Rachel Bustin

10 Essential Elements For Your First Welcome Email

Becoming a blogger has been the most wonderful experience and the best thing I could have ever done. It did start off as a hobby and my little space on the web. For Sharing my thoughts on things that I love amd my thoughts and feelings. Now it’s much more than that. It’s my job. Blogging allows me stay home with my with girls. It gives us lots of opportunities as a family to experience that we could not afford. All of this takes lots of hard work. I’m working at all hours of the day and night depending on my girls. When they sleep I work. Do you know what? I wouldn’t have it any other way.

10 Essential Elements For Your First Welcome Email

But I do need to keep pushing, keep up and keep ahead of the game. I’m the type of person who secretly strives to be the best. To do this I need to build on my audience. Create content for them, make them come back to me time and time again. How to do this is to gain their loyalty and get them to subscribe to my blog.

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#BlogOnToys – My First Blog Conference Experience

BlogOnToys earlier this month was my first blog conference although I’ve been blogging for 3 1/2 years. I wanted to go back in May but would have had a 3 week old so wasn’t able to attend. This time around baby dottie was 5 months old, so was able to come with me as a babe in arms. I actually used my Baby Bjorn carrier and it was a life saver. You can read my introduction post here to BlogOnToys

#BlogOnToys - My First Blog Conference Experience

Being an introvert and a very shy person heading outside my comfort zone to BlogOnToys was a big thing. I suppose you could say I’m socially awkward and I’ve always preferred my own company. Nevertheless I was doing this for myself and my blog. Heading to a big city like Manchester was in my thoughts weeks before. I was excited but also scared shitless! You see I’m a Cornish girl who has barely been anywhere in the UK. I’ve never ventured to London unless you count Gatwick.

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#BlogOnToys Introduce Yourself – This Is Me

I’m really excited to be able to attend #BlogOnToys on the 16th in Manchester. It’s my first blog conference and the chance to meet other like-minded people who are into their blogging as much as I am. It will be fantastic to meet everyone face to face.

Here is my entry to introduce myself. I’m quite shy so please come over and say hello. I’m bringing the baby with me so I’m sure she will be a good conversation starter!

This Is Me….

  • Share a photograph

Here is a recent photo of the two of us.

BlogOnToys Introduce Yourself - This Is Me

  • What is the best thing about blogging?

The best thing about blogging, well for me it gives the freedom of working from home with my baby and toddler in tow! We have had opportunities that we could not have afforded ourselves. The best online friends who are just as forgetful and nutty as me!

Being a part of a blog community who look out for one another. We may not have met face to face but we care for one another and always help each other. The BlogOn community helped me out back in April when I lost my dad 3 days before I had to go in for my planned c-section. It was the toughest time of my life and to receive a care package of baby essentials to my door was the most wonderful thoughtful thing that could have happened to me at a really difficult time.

I’m very excited to attend #BlogOnToys and give a little back to the community fund.

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Taxes, Blogging and being Self-Employed

In 2016 my blog was still a hobby, I hadn’t earnt a penny, but I started to get offers for sponsored posts…

What was I going to do?

I was on maternity leave and that pay is practically zilch. A few extra pounds from my blog would help to make up some shortfall. So I decided after the new tax year started to take up these offers, because I was so close to the end of the current tax year I thought waiting a couple of weeks would give me time ( a year!) to get my head around the whole tax self-employed thing!

Taxes, Blogging and being self-employed

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Happy 3rd Blogiversary – Giveaway Day 4

Hello, welcome back to the last day of my 3rd blogiversary giveaways. You can catch up with days 1, 2 and 3 here on the competitions page.

Why I’m still in love with blogging 3 years down the line:

In the blog world each day is different. You honestly never know what is going to turn up in your email box. It could be someone wanting the earth for pennies or nothing! But then it could be a fantastic opportunity, well paid and an absolute dream project to work on. These are few and far between these days and as the blogging world welcomes many new bloggers everyday they are becoming very rare. At this point you need to be the one that stands out from everyone else.

Happy 3rd Blogiversary

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Happy 3rd Blogiversary – Giveaway Day 3

Hello, welcome back to Day 3 of my 3rd blogiversary giveaways. You can catch up with days 1 and 2 here on the competitions page.

Blogging can be hard to fit in around a job and looking after your family. I spend every evening after my toddler has gone to sleep blogging away. When I’m at work I spend my lunch break answering emails, checking Twitter and Facebook for blogging opportunities as well as chatting away to my work colleagues. They know what I do so always asking me questions! I try to make the most of the time I have.

Happy 3rd Blogiversary

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