Launch Your Blog Biz

026. Ok, y’all–it’s time to talk about the big, red elephant in the room: Pinterest.

The platform we all love to hate.

All the changes to the algorithm, video pins, idea pins, pins without links…it’s all so frustrating and enough to make you think about dropping Pinterest altogether. 

Most content creators (including us), have been negatively impacted by Pinterest’s many changes–especially over the last year. 

And it has left us all wondering… 

Whyyyyyyy!!!?? Is Pinterest even worth it anymore?

To help answer these questions, I’m speaking with someone whose entire business is focused on driving traffic from Pinterest–Kate Ahl of Simple Pin Media. 

Kate has been on Pinterest twice as long as we have, and is deep in the Pinterest trenches all day, every day–so she has a lot of valuable insight and perspective to share. 

I know the Pinterest changes are frustrating, and it’s easy to just dismiss Pinterest as a viable traffic source when you see your numbers dropping.

But while getting traffic from Pinterest isn’t quite as easy as it used to be, it can still be an incredible source of relevant, high-quality blog traffic–if you know what you’re doing, and are willing to stay flexible and determined. 

In this episode, Kate and I are discussing:

• Pinterest’s past, present, and future changes
• How Pinterest compares to other social media platforms
• Idea pins, and other Pinterest changes
• Adjusting your mindset and perspective around Pinterest
• How to overcome the frustration and fatigue of social media marketing
• Staying focused in an online world built for distractions
• And more.

For additional resources and show notes, visit the episode podcast page on our website.

Resources and Mentions:

• Kate Ahl’s company website: SimplePinMedia.com
  • The Simple Pin Podcast
  • The Simple Pin Media Blog
• Kate’s post: Is Pinterest Still a Search Engine?
• Simple Pin Media on Pinterest
• Create and Go’s Pinterest Course: Pinterest Traffic Avalanche 
• Tutorial: How to Start a Successful Blog
• Start your first blog with our Free 5-Day Blogging Bootcamp

For more information and resources, check out the podcast page on our website.

025. Making money from a new blog can take quite some time. 

It took us months before we finally turned a profit on our health and wellness blog, and y’all already know about how our first blog failed miserably. 

But just because it can take a while to start making money blogging, doesn’t mean it has to. 

Our student, Amira Irfan–business lawyer, blogger, and coach at ASelfGuru.com, is the exception.

Amira made $1,000 from her blog in her very first MONTH.

She made her first $10,000 in 4 months, and has since earned more than $1,000,000 in a single year with her online business.. 

And she didn’t achieve that quick success by accident, or by luck. 

Amira definitely put in the work, including doing a ton of networking and collaborating. 

But what really set her apart was that she didn’t let fear or perfectionism hold her back from making important strategic moves. 

So today, Amira and I are taking a deep dive into how she was able to make her blog profitable so quickly, and how she has achieved such a high level of success. 

We’ll also be digging into Amira’s specialty–the legal side of blogging–and how you can protect yourself and your blog biz. 

In this episode, Amira and I are discussing:

• Amira’s blogging success journey + tips for growth
• How Amira made $1,000 in her first month blogging
• The mindset that helped Amira be so successful so fast
• How Amira has grown her blog biz to over $1,000,000
• What dangers her legal templates protect bloggers from
• What’s next for Amira
• And more.

For additional resources and show notes, visit the episode podcast page on our website.

Resources and Mentions:

• Amira’s Blog: ASelfGuru.com
• Amira’s Facebook Group
• Amira’s Legal Templates
• Amira’s New ADA Compliance Bundle
• Create and Go Course mentioned: Pro Blogger Bundle 
• Tutorial: How to Start a Successful Blog
• Start your first blog with our Free 5-Day Blogging Bootcamp

For more information and resources, check out the podcast page on our website.

024. Happy New Year, y’all, and welcome to 2022!

It’s that time of year again…

Lots of people are making resolutions, setting goals, and planning for the brand new year ahead. 

So today, I’m taking a deep dive into the place where growth happens: Outside of your comfort zone. 

Getting out of my comfort zone is something I’ve always struggled with, both personally and professionally. 

The pandemic definitely hasn’t helped matters for me, and I’ve been finding it more difficult than usual to put myself out there.

But I know from experience that growth doesn’t happen in the safety of your comfort zone, and I don’t want my business or my personal life to stop growing. 

So, we continue to push forward.

If we don’t, that little world will take up more and more space, until you’re isolated in a prison of your own making. 

So if you’re ready to make this your year of change, growth, and personal and professional improvement, you need to figure out where the boundaries of your comfort zone are, and push yourself past them as much as possible. 

In this episode, I’m discussing:

• How to get out of your comfort zone, and why you need to
• The impact of the pandemic on our comfort zones
• Why staying in your comfort zone is dangerous
• The importance of goal setting and time management
• Tips and questions to make sure you continue to grow
• And more.

For additional resources and show notes, visit the episode podcast page on our website.

Resources and Mentions:

• Podcast episode mentioned: From $206k in Student Loans to Super Successful Entrepreneur (with Natalie Bacon)
• Tutorial: How to Start a Successful Blog
• Start your first blog with our Free 5-Day Blogging Bootcamp

For more information and resources, check out the podcast page on our website.

023. Well, y’all, we finally made it to the end of 2021!

And what a year it was… 

Everyone said 2020 was really rough, and it was in some ways. But financially speaking, it was a great year for us.

So, naturally, we went into 2021 expecting more great things. 

And we definitely created some awesome things: our podcast and new SEO course.

But we’ve also hit a few speed bumps this year.

Overall, it was a  year filled with a lot of change and a whole lot of learning and adjusting.

There were a lot of opportunities this year for me to get discouraged, but I did my best to keep my mindset in check and continue looking forward.

It’s about more than positive thoughts. It’s about being flexible, learning how to adapt, and trusting in your abilities. 

Every year, I like to reflect back on the ups and downs, the wins, the failures, and everything in between. It’s the only real way to pave the way for new growth.

I encourage all of you to take a few moments to listen and reflect with me, and make sure you’re starting your new year with the right mindset and direction. 

In this episode, I’m discussing:

• The impact of the pandemic on our business + on the world
• All of our ups and downs over the last year
• Recapping and reflecting on our biggest business changes
• How we’re adapting to the changing online business world
• Important questions to consider for the new year
• What’s next for us in 2022
• And more!

For additional resources and show notes, visit the episode podcast page on our website.

Resources and Mentions:

• Our courses:
  • Launch Your Blog Biz
  • Pinterest Traffic Avalanche 
  • SEO Blueprint for Bloggers
  • Six Figure Blogger
  • Pro Blogger Bundle
• Tutorial: How to Start a Successful Blog
• Start your first blog with our Free 5-Day Blogging Bootcamp

For more information and resources, check out the podcast page on our website.

022. Do you ever wonder about the sustainability of a business like this?

The evolution and growth that you need to make this work in the long-term?

I certainly wonder about it pretty often… If you do too, you’ll want to stick around for a minute today.

Many of you that have followed us for a while are familiar with Natalie Bacon’s story: $206,000 in student loan debt to very successful blog (500k+/year).

She’s another classic case of someone that started a blog with a few ideas and then found a way to monetize it and turn it into a full-time career.

Natalie quit her job as a full-time lawyer (with all that debt) and took a job and a paycut as a Certified Financial Planner to have more time to work on her blog.

We’ve shared Natalie’s story before, as she was our first student to reach six figures after taking our courses, and has since become a great friend.

But today, I’m diving deeper into Natalie’s story and you’re going to get to hear more about how she started. But also… We’re talking about what’s going on now.

Transitioning from selling traditional online courses to membership programs and overall long-term, sustainability in the online business world.

I personally loved recording this latest podcast episode with Natalie because I also am finding myself at a turning point in my business where I’m often wondering what’s next and what direction I want to take to ensure my business is successful in the coming years...

In this episode, Natalie and I are discussing:

• Natalie’s journey from lawyer to blogger to CEO of her own company
• The importance of mindset and personal development 
• Building a sustainable business
• How and why she transitioned from selling courses to a membership program
• Deep questions that keep Natalie focused and excited about her business
• The challenges of business growth, and managing your changing role
• How Natalie grew her blog biz income to over $500,000 per year
• And more.

For additional resources and show notes, visit the episode podcast page on our website.

Resources and Mentions:

• Natalie’s Blog: NatalieBacon.com
• Natalie’s Podcast: Design Your Dream Life
  • Listen on:
    • Apple
    • Spotify
    • Stitcher
• Create and Go Course mentioned: Six Figure Blogger
• Tutorial: How to Start a Successful Blog
• Start your first blog with our Free 5-Day Blogging Bootcamp

For more information and resources, check out the podcast page on our website.

021. The beauty of running an online business is that you can do so in the comfort of your own home.

In your pajamas, yoga pants, whatever your jam is...

You can create your own schedule and really just do you every day.

If that sounds like an introvert paradise to you, you’re not alone!

For introvert Mia Brox of She Dreams All Day blog, blogging seemed like the perfect way to express her creative side and make some extra income, while staying out of the limelight. 

She even launched her blog in secret, and didn’t share her name or picture with her audience for quite a while. 

But eventually, she realized if she wanted to grow her blog to the next level, she needed to create a personal connection with her audience--which meant actually sharing more about herself as a person.

Mia has been a Create and Go student since 2018, has taken all of our courses, and is one of our favorite success stories. 

With the skills and knowledge from our courses, plus a lot of passion and determination, she was able to grow her blog from fresh start-up in 2018 to making over $10,000 each month in 2021!

Today, Mia is sharing how she went from anonymous blogger to popular YouTuber and business coach, and how you can do the same. 

In this episode, Mia and I are discussing:

• How Mia started blogging, and eventually found her niche
• Which social media platforms work best for her blog
• How she incorporates coaching into her business
• The insecurities many bloggers face (including the extroverts!)
• How Mia grew her blog to over $10,000/month
• And more.

For additional resources and show notes, visit the episode podcast page on our website.

Resources and Mentions:

• Mia’s Blog: SheDreamsAllDay.com 
• Mia’s Instagram: @shedreamsallday
• Mia’s YouTube: Mia Brox: Introvert Life & Mindset
• Create and Go Courses Mia took: 
  • Launch Your Blog Biz
  • SEO Blueprint for Bloggers
  • Pinterest Traffic Avalanche
  • Six-Figure Blogger
• Tutorial: How to Start a Successful Blog
• Start your first blog with our Free 5-Day Blogging Bootcamp

For more information and resources, check out the podcast page on our website.

020. Earning six figures is a pretty big motivator, but you know what’s even more compelling? Needing to pay off six figures worth of debt...

That’s exactly what Debbie Gartner of The Flooring Girl blog was facing back in 2016, when she lost her flooring company, and suddenly found herself staring down the barrel of impending financial doom. 

Debbie actually started her first blog to help her get local clients to her physical business. She was a flooring consultant that helped people, mostly women, navigate the complexities of choosing and installing new flooring in their homes. She didn’t have a care or a thought in the world about actually monetizing the site itself.

But through a series of unfortunate events (that she can’t even discuss in detail due to a non-disclosure agreement), she found herself suddenly with no job, almost no money, and more than $238,000 in debt. 

Oh, and to top things off, she lived just outside of New York City, so she needed to be making $10,000 a month just to manage the debt and put food on the table. 

*Cue the panic attack!*

With few options in front of her, Debbie turned to her online blog for answers. She didn’t know anything about monetizing it at the time, but she had learned a lot about SEO in her efforts to use her website to bring in more physical clients to her business.

So, from there, she learned. And through a lot of hard work and what Debbie refers to as “grit,” she was able to: 

• become a highly sought-after SEO consultant, 
• make $1,100 her first month with ads and affiliate sales, 
• write two very successful ebooks on SEO techniques, 
• and grow her blog to over $20,000 per month in income.

Debbie’s journey to blogging success was anything but smooth, and she’s sharing all the gritty details with me in today’s podcast episode. 

In this episode, Debbie and I are discussing:

• Debbie’s journey from flooring salesperson to full-time blogger
• How she dug herself out of over $238,000 of debt
• The major role SEO played in her success
• Affiliate marketing pro tips
• Some big failures and bigger successes along the way
• And more.

For additional resources and show notes, visit the episode podcast page on our website.

Resources and Mentions:

• Debbie’s Blog: TheFlooringGirl.com 
• Debbie’s books, courses, resources, and more
• Debbie’s free SEO course
• Debbie’s free Amazon Associate guide
• Course Mentioned: Six Figure Blogger
• Tutorial: How to Start a Successful Blog
• Start your first blog with our Free 5-Day Blogging Bootcamp

For more information and resources, check out the podcast page on our website.

019. We’ve probably said this a thousand times now, but we made some big mistakes with SEO when we first started Create and Go that still haunt us to this day.

In our last episode, we talked about our dark history with SEO, and how Noah and Alex managed to dig us out of the hole we accidentally made for ourselves. 

Y’all, I can’t tell you how much it hurts me to think of all the time, effort, energy, and money we could have saved (and how much more successful we could be even today) if we hadn’t blown off focusing on SEO in the beginning. 

It wasn’t that we didn’t know SEO was important (although we didn’t realize exactly how vital it was). 

But we were doing so well with the traffic we drove from Pinterest and YouTube that we figured SEO was something we could focus on later. 

We kicked the can down the road, and boy, did it come back to bite us!

Our strategies with social media were great in the short-term; but every blog needs a plan that includes SEO, or you won’t make it long-term. Period. 

Today, Noah and I are going over: 

• exactly where we went wrong, 
• the three biggest mistakes we made,
• and how you can avoid them.

Ignorance might be bliss, but y’all...knowledge is power. 

And SEO knowledge is the most powerful and valuable knowledge you can have in the blogging world.  

We want you to empower you to get this right the first time, get an SEO strategy in place, and avoid making the major mistakes we made.

(But if you’re like us, and have already been kicking the can down the road, you can still fix it!)

In this episode, Part 2, Noah and I are discussing:

• Our mindset on traffic in the beginning
• Why we didn’t have an SEO plan at first
• The three biggest SEO mistakes we made when we started Create and Go
• How our lack of knowledge and planning came back to bite us
• What you can do to avoid making the same mistakes we made

For additional resources and show notes, visit the episode podcast page on our website.

Resources and Mentions:

• Podcast: SEO Pt 1: Do You Need an SEO Strategy for Your Blog? [With Noah Riggs]
• Course Mentioned: SEO Blueprint for Bloggers
• Related Post: Blog SEO: 10 Step Beginner’s Guide to Ranking Blog Posts
• Related Video: SEO for Beginners: 10 Steps to get More Organic Traffic to Your Blog
• Tutorial: How to Start a Successful Blog
• Start your first blog with our Free 5-Day Blogging Bootcamp

For more information and resources, check out the podcast page on our website.

018. You know what they say… Ignorance is bliss.

We made a lot of SEO mistakes when we started Create and Go.  But for a while, we were blissfully unaware of those mistakes. 

For a long time, we didn’t even care about SEO. Pinterest and YouTube traffic were enough for us.

But when we did start caring… yikes, that was a tough road to go down.

It became apparent pretty quickly that some things were just wrong. 

And it took us a full year to really figure them out and get on the right path again. 

We owe most of this credit to Noah Riggs.

Noah didn’t have any SEO experience or background before he started working for us. He learned all of it along the way -- working with Alex to right these wrongs.

After a year of deep-diving, hard, focused work learning everything they could about SEO, Noah and Alex were able to:

• finally figure out where we went wrong, 
• fix the problems, 
• and boost our SEO traffic exponentially.  

It wasn’t easy, but for us, it was SO worth it.

This is part 1 of a 2-part series on our SEO journey. In the next episode, Noah will return again to give us the biggest SEO mistakes he sees people making along with a couple of the specific mistakes that WE made along the way.

In this episode, Part 1, Noah and I are discussing:

• Our SEO journey
• Who Noah is, and how he helped us fix our SEO problems
• Why we finally turned our focus to SEO
• Why we wish we had focused on SEO sooner
• Whether or not you need an SEO strategy for your blog
• What to expect in the next episode

For additional resources and show notes, visit the episode podcast page on our website.

Resources and Mentions:

• Related Post: Blog SEO: 10 Step Beginner’s Guide to Ranking Blog Posts
• Related Video: SEO for Beginners: 10 Steps to get More Organic Traffic to Your Blog
• Course Mentioned: SEO Blueprint for Bloggers
• Tutorial: How to Start a Successful Blog
• Start your first blog with our Free 5-Day Blogging Bootcamp

For more information and resources, check out the podcast page on our website.

017. When you’re thinking about starting a new blog--or a new business, diet, lifestyle change, or a new anything, really--it’s pretty easy to get started. 

Most people love starting new things--I know I do. 

You get the instant dopamine hit of learning all the new information: taking a new course, discovering a new podcast, finding a new YouTube channel… 

It makes us feel motivated and excited for a change or a new start. We envision the results and where our lives might be in this new and different version of ourselves.

But the problem is that most of the time, we never get there.

Learning theory is one thing. Putting that theory into practice and realizing actual results is an entirely different beast. . 

This is the part where many people lose interest or get overwhelmed, and move on to the next shiny, new thing. 

Because it’s easy to get stuck in theory. It’s a comfort zone, in a way. A place where we aren’t yet responsible for any results or lack thereof.

This can apply to nearly everything or anything you are trying to accomplish.

My inspiration for this episode actually came from my half-assed attempts to learn Spanish over the last 4 years.

I’ve just moved to Germany and I need to learn German, and I don’t want to repeat this vicious cycle again.

But it also applies to starting a blogging business.

The amount of people that learn everything they need to know about starting their first course but then don’t actually build the thing…

This is what getting stuck in the middle of the practice phase can look like. 

Sticking with something long enough or intense enough to accomplish your goals is no easy feat, and reaching success requires a lot of dedication. 

I’ve got some opinions born out of my own personal experience that I think can help you make it survive the practice phase a little better -- and hopefully accomplish more.   

It’s not easy, but it also isn’t complicated, and I’m no expert either. We’re all just trying to “be a little better.”

In this episode, I’m sharing my thoughts, strategies, and tips on how to identify and navigate the theory and practice arenas so you can do and achieve more.

I’m sharing: 

• The differences between theory and practice 
• How to know which stage you’re in
• Strategies to help you set the right goals at the right time
• Tips for staying motivated along the way
• Six steps to help you achieve your goals

For additional resources and show notes, visit the episode podcast page on our website.

Resources and Mentions:

• Tutorial: How to Start a Successful Blog
• Start your first blog with our Free 5-Day Blogging Bootcamp
• Course Mentioned: Six Figure Blogger

For more information and resources, check out the podcast page on our website.