Welcome Claire Brummell, founder of Feminine 1st. Claire has kindly offered to write a guest blog for Empowering Mumpreneurs, to help you harness the power of blogging for business success!

So it’s all very well knowing WHY blogging is a good idea for business…but that doesn’t make the thought of starting a blog any less daunting. I know all the questions you’re probably asking yourself:

• What if I run out of things to say?
• Do I really know enough about this to help others learn?
• Who would want to listen to me?

Believe me, I know. Although I’m now a professional blogger, starting my first blog was just as nerve wracking. So I thought I would share a few tips on how to get started to make the journey a little easier for you…

When I first started my blog I felt like I didn’t know what I was doing. It’s the same for everyone, I’m absolutely sure. I had a lot of questions and concerns about why it might not work. If you want to find reasons not to do it, they’re easy to find. Now I’m a professional blogger with thousands of people from around the world reading my blog every month.

My blog, www.feminine1st.com/blog, shares with women the secrets to reducing the pressure on themselves, losing the need to feel in control of everything, and feeling more relaxed and fulfilled by reconnecting with their femininity. As you know, us women tend to take on so many roles in life.

Wife, mother, career woman are just a few of them, and we can often lose ourselves in the process of trying to be everything to everyone else. So I help women to be the best them for other people by making sure that their needs are met first. …And it turns out that blogging has been one of the keys to my business success as it enables me to reach out to and help more women.

As with anything in life, if you want to really grow and develop yourself and your business, you need to be able to step out of your comfort zone and just go for it – because it’s the quickest and easiest way. So how do you start? Well in order to help you take that first step, I thought I’d share a few of the things I’ve learned along the way to help you get started:

Read other blogs

A great way to learn what works and what doesn’t is to read other blogs. Take note of the things you like and the things that you don’t, and use that as a guide when you’re blogging yourself.

Timing is everything

Think about how often you want to blog and how often your audience will want to read. Find a balance between being regular enough that you stay front of mind and so regular that your audience becomes overwhelmed and that you can’t keep up with the posting! I would say 2-4 times a week is a good starting point.

Plan ahead

Plan what you’re going to blog about well in advance. If you know your topics you can be on the look out for information that will help you write them.

Write in advance

Have as many blogs written in advance as possible. That way if life throws up an interesting curve ball, for example your child gets sick or you do, you have some breathing space. Try and have 2-6 weeks content already written at any point in time.

Be yourself

Be yourself when you write, show your personality, show that you’re human! J People connect with other people, so if you can be yourself people are likely to connect to your story and your personality.

Link to life

Use things that are happening in your own life and current events to inspire your writing. It will make your content relevant to your audience and will make you more relatable.

Listen to your audience

Ask questions, get feedback. Listen to what your audience has to say. If you show that you are listening to them, they will be loyal and keep coming back!

Take the Nike philosophy – Just do it!

You can learn, plan and research, but the best way to learn is by just getting out there and doing it. As the saying goes, “Imperfect action is better than perfect inaction”. I know starting anything new can be a daunting prospect but the sooner you start, the quicker you’ll learn and the faster your confidence will grow. In order to help you out – and show you a great example of how you can use videos in your blog as well – here’s a little video on Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone to help you to take that first step! http://www.feminine1st.com/youtube-day-5/ I know you can do it.

Stay Fabulous!

Claire x

Having lived for 20 years of her life behind a masculine mask herself, Claire Brummell now has a passion for helping women understand that by connecting with their feminine core they can feel more fulfilled and fabulous every single day.

Claire works with women all over the world to help them recognise the power in embracing their femininity while still being true to themselves. Claire’s engaging content helps women to release the struggle for control and perfection that so many experience, feeling that they need to be everything to everyone and that there’s no time or space left for them.

She helps women to feel more relaxed, confident and fulfilled by rediscovering and reconnecting with what is really important to them. In her latest project, Claire will be showing you how you can apply femininity to your business life through "The Feminine Way to Business Success". www.feminine1st.com Blog: www.feminine1st.com/blog Facebook: www.facebook.com/feminine1st Twitter: www.twitter.com/feminine1st Youtube: www.youtube.com/feminine1st

Start your journey today – achieve confidence, balance and clarity for an easier, happier life!

Empowering Mums is on a mission to empower a million mums and mumpreneurs just like you with greater confidence, balance and clarity to activate your infinite capabilities within! Enabling you to enjoy an easier, happier life alongside running a highly successful business. Aligned with enjoying time out for an essential self-care routine that fulfils your own needs and delight in quality time spent with your children being the mum you really want to be!

For further support please contact Empowering Mums today on 01606 334 015, alternatively visit our website at www.empoweringmums.com for more information.