Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Breanna Panter Halverson . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Breanna, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Folks often look at a successful business and imagine it was an overnight success, but from what we’ve seen this is often far from the truth. We’d love to hear your scaling up story – walk us through how you grew over time – what were some of the big things you had to do to grow and what was that scaling up journey like?
How did you scale up?
As a baccalaureate registered nurse, wellness enthusiast, and farm momma, scaling up my blogging business has been one of the most transformative journeys I’ve embarked on. It wasn’t an overnight success; it required a significant investment of time, energy, and resources. But was the return worth every ounce of effort? Absolutely! I am still on this journey and eagerly look forward to future successes and growth.
So, how did I scale up? Let’s dive into how I navigated the challenges of finances, time management, continuous learning, and community building. I’ll also share some insights into the technical aspects like choosing a high-quality blogging platform, enhancing SEO optimization, reining in the power of social media marketing, and fostering an efficient team. I’ll also discuss how I leveraged passive income to ultimately elevate my blogging business. The key takeaway from my experience? Investing in myself and my business was pivotal in my journey.
Finances
An essential aspect of any business scale-up is financial management. My husband and I embarked on our financial journey early in our marriage, adopting a frugal and thrifty lifestyle with specific goals in mind. We dreamed of real estate ownership, achieving financial freedom, and having the capital to bootstrap our own businesses—an e-commerce venture and a livestock business. This foresight laid the groundwork for our financial growth and independence.
By expertly managing our cash flow, meticulously budgeting through expense management systems, and diversifying our investments and business ventures, we’ve established a robust foundation for our entrepreneurial aspirations. Additionally, we’ve enlisted the expertise of financial and tax advisors—highlighting the importance of professional guidance in navigating the intricate landscape of business finances. Our journey highlights the power of clarity in goal-setting and the establishment of sturdy processes.
Time-Management
As a mother of young children, a small-scale farmer, and an active participant in both my church and local community, mastering time management was one of the initial challenges I faced. Enter time blocking. This technique became my ally, enabling me to prioritize the growth of my blog amidst the hustle and bustle of daily life. It’s about recognizing your motivation, the passion behind building your blog, and dedicating specific portions of your day solely to that purpose.
When it’s blogging time, everything else takes a backseat. Yes, even the untidy kitchen. Why? Because this is work that won’t be undone by little curious hands. This is where planning becomes crucial – focusing on content creation, identifying niche-specific keywords, and exploring topics that captivate both you and your readers.
Artificial Intelligence has also proven instrumental in optimizing my time management. For instance, I utilize AI-powered tools like Grammarly to swiftly identify grammar errors in content before publishing it. This approach allows me to invest less time manually proofreading the content and more time producing valuable content instead.
Education
Education has played a pivotal role in my journey of building a blogging business. My career in the health industry began back in 2009 when I trained as a nursing assistant, nurturing a deep-rooted love for health and wellness. Over the years, my commitment to continuing education remained strong, culminating in a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2014. However, my thirst for knowledge didn’t end there. As a new mom, I embraced the power of self-study, continuously enriching my knowledge base.
In 2018, I took my learning journey a step further by attending an educational retreat designed specifically for moms building businesses. Fast forward to 2022, I dove headfirst into an online business course focusing on brand ambassadorship and growing online businesses. I’m a firm believer in the power of continuous learning, regularly checking out business-related books from the library and tuning into educational podcasts and audiobooks.
Online courses, webinars, and consistent reading have all become invaluable tools in my arsenal, offering in-depth knowledge from industry experts. It’s essential to experiment to find what works best for you and to understand that learning is a continuous process.
Entrepreneurial Community
Being a part of an entrepreneurial community for bloggers and brand ambassadors has been an integral part of my journey in scaling up my blogging business. Think of this community as your personal cheerleading squad, always rooting for your success. We exchange insights on current trends, discuss what works (and what doesn’t), and most importantly, learn from each other’s experiences. Imagine having a network of like-minded individuals at your disposal, ready to share ideas and strategies!
Active participation in this community has helped me avoid common missteps and uncover innovative ways to expand my blog. Networking and collaborations have played a crucial role in extending my blog’s reach and audience. It’s truly amazing what you can accomplish with a little help from your friends! The support and motivation that come from being part of an entrepreneurial community serve as a constant reminder that you’re not alone on this journey.
Blogging Platform
A pivotal moment in my blogging journey was when I transitioned to a more robust blogging platform. This decision profoundly impacted the growth of my business. Here’s a valuable lesson I learned in the process: when selecting the right blogging platform, prioritize simplicity and intuition. A platform that evolves alongside your expanding blog is priceless. It should be user-friendly, devoid of cumbersome tools or perplexing menus that could hinder your progress.
The ideal platform will empower you to publish, share, and amplify your blog with absolute ease. Moreover, it should seamlessly integrate with various media platforms and other tools, enhancing the efficiency of your blogging process.
The inclusion of key features like newsletter and membership options can foster deeper engagement with your readers, cultivating a sense of community around your blog. Ultimately, the best platform is one that uniquely aligns with your specific needs and goals.
Search Engine Optimization
One critical element in my blogging journey that has significantly propelled my business growth is Search Engine Optimization (SEO). SEO has made my blog posts more ‘discoverable’ by search engines. The more optimized the blog posts, the higher they rank on search engines like Google, which in turn boosts blog traffic and online visibility.
When I began to concentrate on SEO, I ensured that my posts incorporated keywords relevant to my niche, weaving them naturally into my blog content. Pondering what my audience might be searching for and including these elements in my content was a game-changer.
By honing in on these keywords and topics, I managed to attract readers and viewers genuinely interested in my writing and content creation. Understanding your audience and utilizing the correct tools is paramount. SEO is not just about visibility; it’s about connecting with your audience on a deeper level.
Social Media Marketing
An early key chapter from my blogging journey is learning and implementing social media marketing tactics. This game-changing decision not only scaled up my business but also brought me closer to my wonderful readers and viewers. It played an indispensable role in my early growth, helping me extend my reach, engage with my audience, and drive more traffic to my blog.
Learning how to use major social platforms to promote my blog and engage with all of you was an exciting adventure. From expanding my audience base to leveraging the power of different social media channels – every step was a lesson in connection and community. Although there have been ebbs of flow in my online presence, positivity, consistency, and persistence are key.
Sharing blog posts on various social platforms, including Pinterest, Facebook, and Quora became a regular part of my routine. Platforms like YouTube and Instagram allowed me to develop my brand voice and further build the BRE HEALTHY community. Authenticity was key. Sharing relatable, everyday applications of our promoted lifestyle made the journey uplifting and enriching.
Team-Building
On my entrepreneurial journey, I quickly recognized that managing everything single-handedly was not feasible. Overseeing all aspects of a website and brand is no minor task. That’s why I made the strategic decision to expand my blog contributions by accepting guest writers. This approach not only forged beneficial links between sites for improved SEO but also broadened my audience base and enriched their experience with diverse content!
One of the most rewarding decisions I’ve made was to collaborate with my husband in our business endeavors. We complemented each other’s skill sets, which allowed us to divide and share responsibilities at home and within our businesses effectively.
To further elevate my business, I sought advice from financial and business experts. Their invaluable insights guided me in making informed decisions about scaling my business. Remember, mentors and teachers can provide much-needed guidance when growing a business.
Passive Income
Another significant milestone in my blogging journey has been reining in the power of passive income. I often liken passive income to planting a seed that blossoms into a tree, continuously bearing fruit even when you’re not actively nurturing it. For me, this translated into creating systems within my business that generate income passively, freeing up time for what I cherish most – my family and community relationships.
By promoting products and brands related to my blog’s niche through affiliate marketing, I’ve been able to monetize my blog and optimize its revenue streams. This approach provides readers and viewers with the opportunity to discover products that enrich their lives and deliver tangible value. It’s all about selecting products and services that harmonize and align with the BRE HEALTHY brand and are genuinely beneficial to my audience.
Scaling Up
In conclusion, my blogging journey has been a blend of learning, growing, and constantly evolving. The harmony of various elements – selecting the right platform, optimizing SEO, reining in the power of social media, building a team, and generating passive income – carved the path to my blog’s success. The keys to scaling up are flexibility and adaptability, maintaining authenticity, and never losing sight of why you started.
Breanna, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
From as early as I can remember, the idea of building a brand that extends beyond myself – one that contributes to the holistic health of families and communities – has always captivated me. This passion was further ignited during my nursing career, where I witnessed the transformative power of healthy habits on people’s overall well-being.
With the birth of my first child, I felt a compelling desire to stay at home while simultaneously nurturing a business that could thrive with my children by my side. In 2017, on the brink of welcoming my second baby, I launched my blog, BRE HEALTHY.
I fostered my brand’s growth on social media platforms and through my blogging website, fueled by relentless self-education. I immersed myself in books, attended a mompreneur retreat, enrolled in courses, watched webinars, and educational videos, and read countless articles. Each of these resources equipped me with the knowledge and skills required to create engaging content and foster a meaningful connection with my audience.
As a mother, I understand first-hand the challenges we encounter trying to balance a healthy lifestyle with work, family responsibilities, and personal time. This understanding forms the backbone of my brand. My goal has always been to cultivate a supportive community where we can share our experiences, learn from each other, and grow together.
BRE HEALTHY offers multiple content pillars, each one meticulously designed to holistically nurture families and communities. The BRE HEALTHY brand zeroes in on topics encompassing health, wellness, nutrition, fitness, and mindfulness. It serves up wholesome recipes, engaging family activities, insights into farming, fitness advice, and recreational ideas.
I delight in sharing family-friendly, wholesome recipes that not only nourish your body but also transform your kitchen into a positive hub of your home. I divulge not just the recipes I whip up, but also what’s stocked in my pantry and food storage. These essentials are shared with the goal of empowering families to make intelligent, health-conscious choices.
Through BRE HEALTHY’s farming posts, you can gain a glimpse into agriculture and gardening. These posts inspire a reconnection with nature and encourage a sustainable, from-scratch lifestyle. BRE HEALTHY also spotlights effective exercises and wellness strategies that have become an indispensable part of my physical health routine. My family recreational posts equip you with my insights into family-friendly activity ideas.
My brand, BRE HEALTHY, is dedicated to assisting individuals and families in overcoming common hurdles associated with maintaining a healthy lifestyle. We aim to address real-world issues that many families encounter in their pursuit of health and wellness.
One of the primary challenges we tackle is the struggle to find reliable and easy-to-understand information about health and wellness. With a plethora of conflicting advice available, it can be daunting to determine what’s truly beneficial for you and your family. At BRE HEALTHY, we simplify this process by offering clear and concise guidance on various health topics, enabling you to make informed choices.
In addition, BRE HEALTHY addresses the daunting task of integrating healthy habits into a bustling lifestyle. We understand that your family’s schedule may be filled with work, educational pursuits, and household chores. That’s why we concentrate on practical tips that can be seamlessly integrated into your daily routine. Whether it’s a quick workout routine, a simple recipe, stress management techniques, or family bonding activities, I’ve got you covered.
What sets me apart in the blogging industry is my professional background. As a registered nurse with a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing, I’ve been an active participant of the health industry since 2009. This professional journey has bestowed upon me a profound understanding of health and wellness. Consequently, I can offer you advice that is not only practical but also grounded in sound medical knowledge.
I’m not merely a health blogger; I am a farmer and an outdoorswoman. My hands-on experience in raising horses, chickens, and cattle, and cultivating a vegetable and fruit garden equips me to share practical tips on wholesome, organic living. These are not just theories – they’re tried and tested lifestyle practices that have enriched my life and can do the same for yours!
As a family woman, I fully comprehend the challenges that come with juggling familial responsibilities, work, and personal well-being. Therefore, my content is meticulously crafted to provide realistic, manageable health and wellness strategies that can be seamlessly integrated into your busy lives. I am committed to fostering a positive community – a community where each one of us learns, grows, and supports each other on our wellness journeys.
Reflecting on my journey with BRE HEALTHY, several accomplishments fill me with immense pride and joy. Foremost among these is the enriching relationships I’ve had the privilege to foster. Engaging with you – my audience, readers, and viewers – has been genuinely rewarding. Your feedback, personal stories, and acknowledgments inspire me daily to continue offering practical, easy-to-implement health and wellness tips.
My precious family ties – with my children, husband, extended family, and friends – have been my steadfast anchor throughout this journey. They provide unwavering support and motivation that fuels my passion. Creating BRE HEALTHY hasn’t merely been about building a brand; it’s also been about fortifying these bonds and growing together as a community.
I’m incredibly proud of the tenacity and resilience this journey has instilled in me. Constructing a blog and a brand isn’t a stroll in the park. It demands dedication, relentless effort, and a substantial amount of patience. Yet persevering through the challenges has been one of the most gratifying experiences of my life. A heartfelt thanks to all who have been part of this journey. Your support means the world to me.
So who am I? I’m Breanna and my mission is to empower you with practical health and wellness tips that can seamlessly fit into your daily life. I aim to be a beacon of information, motivation, and positivity in every interaction we have.
As for my brand, BRE HEALTHY, it’s a testament to wholesome living. The brand revolves around four core pillars – food, family, farm, and fitness. Be it providing you with delectable, healthful recipes, suggesting engaging family activities, sharing insights on sustainable living, or offering fitness tips, my ultimate goal is to aid you in cultivating a balanced lifestyle.
Rest assured, every blog post, video, grocery haul, or recreational inspiration I create has one sole purpose: to bring value to your life. BRE HEALTHY is more than just a brand; it’s a community where we learn, grow, and thrive together. I deeply appreciate the support and positivity that this community offers.
Have you ever had to pivot?
In 2014 as a full-time registered nurse, I found myself in a situation where my work schedule was not aligning with my family’s needs. I wanted to be there for my children, to nurture, teach, and learn with them. But my job at a nationally recognized hospital as a medical oncology nurse kept me away from home more than I desired. My first pivot came when I transitioned from my full-time role to an on-call home health and hospice nurse. This shift allowed me to work when my husband was at home, ensuring that one of us was always there for our children.
However, over time, even this arrangement became challenging. So, I made another pivot – I started working as a clinical education nurse with high school students who were becoming certified nursing assistants. This role brought me immense satisfaction as I could pass on my knowledge to the next generation of caregivers.
However, the biggest pivot came in 2017 when I decided to start my blogging business, BRE HEALTHY, and become a full-time stay-at-home mom. It was an entirely new territory for me, but it allowed me to combine my passion for health and wellness with my love for writing, creating, and community building.
Today, I maintain my nursing license through online continuing education, and I’m grateful to have a work-from-home business that allows me to be present for my family while still contributing to the field of health and wellness.
As a registered nurse, I saw firsthand how true wellness is not achieved through cover-ups and quick fixes but through sustainable lifestyle habits – nutrition, fitness, recreation, positive relationships, and sustainable living. This realization inspired me to create BRE HEALTHY, a platform where I could share practical and easy-to-implement wellness tips with mothers and families looking for a healthier lifestyle.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Part of my brand story begins with pushing through nursing school one year after graduating high school. The grueling hours, the rigorous studies and exams, and the constant adaptation required by the rapid exposure to new experiences and people were a true test of strength. I had no social or personal life during those years, working odd hours for work and clinical rotations, even experiencing health issues due to the stress of juggling school and work.
However, it was these challenges that helped me develop stress management skills and taught me the importance of compartmentalizing work, family, and school needs. It was during this time that I learned to create healthy habits and practice work-life balance, skills that has been invaluable to me since.
As a registered nurse, I became a support person, often being the strength for others in their times of need. This role taught me to grow, adapt, and thrive despite the challenges, and it was this resilience that gave me the courage to make a slight career pivot and embark on a new journey – building a health blog and brand.
Starting BRE HEALTHY was not without its hurdles. There were technical issues to overcome, engaging content to create, and the constant balancing act between work and family life. However, I was committed to my mission of providing practical health and wellness tips for families and mothers. I persevered, drawing on the resilience skills I had developed throughout my life and formal education.
Here we are today, continuing to learn, grow, and build together. My journey hasn’t always been easy, but every challenge faced has been an opportunity for growth and further resilience.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.brehealthy.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brehealthyblog/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brehealthy
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/breanna-panter-halverson/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/brehealthyblog
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@brehealthy
- Yelp: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/bre-healthy-hive
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@brehealthy
Image Credits
J24A3721.jpg J24A4891.jpg Mama Spring Break 2018-Mama spring break.jpg 20DEB7F0-CB95-42CA-ABD9-3C6D3CFA1797.JPG 4 images are captured by Selena Sorensen of Sorensen Studios