How Lidiya Kesarovska Kept Growing Her Blogging Business in a Pandemic

We talked to Lidiya Kesarovska of Let’s Reach Success about her a personal development blog and podcast.

First of all, how are you and your family doing in these COVID-19 times? 

Lidiya Kesarovska: I’m doing fine, actually, and am truly grateful for that. I reside in the Netherlands, where I relocated thanks to my online business, but I come from Bulgaria, and my family is there. Both countries are affected by the pandemic, currently in lockdown again, and many people are struggling financially. 

I’m focused on business growth, though, as I saw the opportunities 2020 provided with all the time people spend at home and in front of the screen and the desire they have to finally start something on their own and be their own boss. One of my missions online is to inspire others to launch an online business and show them the steps, so this year I wanted to serve them better than ever.

Tell us about you, your career, how you founded Let’s Reach Success.

Lidiya Kesarovska: Many years ago, while still in university and not having a direction in life, I defined my passion – personal development and found out that my most favorite way of expressing myself was writing.

So I combined these and started a blog to write about personal growth. Soon I began doing that for other people, too, which was how I made my first money online – thanks to freelance writing.

I was working on my blog on the side and, over time, wanted to step away from freelancing as it was limiting my creative output, and I was exchanging time for money. So I learned all I could about blogging and started earning from my blog in 4 different ways. This allowed me to replace my freelance income with my blog income.

Since then, I’ve been focusing mainly on digital products as it’s the best way to package my knowledge and share it with people so I can help them achieve a certain result.

How does Let’s Reach Success innovate? 

Lidiya Kesarovska: There were some aspects of my business I wasn’t doing right up until that point, so I decided there’s no better time to go all in than 2020.

I began taking great courses on branding, email marketing, and digital products and applied everything that resonated with me. I started using better tools, creating systems, putting my energy into the things that mattered the most.

I re-designed my brand, niched down, and began serving only ambitious women and helping them start and grow a blogging business so they can be free and fearless and provide epic value.

I changed my whole business model and went from a blogging business to an online course business (the transition is still happening). Courses will be my main focus from here on and the best thing I can offer to my subscribers as I’ve packaged my knowledge there and turned it into an actionable way to achieve the end result. 

I stopped doing many things that weren’t serving me anymore or aligned with my vision. I also changed my mindset about all this as the old way of doing business was only limiting me in many ways. 

I kept investing in programs by people I admire online and who I consider my mentors and take more courses than ever in 2020. That means I invested in myself more than ever as I’m my business’ biggest asset.

How the coronavirus pandemic affects your business, and how are you coping?

Lidiya Kesarovska: Once the pandemic hit the US (which is where most of my clients and readers are, although I reside in Europe), I saw some things changing in my business.

– Ad revenue decreased;

– A few of the clients I’m working with (for blog sponsorships) said they wouldn’t be partnering with bloggers for some time as their company’s future is unstable;

– An unusually big number of people contacted me to ask if I’m willing to sell my blog (these are investors looking for established blogs who want to improve them and earn more from an already existing business). This showed me they’re preparing for the financial crisis that will follow the pandemic and want to invest in something that will bring recurring revenue;

– My income in March 2020 was significantly lower, so I started thinking about cutting expenses.

I decided to do something about all that. I kept working on growing blog traffic so I can keep ad revenue stable. 

I started writing more relevant content, so I can help people more (on topics such as how to handle the pandemic, how to work from home and stay on top of your productivity, how to add another passive income stream to your blog, how to stay calm and take care of your mental health in times of uncertainty, etc.)

Did you have to make difficult choices, and what are the lessons learned?

Lidiya Kesarovska: I had to stop thinking small, and there were many limiting beliefs to uncover and deal with. Journaling, personal growth, having honest conversations with myself, and learning from others are all things that helped me with the process.

How do you deal with stress and anxiety?

Lidiya Kesarovska: My daily routine and morning and evening practices help me stay calm.

I journal every morning, take time to breathe, start the day slowly and with intention.

I listen to podcasts and read books on topics such as dealing with emotions, getting unstuck, manifesting your biggest desires, using your unique gifts and understanding your energetic blueprint to do your best work, and more.

I also didn’t watch the news most of the time. It did cause a lot of anxiety when I did in the first months of the pandemic. But it didn’t help me in any way, so I had to ditch that. Instead, I chose to do and learn only what gives me positive vibes and motivates me.

Who are your competitors? And how do you plan to stay in the game?

Lidiya Kesarovska: I was comparing myself to the wrong people in my industry till now. It was time to change that too, and I realized there’s no actual competition. There’s enough of everything in the Universe, and with more readers, subscribers, and buyers online than ever this year, people needed guidance, products, and more information on certain topics, and it doesn’t matter that many people are teaching the same online.

Knowing this, I focused on differentiating myself by not hiding anymore but instead re-branding, showing more of my personality, getting back on Instagram and showing more of my life, connecting with peers and sharing their stories (I interview successful entrepreneurs on my blog), starting a podcast, etc. 

All this helped me grow my brand more than when I was focusing on learning about my competitors and outperforming them back in the days.

Your final thoughts?

Lidiya Kesarovska: There are 2 ways you can look at things this year. You can watch the news and be upset, wait for better times to come, and consider this your worst year ever.

Or you can take back control, choose carefully what you engage your mind with on a daily basis, and start a business online or make changes in your existing one (entering a new niche, offering different products or services, partnering with someone else, getting your business online for the first time, growing your presence on a new social media platform, or else). 

Your website?

https://letsreachsuccess.com/