Coat // Shirt // Jeans // Loafers // Handbag // Visit Tanya’s Blog for her details

The Business of Blogging is a quite solitary.  So much of blogging is done alone at your computer.  No office banter or another person to bounce an idea off of when you need it. It is so nice to have a friend in the “biz” who can relate, have the same need to get dressed up and head out for a coffee date.

Tanya and I have been friends for many years.  You’ve met her a few times on the blog.  It was Tanya who encouraged me to start The Lush List and Tanya that keeps me encouraged and brainstorms with me about fun ideas for both of our readers.

One a day with a bit of chill in the air, hence my favorite pea coat, we met to shoot a the great cold-shoulder trend from this post and then stayed to chat and strategize.  Mary, our beautiful and talented photographer, stayed to take a few shots while we visited.

Just yesterday, a friend asked me how blogging works so I thought I’d share it with all of you.  First, yes, it is a business and is regulated by the FTC.  The blog is monetized in two ways: Collaborations with companies and also affiliate links.

A collaboration is a partnership where a company pays me a fee and/or gifts product to cover their item, business or event.  If this is the case in any post, you will see “Thank you to xxx for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.” and c/o which indicates the product is courtesy of that company.  On Instagram you’ll see #sponsored or #ad.  These are required by the FTC to that you know I received compensation to do this work.  I never cover anything that is not something I would have purchased on my own and doesn’t fit the topics I cover.

Affiliate links are links I create to products (sponsored or not) and are the bolded links you see in the post copy.  When someone clicks on that link and makes a purchase of the product I show you are any other in a certain time period, I receive a small commission.  If you also register for Like To Know.it you can shop my Instagram photos the same way.  You’ll receive an email with links to the products featured.  It’s like being a personal shopper online.

That is the business of blogging in a nutshell.  I’d love to know if you have any questions on blogging as a business or any other questions for that matter.  I am truly grateful that you spend time in my little piece of the web.  I do treat this as a job and love creating this content for you.

Where did that cold weather go by the way!?!?  Once it comes back this favorite jacket will be on repeat.  It is so classic in black but love that it comes in other fun colors, too.  It is part of the J.Crew 30% off sale that ends today.  This one similar and I’m dying over the color. Similar jeans are part of the sale, as well.  You saw them and this lace-up sweater in Friday’s post, too.

I hope you have a friend who continues to inspire you and your interests, too.  Grab her for a coffee date this week.  You’ll be glad you did!

xo

Alicia

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Photos by Mary Summer-Hafner