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If you’re a blogger or looking to start a blog, one thing you want to figure out is what you want to blog about. What is something that you are interested in and love talking about?
Whatever it is, that’s your blogging NICHE!!
When you’re just starting out you may be looking at other blogger’s websites to get ideas and inspiration. Honestly, I think that’s a great way to start.
I myself was inspired by many bloggers including Heather and Pete Reese, in which I took their Blogging Blastoff Course. They helped me get started and understanding how I could build and monetize from the beginning.
Another blogger that inspired me was Ashley Mann. She is an RV Blogger and owns RVInspiration.com. If you’re an RVer her site is one you probably have stumbled upon.
During my beginning stages of building my site, I looked at her website for inspiration. It’s important to never copy another blogger but it’s okay to gain inspiration! After all, I think it’s important to have someone to look up to when you are starting anything. We look at the ones that are successful and strive to just be in the same ballpark. At least I do!
- So who is Ashley Mann?
- How did she start her blog?
- How did she find her niche and become a blogging success?
I was lucky enough to actually be contacted by her in my early stages of blogging back in 2018. For me, having someone I look up to within the RV blogger niche world contact me was an exciting moment!
Recently I requested to interview her so others could meet her, feel inspired, and gain confidence within themselves to blog. I also wanted to highlight how finding a niche can be as simple as looking at your lifestyle, and build from there.
Without further a do….. Here is Ashley Mann! The RV Blogger behind RVinspiration.com, Thebloggingaboutbloggingblog.com, and her own personal website ashleymann.me.
Living in an RV | A Brief Overview
Ashley was a Middle School English teacher in search of a new career that allowed her more freedom and flexibility! Here’s her story;
I lived in an RV for about three years, and during that time we were mostly stationary; we lived in three different locations. When my husband and I bought the RV, we were planning to start a business as commercial real estate investors buying and rehabbing apartments. We wanted the flexibility to move to whatever cities we thought we would be investing in.
The first city we went to was Kansas City – the nearest major city to our hometown of Springfield, MO.
Our business didn’t pan out the way we planned, and my husband ended up getting a job there that kept us stuck there for a while. That was when I started my blog. (June of 2017, her site went live)
Then in 2018, my husband started a commercial real estate real software company, and we moved to the Dallas area for a few months so he could be close to his business partner, who lives there.
At the beginning of 2019, we were both finally working from home and completely location independent! We decided to move our RV back to our hometown “for a few months” before deciding where to go next. But we actually realized we weren’t really interested in traveling full time and decided we wanted to make Springfield our permanent home base.
The cost of living in Springfield is so low, we were able to rent a nice house in a beautiful neighborhood for the same price we were paying to live in our RV, so that’s what we’re doing now, and our RV is currently for sale.
How did you find your Niche as an RV Blogger?
I started my website to fill a need I was experiencing myself, which was a place to find great ideas for turning an RV into a home. At the time, I was spending hours on Pinterest and in Facebook groups looking for ideas for RV organization and decorating.
On Pinterest, I kept seeing the same ideas come up over and over and none of them were what I was looking for. On Facebook, I would see people share great ideas. But, those ideas would get lost in the group feed. Then a few weeks later, someone else in the group would ask for the same idea, without seeing what had already been posted.
So, I decided to curate the ideas I was seeing shared so they could search for them on Pinterest and Google.
Did you set out initially to make an income with your blog?
I definitely planned all along for my blog to be a source of income. My husband had studied digital marketing through niche websites prior. But he had never actually created a niche site because he didn’t have anything he was interested in blogging about.
When I shared with him my idea of a website about RV ideas, he pointed me to some articles and resources. This was where I learned some basics of content marketing that helped me create my initial strategy. And the income definitely did not come on its own.
The first success I saw was after I took an online course about how to use Pinterest effectively to generate website traffic. The second big burst of growth was when I took an online course on SEO and started applying the techniques I learned from it.
Where do you see RVinspiration.com in the future?
I don’t see myself personally blogging about RVing forever. I plan to grow my business to the point where I either hire content writers or sell to someone who has the passion to take over and continue my vision.
I’m working on a second major piece of the business (a related website) which I’ll be launching this year. I’m not really sure what’s next for me, but I can see myself eventually starting another blog/website in a completely different niche. I may even possibly move into consulting type work.
What is one thing that you hope will inspire others?
The paradigm shift that changed my life and helped me escape a job that I wasn’t happy in four years ago, was the realization that my job search didn’t have to be limited to skills and education I already had. But, that I could learn to do whatever I wanted.
So many online jobs, including blogging, do not require a college degree or any formal education. I think the biggest hurdle to overcome is simply lack of awareness of what jobs exist and how people are making money online.
But, once you start making yourself aware of what opportunities are out there, you can learn the skills needed for free and without a college degree. Keep Learning!
Final Thoughts
There you have it! I hope you now feel inspired by the RV Blogger, Ashley Mann.
Sometimes finding your blogging niche is as simple as looking at your own life, seeing an “issue”, and wanting to create that online space to bring all you know on a subject together.
Also, do not be afraid to learn something new and KEEP LEARNING! Blogging is a learning process and if you’re wanting to start a blog then I hope you get it going sooner rather than later.
If you want to learn from the pros, check out Heather and Pete Reese. They helped me get started and taught me how to blog for money, how to build it up from the beginning, and more! I highly recommend their course! You can check it out here and start their 5-day blogging blast off email course!
If you would like to learn more about Ashley, check out her site Ashleymann.me
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Thank you for sharing and reaching out to a successful blogger! Its nice to learn how other people succeed in this business. It definitely takes a lot of hard work and dedication.
100% agree! Blogging is work and to see others succeed is very inspirational!
I love hearing how others got started and didn’t give up even when it got tough! These kinds of stories, encourage me to keep going and fulfilling my dreams. Thank you!
Finding a niche can be challenging when you have so many ideas!
Yes! Totally agree but with time you’ll figure out the best Niche for you.
This was so inspiring for me!! I am also a middle school English teacher and now a blogger. I greatly aspire to do exactly what Ashley has done. Thank you so much for this!
I love the idea that you live in a RV and can travel constantly if you like.
Very inspiring. I feel motivated to work harder right now. I just started getting traffic for my blog just last month here and this may, I’m going to work harder. Thanks for this
You’re welcome! Glad this inspired you!
How fun to interview a fellow blogger that you look up to. Great job with it. Good luck with your RV life blogging and congrats on being parents!
Thank you, Shirley! 🙂
What a great interview! Thanks for sharing.
My future dream is to buy a small motor home a travel the country. I would definitely need to read Ashley’s blog before I make that dream a reality. Thanks for the information.
you’re so welcome!
Great interview with lots of good ideas.
As a high school English teacher who would like to have more independence and less time grading, this gives me hope. My husband and I would love to plan towards going part time in our RV after the kids are out of the house.
What a great interview! I have always been interested in living in something more mobile.
It’s neat to see how other bloggers started. Gives new bloggers some inspiration and something to look forward to!
I love reading about how other bloggers got their start. For some people they know right away what their niche is going to be, for others it takes some time. For the longest time I didn’t think that I had anything to say that would be worth reading. I followed several bloggers for years and one of them did a video encouraging people to get out there and start their own business and think about what they were “experts” at and what they enjoyed, and think about how they could turn that into a business. The things she shared got me thinking and encouraged me to branch out and start something. Everyone has to start their journey somewhere….
I know, me too! It’s so inspiring for other bloggers to keep going. 🙂 Glad you got your business/blog started!
Great interview! And very inspiring post.
Thank you!
Great interview! It is a journey for sure!
Absolutely! A Marathon and not a sprint!
It’s so awesome that you got to interview one of the bloggers who inspired you! Think of how far you’ve come to make it to this point 🙂 Good work!
Blogging has been such a wonderful adventure of discovery! I’m so glad you found a great mentor in your niche!
Me too! Thanks!
Great tips in your post! I need to spend some time with your link about how to use Pinterest effectively.
Thanks!
Yes! That’s Ashley’s link! Definitely Check it out!
Love hearing about other people’s stories and success! It’s so true blogging is an adventure and you have to keep learning or you won’t grow.
Great post! Great way to help promote other bloggers that inspire you!
Thank you!
RVing sounds like a great adventure!
Awesome! I took the blogging blastoff course too 🙂 it was so helpful
Best Blogging Course out there!
Good encouragement!
Thanks!
Congratulations on your journey and new blog! So glad to know more about you!
Thanks!
Very inspirational! Always good to look up to others especially when starting a new adventure and others have taken similar paths! Keep on writing!
Yes! Great to have some inspiration!
Great advice! Thanks for sharing!
Glad you enjoyed!
Finding the right niche is one of the key factors to a successful blog. Glad you found yours. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks 🙂
Blogging is a journey. Being flexible and continuing to learn are key components.
Yes! 100%
Yes, finding your niche is so important. I started as a lifestyle blogger but found since I have a passion for travel, I should write about that. Now I mostly blog about travel but do add some other things in there as well.
Yes! And sometimes it takes getting started before finding your niche/passion!
Very cool!
I agree with on finding your niche. I started as a travel blogger but my passion quickly turned to addressing issues for folks over 50.
Great encouraging post. I agree with looking at life and finding and creating your thing.
Nice blog about her journey. Glad that it has worked out well for you both and that its something that you enjoy. Thanks.