We were lucky to catch up with Elizabeth Preble recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Elizabeth, thanks for joining us today. Can you walk us through some of the key steps that allowed you move beyond an idea and actually launch?

I started my website in 2017 with a beginner blogging course. I spent many evenings in my dining room, struggling with website design, social media posts, photo editing, and writing. This was not an easy process, as I had my third child in 2017 and was caring for a newborn. I struggled a lot as no one in my circle believed I would make any real income from it. Discouraged, I almost quit a number of times thinking I was wasting my time on the computer when I could have been spending time with my family. I took on many unpaid sponsored posts and writing jobs to get my name out there, I did work on the side to pay for expensive courses but in the end it all paid off.

Working long hours, it took me almost 3 years to get my blog to make meaningful income. I had the idea of working from home and replacing full-time income so that my husband and I could buy land and start a small ranch that would allow us to work together from home. I focused on gardening, which grew exponentially during the COVID crisis. People were eager to start their own gardens during the pandemic. My website grew and I was able to focus on other avenues of income and things I really enjoyed, like raising animals.

With that money coming in monthly, it allowed me to begin working on a small hobby farm that has now become profitable. We started with 6 sheep, because sheep can be multi-purpose animals. Now, those 6 sheep have become 40 and we are able to make money through the sale of animals for breeding, meat production and wool sales. We also sell chicken eggs and other food items. The money from the website continues to fund new projects as we expand the business.

Elizabeth, 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?

I am a stay at home mom of 4 wonderful children. My family and I live in rural Montana and we own a small hobby farm, raising sheep. I started with a gardening blog that offers great tips on how to grow your garden and successfully become more sustainable. This website is still profitable today.

We have expanded to many other products that I sell locally. The kids get to help raise animals and garden alongside their mom and dad. I am proud of the little business we have grown so far and am exciting to continue to expand this business as we grow in the community.

The next step is to sell those local products to new customers online. We will be building an Etsy store and a website for the ranch within the next year. There are so many opportunities out there and it all started with a small gardening website.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

The biggest question I am asked is how I make money. I think there are still a number of people who don’t realize how much money can be made online. I write articles on my website that gain traction through social media. With the views on my website, I was able to be added to a reputable ad network which brings in ad revenue every time those articles are viewed online. I also make sales through my email list with products and affiliate income.

It did take a lot of time to set up. However, now there isn’t a ton I have to do to maintain the income I’m bringing in now.

I think it’s important people know that they can all have the opportunity to do this if they put the work in and find out the best strategies to make money online.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

The main goal driving my creative journey is to allow us to make money and live the lifestyle we like with a schedule we can dictate. I also wanted to have a job working with animals. As the website has grown, I have been able to slowly transition from online income to local, agricultural income.

We are looking to keep and expand the website while adding a new website for the ranch and building on both businesses. It has been an amazing journey so far but I believe it’s still only at the beginning stages.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lavenderhomefront.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/lavenderhomefront
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/thesemicrunchymama