We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kristen Wood a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Kristen , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you scale up? What were the strategies, tactics, meaningful moments, twists/turns, obstacles, mistakes along the way? The world needs to hear more realistic, actionable stories about this critical part of the business building journey. Tell us your scaling up story – bring us along so we can understand what it was like making the decisions you had, implementing the strategies/tactics etc.

The number one thing that got me from zero to the first major goal I set for myself was simply perseverance. I think you really have to stick with things even when it feels like you are not making progress or you have lost confidence in yourself. Many people give up before reaching their goals. Life is about change; things will always change. You have to learn to ride the waves and trust that you’ll get there eventually. And always be willing to pivot when needed!

Mistakes made over the years have proved valuable, as they have often spurred me to learn a new skill. I would say I have a rather large skill set compared to when I first started off, which I really attribute to learning to solve problems on my own when things go wrong. So when you hit roadblocks, try not to settle into panic mode, but rather shift into “I’ve got this,” “I can do this,” and “There’s always a way” mode instead. 

When it comes to blogging and online publishing, search engine and social media algorithms will always change, and a large part of scaling up in this business involves diversification. You can’t just rely on one major traffic source and expect to stay in the game these days. It’s important to find other traffic sources and income streams so you aren’t completely knocked down when one stream underperforms. Apart from ad income and growing social media channels, I recommend applying for programs like Stay22’s retail affiliate program, Newsbreak, and Yahoo Creators, and also exploring memberships along with digital or physical products on your site(s). One way I’ve personally diversified is by growing and monetizing more than one site. That way, if one sinks, it isn’t the be-all and end-all. And always, always make growing your newsletter subscriber list a top priority, as nothing can take that away from you, and it will come in handy for sending reliable traffic as well as having an audience to sell to.

If your business reaches a point where you have a little to invest, hiring help for tasks that are personal pain points or tasks you tend to procrastinate on or struggle with can open doors. This allows you to do more of what you do well, growing your business more rapidly. If you don’t have a lot to invest, I recommend starting with a VA through onlinejobs.ph. Many talented Filipino VAs are experienced, reliable, and offer great support to small businesses that are just starting to outsource.

Additionally, finding like-minded peers in your field can be very useful for bouncing ideas off and comparing what’s working and what’s not. Sharing insights, wins, and struggles with others can help everyone grow faster.

And I’m not going to pretend any of this is easy. It takes a lot of hard work, consistency, and showing up even on the days you don’t feel like it. There are no shortcuts. Most of the growth happens behind the scenes, in the late nights, the trial and error, and the small steps that add up over time. If you’re willing to put in the work, you really can build something meaningful.

Ultimately, you have to keep trying things out, believe in your vision, and be willing to grow, learn, and change along the way.

Kristen , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m a food blogger of 10 years who has since grown sites in other niches, written and published cookbooks, and is on the verge of launching a membership on my largest site. I started my journey by sharing my favorite recipe creations with ingredients I got from my local food bank, and now I’m making six figures while continually diversifying and scaling. It’s been a wild ride and a whole lot of hard work, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything!

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

For the first several years of growing my business, I did the bare-bones minimum because I couldn’t afford to invest much. I found the free or low-cost route for doing virtually everything. I already had a camera, and I made what I could with the groceries I had. I did not buy a premium WordPress theme or invest in any plugins or anything else for the first half of my journey. I am a testament to the fact that you can start out, create, and grow with very little. You just have to get creative with it!

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

In this day and age, authenticity goes a long way in growing a dedicated reader base. It shows when you put care and time into the content you create, especially in this rapidly growing age of AI. It’s also important to take the time to respond to every comment and email you receive. Connect with your audience and build that community!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://moonandspoonandyum.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moon.and.spoon.and.yum/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/moonandspoonandyum/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kwoodphotography/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHqCkpd-BLqTxIFP0ZM3aeA
• Other: https://flipboard.com/@moonspoonyum/
  https://schisandraandbergamot.com/
  https://thecozygamingnook.com/
  https://muckrack.com/kristen-wood/

Image Credits

Kristen Wood