Heather Thibodeau, an amazing EBA student, is here to Get Ruthed! We’ll dive deep into finding your voice, outsmarting your inner procrastinator, and the importance of knowing exactly who you’re talking to. Heather is the founder of The Heathered Nest, a website that has been providing decorating and DIY ideas since 2014.

Despite having some successes, Heather struggles with feeling like she owns an actual business. As she explains today, she would love to be able to focus completely on the creative aspect of her blog instead of all the related necessary tasks. She doesn’t enjoy the shallowness of social media.

Heather even feels some shame about the fact that she’s “only” blogging about home decor when she feels like she should be saving the world. (Given her background in physical therapy, it makes sense that she would want to see tangible results of doing lasting good in other people’s lives!) Of course, all of this is holding her back, and I’m here to help her move forward!

One of Heather’s biggest issues right now is her on-site conversion rate to her email list. She needs to focus on growing that list and improving her conversion rate. In fact, it’s so important for her to focus on this that I suggest she completely stop doing anything on social media right now.

While Heather does a fantastic job of emailing her existing list regularly, she doesn’t have her own program to sell. Instead, she’s just marketing affiliate products. This is another huge point that I want her to work on, and that we talk about today!

As you transition from writing a blog to running a business, I think this conversation with Heather will give you some great insight and help. One big thing that I want you to remember is that owning a business is all about being willing to take some risks! After all, there are no mistakes, only lessons. In our conversation today, you’ll also learn how to know when you’ve absolutely nailed the balance between nurturing and selling, and why you need to be writing to one person who you resonate with rather than your demographics.

Highlights

[00:48] – This Get Ruthed episode is brought to you by Elite Blog Academy, where you can learn exactly how to build a successful, profitable, and sustainable online business. Check out the free training exclusively for podcast listeners at this link!
[01:40] – Ruth welcomes listeners back to the show and introduces herself. Today’s coaching episode is with Heather Thibodeau, a blogger who wants to feel like her business is sustainable.
[04:03] – What is Heather doing right now? What’s working, and where does she feel like she’s struggling?
[07:20] – Heather loves the process of making a house into a home, she explains, but struggles with knowing that she’s talking about curtains instead of saving the world.
[09:04] – We hear more about Heather’s background in physical therapy, and how this relates to her mixed emotions about her blog topic.
[11:25] – Heather has been blogging full-time for a while now.
[13:00] – What would Heather do differently if her husband lost his job tomorrow and suddenly the family was depending on her blog revenue?
[15:41] – Ruth digs into Heather’s email list, which is growing much more slowly than it should.
[18:41] – Finding some affiliates for specific products that Heather loves would be a great step, Ruth explains.
[22:44] – What is Heather doing wrong that’s making her email list grow so much more slowly than it should?
[26:01] – Heather talks about coming up with an avatar, and explains why she has more than one. Ruth then points out that you need to differentiate between what’s popular and what’s profitable.
[29:49] – Writing to your avatar doesn’t mean that you can’t write about a variety of topics or mix things up, Ruth explains.
[30:31] – We move back to the topic of Heather’s on-site conversion rate, with Ruth offering advice on lead magnets.
[33:44] – Ruth provides ultra-specific advice on how Heather can adjust her site to better feature her lead magnets in her blog posts.
[37:12] – Does Ruth think that Heather needs to cut back on how many ads she has on her site?
[37:53] – Let’s talk about products! Why doesn’t Heather have any yet, especially since she knows she needs one?
[41:03] – Heather did well in school because of the structure and deadlines, she explains, and she struggles with creating her own deadlines.
[44:51] – In response to Heather’s concerns about not having time, Ruth points out that we make time for the things that matter to us.
[46:17] – Heather lists some product ideas she has so that Ruth can help her decide which one to pursue.
[49:25] – Ruth advises Heather to stop overthinking things and start trying them instead.
[50:51] – With the conversation over, Ruth recaps Heather’s problems and reiterates what she should do next to turn her blog into a business.
[54:30] – Have you taken the Do It Scared Fear Assessment yet? If not, go take it to get insight into how your fear might be holding you back! Finally, please feel free to reach out to Ruth on Instagram or by email at ruth@livingwellspendingless.com if you have any questions, thoughts, or ideas!