Who was your first mentor?

My first mentors were completely different from the people I’m following and learning from now. I actually wrote a post once listing 5 of them and how they’ve helped me shape my mindset. Here it is.

I read that you have been to a few countries, what has traveling taught you?

I always knew in theory that getting out of our comfort zone is something we should constantly be doing. The moment we feel too comfortable, it means we’re about to get stuck.

I practice leaving my comfort zone in multiple ways such as being social, trying new things, etc. But traveling is what really helps you taste life in a different way.

If you give it a chance (which means solo traveling, or just leaving your country for longer and seeing how people live, or maybe traveling full-time for a year or so), it can change the rest of your life in a positive way.

What is the one thing you wished you knew when you started blogging?

Even though my blogging journey was longer than that of others, I have no regrets. It was important for me to be forming the mindset of a full-time blogger and location independent business owner while making mistakes and learning all I could about the digital world.

However, a few things I could have done earlier include:

Investing in online courses – nothing beats learning a topic inside out from someone who’s already done it and the best way to do that online is to purchase one of their courses. I started doing that just in the last 1,5 years and it changed the game for me. I took one on affiliate marketing, then one on Pinterest (and saw immediate results), and currently I’m slowly going through a big course on becoming a six-figure blogger in which I’m taking steps to master affiliate marketing, creating strategic content and having a sales funnel.

Giving Pinterest a chance – I only did that in the last year and it’s because I’ve been studying the business models of bloggers in my niche. I love checking out their income reports. Together with that and thanks to the many bloggers I’ve interviewed for Let’s Reach Success, I started seeing what a big traffic source Pinterest could be for me. So I gave it a chance, started publishing content there on a regular basis, took an online course on the topic, and now part of my traffic is from there.

When did you start making a living through blogging?

So, my first money online didn’t come directly from the blog – although it existed – but from freelancing. That was fine for me as I had a lot to learn about blogging, and – most importantly – to start believing I too can make money this way.

Eventually, I used my blog indirectly to earn an income which was by showing it to potential freelance clients. They liked it so they wanted me to write similar content for them too.

2 years after starting the blog, I began earning from sponsored posts. I joined marketplaces but people also started reaching out to me. And while I was undercharging as I didn’t know any better, it was the first income from my blog. 

I was also selling my eBooks at that point and made some money through ads. As I come from Bulgaria and was living there up until 2,5 years ago, I didn’t need much money to be able to make a living from my online endeavors. That’s because it’s a cheap country and I could live with my parents so the rest was easy.

However, the more monetization methods I tested, the more my income increased. I could save some money, be braver when creating my vision for the future, invest back in my business, be a confident solopreneur paying my own taxes, etc.

Which brings me to the next life event which would have been impossible without my blog…

When did blogging start changing your life and how did it feel once it did?

Blogging changed my life in a positive way since the moment I started it because I had my own project to work on. I was playing with the design and topics, the brand and the services/products I offered. But the physical transformation began happening 2,5 years ago when I had enough money saved and left my home country to move to my ideal destination – the Netherlands.

As it’s still in the EU, I could simply move and test the lifestyle. So I spent a few months there and it worked well. I was happier than ever and even though I saw some big bills for the first time in my life as the country has a higher standard of living, I was okay with it. In fact, it helped me become more financially responsible, build discipline, and double my income.

I also traveled to Thailand for 5 weeks and lived pretty well there. When I came back, I settled down in the Netherlands, registered as a citizen of Amsterdam, and loved doing my work every day even more as now my motivation was to sustain that new lifestyle.

In 2018, I had my best year ever earning nearly $50K blogging, as shared in my annual income report. I also moved the online business to the Netherlands at the beginning of 2018 and am paying taxes here now. That allowed me to have more confidence and take action to find my own place (still renting, but my own studio in a good neighborhood which can be pretty hard to get in this city).

I did that 2 months ago and am now writing this from my home office that I love so much. It’s a new building with young professionals living in it and a co-working space downstairs so it’s basically made for people like me. That makes it impossible not to feel grateful every morning when I wake up and get to work for all the wonderful things that have come my way thanks to blogging.

Who inspires you and why?

Other bloggers doing the same but who are further in this journey. I’m lucky to have the chance to actually interview them for Let’s Reach Success now and each time I publish another such interview, I can feel the momentum. There’s so much to learn from every blogger as even though they might be using the same tools and have the same business model in mind, the little things they did along the way made the big difference for them.

That includes Alex and Lauren who started from nothing but are now earning $100K/month from their blogs and traveling the world.

More and more moms are achieving amazing things online thanks to blogging too. Such as Caroline who built a $100K parenting blog thanks to combing Pinterest and affiliate marketing, Elna Cain who has a freelance writing business and a blogging business and is raising her twins at the same time, and Suzi from StartaMomBlog who managed to retire her husband at 30 thanks to the income from her blog.

If that’s not inspiring, I don’t know what is.

What mistakes did you make the first time around and if you had a chance to change it, would you?

Like many others, I waited until I found the courage to go from a WordPress.com site to a self-hosted one. The technical aspect scared me a bit but it was completely fine at the end.

I also didn’t dare e to raise my prices for sponsored posts and freelance writing thinking that no one would work with me then. It’s a common thing in the digital world. However, once I did it, it helped me double my income in 6 months and reach $5,000/month.

What is the impact you hope to create with your blog?

I want to help people believe it’s possible to make money online and encourage them to start a blog as soon as possible. Self-doubt is often the biggest barrier. So many people look at where the highest- paid bloggers are and think they’ll never get there. But they don’t need to. Earning $1000/month from a new blog is absolutely possible, they just need to find the right way, niche, and their audience. And that extra $1000 can be life-changing.

Thank you Lidiya, for agreeing to do this interview, do you have any free resources to give my audience?

Thank you too for having me! Yes, here are my 3 free courses.

How to Make Your First Money Online Freelancing

The Passive Income Boss

Launch Your Profitable Blog Today

Can you tell us what is a quote/saying that always keeps you going even when life gets harder

I like to remind myself that ‘it’s all a learning experience’. Having the mindset of a learner allows you to never let failure or other people bring you down and to look at new goals and challenges as a way to learn something new.

Also, in terms of personal relationships, believing in yourself or dealing with what life throw’s at you, I like to remind myself of a simple principle – that the only thing I can control in most cases is my reaction to what’s happening. And I’ve saved myself a lot of trouble and have improved my relationships with people thanks to being calm in the face of hardships, accepting things the way they are, and waiting for better times to come.

How can my readers reach you?

Feel free to check out Let’s Reach Success. If you’re on Pinterest, you can follow me here. And to contact me, email is the best way.

One more thing, Lidiya, I read about your awesome premium course “Financial Freedom Through

Blogging,” what does your course offer and what sets you apart from other blogging courses?

Financial Freedom Through Blogging is the biggest and most important digital product I’ve ever created. I’ve included all the things (only important ones that an aspiring blogger or one that’s been blogging for some time needs) that I’ve learned over the last 5 years which have allowed me to turn Let’s Reach Success into a money-making machine reaching over a million people every year.

What sets it apart from other blogging courses is that it shares my unique experience and that’s it huge (over 80 lectures!).

It covers all you need to know about starting, growing and monetizing a blog. Plus, how to actually enjoy that income once you have it (which is what I’m doing right now).

I only allowed myself to create such a product after I was a full-time blogger living in a new country and making real money online. To offer something like that before that point would be simply unfair to people. They want to learn from someone who’s already done what they are after, that’s why I share all my numbers (blog stats, monthly earnings, and expenses, etc.) in my detailed income reports.

The fun thing about Financial Freedom Through Blogging is that I’m promoting it by simply sharing my story. If others want similar results, they can check out the course. And any time I see more results with my blog, I make sure to update the course with even more practical steps and tips. You can find it here.

                                                                                                            Keep Pushing

                                                                                         Vanessa Gowora