Behind the Scenes with Love Chic Living: June 2018

Welcome back to another post documenting my year behind the scenes of Love Chic Living.

As you know if you’ve read the previous posts in this series, I’m showcasing the ups and downs of running my business, being a full-time blogger and how I make my money.

It’s the one question that people always ask as soon as I explain what I do for a living. How do I make money? Depending on my mood, I’m occasionally offended (would you ask any other self employed person how they made money?) but usually I like to explain how I can work with different companies whilst still offering advice and inspiration for anyone doing up their home.

I know it all sounds glamorous and exciting (and it really can be!) but there’s a flip side too and these posts are meant to show how it’s not all about free stuff and fancy press trips. 

If you were wondering how things went in June, read on.

Blog Highlights

At the moment I’m loving the giveaways I run.

They mean lovely collaborations with great brands but also they bring great comments (I usually ask people how they would use the prize) and a connection with those who are reading the posts.

We finished up the Denby and Portmeirion giveaways in June and the winners have been absolutely delighted. Those emails are well worth receiving. 

Brand Collaborations:

There were a variety of collaborations this month both on the blog and Instagram.

Did you see my new kitchen clock from Newgate (above)? It’s a beauty and really finishes off the kitchen perfectly.

Then the lovely South African company Sonnenglas gave me a lovely garden lantern that lights up the space.

There’s a great story behind this one so it’s well worth the read.

Instagram:

Instagram took a quiet month in June and just ticked along. It’s still my favourite way to consume live content, and checking in with my favourite people through Stories is still my little addiction.

I’ve made my first IGTV video too but more about that in July!

Pinterest:

Pinterest and my work with coaching took a lot of time this month. I wanted to launch my new Masterclass sessions and spent time building the infrastructure, marketing and writing the workshop. The brand new Pinterest Strategy Masterclass was a hit (seems people like showing up to a live broadcast and chatting, learning and building their knowledge) and it was great fun, so look out for more of the same coming very soon.

As a result we did several account analyses and created reports for new clients who wanted a review of their account and strategy.

Power hours were quieter whilst I focused on the Masterclass but we still managed to slot a few in.

And account management is still going well, with client accounts growing and looking solid during a tricky part of the year.

If you want to find out more about Pinterest coaching or account management email me hello@jenstanbrook.com or head over to the Coaching and Consultancy website to find out more.

Income vs Expenses:

Whilst work is sporadic and each month feels like quite a hustle, income is still steady and expenses are maintained. I haven’t invested in much recently, apart from the amazing Jo Amos at Geek Fairy Design who does all my website updates on jenstanbrook.com so profit margins are good.

Blog hosting was renewed for the year which was a big upfront outlay and I’m keeping an eye on all my subscriptions. I’ve really streamlined and this is now all pay for each month (it used to be at least double):

• Canva: £10
• Teachable: £30
• Convertkit : £59
• Xero Accountancy package: £32
• Coworking office: £25
• WebinarNinja: £37

Month Summary:

The blog was much quieter and I spent a lot more time on Pinterest coaching. This income stream is now working very well and gives me an extra creative buzz as well as combining well with the blog.

If you’ve followed all of these blog posts you might see that work and collaborations generally are tailing off. The year started incredibly well but in a market where hundreds of bloggers and influencers are vying for the same work, and brands’ focus seems to be changing, it’s very difficult to maintain a strong and steady income. 

Generally, the summer months tend to be slower so stay tuned for the July update coming very soon to see if that trend is holding true this year. It’s so unpredictable now who knows what will happen!

See you next month,

Jen x