Wow. What an amazingly, jam-packed weekend full of knowledge and the most fashionably dressed ladies.
I have no reference, as I did not attend last year’s conference, but it was definitely a much bigger deal. From last year’s 50 attendees, this year had a jump to 250 lovely ladies (and a few gents!).
This conference was definitely centered around taking your blog to the next level. It might be to make money, connect with brands and pr agents, or to update and make it into a business full time. It also is a perfect chance to network with other bloggers. I loved finally being able to put some face to face time to some of the ladies on Twitter and Facebook that I’ve been following. The lovely Zubie and Annette were there too, so it was great seeing them. It’s actually really heartening to know so many people and make real connections with people.
I was definitely looking forward to seeing Lena, of Listen to Lena speak, because she was going to be speaking about turning your blog into a business. She was such a great speaker. and I loved her back story. She’s like the crazy story of how to make money in blogging. The epitome of crazy luck and hard work, and being in the right place at the right time. But she was extremely inspiring.
Between the crazy amount of knowledge that I soaked up from all the amazing speakers, as well as just discussing shop with other ladies in the biz, it was truly worth it. Even with the slight venue glitch 😉
Some of my favourite thoughts of the weekend were:
+ Write and work by design! Create a strategy and a goal, and work backwards. This will help you visualize your goals.
+ Be confident in your writing. NO EXCUSES or justification when handing something in. Be proud of what you are putting to the paper.
+ Don’t put anything negative out there. You never know who you’ll want to or get to work with. It might burn those bridges before they’re even built.
+ Don’t let your ego become bigger than your worth!
+ Don’t give up
+ Always remember why you started blogging, and stay true to yourself.
I think that last one is especially important, and was definitely the major take home point. Authenticity is key, and anything not will be immediately noticeable to your readers. It’s also probably the hardest one to do, especially when you start opening yourself up to working with brands that all want something from you. Seems so easy right?
I did enjoy being able to meet brands, although I am still unsure of whether I’m ready. But then I think – the worst they can say is no right? There is no gain without risk, which is something that Andrew said to me the other day. I am slowly learning that.
