How I managed to even start the thing is beyond me. I could barely spell blog, let alone start one. Along with my new found intelligence I also managed to start a twitter account. My GOD I thought, I am brilliant when I am ill! Not really. I tend to have the A.D.D, and all the illness did was slow me down long enough to focus on ONE thing at a time, instead of fifty. My coach likes to call it bright, shiny object syndrome!

Then Maria stepped in. You know the one from that little blog Colour Me Happy. We had been working with the same business coach in New York in early 2010 and I was fortunate enough to spend a weekend with her at the Empire Hotel. Her take on my killer blog:

1) Not enough rich content and advice

2) Too much goofing off, and living to write about it

3) Um, “you do know that people are reading it, right?”

Unlike most people who hate criticism, I thrive on it. I want to know what I am doing wrong, how I can fix it, and determine how I am going to make it better. And it doesn’t matter who it comes from. If I respect you, and you are obviously doing something right, I am going to listen. Too often people let their egos and pride get in the way of their success. I ditched that attitude in my twenties, and so should you.

I also recommend if you are serious about blogging you subscribe to the best blogging sites on copy, advice, and coaching. ( My top 8 are listed below) Blogging is serious business. Maria got it right the first time around. (God I hate smart people!) Unaware of what blogging even was, I continued to make mistake after mistake for over a year. It has only been in the past two years that I started to come close to getting it right, (thanks to bloggers like Maria) and I am still working on it!

A blog is a way to show your talents and abilities to those that would otherwise not see it. It is also a way for people to get to know you, and in turn gets them to trust in your abilities. (a-hem…this equals dollars!) Despite making mistake after mistake, and focusing on them, Maria made me realize that few people my age have accomplished as much as I have and in such a short time. It was then and only then that I realized I had something worth offering of serious value beyond my brick and mortar design studio.

Here are my top 8 sites that you cannot miss if you are a serious blogger:

1) Copyblogger by Brian Clarke, is bar none THE BEST blogging advice site on the planet. It will give you the best content and advice to make your blog a superstar! Rich in how-to advice, the common mistakes bloggers make, and training on how to be a better blogger. Some of my favorite posts to get you started:
10 Steps to become a better writer
5 grammatical errors that make you look dumb

2) Zen Habits was started by Leo Babauta. Why is he special? Well let’s see, he has six kids, a full time job and managed to write over twenty posts a week for other bloggers, plus several for his own site. Within six months he quit his full time job to focus on his blog that now makes a six figure income. His blog is about passion, simplicity and the finer points of life; the zen of life.

3) Johnny B Truant One of THE funniest and most real business bloggers on the planet. His approach is witty, smart and different. He doesn’t claim to save the world, (he’d rather be playing guitar hero) but he does promise to save your blog, and add a little humor a long the way. One of my favorite post’s by Johnny:

4) Dave Navarro is author and CEO of The launch coach. His blog is about making you a better business owner and entrepreneur. How to double your sales, up-sell and putting together a strategy that works for you.

5) Jonathan Fields once upon a time was a hedge-fund/securities lawyer (yup you heard that right) for a mega firm in Manhattan. After leaving that life and several business success’ later he wrote the Career Renegade. He is an amazing career consultant and blogger full of amazing life changing ideas and strategies that work, all while making his family top priority!

6) Chris Brogan This man is talented beyond words. Not only does he have his hand in some of the most important software like Scribe with Brian Clarke of Copyblogger, but he was also one of the masterminds and contributors of Third Tribe Marketing, also with Brian Clarke and Sonia Simone of Copyblogger. His company New Marketing Labs is chalked full of business solution content and services. He is a marketing expert and his article “How to Write effective Blog posts” will help you understand blog writing affectively.

7) Penelope Trunk I have Maria to thank for this introduction. Penelope is an absolute trailblazer for the female entrprenuer. She is smart, witty, refreshingly open and most importantly she is real. If you are in business for yourself add her to your subscription list. She has a ton of articles full of rich content and several on “blogging how to’s” but here is a good one to get you started:

8) Itty Biz by Naomi Dunford is also one of my top reads. She offers marketing solutions without the greasy sales pitch. Her site is full of free content, and the real side of business. No glamour or glitz. What it’s really like to be an entrepreneur, what it’s really like to be scared shitless, and what it is like to feel like a raging failure. AMEN!