Meet Kayla Ihrig | Blogger, Pinterest Manager & SEO Writer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kayla Ihrig and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kayla, do you have a favorite quote or affirmation?
A quote that meant everything to me during the first two years of my blog was “hard work is the shortcut.” I don’t even remember where it came from, I think I must’ve seen it on Instagram.

It was like an epiphany. There are so many perceived shortcuts in the online business world. You’ll be offered template after course after ebook after coaching program – and they all *could* help you, yet you can’t buy and implement everything.

Being in a position where you need so much help and you’re being offered so much information can make you feel like the solution to all of your shortcomings can be purchased. It’s really good to remember that that’s indeed not the case.

You’ll be offered many blueprints, but remember that no matter what you buy, you’ll still have to do the hard work yourself. It reframed my entire approach to business, and pivoted me from a “why is this so hard?!” attitude to a “this is SUPPOSED to be hard” mindset.

What should our readers know about your business?
The expression “fake it till you make it” applies earnestly to blogging and content creation. When you start from scratch, you have to do so many things for the first time, when you’re neither comfortable nor fully informed.

Many people try to mask the beginning of this process by developing a polished brand personality and positioning themselves as authorities or experts off the bat. Sometimes it’s accurate, but to me, it felt very ingenuine. I try to make my business different by not putting my knowledge on a pedestal, but instead positioning myself as your “digital friend next door” who will share everything they know over a cup of coffee.

If you continue with what you’re doing long enough, you do thankfully discover that you’re very good at certain aspects of business. One day you realize that you keep hearing certain compliments, or people keep asking how you did something.

In my business, these commitments and questions were always surrounding my style of blog writing and my Pinterest account. After two years of work, my Pinterest account was reaching millions of people every month. Out of boredom during lockdown, I started helping people in Facebook groups with their Pinterest questions.

One day, after helping someone with Pinterest, they asked “can I pay you to run my Pinterest account?” This is how my brand became truly monetized.

This evolved really naturally, and I’m so glad that I listened to my skills instead of sticking to the path that I saw other bloggers take. I was half-heartedly pursuing Instagram and toying with the idea of doing sponsored content because it’s so prominent, but my heart wasn’t in it.

It’s important to move beyond the faking it chapter and find where your real talents lie. You’ll develop a much more authentic and sustainable business, and your authority will come naturally.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Anyone who visits me in Groningen, Netherlands is in for a fun week! This vibrant city in the north of the Netherlands has countless sights, bars, and hidden gems to make memories in.

Here are some highlights:
– Picnic breakfast in the Noorderplantsoen
– Get lost down picturesque cobblestone streets
– Stroll through the market and grab lunch from a stall
– Shop your way down the Herestraat
– Browse collections at the Groninger Museum
– Dinner at Restaurant Bla Bla
– Sunset drinks on top of the Forum
– Live music in the center

Groningen is a city that’s very alive. Being home to a large university gives the city a certain energy that visitors can really feel when they’re here.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
This shoutout is dedicated to my husband, Bert-Jan. He was my emotional and oftentimes financial rock during the early years of my business. He listened, proofread, and developed ideas with me, even though blogging and online business were completely out of his realm. He didn’t even have WiFi in his apartment when we met, and now he’s left his career so we can build the business together. His support has meant everything.

Website: https://writingfromnowhere.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kayla_ih/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kayla-ihrig/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kaylaihrig

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/writingfromnowhere

Youtube: https://youtube.com/c/writingfromnowhere

Other: https://www.pinterest.com/writingfromnowhere/