• MOTHERHOOD
  • WELLNESS
    • SOUL LIFE SUPPLEMENTS
  • LIFESTYLE
    • STYLE
    • TRAVEL
  • RECIPES
    • – RECIPE INDEX –
    • APPETIZERS
    • BABY & TODDLER FOOD
    • BREAKFAST
    • DINNER
    • DRINKS
    • HOLIDAY FAVOURITES
    • SNACKS
    • SWEETS, TREATS, & DESSERTS
  • HOME DECOR
  • BLOGGING RESOURCES
    • HOW TO START A PROFITABLE BLOG
    • MAKE MONEY FROM HOME
    • TOOLS & RESOURCES FOR BLOGGERS & ENTREPRENEURS
  • SHOP
    • 7-DAY KETO MEAL PLAN
    • NATUROPATHIC SUPPLEMENTS
    • SHOP MY INSTAGRAM
    • AMAZON STOREFRONT
    • HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDES
    • LIGHTROOM PRESETS
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

North South Blonde

A food and lifestyle blog

Tools and Resources for Bloggers and Entrepreneurs

Resources and recommendations for business owners, bloggers and entrepreneurs. Here you will find the strategic tools and services that will help you grow your brand, your business, and most importantly–your income.

The following links are affiliate links in which I earn a commission if you make a purchase through those links at no extra cost to you. The products and companies mentioned below are ones that I personally use and trust.

Resources and recommendations for business owners, bloggers and entrepreneurs. Here you will find the strategic tools and services that will help you grow your brand, your business, and most importantly your income. Work from home | Start a blog | Blogging Tips | Tips for bloggers | Tools | Products | Services | Programs | Boost Traffic | Make money | Monetize | SEO | WordPress.org | Earn a living | Mom Blog | WAHM | Resources for bloggers |

 

Make Money Blogging

These tools and resources are what have helped me grow my blog, which now has over one hundred thousand monthly views. It also allows me to stay home with my children while receiving a steady income–a dream come true.

Every business owner wants to save time and money and effectively grow their business. That’s why I’ve decided to share valuable information to help skyrocket your business so that you can make money too.

The following list of resources will constantly evolve as I learn and grow as a blogger. I will continue to update this page with the best advice I can give in terms of online marketing and business.

Posts About Blogging You’ll Want to Read:

  • How to Start a Profitable Blog (A Step-By-Step Guide for Beginners, Earn Money in Minutes)
  • How to Start a Food Blog in Four Easy Steps
  • 50 Ways to Make Extra Money From Home
  • Everything You Need to Know About Lightroom Presets
  • Working From Home – Home Office Tips and Essentials

Tools and Resources for Bloggers and Entrepreneurs


WordPress.org

The easiest way to turn your hobby into a full-time business is switching to a self hosted site, essential for monetizing your blog. When I began my website in 2016, switching from WordPress.com to WordPress.org is when my business took off and I was able to generate income right away. Find out how to start a blog of your own here. Customize your blog with coding, choose from thousands of themes and plugins (see below), and generate revenue from ads, affiliate links, sponsored posts, and more.

BlueHost

If you want to jump right in, you can use my link to purchase a self hosted website with Bluehost for as low as only $3.95 a month, including a free website domain that’s $15 in value! Amazing for beginners and voted the number one host for WordPress.


WP Engine

This web hosting company is specifically designed for WordPress with top-of-the-line features for experienced users. You also get two months of hosting for free. WP Engine is great if you have decent traffic to your blog, you can pick the plan that best suits your needs and they are well known for killer site loading speeds.


Flywheel

A dedicated WordPress host recommended by advanced bloggers due to their exceptional features like site back ups, fast loading times, and expert support. Flywheel will also migrate your current site for free, meaning they will transfer your website from your previous host to theirs at no cost. Other hosts charge for this!


Genesis Framework

A genesis framework allows you to easily build your blog exactly how you had dreamed. It’s a solid foundation with unlimited customizing capabilities and it’s what I use for North South Blonde. Just like many of the top earning bloggers, you will be able to take advantage of it’s many features including search engine optimization (SEO) so that people will find your website online.

You can find thousands of child themes with genesis built in from StudioPress. They also offer website hosting that includes a pre-installed Genesis Framework in the price in their Synthesis Plan, dedicated to advanced bloggers.

I am currently using the Elle theme by Eclair Design that has a built in genesis child theme, purchased from Etsy.


Grammarly

The main composition of blogging is writing and therefore it is essential to have proper grammar and structure for improved readability. Grammarly is a major help when it comes to scanning your work and correcting common and complex grammatical mistakes. No matter how good of a writer you are, there’s always room for improvement.


VaultPress

You can sleep at night knowing that the VaultPress plugin secures your site. It protects your blog from hackers, viruses, malware, and more. It also backs up your site so you don’t lose all of your hard work.

 

 Google Analytics

Part of building a successful business is knowing specifically who your audience is. Google analytics is an excellent resource for telling you exactly who is reading your blog. Find out your readers’ demographics, geo, interests, and more. Track your views, unique and returning users, bounce rate, page view time, and website loading time. You can pinpoint who you are speaking to when you go to write a blog post or sell a product. Install the plugin to see a summary of stats on your WordPress dashboard.


 Google Spreadsheets

I use these Google sheets to track and record all of my yearly expenses and earnings. See how you are progressing in earnings, learn how to budget accordingly and stay organized. It’s important to record everything.

 


 Yoast (Seo)

Another great plugin that’s essential for successful search-engine-optimization. If you are not familiar, it is basically for optimizing your blog, posts, pages, urls, images, keywords, etc. so that people are able to find your work when searching online. The plugin provides tips and checklists for improving the readability and SEO of each blog post you create.


MiloTree

One of the best ways to drive traffic to your site is spreading the word on social media. And for that to be successful, you need followers. MiloTree is a plugin that lets you customize a pop-up on your blog to get people to follow one of your channels. This is great if you are lacking followers on a certain platform and want to draw attention to it!


 MailChimp

Building an email list is one of the most important things to do when blogging. Building readership. The people that subscribe to your blog will be your potential customers when you launch a product. They are the one’s who want to read what you’ve created and buy what you are going to sell. I use MailChimp for designing and sending via email North South Blonde’s newsletter including the newest blog posts, product launches, promotions and giveaways. Bonus –  they have a free account option!


SumoMe

With the SumoMe plugin, you can create landing pages, pop-ups or welcome mats to get visitors to convert into potential customers and lifetime readers. They have many other great innovative tools to gain email subscribers as well.

 


ConvertKit

If you you are interested in sending a series of emails to your readers like an email course, Convertkit is great for that. You can also create landing pages to grow your email list. Their services start at $29/month.

 

 Canon

As far as my photography goes, I have used the same DSLR from March of 2016 when North South Blonde first launched. My Canon EOS Rebel Sl1. It’s a great starter camera however I do wish it had bluetooth to make transferring files easier. It’s small in size, easy to hold, and I love the touch screen. I plan to upgrade to the big and bad Canon 5D Mark iii, a full framed camera.

As for my lens, I use a Canon 50mm 1.4 prime lens and I absolutely love it! It works amazingly well for achieving that blurred background, making it a great option for portrait and food photography. Keep in mind that it’s a lens that doesn’t zoom in or out. If you live in a small space, you’ll want a lens with a wider range like the 35mm. The lenses mentioned can be expensive especially when first starting out, a 50mm 1.8 lens is really all you’ll need at a fraction of the cost.

If you’d like to know more about photography, shoot me a message on my contact page and let me know if you are interested in learning more.


Adobe Lightroom

All of my images are shot in RAW format, then transferred to my MacBook where I edit them in Lightroom. Editing can be a daunting task, but this program makes it so easy to create your own style of photography and apply it to all of your photos for consistency. I recommend trying the month-to-month subscription or free trial before purchasing.

For more experienced users, try creative cloud to store and sync photos and presets to the Lightroom app.


Canva

To create Pinterest worthy images, I use Canva. It’s a free, easy-to-use online editor to design graphics, logos, invitations, posters, cards, and so much more. I use Canva to create virtual products like my eCookbook – the customization options are endless.

 


PicMonkey

Another great online editing tool that bloggers swear by. It’s like an online photoshop software for editing and designing! You can try PicMonkey for a free 7-day trial before buying a membership.

 


Tailwind

It’s all about Pinterest. The majority of North South Blonde’s traffic comes from this social platform and it can take up a lot of a blogger’s time and energy pinning their blog posts every day. That’s where Tailwind comes into play. It automates the pinning for you so you can actually increase traffic to your blog, make more money, all while having more time to create more awesome content.


BoardBooster

Boardbooster is another Pinterest scheduling tool that helps you save time and increase traffic to your website. Instead of sitting and pinning, have this program do it for you and grow your blog exponentially.


SendOwl

SendOwl is a highly recommended e-commerce platform for selling digital products to your audience via your blog, social media, or simply by sharing your link to shop. Try it free for 30 days!

 
SHARE


Helping the modern mom with practical advice, healthy living, and easy recipes for staying on track

WANT HEALTHY RECIPES SENT RIGHT TO YOUR INBOX?

SoulLife Cellenda and Rekick Health Supplements | Hormone Balance | Absorption | Thyroid Gland | Hypothyroidism | Hyperthyroidism | Holistic Wellness | Naturopathic Healing | Gut Health | Energy | Gut Detox | Natural Vitamins and Minerals | Hair Skin and Nails | Body Detoxify | Adrenals | Adrenal Function | Strengthen Immune System | Boost Immunity | Metabolism | Fat Burn | Weight Loss | Weight Management | Better Sleep | Mental Health | Organic Multivitamin | Made in Canada | Soul Life
AERIE SPRING HAUL 🌸 All linked on my @shop.ltk AERIE SPRING HAUL 🌸 All linked on my @shop.ltk - follow me @northsouthblonde on the app!

Can you tell by my expression what I like the most? 😆
Which is your favourite?!

Shop 👉🏼 https://liketk.it/45IvD

#momstyle #aeriereal #aerie #springfashion #fashionhaul #stylehaul #canadianfashionblogger @aerie
With her little lady bug ride-on from @mybtoys I c With her little lady bug ride-on from @mybtoys I can’t get over how sweet play time is with our almost 2 year old.

We’ve always loved the high quality & durability of @mybtoys toys, even our little sand castle kit from years ago is still holding strong! 

🤍 Have you tried out their toys yet?

#mybtoys #rideon #toddlerlife #toddlertoys #learnandplay
Keto Spinach + Feta Mushroom Bites This has got t Keto Spinach + Feta Mushroom Bites

This has got to be the quickest way to pop something in the oven and devour when you can’t think of anything to eat! Easy and delicious!

16 oz cremini mushrooms (or 453 grams) whole
6 cloves garlic minced
1/3 cup butter unsalted, grass fed (I used @thornloecheese)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
dash salt and pepper
1/4 cup baby spinach leaves
4 tbsp feta cheese crumbled or grated

1. Wash and remove the stems of mushrooms
2. Melt butter in a glass/bowl & whisk in the minced garlic and seasonings to form the garlic butter mixture.
3. On a lined baking sheet, spread out mushrooms, fill with garlic butter, and stuff with spinach and feta.
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until sizzling and nicely browned. Broil for a few minutes on high and crisp up even more if desired. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve!

Save this post & follow @northsouthblonde for more easy healthy recipes 🫶🏼

#stuffedmushrooms #keto #lowcarb #healthyrecipes #easyrecipes #ketorecipes #healthyeating
Unexpected BFFs, celebrating the differences betwe Unexpected BFFs, celebrating the differences between friends that make each other stronger. How adorable is that?! 💕 #Ad 

The NEW✨ L.O.L. Surprise! OMG Series 7 Fashion Dolls include Western Cutie and Golden Heart now available for purchase! 

#lolsurprise #omgdolls #giftsforgirls #loldolls #fashiondolls
Life lately 🤍 It seems as though the years have Life lately 🤍 It seems as though the years have gone by and the girls have changed so much, so very different in their own unique way, growing and blossoming faster than ever. All I had to do was blink and all of a sudden I have a 9 year old wiser than her years, an 8 year old who says it like it is, and an almost 2 year old who doesn’t miss a beat. 

“Let me love you a little more before you’re not little anymore.” This couldn’t be a more truer feeling for us moms raising older children.

I will never stop loving you. A mother gives and gives, loves and loves with no cap, no end, no limit. When life gets tough, always know that I will forever be here for you, loving you and supporting you every step of the way.

#motherhood #lifeofamom #raisingdaughters #motherhoodinspired #firstdayofspring
Don’t fail me kitchen scissors 😆 anything to Don’t fail me kitchen scissors 😆 anything to make my girls happy 🫶🏼🌸🤍🥹 how are you spending March break?!

#bangs #haircut #hairstyle #newhair #girlmom #tutorial #howto #raisingdaughters #marchbreak #newhairdo #girlshairstyle #girlswithbangs #momofgirls
A @builtbar before a workout to power it, or a pro A @builtbar before a workout to power it, or a protein bar after a workout to speed up the recovery process and build lean muscle mass. #AD 

#YouGOTTATryThis The Churo Puff protein bar tastes like a candy bar yet your body needs it! Chocolate coated yet chewy on the inside, you can seriously savour every bite! They’re gf & low in sugar (4 net carbs) 🤍 

Get 3 bars FREE! Link in bio or in my stories.

#BUILT #BUILTproteinbar #BUILTbar #BUILTprotein #protein #dailyvlog #fitnessroutine #dailyroutine #momswhoworkout #wellness #weightloss #postpartum
@NORTHSOUTHBLONDE

COPYRIGHT © 2022 · NORTH SOUTH BLONDE ·
ABOUT | PRIVACY POLICY | DISCLOSURE POLICY | CONTACT