So it’s my ONE YEAR BLOGIVERSARY today and I’m really excited about it. When I started my blog on March 17, 2014, I told myself I would give it my all for a year. I told myself I would work my absolute butt off and if it totally failed then at least I knew I gave it my best shot and I would feel good about it. And man has it been HARD work. From learning how to input HTML code into my blog to learning how to use a DSLR camera, I gave it my all and this little blog of mine has grown slowly but surely, but not without a few bumps in the road.
First, THANK YOU, yes you, for supporting me and coming back day after to read the crazy shenanigans that I post about, and for loving a good deal or delish recipe as much as me. You’re amazing and I really, really appreciate it.
I am passionate about finding good deals to share with people so that others can afford what they normally not might be able to. It makes me SO happy to hear when others have found a good deal through A Slice of Style. I frequently get messages and texts from friends and those I don’t know telling me that they found an awesome deal and it makes it all worth it and totally warms my heart and validates my efforts. I have met some incredible people and now good friends through blogging, and have gained relationships that I never would have were it not for this little space I decided to create a year ago. I have learned so much about myself and about growing a business.
It hasn’t been all fun and games, though. (what?!) There were several times when I thought about quitting because it’s a lot harder than I thought it would be! There have been times when I have thought, “what if I’m spending all of these countless hours working on something and it turns out to be a total flop.” In fact, a few times I thought about quitting and I would talk to one of my best friends or my mom and they would give me some confidence to keep going for at least another month, or I would get a random text out of nowhere with someone telling me that they really appreciate the great deal they just got because of me. I have gotten stressed out, discouraged and totally down on myself at times so I wanted to share with you some things that I wish I knew and implemented before I started so that you can keep the fun and passion in blogging so it’s sustainable and really enjoyable. It’s supposed to be fun, and if it’s not fun then you need to reevaluate what you’re doing! For me, I don’t care how successful I am if I’m not happy. I read a quote the other day that said, “happiness is the ultimate success” and I think that’s SO true. If you’re looking to start a blog about something that you are passionate about, then DO IT. No one else can take the same perspective as you. No one else has your voice. Hopefully these little tips will help you to avoid some frustration and most of all have some FUN with it, because if you’re not having fun then it’s not worth your time 🙂
*All photos by Nicole Jacobson Photography – stay tuned for a giveaway soon on my Instagram for a family photo session with Nicole!*
10 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started my Blog:
1. Don’t compare yourself to ANYONE.
Like I said before, no one is YOU. There are thousand and thousands of blogs out there but the one thing that is going to differentiate your blog is your voice and your passion. Don’t compare yourself to anyone because it will steal your joy! It’s easy to look at another’s blog and see that it is seemingly growing a bit quicker than yours or maybe people are interacting more on a person’s post and you can get discouraged. Celebrate YOUR little victories and don’t let them be diminished by comparison. You are doing great!
2. Work HARD
I knew that my blog would be a lot of work before I started, but I didn’t know it would be as much work as it has been. Luckily I had committed to myself that I was going to work my booty off so I kept keeping on…but just realize that if you want anything to grow into something great, you need to spend LOTS of time on it. I would suggest making a priority list as well. For me, my husband always comes first. If I’m working on a blog post and he comes home, I stop what I’m doing to spend time with him, make dinner, etc. If you set your priority list and calendar your blog into your life and stick to it, it will help you avoid any guilt from working on something that you love and help you to stay balanced. That being said, remember that you must calendar enough time to have good, quality content.
3. Remember why you started.
I would suggest having a little card in your office or wherever you blog most of the time with a little reminder of why you started. Then when you get discouraged you can come back to that and remember the passion you had at the start. Is it still something you’re passionate about? GOOD! Keep going!
4. You’ll make mistakes. Lots of them. Forgive yourself and move on!
Part of trying something new is learning as you go and making lots of mistakes along the way. You’re not going to get it right the first time (most of the time) so if you accept this notion from the start, then you’ll be able to roll with the mistakes and move forward a lot more quickly. You’ll try things that don’t really work out and you’ll learn from it and move forward! I ran a giveaway through my Instagram a few months ago that didn’t really get me any traction…oh, well! If I dwell on that I’m going to be stuck in the past. MOVE FORWARD. Always, always be moving forward and not looking back. LEARN from your mistakes but forgive yourself and congratulate yourself for trying and growing!
5. Don’t sweat the small stuff.
So this person that you really wanted to collaborate with didn’t get back you. Guess what? There will be other opportunities! Don’t get hung up on the things that don’t work out. If you do, you are preventing yourself from putting your best foot forward. If you focus on the positive things, you will be a lot happier. And what did I say before? If you’re not happy, you need to reevaluate because if you’re not happy then it’s NOT WORTH IT! Celebrate your victories. Maybe your post on Instagram didn’t get the reaction that you wanted, but you had your highest page views on your blog ever! Don’t let the negative overshadow the great things that you’re doing. Focus on that.
6. Collaborate, collaborate, collaborate.
One thing that I have absolutely loved about blogging is meeting some really cool people who have really cool blogs. If you think someone is great, reach out to them! The way that I typically learn about new blogs is through another blogger who mentions them. Find people who you think your readers would enjoy learning about and reach out to them. See if there’s a way that you can collaborate somehow whether it be a giveaway together, a post on each other’s blogs or a shout out on Instagram. Collaborating with others is a great way to reach new audiences and grow!
7. Not everyone is going to LOVE your blog…that’s okay, sister!
Not everyone is going to love you. Huh?!! This is kind of embarrassing but I would totally get my feelings hurt if I saw that my followers on Instagram went down after a certain post. It would discourage me and I would wonder if anyone benefited from my blog. This is ridiculous and I spent negative energy worrying about something that I could have turned to positive energy and focused on doing something to grow my blog and just be HAPPY. If someone unfollows me it’s probably because they don’t really care about getting a good deal so they are doing me a favor because they’re not my audience. Why would I want someone around that doesn’t want to be around? I don’t! We all want readers who are interested in what we have to say. You don’t love every single blog out there, do you? Well, neither does everyone else! We all have niche and we want those people around that will support that.
8. FOCUS and don’t multi-task.
This one was a hard one for me to grasp because I’m so busy and want to get so much done. I think if you try too hard to multi-task then you aren’t giving anything 100%. When I went to Alt Summit I learned a very valuable lesson from business coach Tiffany Han. She told me not to do things unless you could completely focus on them and by doing so, it would help me to avoid any anxiety. For example, I would be standing in line at the grocery store and I would check my email and read a few, then it would be my turn to check out. I would have the emails on my mind that I needed to respond to, but I couldn’t do it because I needed to check out, go to my car, unload the groceries, etc. Don’t check your email if you can’t respond right away! You put too much on your brain. Focus on the moment and whatever you are doing in that moment so you can give 100% and your mind will be all there. When you’re working on your blog, log out of any applications that you think might distract you. I promise this will help you feel more at peace and less crazy trying to do so much at once!
9. Narrow in on a few things that will make a big difference. Don’t obsess over your numbers!
There are SO many things you can be doing to grow your blog. Learn SEO, start a newsletter, post to Pinterest more, and the list goes on and on. Focus on a couple things that will make a big difference for your blog. You can’t do it all. Narrow in a new things and really put your effort into those things. If you don’t see growth and result, reevaluate what you are focusing on. Don’t get overwhelmed because this person is doing and it’s really working for her, but this other person is doing this and it’s really working for her and so on and so forth. You can’t do EVERYTHING that everyone else is doing to grow so pick a few things and narrow in. Don’t continuously look at how many new followers you have, and how many page views you have. Who wants to live like that?! Look every now and then to hopefully see growth, but don’t get obsessed with it. If all you’re focusing on are your numbers, I promise you won’t be happy. Focus your energies on improving your blog.
There are SO many things you can be doing to grow your blog. Learn SEO, start a newsletter, post to Pinterest more, and the list goes on and on. Focus on a couple things that will make a big difference for your blog. You can’t do it all. Narrow in a new things and really put your effort into those things. If you don’t see growth and result, reevaluate what you are focusing on. Don’t get overwhelmed because this person is doing and it’s really working for her, but this other person is doing this and it’s really working for her and so on and so forth. You can’t do EVERYTHING that everyone else is doing to grow so pick a few things and narrow in. Don’t continuously look at how many new followers you have, and how many page views you have. Who wants to live like that?! Look every now and then to hopefully see growth, but don’t get obsessed with it. If all you’re focusing on are your numbers, I promise you won’t be happy. Focus your energies on improving your blog.
10. Keep trying new things
Keep learning and growing! You need to be open to the fact that trying new things might sometimes fail but also might sometimes make all the difference. Don’t get discouraged…nothing that was ever worth it was ever easy.
I hope these help you to either keep going if you already have a blog, or know some pitfalls to avoid if you are thinking about starting a blog. I am always open to answering questions that you have, so feel free to reach out at asliceofstyleblog@gmail.com or comment below. Keep shining!!
Keep learning and growing! You need to be open to the fact that trying new things might sometimes fail but also might sometimes make all the difference. Don’t get discouraged…nothing that was ever worth it was ever easy.
I hope these help you to either keep going if you already have a blog, or know some pitfalls to avoid if you are thinking about starting a blog. I am always open to answering questions that you have, so feel free to reach out at asliceofstyleblog@gmail.com or comment below. Keep shining!!
Balloon: Always Lou | Faux Leather Lace Trip Top: Ann Taylor (on sale for $20.93, reg. $69!!) | Skirt: Banana Republic, old (similar style for $36) | Gold Link Bracelet: J Crew, old (LOVE this one and this one) | Leopard pumps: Nordstrom, (similar style) | Sunglasses: Ray Ban
kaylynnczy says
March 17, 2015 at 1:39 pmYou are so darling – I can't believe you've only been blogging for a year. High five girl because you are AWESOME and I can't wait to collab with you soon!!
Jenica Parcell says
March 17, 2015 at 6:10 pmThank you, Kaylynn! I just adore you!
Aliza says
March 17, 2015 at 3:09 pmThanks so much for your article! I'm new at blogging and these are great tips.
Jenica Parcell says
March 17, 2015 at 6:11 pmThat's so exciting…keep up the great work! I wish you the very best 🙂
Integrated Learning Strategies says
March 17, 2015 at 3:54 pmI love this! Thank you for sharing your experience. There are so many days where I just want to go back to bed and forget the whole blogging thing. Sometimes the dividends just don't seem worth it. You have motivated me to keep going. I love the pictures too! So fun!
Jenica Parcell says
March 17, 2015 at 6:16 pmI have felt like that so many times! When I remember these rules it's definitely a lot easier to be happy and remind myself why I started…because I'm passionate about sharing good deals and great food. Thank you so much for reaching out! Keep up the great work 🙂
Ben and Raquel says
March 18, 2015 at 7:44 pmI check your blog regularly…not just for the good deals but because I think you're funny and beautiful! You're doing an awesome job, it's hard to believe you've only been at it for a year!
Jenica Parcell says
March 18, 2015 at 8:40 pmAw thank you so much, Raquel! You just made my day! I really appreciate that 🙂 I hope you are doing well!
Our Kind Of Pretty says
May 6, 2015 at 2:20 amLove this post! So much to learn from it, thank you!!
Jenica Parcell says
May 6, 2015 at 4:54 amThank you so much, I really appreciate that! I'm so glad it could help 🙂 xo