What I love about being an Entrepreneur

I love my job because...

It feels like it should be a simple statement, an easy fill-in-the-blank. When I think of why I love my job, I have to think of everything that has led me here, and the direction I am hoping to go.

But first off, let me tell you what I do.

I'm an Entrepreneur.

I am first and foremost, a blogger.

I absolutely LOVE being a blogger because it feeds my spirit, and lets me share my passions with others. It allows me to work from home (I'm a stay-at-home-mama) and take care of my son. It also allows me to create a business as large or small as I want, and control my income.

But most of the time when people hear that I'm a blogger, they immediately assume I just have a neat hobby.

One of the most common things people say after I tell them what my job is would have to be, "Cool. So how do you make money doing that?"

"Let me tell you!

I get paid through ads, sponsored opportunities, and affiliate products. Sometimes commissions as well. These are all ways my blog makes money. I also write for Vocal, and do challenges for fun and to build up my portfolio as an Entrepreneur."

"Huh. That's neat."

Sometimes they listen, and sometimes I can visually see them losing interest, or maybe thinking I am trying to make blogging more than it is.

Let me start by telling you how this all started in the first place.

How it started

It all started with a Natural Endeavor.

This was the first layout for my first blog, and while my site looks a LOT better now, I was really proud of this.

The decision to start a blog in the first place came from working a miserable desk job from 3 pm to midnight 5 days a week.

I had read a lot about how people were changing their lives with their blogs and quitting their day jobs.

That same year, I took the leap and bought my domain name, hosting, and my first blogging course.

I built my brand by writing articles for women's natural health, writing about products I liked, and nutrition tips I had learned from my more fun jobs working in supplement departments.

There was of course a big learning curve when it came to making a Natural Endeavor a successful blog, and it took a lot of tears, sweat, and years.

How it's going

It's crazy to think that in 3 years, I have managed to make my blog a legitimate job.

These days, my work on a Natural Endeavor is a lot smoother.

I have a daily schedule for myself. Some days I write, other days are spent making Pins for Pinterest and scheduling them out.

Sponsored posts have been a big game-changer this last year, and have helped my blog grow more and more.

I have had the amazing opportunity to work with LifeSeasons, which is now my favorite supplement company, and other brands that have helped to support my blog through affiliate work and sponsored posts.

Now that a Natural Endeavor is doing so well, I only publish one blog post a month (typically). I don't need to post every week now because I have static traffic that I can rely on.

I now focus on commissions, sponsored posts, and affiliate work for supplement companies like LifeSeasons, Four Sigmatic, and Whole Health.

Because of this success, I decided to start a second blog.

I love drawing and wanted to teach others how to get better at drawing through easy-to-follow lessons.

Drawing in College was one of my favorite experiences, and I miss it often.

The classes I took helped shape the way I do art and gave me a whole new filter through which to see my own art.

Anatomy of a Sketch is all about teaching proportion and human form.

This art blog is super niche, and by that I mean I am focusing solely on one topic, and that is drawing people. I'm not going to teach how to draw animals, backgrounds, or scenery.

I will however be teaching how to draw bodies, facial features, hair, and movement.

My blog Anatomy of a Sketch has free art tutorials, and one day, hopefully, paid courses as well. This is a blog I am just now starting, but I have big dreams and big plans for it.

Where I want it to go

My motivation for my blogs is financial freedom. And after that, making a bigger difference in my community.

With blogging, the harder you work, and the more diligent effort you put into your business, the more money you can make. There are bloggers that make over $50k per month, like Create and Go. And while being a big blogger like them is not exactly my goal, I want to be able to pay off our home with money from my blogs.

Living in Kansas City, there is also a lot of work I would love to see in my own community. It's no secret that there are a lot of homeless in KC, or that crime rates in the city are not exactly spectacular.

Being financially free, without a house payment would mean having the extra money to support my city in more impactful ways, and donate money to help build a healthier community.

Bloggers Make a Difference

One of the most amazing things about being a blogger is the impact we can make. Not only in our own lives through financial security but in the lives of others through activism and charity.

Every year since I started a Natural Endeavor, I've done a winter/holiday fundraiser for Vitamin Angels.

Just before the holiday season that I started my blog (in 2018), I decided I wanted to make a physical product to sell. I had always loved candles and essential oils and knew that most candles are made with toxins that actually harmful to breathe in.

So, I started making my own candles.

These candles are made with Beeswax instead of Paraffin wax and are scented with natural oils or essential oils. Those ingredients ensure the quality of the candles, and that they are healthy and safe to breathe in.

For the month of December, I always do a holiday fundraiser. $1 from every candle goes to a charity, usually Vitamin Angels, to help support mothers and children in need of vitamins and nutrients.

Being a blogger means I get to donate to charities that are important to me, and make a bigger impact in my own community as well.

Healing the World One Blog at a Time

Bloggers like Melyssa Griffin and Rachel Ngom are making a difference in their communities and around the world through teaching financial freedom to others, as well as through activism, and charitable donations as well.

One of the things Melyssa has gotten to do because of her business is helping raise over $100k to help build schools in Ghana. This is all possible because of her massive following on her blog.

Rachel Ngom teaches entrepreneurs how to free themselves through growing their own blogs. Her blog is called She's Making an Impact, and it is full of resources for entrepreneurs trying to make their own impact on the world.

Not only that, but she is making a difference in the lives of children in West Africa and Kenya through selling products on her site. With every product purchased from her site, you help her and her business to sponsor children in Senegal through Compassion International and World Vision.

These women are two of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, that are changing the world around them through entrepreneurship. Getting to be a part of a community of women, and men, that choose their own goals and dreams, and make them a reality is such an honor.

Seeing others bloggers make a difference in the world around us inspires me that through blogging, I will be able to do the same and help others in my own unique way. Whether that is in my own community, or helping through charity overseas.

So really, I love my job because I made it myself. And because of that, I get to choose how big my impact is on this world.

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If you'd like to learn more about my health blog, click the link to go to a Natural Endeavor.

If you are interested in my free art tutorials, click the link to go to Anatomy of a Sketch.

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If you liked this article, and want to know more about my blogging journey read this next:

Thank you so much for reading! If you liked this article, be sure to click the heart button. If you really liked this article, tips are greatly appreciated! You can find more articles from me here on my Vocal profile.

-Leah H.