Blissful Blogging: 19 reasons you should start a blog

This post is all about my experience with blogging. These are some of my best kept secrets about blogging.

Hey girl. I am back with another Blissful Blogging post and this one is so so good. Remember our last post?

Well, just incase you don't know me that well yet, I want take today to share a little bit more about me (you can also read some here) and my WHY...my story...

I'm Ashlina Kaposta. I’m a blogger turned online entrepreneur, multi-passion mom-boss, digital course creator and a spiritual business coach for women entrepreneurs! 

Here's my story: 

In the late Summer of 2008, like many people, I was laid off from my job in Real Estate Development. With no idea where to turn, an economic crisis and an expensive apartment in Beverly Hills with rent to pay. 

I also had a deep desire to build a life with purpose, to do something I was passionate about. Taking another 9-5 corporate desk job was literally the last thing on earth I wanted to do.

So, I started a blog to vent about it. To express this part of me that was looking for fulfillment, looking to find something deeper to connect to and a place to share all the things I loved about decorating and interior design that my friends weren't into. My blog was called "Secrets of Domestic Bliss" and I became OBSESSED.

I blogged every single day. I blogged about my heart, my passions, it was a way to express myself in the deepest way possible. It put me in such a happy place. The happiness and boost I needed after my lay-off came through expressing my heart with the world. 

And then one day, it happened. My blog got a comment from someone besides my mom or friends. It was an actual reader, from the UK. We instantly connected, bonded and became friends. Oh, the magic of the internet. 

As I cultivated this relationship, it turned to more and more and more. I was up till 3 am most nights learning about the internet, blogging, online strategy, branding, marketing.....and I was doing this at a time when nobody I knew understand what in the world I was doing. 

Back in 2008, when I started blogging...people thought I was crazy. But 3.5 months in I got a check in the mail from Google for $1250.
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Mind blown. Making money like that online was UNFATHOMABLE to most. But I knew I was onto something different.
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These days the amount of money that can be made online is EXPONENTIAL! Having an online presence has given me more financial security than any 9-5 could have given me.
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And most people are pouring themselves on social media to try and build a following & find themselves frustrated. HOT TIP: you don’t need a huge following to make 💸! You can go deeper & serve the following you have by growing your content online!

You have something to offer the world and deep inside you know it. 
You have the potential to teach, influence, share your story and heal/help others!

Don't forget WE RISE BY LIFTING OTHERS.

Click here to learn more about the BLOGGING course!

Start your blog now, click here!

Ladies....it’s time to START YOUR BLOG. And yes, you can grow your business/build your brand with a blog in 2020 more than ever before

6 reasons why you should start a blog :

1. People are STILL out there searching for things online. Google remains the #1 search engine and if you harness your content & SEO , your people can find you!!! And people can dig into content that you’ve created from 5 years ago ( I’m shocked by the posts from 2013 that still get traffic on my blog, everyday)

2. Social Media isn’t reliable. While social media (Instagram/Facebook) is FANTASTIC, you don’t own your content OR your user experience. You’ve got about 2 seconds of people’s time on social media , with a blog you can create your customers ideal experience on your site & begin to build a beautiful, lasting relationship.
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3. It helps to carve out your corner & create a brand. A blog can provide you a platform to house ALL of your incredible content (videos, podcasts, offerings, affiliates, services ) in a curated way so that you can CULTIVATE AN EFFECTIVE BRAND. While everyone is pouring their effort into social media, you can build a platform to garner the attention from the people who are detoxing from social media platforms.

-In 2020, Pinterest currently has 322 million monthly active users. There are over 200 billion pins saved on Pinterest, which makes an incredible space for you to get your blog/brand/product/idea discoverable in a BIG WAY! More than two billion text-based and guided searches are carried out on Pinterest every month. There is so much potential when it comes to using a blog, its a HUGE market that is being up-tapped right now.

4. You can create endless income streams. You can customize your online empire to generate multiple streams of income while you sleep...all on your web presence.

Here are 13 ways you can create an income from your blog:

• Display Advertising:

  • Google AdSense: Display contextual ads on your blog and earn revenue based on clicks and impressions.

  • Media.net: Another ad network that displays relevant ads on your blog.

• Affiliate Marketing:

  • Promote products or services through affiliate links. You earn a commission for every sale made through your referral.

  • Amazon Associates: Promote Amazon products and earn a percentage of the sales generated through your affiliate links.

• Sponsored Posts:

  • Partner with brands to create sponsored content. You'll be paid for writing about their products or services.

• Selling Digital Products:

  • Ebooks, online courses, printables, templates, and other digital products can be sold to your blog audience.

• Membership or Subscription Model:

  • Offer premium content, resources, or a community to subscribers who pay a recurring fee.

• Consulting and Services:

  • If you're an expert in a certain field, offer consulting services related to your niche.

  • Offer services such as freelance writing, design, coaching, or social media management.

• Selling Physical Products:

  • If relevant to your blog's niche, you can sell physical products related to your content.

• Sponsored Reviews:

  • Get paid to review products or services within your niche.

• Freelance Writing Opportunities:

  • Showcase your writing skills on your blog and attract paid freelance writing gigs from other publications.

• Coaching, Speaking Engagements and Workshops:

  • Use your blog as a platform to establish your expertise and secure speaking engagements or workshop opportunities.

• E-commerce and Drop-shipping:

  • Start an e-commerce store or collaborate with dropshipping suppliers to sell physical products directly from your blog.

• Sell Premium Content:

  • Offer exclusive articles, videos, or resources behind a paywall for subscribers.

• Selling Photography or Art:

  • If you're a photographer or artist, you can sell your work through your blog.

Your potential for income on your blog is truly LIMITLESS. There are an incredible amount of ways you could be monetizing the time you spend online! If you lost your job, have a passion you want to share and time to sit online, IT’S TIME TO BEGIN MAKING MONEY AT IT. And pivoting to online is essential to moving forward in 2020 and beyond.

5. A blog is a FREE marketing platform for your business. With SEO, you can generate a blog that brings eyes and potential clients your business. You can create the marketing strategy to cultivate community that will generate sales and loyal customers.

6. You can back up your business if you need to pivot. If you have an online presence, you can continually pivot & create a LASTING career for yourself no matter what crisis hits your town/neighborhood. The world is yours! Drop the follower count frustration & begin sharing your expertise in a concrete way that builds relationship with your IDEAL clients.
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The potential is endless!! I am so passionate about showing you how you can set up your blog to build an online empire.

JOIN ME IN MY BLOGGING WORKSHOP!!!!

I hope this post was helpful for you & inspired you in some way. Let me know in the comments below if you would like me to do more posts on blogging.

The Power of a Pink Chanel Wallet

This post is all about 3 life lessons I learned from purchasing a pink chanel wallet.

The past few weeks have been an absolute whirlwind for me.

I made a lot of personal life changes, moves in my career, decisions around my mindset. It has been a complete up-level of my life all the way around. And while I love sharing all of these things on my podcast, I can’t help but feel compelled to blog about them today because, I love this blog and I love blogging so so much.

Here are a few valuable life lessons I have learned in the last few months…

LIFE LESSON #1: I’VE GOTTEN BETTER AT TRUSTING MYSELF.

I’m big on following your gut, your intuition. It’s something I work on building every single day. I have a long history of doubting and second guessing my decisions and a few years ago I made a commitment to become more decisive. I always learned that the wisest and most wealthy people were excellent and making quick decisions.

However, sometimes, I find myself making the decision quickly, then second guessing it. My mind goes quickly into overdriving thinking about how I feel about the decision that I just made. And honestly, it’s the biggest waste of time.

So, a few weeks ago I decided that it was time for me to upgrade my wallet. Up until this point I had been keeping all my cards in a small card holder but my cash would float around my purse. It made me feel completely disorganized and overwhelmed.

My aunt took me to the Chanel store and encouraged me to upgrade my wallet. As I shopped for wallets I was drawn to this beautiful bubble gum pink Chanel wallet. I literally could not take my eyes off of the color. BUT, everyone was encouraging me to go for a black wallet as it is the most classic choice and will always work with whatever bag I carry.

And while that sounded very rational and wise…I didn’t want the black wallet. It did absolutely nothing for my soul. It’s a one thousand dollar wallet, I mean this isn’t like a cheap wallet I just had no soulful connection with it. That pink wallet literally sang to my soul.

While my rational brain was telling me, go with the black wallet..the smarter choice. I went with the pink one! And I, for the very first time ever, decided to trust my decision. Not second guess it, not overthink it…just trusted my initial gut feeling.

I learned so so so much about life during this process. Everyday when I pull out that wallet, I get so happy looking at it. I love the color, I feel proud of my purchase and I have that connection with my wallet and trusting my own decision. It was 100% the right move for me. And honoring yourself in that way…is quite possibly the most important up-level for you internally!

As someone who struggles with trusting my own decisions, this was a big moment for me. As you get better at trusting yourself, your relationship with yourself grows. Your ability to make decisions give you confidence, helps your career in terms of strategy. It showed me that I am ready to make the next level moves in my career because I have developed the ability to trust my instincts.

The prettiest pink rug sits in my new home office with a perfectly pink shell chair.

LIFE LESSON #2: I RELEASED THE NEED TO WORK SO HARD. I’m a Capricorn through and through. My personality loves working hard and I love to please and impress people. I get major satisfaction from being successful at something. I got my real estate license in record timing, joined one of the TOP real estate teams in my city and found myself working 40+ hours a week, busting my butt to work with the most luxurious homes in Houston.

However, as time went on and I looked around at most of the other top agents I noticed that the work/life balance didn’t really exist. The real estate industry can be very motivating and exciting. However, I lost the joy of being inside these luxurious homes because it is a hustle that never ends. It’s all work and very little time for a personal life.

The people around me were sacrificing relationships, time with children, happiness and joy. And honestly, I thought to myself, I’ve learned in my almost 40 years of life, life doesn’t have to be this way.

So, I decided to let go of the hustle, aka the need to be the best and moved onto my own. Where I can control my schedule and move forward in my career in a way that works for me. The first and most important thing I did was create a home office that motivates me to get up and do what I am most passionate about. A home office that inspires me.

So, I turned our little guest room into a pretty pink cocoon. To completely support me in being happy while I work. I am so passionate about creating a HIGH VIBE HOME to support you in the life you want to design for yourself.

And here’s a little secret, the month that I made the decision to slow down and work on my own…I made more income than I EVER have before in my business. MIND BLOWN. When you’re happy, you glow from the inside out. That energy is unstoppable and you will become MAGNETIC to success and opportunity!

LIFE LESSON #3: THERES ROOM FOR EVERYONE!

You know, I used to be the biggest Starbucks girl. Who isn’t, right? It’s a classic, go-to coffee spot and always gives me just the right cracked up dose of energy I need for my day, especially as a working mom. However, I drove by Dunkin Donuts the other day and remembered how I used to live near a DD in Manhattan and always liked their coffee too. In fact, I actually like the DD iced coffee better than I liked Starbucks. So, now my go-to is Dunkin Donuts coffee when I am on the go in the mornings.

And you know what I realized…..While Starbucks may be on every corner and pretty much have monopoly on quick morning coffee. I NEED Dunkin Donuts. I freaking love Dunkin Donuts branding. It’s pretty and pink and orange. It makes me happy when I look at all the pink everywhere while waiting for my coffee. I thoroughly enjoy my morning when I see the pink on my coffee cup.

Which is such a reminder for anyone in business…there is room for you at the table! And actually there is probably someone out there who isn’t really into whatever is already out on the market. There is someone out there who needs what YOU bring to the table. The way you do it may be JUST what other people have been waiting for.

Let this be a reminder for any of you who have been sitting on an idea or a dream. God is trying to do something through you, for someone else. Never feel like the market is too saturated because there is no one like you. If you would like to get some inspiration in becoming your own boss and launching an online business, check out my Online Boss Academy.

Hope you enjoyed this blog post. I love you!

xo, Ashlina