Kate Kordsmeier classifies herself as many things: an overachiever, a questioner, an OCD planner, a mom, and a wife. A former journalist and self-proclaimed bookworm, Kate loves gathering, writing, and sharing information – in fact, another self-classification is “information addict”. Put all these together and you have a perfect recipe for an entrepreneur, an aspiration for Kate for many years.

After a diagnosis in 2015 of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, Leaky Gut Syndrome (IBS), and hypothyroidism, Kate started searching for answers to heal her body naturally. She started Root + Revel, a holistic wellness blog that encouraged health in mind, body, and soul. The blog found its niche and took off as Kate shared personal, relatable health tips using her gift of storytelling. After all, isn’t that what an overachieving information addict does best?

“Yes, You Can Make Money from Blogging”

With blogging success came revenue – and lots of it. She turned Root + Revel into a six-figure blog, and her followers were begging to find out how she did it. Kate began publishing income reports with details on ad revenue, affiliate marketing, and sponsorships.

The income statement posts became wildly successful to skeptics and believers alike. Kate wanted to go bigger and empower more people to get paid to blog. After considering a book, Kate ran into her next big idea: a course to teach her followers and others who wanted to blog for a living how to start, scale and succeed.

Trial and Expensive Errors

Kate wrote and designed 6 Figure Blog Academy with step-by-step details on how to start a blog from day 0 – including how to find a great idea and set up all the tech. She also wanted to share actionable advice for her students to jump-start their learning. Fellow information addicts were delighted with the webinar: her first beta test in May 2019 with only 10 seats sold out without any additional marketing or a large email list. Along with promotion on her blog and a few posts on social media, she emailed her list of 500 for her first official launch in July 2019 and sold $18,000.

Kate’s marketing and launch had to evolve after her warm leads were tapped out. In her second launch in October 2019, Kate lost money from a Facebook ads failure, leaving her with a $12,000 loss.

To continue down the path of scalable online courses, something had to give. With help from experts in the online space, Kate pivoted her strategy. She worked on her personal brand and segmented her list into people who were interested in making money from blogging. She tweaked her webinar to speak to the needs of her potential students, and she grew her email list in preparation. All her work paid off: her next launch in January 2020 made $100,000.52.

The Results Are In

Kate discovered the value of analytics to see what her audience wants and tweaking to help her message resonate further. On subsequent launches, she beat the re-launch number by $5,000 – while she was on maternity leave.

Today, Kate continues building her course and has added a new application-only private training to further diversify her offerings. With her course, blog, and coaching, Kate is fully enjoying life with her family on her terms.