Today is a SUPER fun chat with Jim from the Route to Retire blog! Be sure to read the text version of the takeaways below as well. <3 you blogger.
Jim was one my favorite people to meet at FinCon (and if you’ve heard me talk about FC17 before you know that’s saying something).
Aside from being the nicest of dudes, witty as heck, and willing to shave his head into a full mohawk for a costume party, he’s also a fantastic and real blogger, and overall impressive guy.
I mean, he’s retiring early to Panama.
So there’s that as well.
We also chat about…
- letting your children blog for you 😉
- Building better trust and loyalty from readers
- Balancing blogging/entrepreneurship with family (oh yeah, and work)
- Actually opting-in for the alternative lifestyle you dream of.
Oh yeah, and for you FinCon-ers…you’ll find out what the *end result* of Jim’s mohawk costume 😉 I also found myself wondering what he did to his hair once he left lol.
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Listen to my episode with Jim from Route to Retire!
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Show notes and referenced links
- Route to Retire – Jim’s blog!
- Retire by 40
- Bluehost (lol)
- Rich Dad Poor Dad – How so many folks “discover” personal finance
- The Three Year Experiment
- Jetpack
- Hoostuite
- Status Brew – Never used these guys, but looks cool!
- Yoast SEO
Key takeaways from today’s episode with Jim
1 – Sharing your blog passion with your spouse/loved ones
My wife has often said to me “it’d be interesting to talk to the wives or husbands of OTHER entrepreneurs. Or at least commiserate with them.”
Let’s be honest, us bloggerprenuers can be obsessive.
We can often spend nights and weekends obsessing over an SEO plugin, or just pounding through content.
While most loved ones would be understanding regarding our hobbies, there can be a bit of strife sometimes!
Jim nailed a good solution in our interview: communication is everything.
It’s of paramount importance that those close to you not only KNOW what you’re up to (when you’re spending so much time on something), but also understand WHY you’re doing it.
So, fill em in!
Share your hobby, and share why you’re doing it. Communicate frequently and transparently. Balance is key.
Also, it’s just a dang blog at the end of the day. Fam > blog.
2 – Alternative lifestyle *sampling*
You know that feeling when you arrive at a KILLER buffet, and every single food out there looks delish?
If you’re like me, your entire first plate is the “sampler,” a little bit of everything…just to see what I want to get during seconds (and let’s be honest, thirds).
As it is with Chinese buffets, as it is with ALL alternative/dream lifestyles.
Try before you buy.
Jim and his family took a realistic-ish vacation to Panama, before jumping in with both feet and moving there.
- Want to travel full-time? Take 2 weeks off and do non-stop travel. See if you actually enjoy it before buying a bunch of one-way tickets.
- Want to blog full-time? Do you really?
Find out for sure before you make life-altering decisions.
3 – “Focus on the content and be patient.”
Honestly this might be my favorite sentence Jim shared.
We’ve all seen the new bloggers, right?
They finally get their WordPress site set-up, then come out SWINGING
- pumping out content w/ semi-bad headlines
- commenting on other blogs every morning
- posting in Facebook groups every hour
3 months later, what happens?
Nowhere to be found. They’re gone, and it usually has to do with one thing: Expectations.
3 months. 6 months. 12. Doesn’t matter.
The single biggest reason bloggers quit, or switch focus so easily/quickly (ding ding ding me me me)…is because we have mis-aligned expectations with what we’re doing vs what we WANT to see happen.
The problem is…
Blogging is not easy. It does take time. It does require great focus.
Focus on the content and be patient.
Not getting the traffic you want? Focus on the content and be patient.
Not seeing the affiliate clicks? F on the C and be P.
Not seeing mega-huge email list growth you were promised? FOTCABP.
(get that?)
Focus on the content and be patient.
Did you enjoy this chat with them? Please let me know in the comments!
We’d love to hear from you 🙂