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Four Very Important Things I Learned at BlogPodium

CONNECTION. CONVERSATION. COLLABORATION. BlogPodium is conference series that brings design & lifestyle bloggers, marketers, and the design community together.

Welcome-BlogPodium-Conference

The day honestly went by as quickly as it came. Between the rush of set-up the night before and the inspiring closing remarks, BlogPodium happened. And this year it happened in a big way. With more bloggers, sponsors, exhibitors, and speakers than ever before, the BlogPodium team put together one hell of a conference (not to toot our own horns…).

BlogPodium-Food

Apart from being an attendee, I was also in charge of keeping the twitter stream full of blogging tips and information. As I found myself running from room-to-room, trying to capture tweetable tidbits from the speakers, it became very obvious how much everyone loved being there. Every seminar room had attendees feverishly scribbling notes, constantly tweeting out updates, or simply sitting back and soaking it all in. BlogPodium really inspired everyone, and that was a true honour to see.

BlogPodium-Session-Vendors

FlowPhoto-BlogPodium

While I didn’t have much time to take in any of the concurrent sessions, I did have the opportunity to hear both keynotes. And while Funky Junk Donna made the stage her home, and Scott McGillivray Jen Flores, and Monika Hibbs discussed entrepreneurship, I made four little notes to myself. Four little notes that no matter who you are – a blogger, a baker, a candlestick maker – can make you a better person and a better blogger.

1. Measure everything against your mantra. If you don’t currently have a mantra or vision statement for your blog you should most definitely put some thought to it. If you ever entered into a situation with cloudy judgement and are not sure of the direction, simply measure it against your mantra. If it doesn’t fit, ditch it. Your mantra will keep you true and authentic in whatever you set out to do.

2. Learn from your failures and successes. You will fail. You will succeed. These are facts of life. However, when you are an entrepreneur, the initial stages of a launch can often be littered with failures. Don’t let this deter you. Evaluate what went wrong and try again. Keep a positive outlook and envision yourself accomplishing your goals.

3. Understand delayed gratification. As entrepreneurs it’s important to know success (in whatever form) does not come instantly. Think of your blog (or business) as a farmer’s field. As a farmer you prep the land, plant the seeds, tend to the plants, water as needed… and only after you have put in month and months of energy and time are you ready to harvest. The gratifying moments come after the hard work.

4. There ARE people who will help you. Being in a room with 300+ bloggers who have the same mindset, speak the same lingo, and go through the same trials and tribulations you do is comforting. You could ask advice from any person in that room and they would be happy to provide you with a point of view, an opinion, or a tip. The blogging world does not have to be competitive. We all can help each other out.

BlogPodium-Exhibitors

At one time or another we all experience a turning point. I feel as though this year’s BlogPodium brought me face-to-face with mine. As the blogging landscape changes (as many larger bloggers have point out this year), I have started to become more and more comfortable with what my blog is, and alternatively, what it will never be. I need to embrace myself, work with what I have, and appreciate it moving forward (now there’s a tweetable quote if I’ve ever seen one!).

FlowPhotoBlogPodium-305-L

And I say this every year… a BIG thank you to Jen and the rest of the super talented BlogPodium team, for once again organizing a stellar event. Everything from the swag bags + bloggers “black book” directory, to the scouting of the generous sponsors, panelists, and speakers. More than ever before I am looking forward to the next BlogPodium!

If you could only pick one, what was your one most important take-away from BlogPodium?

Credit: I’d like to thanks Flow Photo for the use of their event photos in this post.

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