Good morning and welcome back to our Wise Words Wednesday feature where we invite bloggers to take part and share their blogging journey with you.
Today we have Angela taking to the hot seat and sharing her thoughts. Her blog is packed full of great posts on family life, money and reviews. Plus lots of other great features.
Time to hand the blog over to Angela to share more.
Tell us a little bit about you & your blog:
I’m Angela and I blog at Adventures In Websterland. I’m a wife and a mum to 4 wonderful kids. I left my career in retail when I had my now 6 year old to become a work-at-home mum instead. Becoming self-employed was one of the most challenging but rewarding decisions I’ve ever made.
I enjoy spending time with my family, having adventures and discovering new places together. I also really enjoy finding new ways to make and save money, I’m a frugal girl at heart and enjoy sharing this aspect of my life with my readers.
What inspired you to start blogging?
Reading blogs inspired me to start blogging. I first stumbled across blogs in 2009 and was hooked, it was like reading snippets from peoples diaries and getting a glimpse into their lives. That makes me sound really nosy but reading about other people’s lives made me feel a little less alone. I found inspiration in them and eventually decided to set up my own in 2013.
I initially just wanted a place to share the things I was doing to save and make money but I’ve changed direction over the years and now include family life, reviews and giveaways as well.
What has been your highlight of blogging?
My highlight has to be the growth in confidence I’ve experienced since becoming a blogger. I’ve pushed myself way out of my introverted comfort zone and although it’s been a challenge I’ve enjoyed it.
Is there anything you have learnt about blogging which you wish you knew when you started out?
The biggest thing I’ve learnt is that your audience won’t find you, you need to go and find your audience. I never used to schedule or promote very much at all and I think that was a big mistake. I’ve learned that you need to get yourself and your blog visable, especially if you want to earn an income from blogging.
Bloggers sometimes get a lot of stick however many work really hard and are reaping the rewards, what has been the most rewarding part of blogging for you?
The most rewarding part for me is making real connections with people, whether is be with fellow bloggers or readers of my blog.
Of course it’s rewarding to be able to bring in a little additional income too.
What would be your 1 tip you would give all new bloggers starting out?
My biggest tip would be if you intend to make a career from blogging you need to go self hosted and buy your domain as early as possible.
Who do you find inspiring to read/watch in the blogging world?
This is a tough one to answer as I find so many fellow bloggers inspirational.
I really like the honest and raw way that Hayley from Sparkles & Stretchmarks writes. A lot of what she writes about, especially to do with mental heath really resonates with me.
Another favourite is Donna from What The Redhead Said. Not only has she made a successful career from blogging she has remained one of the nicest people in the blogoshere, she’s always willing to give advice and is super friendly in real life too.
I have to also mention Katy from Katy Kicker , her blog is packed with helpful tips on how to make and save money. I have learned so much from her, she’s the queen of making money from home.
Lastly – do you have any big plans/dreams for your blog in the next 12 months?
I plan to keep on trying to grow my blog, I hope to increase my traffic and grow my social media channels too. I would love to be able to make a part-time income from my blog by this time next year.
If you would like to connect you can usually find me tweeting away @FrugalMrsW or posting pretty pictures of my kids on Instagram @frugalmrsw.
A huge thank you to Angela for agreeing to take part today.
