Canadian Small Business Women

Connection, Synergy, Community

Choosing a Freelance Blogger For Your Business

You have a business.

You have a blog.

BUT…

 

You don’t post on your blog because you just don’t know what content to create or how to add that into your ever-expanding to-do list for your business. As an entrepreneur, you have a lot on your plate and you just don’t see how you can fit writing a blog post into your schedule.  

I mean, let’s face it, blogging or writing, in general, isn’t your strong suit and you just want to avoid it at all costs so that is what you do.  You decide that you don’t need a blog that badly and just do the things that you love to do in your business.

BENEFITS OF BLOGGING FOR YOUR BUSINESS

 

However, there are so many benefits to blogging for your business.  

1| Blogging helps to establish you as an expert.  

2| Blogging helps your SEO by consistently adding new and fresh content to your website.

3| Blogging helps to create a connection to your ideal client.

4| Blogging helps you to provide value to your existing client and to future clients.

 

That is just a small sample of the benefits of blogging for your business.  You know the benefits but yet you hate blogging.  The solution is to hire a freelance blogger but as you look at doing so, there seems to be an endless supply of freelancers out there and you are now more confused than ever.  I want to talk about some of the most important things to know about the freelance blogging industry.

HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT YOU ARE READY TO HIRE A FREELANCE BLOGGER?

Well, you either don’t have a blog or you just don’t have time to keep your blog updated on a consistent basis.  The average time that it takes to write a blog is just under 4 hours.  Imagine that.  4 hours per blog post.  Let’s say that you want to write 2 blog posts per week.  8 hours of your time per week is just spent on creating 2 blog posts for your content.  That is 1 FULL workday to get 2 pieces of content.  

That time doesn’t even include creating the graphics that you need for that blog post.  It doesn’t include the promotion of that blog post.  Those 8 hours are just spent writing those 2 blog posts and that is it.  Think of what else you could do with those 8 hours per week in your business.  Oh, the possibilities.

Time is the biggest currency as an entrepreneur.  We are always trying to find ways to be more efficient and save ourselves time.  Freelance bloggers do that for you when it comes to your content.

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF BEFORE YOU HIRE A FREELANCE BLOGGER

With there being such an endless supply of freelancers out there, how do you know that you are hiring the right one for you.  Here are a few questions to ask yourself before you even begin the process of finding the freelance blogger for your business.

1| How many times a week are you going to want them to post new content to your blog?  This question is super important to know ahead of time.  You want to be clear with them when you interview them.  Having a plan in place is important.

2| What is my budget?  This is an important question to know before you go into meeting with a freelance blogger.  Knowing what your budget is when it comes to freelancing allows you to set boundaries and know what you want ahead of time.

3| Why am I hiring a freelance blogger?  Knowing the reasons behind why you are hiring help is always a great thing to ask yourself.  These reasons will be different for everyone.

4| What are my expectations for a freelance blogger?  Make a list of what your expectations are for the freelance blogger you are going to hire.  Bring this list to the interview with them so that you can discuss everything that you have on the list.

5| What are important qualities for a freelance blogger to have?  Get clear on these qualities.  Knowing these ahead of time will help ensure that you pick the right freelance blogger for you and your business. 

 

QUESTIONS TO ASK DURING THE FREELANCE BLOGGING INTERVIEW

Now that you answered the 5 questions above, you are feeling confident and ready to pick a freelance blogger that is going to help you take your business blog to the next level.  Before setting up interviews, you want to make sure that you have a list of questions to ask them ahead of time.  This will ensure that you aren’t forgetting important questions during the interview process.

1| Why did you start freelance blogging?  I think this is a great question to start with.  It gets them talking about themselves and why blogging is important to them.  You will also be able to hear and see the passion that they have when it comes to freelancing.

2| Do you have a specific niche that you work with?  Yes most freelancers are willing to work with any clients but sometimes there are specific niches that they work with.  I prefer to work with women entrepreneurs in the self-care and self-love industries.  

3| How long have you been freelance blogging for?  Get to know what their experience is with freelance blogging but more than that, ask them how long they have been blogging for.  Most freelance bloggers have been blogging longer for themselves than what they have been doing as a freelancer.

4| What impact do you see creating with my brand?  This will show you if the freelancer has taken the time to learn about you and your business.  You want someone who is going to showcase your brand, your personality and your business.  

5| What do you need from me in terms of support?  Knowing what their expectations are from you will help to create boundaries in this business relationship.  

6| How many hours a week can you dedicate to blogging for my business?  Knowing how much time they have for your business will help you know if what you are needing and what they can give to you are a match.  

7| Are there other services that you offer?  This is a great question to ask.  For example, I offer freelance blogging services but I also offer graphic design, scheduling the blog posts and helping to create social media posts based on your blogging content.  

8| How do you research for content that you don’t know fully?  This is a great way to get a sneak peek into how they conduct their business and how they work.

9| How many drafts do you offer per blog post?  You want to know how many times they will rewrite your blog post if you are not happy.  I stick with 1 revision per blog post.  This helps to keep us on time when it comes to getting blog posts to you.

10| What is the turnaround time for the first draft?  You will want to discuss what your content plan is going to be.  Your freelance blogger may even be able to help you with creating that content plan.  I know that I will help if you need it.

These are just a few of the questions to ask when you are interviewing a freelance blogger to help with your business blogging.  If you are looking for more questions to ask, here is a workbook that is filled with questions to ask during your interviews.  

 

MORE QUESTIONS ANSWERED ABOUT FREELANCE BLOGGERS

Here are some questions that I am asked often about freelance blogging.  I hope these questions will help you decide who, when and how to hire a freelance blogger.

1|  What should I expect to pay a freelance blogger?  The range of pricing for freelance blogging is HUGE.  You can pay anywhere from $25-$250.  This is why knowing your budget beforehand is important.  You also have to remember that you get what you pay for.  This means you can get a blog post for $25 but don’t expect it to be the highest quality out there.  Personally I charge $1100 for 5 blog posts.  This equals to $220 per blog post.  You have to remember that you are paying for their time and expertise.  So that $220 per blog post that I charge is covering up to 4 hours of writing time plus creating graphics for that post.  

2| Should you hire a freelance blogger that is an SEO expert?  This is where the big difference in freelance blogging and freelance writing comes in.  I wouldn’t say that they need to be an SEO expert to be a freelance blogger but they need to know the important SEO features for on-page SEO.  That is the SEO that will be in your blog post itself.  You want to ensure that they know how to do that before you hire them.  

3| Where can you find freelance bloggers?  There are so many different websites that you can go to to hire a freelance blogger.  Just to name a few you have Upwork, Freelancer, and Fiverr.  I would recommend that you ask in local FB groups to see if there is anyone local that does freelance blogging.  This is a great way to support a local small business.  

4| Should my freelance blogger work on their own or under my supervision?  I think at the beginning of any working relationship, you will want them to work under your supervision but I think as time goes on and if they are a great fit for your company, they can begin to work without you supervising them.  This will come down to how comfortable you are with them.

5| Who owns the work when it comes to the finished blog posts?  A freelance blogger works for you.  That means that their name will not be attached to the work and it is yours to use.  Freelance blogging for your website is different from a guest blog post.  You will want to make sure that you discuss if they can use your blog post as part of their portfolio.  

Hiring a professional blogger can feel daunting but they are there to help you grow your business.  I hope this blog post helped you to figure out if you are ready to hire a freelance blogger.  They can truly help take your blog to the next level.  The most important thing to remember is to know expectations for both sides.  This will help to create a working partnership where everyone is happy and everyone is benefiting.  

 

Samantha Laycock is a blogging coach for women and a freelance blogger for female entrepreneurs in the self-care industry.  She is a HUGE self-care and self-love advocate, sexual assault survivor, mother of 3, a wife of 14 years, and a believer in the power of sharing your story.  You can find her on Instagram and Facebook as @samanthalaycockblogging and on Pinterest as @samanthalaycockblogger

Start Stepping Into Your Power

As an entrepreneur, it feels kind of mandatory to be a dreamer.  You have to be able to see things that other people can’t see.  You have to be able to bring your passion to the forefront and learn how to create a product or service out of that passion. 

BUT

There comes a time when dreaming can lead to inaction.  When all you do is think about how you want your life to look while staying exactly where you are.  Dreaming is the first step in doing and today is the day that you begin the doing. 

 

WHEN YOUR THOUGHTS COME OUT OF YOUR FRIEND’S MOUTH

We all have a tendency to know exactly what needs to be done.  We don’t always listen to what that little voice inside is whispering to us.  We block that voice and decide that we just don’t need to hear what it has to say. 

Doubt was creeping into my mind.  Doubt that I knew deep down was irrational but I couldn’t stop it.  It began to take over my life.  I began to question my business, question my passion and doubt my ability to serve those that I wanted to serve. 

As I was talking to my friend on a coaching call, she asked me to close my eyes.  She wanted me to start envisioning what I wanted my life to look like.  I know what I want to achieve in my life.  I know what I want my life to look like.  And then…

SHAME.

I felt shame for the thoughts that were coming up.  I thought the way that I wanted my life to look was wrong.  I shouldn’t want the things that I want.  So I had to play small.  I had to remind myself that those things aren’t possible.  That I really didn’t need any of them.  That I didn’t deserve any of them.

I kept that shame hidden.  Thinking that if I could just think of other things that I wanted in my life, the shame would go away.  That there were more important things that I could want in my life.  Different dreams that I could imagine. 

But the thing is…

I began to make excuses.  That is what shame does. It makes your dreams seem ridiculous and completely unrealistic.  So I thought that my dreams no longer mattered.  I could live without the dreams that I have, can’t I? 

In a matter of minutes, I knew deep down that I couldn’t.  That living without what I wanted my life to look like meant that I wasn’t living my life.  I would be living someone else’s life and that wasn’t fair to who I wanted to be.

And so at that moment, I decided to take my dreams into my own hands and shut the shame down.

 

DREAMS ARE POWERFUL BUT NOT AS POWERFUL AS ACTION

Dreams will only get you so far but they are your starting point.  Having a dream means that you have a vision of where you want to go. 

It is time to dig deeper.  Time to write out a plan to make that dream a reality.  As a blogging coach, I always ask my clients what their why is.  I believe that is the first place EVERY entrepreneur should start. 

Why do you do what you do?

In order to answer this question, you need to dig deeper than you ever have before.  It isn’t just a quick, well I love doing it. 

Keep asking yourself why.  Get down to the root of the reason and then begin to move forward from there.  My why is…

I know how painful and lonely it can be to keep your story inside of yourself.  I want to show women that by sharing their stories, they are not only helping to heal others, but they are also beginning a healing journey that they were desperately searching for.  There is power in sharing your story and I want EVERY woman to know that.

I lived my why.  I went from hiding who I was to showing the world every broken piece that makes up who I am.  It is terrifying but it is also powerful and incredibly freeing.

 

4 ACTIONABLE STEPS TO HELP YOU STEP INTO YOUR POWER

Over the past two weeks, I have been working on creating habits that will bring me closer to living my dream life.  My wonderful friend, Gina Brogan, the owner of 2nd Act Life Coaching, was able to teach me ways to bring my dream life to me now while I work on truly reaching that part of my life. 

What I have learned during this time is that just because I am not close to where I want to be,  doesn’t mean that I can’t start bringing in these habits and pieces of my life that I can control.

  1. Create a list of non-negotiables.
  2. Create a habit tracker.
  3. Create a plan.
  4. Visualize your future.

Create a list of non-negotiables.  This was a game-changer for me.  I am still working on getting a few worked into my schedule but every day these are the habits that I want to have in my life.  I am moving these from my dream life routine to my current life. 

Everyone’s non-negotiables are going to be different.  Think about what it is that you want to create in your every day.  My non-negotiables include…

1| Reading.

2| Yoga.  This one I am still working on getting in every day.

3| Meditating.  I do a guided meditation in the morning and I do a 15 min silent meditation in the evening. 

4| Reading a bedtime story to my youngest.

5| Journaling.  I journal in the morning after I meditate.  I just write everything down that comes to me and then I write an I am and I have list every single day. 

Create a habit tracker.  This is the best way to keep track of your non-negotiables.  It will help to show you where you are struggling and where you are succeeding.  I bought a little habit tracker from Indigo but you can also write them on a piece of notebook paper or even create a bullet journal to keep track of them. 

Create a plan.  What do you need to do to get to the next step in your dream life?  Write down each step that you need to take.  In creating a plan, you will be able to set goals that will help you reach that plan.  Break it down into 30 days, 3 months, 6 months and 12 months.  Sometimes if you can’t think that far ahead, stop at the 3-month mark.  You can always re-evaluate after that.

Visualize your future life.  This one has been a struggle for me but I am working on it. 

Ways to make this step a bit easier.

Find a buddy to ask you visualization questions, clearly as I found out from above this works well for me but on my own, I also like to write it down so I can review it and then meditate on it.  Other ideas may include a Zoom visualization class to get some mastermind energy going, a dream board or visualization board.

Are you ready to step fully into your power and create a life that you love?  I can’t wait to see your growth and expansion that happens starting today.  Be your best beautiful and watch as you change the world.

Hi, I’m Samantha, owner, and creator of Samantha Laycock Blogging.  A blogging coach for women ready to share their stories.  I am 35 years old, a mother of 3, a wife of 14 years, a sexual assault survivor, and a big advocate for sharing your story through blogging.

Samantha Laycock is a blogging coach for women and a freelance blogger for female entrepreneurs in the self-care industry.  She is a HUGE self-care and self-love advocate, sexual assault survivor, mother of 3, a wife of 14 years, and a believer in the power of sharing your story.  You can find her on Instagram and Facebook as @samanthalaycockblogging and on Pinterest as @samanthalaycockblogger

The Benefits of Being a Guest Blogger

The idea for this blog came to me while I was meditating one morning. Unknowingly, I asked myself what I was going to talk about for my next guest blog post and I realized something. 

I blog for a living. I am a blogger. Not only that, I am a blogging coach. So guest blogging is pretty important and it is something that I teach all of my clients to do immediately. 

I have been working on the same guest blog post for about 2 months. Not because I can’t write it or don’t know what to say. Funny enough, it is about the correlation between meditation and blogging. 

I am terrified. 

I can write and write all day for myself and not question anything but I am intimidated. The guest blog post that I am working on is for someone in the same exact niche as me. She makes me more than me. Which in my head means…

She is better than me.

I know, silly right?! But I am so caught up in my own head that it stops the flow of words and so every day, I put this blog post to the side. And every day I feel bad for not just writing it.  The internal struggle of the year. Oh, I have had so many of those this year. 

 

WHAT IS A GUEST BLOG POST

This very post that you are reading is a guest blog post.  It is blogging content that is written for another blogger showcasing your expertise.  Your name will be attached to a guest blog post and the blogger that you are writing it for will feature it on their website.  

Feel free to check out my other blog post all about what a guest blog post is.

 

BENEFITS OF GUEST BLOGGING

Oh the list of benefits can be quite lengthy but we are going to go over some of the main reasons to include guest blogging in your blogging content strategy.

1| Guest blogging gets you in front of a new audience.  You want to be writing for a blogging that is in the same niche or a shoulder niche.  What is a shoulder niche?  A shoulder niche is a niche that is similar to yours but different.  So think of a wedding blogging.  Shoulder niche ideas for that would include party planning, photographers, and bakers to name a few.   

You want to ensure that not only you are benefiting from this collaboration but so is the other blogger.  

2| You get to help build up your domain authority.  Oh domain authority (DA), what are you?  Domain authority is a score that was developed by Moz that will predict how likely a website will rank on search engines.  This is ranked on a scale from 1-100.  The higher your score, the more likely you will rank higher on search engines.  

So how does guest blogging help you rank higher with DA?  There are multiple ways that it will help you but I want to focus on just two of those reasons.  

 

  1. It helps you to build links back to your website.  When you are creating a guest blog post, you want to ensure that you have links in the body of your text that link back to your site.  Plus since you are getting credit for this blog post, your website link will be added to the post to help as well.
  2. It attracts traffic back to your site.  By writing a post that engages a new audience, your readers will want to learn more about what you do.  So make sure that your post is engaging, educational and fun so that they want more of you.

3| You set yourself up to be the expert.  This goes hand in hand with having a higher DA.  You want to show new readers that you know what you are talking about.  Your audience already knows that but you want to continue to grow.  

This is why it is important to make sure that this type of blogging collaboration is beneficial to the both of you.  There is nothing worse than a collaboration that is one sided because that is the opposite of what a collaboration should be.

4| You get to create new and exciting content for new readers.  Have fun with guest blogging.  By starting with this blogging content strategy immediately, you are working on building your blog up for success.  By adding guest blogging to your plan, you are writing more and keeping the creativity flowing.  

 

TIPS TO HELP YOU WITH GUEST BLOGGING

Before you begin writing for someone else, you want to know what it is that they offer their followers.  This doesn’t mean that you need to write in their voice.  It means that you need to do a little bit of research on them.  IG and FB stalk them.  Get to know what their blog and company is all about.  Don’t head into a guest blogging situation and have no idea what you are walking into.

Be prepared with a few ideas of your own.  This will depend on the collaboration itself.  Sometimes they will want ideas from you.  Sometimes they will have ideas for you.  Don’t lead with your ideas.  Only share them if they ask you.  And once they ask you, don’t share all of your ideas.  Share 1-2 ideas and open up the conversation.  They will make suggestions to you and that is perfectly fine.  Afterall, it is their blog that you are writing on.

Know the ground rules.  Get clear on what it is that they want from you.  Common questions to ask when setting up guest blog post content.

  1. How many words do you want the blog post to be?
  2. Do you want me to create graphics for the blog post or will you create them?
  3. Can I self-promote?
  4. Can I link back to other pages on my website in the blog post?
  5. Do you need my bio and photo?
  6. Will you share the blog post with your social media followers?

Be yourself.  Write like you do for your own readers and followers. You are wanted as a guest blogger for that exact reason.  Stay true to yourself and what you write about.  

Know what your desired outcome is.  Why are you writing the guest blog post?  It has to come down to more than just building your authority and expertise.  What do you want your readers to walk away with once they read your blog post?  

Do you want to gain more followers on a specific platform?

Do you want to gain more website subscribers or email subscribers?

Do you want to put your knowledge out there to increase who you reach?

 

Think about these goals before you submit your blog post to any other blogger.  It will help you to maintain focus and to create a call to action in your post that will reflect that goal.

 

REACHING OUT TO OTHER BLOGGERS FOR GUEST BLOGGING OPPORTUNITIES

This is the scary part.  The part where you have to put your fear aside and just step into your goals.  Rejection is scary but when it comes to guest blogging, don’t make it personal.  This will stop you in your tracks and you will decide not to do it again.  

Not everyone is going to say yes to you and that is okay.  Not everyone is going to like your ideas and that is okay.  This is where you get brave and just start reaching out to people.

These people can be small business owners that you follow on social media platforms.  Let’s use Instagram as an example.  Here are ways to help you interact with them before reaching out.

 

WAYS TO HELP YOU INTERACT

  1. Remember to do your research before you reach out.  If you follow them already, chances are that you already know and love what they do.  
  2. IG stalk them.  Now don’t be a creep about it but start commenting and liking their posts.  Commenting is more important but I always like a post when I comment because then I know which ones that I have commented on.  Don’t just comment for one day and then stop.  Make sure that you create a list of who you are commenting on and continue to do so.  This will start bringing your name to their attention.
  3. Go to their IG profile and check out their website.  Do they have a blog?  Is their blog active?  You want to make sure that when you decide on who you want to guest blog for, that their blog is active and up to date.  You want this collaboration to benefit you as well.
  4. Reach out.  Take a chance.  I would reach out through their contact page on their website.  It looks more professional than just sending them a message on IG.  
  5. Continue to comment on their posts while you wait to hear back from them and after.  You want to keep building that relationship up.  

 

WHAT TO SAY IN YOUR ASK EMAIL

Step 4 from above is to reach out through their contact page but what do you say when you reach out?  Here are the main points to capture in your email.

  1. Say hello and tell them who you are.  Share your first and last name.  
  2. Talk about a blog post that you read of theirs that you absolutely loved and why.  Get personal.  
  3. Share what you do and why you are interested in writing a guest blog post for them.
  4. Let them know that you have a few ideas for the blog post but that you would love to discuss further with them.
  5. Thank them for their time and make sure to put your name and website underneath your name.  Also tell them that you look forward to hearing back from them.  

 

The ask email doesn’t have to be long or intense.  Make it personal and all about introducing yourself and why you love what they do.  

Set yourself up for success by showcasing your personality, your business and your expertise through guest blogging.  Remember to have fun along the process.  Don’t take life too seriously.  Thank you for being here beautiful and I look forward to next time.

TIPS TO BEGIN CREATING YOUR OWN FOLLOWING THROUGH BLOGGING

 

  1. JUST START.  This is always the hardest part. We allow overthinking, fear, and not knowing to stop us. You don’t need to be an expert to just start. I didn’t know anything about blogging at first. All I knew was it was putting words on a website. Everything else came after that.  There are going to be people that judge you either way.  By starting you are not allowing fear to win.  You are stepping into your power as a storyteller, as a woman, as a blogger. 
  2. BE HONEST.  Your people want to truly know you. They want to know your pain and weaknesses. They want to know your happiness and strengths. The more you show people, the more loyal they will be. This doesn’t mean that you need to tell them every little piece about you all at once or even ever. It means to share what you are comfortable with. Only you will know that.
  3. LEARN TO BE COMFORTABLE BEING UNCOMFORTABLE. True growth comes from the moments when we are out of our element. Whether that means learning something new or sharing a piece of us we never have before. Being uncomfortable means that we are expanding who we are in the present moment. It is exciting, scary, and sometimes messy. Embrace it all.
  4. YOU DON’T NEED TO BE AN EXPERT WRITER TO BE A BLOGGER.  You just need to be yourself. There are tools to help you with the other aspects of writing. Show the world who you are. We all start out a beginner.  Start where you are and learn from there.  You can’t be an expert if you don’t even begin.
  5. WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT.  There is always room for you, no matter what your passions are. By sharing what you are passionate about, your blog will shine. Your readers and followers will know when you love what you are writing about versus when you are faking it. Be authentic. When you are true to yourself, your personality, your strengths and weaknesses will show your readers that you want to help them.
  6. DON’T JUST SHOW THE HIGHLIGHTS.  To create a connection to those who are following you, you must show them the tough parts.  The parts of your story where you struggle and you may not know the answers.  Your readers can’t connect to you when all they see is the perfection that they show them.  Social media is about being social.  It is about being honest with your life and showing them that you aren’t perfect.
  7. ENGAGE WITH YOUR READERS.  Your readers are on your site, reading your posts for a reason.  They want to be there.  Engage with them.  When someone comments, take the time to respond to them in a meaningful way.  Your readers want to feel heard and seen.  They want you to know that they are there.  We all want to feel special and loved. 
  8. EMBRACE THE READERS YOU CURRENTLY HAVE.  I think we get caught up in trying to grow and expand that we lose sight of where we currently are.  Nurture the following that you already have.  Remind them often that you are grateful for them being a part of your story, your journey.  When you make one person feel special, you change that person’s world.  You don’t need to have a huge following to make a HUGE impact.  Begin where you are. 
  9. ASK FOR HELP. A 4 letter word that can cause us to feel inferior, stupid, and weak but has the power to open up lines of communication like no other word. By asking your readers for help, you are opening up a dialogue, a true conversation that has the capabilities to change the outlook of someone. When we ask for help, we allow those who have been where we are to open up and share what worked for them. Allow them to share their voice, their story, their advice on your blog. Allow your readers to read and listen to another point of view that you can’t give them.  Asking for help doesn’t make you weak, it lifts up those around you to step in when you need it most. It empowers. It changes lives. It becomes a part of your life.

Blogging is scary.  Sharing your story is scary.  But allowing that fear to win is the biggest regret that you will have.   Fear and the unknown are temporary and will pass.  Don’t let that stop you.  Starting your blog means healing yourself.  It means healing those around you.  You have a following that you don’t even know about.

Remember that it isn’t the ones that are commenting and interacting with you that need you the most.  It is the readers that you don’t even realize you have.  The ones that are sitting silently in the corner, soaking up everything that you have to say.  You are helping them to build THEIR strength to share THEIR story someday. 

Samantha Laycock is a blogging coach for women and a freelance blogger for female entrepreneurs in the self-care industry.  She is a HUGE self-care and self-love advocate, sexual assault survivor, mother of 3, a wife of 14 years, and a believer in the power of sharing your story.  You can find her on Instagram and Facebook as @samanthalaycockblogging and on Pinterest as @samanthalaycockblogger

Creating A Loyal Following Through Blogging

There is something magical that Gwen Austin with Entrepreneur Women Unified creates.  A following.  A following of women so dedicated to helping each other succeed.  Women that are dedicated to uplifting themselves and the women around them.  Creating change in the world by living their passions and reminding those around them that they can also live their passions. 

As we watch these women like Gwen create these empowered groups, we may wonder how we can do that.  What is it that they have that I don’t?  The truth is……

NOTHING!

You have everything that she has.  You just haven’t figured it out yet.  I am here to tell you that there is a way to create that connection with people.  Specifically with your ideal people.  At the end of the day, you don’t just want to be surrounded by people who are just numbers of followers.  You want a dedicated group that is willing to support you, lift you up, and make you feel less alone than before they were in your life.

 

CREATING A LOYAL FOLLOWING

I didn’t know that back in 2014, that is what I was doing. I was putting words to paper (or the internet) that needed to come out before my seams cracked.  I have always had a way with words even though it is still hard for me to admit that.  Giving myself praise is something that I am working on.  (Helps to be surrounded by women who NEVER stop giving praise.)

I was a nobody.  I was new to a city in a province that I had just moved to.  I had 0 friends and was living even further away from my family than before.  I had nothing to lose.  I was at a point in my life when I needed to do something drastic to change the trajectory of the direction I was heading.  Who knew that drastic something would be blogging?

I didn’t know anything about blogging.  I didn’t know about SEO, keywords, and niches.  I just knew that I could write and that is where I began.  I wrote my story.  My darkest secret. A secret that kept me chained to the dark side for years.

I began getting messages thanking me for sharing my story. I had women reading what I wrote and going out of their way to show me that I was changing the world. I was changing my world and their world just through sharing my words.  I had created a connection with women that I had never met before just using my words and sharing my story.

TIPS TO BEGIN CREATING YOUR OWN FOLLOWING THROUGH BLOGGING

 

  1. JUST START.  This is always the hardest part. We allow overthinking, fear, and not knowing to stop us. You don’t need to be an expert to just start. I didn’t know anything about blogging at first. All I knew was it was putting words on a website. Everything else came after that.  There are going to be people that judge you either way.  By starting you are not allowing fear to win.  You are stepping into your power as a storyteller, as a woman, as a blogger. 
  2. BE HONEST.  Your people want to truly know you. They want to know your pain and weaknesses. They want to know your happiness and strengths. The more you show people, the more loyal they will be. This doesn’t mean that you need to tell them every little piece about you all at once or even ever. It means to share what you are comfortable with. Only you will know that.
  3. LEARN TO BE COMFORTABLE BEING UNCOMFORTABLE. True growth comes from the moments when we are out of our element. Whether that means learning something new or sharing a piece of us we never have before. Being uncomfortable means that we are expanding who we are in the present moment. It is exciting, scary, and sometimes messy. Embrace it all.
  4. YOU DON’T NEED TO BE AN EXPERT WRITER TO BE A BLOGGER.  You just need to be yourself. There are tools to help you with the other aspects of writing. Show the world who you are. We all start out a beginner.  Start where you are and learn from there.  You can’t be an expert if you don’t even begin.
  5. WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT.  There is always room for you, no matter what your passions are. By sharing what you are passionate about, your blog will shine. Your readers and followers will know when you love what you are writing about versus when you are faking it. Be authentic. When you are true to yourself, your personality, your strengths and weaknesses will show your readers that you want to help them.
  6. DON’T JUST SHOW THE HIGHLIGHTS.  To create a connection to those who are following you, you must show them the tough parts.  The parts of your story where you struggle and you may not know the answers.  Your readers can’t connect to you when all they see is the perfection that they show them.  Social media is about being social.  It is about being honest with your life and showing them that you aren’t perfect.
  7. ENGAGE WITH YOUR READERS.  Your readers are on your site, reading your posts for a reason.  They want to be there.  Engage with them.  When someone comments, take the time to respond to them in a meaningful way.  Your readers want to feel heard and seen.  They want you to know that they are there.  We all want to feel special and loved. 
  8. EMBRACE THE READERS YOU CURRENTLY HAVE.  I think we get caught up in trying to grow and expand that we lose sight of where we currently are.  Nurture the following that you already have.  Remind them often that you are grateful for them being a part of your story, your journey.  When you make one person feel special, you change that person’s world.  You don’t need to have a huge following to make a HUGE impact.  Begin where you are. 
  9. ASK FOR HELP. A 4 letter word that can cause us to feel inferior, stupid, and weak but has the power to open up lines of communication like no other word. By asking your readers for help, you are opening up a dialogue, a true conversation that has the capabilities to change the outlook of someone. When we ask for help, we allow those who have been where we are to open up and share what worked for them. Allow them to share their voice, their story, their advice on your blog. Allow your readers to read and listen to another point of view that you can’t give them.  Asking for help doesn’t make you weak, it lifts up those around you to step in when you need it most. It empowers. It changes lives. It becomes a part of your life.

Blogging is scary.  Sharing your story is scary.  But allowing that fear to win is the biggest regret that you will have.   Fear and the unknown are temporary and will pass.  Don’t let that stop you.  Starting your blog means healing yourself.  It means healing those around you.  You have a following that you don’t even know about.

Remember that it isn’t the ones that are commenting and interacting with you that need you the most.  It is the readers that you don’t even realize you have.  The ones that are sitting silently in the corner, soaking up everything that you have to say.  You are helping them to build THEIR strength to share THEIR story someday. 

Samantha Laycock is a blogging coach for women and a freelance blogger for female entrepreneurs in the self-care industry.  She is a HUGE self-care and self-love advocate, sexual assault survivor, mother of 3, a wife of 14 years, and a believer in the power of sharing your story.  You can find her on Instagram and Facebook as @samanthalaycockblogging and on Pinterest as @samanthalaycockblogger

Life Lessons From An Entrepreneur

I have now been an entrepreneur for 4 years.  Something that I never really thought I would be growing up.  I had these grand visions of sitting in a boardroom, in a business suit, being in charge of a room full of people.  Never really knowing what I wanted to do didn’t bring that vision to life.  Plus dropping out of University after a sexual assault didn’t help the matter either.

I will admit that when we lived in Ontario, I tried to be an entrepreneur.  By trying I mean that I had ideas and I wanted to implement them but I couldn’t.  It wasn’t the fact that I wasn’t smart enough but more of the fact that I wasn’t in the right mindset to be an entrepreneur.  I didn’t know who I was.  I was lost and confused and had been for many years.  It wasn’t until I was ready to discover who I was that it led me to being a true entrepreneur.

 

9 LIFE LESSONS I HAVE LEARNED FROM BEING AN ENTREPRENEUR

You can’t force anything.  Just like a child who won’t do something when forced to, being an entrepreneur is the same.  We can’t force ourselves to come up with ideas.  We can’t force ourselves to write that blog post.  We can’t force ourselves to move forward in our business.  We need to allow the creative process to work.  The creativity to flow or we become stuck in our own thoughts.

This blog post is a combination of trying to write other blog posts.  I am on a coworking hour with another entrepreneur and it has been about an hour into this working hour.  I only have these 282 words to show for it but countless blog post titles.  I still got work done but I am allowing my creative juices to flow or I will drive myself crazy.

You need an entrepreneur friend.  You thought making friends as a mom were hard?  Try making friends as an entrepreneur.  That seems to be an impossible task sometimes.  I am lucky enough that 4 years into my ride as an entrepreneur, I have multiple entrepreneur friends.  BUT I only have (maybe) a handful of entrepreneur friends that I can go to when I am feeling stuck, unworthy, and completely overwhelmed as a business owner.

The normal person isn’t going to understand the overwhelm that an entrepreneur will feel.  Finding those people will help you to continue to move forward with your passion when it feels like the world is against you.  Find your people and keep them close.  They will be your biggest fighters, your biggest supporters, and your biggest allies.

Your family won’t always support you.  And that is OKAY!!  Not everyone can see your vision.  And that is OKAY!!  It will be hard to move past sometimes but that is why you have your entrepreneur friends.  I think at some point, every entrepreneur has had a family member that didn’t support them.  Remember that this is your vision and not theirs.

The idea of working short hours seems impossible.  We all have this dream that as an entrepreneur we will work these magical hours.  Yes I do have the option to work when and where I want but that comes at a cost.  It means that I may have to work while my kids play at the park.  It means that during the day, I shut my door and let my kids run rampant just so I can try and get some work done.  It means late hours and early mornings.  It means lack of sleep because if I don’t do the work in my business, no one else will.

I wouldn’t change being an entrepreneur and being able to stay home with my children but we have to be realistic.  We have to put the work in or our business won’t grow.

Passion isn’t the only thing you need to have.  Passion is a great place to start.  We need to love what we are doing in order for it to work but there is so much more to being an entrepreneur than that.  We need to be dedicated.  We need to be able to say no.  We need to be able to say yes.  We need to be able to learn and conform to the changes that come up.

We need to be willing to put in the time and effort it needs to build a business.  We need to learn how to be consistent, learn how to motivate ourselves, and learn how to handle rejection.  Being an entrepreneur is an emotional rollercoaster on a good day.

Yoga pants are a totally appropriate dress code.  Now I have been a yoga pants woman for many years.  Even before I was my own boss.  Working at home means that I can look like anything I want.  I mean even right now I am still sitting in my bed, eating dry cheerios out of a bowl while I type this blog post up.  I will admit that I have been here working for about 2 hours.

My girls are in their room playing nicely together.  My son is outside with my husband trying to start the lawn mower.  I am sitting in my bed, wearing my comfortable yoga pants, no bra, and getting my work done.  That may be the best feeling in the world.

Organization is the key.  I have always been a very organized person.  I hate chaos.  It throws me off.  The older I get, the more I notice that chaos takes over very quickly.  Organization has 2 different parts.  Planning and order.

In order to succeed, you need to have a plan.  You need to know what you need to do daily, weekly and monthly to reach your goals.  You need to have an outlined plan so you don’t work every day with no specific intention.  That will get you nowhere.  Creating a content plan and knowing what you are doing each day will help you to achieve success.

Now what do I mean by order?  I mean that you have to organize your work in a way that you will understand.  For me that means having multiple planners on my desk.  A monthly planner that lists my blog posts for that month.  A weekly planner where I break down my content ideas for the different social media platforms that I use.  I even have a daily planner that I can use to keep track of my appointments, my calls with clients and my work hours.

Having order means that you know where everything is.  I have multiple “offices” in my home.  I work from my bed.  I work from my desk.  I work from my kitchen island.  It all comes down to where my kids are in the house at the moment I am trying to get work done.  Having my planners on my desk means that I can quickly grab them when I am ready to work, wherever I am going to be working.

Learn how to do the things you don’t love to do.  We need to fill multiple roles as an entrepreneur.  I truly believe, as a blogging coach, that women should know how to work on their website.  In the beginning it is great to be able to learn it so that you can do it on your own.  If it isn’t something you love to do, hire outside help but first learn how to do it.  That way if an issue ever arises, you don’t need to wait for someone to fix it for you. You can try to fix it yourself so that your business isn’t affected as much.

You won’t love everything about your business.  And that is OKAY!  Someone out there does love that part of your business that you struggle with.  Hiring help is always an option and I believe that when you are ready, you should do just that.  In order for your business to thrive, you need to focus on the parts that fill you up.

What is a life lesson that you have learned through your journey as a small business owner?  I would love to hear them in the comments.

 

Samantha Laycock is a blogging coach for women and a freelance blogger for female entrepreneurs in the self-care industry.  She is a HUGE self-care and self-love advocate, sexual assault survivor, mother of 3, a wife of 14 years, and a believer in the power of sharing your story.  You can find her on Instagram and Facebook as @samanthalaycockblogging and on Pinterest as @samanthalaycockblogger

5 WAYS TO INCORPORATE SELF CARE INTO YOUR BUSINESS

Being an entrepreneur means putting our dreams out there in the world.  Not allowing those who question us, disagree with us, or even disapprove of us to bring us down.  

Life as an entrepreneur can be lonely.  Most of the time we work from home, alone, and dedicate many hours a day to creating our dream life.  A vision that we so desperately love we sometimes put self-care on the back burner to get that one extra thing checked off our business to-do list. Many nights I have found myself working until midnight just to finish a passion project and waking up the next morning at 6 am, groggy from the lack of sleep I am allowing myself to have.

Self-care isn’t some passing craze.  It is giving ourselves the dedication that we give to our businesses so freely.  I didn’t realize the importance of self-care until I started adding it to my life.  I was one of those that believed I didn’t need to take care of myself.  That everyone and everything came before me.  I was burnt out, frustrated, and incapable of working my business the way it was meant to be run.  Our businesses suffer when we don’t put ourselves first.

I put self-care first on my list and I began to notice the changes.  Changes in my behavior towards myself and others.  Changes in the way I spoke to my kids.  Changes in the way I spoke about my business.  Changes in the way that I dressed, felt about myself and others, and how I managed my day.  The changes were incredible and everyone around me even began to notice.  

Self-care began to give me the confidence I needed to give my business the attention it deserved.  It means that I can give my clients the best of me, my followers the best of me, and my blog readers the best of me.  

Today I want to share with you 5 ways that you can incorporate self-care into your business.  Whether you work by yourself or with employees, this will help you to regain control and put yourself in among the important to-dos on your list.

 

5 WAYS TO INCORPORATE SELF CARE INTO YOUR BUSINESS

Time block.  

You may be wondering why this is number 1 on the list of adding self-care into your business.  Well, let me tell you.  You are an entrepreneur which means your business is a piece of you.  A piece of you that takes up time in your life.  Working during the day, after dinner, during your child’s bath, once they are sleeping.  Being an entrepreneur means that work NEVER really ends.  At the end of the day, you are the one responsible for your business and it is up to you to grow and expand it.  

By using time blocking, it can free up other parts of the day where you can add in play and some self-care. This allows you to be more focused and driven to get your business to do tasks completed.  You can do it as one big chunk or break it down into smaller chunks throughout the day.  I know personally I have to do smaller chunks throughout the day.  I have a 3-year-old at home so working for 4 hours straight isn’t an option while I am at home.  It may take a bit of time to figure out what schedule works but once you do, it will feel so much better.  Then you can also schedule in self-care.

Begin to use time blocking for everything that you do.  When you time block for work, write down the list of items that you need to complete in that time.  When you time block for family, write down what you are doing together.  When you time block for self-care, write down what you are going to do for self-care.  If you don’t give yourself specific tasks, especially when first starting with time blocking, you will soon find that you waste that time and have gotten nothing done.

Digital detox for 1 hour per day.

This is super important if you are an online entrepreneur.  We often get consumed and sucked into our phones and computers.  Working, reading, scrolling.  We lose track of time and realize that half of our day has disappeared because the online world swallowed us.  

This is incredibly important now.  I am finding that my attitude, my mindset, and my family are deeply affected by all the negativity that is filling my social media feed.  Even trying to keep all positive and empowering women and family on my social media platforms, the world still finds its way in and I can lose myself in all of that.  

Get your head out of all the screens and look up at the world.  Take a walk, play with your kids.  Doing a digital detox is all about living in the moment.  Making memories off-screen.  Shut off of your phone and put it somewhere that you just can’t grab it for that hour.  

Find a group of supportive women entrepreneurs.

We are all looking for connections.  Life can be lonely if we have no one in our life that we can turn to.  Having like-minded businesswomen in our circle creates a powerful connection.  Find a group of women where you feel like you belong.  A place that is safe for you to talk business, talk life, bounce ideas off of each other, and just be supportive of one another.

There are moments when we may think that in our business competition means that we can’t have connections.  There is no room for competition.  Women need to stand together, be strong, and support one another.  If you can’t find a group like that, create it.  Create a group where you get together once a month.  

A book club for business.

I am a huge lover of books and I recommend that every woman entrepreneur read business books.  There is power in knowledge and the insight that you gain through reading is endless.  Get together with a group of ladies and talk about the book that you read.  Meet once a month.  During open discussions, you will find that everyone took away something different from the book and will open your eyes even more to all that you can learn when you surround yourself with powerful women.

A few of the books that I recommend reading are:

  • The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod
  • Leave Your Mark by Aliza Licht
  • Carry on Warrior by Glennon Doyle Melton
  • The Monk who Sold his Ferrari by Robin Sharma
  • The Secret Letter of the Monk who Sold his Ferrari by Robin Sharma
  • The Greatness Guide by Robin Sharma
  • Taking the Leap by Pema Chödrön

Delegate tasks.

I know for me when I started my business, I didn’t realize all of the extra things that needed to be done.  Things that I am just not good at.  We are all created with a different set of skills and there is no need to pretend that we are good at something that we are not.  

Learning to delegate tasks that we don’t enjoy or that we just aren’t good at can relieve so much stress that we put on ourselves.  Delegating tasks doesn’t have to mean hiring someone. It can be an exchange of services with another entrepreneur, asking a friend or family member to watch your child while you get some work done, or hiring an expert where you really struggle.  Plus think of all the time that you will save delegating tasks that leave room for more self-care.

By creating a self-care routine into your business, you create boundaries.  You avoid business burnout and you fall in love with your passion again.  Learn to get out of work mode and into life mode.  Embrace the times where you can live in the moment.  These small changes will help you become a better entrepreneur and at the end of the day, we all want to live a version of life where we feel connected and as balanced as we can be.  

 

Samantha Laycock is a blogging coach for women and a freelance blogger for female entrepreneurs in the self-care industry.  She is a HUGE self-care and self-love advocate, sexual assault survivor, mother of 3, a wife of 14 years, and a believer in the power of sharing your story.  You can find her on Instagram and Facebook as @samanthalaycockblogging and on Pinterest as @samanthalaycockblogger

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