Blogging Tips – How I Started My Blog

Since I’ve already shared tips on finding your style and how I choose a location for my photos I thought I should also share how it began! Today I’m sharing how I started my blog. You’ll also notice a new menu item “Blogging Tips”, so everything is easy to find!

Why I started my blog

Back in 2014, the news started covering the fact that bloggers Amiee Song, Negin Mirsalehi and the like we’re getting paid for posting on their websites and Instagram. What got me interested was that they were regular girls making a name for themselves in fashion using social media. During college, I worked in sales Bloomingdale’s so I had a pretty solid collection of designer items. My thought was that I could do what they were doing and maybe get my foot in the door at corporate Bloomingdales. Using my blog as a portfolio.

Let’s backtrack a bit… I studied Business at Iona College (check out other facts about me!) because it felt safer than studying fashion. In January of 2014, I had left my first full-time job out of college due to the work environment. Since I’ve always been a bit of a workaholic, I had stayed at Bloomingdale’s part-time during that year. So when I left that job, Bloomingdales allowed me to work there full-time while I looked for a new job. (You get all that?!)

So I’m working full time at Bloomies selling fine jewelry eager to get a new job. It wasn’t that I didn’t love selling. It’s that had done it throughout college so I really wanted to learn something new and grow. And three weeks in I started to feel I didn’t have enough going on in my life. I started thinking about how to start a blog to fill up that time. And if I was really good, then maybe the store manager would recommend me for a job in corporate.

How I started my blog

Googles: “How to start a fashion blog.” Yes, seriously. And trust me five years ago there was WAY less information on the internet.

With the help of one of my friends (Hi Erica!) and my mom, I came up with the name Simply Simone. With the information, I could find, I decided I would use WordPress as my platform for my website. It was either that or blogger and I’m so happy I made the right choice (blogger is no longer widely used). When I was registering for my site in WordPress I found out Simply Simone was taken, so I went with Simply by Simone!

With my website all set up, I created a brand new Instagram handle. I think I jumped right in and started posting that week. (Check out my first ever blog post!!) I decided I would post something motivational every Monday, I would cover the topic of accessories on Wednesday and every Friday would be “Fashion Friday”. LOL… I can’t.

I soon realized I needed to pay for my domain and not just use what WordPress offered. This way I could lose the .wordpress.com at the end of my link (free with WordPress looked something like simplybysimone.wordpress.com). I figured out so much as I went. In 2014 I think a lot of bloggers we’re still learning just as I was. Being in the suburbs I didn’t know another blogger so I just googled everything I could.

Thanks to my blog I eventually got recommended for a corporate position at Bloomingdales but didn’t get the job. I kept at my blog because it filled up my time and I truly enjoyed it. Still, do! Eventually, I landed a job at Morgan Stanley in Human Resources thanks to a personal connection. Life tip: network as much as you can. 

Why I’ve kept at it

I was SO happy to have a job and as much as I enjoyed working at Morgan Stanley, it wasn’t creative enough for me. So, I used my blog as a creative outlet. Even at my current job, in fashion, at DVF, my blog is a business of my own that I’m proud of. It’s served me in so many different ways during different points of my life. This little spot on the internet is one of my favorite things.

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