It’s FRIDAY FRIDAY GOTTA GET DOWN ON FRIDAY. You’re welcome for that. 😉 Dude (+ dudette), scale of 1 to friggin’ stoked, how stoked are you that the weekend is thiiiiiiis close??
I for one am friggin’ stoked. Namely because this week has seemingly flown by. ICYMI, J + I were in San Antonio, Texas to kick off the week right. And by right, I mean with salted watermelon margaritas and the best nachos known to mankind. We were there for a conference of J’s, so I just got to tag along…perks of being able to work from anywhere. 😉
It’s been a hot sec since the last #AskE post around these rosy parts, which is NO BUENO since you guys have asked some *bombdotcom* Q’s lately! (Have a Q you want an A to? There’s a handy dandy form right here for that!). SO, sharing some A’s to your Q’s, alongside a spontaneous photoshoot that J + I pulled while in the Lonestar state.
J turned to me and said, “Babe, why don’t you go buy an outfit and I can shoot for you?” I just about died from having the best husband in the world. Can I just brag on him for a hot sec??? WHAT A GEM. Not only did he say that, but he pointed out ALL the shootable locations downtown as we explored and was all “OOH, GO STAND OVER THERE! That’s the shot!”
Lovelovelove that guy. I think I’ll keep him around. 😉
SO, this shoot is a bit chronological, since we hopped around downtown exploring + getting shots. Bear with us…
(Under $25, available in 9 colors + prints, PERFECT for my working chicas! It’s a super soft silky fabric that’s breathable, so it’s great for transitioning from desk to dinner.) // (Under $40, also comes in black) // //(PERFECT thing to add to your Christmas wishlist… 😉 ) // (Shade: “High Drama”)
What’s your favorite brand of leggings/where are your favorite leggings from?
My favorite leggings for just hanging out when it’s colder are from Primark; Primark is unfortunately not online (yet?), but they’re a European company similar to Forever 21 meets H&M that recently made its debut into the US. Everything is super cheap + super fabulous. And they’ve got fleece-lined leggings for $5. So, epic. But I found super similar pairs right here for ya!
My favorite leggings for working out are from (also available , , , + so you can find your fave retailer that carries ’em. I’ve talked about them before in my workout routine post here!). They’re FABULOUS. First off, they’re cute AF. Second, they’re SO comfortable. Third, they’re wicking. Fourth, they just are the full package. They look good, they feel good, and they’re 100% worth the price. Really really. You guys know I’d tell ya if they weren’t – and these are. So much so that after I splurged on my first pair + fell in lovelovelove, I went ahead and got two more pairs in the time after. They’re just the brand I reach for time + time again to work out, knowing that they’re just the most dependable pair in my drawer.
My favorite leggings for in-between are from . They’re a bit thicker, so they’re *perfect* in cooler weather for layering. They’re still great for actual working out (+ they’re wicking!) – especially working out outside when it’s colder – but I particularly lovelovelove ’em for just everyday wear in styling outfits as the temps drop.
RELATED POST: 7 Ways to Style your Black Leggings
What’s your fave resort in Mexico out of the ones you’ve been to?
That’s SO hard to choose, since they’ve really all been fabulous! The Excellence Playa Mujeres will always hold a special place in my heart, since it was my first time to Mexico AND our honeymoon (see our full honeymoon recap here!). It was truly top-notch. I’d probably recommend/rank this place first for honeymooners, but I’m 100% biased here seeing as I WAS a honeymooner there. But there was not a SINGLE thing that could have been better at The Excellence. Zero complaints. Zero “well if I HAD to nit pick…”. Zilch. Nada. The spa at The Excellence is voted one of the best in the whole country, too – it’s absolutely INSANE. Fosho the best around, and really the best I’ve ever been to ever, including any in the USA.
I kicked off the year in Cancun, too, at Secrets (do ya remember this post?) had more of a party vibe, probably because there were a TON of bridal parties there for bachelor/bachelorette gigs (AND weddings). The pool setup here might be my favorite. Our room overlooked the pool, and the pool has an infinity section that overlooks the beach. Everything is super accessible. Secrets has this cute little golf-cart setup to get you transported around the resort. The restaurants + dance clubs are in one part, the spa + gym + tennis courts are in another, the rooms + pool access is in another area…and it all connects with these little pathways. While we were there, we spent one of our nights at the dance club until 3 am-ish, and it was probably one of the best nights of my life. It wasn’t like the sorta club you probably have in your head – it was just the most fun, truly danceable music, and everyone was just having an honest good time. No grimy folks or people trying to make moves on others on the dance floor – nothing. We danced our actual feet off.
The Valentin Imperial Riviera Maya was more of a secluded jungle vibe…probably because we were, in fact, surrounded by the jungle. The pool(s) here were also amazing; the staff also was SUPER into all of the daily activities, so there were things like water zumba everyday, etc. There was also an EPIC foam party in the pool one day – I thought someone was legit going to die of foam that day. The Valentin was also packed with honeymooners, but also partiers – it felt like a pretty solid mix, I’d say. The only complaint here was how sunburnt we got on this trip – ha!
Be sure to check out the full recaps + round-ups I’ve done of each one for suuuuper in-depth details of each + pics. They’re as all-inclusive as the resorts themselves, so they should be helpful resources for ya! 😉
The Excellence Playa Mujeres, Secrets Playa Mujeres, The Valentin Imperial Riviera Maya
Would y’all want a full blog post literally just comparing + contrasting different resorts on different attributes? If that would be useful, let me know in a comment below + shoot me an email with any specific Q’s/points you want addressed! (erica@cominguprosestheblog.com)
P.S. Here’s what to pack for an all-inclusive resort to Mexico + a checklist of carry-on essentials, too!
At what point did you begin making money with your blog? (At what views / time)
Tips for bloggers looking to get their feet wet in making money blogging?
I get a TON of Q’s like these – and I guess rightfully so, since I’ve got a course related to it. 😉 I really can’t put too many specific numbers on it, because I just don’t remember! But I DO remember that I’m prettttty sure my first ever “sponsored” gig was being sent a dress + paid 50 bucks for a blog post and round of social media shares. And I was SO stoked that someone wanted to pay me anything at all to do what I lovelovelove.
There are a lotta basic tips out there on the internet about making money blogging (“Join a network! Use sidebar ads! Try affiliate links!“), but I wish I knew sooner in my own journey how beneficial it is to be able to know + own your own value and pitch yourself to brands 1:1 (equivalently, form more personal, direct relationships with decision-makers). But that’s a whole post (really, book) in + of itself, so I’ll just say to use that handy dandy search tool up above to see the *plethora* of how-to-make-money-blogging posts on CUR. There’s a bunch. 😉
I could say it until I’m blue in the face, so I will: It’s NOT about an amount of time doing something. Quite frankly, someone could do something for YEARS, but if it’s not any good, it’s not worth much. It’s like those folks in the office who swear they’re superior justbecause they’ve got X years under their belt…but if they didn’t accomplish anything significant in those years, what’s the point? Ya feel?
Don’t focus on a number of views or an amount of time. That’s not the point, and there is no end-all-be-all point that means you’ve “made it” and can suddenly do something different.
My biggest tip: Focus on your content creation.
Is it actually GOOD content? And really, be hard on yourself here.
Does your content look beautiful? Professional? Clean? On brand for the brand’s aesthetic?
Does your content tell a story? Is it compelling? Is it creative? Is it clear?
Does your content inspire action? Is it engaging? Is it conversational? Is it creating value for the brand by making your audience genuinely interested in their product/service?
Is your content genuinely HELPFUL to people? Useful? Valuable? Making your readers’ lives easier/happier/funnier/BETTER?
Brands pay for that. Brands pay for the whole picture (not JUST a pretty picture). If your content is drop-dead gorgeous, like it was made for a magazine or created by a professional team for an ad agency…people won’t question it’s worth.
It’s worth will speak for itself.
RELATED POST: 8 Mistakes You’re Making when Working with Brands
RELATED POST: Why you’re not getting paid your worth as a Blogger
When did you know you wanted to/could be a full time blogger?
I knew I wanted to take CUR full-time when I realized it was literally ALL I was doing/thinking about. Y’all, I was (slash am? Ha!) obsessed. I’d be in class writing blog posts instead of paying attention to accounting lectures, on calls editing photos, or at my internship multi-tasking work emails alongside blog emails (do what I say, not what I do – ha!). I really just loveloveloved it + y’all and couldn’t see myself slowing it down or putting it on a backburner to do something else. Throughout my college career, I was approaching every internship (and I had 5) with a mindset of “Is this what I want to do as my career post-college?” and “What about this job do I like versus not like and see myself doing every single day?” Both thoughts came down to “I’d rather do my own thing + be my own boss.”
RELATED POST: The Pros + Cons of Being your Own Boss
For me, one of the biggest indicators that I COULD was the feeling that all I needed was just more TIME. I felt in my gut that I could do it, but only if I had time to fully implement everything I knew I needed to implement in order to kick everything up a notch and bring it all up a level. I was at the point where numbers were adding up, so I knew that just having more time to truly invest in it + in myself would likely be the missing puzzle piece.
It was also around the time I figured out some super big keys that I teach in my course for bloggers, BossPitch – and they truly changed my life. My own journey is a pivotal case study in the course, really, since everything I learned + did to get full-time is what I teach everyone there, to hopefully get some BossPitch students in the same position that I found myself – ready to take their passion from a hobby to a full-time or almost-full-time hustle!
For more info on BossPitch, which is coming back SO SOON YO, see here.
To sign up to get info on the next live webinar that’ll kickoff the BossPitch party, see here (+ sign up right in the post!)
Favorite fall booties?
Have a Q you want A’d? What do you want in future #AskE Q&A posts?
See past #AskE posts here.
Enter to win $500 to Target here.
Enter to win 1 of 5 (yup, FIVE) $300 gift cards to wherever ya want here. (Trick or treat! 😉 )
Happy WEEKEND, friends. You deserve it.
P.S. Who else is bingewatching Stranger Things 2 on Netflix tonight?????
