Blogger Interview – Marjolein, Owner of Radical FIRE
In the Bloggers Interviews series, today we are introducing Marjolein, owner of the blog Radical FIRE. This series is having the purpose to help bloggers. Bloggers helping bloggers through this series by sharing their blogging journey and some important blogging tips. Learning from other’s experiences or mistakes helps us to save our time and grow fast in the blogging career. I hope you love this Bloggers Interviews series.
Let’s not waste your valuable time and meet blogger Marjolein, Owner of Radical FIRE to get some important blogging tips.
Blogger Interview – Marjolein, Owner of Radical FIRE
Can you tell our readers about yourself and your blog(s)?
Hi, I’m Marjolein, and I live near Amsterdam, in the Netherlands. I studied economics and discovered my passion for personal finances that way.
In 2018 I decided to change my life and change my finances for once and for all. I decided that I wanted to work toward financial freedom and live the life I had always dreamed about.
That’s when I started Radical FIRE, a personal finance platform about financial independence and early retirement. At Radical FIRE, we talk about saving money, making money, and investing. We want you to reach your financial goals and have fun while doing it!
How will you introduce yourself in three words?
Passionate numbers nerd
Describe how you first get into blogging?
I was $20,000 in student loan debt and spent a lot of money on things I didn’t really enjoy. I felt stuck in my 9-5 job and typed into Google: “how can I stop working.” Surprisingly, I found a wealth of knowledge related to financial freedom and early retirement.
That’s when I calculated how much money I needed to be financially free and never work again. I found that I could retire early in 10 years. However, it meant that I needed to change my habits. I needed to stop spending like it was 23:59 on Black Friday and get my priorities straight.
About two years ago, I started the blog to track my journey to financial independence.
How do you motivate yourself to keep the blog up and running?
I have tried motivation in the first couple of months of the blog, and it was really hard. Trying to write blog articles when I was done working, learning in the evenings, and spending most of my weekends.
After a couple of months, I noticed my motivation decreased, and I started a system. I got up two hours earlier every day to write on the blog. Every day, I get up at 6 am, and I write for two hours before working on my 9-5.
The structure that has given me is one of the biggest reasons I kept the blog up and running. There are moments where you’re not motivated, and having systems in place that work for you can be one of the best things to keep at it.
Also read: 6 Motivational Quotes for Bloggers from Bloggers
What’s the hardest part about blogging for you?
The hardest part about blogging for me is consistency. Some weeks I want to write for hours and hours. Some weeks I don’t want to write at all. Trying to stick to a content schedule and being consistent in that is something I can struggle with.
What do you think is the best strategy that worked well for you to get more traffic to your blog?
The absolute best thing I’ve done over the year is joining a blogging mastermind. I’ve learned so much regarding growing your blog, outreach, and SEO from the mastermind.
If you’re not ready to invest in your blog yet, I would focus on SEO. Google love can be a big difference for your blog.
In my first full year of blogging, I got a couple of hundred page views from Google. In my second full year of blogging, I got over 40,000 page views from Google. It can make a big difference for your blog and your traffic.
In the future where do you hope your blog will take you?
My absolute dream is to blog full-time and to slow travel the world. It means getting a lot better at making money from the blog and growing my site over time. I’m looking forward to that moment, and I can’t wait.
Would you encourage other people to make their blog?
If blogging is something that appeals to you, absolutely. It’s crucial not to contemplate taking the leap for too long but actually dive in. It is when you do that you learn the most.
Yes, it can be overwhelming in the beginning. It will give you so much confidence in yourself if you start taking the first small step. Pick your niche. Pick your domain name. Know that everything you do now, you can change in the future.
A lot of people think that blogging is an easy way to make money online. Do you have some tips for those people who are interested in making money from the blog?
I actually didn’t know a lot about monetization for the first 1.5 years of the blog.
The only thing I had was Google AdSense ads, and no, that didn’t make me much money. It took me 1.5 years to make $100. Last September, I decided it was enough and switched to Ezoic ads. My ad revenue grew by 629% in a week, and it continues to grow.
I would say, don’t put ads on your website until you can get into a platform like Ezoic, where you can make the big bucks. I make a couple of hundred dollars per month from advertisements now, which means that I’m on the right path.
What are your thoughts/feedback about TechnoVans.com?
- I love all the stories on the TechnoVans website.
- These stories give a behind the scenes in many fields and professions, to show what is possible.
- It can be an excellent start for anyone looking for motivation and ideas for themselves.
What are the TOP THREE blogging tips you will share with our readers?
1. Learn Affiliate Marketing: I would say to start learning affiliate marketing. With affiliate marketing, you can make money regardless of how many people come to your site. You make a small commission when someone buys a product or service through your link, without additional cost to the one buying.
2. Learn SEO: Besides that, learning SEO is essential. You want to get traffic from Google and make sure that they keep coming in. Traffic from Google is high-quality traffic, and it’s completely passive. You write the article ones, and you don’t need to market it again and again.
3. Consistency in Blog Post writing: Lastly, consistency is both one of the hardest and one of the most important things. Making time every single day to write on your blog is crucial. I get up every day to write 2 hours before I start my day job. You can think about a variant that will work for you. Do you enjoy writing in the morning or the evening? When do you have time for writing? Plan your day around that!
How can our readers connect with you?
You can find me on:
Also read:
1. Blogger Interview – Shraddha Verenkar
2. Blogger Interview – Lomash Kumar, Indian Tech Blogger
3. Success Story of Nidhi Yadav
4. Success Story of Rakhi Khera – Housewife made Rs. 3.4 crore on Myntra
Contact us, if you have anything interesting to share with us.
Inspirational!