We’re so happy to continue our Q&A series with Mirka, one of the founding members of MASH, a blogger ( since 2009) and female entrepreneur (JAMON.CO.UK). She started with her parenting and lifestyle blog, All Baby Advice and in 2014 she also launched her popular Fitness 4 Mamas blog. Find out how she got into blogging and what she is up to these days.
How Blogging Changed My Life with Mirka of Fitness 4 Mamas
Blogging has undoubtedly changed my life as I was lost as a new mum in a foreign country, with a husband who left our house early in the morning and was back late every night. We relocated from sunny Sydney, and I had no friends here in London.
Thanks to blogging I have made some amazing friendships that have lasted nearly a decade! Blogging has also opened doors to many opportunities for me and my family in the coming years, I would have otherwise never had dreamt off.
What is your blog about and when did you launch it?
I cannot believe that it has been 10 years since I have started blogging, and what a journey! Back then not many knew what a blogger was and I was often facing people asking me what was it exactly I was doing and why?
Believe it or not, it was actually my husband who got me into blogging. Back then he worked for an online advertising agency and was trying to help me make some money while being at home with our tiny baby. Not many bloggers start like this, and I soon realised it was not what blogging was for me, at least not for many years. Making money from blogging is great, but it does not happen overnight and requires a lot of hard work and dedication.
Why did you decide to start blogging?
My first blog, the parenting and travel blog was started for a different reason, mainly as a journal about raising my two bilingual daughters. As my babies have grown-up, these days I don’t blog there very often, and when I do, it’s mostly about our family travels and days out.
My second blog, Fitness 4 Mamas, is my huge pride and you can see all my passion in each post. I love keeping fit and have been encouraging other mums/women to do the same and also to lead by an example to their children.
Did you have a clear plan or were you just winging it?
With my first blog, I had no idea what I was doing, and you could clearly see it in my first posts. As blogging and social media were evolving, I was adapting too and when I started my fitness blog, it was a completely different start. I had clear goals and loved seeing how quickly it has become successful and been voted as the finalist for the Best Fitness Blog after only a few months being live.
When did you realise your blog might be bigger than you’d anticipated?
This would be mostly true about my fitness blog as nearly from the start I could see offers and many brands interested in working with me. This was a great sign of achievement and made me realise what I was doing was definitely working.
How has blogging changed your life?
Blogging has changed my life completely, and I am so grateful for that. I would not want it any different and cannot imagine my life without blogging.
What’s the best thing blogging has given you?
Making some great friends, meeting some truly inspiring people, being invited to work with world-class brands, and also being recognised for what I do. These days I am a mum to nearly a teenager, and I love the way she sees blogging now. She proudly presents me to her friends as her mum who is a blogger and everyone knows what that means and nobody doubts it is a job too.
What do you think is the future of blogging?
That is not an easy question. Blogging has changed so much during the past 10 years. I don’t get as many comments on posts as I used to, and many bloggers complain about the same. Do people read your posts? Yes, but many people also tend to comment on my social media posts where I promote my blogs. Maybe that’s the shift we have to accept, but I do not think that blogging is dead.
Thinking about starting a blog? Sign up to our mailing list to hear about our next Blogging Workshops and training.
Follow Mirka on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and read her blog Fitness 4 Mamas
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