We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Nina Clapperton a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Nina , so happy you were able to devote some time to sharing your thoughts and wisdom with our community. So, we’ve always admired how you have seemingly never let nay-sayers or haters keep you down. Can you talk to us about how to persist despite the negative energy that so often is thrown at folks trying to do something special with their lives?
When I started my online business, people around me would say the word “blog” like it was a dirty word – some secret I should be keeping and not telling anyone about. So I was ashamed of it, and hid it for years. I’d write content at 2AM, and squirrel away any hours I could to work on my social media while hiding it from my friends and family.
The brightest parts of my day were when I was working on my online business. After 4 years and 2 soul crushing day jobs, I realized that if they really cared about me, they’d encourage me. Anyone who didn’t, I didn’t need to speak to.
I started bringing up my business more and more, even when someone would tell me it was a hobby or I should go back to law school.
I’d simply say “great, that’s a good back up plan.” And then keep moving forward.
Most people are haters because they don’t understand what you’re doing.
Those same people now tell me how brave I was to start this business, how they wish they could do it, and how they had no idea this kind of success was even possible from an online business.
And the true haters I didn’t need in my life, so I cut ties. I feel much freer for it.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I’m an SEO specialist and travel blogger. I got my start as a travel blogger when I abandoned law school for a $200 flight to New Zealand. I moved myself across the work and needed a way to tell my mom I was alive, so the blog was born.
I had no idea you could make money with it. I thought maybe, one day, I’d get a free hotel stay for a day or two.
It wasn’t until 4 years later when I learned about Search Engine Optimization that I was able to grow my business to multi 6 figures in 1 year.
It completely transformed my life, so I founded She Knows SEO to help others turn their hobby blog into an income generating business.
I run a website, Youtube channel, Facebook group, and multiple social media profiles to share free information about how to gain traffic and passive income from a website. I also sell courses and offer 1:1 services to fast track success for my clients.
Where most web developers speak in technical jargon or make SEO sounds like some sort of crypto bro world, I like to share simple English tips and tricks. Anyone can succeed with SEO, so long as you can type something into a search engine.
And anyone can monetize their blog the same way!
I’m also very passionate about using AI to democratize entrepreneurship. I have a ChatGPT Blogging Blueprint course to help content creators and solopreneurs produce content at the same scale as multi-national corporations.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
My tenacity is the main reason I’m still doing what I’m doing. If I wasn’t able to hear the word no, and keep going, I’d have given up a long time ago. This was one I developed through practice. I wrote novels as a kid and would submit them to publishers. They were an obvious no because they were terrible. But it still hurt being 12 and getting a rejection from a publisher.
I grew a thick skin over time from that.
Finding an area I truly love allowed me to flourish. I spent so long trying to force myself to like things that other people liked – such as Instagram. But it’s not what vibes with me. So it felt like smashing a square peg into a round hole.
Let go of the “should do” and comparing yourself to others. Do what works for you, and you’ll have way more success.
I’m a perfectionist, so I had to learn to be ok with imperfection. Now I’ll launch courses with imperfect tech or a typo. I have a hot mess of a Google Drive of my launch materials or my course worksheets.
It works for me! I have found that valuable content trumps perfect packaging every time.
Tell us what your ideal client would be like?
My ideal client is someone looking to grow their online reach via a content-based blog. I especially love working in the travel niche or with anything to do with pets. They should have a clear audience in mind – that’s the thing I find most people are missing – who they are going to help. They should also be excited about writing long form content, otherwise blogging is not going to be the right thing for them. Or, they should be prepared to outsource that writing.
Clients with a passion for their niche, clear goals for their outcomes (be they income, traffic, sales of a particular product), and the ability to implement a plan are what make my heart sing. I love helping people develop a strategy that’s tailored to their needs, and then seeing the growth they have from implementing it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sheknowsseo.co
- Instagram: @ninaclapperton
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/groups/seofortravelbloggers
- Twitter: @ninaclapperton
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@sheknowsseo
Image Credits
The primary photo of me and my dog is taken by Rachel Rodgers @trailsandbears
