How to Start a Mom Blog!
They say being a stay at home mom is super rewarding, and don’t get me wrong, it is. But there is something that happens to your confidence when you start bringing in money while raising your children. You may want to start a mom blog as a creative outlet or to help with finances. Whatever the reason, you may have realised it’s not as easy as you thought it would be.
After hours of spinning my wheels on the internet searching for ways to peace my blog together, detouring off to Facebook or staring at other super successful blogs to see how they made it work. I realised this was going to be a long journey if I chose to do it alone.
In my search, I stumbled upon this website and everything began to change. I truly believe my blog journey would have ended if it weren’t for this woman!
Let’s face it, as moms, we have no spare time on our hands to be searching for help on how to set things up! No matter what age your child is, you are busy and lucky if you get two solid hours to yourself.
If you are anything like me, you probably started this blog because you knew it would be the creative outlet you needed. Not to mention, being able to help pay off debt and add to the family finances is huge when it comes to creating and building emotional strength.
The overwhelm of trying to figuring it all out!
In the beginning, starting a blog seemed like an answer to all our problems. It was a dream come true and so far it has been great. However, it hasn’t been as easy as I thought it would be. There have been many challenges to overcome.
The biggest obstacle I faced was wasting my time trying to figure it out on my own. I would get tips here and tips there but putting it all together was difficult. Hours were wasted researching to find people giving advice on the same topics. After months of going nowhere, I started getting frustrated with my lack of progress.
I was determined and dead set on doing it on my own, then reality set in. I really only had small pockets of time to commit to the blog and every time I went to work on it, I was bogged down with having to call my hosting company to help me with something technical. Simply put, I was frustrated and ultimately ready to quit when I had just started.
The depression set in when I looked at other peoples blogs and saw their beautiful layout and images. I became crippled with a perfectionist mindset and really wanted it to look amazing from the get go! I convinced myself no one would read my blog if it appeared amateur.
I thought, if the blog didn’t look professional in layout and style, people would question whether or not I actually was a professional. This amateur thinking paralysed me! Frustrated and defeated, I started looking for help.
Your first actionable step, Set yourself up for success!
After rummaging through the internet I worked through some of the free 5-day start-up courses. Sure they worked for little nuggets of information. But left me unorganised and with no real direction on what really needed to be accomplished.
I read all of Rosemarie Groner’s posts (she is amazing by the way.) I found some really helpful information but was so unorganized, putting it all together was difficult. I had so many questions and no answers.
Then, I found Susie Whitford with start a mom blog. Immediately I knew, this is what I needed. I actually researched her course intensely, I did not have much money at the time so I couldn’t wast any money on a course that gave little value.
This course has a ton of value!
This course was thorough, well thought out, easy to follow and fit my busy life. Best of all, It gave me confidence that I could actually follow through with this new adventure. Phew, finally an opportunity to finish something I started.
I got back my joy and momentum
In Susie’s course Blog By Number, she kept me inspired and moved me forward on this journey. If I had not taken her course I would either still be looking at youtube clips on each piece of the process, (that TOOK FOREVER) or would have quit. As a mom, my time to commit to this is blocked in segments of 30 mins here 30 mins there.
Her detailed teachings helped me to have focus, whereas before, I would get lost in research, or busy reading how well others were doing and not getting any momentum of my own.
Best of all, it gave me an action plan! Something I was desperately missing.
I connected with Susie right away, she has 3 beautiful children and teaches how to manage a business and a family. She also came from an engineering background so I knew she would be able to navigate through the difficulties of WordPress (another issue I was struggling with) and the many individual themes.
So what exactly is in the Course?
Her strategic teaching strategy helps you get set up step by step! She practically holds your hand!
It is full of mini video segments starting with how to set up your hosting company and theme. She literally walks you through it step by step. I paused the video until I completed each item.
Once your set up, she helps you come up with a name and nitch for your blog. This may seem like something you can do on your own, but believe me, this is helpful because most of your names will be taken and it’s really nice to have backups you’re happy with.
From there it gets super fun. You start to create your brand and get to know yourself again. I found purpose in my blog and stopped caring what others thought. The possibilities for my blog were becoming endless.
The next module is designing your content layout, she helps you get noticed and followed. All things other bloggers sell in separate courses.
She even helps you get started with making money with your blog so you don’t lose money or waste your time. This is not in-depth so If this is the stage you are in, Making Sence of Affiliate Marketing is truly your best option.
Pictured above are all the bonuses she includes in her course as well as the detailed teachings. These bonuses include free stock images, the course ebook, yearly planner of what to do and many others.
There are so many aspects of having a blog that I didn’t think about that she covers. For example, how to create pins for Pinterest, how to size your images so that your blog is not slow, where to get free images, what plug-ins to use, how to write your content, Susie has seriously thought of everything and beyond what a beginning blogger needs to nail down. Pretty amazing right?
Is it really worth it to invest in a mini-course in the beginning?
Absolutely it was! My investment was just under $100 and she included 2 other mini-courses along the way because I was signed up for the Blog By Number course. So… yes hands down the best way to spend my money. I would say it was definitely worth the $97.00 I invested, a no-brainer.
When you’re a stay at home mom it’s extremely hard to come up with $97.00 and telling hubby may seem like anxiety overload. Especially when finances are tight.
But if you truly are serious about blogging and working from home, then the time wasted trying to figure it out on your own is a far greater expense in the long run.
Susie’s course is broken up into detail from the very first step to the last.
It’s all in the details!
Blog by Number not only helps you figure out your nitch, helps you find the perfect blog name, and gives a step by step tutorial on how to set up the blog to look professional; She also teaches how to set up a beautiful theme, and keys to writing a great post.
The course teaches optimization and how to customize your blog. How to create amazing images and get massive traffic without begging your friends to share your posts.
Lastly, included in this course are keys to making money and building an email list for longterm growth.
Susie literally holds your hand. And sadly that is exactly what I needed. I knew what task I was accomplishing each day.
She got me out of the frustrated stage and into the action stage. And best of all she did not leave me hanging. She delivered exactly what I was ready for.
The longest video was almost 30 minutes. Super manageable with my little guy. I absolutely can’t stand when you watch a webinar and the first 25 minutes is about them and how they started. She gets straight to the point! Great for a mom who has little time.
Words of advice when you do decide to take the course!
Do not skip ahead! I thought well I already have my hosting and WordPress set up, I don’t need to watch these I’ll just go straight to the monetization strategy.
As tempting as that seems, do not do this! I repeat do not do this! I had to go back to the beginning because there were important pieces missing to my blog due to skipping ahead. I had missed major steps like how to make the headline look professional and how to add a favicon.
Just do every step in order! Trust me and do not move on until you have completed everything in the video. You’ll thank me later because you’ll be successful quicker!
Ready to get started?
Check out the Start a mom blog site. She offers other courses as well but I started with this one and loved it.
Maybe you are just getting your feet wet and want to do it yourself. If that is the case, I recommend you purchase web hosting and opt out of the free site that WordPress gives you.
If you eventually get serious you will need a hosted site for one and if you ever do need help WordPress doesn’t have the best help. I personally use Bluehost and they have walked me through all my set up struggles over the phone! Someone always answers and no annoying messaging system.
Even though they were super helpful, I was actually so frustrated that I had to keep calling them, I decided to purchase “Blog by Number” course.
However, If you want to figure it out on your own Bluehost will walk you through it. They are extremely friendly and helpful.
Again, If your frustrated and don’t have time to dedicate to researching on your own and want to start off in the right direction, Blog by Number is your best bet.
Blogging is hard work but super rewarding. I wish you luck with your blog and new adventure. Remember, I am just a mom who wanted to be with her kiddo and still work. Many say that you have to choose, mother or businesswoman, well I say you can be both!
Stephanie
