Jackie Beck has paid off over $147,000 with her husband, and they are enjoying the debt-free life. Here is their manifesto: “We don’t need debt to get ahead. We can stand on our own two feet. We’re capable, hardworking, and smart. When an emergency happens, we’ll rely on money and our own resourcefulness to take care of things. We won’t turn to debt in desperation, or at the first little hiccup life hands us. We’re breaking free of the debt myth.”
1. Can you tell us about your blog and what Plutus Award you won?
My site is JackieBeck.com, where I teach people how they can get out of debt without putting their life on hold. (No reason you can’t have fun while also paying off debt!) My smart phone app Pay Off Debt by Jackie Beck won the Plutus Award for Best Personal Finance Educational Resource.
2. How did you feel winning the award knowing it was from your peers?
So happy! It means so much to be recognized by people who know exactly what it takes to blog and to create useful products that will help others.
3. Where are you now? Are you still doing the same blog? How has it changed?
I’m still at JackieBeck.com. I’ve been working away at improving my existing articles so that they are more in-depth, making things easier to navigate for readers, and doing some SEO. I’ve also added advertising to my site, which is a big change for me since it’s never had ads on it before. Surprisingly, only one person commented on the change. Another focus is promoting my Destination Debt Freedom course more, and that’s starting to pay off.
4. What advice would you give someone looking to grow their blog today?
Use Pinterest! A big chunk of my traffic comes from there, and many personal finance bloggers don’t even consider using it. Also, spend a lot of time on headlines. I’ve got a blog post that talks about improving blog traffic in more detail (on my “extra” site). Finally, stick with it. It may feel like everything has been done before, but no one else is you. Your voice matters.
5. Blogging can be tough. How do you keep up with motivation?
Maybe I’ve just been blogging so long that I can’t imagine not doing it? I don’t know.
I definitely struggle with feeling like I’m not focused enough, getting even more traffic to my site and products, feeling overwhelm with all there is to do in running a business, etc. Being part of small mastermind groups and of course the FinCon community helps, because there’s always someone to help pick me back up if I get to feeling discouraged. Remembering that comparison is the thief of joy helps too. Nothing good comes from that! Sometimes I also tell myself that “You don’t have to feel like doing it. You just have to do it.” So, pep talks?
6. Where do you see yourself going from here? Any plans in the works you can share with us?
Continuing to travel! Blogging-wise my aim is to continue marketing & promoting my products and site, continue encouraging others as they get out of debt, and maybe to expand what I write about a little to bring in some of the travel + real estate investing. (Especially since those are two things many of my readers are interested in doing.)
7. What is your greatest achievement outside of blogging?
That’s a tough question. But for sure the things I’m most proud of are: my son (because he’s awesome), getting completely out of debt, and writing something that has literally saved at least one person’s life. (Which I was prompted to write thanks to Melanie’s suicide prevention blog tour. Guess that’s a blogging thing but I’m glad it helped someone.)
Thank you, Jackie, for updating us on what’s going on with you!
If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below.
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