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At the time of writing this, we’re only 4 days into the New Year and it’s already looking like it’s going to be one of the busiest years of my life. With a growing business, a book contract and a well-being retreat to organize, I’ve hardly had a minute to spare. But I’m absolutely not complaining at all. I thrive on busyness. This is exactly what I’ve been working towards for over 4 years.

Photo by STIL on Unsplash

But with a growing business comes more need for organization and structure. For different methods of growth, different business strategies which you can invest in from places such as planned ascent and so on. Because nothing is going to change if you stay in the same place. If, like me, you’ve seen a growth in your blog or your business, you definitely need to implement ways to keep the momentum up.

So here are some ways I’m planning on growing my business and maintaining that growth in 2020:

Office space

This is definitely the biggest one for me because believe it or not, in the 3 or so years I’ve been blogging full-time, I’ve NEVER had an office space. Not once. I work from home, where I live with 3 other people and a dog. Space is limited. So all this time, I’ve had to just ‘make do’. Which has been FAR from ideal at times. In fact, I wrote a whole blog post on why working from home SUCKS.

For one, I’ve absolutely done my back in, working from my bed for so long. I basically have chronic lower back pain now – which absolutely sucks. I get distracted all day long, from family coming into my room and asking me things (not work related) and all the noise and hustle and bustle around me makes it near impossible sometimes.

So in 2020, I’m FINALLY getting my own office. Having office space can be tricky when, like me, you’re self employed or you work from home – or both. So finding something that works for you (tip: DO NOT WORK FROM YOUR BED) is crucial. For me, I’ll be having a small garden room built where I can go to work, on a proper chair, with a proper desk!

Having a serviced office is another great option if you can afford it and would rather leave the house to go and work. A serviced office is an office spaces entirely serviced with everything you need from electricity, broadband and heating. You can also rent serviced offices on a very short lease, sometimes as little as 3 months.

Photo by Kari Shea on Unsplash

A better work structure

I’m terrible for not giving myself work hours. I don’t work 9-5 or 8-6. I work from whenever-whenever. And I hate it. Despite the fact I love the freedom and flexibility available when you work for yourself, I also crave a structure and a routine. Which I absolutely do not have at the moment. And no doubt that ties in to the last point about not having office space.

So once I get my office, I’ll be structuring my days much more strictly. I’ll be locking up my office at 6 and that’s it for the day. Just like what someone with a “normal” job would do. I know this will help me grow my business because I’ll be much more focused during my work hours and I’ll also be giving myself that well-needed down time at the end of the working day.

Focusing more on Pinterest

I’ve used Pinterest for a while but can you believe it’s taken me THIS LONG to really knuckle down and want to learn about the ins and outs of how Pinterest can help grow your business? Pinterest is THE PLACE to be right now and bloggers and business owners alike have gained a ton of traffic, income and success through Pinterest marketing strategies. It’s a fantastic tool for growing your business.

I’m doing this by signing up for the (aff) Ell Duclos Pinterest eCourse, which I would HIGHLY recommend if you’re new to Pinterest or you need step by step advice on how to make Pinterest work for you and your blog. After only a few days of using her advice on setting my Pinterest up correctly, my Pinterest monthly views were already rising!

Stepping up the social media promotion

Social media is crucial for your business or your blog. It’s where you’ll find clients, readers, friends, opportunities and more. So ensuring that you’re using social media in a way that works for you and your business is hella important. And that’s something I definitely realised I needed to work on late last year.

Despite promoting on social media regularly, I didn’t feel like I was giving it my best. So this year, I’ve put much more TIME and EFFORT into my social media promotional tweets. Instead of just “getting them done”, I’m considering much more carefully what is going to make readers click on my links, read my blog posts or buy my products.

And it’s working. In 3 days I’ve already had 3 eBook sales and 6 bloggers book advertising slots with me!

So there are 4 ways in which I’m growing my business in 2020. How are you growing your blog or business this year? Do you have any extra tips in add in the comments?

* This is a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

75 Comments

  1. I read this from my bed, staring at my little desk across the room and feeling very guilty haha! I need to be much stricter about doing blogging stuff with a time to turn it off cause

    1. Wow, I pressed enter way too early – sorry. As I was saying, I spend way too much time in front of screens being completely unfocused which isn’t good! As you said, dedicating specific time to getting stuff done is so much more helpful than randomly fluttering in and out of it all! I also need to get better with Pinterest. It’s one of my favourite social media sites but I’m rubbish at capitalising on the potential!
      Beth x Adventure & Anxiety

  2. I’m SO jealous of getting an office space – and I don’t even work from home, aha! I’ve been trying to use my desk more in the evenings when I want to focus and just having my bed for chill out time, but I’m not sure how well it is going to work. You’ve got some great goals and ambitions here and best of luck with them all. I swear every time I read one of your posts, I get really inspired!

  3. Great business goals, Jenny! I definitely think that an office space will make your workflow so much smoother and that you’ll end up loving it. My goals are just to stay consistent and qualify for Mediavine ads!

  4. Being someone who tends to be able to focus better at night, the whole not having set office hours thing is a major benefit for me. Although I do struggle to switch off and could 100% benefit from more structure in that sense. Working on Pinterest is a big one for me this year too. I started putting more effort into it in September and really started seeing results by the end of the year so I’m hoping that continues this year. Good luck with everything! Can we have a little look at your office space when it’s ready? x

    Sophie

  5. Great post Jenny. I’m a newbie to blogging so looking to increase my presence as much as possible. Have signed up to Pinterest today. Office space I already have and work structure is a little limited due to working full time, but I’m absolutely loving blogging at the moment so looking forward to seeing where it goes. Also looking forward to advertising with you in March 😘

    1. Great idea about getting an office space! Is it still working from bed if you work from the sofa with a duvet? 😂 I think having a set schedule for working is a really good move, too – that’s something I’ll need to be super strict about when I go self-employed as I can find it hard to switch work off.

  6. These are some great goals for the new year for your business! I have some similar ones too and I definitely need to work on my Pinterest as well!

  7. Hi Jenny,
    Enjoyed your post. You’re so right about working from home. It’s wonderful, but also definitely has its downside. As I type, I’m sitting in a very worn out, pretty uncomfortable office chair that needs replacing! And I’m in my dining room, which is also my office. Luckily I never work from my bed though! Ha. May 2020 be kind to you. May it be kind to us all.

  8. These are some fab goals! I’m wanting to use Pinterest more to grow, I was actually just looking at the exact same e-course! I suppose thats a sign to get it!

  9. I really enjoyed this post! My goal when I move out is to have my own office, it will make work so much easier than it is now! I too really want to up my social media and pinterest game but we will see how that goes. Good luck with your New Years resolutions!!

    bumblingalong.co.uk

  10. I really enjoyed this! I used to work on my bed and it really messed up my lower back too. Congratulations on your book contract 🎉!!

  11. I really enjoyed reading this. Your goals as a seasoned blogger really help me to put my own goals into perspective (I’m new, as of December 2019). I am working on building a presence on Pinterest so I appreciate the tips. I will have to take a look at that course.

  12. These all sound really great! I bet the office space will be so good for you and your blog to have your own separate place to work. Can’t wait to see what that looks like! I need to start focusing more on Pinterest too I’m just not too sure how to use it! X

  13. I can’t wait to see what 2020 brings you and me both. I am fortunate to have a home office which I share with my partner, although he’s barely there. But when distractions are my biggest issue between the cat annoying me and something catching my eye outside. I’m like a magpie.

    Good luck with everything this year, pet. I’ve loved getting to know you and watching your growth over the last year!

  14. I have worked from home for about 7 years now. I think it’s important to have some sort of dedicated office space. The more comfortable you are, the better you work.

  15. I would absolutely love to be able to work from home, but I am aware it’s not all sunshine and roses. Having no actual office space means it can be hard to tell when work starts and ends, and you are very likely to end up working around the clock. Good luck with implementing these changes – I can’t wait to see where you take your business in 2020!

    Dominika | Into the Bloom

  16. Those are all such great resolutions!
    In 2020 I want to organize my time better and really do my best to grow my blog, I’m a student so studying gets in the way somethimes so that’s why I want to organize my time better, to be able to study and work on my blog. I want to write posts every week, and really do my best to promote my blog on social media. And I also want to connect with other bloggers. Once again, great resolutions, I hope everything goes according to your plan! 🙂

  17. Wow, you’ve done pretty well and I’m excited for you!

    I’m like you… though around 3 years behind your journey, so I’m still working from home, doing everything myself and working whenever I can: no fixed schedule and lacking the structure I too crave!

    On the other hand, this is one of the reasons why blogging can be such a great way to build a business, simply because you CAN start it from anywhere and with ZERO (or at least very small) budget.

    I wish you the best of luck!

  18. I need to sit down and really sort my shit out this year! I had such a lazy year last year 🙈 xx

  19. That’s so exciting you’re going to have an office space! I was so excited when I finally figured out a way to get a desk to fit in the bedroom of my apartment (though I look forward to when we can afford an apartment with a second room so I can make that my separate office space). I hope it helps you to find a new structure that works well for you.

    These are all great aims for this year! I also am going to finally be looking into Pinterest more and trying to use that as a new additional strategy.

    I’ve been learning some new SEO tips for YouTube, so that’s something else I’m going to be trying to improve for my channel this year.

  20. I definitely need to structure my days better. So exciting about your office!! Please share with us how you find it works for you! Also congratulations on all your stuff brewing!! You are so amazing and deserve all Beautiful things coming your way!💜

  21. Office space sounds the most exciting! Also, it is actually surprising that you’ve been blogging full time for so long and haven’t tapped Pinterest yet haha. I’m looking into making blogging a side hustle, and every advice post says do Pinterest haha.

    Wishing you all the luck with these changes!

  22. I definitely need to step up the social media promo, it really helps drive people who are already following you to your blog. And Pinterest does wonders for my traffic, definitely one of my favourite marketing methods.

    Anika | chaptersofmay.com

  23. I’m lucky enough to have a home office but never bloody use it as I can’t hear the doorbell from up here haha – absolute nightmare! x

  24. Thank you Jenny for this amazing post, which touched me because I’m still struggling with space that enables to work quietly and effectively but i hope this year will end well with me having my own office space. Last year I used Pinterest and tailwind to drive traffic to my blog and it worked very well even though I’ve been struggling with other technical stuff but I have learnt along the way. This year I wanna use Instagram and YouTube for marketing. I have started my Instagram account but I’m still struggling with followers. after all i’m very positive about blogging.

    May your new year’s resolutions be achieved!!

  25. Jenny, I LOVE this post! Having an actual office space is one of the best things that happened to me last year. I always had a desk in my bedroom, but since my brother moved out and I got an extra room (which I turned into an office/mini library) it’s done miracles for my productivity (and my sleep). I still do not really have a routine, but I’m working on it. I’m also really excited to start doing more with Pinterest. Can’t wait to see how that’ll turn out for me. 😉

    Good luck! <3

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