Today we’d like to introduce you to Mariah Macinnes

Hi Mariah, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?

The content creator/marketer in me really came into play in 2014. I was at university studying Journalism and Public Relations.

It started with my first blog…

I had recently come back from my first overseas holiday to Thailand and Singapore and decided to start writing on my travels (because I was planning so many more) for a blog. Every trip sparked a new blog.

It was after my 2017 holiday to The United States and Mexico with some friends that saw me really take this seriously. I created a brand (I didn’t know it at the time) and renamed my blog “A Travellers Antics”. I also started an Instagram.

At this time the blogs were pretty inconsistent. Only when I travelled.

After that US and Mexico trip, I came home with not a lot of money, but a drive to write more and more. I also wanted to keep travelling as much as I could. So I started a profile on the Freelancer platform, Fiverr, selling $10 press releases to make extra money. While doing that, I created more and more blogs until eventually I was writing weekly blogs for A Travellers Antics.

During 2017 I was very goal-driven and loved to write. I wanted to improve my skills so I set myself a goal in November of 2017 to write a book in one month to improve my skills. On November 30, I had an 86,000-word book on my life. Have I done anything with that? Nope.

Storytelling was MY THING. At work (in Internal Communications and PR), in my weekly blogs, with my friends, and with anyone who would listen. While freelancing on Fiverr was slow, I wanted to try and make money online and I wanted to keep sharing my stories.

I decided to focus my energy elsewhere. On starting my own podcast “How do you Solve a Problem like Mariah” was the name.

It was a podcast on everything and nothing. It was a challenge and a goal. It was fun. It was a way for me to gain confidence creating and sharing my story.

As I neared the end of 2018 (managing A Travellers Antics blog AND my own podcast), I still wanted to make some money online so I could travel, so I could create more freedom.

And then the sign was given to me. One night, at a bar, I met a stranger who was telling me about entrepreneurs making money online through MULTIPLE ways. You name it, there was a way. This was a new world to me. He told me about a woman who helped side hustlers go full-time in their own business.

I started listening to her podcast with the mindset that A Travellers Antics would make me money. I had no idea how, I just had a thought that would happen.

Although I was making money from Fiverr, I didn’t see what was right in front of me as a business idea.

Then it happened, the birth of Content Queen Mariah.

January 2019 rolled in and a friend at work looked at me and said “Mariah, you write for a living, why don’t you create a business from that”.

So I shifted my focus. I started thinking about my writing and content creation being a means for a business. That is when Content Queen was born.

While still managing my blog and podcast, I launched Content Queen on June 5, 2019 (5 years ago). Upping my focus on my Fiverr profile and using social media and networking to build more clients.

Although telling my boss about my side hustle was a little scary, I set myself the goal and managed my full-time job, side hustle and side passion of travel blogging plus podcasting.

But the goal was – to work for myself full-time to travel. To be a writer. To write stories and travel the world.

Every day I worked on my business. I got up at 4:30 am to work before I started my full-time job. I worked during my lunch hour, on weekends. With the goal, to quit in May 2020. Start travelling full-time in July 2020.

Of course, we know what happened. COVID. So instead of quitting. I worked part-time in my communications role in corporate and worked on my business at the same time. At this stage, A Traveller’s Antics and the podcast took a side door and Content Queen occupied a lot of my time.

As I approached the middle of 2020 I felt my focus was too split and something had to go. I had to cut the cord. My corporate role was the cord that needed to be cut. So on July 24, 2020, I left the corporate world to start Content Queen.

My business was tracking nicely as I ended the year of 2020 until I found myself in a surgeon’s office after a few health scans came back showing I had tumours on my bowel and pancreas. Not what I expected or wanted at the peak of beginning my own business (and life more free and flexible).

Match 2021 I had major surgery to remove these two tumours, I spent one month in the hospital and around 6 months recovering. I got back to business around 6 weeks after my surgery (more on that soon) and was motivated even more to create the digital nomad lifestyle that I desperately wanted.

Now as I write this, I am a full-time digital nomad, I have travelled Australia in a car, Europe, Morocco, South America and parts of South East Asia. I pinch myself every day to have been able to create this lifestyle. But it took work and a lot of setbacks.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?

Not just entrepreneurship but in my life I have been faced with a tough journey. After quitting my job in 2020 to go full-time in my business, I was really finding my feet.

Getting clients and building something I was really proud of. In the background, I had a few health challenges I was facing, so there were a few tests and communication with specialists and Drs. For me, I was running a business and being a typical 26 year old, I didn’t really think much of it.

Things were going amazingly and my business was growing to 6 figures and then… I had devastating news for my personal and professional life.

I was diagnosed with two tumours that needed immediate surgery. In March 2021, I had a major, life-changing surgery called a Whipples. This meant half of my pancreas, part of my bowel and stomach were removed.

During this time, I was unable to work. I spent one month in hospital trying to work out what the hell was going on. What it all meant for my future and if I would ever fulfil my dreams of the digital nomad lifestyle.

After 6 weeks off my business and returning back to work, some of my clients decided they weren’t able to continue working with me, which left me devastated again.

I fit a real internal crisis when I didn’t know who I was anymore. Was I the “sick” girl who had to take care of herself, or was I the hustling entrepreneur who wanted to grow as quickly as possible. But the truth is, I was none of those things. And none of that actually defined who I was.

It was hard but it gave me a perspective on life I would never have gotten otherwise. And currently, as I write this I am 3 years post-surgery and still in remission for neuroendocrine cancer.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?

Content Queen is not your run-of-the-mill content marketing agency; Content Queen is your dedicated partner in the dynamic world of online business. The mission? To enhance your brand’s awareness through strategic content and simple marketing education.

The Content Queen team is a squad of freelancers ready to dive into your project, whether you prefer our “Do it For You” solutions, retainer packages, or are gearing up for a DIY adventure with the courses and templates.

Content Queen is a one-stop destination for content marketing, content creation, and writing. At Content Queen, we are committed to ensuring your consistent online presence. We understand the vital role of building brand awareness for your business and are here to provide expert guidance.

We are known for our signature program, Content Bootcamp, where the 7-step framework empowers you to craft a comprehensive content strategy spanning your entire marketing funnel. To attract the clients you desire, paving the way for a purposeful, freedom-based life!

What matters most to you? Why?

Of course, the obvious answer is loved ones. Friends and family and that isn’t a lie, However, what also comes up for me when I hear this question is time. We only have so much time in a day, in a year, in a lifetime. So making sure I get the most out of my time, so I spend my time doing what I love, what sparks me enjoy, what makes me feel good, is so important to me. After the health struggles and the challenges, I have seen how precious time really is. This is why I am very intentional with it, that is why I live the lifestyle I do, why I aim to go after what I want, because time is the only thing I can never get back, and I don’t want to spend it doing something that doesn’t make me happy or feel good. And with that comes experiences. I want to make sure I have the experiences I want and if they aren’t pleasant, I want to make sure I can build a lesson or a purpose from it.

Pricing:

• Retainer service: starting from $1800 AUD
• Strategy sessions: $750 AUD
• Content Bootcamp: $300 AUD

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.contentqueenmariah.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/contentqueenmariah/
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/mariah_contentqueen/