Blogger’s Success Series: Ashli of The Million Dollar Mama

Welcome to the final interview in the Blogging Success Series!  I’m so excited about this interview because I remember when Ashli first began her blog. She signed up for the Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing using my recommendation and she has even exceeded my affiliate income!

I think her story proves that you can’t take every blogger’s word for it. There are some bloggers who will tell you that you have to blog a long time to earn money because that’s their story. There are other bloggers that tell you that you shouldn’t start a blog solely for the money because they didn’t.

I say hogwash to any advice that’s going to discourage anyone from doing something they are actually passionate about. The thing is – if blogging feels good to you, you’re passionate about the topic, and you’re willing to be patient as you learn – you should absolutely start a blog.

I’m really happy when I become acquainted with bloggers like Ashli because it proves my point that no two blogger’s journeys are alike. If you’ve been considering starting your own, this is an interview you don’t want to miss!

Tell me a little bit about your blogging journey? What led you to blogging?

I started my blog in August 2016, a few months after giving birth to my first child. Prior to becoming a mom, I worked full-time.

I loved my job but the organization I worked for closed their Tennessee branch, meaning that even if I had’ve wanted to go back to work after maternity leave, I had no job.

I had enjoyed reading various blogs for years and I was particularly inspired by the online income reports that some bloggers publish.

One weekend, I decided that I’d like to start my own blog. I thought it sounded like a great, low-cost hobby, and possibly a way to earn some extra money from home.

I’ve always loved writing, so blogging seemed like the perfect fit for me.

What is the name of your site and what is it primarily about? Your mission…

The name of my blog is “The Million Dollar Mama”.

I was trying to think of a name for my blog for a few days and one night I woke up suddenly at about 3am and the name popped into my head.

I grabbed my iPhone and went online to see if the domain name was available. I was so excited to see that it was, and I quickly bought it right then, while laying in bed with the covers over my head so I wouldn’t wake my husband haha!

The tagline of my blog is “Cultivating a life of abundance” and my mission is to help mama’s live their dream life – a life that is passion-filled, purposeful and full of the things that are important to them.

I write about a variety of topics including money, healthy living, family, career, and life.

Do you currently blog full-time or part-time?

I currently blog part-time. I don’t have childcare or a nanny for my son, so I use the time when he’s napping and asleep at night to blog.

What does your typical day look like (from a side-hustle or a full-time perspective)?

A typical day for me starts with waking up at about 6am, making myself a smoothie and drinking that along with my whole foods supplement. I’ll then do some yoga, stretching, or my 7 minute workout app a couple of times. I also try to check my emails and do some blog related things.

My son wakes at 7am and then we spend the morning together eating breakfast, playing, going for a walk, etc.

He goes down for a nap from 10-12 and that’s when I’m full steam ahead with my blog.

Once he wakes up, we’ll have lunch and then we usually run errands, go the kid’s gym, go to the park, etc.

At 7pm it’s bedtime for my son. I’ll spend the next 3 or 4 hours blogging, spending time with my husband, maybe watching some TV before I go to bed.

What do you feel is any blogger’s biggest challenge?

I would say the biggest challenge I hear people talking about is how to drive traffic to your site. For a lot of bloggers, their biggest traffic source in Pinterest. For me personally, it’s through search engines. (My second biggest referrer is Pinterest.)

Editor’s Note: I need to pick Ashli’s brain about search engine traffic. My biggest referrer is Pinterest and I want to change that!

Where do you see yourself and your blog in two-years?

My passion in life is to encourage other moms in their life journey and to help them achieve their goals and to create their dream life. I want to create a resource where moms can go to find encouragement and inspiration. I am planning to create courses and/or write eBooks and guides on various topics that are close to my heart.

What is failure to you when it comes to blogging (or in other words, why do you think many who start blogging fail?)

I think that a lot of people get discouraged when they compare themselves to others. Comparison is the thief of joy. Instead of being envious of what others are doing, use that as inspiration, let it light a fire in you!

What tips would you offer to individuals interested in blogging?

Unless you’re wanting your blog to be more of an online diary just for friends and family, then definitely go self-hosted.

It might be tempting to sign up for a free blogging account like wordpress.com or blogger, but it’ll be a headache when you want to switch over to paid hosting (which you eventually will.)

If you can afford it, invest in some blogging courses. There is so much to learn when it comes to blogging and it’s a good idea to learn from people who’ve been there, done that (and slayed.)

Any other advice or comments?

If you’re on the fence about starting a blog, I would say to go for it. It’s an incredibly cheap hobby that can turn into so much more than a hobby. (I make a full-time income from my blog now!)

Don’t be afraid of what people might think – you might get people who snicker at you but who cares? You do you! It’s your life and you only get once chance at it.

Wrapping Thangs Up

See!  I adore her story and I’m truly happy for the success she is experiencing. With only a few hours to work each day, she is bringing in a full-time income from blogging in less than a year.

If you’re on the fence about starting a blog or you’re struggling with blogging, use her story as a source of inspiration.

There are a few things that successful bloggers have in common – they aren’t catty with other bloggers, they invest in their blogs with good courses like this one, and they don’t stop trying.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the blogger’s success series. It really has been fun learning from other bloggers.