Free and Fearless Lidiya Kesarovska

Today I want to share with you some changes that are coming to the membership and community for bloggers that I run.







You can get all the details here.







I created it for the blogger looking for more support in their business, the latest strategies, a look behind the scenes of my blogging business, the motivation to keep growing their blog and the community to find like-minded people, to feel validated and understood and be able to ask me any questions and share any ups and downs in their business.







1. New Name







The first big change is the name. You may know the membership as Blogger Playground but we are now called Fearless Bloggers. 







Rebranding and name changes are quite common for digital products and it’s usually when the creator knows it’s time for the next level of that offer.







I believe that each offer, business idea and project in general is like a living being. It has a soul, it can transform, it can die, it can grow and touch the lives of many people and it can make the world a better place. 







It’s something that was meant to be created and the person creating it is just the one through which this is being manifested. So I never take full credit for my offers. There is always a bigger universal plan. I just follow the intuitive nudges and I put in the work.







What I was guided towards is the next version of the membership and the changes include a new name, a new curriculum that will bring more structure as every learning environment can benefit from that, and a new pricing plan. 







So a bit more about the name. Blogger Playground was something I came up with rather quickly last year. But it’s because I had so much to do to get things started and create content regularly as well as decide how to best structure the membership, to launch it, get people in and actually engage with them and get their feedback.







The idea behind that first name was that we can treat blogging like a game. Everyone was welcome on the playground when we were kids and there were no strict rules. It was the opposite of being at home or in school.







We could scream, get dirty, fall and get back up, go talk to anyone and start playing together. It was the place we could be at daily and where we lose track of time. So we can take that playful and fun energy to our business and day-to-day blogging activities. 







That’s still a nice idea, of course, but also Blogger Playground is a mouthful and it didn’t really fit my idea for the community 100%.







In terms of branding, it wasn’t really consistent with the rest of the things I’ve created. Now the new name is Fearless Bloggers because it takes courage to do what we do and we’re in the membership to keep doing the work. 







Also, fearless is one of the keywords in my life.







It’s part of the name of my podcast as well as one of my courses – Fearless Content – and it describes the mindset it takes to be in business. 

Today I want to share with you the real reasons why I started a business, and how they motivate me to keep working on it every single day.







This might hit differently.







Maybe it’s too intense for some, maybe it comes as a shock to others, or maybe it helps you in a way I can’t even predict. Maybe it gives you the permission to be who you truly are, to finally say no to factors or people or just things in your life that seemed like they are part of who you are and defined you and your reality, but they actually don’t.







You’re in charge and you’ve always been in charge. So let’s dive in. 







Defining your deeper why and using it to gain momentum.







See, I’m not your average blogger and business owner, and it’s no coincidence that I first got into personal growth and then into business.







There are always deeper reasons for why we do what we do, and I’ve chosen to live a life of self-awareness and clarity, so I like to get to the bottom of it, especially when it’s about me and my life. If you’ve been following me for a long time now, opening my newsletters, if you’ve read my About page and maybe listened to some of the podcast episodes where I share some musings, lessons, a bit about my childhood and where I come from and some of the issues I’ve been dealing with, you might have an idea of where this will go. If not, you might be surprised.







But at the same time, it’s not surprising. I always say that you need a very, very good reason for starting a big project, such as a business. It will cost you so much of your time and effort and will probably last for the rest of your life. So, things like, “I want to make money.”, or “I want freedom.”, or “I want to be my own boss.”, simply aren’t strong enough.







Many people say that and yet they don’t mean it. They don’t really have those needs or those desires in their heart, or they aren’t very specific. 







We all say we want freedom, but freedom from what? Or freedom to do what? And why? 







This exercise – defining your deeper why and using it to gain momentum – can be one of the most powerful practices.







It can also be the reason you stay in business. If the why is so strong, a day won’t go by without having it on your mind. It’s the thing that’s on your mind when you wake up and when you go to bed.







It’s what you can put above everything else. It’s what motivates you to avoid short-term pleasure and put long-term results first instead. It also often has to do with the impact you provide, with something bigger than you.







And it’s something that might be connected to pain, shame, anger, discomfort, guilt, or any other of the strongest emotions that we can use to our advantage and turn into fuel for growth. 







This is usually the case with the business owners I’m following online and learning from. I like the self-made people, the ones who struggled and knew nothing about business, but who had a vision and still do.







Also,

Today I’m going to share with you the weirdest blogging and business questions I’ve been asked over the years.







This one was on my mind for a while. I knew I wanted to cover it and it wasn’t until a few days ago when I was in the plane, during a flight, that I actually opened my laptop and wrote the outline.







I came up with the questions because I had to recall them from back in the days.







It was really fun to go down memory lane, not for the specific business questions I got, but for the fact that I feel differently about them now and I don’t get triggered at all.







The confidence you form as a business owner is a lifelong journey. It can always evolve. It can always increase, of course. But I wasn’t confident in who I was and what I was doing back then and people could easily get to me. Now, not so much.







Now I’m fine with the fact that they don’t really get what I do. They don’t really get why I do it. They can project their insecurity onto me, especially in terms of income and during economic uncertainty.







But that’s how it usually goes. I work on my mindset. I heal my issues.







But most people don’t, unfortunately. Then you can easily see the discomfort they have when I openly share something about my life or business. Now things are good again, financially speaking and in every other way in my life.







But last year and the year before that, not so much. And what did I do? I dove into personal growth more than ever. I became even more grateful than ever.







I didn’t even consider quitting business, not for a second. In fact, I devoted myself to it more than ever. I took full responsibility for what was happening.







I don’t want to blame the economy. I shifted my focus because at some point I was too focused on some shiny objects, on creating courses and wanting to be a full-time course creator. Now I’m back to blogging, which is sort of my zone of genius.







During those times of uncertainty, people were uncomfortable with me sharing how things are going. So I couldn’t really be honest with everyone. They couldn’t handle it.







But I kept my vision alive. I knew what I was doing, why I was doing it. I just didn’t know when things could get better.







But here we are now and I believe they can only get better. So without further ado, let me get into the questions.







The Weirdest Business Questions I’ve Been Asked







Some are weird, others are annoying, and some are just entertaining. Maybe you’ll get asked the same or have heard it already, but I just can’t forget them. That’s why I want to share them with you.







1. “How do you know you’re not writing an article for a terrorist?”







Number one in the list of the weirdest business questions has remained the same for over 10 years now. And it’s ever since I was writing freelance articles for clients.







I was still back in my home country, in university, and keeping in touch with friends from high school. People were curious about what I do and they didn’t really get it when I tried expl...

Show Notes:









* The content management system I’ve been using from day one;







* Should you pick a niche you’re passionate about?;







* How the topics I cover have changed over the years;







* My experience with having guest contributors;







* My most profitable blog income stream;







* Why focus on impact over money;







* How to be your biggest critic as a blogger;







* Why you can’t overlook SEO;







* What to do instead of obsessing over blog design;







* Can you rely on just one blog income stream?;







* One thing I’m doing that’s slowing my blog growth;







* Why I don’t want to be a full-time course creator anymore;







* How’s affiliate marketing going for me;







* Is social media necessary for a blogging business;







* Why you should never leave your blog behind for a few weeks;







* Your business needs structure;







* What to focus on to grow your blog.









Last month marked my 11th year of blogging. I’m not self-employed since then, it all started as a hobby and I took my time figuring things out, because I knew nothing about online business when I started. But officially, I did start a blog in April 2013.







Even in March, actually. That’s when I set up the site, but I see that the first published articles are from April. The point is, I haven’t stopped writing and blogging and creating written content online ever since. And I believe that’s the single most important reason why I managed to turn it into a business.







Even though there have been ups and downs – financially, emotionally, creatively, and in every other possible way – that little business of mine makes me so happy, even more today than it did before. It allowed me to relocate to my favorite country, travel to different countries, work whenever I want, take breaks – big or small – whenever I want, impact people online, survive the pandemic, earn passive income, and so much more. So, this article is a tribute to that, to the consistency.







I hope it inspires you to keep working on whatever it is you’re creating online, or get that blog started, or focus more on growing it strategically if you’ve left it behind and creating written content. 







Too many people give up before they see results, or they switch direction without allowing their blog to unleash its full earning potential. 







Here’s what I want to cover today. I’ll share a few things that have worked well for me over the years, a few that haven’t, some lessons I learned, and things you can focus on now to grow your blog. Let’s dive in. 















What worked well in those 11 years of blogging







The first thing that comes to mind is that I picked the right content management system.







That’s WordPress, that’s what you’re using to actually distribute the content on your website, to create it, publish it. And there are many platforms,

Today we’re talking about Blogger Outreach 101 and I’ll show you how I interview the top bloggers and business owners online.







I wanted to create this guide because I’ve had the privilege to interview some of the most successful people online from different industries and share their stories on my blog.







Actually, I just checked and I’ve interviewed over 100 people over the years. This year, I’m focusing on that even more because I just love it and there are benefits to everyone involved. That’s not just free and quality content for me, but it also means we form a relationship and I can reach out to them again if I want to in the future.







Also, their name appears on my website and if they’re known in the industry, that’s a keyword phrase on its own. So I actually optimize the interview for their name sometimes or for their blog name or another keyword. But in any case, my platform can be found online thanks to that and other people learn about my blog and can reach out to me and we can just collaborate in any other form.







Many of the interviews I’ve done appear on the first positions in Google for the names of the people I’ve featured and often people have reached out to me saying that they saw I’ve interviewed this person and they just offer something else.







The types of bloggers I like to interview







An interview with a blogger is also one of the most inspirational and empowering things I can share with my audience because it shows them it’s possible for them too. It’s possible to achieve what that person has achieved.







These interviews show you what’s happening behind the scenes of a blogging business, whether it’s a small or a big one, and these are people who started from nothing.







Honestly, these are the only types of people that I like to learn from and who inspire me the most. They’re now self-employed or even self-made millionaires and yet they’re super down to earth.







They can immediately respond to an email I send them and say yes to being featured on my blog. They would actually write a two thousand word article which is all about how they got started in business, the challenges they went through, how much they earn now, how they increase their blog traffic and anything else you ask them.







But how do you find these people? How do you reach out to them? What do you do if you don’t hear from them or if you get rejected? That’s what I’ll be covering in today.















Blogger Outreach 101







This topic was actually requested by a member of Fearless Bloggers, the community and membership I run where I share strategic content so you can grow your blog traffic and income sooner. But I decided to share this on the blog and podcast as it’s such an interesting topic and I’ve never covered it before.







Hopefully, this guide will give you permission to start interviewing successful bloggers or business owners because it takes some courage t...

Learn how I made $500 from 1 sponsored post on a blog that gets only 4K monthly page views, and what my next steps are for growing its income:







The sponsored blogging industry is very interesting.







Most of the question members of Fearless Bloggers, our community and membership for bloggers, ask are about this as there is little to no information about it out there and yet so many bloggers are earning from this.







Also, as you might know, it’s always been my main income stream, I have a lot to say on the topic, I have a very detailed and strategic course that teaches you how to make money from sponsored content on your blog called the Blog Sponsorship Boss and I can pretty much answer any question you have about this. But today, I want to share something new that happened to me in terms of sponsorships, which is also a big milestone. Ideally, it can give you hope that you too can monetize this way regardless of how small or new your blog is.







About my other blog







I run a second site, other than Let’s Reach Success, and inside the membership, I share all about it (in the monthly income reports, but also anytime this comes up). I won’t get into it now, but in a nutshell, that site currently has 71 blog posts, almost all of them are AI-generated and highly optimized, and in the last 3 months, the traffic has been growing steadily.







I still haven’t reached 5k page views a month though, but I’m getting there.







I treat this blog as an experiment, and only in the last months did I start publishing content there consistently. The traffic growth is a result of that, as well as how well the topics I choose are doing on Pinterest. There’s a separate business account I created for that blog, and it’s doing very, very well.







The traffic is already coming from two different places, search engines and Pinterest. This is what I call the ideal blog traffic formula, as it’s one short-term traffic source, Pinterest, which can help you get visitors to a brand new blog, and one long-term one, Google, which is all about quality and optimized content that you can rank well and then update over time to rank even better.













My goals for it







One of the many business goals I have for this year, which I also share openly with members of Fearless Bloggers, as well as my progress or lack of it month after month, is to get that second blog to 10k page views, so I can apply for one ad network I have in mind.







Ultimately, the goal is to turn it into a source of passive income and earn monthly revenue from it. But first, I also want to see its very first earnings. Those came just a few days ago, when I saw an unexpected payment from another ad network.







I’ve tested it for a few months, but I didn’t like the user experience, so I actually removed it. Turns out, I was earning a bit since then, and as the traffic grew, that was more. Not to mention that a href="https://letsreachsuccess.