Behind the Scenes with Love Chic Living: April

Welcome to the April post of my Behind the Scenes of life as a freelance blogger. It’s been a funny month!

I’m aiming to document my work and working life all of this year, just to showcase what it’s really like as a blogger/influencer (not sure I like that word to be honest), how I make my income and that it’s not all about getting free stuff. So this is April, let me tell you what happened because it wasn’t a standard month at all.

As a freelancer, well I’m sure any self-employed person will tell you the same, it’s tough when you take a break. As well as the cost of actually going away (if you do go on a holiday) you have the double whammy of not making any money. And any client work you do have has to be packed into the weeks before and after your break.

During April I had two weeks of down-time. I didn’t actually go away but I planned my work and commitments so I could have at least one much slower week.

My kids were on Easter holidays and it was nice to hang out with them a little (not that they want me to now they are a teen and tween) but you know, I had few work ties either.

Blog Highlights:

It’s been quiet on the blog as you might expect with 2 weeks off. I purposefully didn’t take much work and planned it all for the end of the month.

I have launched Mediavine adverts on the site – I’m sure you’ve noticed! I know not everyone loves them, particularly in the UK, but I have a 50% US audience and they’re more used to them.

I was pleased to be accepted – it’s a tough application process – and they will help keep the income going and help me to run the site.

Brand Collaborations:

My favourite post to style, photograph and write had to be the article on how to layer rugs. I had great fun with it and hopefully produced some useful tips too. A great collaboration is one where I love doing it, created interesting content and readers get something from it too. 

I have a fabulous giveaway running from the guys over at OTTY – where you can win a double mattress and pillows set worth £600. There are thousands of entries so far but still time to enter if you fancy giving it a go. Find out more HERE.

I had 2 more articles published over on Real Homes magazine. The first on Makeup Storage and the second covering Jewellery Storage. I do think there are some great finds in both so take a read if that’s for you.

Finally, this one was great fun. The Mailbox shopping centre in Birmingham asked me to run a seminar to the general public all about making moodboards for interior design. It was a blast and the perfect way to round off the month. (That’s me above just before the event taking a selfie in the bathroom – in my defence, it was great lighting!)

Instagram:

We found a great winner for our Freddie’s Flowers prize on #SUYHome but overall I was quiet there in April. It’s hard to be everywhere all the time and sometimes, for the sake of our own mental wellbeing, we need to take a break. That time had come for me.

You can follow me on Instagram HERE. 

Pinterest:

My work with Pinterest focused clients just goes from strength to strength. I love coaching and being able to help businesses understand how to use Pinterest as a marketing tool is a joy. I ran several Power Hour 1-1 sessions, both with small businesses and was buzzing from all of them.

I also published this article on the 11 most recent Pinterest updates, which proved very popular and had some great feedback.

My Pinterest business website and blog is HERE. 

Income vs. Expenses:

Ok so I was surprised by this and you may be too but April was a VERY good month, especially as I had so much downtime. Income was more than the average month, and expenses were low (I’m still keeping them that way to maximise profits).

The hustle is real though. I fight for every penny and making a living from a blog certainly isn’t what it was a few years ago. It’s not even the same as a year go. One third of my April income came from Pinterest work, another 3rd from 3rd party collaborations on client sites or appearances, and then a final third on pieces for the blog. A couple of years ago, almost all of my income would have been from the blog. 

Of course, the blog is at the centre of everything and has created the other income streams. Plus it’s my first love and always will be. That has to count for something. 

Summary:

So in general, it’s been a good month. Work has been very manageable and I’ve managed to achieve some creative tasks long overdue. Plus I’ve brainstormed and mapped out how I’d like to grow the Pinterest collaboration. But I wonder if the slower period has had a knock on effect to the following month. It usually does, but I’ll let you know once May is over. 

Have a great month and let me know if you’ve any questions or comments about April, and taking holiday as a freelancer in particular.

Jen x