FBP 008: Create a Happy Work-at-Home Life, Blog, or Brand with Bliss-Maker & Work-at-Home Blog Coach

1 and a half hours of bliss. That is what it felt like interviewing Martine de Luna of MakeItBlissful.com (formerly DaintyMom.com) and MartineDeLuna.com. I must admit that I was a bit nervous and anxious at first. I believe that is what everyone feels when they first meet their idol or somebody they look up to in their field of interest.

I have been following Martine’s websites, DaintyMom.com, MartineDeLuna.com, and MakeItBlissful.com for almost a year. You might be wondering why would a dad read mom blogs? I chanced upon one of her sites while I was researching for mom blogs to help me promote our soon-to-open preschool (my side business) at that time. And besides, do you know of any good Pinoy dad blogs out there (maybe I should start one, maybe YOU should start one, but that’s another story)?

So, I just emailed her directly, not expecting a response in the next few days or even any response at all. But, lo and behold, she replied back in a matter of minutes! I was so excited, I remember forwarding the email proudly to my wife and partners, “Dainty Mom responded!” And the rest is history. We got featured in glamomamas.com (Amanda Griffin’s website where Martine is a contributing writer and editor) and received tons of inquiries because of that single blog post.

Then, fast forward a bit to Nov 2013, when I was contemplating the design of my website, daintymom.com and martinedeluna.com became my inspirations. I liked the smart layout and the homey feel of it. I even hired Patricia Alix-Villa of Fancy Girl Design Studio, Martine’s web designer, to help translate the web design I laid out in Photoshop into a WordPress website.

It was only natural for me to put Martine in my list of dream podcast guests because I had been exposed to her the past few months. And I was so glad that she said “yes” to us. So, please fire up your Evernote app or put out your spiral notebook (make sure you have at least 10 pages available). This episode will be filled with golden nuggets that you should definitely scribble down and internalize (ahmmmm with matching yoga pose).

Key Takeaways:

What convinced Martine to quit her teaching job to become a work-at-home mom.
How Martine’s experiences working at home after child birth led her to create DaintyMom.com.
How the blog became the storefront to showcase Martine’s style of writing.
The lipstick sales pitch that gave Martine the biggest break.
The value of an audio logo for your brand.
How to position yourself to grab the attention of your potential clients.
Why it was hard for Martine to rebrand her already successful Dainty Mom brand into Make It Blissful.
Learning when to say “No” to maintain the credibility of your brand.
How some of the most successful books are titled and how to apply the same technique for your brand.
How to create a job description for yourself and use that to create your own product or service.
Why it is important to invest in yourself by taking workshops and courses.
How Martine grew organically her tribe outside the comment boxes of her blog.
The importance of having your own mastermind group.
The top 3 bloggers that she follows.
The significance of having the best mentors and how to approach them.
How Martine monetizes her website.
How Martine sets different budgets for family, savings, education and fun.
How to save and invest painlessly using online banking.
The future of freelancing and working at home.

Quotable Quotes:

“I tried to make the blog parang a monetization platform. But what blogging got were inquiries from people who wanted me to write for them.”

“I don’t call myself a professional blogger, because I’m not. ”

“Mainly, I use my blog to show that I’m a writer, first of all, and that this is the kind of writing style that I work with.”

On learning SEO, copywriting and internet marketing from her client: “I was immersed in OJT (on-the-job training) and that is how I really learned everything actually in my life. By being just thrust into the water, like they throw babies in the water and they are able to swim.”

“You have to really define your brand so that you will attract the right client – the client that you will flourish with and thrive with.”

“Don’t be afraid to invest in access or in coaching from the people you most look up to because that’s what’s gonna help you in the long run.”

Thank you very much again for listening to show. Please attend Martine’s upcoming workshop “Photo Styling for Bloggers” on March 22, 2014. For more details, please visit makeitblissful.com/workshops.

FREE T-Shirt Promo from 199Jobs.com

Freelance Blend is proud to announce a promo together with our friends from 199Jobs.com. The 3 best comments on the Freelance Blend Podcast page in the iTunes Store or Podcasts app will get a free T-shirt from 199Jobs.com. Here are the mechanics:

1. Go to the iTunes Store (Mac or PC) or Podcasts App (iPhone, iPod or iPad).
2. Search for Freelance Blend in the Search Box.
3. Click Reviews
4. Enter your honest Comments and Rating of the Podcast
5. Email me the text of your comments or a screenshot of your comments at marv@freelanceblend.com

I will select and announce the 3 best comments on the show and the 3 lucky winners will get a FREE T-shirt from 199Jobs.com. Winners may claim their T-Shirts during our monthly Freelance Blend Manila Meetup or arrange for free delivery (within Metro Manila only). This special promo ends on March 31, 2014.