Profiting from Passions: Episode 5
hustles, Alexis paid off over $40,000 of debt and made $80,000 her senior year of college.
Tell us a little about yourself?
Hi there! I’m Alexis and I’m a full-time blogger on 2 blogs, both Fitnancials, and a new blog called Thyme To Go Vegan. I recently paid off over $40,000 in debt and paid off my student loans in full the day I graduated from side hustles.
How did you start your blogging journey?
After high school, I went through a huge lifestyle change and ended up losing a bunch of weight and gaining muscle. Because of this, a lot of friends and
family asked me to start a blog to share my journey. I never started my blog to make money, it was solely to help people, which is why I dIdn’t make money from it for a long time.
How has blogging changed your life?
Building my business with my blog has given me a total lifestyle change. I’m in charge of my own schedule, take vacations when I want or need to, and I can make as much money as I want to. I’m not capped at a certain income like I was at my teaching job. I also sign sponsorship deals that make me enough money in one deal than I made in a full year as a teacher.
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It felt really good being able to do that.
At what point did you realize you were living the life you wanted?
When I was getting emails from readers saying I’ve helped them so much to the point where they are now full-time blogging, too. Such a big deal!
I even graduated my senior year of college making over $80,000 from blogging and side hustles. It was a big deal considering I was going into a field that would start me out at the low
$30’s. I also started making enough money where I could take my mom on her dream vacation to Alaska. It felt really good being able to do that.
Is it possible for people to design their dream life?
Yes, of course. So many of us just drift by in life without being intentional with how we spend our time. I used most of the entire last year on personal development, which has been a
game changer in growing my business, confidence, and overall happiness. All of this helped me work toward living my dream life, which is different for everyone. For me, that’s
spending as much time as possible with my family and dogs and enjoying the simple things in life, like a bike ride on a sunny day during the week instead of having to go to work.
What strategies did you implement in helping you become a six-figure blogger?
As I mentioned earlier, I spent a lot of time on personal development which made a drastic change. I didn’t know this before, but my mindset was holding me back in how much
money I think I could make or what type of business I was capable of running. I did a lot of mindset work to overcome some challenges, but I also worked heavily on learning
marketing strategies. People think blogging is just writing a few blog posts and publishing, when it’s very little of that.
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Running a profitable blog is running a legit business
What is the one thing you wish you knew when you first started out?
That blogging isn’t easy! I always thought it was a lot easier than it actually is. I had no idea how much work was involved. Running a profitable blog is running a legit business. It’s
like a running a brick and mortar but online. There’s a lot that goes into it. You need to be constantly open to learning new things and implementing new strategies to grow.
What mistakes did you make in the beginning?
So many! I was heavily focused on the writing and not enough on the marketing. I was expecting people to just read my blog and relying too heavily on Pinterest. Now, I work on
diversifying my traffic and getting it from various platforms.
I even have an entire blog post dedicated to all the blogging mistakes I made.
Do you thinking blogging relies more on passion than skillset?
I think a mixture of both, with an ability to learn new things. A lot of people quit when things get hard, which is why you see a lot of bloggers start a blog and not become full-time
bloggers. Blogging isn’t easy, so passion on the topic definitely helps, especially in the beginning when most people don’t make money.
What are the skills that new bloggers need if they want to be successful?
New bloggers should be patient, consistent, open to learning new things, and they NEED to make sure they implement what they learn. So many people are passive learners,
meaning they read or listen to a podcast, but they never implement what they’ve learned. Your blog is going nowhere if you don’t implement what you learn in courses, podcasts,
etc.
If you could, what advice would you give to your younger self about anything?
I’d tell myself to never give up, even if I want to. There were so many times I wanted to give up. I wish I hadn’t spent so much time thinking about throwing the towel in. Instead, I
should’ve worked on creating better monetization and traffic strategies instead of filling my brain with the clutter of wanting to quit.
What is the one thing you implemented in your business that made a huge impact?
A simple to-do list each day has made a huge difference in my daily productivity. There are so many things to do when it comes to blogging. The night before a working day, I
create a to-do list of tasks I need to complete. I’m less all over the place and more focused on things that need to get done.
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There were so many times I wanted to give up
Do you have anything that you would like to share?
I have a huge free resource page filled with guides and printables for people who want to achieve financial freedom or start an online biz. I’ve gotten really great feedback!
How can people reach you?
You can read more from me on Fitnancials. I’m most active on Facebook and Instagram.
Keep Pushing
Vanessa Gowora
