FROM HOBBY TO

BUSINESS

How to take your food or travel blog to the next level

@jenius @iatemywaythru @thebamboogarden

MY JOURNEY

2006

2008@jenius @iatemywaythru @thebamboogarden

2009

Movable Type(learnt to code)

First job = disposableincome for dining out!

My first taste of entrepreneurship

MY JOURNEY

@jenius @iatemywaythru @thebamboogarden

2010

2012

Say YES toopportunities

Using food as a common-ground

to connect people

2015

@jenius @iatemywaythru @thebamboogarden

2014

Office 4.0, double the sizeof our previous space!

TOPICS TO BE COVERED

Understanding your passion & purpose

Defining your goals

Getting to know your audience really well

Finding your value proposition

The business of blogging

Growing your blog

Establishing audience loyalty

My key business learnings

@jenius @iatemywaythru @thebamboogarden

THE BASICS

1. Understand your why (your purpose and passion) and what (your end goal)

2. Get to know your target audience really well

3. Find your value proposition

@jenius @iatemywaythru @thebamboogarden

@jenius @iatemywaythru @thebamboogarden

“Passion is energy.Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.”

Oprah Winfrey

UNDERSTANDING YOUR WHY

Questions to ask yourself

• What makes you come alive?

• What are your innate strengths?

• Where do you add greatest value?

• How will you measure your life?

@jenius @iatemywaythru @thebamboogarden

WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO

@jenius @iatemywaythru @thebamboogarden

UNDERSTANDING YOUR WHAT

S M A R TSPECIFIC MEASURABLE ATTAINABLE RELEVANT TIME-BOUND

Clear,concise, tangible.

What, who, when, why,

where?

Time, money, volume.

How much of how many?

Active vs Passive

income?

Goals should be

challenging but not

impossible

Goals should be consistent with other long term

goals

Create a time frame,

when to achieve the

result?

@jenius @iatemywaythru @thebamboogarden

WHAT GETS MEASURED GETS DONE

GET TO KNOW YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE REALLY WELL

• What are their motivations and curiosities?• Dig into Google Analytics and Facebook Insights

Gender, location, which social networks they share your content on the most, etc

• Monitor your best and worst posts• Talk to people

What do they like the most? Did they consider alternatives? What doubts/hesitations did they have before buying? What else would they like to buy from us?

@jenius @iatemywaythru @thebamboogarden

FIND YOUR VALUE PROPOSITION

@jenius @iatemywaythru @thebamboogarden

PASSION / LOVE

SKILL / TALENT

OPPORTUNITY / MARKET

NEED

THE BUSINESS OF BLOGGINGADVERTISING SERVICES PRODUCTS

@jenius @iatemywaythru @thebamboogarden

GROWING YOUR BLOG

• Social media community

• Email marketingScroll-triggered pop-up formWelcome emailsWeekly/Monthly newsletters

• Collaborations

• Guest bloggers

• Competitions

• Cross-promote content ‘You may be interested in’ recommendations

• Monitor and test, test, test

@jenius @iatemywaythru @thebamboogarden

ESTABLISHING AUDIENCE LOYALTY

• Segment & personalise

• Connect through story-telling

• Educate and entertain – what are they searching for, spending the most time on, keyword research, bounce rate

• Be helpful – link to relevant sources, respond to comments, provide things they didn’t know they needed

• Consistency – stay authentic, commit to posting regularly

@jenius @iatemywaythru @thebamboogarden

When you’re stuck at crossroads, always look back at why you first started

Never lose sight of your numbers, cashflow is everything

Success is more about persistence, determination, resilience and hustle than just a great idea

Constantly innovate, never get complacent To build a great team, inspire with passion and

lead with a clear vision, then let staff do their thing; reward and recognise accordingly

Overcome the fear of failure by knowing your worst case scenario

Don’t forget to have fun; celebrate small wins

@jenius @iatemywaythru @thebamboogarden

SEVEN YEARS IN BUSINESS,MY SEVEN KEY LEARNINGS

“Progress equals happiness” Tony Robbins

THANK YOU!

@jenius@_ jeniuslinkedin.com/in/jenniferlam

iatemywaythrough.com thebamboogarden.com.au