Growing As a Blogger

My blog turned 11 years old this month.  When I think about that, it kind of makes my head spin! It really doesn't feel like its been 11 years since this blog began.

Let's go back to the beginning shall we? In December 2009, I was a 21 year old living in New York City.  I was in my final year of college and set to graduate the following spring.  I had been entering contests for the past several years and was extremely into giveaways and sweepstakes.  I won a contest through a "mommy blog" and was very interested in how this person became a product review blogger.  After reaching out to the blogger, she generously helped me set up my own blog with an exciting template and gave me tips on pitching to the media.  I was so grateful! My product review blog was born.

As the months went on, lots of products were delivered in the mail for me to review.  It was so fun to be able to test products, write about them, and interact with my audience which I was growing.  I also was able to do giveaways where one lucky winner won a prize which the sponsor shipped to them.  Another exciting thing was that as my blog grew I was invited to local events and even some conferences like BlogHer! It was fantastic to connect with other bloggers and network.  In these early years, a lot of what I did was trial and error.  I looked closely at what worked and didn't work and what people seemed to be most interested in from my content.

When my daughter Scarlett was born, I turned my blog into a parenting blog and shifted my focus more on the parenting side of things.  I wrote parenting articles, reviewed kid-friendly products and enjoyed connecting with other moms.  During this time I did a lot of sponsored work involving babies and children and it was nice to be able to have some side income, especially since I was a stay at home mom.  

As time went on, I did less pitching and had companies contact me.  It's a wonderful feeling to be noticed and have others reach out to you.  I was offered various opportunities that helped me grow my blog and become noticed in the blogging realm.  I worked hard on growing my social channels and building them up to be their best.

My second child Jack was born in August of 2019.  I don't have the same amount of time to dedicate to my blog like I once did, but I still try my hardest.  It's still important to me to write parenting articles and do product reviews.  I've put giveaways to the side for the time being though.  

I feel very fortunate and grateful that I've had my own business and been my own boss for 11 years.  I've loved every minute of it and everyday is truly an adventure! Who else can say they wake up everyday and are enthusiastic about what they do? 

Check out this blogger to read her story, as well as seeing other blogger's financial resolutions for the new year. 

*DISCLOSURE* This is a sponsored post in coordination with Intellifluence.  All thoughts are strictly my own.*