This is an interview with Suzi Whitford from StartaMomBlog.

Hey, Suzi. Tell us a bit about yourself and your background.

I’m a stay at home / work at home mom with three beautiful little kids, five years old and under.

I started blogging in 2015 as an outlet for my creative energy. I was a teaching assistant for a coding class in college, so it came easy to me.

Within a few months, I grew Start a Mom Blog to a successful blog and started helping my friends do the same. I now run StartaMomBlog.com with over 40,000 students.

What was your first attempt at making money online and how did it go?

My first attempt at making money online was trading stocks.

I would make speculative guesses the night before an earnings report came out. And I was wrong about 85% of the time, so I gave up on that quickly.

When did you start your first blog and why?

I wanted to share my success story of how I finally got my baby to sleep through the night. It took me 8 months to conquer that task, and I wanted to share my little advice with other moms.

What helped you find your blogging niche and voice?

I found my blogging niche by diving in head first.

Things weren’t perfect on my site. I didn’t have the best graphics. I’m a terrible writer. But I got better by taking action and testing new strategies.

What strategies did you use to grow your email list?

I’ve always loved creating helpful printables to grow my email list.

My subscribers are my dear friends, or so I like to see them. They determine the direction and content of my blog – so they’re pretty darn important.

How do you bring traffic to StartaMomBlog?

Mostly through Pinterest, Facebook and SEO.

Read also: Interview with Pinterest Expert and Mom Blogger McKinzie Bean

What tools and strategies help you get attention on Pinterest?

I use Tailwind to help me pin since I have 40,000 students in my courses to support. And I follow uncommon advice of not staying on brand with my pins and I’m always testing new images and fonts.

How did you decide to build your first product and how did it go?

My readers asked for it. So it was easy to build and sell. I started with an ebook, and a few months later created a companion course.

What’s your favorite way to make money blogging and why?

My favorite way to make money blogging is creating my own products.

I have full control of the content and sales strategy. And I can delight my readers by offering them more than they asked for.

How has the Blog By Number course changed your business and brand?

I love Blog by Number. It’s my signature course and my baby.

I keep it updated and add my best tips to it. I want my students to succeed without breaking the bank. I never knew it would become so popular.

What do you do when you launch a product, and how do you continue promoting it after it’s live?

I do lots of Facebook Lives and email promotions. And after the launch week, I mention it from time to time in my weekly broadcast, but nothing too pushy after the launch week.

At the end of 2018, you retired your husband. Tell us a bit more about that.

Oh golly, it’s a dream come true!

John and I work very hard on StartaMomBlog and we don’t sit on the beach each day with our feet in the sand. We’re running after our three little kids, helping each other build successful blogs and working until late at night.

But we’re doing it together, on our time and schedule. We can have lunch together each day and take the kids to the park.

It’s such a huge blessing to have John home and working alongside me. He used to spend 12 hours a day at his corporate job, so it’s a treat having him home. And the kids adore it too!

How do you balance work and family as a stay at home mom?

It’s always a balance. Some days I’m at inbox zero, other days I’m eating a bag of Oreos and drowning in messages.

I try to help my audience at StartaMomBlog through Facebook Lives and monthly coaching calls, so I can make a bigger impact on less time.

I also workout almost daily to keep my stress levels low. But I’m not the cleanest eater, I survive on coffee.

There are easy days and hard days. Just know that nobody has it all together all of the time.

What are your best tips for other mommies who want to make money from home?

Start slow. Find something you love and don’t give up.

You can blog, start an etsy shop, become a virtual assistant or freelance. There are countless ways moms can make money from home; find one you love and stick to it!

What’s next for StartaMomBlog? 

Helping more moms retire their husbands.