Hey Guys!
The Gestational Diabetic hit its one year anniversary in April 2019 and I wanted to recap the year because a lot happened (in my bank account at least ?).
This may be all over the place, but it's because I was all over the place the past year.
One Idea Morphed Into Much More
I started in February 2018 with the idea of creating a cookbook for women with gestational diabetes. I was going to self-publish on Amazon and call it a day.
At the time, my first baby was a new toddler and my second baby was just 3 months old, so it was a project that was small enough to handle while being a stay at home mom (SAHM) to two small kids. But what I loved about the idea the most was that I anticipated regaining a sense of self because I felt buried in motherhood.
Well, about two months into getting better educated on GD and developing recipes, I realized I didn't have a marketing plan and I needed one for the book to be successful. I also had thought of some other ventures, all centered around GD, but I wanted to wait until the cookbook was finished to start them. When I realized those ventures would help the cookbook, I created a site and decided to blog the recipes.
I Didn't Want to be a Blogger
I resisted the title “Blogger” so much at first because I wanted to be a business that happened to have a blog. And, like many people, I thought blogging was a cake job that people just tried to see if it worked.
Well, a couple of months in, I realized that food bloggers actually have a huge workload and I gained so much respect for what we do. It's hard work and very business minded, which I love.
I had a steady schedule of publishing one recipe/blog post a week, and I kept with it for a few months until I realized that I was just going on a whim and the entire situation was too stressful. So, I let one week pass without posting anything and it was a huge relief! It also gave me the clarity to realize that I needed to build a solid foundation before decorating, so to speak.
So, about 6 months after my first blog post, I decided I would embrace the blogging world and accept the title. That meant getting educated in blogging and considering it to be a (part time) job.
TALK ABOUT A STRUGGLE!
Changing the lens through which I looked at my blog was a big step. It became a business and I was the CEO.
Being so uneducated about it, I felt like I needed to know everything right then and there, and because I didn't know everything, I couldn't move forward. Boy was that the wrong way to think. Still, I stopped posting so that I could learn.
Frugal by nature, I became a fiend for free information, but also bought multiple courses that I thought would help me make back the money I had already spent.
Speaking of which, I spent a lot! I bought a DSLR camera, other photography equipment, books, courses, site set-up software and more! In just 6 months I spent over $4,000! And guess what - I could've done without the majority of that stuff.
Truth is, I wanted to make the blog profitable right away, but I didn't know enough to make that happen. Now, over 1 year into it, I see my mistakes and what success looks like and I can strategize from an experienced/educated point of view like a good CEO should.
Successes
I learned that no two bloggers have the same journey, successes or failures. I learned this at EFC2019 (Everything Food Conference). It's currently the best conference for food bloggers and all things related. It was game changing for me in so many ways. I'll have to write a separate post on EFC alone!
I made some strides like growing a small social media following, increasing my online authority and making Google’s first page results for a few topics. But the biggest stride was a cookbook publisher finding me because of my niche and proposing a cookbook deal! Can you believe it?!
It's a cookbook and dietitian-approved meal plan!
Side note - I just checked Amazon and 3 GD cookbooks have been published since I first started this in 2018. Back then there was only 1 on Amazon. I kind of wish I published back then, but quality takes time.
I submitted the recipes they wanted and the manuscript is currently in its 2nd round of editing.
Isn't that funny that this all started with the idea of a cookbook and then a publisher contacted me? That was all God's doing! <3
It was so validating to get that initial email! I was questioning whether to continue the blog because of the money it was costing me. So to be discovered with such a small internet presence validated that I was where I needed to be. And it gave my family an idea of how relevant The Gestational Diabetic is. When I would say I have a blog, or when the money didn't roll in after two recipe posts, they thought of it more as a hobby. But business takes time to build!
Thank you so much for your support! I’m so glad that the content I provide is helpful to you and I’m so excited for you to see the book this fall, because it’s going to be a HUGE help!
Every Single Day
I’ve worked on this blog every single day since it launched. I've come to tears, twice, from overwhelm and frustration, thinking I’d never understand and be able to make things work.
It became my obsession. I'm not sure if that's because I was so happy to regain a sense of self, because I'm a workaholic, because I wanted to create these resources for moms, because I'm relentless in making things work or because of any other number of things running through my mind.
But now that the site has some key educational articles and a few recipes - not to mention it looks good thanks to a professional design - I feel like I can take things slower. I don't feel pressured to produce content every week, and I realize that every single business and blogger has help. No one can do everything on their own and when it's time, I'll scale and get help so The Gestational Diabetic can reach more mom.
Would I Do It All Again?
Yup!
Would I do it the same? Absolutely not! And that's what I'll talk about in my next post.
I’ll continue to update you on the blogging journey. For now, my focus is getting you the help/content you need to get you through this diagnosis.
Questions
Chat with me in the comments below!
Have you ever thought about blogging?
Do you want to be a stay at home mom in any way?
Did you struggle with identity after having kids?
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