Welcome to the Blogger Spotlight Interview. This week we have Kate from The Mum Conundrum taking part.
If you would like to take part, and your blog is under six months old, or has been re-launched in the last six months, please email me randommusings29@gmail.com
1 Firstly, tell us a little bit about yourself
Well, my name’s Kate. I live in Hove, with my husband and three young children (6, 4 & 1). I’ve just turned 40 (Oh the horror!).
I run a freelance Virtual Assistant business alongside my blog.
I’m a huge geek when it comes to box sets, PS4, books and documentaries on space and history, although these days I have to save my geekery for after the children have been put to bed.
I’m a keen advocate for wine, cheese and chocolate, although not necessarily in that order.
2 What is your blog’s name and what is it about?
My blog is called The Mum Conundrum. It serves a dual purpose really. I write about my experiences of motherhood in real life, warts and all, and I also write review blogs on the best online resources for Mums on the net.
The idea is that I tie in the subject of my personal blogs with the subject I’m reviewing (eg: My personal experiences of being a Mum to school-aged children, and also reviewing the best online learning resources available for kids).
3 Why did you decide to start a blog?
It sort of germinated from the Virtual Assistant work I was doing. I have a background in marketing so I specialise in helping clients set up and manage social media for their small businesses. I offer blog writing as a service. However, I soon realised that I actually really wanted to write from my own perspective, and felt that I could offer support, advice, reassurance and humour to other Mums out there.
4 Do you have any goals for your blog?
Like all bloggers, I’d really like to get read by the people I’m writing for.
Of course I would like to be able to make some form of income from my blog in the long run, although I’m considering this prospect to be a slow burn… I’m determined to retain authenticity on my blog, and I’m not a terribly conventional Mummy Blogger (I’m a bit sweary, and not exactly Insta-ready) so my options for monetizing will be limited.
I think that, for me, keeping the blog’s identity is more important than creating a vehicle for moneymaking.
5 Tell us one random fact about you
Oooh so many random facts I could give you… I’m a fairly random person… How about this one? I’m obsessed with making and adapting stuff – I harbour a not-so-secret desire to become a carpenter and joiner. I often undertake small projects of upcycling and re-upholstering, and my dream would be to make an awesome garden room at the end of our garden, like something from George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces.
6 What is the best piece of blog related advice you have received so far?
Make friends with other Bloggers. Put yourself out there in groups and tribes. The blogging community is super-supportive, and the help, support, advice and feedback you get is amazing. And it’s lovely to be able to contribute and give back where you can too.
7 What is your favourite thing about blogging?
Free range baby! Just considering a topic and then creating a blog post around it is a very freeing experience. It’s certainly cathartic, and I love being able to write honestly and with a comic twist. When people come back to me saying that they’ve enjoyed the read, or it’s made them laugh, or they’ve found it useful, it feels extremely satisfying.
8 Is there anything you would do differently if you were starting over knowing what you know now?
I would have worried less about planning and defining the blog’s purpose and just got stuck in, started writing and gone with the flow. That’s not to say you don’t need to have a plan, or know your niche – you do need these things. However, if you try to blog in a way that doesn’t come naturally I think it will show.
My brand identity only truly began to show itself when I started writing. It was easy to work out a logo / brand / marketing identity once I knew exactly what my writing style was. I wasted loads of time trying to figure out what I should be before I’d even started.
9 Anything else you’d like to share with us?
Is it cheeky to suggest that any Mums reading this should come and join my Facebook group at this point?
I set it up when I set up my blog because I wanted to create a community for Mums to share stuff in keeping my blog’s vibe. These days I share my latest blogs, funny stuff (I’m very partial to a GIF or a meme) and other funny / interesting blogs and articles I find. I have a weekly blogger’s thread too, where Mums can read blogs shared by parent bloggers in the group. It’s lovely, come and have a look.
10 Where can we find you? (blog link and links to any social media)
My blog, my Facebook group and page, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and LinkedIn.
P.S. Thanks for having me :0)
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