Notes on Cockroaches, Fairytales, and Blogging: The E! True Hollywood Story

Okay, I haven’t done anything worthy of an E! True Hollywood Story like leaking a sex tape or sleeping with eighteen people on reality television, but this is a true story.

Four years ago, I dreamed of working playing from home.

I lived with my fiancée {now husband} in our one bedroom apartment in Brooklyn that didn’t allow pets even though it came with a few mice and cockroaches. I commuted two hours on the subway to work and felt wiped every night when I trudged up the two flights of stairs to our apartment.

I consumed many weekend hours wishing my life were different, hoping that fairy godmothers existed, and chatting with my man on how we’d live if money weren’t a barrier.

I fantasized of moving back to Virginia to be closer to family and rescuing a few dogs to spend my days with while my husband built a reputation as one of the best lawyers in Montgomery County.

My fantasy looked like this:

Wake up without an alarm excited for the day ahead. Sip tea while planning out the day and then jumping into a to-do list that made my palms itch with motivation and delight. Exercise and walk my dogs every day. Create and write in the morning and afternoon. Stop working when my husband pulls in the driveway, make dinner together and spend the evening doing something we both enjoy. Read a book in bed before falling asleep.

I craved a fenced in backyard, a three-bedroom house with an art studio, two bathrooms {because I quickly learned how disgusting it can be to share a bathroom with a guy}, hardwood floors, and a fireplace or wood-burning stove.

My husband and I built that fantasy life.

I work from home with my three sweet lab-mixes snoozing at my feet. He’s building a reputation as a smart, talented lawyer in Montgomery County. He just made the front page of The Roanoke Times for a recent case—get ‘em!

We live in a three-bedroom house with a fenced in backyard, a room for my art studio, two bathrooms, hardwood floors, and a wood-burning stove. S’mores, anyone?

Every day isn’t a fairytale. I don’t want to give you the impression that we don’t struggle—that we don’t have bad days. We do.

We have crazy high student loan payments, there are days when I don’t feel like writing or creating, and one of our dogs is so high-strung that if he doesn’t get his daily walks, he can be a bit of a nightmare—like the time he chewed huge holes in our drywall.

But, let’s focus on the positive for right now, because most days are good, and I want to give you some insight into how blogging helped me get here.

We got clear on what we wanted—not what others wanted for us or for themselves.

During that process, I realized that I wanted to run my own business. I didn’t know exactly what it would look like, but I knew I wanted to create and write regularly.

In order to start connecting with other creative entrepreneurs, I started blogging and my blog has been the most effective tool in growing my business.

It’s my online home. The place where people who’ve never heard of me or my products can get to know me. Most of my sales come from blog readers and email subscribers who subscribed because they loved my blog and wanted to receive free updates.

In the beginning, I understood that I needed to blog to grow and market my business, but it didn’t come easy. I felt overwhelmed and lost. There were so many things to do, so many blog posts to read, and so many strategies that I felt I had to try.

I didn’t know how to design ANYTHING much less make the blog design look professional. I didn’t know where to find quality pictures to enhance and illustrate my posts. I didn’t know how to get the word out that I started a blog or how to attract new, interested readers.

The slowness in the beginning made me wonder if I could do it. No comments. No emails from adoring readers. No invitations for interviews and guest posts.

But, there was no turning back. This is what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted a creative business, a blog that inspired and motivated other creative entrepreneurs, and to regularly fuel my creative passions.

So, I learned everything I could about turning my desolate blog into a flourishing site abounding with new readers.

I figured out how to use WordPress, customize my email opt-in, add downloadable PDFs to my posts, utilize plug-ins, set up a membership site and so much more.

I spiffed up my writing by practicing every day. I read voraciously. I attended conferences, and I tested out everything I learned to see if it worked or didn’t.

Now, I want to help you do the same.

I compiled everything I’ve learned about blogging to help other creative entrepreneurs, like you, build a thriving blog without spending years trying to learn everything that I have. I cut out the crap, so you don’t waste your time. I include the stuff that works and tell you why the other stuff doesn’t. And, I hand over my arsenal of resources so you can turn your blog into, well, whatever you want it to be.

I want to help you turn your daydreams of captivating hundreds {or, heck, thousands} of readers and email subscribers in 2013 into a reality. I want to support your quest to secure the fantasy life you crave—and get you closer to it.

Interested? Check out my course, Blogging for Your Creative Business. Registration will be open until February 4^th at 9pm EST.

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