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Episode 127: COMPILATION – The Importance of Community, Accountability and Masterminds with Previous EBT Guests

In episode 127 we share audio clips from previous EBT guests that talk about the importance of community, accountability and masterminds.

We cover information about how important it is to network as a blogger, joining masterminds and gaining advice from other entrepreneurs is vital!

Listen on the player below or on iTunes, TuneIn, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast player. Or scroll down to read a full transcript.

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Why Megan Knows This Is Important To Share With Food Bloggers

I want to share a few lines from one of my favorite business books Think and Grow Rich. The author Napoleon Hill talks about the importance of mastermind groups calling them “A friendly alliance with one or more persons who will encourage one to follow through with both plan and purpose.”

Hill also says, “The coordination of knowledge and effort between two or more people who work towards a definite purpose in a spirit of harmony…no two minds ever come together without thereby creating a third, invisible intangible force, which may be likened to a third mind.” 

Takeaways from past guests on EBT! 

Abbey Rodriguez ep. 1 – Building Community within the Food Blogging Industry for Optimal Success (connection is one of the 5 pillars of success. Abbey talks about how it is IMPERATIVE to network and collaborate in order to find food blogging success.)

Bernie Dezenski ep. 21“Gain Momentum by Making Connections.” Connections are EVERYTHING in this food blogging space and Bernie talks a bit through her own story and how we really cannot move forward in a successful way without people.

Jessica Gavin ep. 26“Turn Food Blogging into a Full Time Gig.” Jessica talks about one of the most important pieces of the puzzle that we should all be focusing on – COMMUNITY.

Jenny Melrose ep. 31 “Build a Raving audience.” It is important to join a mastermind to get advice from other entrepreneurs.

Dustin Fuhs ep. 64“Endure the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.” There is so much importance to having mentorships and providing/receiving business advice.

Megan Porta ep. 66 – Top 10 Takeaways from 2019 (My #8 takeaway from 2019 was Connecting with like minded entrepreneurs is worth a million dollars. Reaching out to those I admired, going to conferences, establishing partnerships, starting a podcast and connecting with people opened up doors for my personal and professional life.

Lynette Rice ep. 73“Entrepreneurial Isolation.” Your business success DEPENDS on your relationships with like-minded entrepreneurs. Lynette shares about her own journey with this.

Christy Denney ep. 100“Deep Dive into a Successful Blogging Journey.” Christy talks about one of the mistakes she made when she was a newer blogger and that was not making connections. Once she did this everything changed for her.

Transcript

Click for full text.

Intro:

Welcome to Eat Blog Talk where food bloggers come to get their fill of the latest tips, tricks, and insights into the world of food blogging. If you feel that hunger for information will provide you with the tools you need to add value to your blog. And we’ll also ensure you’re taking care of yourself because food blogging is a demanding job. Now, please welcome your host. Megan Porta

Megan Porta:

Eat Blog Talker’s. Hey, how are you this week? This is the first ever Compilation episode. I’ve put together for you on Eat Blog Talk. And I’m really excited to get this published because as you know, we have so many quality guests that we’ve had on the show and it feels good to be able to reshare some of the excerpts from some of my favorite guests and my favorite episodes. Today’s compilation will focus on the importance of community networking, masterminds, and collaboration, and it will include excerpts from bloggers like Abby from The Butter Half, Jessica from Jessicagavin.com, Jenny from Jennymelrose.com and so many more. And I cannot continue without mentioning our new, amazing community that we’ve just launched because mastermind groups are a pillar feature inside of the community. Once you’re inside, you can sign up to be in the first session of mastermind groups. So you can connect with other food bloggers and a much deeper way, which is going to keep you on track and add tons of value to your business. You do have to sign up by the end of August to be in the fall session, this first session. So don’t put this off, go to Eatblogtalk.com for more information, and we will see you inside. Remember August 31st is the deadline for this.

To preface this little compilation, I want to read a few lines from one of my favorite ever business books Think and Grow Rich. The author Napoleon Hill talks extensively about the importance of mastermind groups. He calls them “A friendly Alliance with one or more persons, who will encourage one to follow through with both plan and purpose, the coordination of knowledge and effort between two or more people who work towards a definite purpose and a spirit of harmony. No two minds ever come together without thereby creating a third invisible intangible force, which may be likened to a third mind.” Now let’s dive into the audio clips.

First up is Abby Rodriguez from The Butter Half. Her original EBT episode was episode number one. She was the very first person I ever interviewed. And the topic of that episode was building community within the food blogging industry for optimal success and the clip that you are about to hear, you’ll hear Abby talk about how connection is one of the five pillars of success. She talks about how it is imperative to network and collaborate in order to find food blogging success.

Abbey Rodriguez:

The fifth one, which is connection, which is why I ultimately created Tastemaker conference because as food bloggers, we, we need to lift each other up. And you heard my speech about this last year at our inaugural event, but collaboration over competition, I truly believe is the best way for everyone to succeed. You know, a rising tide lifts, all ships. There’s so many sayings that can go with that, but we need each other to, to enhance our businesses and overall, overall our wellbeing, um, to just enhance our quality of life. Cause that’s why I think we start this. We want to empower people to learn how to cook, to have that connection with their own families and their friends. Like there’s just so many pieces of this that fall back to our purpose. That is, it is deeper than just running a business and making money. It’s so much more than that.

Megan:

Next you will hear from Bernie Dezenski from Agoudalife.com. Her original episode was episode number 21. And the topic was Gain Momentum By Making Connections. Bernie talks about how connections are everything in this food blogging space. And she also talks about through her own journey and how we really just cannot move forward in a successful way without having people. So here’s Bernie.

Bernie Dezenski:

There is just, there’s a wealth of knowledge out there to get from other people. And there’s also, I realized that we know more than we think we do. So sometimes we think, Oh, you know what? I can’t offer this to somebody else. Maybe I’m not a specialist in it. Maybe it’s not, you know, stellar or whatever, but you offer this information and really, you know, more than you think you do. Yeah.

Megan:

It is especially critical for us to connect with other people who are in the game. There are a lot of technical and just somewhat boring, honestly, sides to food blogging that non-food bloggers have no desire to hear about. It is helpful to find people to talk to about such a niche topic, I think. Let’s keep our spouses and friends’ ears from bleeding basically, and talk to people who actually care about things like keyword research. And I don’t know how to create perfect Pinterest graphics or whatever it is because these are not common topics of conversation between most human beings. You don’t like hanging out at a random social gathering and start talking about these things. So we need each other. I think it’s really important to remember that we do this job alone day in and day out yet. We need each other.

Bernie:

Exactly. And that’s kind of a great lead into what I was going to point out. One of the networking things that I think is so important are conferences. These are all people that love to hear it about this, can eat, breathe, sleep, everything, food blogging, SEO, 24 hours a day. They love to hear it. They love to swap ideas and, and conferences. I’m just so, so in favor of those, if it works for you and I get it, sometimes it doesn’t. But if at all possible, I definitely recommend conferences. Not only relate to, but that you can learn from these people. You can learn from them. And even if they come to you with a problem, sometimes you can’t help them. Maybe it’s a tech tech issue and you don’t know the answer to it, but you know, it helps to vent. It helps to vent.

Megan:

And it helps to push you to, to figure out what problems, if someone comes to me with an issue and I have no idea how to answer them, I will try to help them at least search for an answer. And then I learned something too. So win-win right. And then maybe you gained a friend too. And like you said, venting, venting is important as well because there’s a lot to vent about in food blogging. Am I right?

Bernie:

Yeah, absolutely. We don’t have a tech department. We don’t have, you know, people down the hall. We don’t have colleagues in the same building as we are. So yeah, we do fly solo much of the time.

Megan:

You can’t just call our, um, IT department over and have them check out the issues. I talk often to my husband about some of the technical issues and I instantly see his eyes glazed over and not to like, not to say anything bad about him, because I would totally do the same if I were him. But that’s when I realized I should probably go vent to a fellow food blogger.

Bernie:

I have a couple other blogger friends that I do not keep an everyday contact with, but I would not hesitate to reach out to them. If they reach out to me, I’d be happy to jump on that right away and help them because I think it’s important. You know, we need to be there for each other. This is our tribe. These are our people, because like you said, who else understands us better than other food bloggers that are doing this day in and day out.

Megan:

This next clip is from Jessica Gavin, from Jessicagavin.com. And she was on episode number 26. The topic of that episode was called Turn Food Blogging Into A Full Time Gig. And within there, she talked about how one of the most important pieces of the puzzle that we should all be focusing on, whether we’re turning it and turning it into a full time gig or not is community. So here’s Jessica.

Jessica Gavin:

Honestly go to those conferences to see what the hot topic is and what’s changing, what needs to be focused on because you know, it went from doing Facebook lives to focusing on SEO, to focusing on YouTube. Like it just evolves every year. So you’ve got to stay on top of that.

Megan:

Jenny Melrose from Jenny melrose.com. It was in episode number 31 on Eat Blog Talk.. And we talked about how to build a raving audience within this clip that you’re about to hear, she talks specifically about the importance of masterminds, mastermind groups and getting advice from other entrepreneurs. Her words are so incredible. So I hope you enjoy these.

Jenny Melrose:

When you’re trying to really figure out what it is that you need to do. And the steps you need to take, find an accountability partner, find someone that’s in or even outside of your niche that understands the industry at least. It can’t be like a random, best friend that doesn’t know anything about blogging. And you can go back and forth with that is one thing that I did from the very beginning is I never had an issue with reaching out to people that I saw doing things well and asking them questions and in return offering something, right. It can’t just be all about you getting your answers, but if you can offer them something in return, it’s holding them accountable maybe, it’s reviewing their eBook before they put it out, being an editor for them, or maybe it’s helping do some social shares or commenting on their post or something. But really start to create those relationships with other people in your industry so that you can have that accountability to get it done, have those conversations with people so that you could really start to move forward with your best.

Megan:

I had such a fun chat with Dustin Fuhs from Steps To Magic in episode number 064. We talked about Enduring the Ups and Downs of Being An Entrepreneur. In this clip, you’ll hear him talk about the importance of having mentorships and also providing and receiving business advice from fellow entrepreneurs.

Dustin Fuhs:

The other thing that I wanted to, to really bring up is having a mentor and having someone that you just talk to about entrepreneurship who knows how to live as an entrepreneur, be able to kind of guide you through your thoughts. It’s similar to going to like a therapy or, you know, having a live Instagram account, putting ideas out there. It’s actually really interesting, but there is sometimes where you just want to be like, am I on the right track? Mentorship is huge in the entrepreneurial journey.

Megan Porta:

This next clip is from episode number 66, where I talk about my top 10 takeaways from 2019. My number eight take away from that year was connecting with like-minded entrepreneurs and how it is just worth so, so much. Reaching out to those people that I admire going to conferences, establishing partnerships, starting this podcast and connecting with people. All of those things opened up doors for my personal and professional life. Number eight, Connecting With Like Minded Entrepreneurs is worth a million dollars. I always knew this to a certain degree, but I avoided networking for way longer than I’d like to admit. Once I started pushing myself into that fearful place of getting to know other food bloggers, things just changed for me, both on a personal level and also for my business. So attending conferences, starting a podcast, reaching out to bloggers whose work I admire and connecting with them. All of these things have opened up doors, brought opportunity and established friendships and partnerships. Next you’ll hear from Lynette Rice from Cleverly Simple. In episode 73, I had a conversation with Lynette about entrepreneurial isolation. She talks in this clip about how your business success depends on your relationships with like minded entrepreneurs. Lynette shares about her own journey as well with this. So enjoy this clip.

Lynette Rice:

And it was at that moment, I realized I was going to have to start being intentional about meeting people and talking to people face to face and what we do because I was lonely. I probably would have never told you that. I think a lot of entrepreneurs wouldn’t tell you or even realize that they were, but I was because I wasn’t getting that interaction that somebody in a typical nine to five job has. They probably take for granted those conversations they have about their vacations or the project they’re working on at work and they pass each other in the hallway. That’s a bit of a community that they have there. We don’t have that when you work online and you have to be very intentional to create it and to realize that you need it. So that’s kind of where I was a few years ago and kind of my breakthrough moment to realize I need to step out. We realized that we were both really hungry for that, you know, deeper relationship to be able to talk business. Someone that totally gets what we’re doing.

That led me to be more successful in my business because you have someone, you can bounce ideas off of, there’s validation for projects you want to move forward with, or someone just to be like, Hey, you thought of this, but how about tweak it and do this? Then also just the struggles we have as entrepreneurs, as a mom balancing it all, when you really could work it all day, every day, all day, it’s more to do. At the same time I was really getting out of my comfort zone. I joined a mastermind, you know, I had been blogging for over six, seven years before I joined the mastermind. You always hear about joining one and super intimidating to me because you’re in a group of people, some of them I had known before, not on a deeper level, but had met at conferences. Some of, I didn’t know at all. Here you are sharing your successes and your failures. It has been another really life-giving thing to my business. Mostly because I did not realize how quickly I would get to know people. Kind of brings it back to, you know, when you are face to face and have these conversations, you really get to know someone in their business. We met for the second time, the one I’m in this year in October, and one of the things that we did the second day in October, was we went around and we each kind of shared what we really affirmed in that person or just what encouraged us about them or what we think they’re doing really well in, which is super awkward when you’re in the hot seat. it’s really fun to be sharing that about someone else. Then it becomes your turn and you are like super awkward, but I was floored how well they knew me. How well they knew I was processing decisions or just even how I, you know, think about new things that I want to work with. I was just like, Whoa, they, it was almost like, Whoa, they really know me, but me and that felt so good. You know, it felt like, okay, I am on the right track or, Hey, I need to switch this up. So I really encourage anyone to join a mastermind. It’s not as much a commitment as meeting every month with a friend for coffee, but it kind of gets you really out of your comfort zone to meet with people.

Megan:

This last clip is from a conversation I had with Christie Denny, from The Girl Who Ate Everything. I talked to her in episode 100 and we just talked about her successful blogging journey and all of the things that she’s learned along the way. In this clip, Christy talks about one of the mistakes she made when she was a newer blogger and that was not making connections. She also talks about how once she started doing this, everything changed for her business.

Christy Denney:

One more thing on this list before I get to the things, I am glad I did is connect with other bloggers that something I did not do for probably the first five years. I wish I would have, because I remember I went to a conference and on the plane ride home from that conference. I mean, my mind was just blown with all of the things that I didn’t know that I could have been doing or that, you know, just life changing things, not life changing, but you know, that I learned from these people and I know you are starting a group or a forum, right? What is it called?

Megan:

It’s a community platform. It’s like a membership site.

Christy:

Membership. So I would have died for that back then.

Megan:

Same, same.

Christy:

So many questions that Google does not answer that only a person you’re connected to could answer, you know, that has the same mindset, like-minded same goals. That would have been super helpful.

Megan:

That wraps up this amazing compilation of all the guests who have spoken on the topic of masterminds and collaboration and connection and community and all those great things. And as you’ve heard, so many of these people say it is an absolutely vital piece of the puzzle. If you want to find that food blogging success, like I know you do, again, we have mastermind group opportunities within our Eat Blog Talk community. So we really hope that you will join us there. Go to Eatblogtalk.com for more information. We hope to see you guys inside. Also, I really hope you found value in this compilation. And let me know if you want to hear more of these on different topics and I will put some more together in the future. Thank you so much for listening today, food bloggers. You’re amazing. And I will see you next time.

 Intro:

We’re glad you could join us on this episode of Eat Blog Talk. For more resources based on today’s discussion, as well as show notes and an opportunity to be on a future episode of the show. Be sure to head, to Eatblogtalk.com. If you feel that hunger for information, we’ll be here to feed you on Eat Blog Talk.


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Megan
Megan

Megan started her food blog Pip and Ebby in 2010 and food blogging has been her full-time career since 2013. Her passion for blogging has grown into an intense desire to help fellow food bloggers find the information, insight, and community they need in order to find success.

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