Why I Skipped Class to Blog Today

OKAY. Some of you might think, what are you doing? Go to class, it's important! While others might think, you skipped class to blog? WOW! You're awesome!

Honestly, I am glad you think I'm awesome, but for those who think I should have gone to class, let me break it down for you.

First of all, its Calculus. Being a computer science and finance major and economics minor, you can never seem to get away from math. But, Calculus, please keep me away from it. We are not friends.

While in class, I feel extremely lost and helpless. I wander off thinking of ways to improve my businesses and my blog. I think of everything besides limits and functions. I can do my homework after hours of frustration and pass the quizzes and tests, but I still do not understand the subject.

Regardless, this blog post is not about my Calculus class, it's about the fact that I am constantly at a crossroads for what I actually want to do because classes that I am required to take to graduate get in the way.

Someone pointed out to me that most people pursue a Bachelor's Degree in order to find a job and transition into starting a career, but that's not what I want  to do so why am I doing this?

I do not want to get a job or start a career. I'm an entrepreneur. I want to create jobs and careers for others. I want to be the business owner of xyz business and I've set out to make a difference.

Truth is, I'm scared. I'm scared to let go of learning and fully transition into full-time blogger and business owner. And how could it not be scary? The world is a scary place when you don't know what direction you're going in or where you'll end up.

My plan when enrolling at Montclair State University was that I would learn as much as I can about computer science, finance, and economics so I can start a software development company one day and eventually start a bank (my ultimate entrepreneurial endeavor) and along the way experience life as a college student, blog, run my businesses, make money and graduate feeling as if I have a good grasp as to what I'm getting myself into.

I skipped class to blog today because I need to get this out there. I need to understand why I feel this way and hope I'm not the only entrepreneur on the planet who feels this way. I skipped class because figuring out my ultimate life goal and defining a clear picture for it is far more important to me than attending my Calculus class. At least - that's how I feel today.

Have you ever found yourself at a crossroads between something you are required to do and something you want to do? Have you ever just wanted to sit down and think about where you're going and how you're going to get there?

3 Ways to Increase Your Blog Following + $250 Giveaway

One of the most important things that I learned about blogging is finding a balance between sharing glimpses of your personal life and offering something of value to your audience.

I absolutely hate it when someone says that blogging should be solely about your audience and that as a blogger, you need to write for them. On the other hand, I also hate it when someone says blogging should be solely about your personal values and stories and to disregard your readers' needs and wants.

There is a balance in blogging. Successful bloggers know that the medium between blogging about your personal life and sharing awesome content that your readers enjoy and can take something away from is the best way for you to feel authentic with your blogger voice and to welcome readers to keep coming back for more.

So here is a post that showcases three ways to increase your blog following and also showcases glimpses of my own life. See what I did there? I hope you find value in reading it and actually try it out as well! You know what else is something of value? Cash. How can you get some? Enter the $250 PayPal Cash Giveaway along with some extra goodies below!

Now, let’s talk resources for bloggers to grow their blogs and get a following!

Actively Be a Part of the Blogging Community
A lot of times people think that by setting up a blog and publishing it on the Internet, people will automatically find it and become loyal readers. NOT TRUE. Being a part of the blogging community plays a big part in what type of people find your blog (whether they are stay at home moms, entrepreneurs, business owners, lifestyle bloggers, or fashion stylists) and what type of people become your blog's targeted audience.

Now, once you start finding out what niche belongs into (there is always a niche to put your blog in and if there isn't, start one!) you'll begin to discover other bloggers who discuss similar topics or have similar blog aesthetics as yours, or share the same readers as your blog. These bloggers are a part of your community! Reach out to collaborate with them, sponsor them or ask to do a sponsor swap, and most definitely notice the different topics they talk about, the social platforms they use, and see what you can do better for your blog using their examples.

Beyond that, another great way to participate in the Blogging Community is by joining Facebook groups. Facebook groups are becoming the most popular way for bloggers to communicate and collaborate. Join one (or even three), introduce yourself, comment on others' posts, share some advice on what you know about blogging, make friends, and gain followers!

Something I do to actively participate is answering any questions or concerns other bloggers have regarding registering their domain name or finding a web host for their blog. Basically, I see other bloggers who need help getting started and because I have already been through it, I simply share what I did and in turn the blogger who asked the question becomes a reader of my blog and others in the group who see I have helped this person want to read through my content to find other helpful tips! It works and it's awesome so go do it!

Some great Facebook groups that I love and am a part of are:

Being Boss | #GirlBosses | Blogging Boost | Blog + Biz BFFs | Coffee & Creatives

Host a Giveaway
America's most favorite word is FREE (It's a fact, google it)! If you offer something for FREE to your followers, they are more likely to come back to your blog often and much more likely to stay loyal followers. Giveaways are a great way to collaborate with others and share the follower wealth!

Now there are mainly two types of giveaways. One giveaway is solely hosted on your blog and could be an individual or group giveaway usually run using the RaffleCopter widget. These giveaways are great when you are working with a specific brand, collaborating with other bloggers to giveaway a BIG prize, or when your sole purpose is to gain followers on a certain platform. For example, let's say you just started using Periscope (an app I absolutely love! - read why here) and you have only 2 followers, but your blog has 200 followers. SO you host a giveaway asking people to follow you on Periscope and in turn they get entered to win a Starbucks gift card or something. This way you will increase your following on these platforms and your blog readers will love the incentive.

The other type of giveaway which is pretty popular are Instagram loop giveaways. These giveaways are run solely on Instagram and loops several bloggers and business owners together to giveaway a costly prize such as a Macbook, Apple Watch, Beauty Products, and even PayPal Cash. These giveaways are a lot of fun and your Instagram following increases a whole lot in a short amount of time.

Plus, the more Instagram exposure you have, the more exposure you gain for your blog and these Instagram followers soon become blog readers so it's a win-win. Want to take part in said Instagram loop giveaways? You can sign up to be a host through this link right here. Buy-ins are as little as $14.50 so surely check it out!

Engage with Other Bloggers 
Many bloggers have several followers popularly known as "ghost followers" that do not comment on posts, engage with them on social media, or leave a mark in some way, shape, or form that tells the blogger that someone read their posts. For that reason, a great way to increase your following is by commenting on other bloggers' posts and engaging with them on social media. The blogger you are engaging with will surely notice your comments or interactions and comment back and/or check out your blog!

SO right after posting a new blog post, go over to a few of your favorite bloggers and comment on their posts and then go through the comments, visit at least 5 new blogs, and comment on their posts. This way you are getting your blog's link out there and also engaging with fellow bloggers and in turn get traffic back to your blog!

Do you know of any ways you can increase your blog following? Go ahead and share it in the comments!

The following giveaway is hosted by: Kristen | Abby | Stephanie | Erin | Selma | Crystal | Natasha | Ashley | Erica | Susan | Misty | Charlotte | Penny | Holly | Stacey | Alexis

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Summer Highlights

This week classes for the Fall semester have been in session. In which case my summer is over. In some sense, I feel that I have never really taken a vacation this summer. Don't get me wrong, I love working on my businesses, my blog, and of course freelancing, but I never got to take a break from my day job. This is mainly because I worked as much as I possibly could and didn't make the time to take a vacation.

In reality, I wouldn't know what a "vacation" is. What do "normal", "non-workaholics" do on vacations anyway?!

Even though I didn't take a "vacation" per say, I'd like to showcase some of my favorite moments of summer 2015.



The top left photo is a quick selfie taken after I completed one of my Periscopes. I love Periscope, it's my new obsession. If you don't know what Periscope is then you must live under a rock because this new social media outlet is AWESOME. I wrote about my experience with Periscope here. You might find this useful!

The top right photo of a MacBook Pro is me just showing off the first computer I have ever bought on my own.

Now moving on to the bottom right. This photo is for that time I took a beginner calligraphy class hosted by Scarlet & Gold (check them out, their beginner calligraphy class is FREE). It went pretty well!

Bottom right is just a photo of a greek gyro. Why? Because I ate out far too many times this summer than I can count and gyros are one of favorites.



If I told you that in the top left photo, I was trying to be silly, would you believe me? This photo was taken at the Smart Girl's Group conference this year (a conference I will review VERY soon). Again, it was a lot of fun.

The top right photo is of my mini lop bunny named Fluffy! He's the cutest and fuzziest little soul ever! I adore him and now you can too! Just follow Fluffy on Instagram! I have yet to formally introduce this little guy, but he will be introduced soon.

Bottom left - is a mini ad for my blog and web design and development company which I launched this summer! It's called Little Eternities and its selling like hotcakes. Are you or someone you love in need of a new blog or website design? Click on over here. 

Bottom right - Okay, for this to make sense, you must know that I am naturally a smiley and enthusiastic person even on my worst day. Although this is not my worst day, in this photo I'm just walking over to my office with a chai tea latte in my hand.

This summer has been focused on launching Little Eternities, working, and just making sure that all my business and blog stuff is in order so when the fall semester starts (which it has), I just sit back and accept new clients and orders.

What are some highlights from your summer? What's your ideal vacation? Comment and let's talk about it!