Ep #8: The Happily-Employed Food Blogger with Philia Kelnhofer

Does it ever seem that the only food blogs that matter are those where the person running the show is considered a full-time blogger? Today we’re talking about another type of sustainable model for food bloggers, one where the blogger actually like their job and their blog. Today’s interview is with Philia Kelnofer of the blog Sweet Phi, and we’re talking about how you can find a place of peace and happiness with having both – a full-time job and a professional food blog. Come and listen to see if this works for you too!

Have you ever wondered who creates the metrics for success for food bloggers? Is it page views? Is it the number of sponsored posts? Is it engagement? And if so, how in the heck do you measure that!

For some food bloggers the ultimate measure of success is becoming a full-time blogger. But what if you could have both – a job you love and an inspiring blog?

If you love being a food blogger, and you also love your full-time job, today’s guest Philia Kelnhofer has a message for you: You don’t have to give up one for the sake of the other. In fact, Phi (pronounced Phee) describes how she loves her full-time job and how it supports her passion for her professional food blog, Sweet Phi.

What we’re saying in today’s podcast is having a blog is a wonderful way to share your passion and grow your skills and this can be a measure of success in and of itself. Sounds good, doesn’t it?

I really do think you can have a very successful job and career that you love, and then you can have a blog that is also successful and doing just as great. Who’s to say you can have one without the other? — Philia Kelnhofer of the site Sweet Phi

If you’ve ever thought about having it all — your job and your blog — then today’s post is for you. Of course, Phi also shares about her supportive husband, her awesome editorial calendar, and the things she loves about being a full-time blogger. There’s a little bit of something for everyone!

Featured Content – The Happily Employed Food Blogger with Philia Kelnhofer

Here are some of the highlights of my discussion with Phi:

• How Phi’s husband was a big motivator for taking her hobby food blog to the next level
• Phi’s redefined version of success for food bloggers (hint: it doesn’t require quitting your day job)
• Phi’s favorite email newsletter tips
• Phi’s awesome tips for growing a sense of community and engagement on her blog
• Having a full-time job and a blog means you’ve got to have some serious time management hacks. Phi shares about her productivity goals that keeps her on track
• Phi’s editorial calendar that she created and shares with others (see the link below)
• The dangers of comparing ourselves to others and why we should find our own place of peace as a food blogger
• How to find something to celebrate about your food blog each and every month
• Phi’s favorite (and somewhat strange) condiment for french fries.

Show Notes

This episode includes references to several resources you might find interesting. Here they are:

• Learn more about today’s guests, Philia Kelnhofer on her site, Sweet Phi.
• Phi talks about her Sweet Phi Reader Recreations, a collaborative way to interact with her blog readers.
• Phi talks about the Sweet Phi Food Blog Planner she created. If you feel a little lost in planning your blog’s content, you should definitely check it out!
• If you’re interested in pretty handwriting for your journal or food blog planner, Phi and I talked about this fun book Hand-Lettering Ledger: A Practice Guide to Creating Serif, Script, Illustrated, Ornate, and Other Totally Original Hand-Drawn Styles originally talked about by Chopped Podcast guest Kristen Doyle.
• Why not give Phi a shout-out on Twitter or Instagram and say thanks for the Chopped Podcast interview

Announcements

1. Learn about future Chopped Podcast episodes by subscribing to the ChoppedCon newsletter. Just add your email in the subscribe section at the bottom of this page. You’ll be glad you did!
2. The next episode of Chopped Podcast will feature an interview with copyright attorney, Mark Leonard of the law firm Davis and Leonard. Mark and I talk about what copyright and trademark laws food bloggers should be paying attention to. Listen in on Mark’s tips on the legal side of food blogging.  Subscribe to the podcast to be sure you don’t miss it!

Subscribe to the Show & Feedback

Thanks so much for listening to today’s podcast. I hope you found it informative and helpful to the work you do every day. Make sure you don’t miss out on any of the Chopped Podcast episodes by heading on over to iTunes to subscribe to the Chopped Podcast. While you’re there, provide a review and rating is a great way to help other podcast listeners find it too! That’s it for today’s podcast. As always, thanks so much for joining in the discussion!