Nowadays blogging is such a must do for every business, it sounds insane when you tell someone you don’t blog, especially when you’re trying to run a start-up, sell a product or create a service, let’s not even mention when you’re trying to brand yourself. It’s like saying you haven’t seen the social network.

Anyways, I recently had the opportunity of interviewing the founder of Mscareergirl, Nicole Crimaldi. Mscareergirl is a website whose mission is to empower women through their careers, technology and business.

In our interview she discusses about how she turned her blog into a business, the opportunities, the adventures and possibilities that blogging gives to an individual at no cost, of course you have to buy a domain, build the website or get someone to build it for you or just use of the growing number of blogging platforms available online and of course your time is needed, your dedicated attention like catering to a new born.

Anyways, enough of my rambling, this is what we talked about.

Can you give us some background information about yourself?

I graduated from Miami University (Ohio) with a finance degree (and an entrepreneurship minor!) and spent the first 5 years of my career in commercial banking. Thanks to my blog, I was then recruited to build out the marketing department of a start-up where I helped them create marketing partnerships, managed social media efforts and planned new market launches. I was there only a short time before I was laid off along with a third of the company and now I’m a self-employed marketing consultant and host women’s networking events.

What inspired you to start mscareergirl.com?

I started my blog 3 years ago at age 24 to address the issues young professional women face after college. I had always loved writing and always wanted to be an entrepreneur but didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do. Therefore, I started a blog simply as a “passion project” and as a way to use the creative side of my brain after using my logical side all day at work.

Once I started blogging, it opened up a whole new world for me. I had found something I realy loved doing! I learned as much as I could about social media and internet marketing. I read so many books, took courses at the University of San Francisco, attended workshops and took so many people to coffee who were smarter than me to learn as much as I could. I also did lots of free consulting work to build up my resume.

How important do you think blogging is to one’s business and what opportunity has it added to your professional career?

Blogging has been SO huge for me in so many ways. It led me to a whole new career path, it has given me so many opportunities to network with new people, be featured in the press, and was my saviour when I got laid off.

A lot of people might say it’s too time consuming (Blogging) and they might lose focus on their proper business, how were you been able to combine both your job and the mscareergirl project?

These people are right- it is VERY time consuming! If you aren’t cut out for focusing on blogging and being consistent, then blogging might not be for you. You must make time for your blog if you really want to do it. When I was working a “day job,” I blogged before work (yep this might mean waking up at 5am). Sometimes I would bring my laptop and go to a coffee shop at my lunch break too or do it for hours after work. It’s a time commitment like anything else in life.

How do you keep motivated and focus?

Passion keeps me focused- I love my blog, my readers and the topics I discuss.

How important do you consider networking? A lot of people might understand how networking works but don’t understand how to implement it? Can you give the readers some tips on networking or how you network?

Here’s a few things people are missing the boat on when it comes to networking:

1. It’s about finding commonalities and making a conversation about those things. Note: this doesn’t mean talking about what you do, what you are looking for professionally, or what product you are selling. If people like you and have made a connection with you, those details will come out later. Networking is more about making great conversations and friendships. The business comes once people like you.

2. Social media isn’t a magic bullet for networking… UNLESS, you take it offline. A lot of people say to me, “Ok if I just set up a Twitter account and start a blog, that’s how I”ll get new customers- right?!” WRONG! Use social media to help you meet new people and start up conversations. Then once you’ve built some rapport, send them an email and try to meet for coffee if possible.

How do you decide when it’s time to get quit your job and be your own boss, I guess a lot of people get excited with the prospect of being their own boss rather than the reality of things, what’s your take on this?

I had fantasized about being my own boss for years before it actually happened. It was a very long process and required me to slowly make changes and take risks that would get me closer and closer to my goal. Ultimately, I had to switch industries first, which required taking a big pay and benefits cut. Then once I got laid off, I felt it was the universe’s way of telling me it was time. I was so thankful that I had a blog with an audience who I had never sold anything to. It allowed me to have the credibility and respect I needed to start getting advertising and paid classes/events.

Now that I’m here, I can tell you that it’s fantastic working in my yoga pants all day with my dog at my feet. BUT this lifestyle is also slightly terrifying and can be lonely. You don’t always know where your next dollar is coming from, you don’t have co-workers to collaborate with and you can get in your own head about if what you’re doing is good enough. Being self-employed isn’t for everyone, it’s tough!

What would you consider some of the most important lessons that you’ve learned so far?

Get uncomfortable. Every time I was willing to get uncomfortable, positive changes occurred. There are a few key situations that really gave me the most momentum.

Honestly, it started with just becoming a blogger. I was worried about what people would think about my writing, I wondered if people from high school would be reading my articles, I had NO clue how to use WordPress and then when I had to upgrade to a self-hosted site I was REALLY uncomfortable (and frustrated because I had never seen any of this technology before and had no clue how to use it).

The next time I really got REALLY uncomfortable was leading a 4-hour Social Media 101 workshop. It was my first public speaking gig, and I was soooooo nervous! I left that day realizing that speaking gives me a “high” and I love it. I accepted volunteer speaking gigs for a few years after that and now I’m getting paid to speak! I come alive when I’m speaking and had I not accepted that first workshop, I never would have guessed that about myself.

The next moment of serious discomfort was when I decided to host my first “Ms. Career Girl Connect” event. So many people had been asking me to host an event but I was worried no one would come or that it would be a flop. Finally I decided to do it and 2 weeks before the event I got laid off. I was SO thankful that that event was on the calendar. I got up in front of the 80 women who attended my first event and told them how scary this was for me. I was met with an outpouring of support and a huge sense of accomplishment. I’m now planning our 3rd event and am working with women across the country to bring these events to their cities!

Switching industries from the safe and cushy world of commercial banking was very uncomfortable, as was being laid off and now I am uncomfortable every single day being self-employed.

I think the difference between successful people and average people is their willingness to get uncomfortable. If it’s not uncomfortable then you aren’t growing.

What plans do you have now to expand your mscareergirl.com further?

As for Ms. Career Girl’s expansion, my Ms. Career Girl Connect events and Ladies Launch Pad incubator programs will be slowly brought to new cities across the country in 2012. Both the event and the incubator program are beneficial for women everywhere. After so many women reached out begging me to bring these to their cities, I figured why not give it a try.

Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?

I hope to be a six-figure earning Mom. I own the domain name MsCareerMom.com and could see starting that blog & community. I also see myself writing a book and doing a lot more paid speaking.

What are your hobbies?

I love reading, Italian food and my city (Chicago). My yellow lab Giada is the center of my life and since I’m engaged, wedding planning has become somewhat of a forced hobby lately!

What has been your most memorable moment since starting on your journey?

Being a guest on Oprah’s XM radio channel was a huge honor for me as I’ve always admired Oprah and loved her XM station. It was also cool to see myself quoted in a front-page Chicago RedEye story, get flown across the country to speak at a conference and also to be offered to write 2 books.

What advice can you give to anyone reading this interview, looking for some kind of inspiration or someone thinking of starting a part-time project while working?

Do it! No job or industry is 100% secure. Everyone should have a passion project or a “side hustle” in case something doesn’t go as planned. If you don’t know what you want to do yet, then devote time to figuring it out by testing new things every few weeks. Life without a passion or something that is yours to grow just isn’t the same. The rewards are not always financial, but they do so much for you as a person. Make time for this side project and I’m sure you’ll see that the rewards are huge.

Thanks for your time Nicole.

Ever think of taking time off your regular routine life, quitting that 9-5 job that constantly restricts you from living life or are you just looking for something more out of life.
Thinking of living your life uncoventionally. Check out my interview with Stephanie Yoder.

Hi Stephanie, How are you doing today?

I’m doing quite well! At the moment I’m on a plane from Hong Kong to Xi’an, China. Hoping I can knock out these questions before the plane starts landing!

Quickly give us some background information on what you were doing before travelling?

Before I left on this trip in September 2010, I spent two years working for a medical association, basically boring cubicle work. I already knew I wanted to travel but I didn’t have the means, so I spent that time living at home, saving my money and building my blogging business in my spare time.

Where are you currently and what are you doing?

After 7 straight months of travel I’m resting my feet in Xi’an, China. I was growing weary of constantly moving about and wanted to stay in one place for a little while and concentrate on my various projects. My boyfriend is teaching English in Xi’an, so it seemed like a good place to crash. Plus, I adore Chinese food!

What has been the most adventurous thing you have done on your travels?

It’s hard to pick a most daring thing! Flying a glider (engineless plane) in Suffolk, England was pretty crazy though. I still want to sky dive, but for some reason I have a paraylizing fear of scuba diving.

Why did you decide to travel? When did you catch the travel bug?

When I was in college I studied abroad in London and got my first real taste of travelling. When I graduated in 2007 I had no idea what I wanted to do career-wise so I figured I might as well see some of the world while I sorted things out. I knew I wasn’t done with Europe, so I headed back for another 9 months. The funny thing about travel though is the more places you go the more severe the addiction gets. Now I think I’ll probably need two or three lifetimes to visit all the places I’d like to see!

Tell us about your travel blog(20-Something Travel) and it’s purpose?

I think that, in America at least, we are conditioned to follow a set path in life: go to school, get a job, work hard and THEN, maybe if you do it well enough, you can travel when you retire. I think that’s stupid. Life is short, there are no guarantees and you should do the things you find fulfilling now, not later.

I started my blog specifically to encourage young people to travel. I think that your twenties are an ideal time for seeing the world. I aim both to provide inspiriation and to lead by example, showing people that it is in fact very do-able.

What would you say was the most challenging part of getting to where you are now?

I think that the hardest part of any big life change is trusting yourself enough to take that mental leap between wanting to do something and actually planning to do it. The day I bought my plane ticket to Japan my hands were shaking, but the rush was incredible.

Favorite tech gadget you take travelling with you?

I’m not a super high tech kind of girl, but I can’t imagine travelling without my Asus EEE netbook. It’s pretty light and compact but it’s the perfect tool for writing and running my business on the road. Even if I wasn’t a blogger I’d still love it for skyping home and watching movies on long bus rides.

Where have you traveled to so far?

Eeek, long list! Since graduating in 2007 I have been lucky enough to explore large swathes of the United States, the UK, Europe, East Asia, and Australia. Hopefully this fall I’ll be heading to Latin America.

What did you want to be as a kid growing up?

A writer actually! My mom is a novelist and as a kid I always dreamed of doing the same. I love that I get to write about travel now, but it’s still my dream to publish a novel someday.

How do you handle the negative judgments of people who think your lifestyle is lazy, irresponsible, or you’re not living in the real world?

I feel sad that they are so uncomfortable in their own life that they feel the need to comment on mine. I know that comes perilously close to saying “they’re just jealous,” but the truth is, if you are content with yourself you do not need to tear others down. Live and let live, that’s my philosophy.

I pay taxes, I travel ethically and I work hard for everything I have- no trust fund supporting me! Those people are wrong, plain and simple, so I try not to let it bother me.

Favorite International Food?

Tough, tough question. I’m a huge fan of Chinese food, Vietnamese food, Italian, Thai, I could go on and on… I love food, for me it’s one of the best things about travel.

Favourte place visited and why?

I loved Bosnia & Herzigovinia, its a beautiful country full of rich and sometimes heartbreaking history. Iceland has weird and amazing natural beauty like nowhere else on earth. And Vietnam and Cambodia have some of the most friendly people. It’s hard to pick a favorite!

What would you say has been your most valuable lessons learnt on your journey so far?

I touched on this before, but I think one of the greatest things I’ve learned, and am still learning, is the freedom that comes from not caring what other people think. It’s a lot easier said than done of course. No matter what you do, somebody is going to have an opinion on it, but it’s about following your own inner compass. In the end the only person you have to answer to is yourself.

What advice can you give to people who want to break out of the 9-5 lifestyle but are scared?

It’s okay to be scared, in fact it’s normal. If you weren’t scared that would be weird. The big challenge is in being scared and doing something anyways. Yes, changing your life dramatically is a risk, but in my mind at least it’s less of a risk than knowingly committing yourself to being safe, unhappy and always wondering what could have been.

Don’t forget to keep updated on her journey and stories around the world: http://twenty-somethingtravel.com/
Follow her on twitter: http://twitter.com/20sTravel

If you are currently up to date with the Blogosphere world, You would probably notice she currently has one of the most talked about book on the internet right now.

Jenny Blake is the life coach, blogger, yoga teacher, and now the author of Life After College: The Complete Guide To Getting What You Want. I decided to do a quick interview with her to see whay this hype was all about.

Hi Jenny, First of all, Congrats about the launch of your book, You’re all over the internet, How are you doing today?

Doing great! I’m answering this on launch day – which has been incredibly exciting. I’m beyond grateful for all of the suppor the book has received so far — blown away.

To those who don’t know much about you, Can you give us some background information about yourself?

Sure! I am a life coach, blogger, yoga teacher, and now author I wrote this book while working at Google full time. Most recently I was a Career Development Program Manager and internal coach — now I’m on a 3 month sabbatical so that I can focus on promoting the book. Prior to Google, I took a leave of absence from UCLA at the start of my junior year to help start a company with one of my college professors.

The experience of leaving school before my friends (and reading over 200 personal development books on things like money, happiness, organization and time-management) inspired me to start my blog, LifeAfterCollege.org that is now a book.

How has the experience being so far, What opportunities has it brought you?

It’s been incredible. Don’t get me wrong — I’ve had lots of stressful moments too – times where I was ready to give up, or where I thought the whole thing would fall apart. But pushing through those taught me the power of perseverance. I have learned so much about myself through this journey – and it’s crazy to see it all wrapped up in one 6×9 package that I can now share with the world.

Let’s talk about your book: Life After College: The Complete Guide To Getting What You Want, What is it all about?

Life After College is a compilation of tips, quotes and exercises, divided into chapters for every major life area. Chapter categories include life (values, goals), work, money, organization, home, friends & family, dating & relationships, health, fun & relaxation, and personal growth. The idea is not to provide nuts and bolts so much as big picture inspiration to help people dream big and go after what they really want.

What would you say makes this book different and effective than maybe other development and coaching books for young professionals?

This book is very punchy and straightforward — I really tried to cut out all of the narrative that lots of other books seem to have. I wrote this for the ADD generation — the format is tips, quotes, coaching exercises and recommended books for every area of someone’s life.

People can open the book to any page and hopefully find something useful. I also think the coaching exercises will really help people create their own vision for their lives — that’s the part I’m most excited about.

Not everyone understands how much discipline it takes to finish a book, so i wanted to know what are some of the things you did to add structure and discipline in completing the book? How has the journey been so far?

It really helped to take two weeks off work when I started — it was during the Christmas holiday so it wasn’t a big deal. That allowed me to really focus for multiple days in a row. You’re absolutely right — it takes a lot of discipline, but it was all worth it.

Other things that helped were finding friends who also wanted to hang out and work on creative projects at the same time. It helped me feel less isolated and gave me someone to bounce ideas off of when I got stuck.

You’re also putting together a book tour, when will that be happening?

The book tour is self-funded and self-planned (the publisher doesn’t really help with that), so I will be mostly going to places where I have large pockets of friends and readers. I’ll be headed to 14 cities total, including New York, Boston, Maine, Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, Los Vegas and even London! You can see the full schedule here.

What tips could you give readers especially those that are on the verge of finishing school?

Set aside one hour each week (either alone or with friends) to do some big picture visioning – what is most
important to you? What three goals do you want to reach for in the coming year? Oftentimes we get so bogged down in our daily lives that we lose perspective on what really matters to us.

I would also say trust your gut — learn to listen to your instincts and it will help you find people and opportunities that are a great fit.

Where can we purchase a copy of the book?

Thanks for asking! You can purchase a copy on Amazon (http://amzn.to/jennyblake) or at a bookstore near you. You can also learn more about the book on my book website (http://LACBook.com) and on my blog (http://LifeAfterCollege.org). Thanks so much for the great interview!

Chloe Spencer, 19, started a blog aged 14. This blog was a Neopets, a Nickelodeon owned game, fan site. The site has been extremely popular and on some pages she can boast over 5,000 comments. She monetizes the site through Google Adsense, taking advantage of her 1st page Google rankings and thousands of daily traffic.

Having grown out of Neopets she hires bloggers to contribute on her site. She is passively earning a five figure sum. Literally earning as she sleeps.

Starting the site in 2006 at the age of 14, she took her hobby and put it online. Once the web-savvy teen monetised the site she was earning thousands of dollars each and every month.

The teenager is a keen blogger on many other sites and is in the process of starting her own fashion blog. She is also a keen promoter of entrepreneurship as a career choice for the next generation.

The teen from Michigan, still has career aspirations of being a nurse, and on the side actress and/or supermodel.

She became interested in web design after her dad gave her a tutorial on Adsense a couple years prior. Her dad who made thousands through Adsense gave her the inspiration to do the same. She realised that Neopets a virtual pet game had thousands of fans and so a fan site can attract a lot of traffic, increasing the potential income she could receive through displaying Google ads.

She had this to say “It’s amazing how success just hits you, especially when you’re least expecting it. I’m so thankful for my dad who helped me up the first few steps of being a young entrepreneur, and for all the wonderful opportunities I’ve had in my life.”

Follow me on Twitter here.

Hey Guys, Check out this interview with Jonathan mead, an entrepreneur, a writer, a coach, martial artist and the founder of the amazing blog illuminated mind.

Hope you enjoy the interview.

Hey Jonathan, how are you doing?

I’m doing good, thanks for asking. And thanks for having me here.

Can you give us some quick background information about yourself, what you do now?

Sure. I’m a writer, entrepreneur, coach and a martial artist. I’m most interested in helping other people break free from limiting structures to help them live on their own terms.

How did you start blogging and start Illuminated Mind, what inspired you?

What first inspired me was finding a way to give back to the self development community. I felt like I had benefited so much and wanted to find a way that I could contribute and share the knowledge that I had gained.

As time went on, my motivation shifted a bit. I saw that a certain group of people weren’t being targeted or spoken to very much when it came to self development; people that were off the beaten path, that questioned authority, and the structures society has created to limit us. I came from a similar background, so I wanted to see if I could speak more directly to that audience, and that’s how I wound up where I am today.

How have you been able to grow your blog? Creating awareness and getting quality readers?

I try as best as I can to be remarkable, to not do what everyone else is doing. I don’t want to compete with everyone by trying to do the same things they’re doing better. I want to do something totally different so that competition is obsolete.

How much time do you spend for your blog?

Since my blog is my business I spend a lot of time on it. Since I’m self-employed, the amount of time varies a lot week-by-week. It could be 15 hours one week and 50 hours the next. It really depends.

What books would you suggest reading for anyone interested in the topics you blog about?

One City — Ethan Nichtern
Hardcore Zen — Brad Warner
Walden — Henry David Thoreau
The Four Agreements — Don Miguel Ruiz

From which people have you learned the most or which people are kind of role models for you?

I’ve learned from anyone that follows their heart and lives deliberately; anyone who sets out to be excellent, or genuinely wants to serve others.

What are your main sources of inspiration for your articles?

Living and experience. I get most of my inspiration from just doing and trying different things. A lot of it comes from lessons that I’ve learned or shifts in my thinking that have made a big difference in my life.

Tell me about your book “Reclaim Your Dreams: An Uncommon Guide to Living on Your Own Terms.” What inspired you to write it?

A lot of people want to follow their dreams, but they don’t think that their dreams are practical. There seems to be a battle of head vs. heart, and for some reason the head always wins. People end up old and in regret that they didn’t follow their heart. No one lays on their deathbed wishing they were more productive or practical. They always wish they did the things that called to their heart.

I personally had the same issue. I had dreams of being self employed, being a writer, a martial artist and other things. But my mind told me that they weren’t practical. That I would fail, that I didn’t deserve it, and a whole host of other obsolete and unimportant reasons.

My goal was to create a road map out of that limiting pattern of living, and find a way not to dethrone the mind and crown the heart, but to integrate them and let them rule together. So that’s what Reclaim Your Dreams is. It’s a guide to helping you make peace between heart and mind and find a way to actually make your dreams a reality; to let them take root in the world.

How can someone get it right with self-education? I see a lot of people that read a lot of self help books that end up all confused.

Maybe it’s a lack of critical thinking. To be honest, I’m not sure. I think some people read self-help book after self-help book because they want to find that magical hidden answer that will make everything work automatically, with no effort on their part. They’re always looking for a better strategy. But the perfect strategy doesn’t exist. The perfect strategy is practice.

You went through a period of addiction; how were you able to come out of that?

I got tired of trying to find happiness somewhere outside of myself. I had to go through that in order to really understand that you can only find happiness within yourself. You can’t get in it a pill, a drug, material things, or passive entertainment. It has to be something you decide deliberately.

What areas of your life have most improved since you started this journey?

Every area, honestly. I no longer see the different areas of my life as separate or distinct. Any time one area of my life improves, so do the others. The more I move toward integration, the more this becomes true for me.

What Motivates You? What inspires you?

Being excellent and the desire to express my fullest potential motivates me the most. A lot of things inspire me, especially people that have followed their dreams and have reached their potential. That could be anyone from a great basketball player to an amazing drummer to an incredible martial artist.

Do you have a goal of how many books you must read in a month?

I used to have goals like that, but I found them to be very unmeaningful to me. The more I place quotas and quantify my goals, the less motivated I become. Instead, I try to focus on meaning before measurement.
I generally read at least two or three books a month, though, sometimes more.

How has networking online and offline helped you or your business? How essential do you think it is?

I’m not big on the word “networking;” I prefer to call it building relationships. And I think it’s absolutely essential. I know some people that have built their businesses simply on referrals and relationships. It’s huge, and something I think most beginners neglect.

Something that has been me bugging for a while is balance. How do you keep balance and maintain focus? It’s so easy to get carried away.

This is another one of those things that I used to find highly important, and now don’t pay much attention to it. I’ve made a conscious effort to create a life where balance is irrelevant.

Since my work, life, relationships, and interests are all interrelated, I don’t have to try to balance them. I think balance is overrated. Instead of trying to find balance, I say create a life where balance isn’t necessary. Create a life where no part of your life conflicts with the other.

What was that one thing that kept you going when things weren’t going your way?

Hunger. If you’re not consumed by a deep hunger or passion, it’s easy to let things that don’t go your way deter you. But if you’ve committed yourself 100% to your pursuit, nothing can get in your way.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I’m not too sure. I tend not to plan more than six months in advance. Planning further than that adds a level of rigidity to my life that stifles me. I also don’t think it’s really possible to plan that far. Things will come up that you’re not able to predict. I’d rather be like water, flexible and ready to follow whatever course is presented to me.

Thanks for your time Jonathan

Thanks, it was my pleasure.

Make sure you check out His blog and leave a comment and don’t forget also to follow him on twitter.

Check out this interview with Carlos Miceli, A Blogger @Owlsparks and Co-founder and Content Director @Untemplater, You should check out both Websites as they have amazing contents, i remember i once read through those sites for days whilst leaving their websites opened on my browser.

Hope you enjoy the interview.

Hey Carlos, how you doing?

I’m doing great, thank you for asking.

Can you quickly give us some quick background information, what you do?

I’m co-founder and Content Director of Untemplater, the guide to shatter the template lifestyle, and I’m the blogger behind OwlSparks, where I talk about a variety of topics like philosophy, marketing and education, to name a few.

How did Untemplater come about? What inspired you to start it?

It’s interesting that you ask this, because we always have the same talk with the team. We are not quite sure to be honest! I think our CEO Jun Loayza wrote a post one day on his blog about the possibility of many smart and capable Gen Y bloggers teaming up, and it just got a lot of us excited with the possibility. It kind of snowballed after that, everyone started pitching ideas, and before we knew it, we were already having meetings.

What is the main aim for starting, what are you trying to achieve?

The aim of the site is to help people realize that there’s more than one path in life. We are not trying to force any mindset into anyone, we just want to show how so many people are living unconventional and happy lives. And we want people to know that we as founders are also going through the hardships of choosing an unconventional lifestyle, that we are fighting and learning everyday just like them.
Of course, since this is a company and we put a lot of time into it, making some money wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world!

What is an average workday like for you?

I try to wake up early (although sometimes I fail because I stayed up working late), have a strong breakfast, then gym, lunch, shower, nap, and THEN I work. I also try to do offline networking as much as possible, so I go out at night often.
If I need to get a lot done, I work during night time. I’m very productive when everyone’s sleeping.

What are the most crucial things you have done to grow your business?

Spreading the word in our networks was possible the best thing we did. We are six mildly-popular bloggers, so when we each announced the project, our networks helped us a lot, word of mouth has been wonderful so far.

Also, having a free manifesto when we launched was a great move, kudos to our CMO Cody McKibben for coming up with the idea.

What plans do you have now to expand the site further?

So many! Live shows, Q&A features, Video Experts, giveaways, to name a few.

How do you market and create awareness for your website? What has been your most effective marketing tactic or technique?

This would be a better question for the other guys, honestly. I trust their marketing knowledge so much that I try not to get in the way. But like I said before, word of mouth thanks to our networks has worked wonders. Also, letting people submit articles has been a wonderful idea, courtesy of Adam Baker, our COO.

What advice can you give to anyone trying to create or grow their presence online?

Give it time. Impatience will destroy you. Some people would say that self-promotion is also a big move, but I’m not so sure about that. The most important thing is not to get too anxious and to be genuine.
Also, do your best when it comes to content. Not everyone can create truly amazing stuff, but everyone should TRY. Don’t settle.

What are your expectations for the future with Untemplater?

Personally, I have very high expectations, but it’s hard to define them in a concrete way. I want to focus in the near future in perfecting the systems and in getting everything running smoothly. We’ll see where we go after that.

How do you manage your time?

I focus on 3 to 5 things that I have to do each day. Once I’m done with that, I relax and analyze if I’m going to do something more long term focused, or if I’m just going to kick back and watch some House.

What other projects are you working on?

A personal manifesto and an ebook.

What do you think has been key for you in building your brand and business online?

Working very hard to create original content, my writing style, and my focus on building a limited number of very strong relationships.

What is the worst experience you’ve had as an entrepreneur?

You live it daily, and it’s the uncertainty. But it’s something you learn to accept and power through.

What are the biggest challenges you faced starting up and how did you overcome them?

I was at a corporate job at the time, so balancing my job, the company, my side projects and my social life was hard. I overcame them sleeping less for a relatively long period of my life!
Looking back, I have no regrets.

Who are your role models?

Famous role models? I don’t have any, except maybe Adam Carolla for the simple reason that he stands up for what he believes. I want to be that person, someone who is willing to choose failure before losing his integrity.

Online, people like Holly Hoffman, Jun Loayza, Andrew Norcross and Colin Wright are wise people and friends who push me to work harder every day.

What are your top 5 websites you visit for inspiration?

- Ben Casnocha: The Blog
- Sex, Drugs and Boredom
- Overcoming Bias
- Big Think
- And Untemplater of course!

Thanks for your time Carlos

Thank you very much for interviewing me, it was a pleasure!

I had to do an interview with Grace Boyle, A blogger that writes at smallhandsbigideas, also wanted to introduce her to you guys, I really like what she writes about on her blog, shes talks about career, relationship and inspiration, Anyways i dont want to tell you everything about her, when you could just go on her blog and read the interview below.

Enjoy this quick interview i did with her. She talks about internet, blogging and social media

Hey Grace, how you doing? Thanks for sharing some of your time with me on YHP

Thanks for thinking of me! I’m happy to be talking with the YHP team.

Can you give us some background information about yourself?

I’m 24 years-old, grew up in Iowa, went to college in Vermont and after graduating with my B.S. in Public Relations I decided to move to Boulder (without a job, friends or place to live). I’m still living in beautiful Boulder working at the online, tech startup, Lijit as their Publisher Services Manager. I love my Italian family, traveling, food, connecting with people, wine, writing, snowboarding and laughter.

So how did you get in blogging and social media?

I got into blogging and social media when I was college. In college I had such great professors who understood the relevance of social media and blogging. Projects we had included using Twitter, creating blogs for client projects and running e-mail marketing campaigns. Finally, the multitude of internships I completed in college helped me learn online social media in the professional world. This early educational foundation has been imperative to my interest and subsequent career in the online world.

What do you like the most about the internet, blogging and social media?

The infinite, meaningful, and real connections it can create.

What inspires you? What inspires your posts?

I am inspired by the little things – eye contact, reconnecting with an old friend, sharing a bottle of wine with friends, a musicians riff, climbing a mountain, collaborating with intelligent people, learning something new, holding the door for a stranger and exchanging a smile, and deep, belly laughter. Even pain inspires me, because there’s so much to be felt and learned.

My favorite posts come from these simple, real-life experiences, that undoubtedly, others can relate to.

What are the most crucial things you have done and think most bloggers should be doing to grow their blogs?

I think blogging is largely about the community you create and the connections you (perpetually) make. I compare it to a cocktail party. No one likes it when there’s that one person who talks just about themselves and doesn’t care to listen.

When I started my blog, I was sure to use my voice and style, but I also turned to other bloggers to learn the ropes and find inspiration. This collaboration, talking with other bloggers, having someone to turn to with a question or bounce an idea off each other and listening to your readers are an integral part to blogging.

Finally, in the words of Steve Jobs, I tell bloggers to “stay hungry, stay foolish.”

How do you manage your time?

Oh good question. Sometimes I even need to ask myself this!

A few things: I use my Outlook calendar and a daily planner (I like to write things down still, call me old fashioned) to visually view what my week looks like, I make sure to schedule time to myself so I can stay centered and I also learn to say “no” because I can’t do everything (even though I often think I can).

How do you promote/advertise your work?

I don’t heavily focus on this aspect of blogging although I do have a degree and background in public relations.

I use Twitter and Facebook to publicly promote my blog posts. That’s about it. I think there’s a time and a place for self-promotion – I also believe that for my own blog, people will come because they like me (or don’t) and because of the content I’m creating.

What is your favourite online tool?

I really enjoy Twitter. It’s concise, easy, powerful and has created some of the most rewarding professional and personal relationships in my life.

If the internet never existed, what would you be doing?

My job is based on the Internet, but there are many things that I still do that doesn’t involve the Internet (a necessary part of my life, actually). Professionally though, I would be traveling the world, become a professional food taster and maybe have my own travel show sharing all my worldwide cultural secrets.

Who are your role models? Who are the people that inspire you online?

My parents are my role models. They’re both entrepreneurs, have started companies from the ground up, are compassionate, respectable and still make me laugh.

Online: I am inspired by Rebecca Thorman (http://www.modite.com) as she is one of the first bloggers I started reading. Her writing is elegant, witty and intelligent.

What are your favourite websites?

I have an eclectic taste and I work online so these are some of my favorite sites to visit they make me laugh, think and are intriguing: http://weburbanist.com/, http://chelseatalkssmack.blogspot.com/, http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/, http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/blog/, http://www.creativeclass.com/, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/, http://livethecharmedlife.com/, http://caitlinmccabe.com/ and http://failblog.org/.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years?

It’s interesting because I have a lot of aspirations and I would consider myself motivated, but currently, my life is very moment to moment. I’m learning, loving, laughing and thoroughly enjoy working at a startup. I also know that life is filled with surprises, so I could list off what I see for myself in the future, but right now, I’m excited to see what it has in store.

I will say that in 5 to 10 years I hope to continue to work hard, play hard and love hard.

Thanks for spending time to do this interview with us.

Thanks for having me here. I’m easily reached by email (gracekboyle at gmail dot com), Twitter or feel free to stop by my blog and say hello.

Rosemary Port, a blogger who called model Liskula Cohen a “skank” and a “ho” on her ‘Skanks in NYC’ website has threatened to sue Google.

Port is angry that Google revealed her identity – the site was run anonymously – and wants to file a $15m (around £9.1m) lawsuit against the company.

However, Google only revealed Port’s identity after receiving a court order when Cohen took legal action after being made aware of the slurs.

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