The Business of Blogging- My Blogging Journey So Far

My blogging journey began over four years ago just as I was navigating my way through parenting a small child and a baby. Around the birth of my middle child (the aforementioned baby), I had stumbled upon some blog posts that I could really relate to. They were focused on the trials and tribulations of parenting small children; some of these posts were humorous and others were heartfelt, but the main message of them was that it was ok to be finding it a bit hard- because parenting small children isn't always easy. It was like a revelation! I had honestly thought that it was just me that was struggling a bit. I remember wondering if perhaps I wasn't cut out for parenting. Why did I always have Weetabix in my hair when other mums seemed so glamourous? Why was I always running late? Why did it take me so long to leave the house with my baby? Why was I the only mum in the baby group that had struggled to breastfeed? Etc, etc. I really did give myself a hard time, I can see that now with the benefit of hindsight but at the time I felt like I was failing at being a parent. When I stumbled upon these brutally honest posts from parents that had decided to document their parenting journeys, thoughts and musings, it suddenly didn't seem quite so lonely. I could also then confidently say; 'it isn't just me!' 

Shortly after, I decided to start my own blog. I had no idea how to do this so after some Googling I eventually figured out how to set up a basic blog. I then published my first ever post entitled 'The Glorious Rise in Real Parenting' in honour of the trend to share the 'real side' of parenting that had helped me so much. I hit publish and waited for the page views to start increasing. Only they never did. I genuinely had no idea that people wouldn't just stumble upon the post through the power of search engines but rather, had to be directed to it and this is where social media accounts are worth their weight in gold. Once I had eventually figured this out, I then made some social media accounts, invited a few friends and shared the post again. Over the next few weeks and months, I began to create posts with a bit of a humorous or heartfelt twist to them. It felt good to be creative!

I soon learnt that social media is the key to growing a blog. Taking my Facebook page for example, the small handful of followers that it had initially, slowly began to increase as these followers then invited their friends to like the page or commented and shared my posts which then opened them up to a wider audience. I was also able to join blogging groups where I have learnt some invaluable blogging tools and where there's a community of bloggers always willing to lend a hand.

It was also through social media that I stumbled upon something that has had the biggest impact on my blog's journey so far: I found a group of likeminded bloggers and influencers that were able to point me in the direction of paid blogging opportunities. Not long after, I had received my first payment for a blog post and over the next few years, as I wrapped my head around how it all works, my little blog had become my business which I made an income from.

Making my blog into a business had never been my intention but through this work, and in addition to my other business, I've been able to work hours to suit the demands of family life which has been such a blessing while they are still so young. We have also had some wonderful family days out and experiences through the blog as well as products to review which keeps life interesting. Whilst I had started the journey as a parenting blogger, I now consider myself to be a parenting and lifestyle blogger, enabling me to cover a wider range of topics. My Facebook page however, will always remain a place for sharing all the funny parenting mishaps and a way of communicating the message to each and every parent that they are doing absolutely fine- afterall, this is what I had needed to hear all those years ago and how indeed my blog came to be!

*Disclaimer: This is a paid collaboration.