Hi friends! Yesterday was The Blog Market’s official first birthday, we launched on December 8th 2014!, and it seemed wrong not to say something about it! The end of the year sort of snuck up on us (doesn’t it sneak up on us all?). With the launch of our redesign exactly a month ago and working on getting setting up for 2016, not to mention the various freelance jobs that both of us work on, we kept talking about how important our little blog’s birthday would be, but didn’t have much time to plan a big (virtual) party, or anything.
But still, we wanted to talk a little about this community we set out to create exactly one year ago. At first, we both thought of it as just another side project. Jennifer and I both have a tendency to dream REALLY big, all at once. Then, like she talked about a little yesterday in our #girlboss gift guide, we end up not being able to follow through, every single time, at least. Whether it’s because we simply take on too much or can’t find the focus we’re looking for (both things we’ve talked about a bit this year), we tend to bounce around with projects.
But with your support, we’ve seen TBM grow more than we ever imagined. It’s turned into something we love far more than just another side project. To be honest, for about most of the year, we didn’t make $$$ on this website. That wasn’t our intention and we knew if we had enough money to pay expenses, we were set. Now, I know that goes against so, so much of what you hear about building a successful blog. We both know how to grow a blog, and we know how to generate income too. Because that wasn’t our mindset, we gave ourselves freedom to take risks, experiment, listen to feedback, and just get really, really creative. We were both very supportive of each other’s ideas and we just decided that whenever we felt inspired, we’d make it happen, whether a post or a coding tutorial or a new filter on Instagram.
It depends how you look at it, but for us this approach was a huge success. Our goal has always been, just as Jennifer imagined when she first dreamed up this idea for The Blog Market, to help people blog better. We’d help them be creative, give them the tools to grow a blog, and of course have fun. This year blog world has blown. the. eff. up. Everybody is doing it. We want to help people tell the stories they feel compelled to, through creative content and good design!
Now that we’re really rolling, we are planning to step it up in 2016. We have products planned, more content than ever, and so much more. We also want to stay true to our original goals and create community, which is something we simply can’t do without you. In the new year, as TBM grows, we wanted to put it out there that we’re totally open to feedback, collaboration, and new ways to connect. Don’t hesitate to email us if you want to get to know us more!
BIG thanks to everyone who’s read our posts and joined The Blog Market community! Without the support of the blogging community, needless to say, we’d have stopped posting long ago. Continue to join the conversation on lifestyle blogging, small biz, and design in the new year by using the hashtag #theblogmarket and #weeklyresources on social media, and leave a comment if you have any requests for new posts or tutorials!
Lots of love,
Angela + Jennifer
Vonda says
Congrats! Only recently found you and I’ve already learned a lot. Keep up the great work – 2016 is gonna be awesome!
All the Best,
Vonda Laffey
Angela says
So glad you found us!
Maritza says
Happy Birthday! Here’s to many more!
Angela says
Yay, thanks Maritza! And thanks so much for pinning our posts this year!
Cristina says
Happy birthday! Can’t wait to see what you have planned for 2016.
Tonya says
Happy Birthday!!
SugarLove Designs says
Happy bday!! I have learned a lot from your blog………thank you