How My Blog Changed My Life: Lauren from L Bee and the Money Tree

We’re back with another edition of How My Blog Changed My Life. I know my blog has changed my life and I love hearing from others about how their lives have changed too.

What has changed in your life since starting a blog?

Today, we have a fabulous and inspiring woman who I had the pleasure of meeting at FinCon: Lauren from L Bee and the Money Tree.

Lauren Bowling is the blogger behind L Bee and the Money Tree, a finance site for career-minded 20-something women. She is also the creator and host of the award winning video blog series, Awkward Money Chat where guests discuss the most intimate details of their personal finances. Bowling is also a successful finance writer whose work has been published on Learnvest, Forbes, and The Huffington Post. By day Bowling works full time in marketing and resides in Atlanta, Georgia.

1. What was the inspiration for starting your blog?

Prior to starting my blog, I paid off $10k in credit card debt while working for a hedge fund in New York City. This sparked my interest in Finance, but due to compliance issues I wasn’t able to blog publicly about my journey. When I left that job, I wanted to start a blog for someone like me: who knew a little bit about money but wanted to handle it wisely. I also wanted something that would appeal to the feminine aesthetic. The vibe of a fashion blog, but about finance.

2. What has been the most challenging part of having a blog?

I’m sure everyone who blogs and has a full-time job says that managing the two is the hardest part. Other than that, finding the motivation to keep going when things are going your way (readers, recognition, etc.) Blogging, especially in the beginning, can often be a very thankless job.

3. In what ways, direct or indirect, has your life changed because of your blog?

Blogging gave me access to a completely new skill set. I leverage my blog when it first started to completely switch careers- from administrative assistant/actor to a full-time content manager. From there I worked my way up and I now work full-time as a content strategist, helping my company leverage content to drive sales.

On a personal level, blogging has helped my self-esteem immensely. It is the first thing I have ever built, maintained, and grew successfully on my own, without the help from anyone else. It is incredibly empowering! Especially when you start to have others reading your words and work. There isn’t a feeling quite like it!

4. What have you learned from blogging?

1) How to be organized. Blogging is a lot like work, but fun too because you are expressing yourself.

2) It has also taught me the importance of branding and publicizing your own brand. I used to think if you wrote something great enough, people would come. Now I know that’s not true. You have to ask for the things you want, whether it is someone to read your piece of content, or that next great raise. No one knew much about my accomplishments before I started blogging, now I tell everyone. Not to brag, because how else will they know about what I have going on unless I tell them?

5. What advice would you give to new bloggers who are thinking of starting a blog?

Have a few blogs already before your site goes live. This will go a long way toward making you look like you know what you’re doing. Also, invest time in social media. This is where everyone starts with building an audience.

Thank you, Lauren!

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Melanie

Melanie Lockert is the founder of the blog and author of the book, Dear Debt. Through her blog, she chronicled her journey out of $81,000 in student loan debt. She is also the co-founder of the Lola Retreat, which helps bold women face their fears, own their dreams and figure out a plan to be in control of their finances. She is passionate about empowering women, helping others get out of debt, and focuses on the intersection of debt and mental health. Every September she organizes a Suicide Prevention Awareness Blog Tour, to help share resources for those struggling with debt and suicide. In addition to her love of personal finance, art and music, she is also a karaoke master and a cat mom to Miles and Thelonious.

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