What If You Fall Out Of Love With Your Brand?

Lisa Devlin

July 22, 2014

It’s A Blog Eat Blog World Out There: Best Practices for Blogging Success

Kat

July 8, 2014

Someone tweeted me last week that I should write a post titled "It's a blog eat blog world out there". It made me chuckle so that's exactly what I've done. I hope it's helpful as well as just slightly amusing though! Here are my thoughts on what makes a successful blog:

On Feeling Guilty

Kat

Devlin Photos

July 1, 2014

The rumours are true, I'm obsessed with my work. But I have a dirty little secret... I sometimes feel really guilty about just how very obsessive I am. Confession time (deep breath). On an almost daily basis I have that overwhelming feeling of guilt that I'm devoting too much time to this blog and not enough to everything - and everyone - else. As painful as it is to admit, I often feel like I'm letting everything else play second fiddle to work. That, by the way, is an awful feeling to have.

Wanna Be A Superblogger? I’ll Tell You How!

Kat

Alexa Loy

June 27, 2014

My least favourite part of school was any kind of public speaking. I'd do anything I could possibly think of to avoid it. So no one is more surprised than me that talking to a room of people full of people is now my idea of a damn good time. It makes it a whole lot easier when I'm taking about the subject I love the most though: blogging!

Taking Risks Vs Being Reckless

Kat

Diane + Mike

June 24, 2014

I speak a lot about jumping in feet first, launching and learning and making mistakes to grow your business, but the truth of the matter is you can't always lead with your heart. You have to weigh up the pros and cons of each major decision that you make so that you don't end up losing it all.

On Mistakes, Friendships and Not Going it Alone

Kat

Assassynation

June 17, 2014

Being your own boss is the most wonderful thing. Since launching Rock n Roll Bride in 2007 I've discovered a LOT about myself, the wedding industry and running a business. But if there's one lesson I learnt faster than anything else, it was that I couldn't do everything myself. For example, I could have spent hours wrestling with Photoshop to come up with a design for my site, or I could work a little harder on the things I am better at so I can pay my designer to do it for me.

The Blogcademy: Live from Vancouver!

Kat

Made U Look

June 10, 2014

This morning I hosted an hour long Q&A livestream with my Blogcademy babes from our Vancouver apartment. We recorded the whole thing, so if you want to re-watch it in your own time, or you weren't able to tune in live, you can right now!

The Seven Secrets of Making Money Online

Kat

Death to the Stock Photo

June 10, 2014

We've all seen them, those business coaches promising that they can make you rich. Swearing that for the measly sum of (insert number with way too many zeros on the end here) they can turn your business around by showing you their top secret techniques that will make your pockets bulge with excess cash. They brag about their seven figure incomes, their thousands of happy clients, their giant mansions and the exotic vacations they take at every opportunity. Don't be fooled my friends.

Positive Peer Pressure

Kat

Chris Barber

June 3, 2014

When you’re a teenager, peer pressure sucks. That constant squeeze from your peers to act the same, think the same, be the same as them. It forces you to fit in, to conform, to not be your own weird 'n wonderful self. As an impressionable, confidence-lacking 14 year old, peer pressure can define you. It can make you take up smoking (yep), start drinking (er... yep), sneak out of class and lie to your parents (yep, er... yep!) I think we can all look back on those times and realise that peer pressure was actually a form of bullying, dressed up with a more socially acceptable name. And bullying sucks. Period.

Confetti Explosions at The Blogcademy, Chicago

Kat

Soda Fountain

June 2, 2014

A little known fact about me is that I was a huge nerd at school. I think people assume that I must have been one of the rebellious ones, hanging out behind bike sheds and bunking off classes, but actually, I was super well behaved. It wasn't until I hit 15, discovered rock music and boys that didn't resemble pre-pubescent gremlins, that I became a bit more of a wild child!

Big Blogcademy News..!

Kat

Made U Look

May 26, 2014

How Do I Know What to Charge?

Kat

May 20, 2014

Hi Kat A quick query: how much do you charge for product reviews? I am a virtual vet. I also have a blog, posting every day. This is becoming a larger part of my workload, but I do it for free, which is a challenge. Part of my mix is a weekly product review, which I have done for free up till now. A PR company told me that one of the reasons that they use me is that I am free whereas people like you charge a fee. So hence my question: how much do you charge?

The Blogcademy, San Francisco

Kat

Ingrid Chang of Jerry Yoon Photographers

May 16, 2014

The night before our first Blogcademy workshop of the year I turned to Gala and squealed "I AM SO EXCITED!" It had been nearly six months since our last class in Auckland and I was dying to get cracking again.

20 Ways to Keep Your Facebook Page Active

Kat

May 13, 2014

Like most small business owners, I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook. We all might moan about whatever new development they implement next, but it is still, by far, the social media channel that brings the most traffic to my blog, and the one where the most reader engagement happens. Although the reach of your page may be decreasing due to whatever it is Facebook is up to at the moment, it is still a vital tool for any small business owner.

How to Email Like a Pro (or, How to Get a Reply from a Busy Person)

Kat

Amber Gress

May 6, 2014

Dear Kat I'm a new blogger and I'm really struggling with getting my name out there... well, it's not even that really, I'm struggling to get any kind of response from people. You see, I've emailed a bunch of people in the industry that I admire, sometimes to ask for a little advice, but mostly to just introduce myself and say hello... but no one is replying to me. I'm starting to feel invisible! It's so difficult to get a new blog or business off the ground as it is and I already feel like giving up. What am I doing wrong?

You Will Be Judged (Or You Will Be Ignored)

Kat

Made U Look

April 29, 2014

It's a short but sweet one for you today because I really just want to ask you a question. Seth Godin once said "You will be judged (or you will be ignored)."

The Best Thing to Ever Happen to Me

Kat

April 22, 2014

Last Thursday I heard the sad news that the shopping channel I used to work for went into administration. Everyone was called up that morning and told not to come into work. They all lost their jobs with immediate effect. Although from the outside looking in it wasn't a massive surprise (there'd be whisperings of it 'being near the end' for years, even before I left in 2011) I was genuinely gutted. Gutted for all my friends who now found themselves unemployed, but also really sad that the place that gave me my first 'proper' job was no more.

How to be an Artist

Kat

Mitch Meyer

April 18, 2014

When people asked you what you wanted to do when you grew up, I'd imagine that not a lot of you said "work in an office", or "stack shelves in retail..." If you were anything like me, you didn't quite know where you would end up, but you knew it was going to be anything but a boring career. Ballerina, artist, journalist and film critic were all on my list at one point or another... What about you?

Don’t Be Afraid of Being Afraid

Kat

Craig Mcdean for Interview Magazine

April 8, 2014

We all have fears. It's human nature to want to protect yourself from something you perceive to be a threat. Which is why putting yourself out there as a creative is so scary. No matter what we might say, no matter how much bravado we might have, deep down we all want to be accepted and appreciated for what we do. But being afraid is not something to worry about. It's how you react to your fears that is the most important thing.

How Do I Monetise My Non-Consumer Driven Blog?

Kat

Laura Power

April 1, 2014

Hi Kat, I'm a blogger and I have a conundrum. I hope you can help. Lately I've been finding that when I write about anything life-advice related I get a huge response, and people really enjoy the discussion topics. In comparison if I post about something more trivial, like interiors, fashion or beauty it seems a bit like filler content to me. They get a bit of a response, but nothing compared to the meatier stuff.