I would like to introduce you to a successful Caribbean blogger who was able leave her corporate job to blog full-time from home. Now she shares what she has learned along her blogging journey with other aspiring bloggers. Meet Monique Solomon, the Irie Diva!
Interview with Caribbean Blogger, Monique Solomon – The Irie Diva
Tell us a little about yourself. Who is Monique Solomon?
Firstly, thanks so much for this feature! I love to spread the word about blogging and doing more of what you love aka living purposefully so I’m always happy to connect with other bloggers who share a similar passion.
I’m a Jamaican lover of life and mom to an 8yo that challenges me to be the best version of myself every day. Motherhood, like blogging, has made me question myself so many times but it’s these challenging times that cause us to grow, am I right? I’m usually the life of the party. I like to live out loud, explore nature, sing horribly at karaoke and just enjoy being me.
What are your blogs IrieDiva and Blog with Mo about?
IrieDiva was a lifestyle blog that focused on natural hair, fashion, living in paradise (aka Jamaica) and my motherhood journey. While I may still add hair and fashion content to it from time to time, I am in a phase where I’m transitioning to a platform that’s more me. The girl who could talk natural hair for hours has blossomed into the woman who has a passion for life and wants to see other women branching out to do more of what they love and be more of who they truly are.
I’ll be launching a whole new blog, podcast and Youtube channel under a name I connect with much more now and I’m revelling in this time as I feel as if I’m redefining who I am and getting to know the authentic me. It’s exciting time round these parts.
Until then, you can definitely always find me over at BlogWithMo.com where I teach bloggers how to turn their passion for the online world into a fulltime income. I’ve been a blogger for over 10 years and finally decided to quit the corporate world and concentrate on building an online empire and I help others to do the same over on that blog and in my Facebook group Help a Blogger Out.
You are one of the veteran Caribbean bloggers, how did you get involved in blogging?
I grew up in a household that was always on the cutting edge of tech thanks to my dad who was a computer programmer. I’ve been online ever since there was online accessibility in Jamaica and went through the Yahoo communities and all the other references that millennials may not recognise. I did a summer at Pulse Investments here in Jamaica, the company that puts on Caribbean Fashion Week every year and amid the glamour I thought it would be an awesome idea to launch a Caribbean fashion magazine.
Armed with the knowledge of just how expensive it would be to launch such an initiative and coupled with the idea that magazines are falling in popularity, I decided to take it online and my very first blog, FashionOverStyle.net was born. It was very successful. I gave a platform to Jamaican fashion designers who had not yet caught on to the idea of the internet and had no online presence. I was invited to all the premier events and interviewed many designers in the industry.
I transitioned to IrieDiva.com when I became a mother and went more lifestyle, focusing less on fashion as my interest changed.
There are many aspects of blogging and it takes work to create a successful blog, how do you manage your time to balance blogging with life?
When I just started I loved blogging and all the opportunities it afforded me so much that I would work on my blog tirelessly into the night. I was also a call center agent at one point so would work on my blog at work before blocking websites became a thing.
I will admit that when I took on more demanding roles it became more difficult to focus on the blog especially since it was not monetized then and so I was doing it simply for the love and the perks of being invited to some cool places. When I decided to monetize my blog, scheduling my time well and becoming super organized was something that became crucial. I had to carve out time to blog if I were to take the blog to a new level.
Have you encountered any obstacles in your blogging journey? If so, how did you overcome them?
When I just started out, almost no one in Jamaica knew what a blog was. It was certainly an uphill battle to convince companies, events and even some designers to work with me. I pitched myself to several big brands in Jamaica and got many no’s before the yesses started to come in but it was well worth it as it helped me in my corporate career later as an advertising agent and digital marketer.
In what ways has blogging changed your life?
Well, I’m now a fulltime blogger so there’s that! Woohoo!
I was never happy in the corporate world and had no aspirations to climb the ladder and be anybody’s boss. I’m so happy that I got started in this when I did and even though it took me forever to take it serious and decide to monetize this passion of mine, I’m happy I yielded the call.
Blogging has certainly afforded me many opportunities like working with Randy Fenoli when he came here to Jamaica. Every job I had since my call center days can be attributed in some ways to my blogging. I am just getting started so I’m excited to see where the journey takes me now that I’m all in.
What tips or advice would you offer to anyone wanting to start a blog?
Blogging is a wonderful way to work from home or anywhere in the world with wifi for that matter and anyone can do it but if you’re going in wanting to make money from blogging then you definitely want to do your research into what it takes to make money as a blogger.
I went many many years just idly throwing words and pretty pictures on the screen not making a dime before realising I was doing it all wrong. If I think about where I could be as a blogger if I had invested in learning the ins and outs of it all those years ago, I’d cry. Save yourself many frustrating weeks/months/years by researching all you can about what it takes to actually make money blogging.
Take a blogging course if you can afford one, buy an ebook, get a blog coach (hi, nice to meet you) or just dive deep into YouTube and all the blogging resources available for free.
You can start with this post, it will help you to get your feet wet when it comes to being a blogger that actually makes money.
I have learned huge knowledge from here. I am waiting for your updates.