The Blogging Manifesto: Loving Your Startup is the Rule

Hello Ryan! What's your background, and what are you currently working on?

Thanks for interviewing me! I am a pro blogger who created and runs Blogging From Paradise. Former fired security guard turned island hopping, Amazon best selling, pro blogger here. I help folks retire to a life of island hopping through smart blogging. But it wasn't always that way.

3 years ago when I wanted to find my footing financially I hatched a blog and eBook named The Blogging Manifesto. That didn't exactly pan out as I had planned but I did learn a few invaluable lessons from the venture.

What was The Blogging Manifesto about?

I designed The Blogging Manifesto to complement my former primary blog. I wanted to help my readers with their blogging problems by creating both an eBook and blog to give struggling bloggers a 1-2 punch to work with.

The first steps included buying my domain and hosting, spotting a pressing blogging problem and crafting my eBook, blog and subsequent income streams (which I hadn't really thought through) based on this pressing problem.

I would publish a video post or article daily to address common blogging issues then I would link to my eBook via a strong call to action. So I dove into writing the eBook, finished it, had my web designer craft a cover and we went life quickly.

How did you grow The Blogging Manifesto?

I promoted the blog and eBook through Twitter, Facebook, G Plus, Triberr, and YouTube. At its core, this was a sound marketing strategy. I generated over 1000 page visits a day by aggressively sharing this blog in the right spots and by commenting on top blogs and linking into the blog.

I did see steady progress in the traffic department. Brand awareness slowly expanded. But I had a few fundamental problems with the blog, my eBook, the entire business model and my prime motivator for building the blog.

Which was the problem with The Blogging Manifesto? How did you realize?

The problem? Selling 4 eBooks in 4 months was a start. I understand that the good things take time but sometimes seeing business-based results coming up way short gives you a reality check.

Selling 1 eBook per month woke me up to the real problem: I had no real passion for this business. I was working the blog and promoting my eBook almost predominantly to make money. I actually created and promoted the eBook before publishing my first blog post, which was a major red flag.

What were the mistakes you made?

I made many mistakes:

• I started this blog without having a deep passion for blogging (at that time).
• I started the business mainly to make money versus mainly wanting to render helpful service to solve a pressing problem.
• I heavily attached myself to blog traffic and revenue outcomes instead of focusing on giving; I obsessed with getting, which is a business killer.
• I had no sound plan for following a posting schedule.
• I released the eBook on an unknown platform versus self-publishing on Amazon

I could go on for the next hour. But I have a thriving business to attend LOL!

What were your biggest disadvantages?

My only real disadvantage was not doing this for passionate, loving, fun purposes. Because 3 months after I launched and failed with this blog and eBook I launched Blogging From Paradise.

Since I started BFP mainly to have fun and to follow my passion I had success with the blog quickly and wrote a few best sellers on Amazon. Why? When you begin a business or startup predominantly to follow your passion and to render useful service, you knife through all the obstacles that folks with less pure intentions slam into.

I figured out how to write, self-publish and promote eBooks just 3 months after I had no clue in Hades how to do so with The Blogging Manifesto. I stuck a strict posting schedule. I networked effectively. My competition dissolved into prospering friendships. All because I was blogging mainly to have fun. Thriving businesses are rooted in this fun, playful energy, and struggling businesses are rooted in a strained, fearful, greedy energy.

If you had to start over, what would you do differently?

Create Blogging From Paradise :) And do it from a place of passion.

This is a classic example of starting over, with a clean slate, for the right reasons, intelligently, not 3 months after a failed startup.

I have been featured on Richard Branson's blog, Forbes, Entrepreneur and Fox News since I hatched Blogging From Paradise because I did a complete 180 from my Blogging Manifesto days. I picked an authentic, easy to visualize domain name. I monetized my blog from day 1 but 99% of my energies were spent solving problems for free through my blog. I guest posted and blog commented effectively.

I went on to write 126 bite-sized eBooks under the BFP brand name and became obsessed with branding, ensuring that everything on my blog bled my brand.

What's your advice for someone who is just starting?

Start a business, a blog or begin a startup almost entirely for the love or passion of following your fun. Tie that passion to solve some pressing problem. Create helpful, free content to connect with interested readers, customers, and clients. Building your friend network by generously promoting big dawgs in your niche.

Where can we go to learn more?

You can learn more at Blogging From Paradise