Bonnie, what does writing the blog mean to you and why did you become an entrepreneur in the first place?
Writing my blog provides me with a creative space for personal development and expression as a mom.
It also allows me to connect with other moms, and to pass on what I’ve learned as a mom, just as other moms have shared their advice with me.
My blog is a place to share information, ideas, and reviews, connect with a community of moms, and encourage them in their daily vocations.
It’s also a way for me to earn money while working from home as a homeschool mom with five kids. I wear many hats as a blogger, but my work is never dull!
What is your business about? How did you come across your idea?
My blog is about connecting and inspiring other moms.
I’ve been inspired by other mom bloggers, whose blogs I’ve followed and benefited from.
I actually started blogging before becoming a mom, as I’ve always been a writer.
A blog was an easy way for me to write and publish my work, to find an audience, and to set deadlines for myself to ensure that I kept writing.
Since then, my blog has grown and changed with me, as I’ve learned and grown both as a writer and as a mom.
At some point, several years into writing, my blog ceased to be just a hobby and became a business, where I began to expect a return from my investment and also to act more professionally and to set clear expectations for what I wanted for my blog as a business.
Since you are also a mom… How do you balance your personal and professional life?
This is a constant back and forth. As a mom with five kids, four of whom are homeschooled and one of whom is still a toddler who needs a lot of attention, my blog comes second.
My kids come first, so that my workday starts when I have finished helping them with their schoolwork or other activities.
My work happens in the between times – when they are playing happily, when they are napping or in bed, when they are at activities that don’t require my supervision.
Usually, when I’m working, it’s with one ear open to what they are doing beside me or in the next room, so that I might stop in the middle of a paragraph or sentence to go make a sandwich or stop an argument.
There are days when parenting is smooth and I can get a lot of blog work done, and there are days when the blog gets neglected because parenting requires more of my attention.
I’ve learned to roll with it and to accept both for what it is.
Have you made any adjustments to your personal and professional life to juggle these two roles?
Yes, I am constantly adjusting. For example, there was a time when I blogged daily.
Then I realized that this was causing too much stress and I could no longer produce that much content on my own while still being the mom I wanted to do.
I adjusted my schedule and tried to pare back on the reviews and writing commitments I agreed to.
Other times, when I have an upcoming deadline for a client, I’ve turned on the TV for an hour or asked my oldest to babysit so that I can meet that deadline.
Sometimes, I’ve had to apologize to a client because a personal or family crisis has meant that I was unable to complete a review or sponsored post in a timely fashion.
Other times, the kids keep themselves occupied and I’m able to hammer out multiple posts in an afternoon and surprise clients by being ahead of time.
What is the greatest obstacle you have faced in achieving the success you desire? How do you overcome it?
Currently, my greatest obstacle is time. As a full-time mom, housework and homeschooling and other responsibilities take up a great deal of time.
I would love to be in a place where I could delegate more of those tasks so that I can put more time into my blog, but I haven’t reached that point yet.
Right now, I overcome that by multi-tasking and being creative in my time management.
A blog planner is a must, so that I can see at a glance what deadlines are coming up and what I need to work on next. Priorities are important.
What are the things that help you stay organized throughout the day and get time for everyone and everything? Is there a special time planner, or workspace design, or technique that you use?
Tell us your time management secrets!
I use an old-fashioned paper planner. It sits by computer and includes not only my calendar (with deadlines), but also my accounting details, notes to myself, blog post ideas, social media stats, and more.
Having everything related to my blog in one place makes it easy for me to find it at a glance and keep good records, which help me write well.
In my personal life, I also keep an old-fashioned calendar on the fridge where all the kids’ activities and appointments go, and I check it every morning to get an idea of what is on for the day and when I can fit in some writing time around the other tasks.
Any recommendations to Moms who dream about being entrepreneurs, but just can’t get started?
Find your tribe. No matter what business you want to jump into, you need support.
Find the women who will mentor you, advise you, cheer you on, and hold you accountable for hitting your goals and deadlines.
I’ve found women like this in Facebook blog groups, in friends with similar interests, in my MLM businesses, and in local groups that meet monthly to encourage each other.
We need each other!!! And then as you start to succeed, you can pay it forward and lift up another mom who is trying to get started too.
Have you enjoyed this interview? You can follow The Koala Mom on Instagram or check out Bonnie’s blog. See you there! 👋
