by desing | Tools
For some people, blogging is just a fun way to share thoughts and personal news with friends and family. But for many, blogging is more than that—it’s a hope that, somehow, they will be able to break into the infinite possibilities of a blogosphere that’s enabled many people to live lives we can only envy. There are the legends. People like Ash Ambirge who’ve turned their devoted audience into an active customer base and are now living in Chile, Brazil, wherever they please, sipping cocktails on the beach while the rest of us type away in our cubicles. That level of success may not be realistic for most of us. (I’m sorry to say. Believe me, I secretly wish for it, too.) But that doesn’t mean you can’t mine your blog in a number of ways to generate a nice side (or even full-time) income for yourself. Here are some of the biggest ways that people have used their blog to create a profitable business:
Create a Product or Service. By guest posting on other blogs, engaging with reader comments, and regularly providing links to useful resources, you can build up a reputation as an authority in your field—and once your readers see you as an authority, there are all sorts of side products you can offer them. Do you blog about entrepreneurship? Maybe you could launch a consulting service where you guide others through starting their businesses. Do you blog about healthy living? Maybe you could create a course that takes people through 30 days of healthy and easy recipes. The possibilities are endless; just listen to what your audience needs and wants, and tap into that, and you have a market of people already waiting to hear what you’ve got for them!
From Blog to Book. If you have a decent following, one way to generate some “passive income” is to create an ebook that fits with your blog topic. You can write a manifesto that summarizes your blog philosophy, consolidate your most popular posts and repurpose them into a book, or create a guide on a topic you know your audience is interested in. It’s “passive” income because once the ebook is written, all you have to do is set up an order form and delivery system and your work is done. People buy your book, pay for it online, and it’s automatically delivered to them electronically. You just sit back and watch the payments come in!
Make It Your Portfolio. When I started freelance writing, I was nervous because I had no real “portfolio” to show prospective employers what I could do. Then I realized: I’d been blogging for a year and a half. I had guest posts on several major blogs and contributed regularly to several others. When I added a Hire Me tab to my blog, the proof of my ability was already there! People could browse the blog for an idea of my personal style, and they could check out my Featured On page to see how I wrote for other blogs. (Just make sure your blog reflects the sort of work you’d like to get; my off-the-cuff, irreverent style definitely lends itself to certain projects better than others.)
Give Your Product or Service a “Face.” Whether you’re a life coach, a digital media artist, or have a boutique on Etsy, a blog can be a great way to bring some personality to your product or service and help you connect with potential customers. People are more drawn to brands they relate to; create a blog that’s fun, engaging, and optimistic, and people will be much more likely to choose your business over bland Brand X.
Sell Advertisements. I put this one last because many bloggers jump on this strategy first, thinking it will bring them millions, only to be disappointed when they see a few cents come in each month. While some of the high-traffic sites generate a large amount of advertiser revenue, the truth is that the average small-time blogger won’t be able to quit their job solely on ad sales. Paired with the above techniques, ads can increase revenue from your blog, but I wouldn’t depend on them. You also need to be extremely careful about the sort of ads you accept. Whether it’s a visual ad through Google AdWords, an in-text link, or a sponsored post, be extremely careful about the sort of ads you foist on your audience. My rule is that if I don’t believe a product or service is legitimate and will truly help my audience, I won’t accept an ad for it. I’d rather miss a few dollars here or there than damage my audience’s trust.
About Kelly Gurnett
Kelly Gurnett, a.k.a. “Cordelia,” runs the blog Cordelia Calls It Quits, where she documents her attempts to rid her life of the things that don’t matter and focus more on the things that do. You can follow her on Twitter and Facebook and check out her ebook here. She also offers her services as a blogger extraordinaire to those in need of some bloggy awesomeness.
by desing | Tools
Women today are creating careers in a competitive climate. As a result, networking with other female entrepreneurs is paramount. Networking can secure new business, connect you with powerful women, and may even lead you to your dream job.
However, the challenge for busy women today is finding time to seek networking opportunities.
- How is it possible to quickly and easily find the right business community to join, and social engagements to attend?
- Where can you go to find relationships that are mutually beneficial in advancing business and life goals?
Here are three easy networking tips to guide you in meeting powerful women, building new relationships, and contacting women professionals to share advice and knowledge.
Create a LinkedIn Profile (and use it!)
As the world’s largest professional network, LinkedIn is where recruiters and hiring managers look first when they have a job to fill. It is an essential tool for sharing your resume, job searching, and meeting people who share your interests.
Intuitively laid out and easy to use, LinkedIn offers a platform for contacting women via its internal messaging system. There is also the option to join or create groups, where people with similar career interests converse and collaborate. Many groups for female entrepreneurs organize online, but meet in local settings. LinkedIn makes staying in touch and marketing yourself easy.
Make New Friends with MeetUp
MeetUp is a fantastic resource that helps people find specialized groups and meet people locally. Through MeetUp, more than 9,000 groups get together each day around the world. There are a plethora of MeetUp groups for women in business, women in philanthropy, mothers who work, and women’s book clubs, in metropolitan and urban areas across the country.
It’s also easy to start your own MeetUp group. Powerful connections are made possible through social network platforms, like meetup.com that foster the sharing of interests and aspirations for women today.
Get Involved with Charity
If you are looking to meet people like you, who are both business-minded and caring, local charity events and fundraisers are a good place to begin. Who knows, an hour at a charity lunch may spark a new friendship or a lifelong involvement with a worthy cause in your community.
Related Sources:
by desing | Faith & Purpose, Tools
Whether your big dream is to start your own business, become CEO of your company or travel the world, it can be hard to keep pushing forwards sometimes. You start to wonder if you can do it. You start to wonder if you’re reaching too high. Big dreams take a lot of determination and faith.
Whatever your dream is, we all need help at times keeping ourselves motivated. So here are some key things to keep in mind as you strive towards that fantastic, awesome dream of yours:
If you believe you can do it, you can do it.
That may sound like a new age cliché, but some of the most extraordinary dreams were accomplished by people who insisted on believing in themselves, regardless of how many people doubted. The Wright brothers believed that human beings could fly. When you stop and think about it, it still seems like a ridiculous impossibility. And yet, they made it happen. If they could do that, what can’t you accomplish?
When you chase your dreams, you encourage others to chase theirs.
Maybe your coworker has secretly been miserable with her job for months, but she won’t get up the courage to quit until she sees you make a go with your new business. Maybe your daughter has dreams of doing charity work in needy countries when she grows up, but society tells her she should go where the money is. If she sees you following your heart and your passions, regardless of what anyone else thinks of them, imagine the example you’ll be setting for her.
You don’t know what’s possible until you try—and then the possibilities can seem endless.
Every time you get closer to your dream, you open all sorts of new possibilities for yourself. You learn skills you never thought you’d learn. You meet people you never thought you’d meet. And you prove to yourself time and again that you can do whatever you set your mind to. Each of us has within us an infinite number of possibilities; start chasing after them and you’ll be amazed how many more reveal themselves.
The critics know nothing. (That’s why they’re so vocal.)
When you boldly follow a big dream, there will be plenty of people who are eager to tell you why it’s impractical, why it’s impossible, why it’s foolish. Ignore them. They are near-sighted, narrow-minded, and jealous because secretly they had big dreams too, once, but they didn’t have the courage to pursue them. Listening to constructive criticism is one thing, but listening to these naysayers is another. Don’t do it. They’re not worth your energy.
One of the Worst Regrets is “What if?”
Even if you fall short of your dream, or it doesn’t come out exactly the way you envisioned it, at least you’ll have tried. Reaching for the moon and landing among the stars is infinitely better than living a safe, secure life and always wondering if the back of your mind “what could have been.” The journey itself is worth so much. Enjoy every aspect along the way, and know that whatever may come, you are living your life to its fullest.
You only have this life.
We hear it so often that it’s lost its impact on us, but sit back for a second and really, truly contemplate that: This is the only life you have, and you have no idea how much time you will be given. Why in the world would you ever want to spend it doing anything less than chasing your dream?
by desing | Classes
We have seen the Ombre effect on clothes, nails and even hair but the latest trend is now lips.
You may ask what is Ombre? Ombre is the French word for Shade. It is defined as having colors or tones that fade into each other —in which the color is graduated from light to dark or vice versa.
There are several variations of this look so for those that are more daring use multiple colors or even vibrant colors! Not really on the adventurous side but want to try your hand at this look go for more subtle colors and stay in the neutral and berry family. It literally works for everyone!
There are multiple ways to achieve this look – here are 3:
Look 1
Use one color over entire lip and use a complimentary color right in the middle to pop.
Look 2
Fill in lips with color of choice and then line lips with darker liner, defining outer corners of lips. Blot together.
Look 3
Apply lipstick to top lip and graduate using different color on bottom lip.
What are you waiting for…go head Ombre it out girl?
by desing | Classes
No one’s skin can remain youthful and healthy if they do not care for it. It’s never too early or too late to start caring for your skin. Our face is the most exposed part of our body, and while the skin is resilient, with the means to repair itself, we do need a little help to combat the rigors of everyday life. Your skin is a versatile organ that shields your body from germs, pollutants, heat, cold, UV exposure, and more.
What’s the best way to care for your skin? Develop a good skin care regimen or routine. A good skin care regimen can help you fight a great deal of skin issues – acne, dryness, sun damage, wrinkles and premature aging. Your regimen, three things must be included; a cleaner, an exfoliator and a moisturizer with SPF.
Cleansing
Cleansing is most important for healthy skin; if you don’t cleanse your face, dirt will accumulate causing clogged pores. Not only can regular cleansing, morning and night, remove unwanted dirt but it also assists in a more flawless makeup application.
General rule of thumb: Do not use regular body soap and never use very hot water, warm is best.
Exfoliation
Exfoliation removes dead skin cells that clog pores and gives skin the appearance of being dull. Removing these cells allows new ones to take their place, giving your skin a healthy glow.
General rule of thumb: Do not exfoliate daily, once to twice a week is enough.
Moisturizer
Between our diet, inherited genes and the environment, it doesn’t take much to cause skin to become imbalanced…mainly dry. Lack of moisture and continued sun exposure leads to premature aging. Skin should be rehydrated, twice daily after cleansing. Your daytime moisturizer must include SPF to protect you from harmful UVA and UVA rays.
General rule of thumb: Apply moisturizer in upward strokes to avoid stretch skin, that causes wrinkling.
In addition to a regular skin care regimen, a proper diet and adequate water intake also contributes to flawless skin.
Now isn’t that worthy of a little daily TLC?
