How long have you been running your website, Tipjunkie? 5 years in June.
What got you started? I was at book club and one of my friends had printed out a blog post and read it to us. She pointed at me and said, “Laurie, YOU need to be blogging!” I went home and started a personal blog on blogspot and then started TipJunkie one month later to feature all the crafty women I was reading about.
Do you use/do all of the tips that you post? HA! Great question. No, I don’t use all of the tips that I post. I post anywhere from 8-20 a day so it would be impossible. However, if I do a spring cleaning or a fun decorating project – the idea was absolutely inspired from something I had posted earlier. It’s a constant source of creativity that I’m so honored to have.
Where do you get most of your tips? My readers are really great at submitting tips to me. Although I do have to Google ideas if I’m looking for something specific and it’s not already in my files from a reader.
What seems to be the most popular section of your website? Decorating! So I created an entire site just to HGTV-type DIY decorating ideas.
I talk to my husband about my blogs and such and he is just kinda like, whatever... men don't always get what we enjoy. lol What does your husband think of your website? {{evil laugh}} My husband is very hands on and always has been. He dabbles in html on the side, so he’s done all of my sites until recently. Now I have a full-time programmer as I’m getting ready to roll out some really innovative things. I’m so excited about it!
My oldest is fascinated by the things I can do online, what do your children think? I call my blog, “my store” because when I started my oldest was only 8 and he didn’t understand what a blog was. So they asked cute questions all the time like “did you make any sales today?” When I started working for GameStop, I became mom of the year! That’s when they decided that what I was doing was really cool. They have seen first-hand how our family has benefitted from TipJunkie and we’re all extremely grateful. They love it! In fact, they’re constantly asking me to take a picture of them and put it on my blog. It’s hysterical.
Did your website take off soaring or did you have to build up your fan base over time? Honestly, I feel like I’ve earned every single reader over time. I started like most did in 2007 when the industry was brand new not having any expectations. Once I realized that I needed to either stop or take it to the next level, I’ve taken it very seriously, done a lot of research, and have set out to be innovative and a great resource for crafty women.
I am also a mom to three boys, what do you find is the biggest challenge in raising all boys and being outnumbered? Um…I could talk for days on this subject! It’s not being outnumbered that’s a challenge for me, it’s them not properly communicating. Since they don’t talk, I have no idea what’s going on in those little brilliant brains of theirs. I would say that as they’re hitting their tween years, that’s been the most difficult for me. I have to get my information from teachers and friends and that’s very frustrating for me. All of a sudden I feel out of the loop. HA!
I never seem to have enough hours in my days. How do you find the time to do everything you do and for your website? Systems. I’m a type A personality and so I thrive on routine and systems. I have my house clean before I work. That clears my head and lets me focus on Tip Junkie instead of stressing about the mommy-guilt of not having clean socks. I wrote a free eBook on this very subject because it’s difficult to sum it up in a quick paragraph. Here’s the link: It’s called Memories that Endure are Moments that matter: It gives tips and tricks on time saving techniques. But mainly, I don’t do it all! I don’t cool and I don’t stress about things that I’m not good at.
Finally, what is your best advice for new bloggers out there? I have a ton of advice, and I’ve blogged about it here:
Be sure to click on all the links at the bottom of that post for in-debth blogging and social media advice. I think the key to being a successful blogger is obviously great content but “be yourself!” I recently found this quote and I adore it, “"Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken."
Find what makes you YOU and then just go for it and blog 4-5 days a week. Collaborate, create a blogging alliance with other bloggers, and accept opportunities or create opportunities for you to shine!
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