me capture my message.
 

NLRDesign

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Mar 25, 2018
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Alright, Week 3 - So, this past week was a good week. I bought a domain through Bluehost and am working on my Wordpress site now. I am waiting to publish it till I at least have a few things on there. There is definitely a learning curve with Wordpress, so that may take me a few weeks to figure out. In addition to designing the site, I am working on my Pinterest Business account, which I also opened this past week. Because I am a visual thinker, organizing my Pinterest is helping me to figure out the way I want to organize my site, as well as giving me lots of great content ideas. There is a lot to learn, so this next week will be more of the content creation, organization, and website design. Till next week....
 
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WJK

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Alright, Week 3 - So, this past week was a good week. I bought a domain through Bluehost and am working on my Wordpress site now. I am waiting to publish it till I at least have a few things on there. There is definitely a learning curve with Wordpress, so that may take me a few weeks to figure out. In addition to designing the site, I am working on my Pinterest Business account, which I also opened this past week. Because I am a visual thinker, organizing my Pinterest is helping me to figure out the way I want to organize my site, as well as giving me lots of great content ideas. There is a lot to learn, so this next week will be more of the content creation, organization, and website design. Till next week....
I too have been building a new blog website in Wordpress through Bluehost. It's a different subject than yours. I signed up for Mojo, their sister company, and it's been worth every dime that I've spent. They screen share with me and they have really helped me through the process. It's taken me 3 months to be able to use Wordpress without breaking into a sweat. Good luck!
 

NLRDesign

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Read Fastlane!
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User Power
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Mar 25, 2018
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39
Saint Cloud, FL
I too have been building a new blog website in Wordpress through Bluehost. It's a different subject than yours. I signed up for Mojo, their sister company, and it's been worth every dime that I've spent. They screen share with me and they have really helped me through the process. It's taken me 3 months to be able to use Wordpress without breaking into a sweat. Good luck!

I haven't heard anything about Mojo! Thanks for the info, and good luck to you as well.
 

WJK

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Message me. I'll be glad to give you their phone number. I've been very pleased with their service.
 
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