This transition into a new focus of the blog has been hard. People who are no longer interested falling by the wayside, engagement dropping and me feeling like I don’t know what the heck I’m doing anymore. Then yesterday happened. The post about the Baby Thing happened and I had to face something.

You’re just not that into it. Awkward.

I started to question the idea of writing about business specifically for women. And as for the whole blogging and social media thing goes, I worried that there was no one there. I was wrong. People are still there, maybe YOU’RE still there. But no one said anything because, well, they didn’t care about what I was talking about and the way I was delivering content.

A blog is nothing if it’s not personal. I think somewhere I forgot that. Probably around the time that we had to pay back the Australian Government our entire life savings and then some. Forget probably; that’s what it is. It has to be. The shame of failure and what that says about me as a person and my ability to deliver value here. Yesterday when I was afraid, I hit publish anyway.

And the support just showed up.

There’s a lesson in there for all of us running blogs, brands or businesses. Sometimes it takes sharing these moments, ourselves, to really allow people out there to connect with us. To give them a reason to stop what they are doing to comment back or tag a friend. Not as a strategy to gain more traction or sales, but as a way to genuinely connect with people. To share the ups and downs, the triumphs and the lessons hard-fought for and earned.

I’ve heard you, whether you said it out loud or not. To be able to speak with women, who want to create something for themselves, I need to be willing to share myself. Wholely. Without fear of the judgement that the internet can deliver so swiftly. Be patient with me, team. Apparently, after all this time, I’m still learning.

Melissa Walker Horn

Hi! I’m Melissa Walker Horn. Around here, they call me Suger. I’m the Chief Blogger and doer of all the things here at Suger Coat It. Blogging since 1901; I love a casual ootd, taking photos, and writing about things that irk or inspire me. I love wine and cheese, long days at the beach and spending time with my family. I make stuff for the internet over at Chalkboard Digital. You know, living the sweet life.