I started blogging in 2014 October (I have a blog birthday coming up).
I knew nothing .I had heard about blogs and blogging for the first time.
I wanted to spread the message of health wellness and earning money as a mompreneur. First two was what I already knew (I am a doctor for the last 10years and a teacher in a medical college ).
But the next one is my online diary.
That’s the mompreneur’s blogging journey.
I love reading and having the patience that motherhood has given , I believed I could do it DIY.
I bought a domain on Godaddy.There’s nothing easier. Try to buy at least for 2/3 years you get a better rate.
I wanted a self hosted blog from the very first.But where to host?
I heard great things about Hostgator India.
Decided to give it a try.I have been with them since.
I have a shared hosting plan. They have not disappointed me till date.Rates are cheap too with great server support.
All this would have meant useless, if
their customer support wasn’t suitable for a DIY .Customer support at hostgator is superb.
their customer support wasn’t suitable for a DIY .Customer support at hostgator is superb.
Any trouble shooting you need, you will get help.
The next part was to learn about content creation and all things blogging.That’s where amylynnandrews.com was the best resource ever.
Her Knowtbook is a live diary which is helping me everyday.
A few days back I was discussing the number one problem I was facing with my blog.
I told my husband the frustration I faced with blog design, free themes and DIY ing how my blog looks.I was seriously considering buying a theme and getting somebody professional look over my site.
Just about then Pat Flynn of Smart Passive Income blog was conducting a survey(I have forgotten the exact question).
It was something like this:
What’s the number one problem I had with my blog.
Seriously answer was blog design !
Like the genius Pat is he found a solution.
A SPI Pro theme designed in collaboration with Studio press .
I was ecstatic. Pressed the “buy now“button with joy .I didn’t even check how it looked.
I knew if it is Pat Flynn, it’s going to be value for money.
Unfortunately I don’t own a credit card (my father had family destroying credit card debt ).I couldn’t buy!
I was devastated. I thought with Pat , there will be net-banking or some unique payment options.
Not finding any, I almost gave up.
Almost .
But I am a mom on a mission.
Persistence is my middle name.
Eureka moment!
Write to Par Flynn .Maybe he will answer.
Maybe he won’t.
Either way nothing to lose.
I really wanted to buy this and wasn’t looking for a freebie.
I thought of all the possible ways I could pay him.
Services :
I am an ENT surgeon.
My hubby’s a Pediatrician.
Difficult ,as we are separated by continents.But anything is possible online.Right?
Plus Pat is big on education.He is building schools (Pencils of promise ).
Maybe when he opened a school in India we could help.????
Amazon gift cards.
Maybe they will have an international EMT set up (I don’t know how that works)
Anything else.
My email was answered by Pat’s assistant Jessica .They were looking into it.
I was happy.But afraid to be too hopeful.
The kind of busy schedule Pat has, its unlikely he has time for answering emails .Let alone find time to brainstorm ideas for credit card less ,wannabe mompreneurs.
But when you really want something. When you pray hard and work towards it.God has a way of making things happen.
This is the email I received from Jessica on 23rd August (I first wrote to Pat on 18th of August ).
This is like Birthday gift and Christmas gift .
I was shocked ,stunned,close to tears.
Unfortunately I had fever and was not really able to do much .But I managed to get my theme up and running.
The best thing about the SPI theme .
It’s responsive,clean,fast loading. Its super easy for a complete novice like me to get up and running.
You will get step by step design updates soon.But this is the basic SPI Pro theme with only a few colour changes.I absolutely love how it looks.
Wishes do come true
Miiracles happen everyday.
Have you checked out the SPI Pro theme?
Comment below and let me know your opinion about Pat’s kindness and how I can take this forward.
Sharing is good Karma!
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Great post on your journey and I do believe Pat was super nice in doing what he did. All the best and keep motivating others and sharing the good in this world.
That’s so amazing, congrats to you. I am learning all by myself how to run and make my blog as well and it’s a lot but I really enjoy it.
This is great. congratulations that is really a birthday blog gift 🙂
Yes it was.Thanks Richa
I wish I had known about this when I was struggling with the theme bit on my blog – very well recorded. And yes isnt the Universe just the mostest awesomest in giving you just what you need and want!
Absolutely. Just have to wish and pray and work hard????
amazing journey
congrats for amazing journey to selfhosted blog inspired will planning to get my soon 🙂
That’s great.Glad you liked this.
Setting up my blog with a Custom Domain and self hosted WordPress was among the best decisions of my life. It also has got me to places that I had earlier thought wouldn’t be possible.
Setting up my site at first was such a headache but it is nice too see your journey.
Thank you for opening up and sharing your journey. This is a great read.
a journey so well weaved in words!
Truly a candid and straight from the heart post 🙂
It is indeed an achievement and liked the honest writeup 🙂
Loved your blogging journey! Really Inspirational
Setting up your site can definitely be tricky!!!! You need to know so much!
Congratulations on your upcoming blogging anniversary. Thank you for sharing your journey.
Thank you for all this info and it is really very helpful :))
Amrita, this was a really cool way of sharing your journey with us. And how kind of Pat!Universe I say is very conspiring in nature. 😉
congrats on the self hosting blog Amrita! all the best for the future too. Your post is really commendable, selfless ad of course impressive!
I dedicated the whole of yesterday designing my blog! Hence, the late comment. I agree that designing and getting a theme is a pain and I am glad Pat came to your rescue. Moreover, it shows the power of communication.
It is wonderful to see that you have selflessly shared your experiences. It says a lot about you as a person. Thank you so much for this informative post. Keep writing.
Thanks so much Mayura.It’s very kind of you .I share so that I can help just like I was helped.That’s the only way to take it forward.You cannot really repay good deeds.You can only try to do another good deed.I really appreciate your words.
It was a delight to read your journey to set up your site.
Thanks Sneha
I was happy to read more about the person behind the blog and your journey from when you began to here. I am so happy that you decided not to give up and that you are persevering. Great job!
Thank you soo much Sheriff. Yes perseverance is my real name????
You know I have always wondered how easy or difficult it is to manage self hosting but seeing that you have been getting good support from the team, I am thinking whether it should move to self hosting. I am sure it opens a whole new world of opportunities for bloggers :D.
Self hosting makes blogging more than just a hobby. It’s a lifestyle and a fun one.
Hey Amrita! Such a wonderful post on how you started your blogging journey! Glad you shared your experience in such a balanced manner ????
Glad you liked it.I was a bit apprehensive to share this at first.But then I thought a good deed needs to be shared????
That’s awesome mam.
Being a doctor, technically you have done awesome thing, being a new to this blogging world you looks like an mentor to me :), and by the way I do like ENT, and post myself mostly in ENT ots 🙂
Thank you sooo much. That’s good that you like ENT OTs. Many anaesthesiologists hate Mastoid surgeries.They would rather give spinals????.The techie part of blogging was a challenge and fun.Happy to help in anyway.Thanks for the encouragement ????
Setting up a theme and running a site involves so many steps. Glad they were providing all the help 😀 Loved reading about your journey.
It’s easier than I feared.Thank God for all the help studiopress provided.
It was doable with total concentration.
Amrita, this was so interesting, reading about your blogging journey and also about Pat’s kind gesture. I believe if you do something whole-heartedly, the universe conspires you to succeed at it! All the very best in your blogging journey.
Yes Pat was very kind.Makes you realize how powerful gestures like these are.Being kind to family and friends is easy.Being kind to strangers need heart.
Thanks for the appreciation. Very grateful ????
This is cool 🙂
Thanks Ruchi
I like designing my own blog too I just don’t know how to do everything I want.
Neither do I .Valerie I was totally clueless.I have GoogleD till my phone shut down or my eyes????
That’s so great that you went for it – and got it! Congrats on your upcoming blog birthday!
Thanks Lois.I hope to do something special for this birthday.????
I haven’t seen this blog theme yet but It sounds fast loading. I need to check it out!
Yes Jasmine do try it out????
I think everyone can design there own blog differently however the way they want it to be. I personally rather have my blog the way I want then pay someone else to do it for me because it’s something orginal you know, but than again if you have the money go right ahead.
You are right .It’s all about what you want.If it makes you happy you do it yourself or you pay someone. Either way it’s about you.Thanks for reading ????
Congrats on your blog birthday! I’m loving the new layout! Keep the great posts coming!
Thanks Lakisha for such kind words.
I’ve been blogging for awhile now too and what I’ve learned is there is always room for growth and change. A blog is like a living thing and has to be “cared for”, I guess. I really like the look you’ve got going!
Thank you so much.You are very kind and you are absolutely right.Anything which you want to grow needs love and care.I love learning and tinkering about my blog.
Starting a blog is tough, and there are so many options out there. The best thing to do is do your research and find options that work best for you.
Yes you are so right.
That’s incredible Pat responded and helped you! Just goes to show that it never hurts to ask for help! Yay!
Thanks Sondra,yes it never hurts to be sincere .Glad you liked this
Yes Pat responded and was sooo kind.Thanks Sondra you got the excitement I felt????
Congratulations on everything. I always say don’t make decisions for people. Let them tell you no. Don’t tell yourself.
That’s an amazing way to put it.Will remember ????Thanks for reading.
What a great story. As I was reading I was worried there was not a happy ending. I am so glad you got it all figured out and they were very responsive to getting everything running for you. Cheers from a fellow blogger.
Thanks so much.I am glad it was a happy ending too.I hate sad stories.
I love reading about your blogging journey and how your persistence has lead to success. I wish you many more years of success
Thank you soo much.I appreciate your wishes deeply.
Glad you were able to find a theme you love! And it’s so wonderful that Pat was able to make it work for you.
Yrs it was very kind of Pat.Thanks for reading Nellwyn
I’m always tweaking my blog design, trying to make it into my own that fits the blog perfectly. I love seeing other people’s journey as well!
Yes blog tweaking is a favourite hobby.Thanks for the appreciation.
Congrats on your birthday! I have been blogging for about the same time and I just moved over to a self hosted site and so far I am loving it!
Yes that’s a good shift.Until you own the land you build on its no fun????
I’m off to take a look at the blog design!
Please do and let me know What you think.
Great blogging journey. Happy early blog birthday! ☺️
Thanks for your kind wishes.
Love this!! Persistence is the key to following our dreams! Love to see someone actively following theirs!
Yes!Persistence is the key to everything I do.You nailed it.When I was reading Think and Get rich by Napolean Hill,he said “Persistence is the most important quality for success”.Thanks for reading
Nice! Congrats dear
Thank you
Your blog really looks great and very professional. Good for you to take this step!
Thank you so much.
So glad that all your hard work is paying off! It is such a gift to be able to do what you love & find success in it!
Thanks Dani.You are very kind.
Hi Amrita, this is such a lovely story of generosity and I know that you will have a successful journey. Thanks for sharing your path with us.
Kathleen
Bloggers Pit Stop
PS I am going to check out Pat Flynn
Thanks Kathleen. The generosity was beyond anything I expected.God teaches us something everyday.
I definitely understand you. I am starting also my blog, well, I started it last July. I am doing everything on my own, and did not know anything about blog before. So I am struggling with everything, it is so frustrating… The blog design, visuals, branding, learn to post, learn social media, promoting your posts, looking for facebooks groups, pinterest, design a good opt-in, analytics… It is a lot of work but I am still learning, hope eventually it get easier.
Hi Let, it will get easier definitely. Don’t forget to check out amylynnandrews.com for easy blogging tips too.And you can always write to me too.????
I’m glad that they were able to help. I checked out the SPI Pro Theme and it looks terrific. Miracles do happen, it’s an amazing feeling when they do.
Thanks Chavonne for checking out the SPI theme. They have done great
I just got started with it.But if already made my blog look better.
I love the information you share. It’s fun reading about your journey.
Thanks Valerie
This is a great journey to blogging, and I’m glad you’ve been persistent! Health/wellness and motherhood are two of my favorite areas in the blogging world ????
Hi Tessa
Thanks for reading. Lovely to know we share common interests.
I love blogging, congrats on your blog birthday(s)! Thank you for sharing your tidbits too!
Thanks for reading.I absolutely love blogging too.
Glad that you got the theme that you loved and all the support from SPI PRO Theme. This theme is neat and soothing to eyes!
Yes Ana its a blessing.
What an amazing story! So happy that the hard work you put in is coming back to you 🙂
Hi Megan,it’s a nice way of putting it.All is after all part of the greater story.Glad you liked this post.
I haven’t seen this blog theme yet! Is this fast loading?
Yes Jasmine it’s responsive fast loading and very easy to customize
It’s lovely to read about your blogging journey.
Thanks Kate.Glad you enjoyed it.
Glad it worked out! Best of luck with future blogging 🙂
Thanks Michelle.
Glad you were able to find a theme you love! And it’s so wonderful that Pat was able to make it work for you.
Yes it was great.Thanks for reading.
Aw that’s really lovely! One thing I’ve learned about the blogging community is how warm and welcoming it is.
It’s so exciting to have a blog birthday coming up soon!
This is an amazing story and really says a lot about what Pat Flynn prioritizes: people!
Absolutely Ivannar. What I really really loved abput this was he understood the problem quickly and solved it without advertising his generosity.
That says a lot about Pat Flynn as a person .
Strengthens your faith in humanity.
No I haven’t seen this blog theme yet. Off to take a look now.
Hi Jemma,the theme is very clean and fast loading.My main interest was in these two criteria.Do have a look and tell me what you think
I always love reading about other people’s blogging journeys. Starting a blog is one of the best decisions I ever made!
Yes its one of my most sudden decisions and a very enjoyable one????
Hey can’t comment some errors so saying here.
Your blog journey is really very good and your efforts worked very well.
Happy to visit your blog
Thanks dixita.Glad you liked it.