Cape Cod Massachusetts USA
No.
I am not turning Blogging From Paradise into a sneaker blog.
I enjoyed kicks during my basketball playing days.
But my values changed.
I value traveling the world.
I invest money to put:
- food in my gut
- gas in the car
- my ass on a plane
As for my sartorial splendor, Kelli jokingly refers to my style as “Dirt Bag Chic”.
I care little about clothes.
Sneakers?
I am notoriously cheap in that department.
But a recent “expensive” purchase woke me up.
Buying $7 USD kicks at Lidl that fell apart in weeks finally made no sense to me.
I loved my $15 USD joints at Walmart. But burning through these cheap sneakers became expensive over the long haul.
Never mind how dirty, tattered and unsightly, inexpensive kicks degrade with alarming speed.
The Story
During our recent trip to Brooklyn my wife suggested buying myself a nice pair of sneakers from the local sports store.
The invitation was always there. I just cheaped out again and again over the years.
I decided to treat myself.
After looking past a few $100 USD deals I purchased a pair of Adidas sneakers for $65 USD. For me this is expensive.
Anyway, I looked at the kicks today in Cape Cod. The condition? Virtually brand new.
Here’s the *kick*er; I hike for 4-5 hours daily. I have already put 100 plus onto these sweet kicks. Yet the quality remains.
I have hiked in torrential downpours, through puddles, around mud and in sandy conditions on both beaches and in pine barrens.
Look at the featured image.
Notice how the kicks seem to be as good as new.
Why?
Investing money in quality sneakers creates a quality experience.
Do You Need to Stop Cheaping Out on Your Blog?
Bloggers ask about blogging on free platforms quite often.
Some want the best free theme.
Yet others desire to learn how to go pro from free content alone.
But quality hosting creates a quality experience. A quality domain name instills trust. A quality theme inspires credibility. Quality blogging resources step you from problem to solution without skipping any practical tips.
Being cheap robs you of the opportunity to become a pro blogger.
You may save your money but lose the opportunity to go full-time.
Does that sound expensive enough to you?
Believe it or not, I have spent a small fortune on sneakers since I began circling the globe even though I rarely dropped $12 USD or more on a pair of kicks.
I needed to buy new sneakers every 2, to 3 to 4 months because cheap-ass kicks fall apart after one hikes for dozens of miles in ’em.
This is like the blogger hellbent on doing everything cheap. All falls apart fast. Or better yet, nothing ever comes together.
I have officially learned my sneaker lesson. I will pay for high end kicks going forward.
My workout sessions have improved with better foot support. I hike longer. I jog with greater speed.
The sneakers look brilliant after a good 100 plus miles of wear and tear.
$65 USD proved to be a wise investment.
Guess what?
Buying:
- premium hosting and a domain
- a premium theme
- premium online courses and/or detailed eBooks
prove to be wise investments too.
Check out these blogging lessons based on my new and improved kicks game.
1: Quality Lasts
I have an admission to make.
During my trip to Incheon South Korea, I purchased a $70 pair of Adidas kicks from an outlet.
I still own the pair. I made these sneakers my poor weather, back-up pair. I call these my mudders.
I bought the sneakers 3 years ago. Even though I use these sparingly I easily put 500 miles on the premium pair.
You would have thought I learned my lesson.
Alas, I did not…..until a few weeks ago.
Quality lasts.
Expensive, quality resources last for a long time.
Invest money in a domain and hosting. Own your blog name and content for the year. Or buy your domain and hosting for 2 years.
Will your blog crash due to a traffic surge? Nope; your blog will last because premium hosting offers you the resources to handle surges along with high concurrent usage.
Cheap hosting sends quality traffic and blogging income away from your blog.
Premium hosting keeps quality traffic and blogging income on your blog, in essence.
Invest in premium hosting because quality lasts.
2: Premium Enhances Your Life
I hiked a few 15 mile days recently with no sweat.
My feet feel recharged.
Quality sneakers offer:
- strong support
- shock absorbing cushy vibes
- durability
My cheap sneakers murdered my feet sooner than later. I suffered little since I am an 8 year yogi with flexible dogs yet I still felt the pain at times.
Imagine if your goal is to get featured on high level blogs.
You can try to piece together a guide from free resources or invest in my premium online course to learn in-depth lessons from someone who lands high quality backlinks.
Investing money in your blogging education saves you:
- time
- energy
- due diligence
- frustration
Successful entrepreneurs hire coaches to reach the next level. Pros invest money to learn and enhance their craft.
Reaching the top of the blogging hill requires a far different strategy than the general blogging public knows about.
For example, my blogging course lays out the often-ignored details for:
- publishing backlink-friendly content
- building strong relationships with pro bloggers who expand your reach far and wide (and may even drop quality backlinks pointing to your blog)
Meanwhile, most bloggers who piece together a free backlink education waste 5 hours a day blindly pitching strangers who never open these emails.
Invest money in your blog to succeed.
Thrive by doing it right.
Enhance your blogging experience by opening up your pocket book.
3: Pay Up to Play Up
Free themes look cheap.
Most readers do not trust bloggers who emit a cheap image.
Free blogging platforms offer virtually no:
- branding
- customizing
- monetizing
potential.
Lacking success potential, free platform bloggers lose credibility in the eyes of pro bloggers who could open doors for them, let alone lacking cred in the eyes of prospering readers, customers and clients.
I still build my blog on a shoestring because free content fuels my blogging engine.
Yet I invest in the basics to:
- convey a professional image
- earn trust
- build credibility
- move into elevated blogging circles
Some top bloggers link to my blog mainly because of my content but partially because of my theme and WordPress Dot Org deal here. I own my blog. I pay for hosting and the domain. Pros never link to bloggers who use free platforms (or rarely do) because credibility questions plague these individuals.
Why do you fear spending $10 USD each month on your blog? Do you fear committing to blogging? Why do you fear dropping $20 USD on your domain for the next year? Why do you fear investing $100 USD on a premium theme?
Typically, when bloggers fear to commit financially to their blogs the fright manifests as low quality content. Pro bloggers, loyal readers, customers and clients never trust low quality content.
Pay up to play up.
Play the game how it has to be played.
Impress full-time bloggers, readers, customers and clients by dropping a few bucks on your domain, hosting and theme. Spend money on your blogging education to actually know what you’re doing with your blog.
Move into successful blogging circles by doing what successful bloggers do.
Conclusion
I learned my lesson.
No more cheap kicks for me.
Now it’s time for you to learn an invaluable blogging lesson.
The most expensive blogging mistake you can make is saving money but losing the opportunity to make money and go pro.
Buy a domain name.
Invest in premium hosting.
Buy a premium theme.
Invest in your blogging education with a course and/or eBook.
Succeed by understanding the financial investments required to go pro.
Blogging is a business.
Businesses require some capital to get off the ground.
Businesses demand capital to grow slowly but steadily.
Invest money in your blog.
Lay the foundation for a full-time blogging career.
