The Ultimate Blog Podcast - 3. Success Story: How Jordan Smith went from hobby blogger to full-time blogger

Episode Date: January 4, 2022

Today we are chatting with Jordan. Jordan is a former student of the Ultimate Blog Bootcamp (a course that we have designed to help those who are wanting to start a blog or who have started but need extra help).Jordan chats with us about her journey to start blogging, when she joined the Bootcamp and how it benefited her, and how she became successful with her blog. Jordan even shares how her day looks now as a full-time blogger and how blogging allows for the freedom and flexibility in her schedule. Jordan shares valuable advice that a new blogger would want to hear starting out. Join us today to hear Jordan’s success story.Check out the show notes for links and resources mentioned in this episode.Thanks for being here and a part of this community! Connect with us on Instagram: @sparkmediaconcepts or share this episode with your friends!Interested in starting a blog? Join our waitlist for the Ultimate Blog Bootcamp!SHOW NOTES: www.sparkmediaconcepts.com/episode3

Welcome to the Ultimate Blog Podcast with Amy Reinecke and Jennifer Draper. We're on a mission to empower women who want to start or grow their own blog. This podcast is for women who want to learn blogging basics and who crave inspiration and encouragement. Whether you're just getting started or have been a blogger for years, we're excited to welcome you into this space where we are passionate about creating community over competition. We are bloggers 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. Join us for weekly episodes as we navigate blogging

and work from home life, all while raising a family and having some serious fun along the way. all while raising a family and having some serious fun along the way. Hi, Jorda. We are so excited to talk to you today. And to start off, we just want to share a little bit about when you started blogging and why and kind of your journey that led you to begin blogging. Sure. Yeah. Technically, I started a blog sometime in college, I feel like there were a and fitness journey when I was in college. And there were so many people that ended up asking me questions about that, that eventually I decided to start a blog. So I would only have to type everything once until they're just sending the same messages to people over and over. Yeah, it was probably 100% just like close friends and

family that visited this blog at the time. I sort of wrote on and off for the next few years. But that website, that content may not exist anymore. But that was technically my first intro into blogging. Yeah, I would say like on blogspot or I think I just did like a free WordPress website. So it was, you know, like WordPress dot something, something that like a URL that was so long that probably like, I didn't even know what it was. Yeah. And then I would say, although I did keep that up for a few years. So it actually posts on there. But then in 2019, I think I was like, okay, I want to be a little bit more serious about this. So I started posting a little bit more consistently.

I don't think that I had any sort of like niche. I just posted random things about like running or weird challenges or some cooking things. But like everything was very random. I at some point decided I was going to use Squarespace to like make it look nicer. So that was kind of when it, you know, ramped up a little bit. And then that's kind of where I was for a few years as well. So I feel like the early days were definitely just like for fun, didn't know what I was doing, mostly just like a hobby to write things.

And maybe some people read it, but who knows? Yeah. So you really kind of came into it almost accidentally because you had basically an experience that other people were finding valuable or they wanted to learn more about it. And so it was kind of your way of just helping them. Is that right? Definitely. Yeah. It was, it was mostly just, I felt like I had kept sharing the same things. And so it was like, okay, I'm just going to talk about all of this health and fitness thing in this one space. And then started talking about other things things too but I would say it was kind of accidental and then I at some point I decided that I kind of enjoyed writing it as well I've

never considered myself necessarily a I don't know like a strong writer like I and I can write like I took English classes and you know I I know what sounds good and what doesn't, but I was never an English major or anything like that. But I think that I do enjoy sharing. And so I think in the, sometimes in the blog world, if you are a strong sharer and not necessarily as strong as a writer, then, then, you know, that's maybe more important, if not just as important. Yeah. I think that is an excellent point. We have a lot of people in our bootcamp or who want to join the bootcamp that have that same question and are like, well, I'm not a good writer. And we always say that's not something that should ever hold you back

because your experience is worth far more than your English skills. Absolutely. Absolutely. And you're mostly only writing just, I don't know, a few sentences, two paragraphs. Like it's never a thing where I'm like looking at better adjectives or anything like that. Like I always wanted to sound like me and I, I don't know, it just was always more fun, you know? And so I think in the beginning, that's just what I was focusing on the most. Awesome. I think that's such a good point. I'm glad you brought that up.

Yeah. So when you started blogging, so you joined actually the first round of our bootcamp and that was in May of 2020. Yeah. And so would you say that that is the time that you started really working on it more consistently? Absolutely. I don't know exactly what sparked it or what was like the like flick of a switch that was like, I need to do something different. But I think I just had seen other people who blog full time, people who not only did this as a hobby, but did it as a business

and decided maybe I want to try to do that. And I didn't really know where to start. So I had actually read a couple of blogs about how people grow their blog or what people do, but there is a lot of information out there, but there's also not a lot of information out there. Like it felt like everything I was reading was sort of the same. And kind of for like, 10 steps down the road, where it was like, once you have a successful blog, then here's how you like keep it up and grow it. But it was like, but how do you like make your blog to get there? Because I had kind of sensed that mine wasn't as it like wasn't necessarily built the way that it was supposed to be. I wasn't necessarily like putting out the content that was like, I don't know, wasn't putting out the content that was the best

for growing, but didn't know like what that looked like, if that makes sense. So you were out there kind of searching for information on other blogs. You saw other bloggers being successful, but you couldn't find really what you were looking for, like that pathway to success. Definitely. Yeah. So it was in 2020, actually sometime towards the beginning of the pandemic, I just, you know, it wasn't necessarily an epiphany or something that I like remember specifically, but I remember like at some time I had this desire where I was like, I want to try to turn this into a business. Like I want to try to do this differently because at that point I really was putting in a lot of extra hours. Like I, I was trying to post really consistently,

usually at least like once a week or every other week. And that was what I was doing in a lot of my free time, but it didn't really feel like it was doing anything. And so I remember just wanting it to be more and trying to do research on how to get it there. And then that's what I found you guys. That's awesome. So something that I'm thinking of as you're kind of talking here is what in the days of like Instagram, just being what a lot of people are choosing to do only what made you decide like, Hey, I don't want to just be on Instagram. Like I'm okay to have an Instagram account, but I also want to build this blog alongside. So what kind of, do you, do you even know like

why you decided to do both? Yeah. When I was blogging and even when I had first built, like revamped my blog, like spark media at the time, my Instagram following was really small. It was like maybe a thousand followers, you know?, and I was I mean, I'm so grateful for most of those people. But I feel like most of them were people that I knew at some point, like from college or family or whatever. And so, but I had learned from online that you don't have to have an Instagram, like a huge Instagram following to be a successful blogger. And so I decided, you know, maybe blogging is just the thing that I'll do. Like it doesn't really matter as much about Instagram. And so that's why I was trying to focus

on blogging was because I didn't even really have much of a following. I think along the way, when I started to become more consistent with blogging after I revamped it, then I put a little bit more effort into Instagram too, because I was already creating this content. So I was like, okay, well, I should share that on my Instagram platform. And then I think both of those platforms kind of grew simultaneously. And now my Instagram following is a little bit bigger, but it's Instagram is so wild. It sometimes feels like the wild west, honestly. And you just can't rely on it. There are some days where even now when I do have a larger following, sometimes I'm like,

oh yeah, you could totally just do Instagram, but not really because you don't, you don't like own any of that content and Instagram deletes things and the algorithm is horrible. And there are some days where I'm like, why am I even on Instagram? And so I'm so glad that I have my blog because I, there have been so many times, even in this past year where I think, well, if Instagram like deletes tomorrow or it doesn't exist, I'm like, I would be sad because I love the community aspect of Instagram, but I wouldn't be like my, my business wouldn't be like gone or over because my blog is still like, bye, you know? And all those people who do follow you on Instagram, like you're pretty good about

sharing about your blog often. And so I think that they would know where to find you. Oh yeah. I mean, if you don't know, yeah, I mean, on my Instagram, I share my blog probably at least once a day. So if they don't know, by now, like, honestly, what, I don't know, do you even watch my stories or anything? So, yeah. And so I think I'm really glad that I do both of them. And I just feel so glad that I do have my blog because Instagram is so like, I don't know. It's just unreliable. Sometimes it feels like, yeah, it really is. So when you decided you wanted to revamp your blog and you wanted to make it into something more, were you thinking at that time that you wanted to, Oh, maybe just make a little extra money. We'll see where this goes. Or were you like, no, I am all in and I want this to be my job going forward? I don't think like at the time when I started. So I think it was, I think it was like April or May in 2020. Did it start in May? It started in May. So we did like our first webinar, I think at the very end

of April. Cause I want to say it was like, I want to say it was like May 1st or something like that. It was early May. Yeah. I remember it was around that time. I would say that at that time I decided that I wanted to revamp it, which was a really big leap for me even at the time, because I had never invested really any money into my blog besides buying a domain, I think. And or when I guess when I had purchased Squarespace, you pay something, not that much, though. And so for me, I remember like talking to my husband, like, I found this course, I really want to do it. It feels like a really big investment at the time, which it was for me, because I hadn't made any money from my blog or from Instagram or anything. So it was just like our personal finances. And so it was this really big investment,

which was kind of scary, but it was the first time that I had really invested anything into my blog. And I had kind of thought about how, you know, if this is something that you want to do, and you want to try to grow, investments go along with things like that, right? Like there is this leap that needs to happen and you're never going to know unless you try it. And so I just remember when I had started, it wasn't necessarily that I was going to try to make it a business, but I just remember there was definitely like a shift in my mindset

where I'm like, I'm doing this differently. I am investing in this. I am going. And I remember I told myself I was going to try for one year. I think I told you guys that too, when I started like, okay, I'm going to, I'm going to do this right. I'm going to do this really well for one year. And then in a year I'll reevaluate. And it was just those first few months were so hard because I like didn't really, I mean, I didn't make any money from it. So I was like, oh, I am paying for this hobby, but like feels like a job. I had to give myself a full year. You know, you can't just decide from the beginning, whether it's going to work or not or anything. And so I just told myself I was going to keep going, keep putting in the work and see if I could turn this into something that was sustainable. See if I did eventually make any money on it, or I would just have to cut my losses or whatever. But yeah, so that's kind of how it, that was kind of the mindset in the beginning was I was hopeful for it to grow into something, but I wasn't necessarily like banking on it. I

think I like still doubted myself a lot in the beginning. I think that's normal to kind of wonder, like, have I lost my mind? Like, like, is this because blogging is not a typical career? You know, there are a lot of people who blog, but they're few and far between. So it's a very ironic, like the Jennifer and I were living it next door to each other and that both of us ended up being bloggers. She just convinced me to become one, but it's not very often that you find that, you know, you're not, it's not like you go into an office place full of bloggers, you know? So it can feel like, like kind of like unsettled territory, you know, like, okay. So I know that people are successful doing this, but can I be? So I think that

beginning is totally normal. But what I love about what you just said is that you were committing to a year because that is so important. Blogging is definitely a marathon, not a sprint. We tell people all the time, like you don't start blogging as a get rich quick kind of thing. It doesn't mean that you can't make loads of money later, but in the beginning, you do spend a lot of time and energy and effort building up that solid foundation, you know, to find your readers, to find your audience. And then they just continue to grow with you as you learn more about the art of blogging. Absolutely. And I think it, I don't know, I guess as someone, you know, like we go to school and you pick out something you're going to do or learn, or that's going to be your job. Right. And

then you like take classes and you learn how to do it. And then it's not until later that you actually do that thing and get paid for it and do it well. And I feel like blogging is sort of like that as well. I don't think people think of it like that, but it's, it's, you can do it like that. Like you can learn the right way to do it and you can be taught how to do it. And then that can be your career, you know? And I just think that that's definitely not the norm. And even now when I, I think I sometimes tell people like the other day I was at church and someone asked what I did. And I'm pretty sure I called myself like digital content director or like an executive or something. I'm just like, I don't know. It's for myself, but I'm just like, I don't know. It's like, do you want to, because people don't even

know what bloggers are sometimes, you know, she was like this 80 year old woman. So I'm like, I don't even think, do I want to get into this now? I don't think so. Maybe next week. So I think too. I mean, I'm, I'm totally guilty of this. If somebody is like, what do you do? I'm like a blogger. And I feel like they're like, Oh, that's cute. Like, yeah, you're like, no, it's not cute. Like, this is my job. This is my full-time job.

Really? Definitely. And I'm like still convincing even like people in my family and friends that I have on, no, I actually do make money doing this. And like it fluctuates. And so I can't tell you a specific, like what I'll make next month, because sometimes it does ebb and flow, but I know that I'm getting paid and I know that this is like a sustainable income for us right now. And so I am so glad that I get to do it, you know, but it's, it's like weird to talk about because people just don't know about it. And so I am so glad that I get to do it, you know, but it's, it's like weird to

talk about because people just don't know about it and it's just not a normal thing, I guess. Yeah. Yeah. Within that year of time, what was that point when you realized, wow, this might actually be something I might actually achieve this goal. I might actually make an income that will support my family. Yeah. So it wasn't until, I guess maybe like January or February. So, you know, I had started in May, started building, it didn't even really release it until probably like June or something. And then it wasn't until January or February that I started to, I think, really grow and become closer to like making money from my blog. So truly it was, you know, almost a year, like February, March, when I started making

income from it. And at the time, it wasn't even very much. It was just like, I could just sort of see that, oh, if this trajectory like keeps up, this will grow into something. And I can be like making more from this. And I remember in April, so almost that year later, I was talking to my husband, Alan, and then my friend Linnea at the time. And they were both just like, you have to go for this.

You know, like we were sort of thinking about making job changes in the coming months. And they were both just encouraging me to just try to do this full time. And you know, at the time, I wasn't even making enough to say, like live off of or a normal income. But it was kind of just this, I don't know, just this mindset of I'm not making enough yet, but if I'm making as much as I am now in a couple months, if this is the only thing that I'm doing, like, would that be enough that then I will could make more financially? I don't know if that like makes sense or not. It was just like, kind of like this risk that went into it where it was like, okay, I can see the trajectory. I'm pretty sure it's like good. I think that if I just commit to going all in, I think that I can do it, you know? And I guess

I just always kind of have, maybe I've become a little more risky over the years too, where I guess I just think like, you know, kind of having that yearly mindset where I was like, okay, I'll do it for a year. You know, like I did that with my blog, just like on the side while I was still working another job. And then I've been doing this full time only since September now. So not even very long. And, you know, at the beginning of that, I was like, okay, I'll give myself a year. And if it doesn't work, it doesn't work. But if it works, how cool is that, you know? And so I think, yeah, it was definitely one of those things where I know from things I've read online, that people sometimes wait to do their blog full time until they are matching the income that they were making at their job or something like that. And I think like, maybe I could have done that. But I was

already doing my blog so much on the side that it was pretty much the only thing I did in my free time that to me, it felt more sustainable to try to just go full time and see if I can make it rather than waiting. Because I'm not sure if that like makes sense or not. I don't think that's the norm that people do. But we were just like, we have savings. I think I can do it faster than a year. Like, I think I can do it pretty quickly. I just like need some more time kind of. Yeah. Have you ever wanted to start a blog but had no idea where to begin?

Or maybe you have a blog that you'd like to update and want some help to make it the best it can be. We know that there are many people out there who have big dreams for their own blog that never happen because they simply feel stuck. The Ultimate Blog Bootcamp is an eight-week course designed to help you create a solid blogging foundation by teaching you how to treat your blog as a business, find your audience, design a website that is optimized for SEO, all while providing support via online coaching calls each week of the course.

There's a private Slack channel for students as well, so questions will never go unanswered. The Ultimate Blog Bootcamp will give you the tools and support to create a blog that has the potential to turn into a profitable business. We are committed to helping each and every student feel empowered and confident with the foundational principles of blogging and the behind-the-scenes work that goes into it. If you don't want to blog alone, we can help. We keep each round small in order to provide each student the attention and support we believe you deserve during this process.

Since space is limited, get on the waitlist today so we can you deserve during this process. Since space is limited, get on the waitlist today so we can help you with your blog. The link to join the waitlist is in our show notes or go to sparkmediaconcepts.com and click on the ultimate blog bootcamp. So when you started making money, do you mind sharing what you were doing to do that? Because then how long did it take you to get on an ad network? Was it about a year? Was that about the time? Let me think. So I remember, I think I applied to be on an ad network in February.

So 2021. Yeah. 2021. Read after blog, probably summer of 2020. Yeah. And then you were able to apply by February. Yeah. So like nine months later, I'm doing that nine months later, which I remember when it was getting close, like checking every single day, like, okay, when's going to be the day that it hits 50,000. And just, I remember I was like leaving for a backpacking trip, actually the morning that it happened. And so it was like 4am and I was sending, like sending Google

analytics information to this ad network because I knew that it would take a while. And I was like, whatever, it's 50,000. I need to send it. I'm like, needs to get on this ad network because I knew that it would take a while. And I was like, whatever, it's 50,000. I need to send it. I need to get on this ad network. And just, it was pretty funny, but yeah, definitely that didn't even start happening until I think I applied in February. And then it was maybe March when it actually happened. And it's cool because with the ad network, you know, that's like passive income. And I'm sure you guys talk about that on podcasts or you will one day, but that has only grown to over the months. And so, you know, in the beginning, whenever I started making money just from the ad network,

you know, it wasn't even a thousand dollars or anything. So it's not like I was, you know, like raking it in, but at least for me, I was like, oh, this is making back everything that I had invested in, like the themes and the different plugins and like the domain and whatever. And so to me, it was, I just kind of had this mindset. It was like, oh, I'm able to pay all of these things back. And then eventually you do start making some, because after one month, it's like, well, all those things are paid off. So anything else is just income, you know? And so I do think in the beginning, because at that time, my Instagram had started to

grow as well. And so really it was through like the ad network on my website and then partnerships and affiliate links on Instagram that I kind of started to build my income. And do you use those affiliate links and do sponsored work on your blog as well? A little bit. I feel like I've done more affiliate links and sponsored content on my Instagram, but I've been trying to get into them more on my blog. I feel like I haven't really been able to find a great way to find opportunities for partnerships, for my blog in general, like for posting sponsored content there and having certain affiliate links. So I love to learn more about where to find those because I think that is

something that I'm missing. Like, you know, you hear people talk about diversifying their income or whatever, splitting it up into multiple things. And I think like that's one for me that I'm missing is having sponsored content there. Yeah. And I think that's also an area, and Jennifer, you might want to speak more to this, that some people enjoy and some don't like doing that. They more like just doing like the keyword research. Yeah, I think you can definitely look at all the different buckets.

So the different ways you could create an income, like you said, affiliates, you know, creating products, networks and all of that. And then you kind of look at the top ones. I think it is good. I think you're smart. It's good to diversify. But look at the ones that you enjoy doing the most and put your efforts there because I think that's where you'll also have the biggest payoff is because you're

doing something that you enjoy. Yeah. Right. And that's the thing about blogging is that you can kind of be in charge of that. Like you get to do the things that bring you joy and just spend more time doing those things. So I know Jennifer prefers to do a lot more of the SEO and keyword research and do that and doesn't always enjoy with the brands and affiliates. And I enjoy the connection of the brands and affiliates. Not saying I don't focus on SEO and keyword research, but that's another way that, you know, I earn income as well. So it also goes to show that no two bloggers run their business exactly the same. It looks different. And that's the beauty of it is that you can do whatever you want. And I think it also is a lot

of trial and error too, because there are things that you try, especially now that I've been doing this more seriously, I would say for the past year, like there are things that I've tried and it's like, well, that did not work at all. So I probably shouldn't do that again. And so I think like, especially in this space when there isn't necessarily like a handbook or like just someone telling you exactly what to do, you have to be okay with trying things and seeing some things kind of tank and then finding something that works and then sticking with that, you know, like web stories. I don't know. Those are new and kind of weird, but like those have been, like I started to do those and those have been working really well for me,

which is so strange because it's like a new thing. I get annoyed with making them sometimes, but like that is something that it's like, okay, well maybe I should do this a little bit more because that seems to be working. And so I feel like all of it is just sort of like trial and error. And then you stick with the things that work and then maybe say no to the things that don't, unless you really enjoy it, I guess. Blogging is a lot of trial and error. I think you're exactly right. You just try things and you see what works and what works for someone else may not work for you and vice versa. So I think it's just having that mindset of being willing to try. Absolutely.

Yeah, that's a huge thing. I bet people would be curious to know at this point, like when you're trying out all these different things, when you're deciding how to spend your time each day, like now that you consider yourself a full-time blogger, what does your day look like? How much structure do you put into it? How do you decide what you're going to do every day and what you're going to trial and error? I, yeah, that's such a great, such a great question.

In some ways, I still feel like I am figuring that out. One thing is that I started to use a project management tool. Like, I mean, there are so many out there. project management tool. Like, I mean, there are so many out there. I started to use Asana and that has just really helped me kind of narrow down and plan out my days. I don't necessarily time block or I'm like, okay, from 9.30 to 10.30, like this is what I'm doing. But I more so have, you know, like say one day you're testing recipes, then another day you're working on blog posts, and then another day you're doing sponsored content or whatever it is. For me, I kind of have, I would say like five or six overall big things that I do.

And then I like block those out for the week, usually just by day. I really, really love the flexibility of blogging and that I can start at whatever time I usually start early in the morning, but it's nice that if you do have something, you can start later in the day. And so for me, what really works is just kind of having goals for the day and goals for the week, and then kind of laying those out in a way that would be sustainable for me to actually finish them. But I still think I am fine tuning that a little bit. I feel like you hear bloggers talk about quarter four a lot and how it's just like a really busy time of year for deadlines and content and your blogs usually do really well that

time of the year. And so I think I haven't been the most, I don't know. Like I, I think I've been working more than maybe is ideal right now, but I know that in January, then you can chill a little bit because that, I don't know, you get to decide. Yeah, absolutely. I agree that that's one of my favorite parts too, is the flexibility. And it doesn't matter what season of life, you know, you're in, like you don't, you don't have kids and you still want the flexibility. Like, you know, we have kids, but we need that flexibility for that. But you know, it's just you and Alan and you still crave that flexibility in your schedule. And so I think that that is absolutely a perk of blogging. Yeah, definitely. And I think

the, yeah, the flexibility, I just like have loved that the most probably. And it's not to say like, oh, you don't work very hard and you don the most probably. And it's not to say like, oh, you don't work very hard or you don't work very many hours or whatever. It's like, no, I probably, I mean, I definitely work more than 40 hours, but it's because I want to right now because I personally, I love to take trips. And in the summers, that's like what I do. You know, I'll take a couple of weeks and just travel a ton. And most of the time go completely off the grid where I don't do anything with my blog or much with Instagram or anything. Like I don't rely on making money really at that time, even though, well, now there's like this stuff in the background happening, which is awesome. But so for me, I'm like, okay, I'm

going to work more now so that in the summer I can take these weeks to do what I really love to do. And so, I don't know, I think sometimes it's maybe not as much, like, I don't think about it as much flexibility in the day, but more so the year and like, you can take time off whatever time you want, really, which is so nice. It is. It is so nice. That's awesome. I love that. I love that you, you're young and you've gotten that now. You know, I think sometimes that's a lesson we learn later in life and I'm so glad you're learning it now because I didn't know that in my twenties, you know, that, Hey, if I work here, then I could free up my space here, you know? Definitely. And I think, I don't

know. I think that I just haven't seen people not do that too. Like just, I've seen some friends that I have that never get to take time off like I can handle a little bit more risk. And there isn't even, I mean, now that I'm like doing this, it's not even super risky. No, it's not like it's like, oh, I don't know if I'm going to make enough next month. Like I know that I am. It's just like fluctuates. Like you just can't be like, I know X amount that I'm going to make. And so I love that I can be more flexible in that. And that was even kind of one of the big mindsets. When I decided to do this full time, too, I was just thinking that,

you know, even if this is just something that I do for a year or a few years, how cool that when I am in my late 20s, and I don't have kids, and we don't have a ton of debt or anything that I can just I don't know just do something different and be more flexible in the way that I'm living and so for me that was just a really big one that it's like just because you're doing this now doesn't mean that you have to do it forever like I hope that this lasts a while. And I don't plan on, like stopping it or anything like that. But I think it's just like, I think sometimes people forget that you don't have to commit to it for the rest of your life, you know, kind of like with any job. And so for me, that was really appealing, where I was just thinking, like, even if I'm just doing this now for a few years,

I want to have that flexibility and want to be able to just like live a little bit differently right now. Yeah. Well, I think something that's important about what you're saying is, so you're on an ad network and you get on an ad network based on the sessions that you have or page views, depending on which ad network. But once you're on the ad network, you're on it. So that revenue continues to go, whether you hit that minimum amount or not, you can, you are able to stay on the ad network. So let's say in five years, you decide, you know what, I'm not going to like create a whole bunch of new blog posts. And I don't want to be as present on Instagram. That ad revenue will still be coming in because

you've created all of this content that is still out there and it can still continue to serve your audience and the people who are looking for this kind of content. So that's the beauty of it for sure. Yeah. And I think sometimes, you know, blogging sort of feels like this rollercoaster, like, especially in maybe not even rollercoaster, maybe more like climbing a mountain or something where like in the beginning, it's like, you're just like trekking up and trekking up and like, oh my gosh, like, am I ever going to get to the top? Because especially in the beginning, like I, I am not going to like romanticize that very much at all. Like it was really hard. Like there were a lot of hours and it was a lot of work and I didn't even know if it was going to like turn into

anything but then when you do get to the top you do get to enjoy that and then you know you go down the mountain or whatever and then you can be like more choosy about what kind of thing like what kind of work you do next like I think in the beginning it is a lot of work but it doesn't have to stay like that, right? So it's like, now I can say no to things. I'm just, you know, if something doesn't fit into my schedule, or I don't really enjoy doing something, I'm going to say no to it. Because I don't, I feel like I don't have to say yes to everything. And I don't have to just be putting in all of these hours all the time. Because I did all of that in the beginning to like get to

where I am. And again, I think it can look different for everyone. Like you could definitely probably take a more sustainable approach over like a longer course of time. But I just think for my personality, I was like, I'm doing this. I'm going all in. We're going to make this happen. I love that. Speaking of like when you started, what is something that you would tell a new blogger who is just either starting out, already has a blog or wants to start a blog? What is something that you would tell a new blogger? mindset in, in what you're trying to do, you know? So if you are starting a blog or you haven't yet or revamping it or whatever, like wherever party you're at, like you have to make that initial investment in yourself. You know, I, I felt like I was going to vomit when I like paid for like the blogging bootcamp, not because it's an unreasonable amount, just because I had never put any money towards my blog at all. And I was like worried it was

going to be like a waste or anything. And I would never make it back or anything. And that's just like, not that is not really a great mindset at all. But like, I realized quickly, I'm like, okay, no, like, this is an investment, I want to do this, I'm going to learn something from this. And, you know, whether you make it back or not, like, you're never gonna know unless you try it, right. And so I would say, like, I don't know, I, I just, if I wouldn't have made that initial investment in myself like I wouldn't have grown my blog I wouldn't have turned into a business like I wouldn't have tried my best I wouldn't have been proud like anything like I don't know I just think they all like build off of each other but like you just have to go for it you know and I that sounds like

so cliche but I think that for me as someone who at the time wasn't very like risk averse, like hearing that I do have to invest and I do have to try. It was like a really big thing. Like it's like you can't always like play it safe. I don't know. I love that analysis. Yeah. And I, I don't know, just for me personally, that was just what I kind of realized. And I, and I also think kind of alongside of that with perspective, like mentally, I told myself I was all in, you know, like I, and stuck with that mindset of, for me, it was one year, but it could be, you know, whatever amount of time you would commit to. But I just told myself, okay, I'm going to be all in for a year and then just see what happens. You know, like it's never something you're locked into,

but if it's something you want to do and you're trying your best, then like, what could hurt, like, what could you lose from doing that? You know, like if you are doing something that you want to do and you're trying your hardest doing it. Like there's, there's no like failure with that. Yeah. Well, something I want to speak to as your coach in the bootcamp is that you asked a ton of questions and we could not have picked a bet. One, one of the better people to have in our first round, because you asked so many questions that not only allowed us to help you, but allowed us to make the bootcamp better. You know, it gets better each and every time, but it's not, it wasn't even just in the bootcamp. Like you've stayed connected to us like since, you know, May, 2020, we've stayed connected.

You've asked lots of questions. And I think that that is crucial. And because blogging is changing and you want to network, you want people that you can continue to rely on and ask questions and network with. And so I think that is one of the main reasons that you've been able to find success too, is because if you didn't know the answer, you haven't been afraid to go and find it. And so for like making that commitment, following through, because it is, I know Jennifer feels the same. I do like it's, we felt like proud moms, like watching you like grow. We're like doing it

like she is doing it, you know? And that is so amazing to know. Like we were with you in that beginning stage at when you're, when you didn't know what it was going to turn into. And so thanks for like trusting in us and the bootcamp and allowing us to like help you see this other side that, you know, now, now you get to do this full time. And that's just, I don't know. We are just so pumped for you. I just can't even tell you. We're so proud of you. We couldn't have asked for anything more for you. I mean, it is just, yeah, it was so awesome. I did ask so many questions.

I am so sorry. You're probably like, don't say sorry. These questions from, no, but I just think it is probably, and I, I feel like I've thought about this so much, but in blogging, I think that it's, you know, it just like with most jobs, it's changing all of the time. Like the internet is like I said, sometimes feels like the Wild West. And so it's really nice to have people to ask questions to and to like learn alongside from and bounce ideas off of.

That is so crucial because it sometimes does feel like you're on your own a little bit. And so it's nice that like there is the Facebook group and I know your guys' email. So if there are questions, like it doesn't just mean like it's not just help for that beginning, but just like long term. Yeah. And you've been able to find other groups and everything that you've gotten connected to. And I know that you've connected to other bloggers too. So I think that that just speaks so much into one of the, I think the foundational pieces of

being successful is that you're not, it's actually not meant to do alone, you know, to have a community of others doing it with you and bouncing ideas and connecting and asking questions. And there's lots of different blogging groups and you can connect with others on Instagram as well. So yeah, I think all those things together have probably really helped. Yeah. Especially I was thinking about this the other day, but I'm just very extroverted. And so sometimes it's hard when I'm like working from home by myself where I'm just like, Oh, I need someone to talk to just literally about anything. So I think like having people that I know I can ask ideas about with blogging or

Instagram or anything bad, it's just super helpful. Just so it doesn't you, so you never do feel like you're working on your own, even if you are in your house by yourself or something. you feel like you're working on your own, even if you are in your house by yourself or something. Yeah. A hundred percent. Okay. Thank you so much for joining us today. Thank you. Yes. Thank you. I love your honesty today and just you being so forthcoming about your journey. So I know that our listeners are going to want to find you. So where can they find you? Where can they connect with you? Yeah. My blog is jordosworld.com and I'm on Instagram at jordos space world. We'll have that in the show notes. So we wish you the best as you continue to grow, Jordan. We're so excited that we've been able to connect with you and your blogging journey.

And thanks for joining us today. Yeah. Thank you so much. Thanks so much for tuning in today. If you'd like to continue the conversation about blogging with us, please find us on Instagram at spark media concepts. You can also sign up for our weekly newsletter where we share blogging tips and inspiration. You can sign up by finding the link in the show notes for those of you who are ready for the next step and want to start your own blog, join the waitlist for the ultimate blog bootcamp. The link to join the waitlist is also in the show notes. Go out and make today a great day.