BLOGGING IS HARD… BUT I LOVE IT ANYWAY
It must sound so crazy to hear me say that. To so many, being a blogger/influencer seems like the perfect job. Free clothes, free trips, what a wonderful life. But don’t judge a book by its cover. Before I took my blog full time my friends, who were already full-time influencers, warned me about the constant ups and downs of being your own boss and the instability of a developing industry. I waved it off for months saying I wasn’t going to worry about it. Now I completely understand what they meant. Blogging is hard.
Don’t get me wrong, I could not imagine having any other job in the world, except for being a housewife in the future when I start a family, or being a part of a family business that I run with my future husband.
Here is the best way I can describe it… one day I’m told yes by every brand I reach out to. The next day I’m told “no, no, no” or just completely ignored like I don’t exist. One day I’ll make more money than I made in an entire month at any of my salaried jobs, and other months it will be crickets and I’ll be wondering how I am going to pay my bills if this dry streak continues.
KEEP IT POSITIVE
The most important thing about being an influencer and your own boss is to keep a positive attitude about everything. Read inspiring books like Gary Vaynerchuck’s “Crushing It” where he talks about constantly putting in the work and not giving up in order for everything to pay off. Its also extremely vital to surround yourself with inspiring people who understand your industry and can give you solid advice.
NOTHING IN LIFE IS FREE
Sure, as an influencer I love and appreciate free stuff and complementary hotel stays in exchange for coverage on my channels. But I also have to pay a photographer-hundreds of dollars every month- and take 3-5 hours out of my vacation each day to shoot those gifted items in exchange for not having to pay for them.
I’ve spent over $50,000 on my blog since starting it 6 years ago. Marketing, educational courses, photo editing software, contracted labor, camera equipment, travel expenses – these things are not free. Before I went full time, every lunch break, weekend, evening, holiday, was spent creating content, posting photos, emailing brands to grow my blog. Now it hasn’t changed. I still work every single day. No vacation goes by without some kind of content creation, email correspondence or jotting down items on my to-do list.
PAYMENT
One blogger put it quite well: “Next time someone scoffs at how much influencers charge per post, remind them that we don’t receive paid sick days, holidays, or days off. Every day is spent trying to survive as an influencer.” There’s no bonus at the end of the year. If we don’t work, we don’t get paid.
Sometimes brands send a free t-shirt and then follow up 5x asking when you are going to post. “Did you come to work for a free t-shirt today?” Or they offer lipstick in exchange for a blog post. don’t get me wrong, free lipstick is the best, but somewhere along the lines, I have to make money. I even told a brand once that told me they didn’t have a budget but could offer me a free lipstick that “as much as I love free lipstick, Visa gets upset with me when I try to pay my bills with it.” Hope that puts it into perspective.
DON’T COMPARE YOUR LIFE TO OTHERS
Just remember to not compare your real life to everyone else’s highlight reel, aka Instagram. Influencers usually only post the best moments, but you’ll rarely if ever see the true amount of work or crazy shit we do to get those shots. I woke up at 6 am every day of my Paris vacation to get the shots we did.
Every year I have brands sending me pitches for Father’s Day Gift Guides and every year it’s a painful reminder that my dad is no longer alive. So each year, instead of posting about different shit to buy your dad, I remind my readers to just spend time with their fathers because one day, you may not get the chance to. How’s that for a real-life situation?
THE HIGHLIGHTS
Does blogging have its ups and downs? Absolutely. Everyday.
No other job in the world could offer me the freedom, flexibility, and ability to be creative and put my visions into motion. No other job could allow me to take care of my grandmother multiple times a week. You know how often I actually put makeup on each week? Maybe twice either for a blogger event or a date night with my boyfriend.
It’s great to be your own boss, but it’s so hard to turn off our minds after everyone else’s work day is over. I am always, always, so hard on myself. “I could have done more today.” I should have done this, I need to do that, let me add this to my to-do list of 1000 items.” I’m currently a one-woman show. I have a small team of freelancers to help me: a consultant, SEO expert, a few photographers. My goal this year is to hire an assistant to help me complete come of the tasks on my plate. If you know of anyone, please have them email their resume to laurayazdi@outlook.com
As always, thank you for all your support and taking the time out of your day to read my blog. I will forever appreciate it.
xoxo,
Laura
Shop My Look Blogging is Hard:
ASTR THE LABEL top // RIVER ISLAND pants // SUGARFIX BY BAUBLEBAR earrings // STUART WEITZMAN heels // EXPRESS clutch // unknown Sunglasses // EXPRESS + PINK PEONIES rings (no longer available) // NAIL COLOR “FROLIC” by ORLY
All photos by Taylor Schroeder
