kicks and kinis turns one wisdom – Blogiversary

I can’t believe it’s been a year since my first blog post went live! Seriously wild considering I never thought I’d make it this far. I’ve learned a lot about myself, brands, web design, and blogging these past 365 days. I thought what better way to celebrate my blogiversary (besides being at the beach wearing my fav kicks and kini) than by sharing my knowledge with you babes! I know a lot of you have reached out in the past saying that you wanted to create your own blog. Here’s my advice to you all:

• Fear sucks but not trying sucks more

  You won’t get the reward without taking risks. It took me a year until I felt confident enough to actually get kicks and kinis going. An entire year, that’s 365 days that I could’ve been doing something I love. Reflecting on that now, I feel so dumb. I knew I wanted to do it but let doubt take over. If you really want to do or achieve something DO IT. I can’t stress this enough, if it’s a blog, job, or ordering that second dessert DO IT. Life is short.

• Find your voice

  There are millions of blogs out there already. Daunting I know. How does one stand out in the crowd? By using your experiences, perspective and personality! Your style of writing should reflect exactly who you are. This will make your readers feel like they actually know you and can relate to what you’re saying. This is why it’s important to select a niche you enjoy and one that you can easily identify with. If you’re a foodie but can’t eat desserts containing dairy (like me) maybe start a blog with a catchy name that concentrates on dairy free desserts. I’d follow it!

•  Keep it simple

  I started off kicks and kinis with a simple theme from Weebly. I didn’t have any prior experience with web design or coding. Therefore opted for Weebly’s easy drag and drop feature, which worked great! Starting a blog can be very overwhelming and expensive so don’t bite off more than what you can chew. I just started using WordPress recently (like last week). Don’t freak out and think you need to be the world’s best graphic designer to get your content out on the web. Choose a clean chic simple template and customize it to your liking. I promise you will figure it out and get better at designing your website the more you play with it.

• Be consistent

  The best way to gain a following for your blog is by posting consistently. Think of it as a “out of sight out of mind” mentality. The more you share the more they’re aware! You obviously want your target audience to engage with your posts, by creating and sharing content consistently you will do just that. Also, with Instagram’s new algorithm a loyal follower who likes and comments on your pictures regularly will see you on their feed more! Hooray. To help you remain consistent I suggest scheduling out your social media and blog posts at the beginning of each week. I write down tons of ideas and topics I want to share with you babes. This goes into my next blog tip: setting goals. If you’re posting only a few times a month on social media raise the bar for yourself! Posting frequently will benefit you in the long run.

• Set Goals

  This is so important! You need to picture where you want to be a week, month, and year from now. Create short term goals for you to focus on as you work towards those long term goals. Invest in a notebook or agenda. This will make your life a 100% easier! Once I started to hold myself accountable of deadlines I noticed my stress decrease and satisfaction increase. Being able to scratch things off your to do list makes it feel like you’re finally getting somewhere. It helps keep you away from being in a funk and lets you see how much you’ve accomplished. Don’t be discouraged if you aren’t reaching every single goal on your list. It may take you longer than you hoped for and that’s okay.

• Trust the process

  Things don’t happen overnight. Do you know how many successful people failed multiple times before getting where they are? A lot. As cliché as it sounds, it’s about the journey not the destination. Over the past twelve months I’ve gone through many ups and downs. I remind myself it’s important to reflect on the positive aspects of my blogging journey than to anxiously focus on my shortcomings. I may not be where I want to be but I’m on my way there! I have come a long way and can’t wait to see what this next year brings.

• Don’t ask for free shit

  Okay, this should just be a given but apparently it’s not. I who run a blog and do not sell ANY products receive DMs/emails weekly requesting for free bikinis. WTF?! I get really annoyed because these girls don’t even check out my Instagram page or website. You’ll clearly see it’s me in all the pictures, my bio states I’m a blogger, and there isn’t a shopping tab on kicksandkinis.com. If you don’t take the time to see what the brand is about how do you expect them to want to work with you? When you request free products from a brand because you want to collaborate keep in mind that it has to make financial sense for them. Why should they give you anything? Most of the companies I work with are small local businesses. The best way to show support is by purchasing their products!

  My suggestion to any blogger who is starting out is to FIRST PURCHASE from the company. This shows that you care about them and actually do love their stuff. A lot of companies give discounts to returning customers and if they like your blog’s review of the product you purchased they may consider you for a future collab! Trust me they’ll notice you more this way than by being that girl spamming their DM for free shit.

• Be kind always

  Everyone loves to say my greatest weakness is that I’m too kind. I don’t see that as a problem, I consider that my strength. People can take advantage of it (and have in the past) but that says more about them than me.

  Don’t get me wrong you don’t have to be kind to be a blogger; there isn’t a blogger police but if you have a major attitude problem no one will want to work with you or read your blog. There’s already so much hate in this world why contribute more? Share good vibes and if someone isn’t kind back just keep going. Your followers (and/or brands) will take note and most likely reciprocate the kindness by liking, commenting or sharing your posts!

• You’ll meet a lot of cool people on the internet

  I remember the first time I tried explaining to one of my besties that I talk to people who I met online everyday. Her reaction was hilarious. I reassured her that I blocked all the creeps who tried to slide in my DMs and was referring to all the girls I’ve crossed paths with. I’m a huge advocate for social media because of all the amazing babes I’ve “met” online. I wouldn’t have had the chance to speak or work with them if it wasn’t for Instagram. You start off supporting one another and end up forming a bond. It’s incredible how much inspiration and love you can find. I’m beyond grateful for these girls because they motivate me to improve and reassure me when I’m in a funk.

• Don’t lose yourself

  One of the best pieces of advice I could give anyone who is starting a blog is to not lose who you are. You want to be genuine af. No one is perfect and no one expects you to be. People will see right through it and won’t care to follow or read your posts if you’re faking it. Having said that, it’s easy to lose who you are when playing the social media game. You can be as genuine as you want at the beginning and unconsciously let it slip away because you’re busy trying to compete with other bloggers. Just be you. Don’t compare yourself to other people because they’re not you. I found myself caring way too much about what people would think of my posts to the point that I felt anxious. Then it dawned on me, people are going to most likely criticize me anyways so mid as well be myself and do what I love. That is the entire reason I started my blog, right? To showcase my ideas and passions.

•  Learn how to disconnect

  Way easier said than done (for me at least). My blog is my second job. I come home from work and this is when I start to work on kicks and kinis. I’m basically glued to my laptop all day and night. I don’t mind because I love blogging but I began to notice that I was missing out on somethings. For example, when I was on vacation in the Bahamas I was desperate to find wifi to post on Instagram and check the blog to see how it was doing. I realized what I was doing and decided that I was only going to allow myself to work for a hour or two in the mornings before going out to the beach. This way I could enjoy the day. After all I am on vacation. I’m so happy that I made living in the moment a priority. I was appreciating the beauty around me not just for filler pictures on the gram but actually loving the views. It’s always a good idea to give yourself a break every now and then. Create a blogging schedule and stick to it so you’re not overwhelmed! When it’s time for you to disconnect do it.

• Have fun with it

  Yes, blogs are A LOT of work. There is no denying it but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have fun with it. You probably started out thinking how fun it would be to share your awesome perspective, shopping finds or whatever it is you blog is about only to find yourself overwhelmed. This has happened to me so many times this past year to the point I almost was like okay I’m freaking done. How could I reach this point when I’m writing about things I enjoy? Easy, I was overly critical of myself and taking it too serious. When this happens take a step back and remember why you started in the first place. You’ll find your inspiration again! If you take anything away from this list let it be this: have fun with your blog and everything else will fall into place.

Cheers to all you babes for supporting my blog and growing with me!