Today I wanted to talk a little bit about having hard conversations, talking about things that are hard to talk about, that make us uncomfortable. I believe that the more we talk about these things, the easier it gets, and the more connected we are with one another. After all, we are here to support one another, to share our gifts, and to spread kindness and love.
When I first started talking about Ashley it was really hard. With time it got easier. Occasionally someone still says something about Ashley that hurts me, but I can’t let those rare instances keep me from all the good that comes from talking about the hard stuff.
There’s another topic that deserves our attention which can also be hard to discuss, and that’s money. I wish it weren’t so. It would be easier if I were a man or if I had a different job. No one ever criticizes my husband for making money. People criticize women less for working in an office than they do for earning money online. But women are amazing, I’m proud to be a woman, and the more we value our time and work, the easier it will be for our daughters.
I’ve been selling products my whole career. I’ve written over six cookbooks. I’ve been an affiliate for makeup that I believe in, and for food and other products on Amazon that I believe in (affiliate links). Now I’m an affiliate for a hemp oil that has improved my health and changed the lives of so many people that I have shared it with. I feel really good about the work that I do and have always done. When people criticize me for making money I have to remind myself how lucky I am to be able to do what I’m passionate about, what I’m really good at.
Back in 2011 about a dozen of my blogging friends from around the country came to Boulder for a girls weekend. In one of our discussions a woman asked (timidly, as if she was ashamed to ask this private group of supportive friends) “Do you think it’s okay if we make money?” Wow. Would a man ever feel the need to ask, “Should I get paid for the work that I’m doing?” I don’t think so. We were spending our time and money developing recipes, sharing health journeys, sharing helpful products, writing, and photographing for our blogs. We were helping so many others who were struggling — adults and children alike.
Many of our blogs had an audience way bigger than a traditional printed magazine. Health and food brands saw value in our popularity and recognized it as a great way promote their businesses. Many of these brands were exploitive, offering only a $10 box of gluten-free cookies in exchange for advertising to our tens of thousands of readers. Other brands approached me, offering a thousand dollars for a single sponsored blog post, and I turned them down because I didn’t agree with their ingredients or their product. But there are also companies that have offered me fair compensation to bring attention to their helpful and healthy products. I’m delighted to share these brands with my fans!
From time to time I see a blogger or an Instagrammer shaming other women for making money, assuring her audience that she only blogs, “for the love of blogging.” She vows to never make any money, as if this makes her a better person than those who do. I occasionally get messages from readers who are offended that I promote my cookbooks and cookies, or that I’m an organic makeup affiliate, or a hemp oil affiliate. Not everyone needs to work for a living, but for those of us who do, there’s no shame in supporting our family by making commissions on products we already buy. Beauty Counter and DoTerra work this way, and so does Prime My Body (PMB), the company that makes the hemp oil, pet hemp oil, skin care products, and the detox kit that I buy.
My fans don’t make money when they buy my cookbooks, mugs, mug cake mix, cookie mixes, or when they follow my Amazon links. But when my fans join my PMB team as an affiliate they can buy their supplements AND earn money. I’m happy that because of me they’ve found a product that helps them, and I’m happy that it helps them earn money for their family. (Just to give you an example of what I’m talking about: my husband is on my PMB team, I enrolled him. That means when he makes an order for our family, I get a commission. We get money back on products we already buy. The first time Andrew ordered our hemp oil as my teammate we earned $300 back, because we wanted the big pack of bottles. Andrew’s future orders didn’t earn us as much as his first purchase, but we still get points and rewards every time he orders. I think of it like my Amazon credit card, which gives me money back for making purchases with it.)
We all have expenses. A family on a special diet is espensive, and having a child with severe special needs is even more expensive. But I don’t need an excuse to earn a living. Nobody does. I love helping people and sharing what has helped my family and my sweet Ashley.
Lots of love!
♥, Kelly
P.S. If you’re interested in enrolling, and joining my PMB team OR getting affiliate discounts as a customer (without enrolling) text me: 720-270-1705
Jenny says
You deserve to be paid for the services and work you create. It’s sad that some people feel like they have to apologize for it. It shows how much our culture devalues the work we do and how prevalent the shame culture is.
My family has worn out our copy of Easy Paleo Meals and I’m going to go have it spiral bound so it’ll last a few more years. Your recipes were critical in helping me make the hard transition to a diet that saved my family’s health. I’ve never regretted, or questioned, spending money on the work you do. Thank you.
Stephanie Seibel says
💗💗
Tabitha T says
Right on! I am not a blogger, but you absolutely should be paid for your work. I think most readers know affiliate purchases help support our favorite bloggers. So glad you encouraged the blogger feeling guilty about earning money.
Kelly says
Thank you so much!