Karolina Klesta at all times goes after the issues she needs. She knew she needed to journey the world, so when she met her husband, they set off on a 4-year journey.
They began their first on-line enterprise, a journey weblog, in order that they might be digital nomads. It by no means actually took off.
Once they began a household, she began a second journey weblog. However that didn’t deliver the success that she hoped for.
Since she was cooking for her household on a regular basis, she determined to create a meals weblog, Polish Foodies, the place she shares the recipes she prepares and Polish meals tradition. And whereas she’s nonetheless increase her journey blogs, this weblog has actually taken off.
She constructed her enterprise due to her love of consolation, meals, and freedom. And never solely has it led her to publish 10 cookbooks and create and handle a Fb group with 76k+ members, she’s additionally incomes 6 figures a yr.
Maintain studying to seek out out:
- Extra about her 3 blogs
- Why she created her meals weblog
- The place her revenue comes from
- Her methods for rising her weblog shortly
- Her ideas on Fb teams
- Her ideas on search engine optimization
- Her strategy to key phrase analysis and hyperlink constructing
- How she creates content material
- How she grows her e-mail lists
- How a lot time she spends personally on her websites
- Her go-to sources and instruments
- Her major problem
- Her most necessary accomplishment
- Her greatest mistake
- Her recommendation for different entrepreneurs
Meet Karolina Klesta
I used to be born and raised in Poland, Europe.
Ever since I used to be somewhat lady, I’ve dreamt about touring the world, possibly even dwelling overseas. After I met my future husband, we determined to begin our first on-line enterprise that will permit us to develop into digital nomads.
We traveled the world for 4 years full-time, and we began our first weblog, Lazy Travel Blog.
After I obtained pregnant, we settled down in Poland. Though we needed to maintain touring with the youngsters, it’s been simply too exhausting for us to do it full-time.
Whereas in Poland, we began our second weblog, Travel Poland. Throughout the pandemic, when your entire world was closed, we began our third weblog known as Polish Foodies.
I used to be pregnant with my second youngster and I used to be cooking all day, only for enjoyable. I really like cooking and I really like Poland and I actually needed to share it with the world.
To my shock, Polish Foodies turned out to be probably the most profitable of our blogs!
Why She Created Her Meals Weblog
Since I’ve been running a blog for a few years earlier than, I sensed that it was a superb area of interest. The key phrases appeared simple to rank for. I’ve at all times liked cooking so I simply determined to begin sharing my recipes.
I imagine that if you wish to succeed, you must share out of your coronary heart. It’s not nearly making a living, but in addition about bringing actual worth to the world.
I didn’t need to share the identical content material others do; I need to present one thing distinctive.
My second purpose was to create a neighborhood of Poles dwelling overseas. That’s why the weblog is known as the Polish Foodies and never Polish Foodie. I didn’t need it to be targeted on me, however on different folks too!
Our Facebook group presently has 76,000 members which might be sharing their recipes with one another on daily basis. I completely love the truth that I created a spot the place folks can speak to one another, share their household tales, give one another cooking suggestions, and so forth.
The Polish Foodies weblog was based 4 years in the past so it’s nonetheless fairly new.
I can’t wait to see what the longer term will deliver as a result of the numbers are rising like loopy!
How A lot She’s Incomes
This yr, we’ve already hit 6 figures. Polish Foodies obtained accepted to Mediavine in December 2021, so it took 2 years to get there. On common, we’ve 200-300k guests month-to-month.
My major sources of revenue are from advertisements (Mediavine) and promoting my cookbooks (I’ve revealed 10 to date).
As for the cookbooks, I self-publish and use Print on Demand on Amazon. That signifies that I design your entire cookbook in Canva after which I add it to Amazon. Additionally they deal with the delivery for me.
In the case of content material, I embody the identical recipes within the cookbooks that I’ve on the weblog. I’m 100% clear with that. If you’d like free recipes, you may get them on the weblog.
If you’d like all of them collectively in an exquisite cookbook, you should buy it from me!
I additionally make some cash from working with manufacturers, and I earn affiliate commissions.
The technique that helped me speed up progress is publishing high quality content material as usually as potential.
I revealed 5 occasions per week firstly.
It’s additionally necessary to have interaction together with your readers. I learn and reply to each single e-mail I get. I love these folks. They’re so superb. I cry with them when they’re sick or they miss their Polish households. I rejoice with them when they’re visiting Poland.
I really feel like we’re only one huge household.
The Polish Foodies neighborhood is so supportive. I be taught as a lot from them as they do from me. I really feel like I’m performing like a bridge between Poland, the land of their ancestors, and their present houses.
Lazy Journey Weblog can also be on Mediavine, I’m presently engaged on including my third website, Journey Poland, to Mediavine too! I hope to reach the following few months. That can make my earnings extra steady.
I earn about $300-$400 month-to-month with Mediavine from Lazy Journey Weblog. Journey Poland is just not incomes but.
Polish Foodies will get the very best site visitors in wintertime. It’s additionally after I promote the very best variety of cookbooks. We’ve Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Fats Thursday (the Polish model of Fats Tuesday), and Easter.
In the summertime, the quantity normally goes down, so I hope that the earnings from Journey Poland will steadiness that out.
Her Prime Advertising and marketing Technique
My greatest technique is Facebook groups. Sharing high quality content material on related teams brings excessive site visitors to the weblog and enhances my authority as an professional.
The secrets and techniques to increase my group are high quality content material and a superb area of interest.
I felt like I wanted a platform to speak with my readers. I began a bunch and added a widget on the weblog, the place I invited folks to hitch. I additionally invited folks from my mailing record.
Since I used to be sharing actually fascinating content material, folks had been becoming a member of and alluring their associates. All of it got here naturally.
I additionally really feel it was (and nonetheless is!) a superb time to begin a bunch as a result of Fb’s algorithm is selling it. Perhaps it can change sooner or later.
I’m an energetic member of most likely all Polish meals Fb teams.
Karolina’s Ideas on search engine optimization
I’ve been focusing solely on search engine optimization since I began the Polish Foodies. Proper now, I’ve over 400 recipes on the weblog, so I simply share what’s distinctive.
That being stated, I had no thought after I began to find out about search engine optimization as a result of it was all so pure for me.
I began my first weblog 12 years in the past, the place folks didn’t actually speak that a lot about search engine optimization. I needed to know the best way to attain my readers, so I used to be looking for methods to do it.
I had no cash to speculate, so natural site visitors was my solely selection. I watched YouTube movies about it, talked with fellow bloggers on Fb teams, and browse ebooks.
Key phrase Analysis
I take advantage of KeySearch for analysis.
It’s simply to have a basic thought of what to jot down about and what individuals are looking for. I finished caring about together with sufficient key phrases inside a textual content a very long time in the past.
I simply need the article/recipe to be high-quality and simple to navigate.
It’s totally different with new blogs.
As I discussed earlier than, I’m presently engaged on getting Journey Poland on Mediavine, and KeySearch is de facto useful for that.
I write utilizing key phrases which have a rating of 30 or much less in KeySearch. Ideally, it’s lower than 20, however these sorts of key phrases should not that simple to seek out.
Hyperlink Constructing
I don’t assume hyperlink constructing is necessary. I’ve targeted on link building up to now and I believe it’s a waste of time.
For my part, all that issues is exclusive and high quality content material. Individuals will hyperlink to that anyway.
Her Content material Creation Course of
I share the recipes that I prepare dinner for my household, and I additionally hearken to my readers and publish recipes they ask me for.
I presently have 401 articles on the Polish Foodies weblog and 10 ready to be revealed. They’re already scheduled, so I’ve the content material deliberate for the following 2 months.
I discover it very comforting to work with the editorial calendar as a result of I by no means know what’s going to occur in my private life. If I get sick or my children get sick, I can at all times concentrate on that as a substitute of worrying about what to publish on the weblog.
I imagine it’s necessary to be in line with publishing new content material. It’s simple to plan 1 submit each week. That makes about 50 new posts per yr! Writing 50 new posts in a single go is just not that simple.
I don’t know what number of articles I presently have on Lazy Journey Weblog as a result of I finished engaged on this weblog a couple of years in the past. I simply imagine that the competitors within the journey business is simply too excessive. This weblog has no area of interest and I wrestle to seek out one.
In the case of Journey Poland, I presently have 130 posts on this weblog.
Her Electronic mail Listing
I do have e-mail lists and I believe it’s crucial to have one as a result of it makes you unbiased from huge websites like Google, Fb, and so forth.
I take advantage of my Fb group and weblog to develop my mailing record. I’ve virtually 30k folks on the record proper now.
I take advantage of Sendy for sending emails and Stripo to construct them. I ship about 3 emails per week.
My tip for rising a mailing record is to ask on your readers’ e-mail addresses anytime it’s potential whereas not being annoying.
How A lot Time She Works on Her Websites
It’s totally different each week!
I suppose I’d say it’s about 6 hours a day, 5 days per week. It’s necessary to say that I work on rising my enterprise as a result of it’s virtually totally automated. I don’t need to work in any respect.
I take advantage of Buffer to schedule social media posts, and Group Results in mechanically settle for group members on Fb and add them to my mailing record.
I’ve 3 freelancers that work with me each day. Considered one of them is dealing with the cookbook orders and the opposite two are creating content material.
My job is to test freelancers’ work and reply to my readers’ emails. I simply can’t outsource it; I really like my readers an excessive amount of.
My husband can also be working with me on the Polish Foodies. He’s a tech man that handles all the methods and automation.
Talking of my husband, Pat—I couldn’t have performed it with out him!
We’re a workforce; we assist one another each step of the best way. We constructed all of it collectively. My children are additionally part of the Polish Foodies workforce. They’re a giant a part of our YouTube channel!
Her Favourite Sources
I imagine it’s necessary to discover the books and podcasts inside your area of interest. For me, these are cookbooks and culinary workshops.
In the case of running a blog on the whole, I just like the work of fellow journey blogger, Sharon Gourlay from Digital Nomad Wannabe. I discover Mediavine’s weblog useful as properly.
Her Go-To Instruments
My first device is Google Spreadsheets. I’ve an editorial calendar for every of my blogs. It makes it simpler for me to recollect the whole lot.
After I publish a weblog submit, I’ve a guidelines of what I ought to do subsequent (publish on Fb and Instagram, add inner hyperlinks, and so forth.).
The second device I take advantage of is Maintain. That’s a function of Gmail. I create notes and checklists there. I don’t wish to have something in my head, so each time I consider one thing, both private or business-related, I merely write it down.
Final however not least is our inner CRM which I take advantage of to outsource duties to the freelancers. Each time I add a brand new job for them, they get notified by e-mail. Once they’re performed, I get an e-mail too, which makes your entire working course of simpler.
I can see what they’re presently engaged on, what duties are already paid for, and what I must pay sooner or later.
Her Largest Problem
This can be stunning, however proudly owning my success. I really like constructing the whole lot from scratch and that’s what provides me my energy.
When the whole lot is working properly and I’m incomes sufficient cash to easily chill out, I have a tendency to fret that one thing unhealthy will occur. In my thoughts, I’m pondering of the worst situation and the way I can keep away from it.
That’s my greatest problem! To discover ways to cease my mind from scaring me. To this point, I found that meditating and specializing in the following initiatives are what maintain me relaxed and stuffed with optimistic vitality.
Her Most Vital Accomplishment
That may be totally automating my enterprise. I do know that I’ll earn sufficient cash to make a superb dwelling, irrespective of if I work or not.
I nonetheless must handle some issues, nevertheless it’s as much as me when I’ll do it.
The minimal time I must spend on my enterprise is kind of 4 hours a month.
All 3 blogs are automated however my major supply of revenue is from Polish Foodies. I don’t assume that Lazy Journey Weblog might be grown, or no less than I really feel like doing it.
Journey Poland continues to be new.
First, folks couldn’t journey due to the worldwide pandemic. Then the warfare in Ukraine began. Since Poland borders Ukraine, many vacationers are nonetheless apprehensive that visiting Poland is harmful (it isn’t).
So it’s a gradual course of, however I hope that subsequent yr this weblog will get way more site visitors.
What She Needs She Knew When She Began
Discovering a superb area of interest is a very powerful issue to succeed. I spent an excessive amount of time engaged on my journey weblog and attempting to compete with huge web sites corresponding to TripAdvisor.
It’s higher to jot down about one thing for which there’s little or no data on-line.
I attempted to develop my travel blog for a few years. With Polish Foodies, the success got here in a short time.
Her Major Mistake
Nothing involves my thoughts as a result of I imagine all errors are a part of the educational course of.
I believe I may have outsourced all of the duties earlier and targeted on rising my enterprise as a substitute of taking good care of on a regular basis duties.
I began outsourcing after I began incomes cash. I couldn’t have grown it like that alone. At first, I outsourced the easy duties, like designing one thing in Canva. Proper now I outsource virtually the whole lot.
As for hiring folks, I discover them in Fb teams and thru suggestions. I’ve been working with my 3 freelancers for greater than a yr now.
Her Recommendation for Different Entrepreneurs
Do it! There are nonetheless so many niches which might be value exploring!
Maintain shifting ahead and be affected person. It takes a while earlier than you will note your numbers develop.
The reward on your persistence shall be freedom and monetary independence. Take into consideration this yr (or two) once you don’t earn as if it had been a check. The Universe is testing your persistence to test whether or not you really should reside the lifetime of your desires.
Don’t quit and you’ll get there. It’s really superb to really feel like you’re retired when you find yourself nonetheless younger.
