Today´s Business Based on Popularity

I was running my Scandinavian blog for 5 years before closing it. And for 5 years, I shared healthy, anti-inflammatory recipes (both sweet and savory), DIY beauty care, tips on how to grow & sow indoors, my yoga-practice, inspirational quotes, jokes (well, we all need to laugh, don´t we?) and articles regarding health, personal growth, spirituality and sustainability - all part of my lifestyle concept.

5 years of voluntary work

However, none of this work was giving me any income. So I´ve literally worked without salary for 5 years with my blog and website. While others show ads on their blog, I didn´t want to go there, because I simply didn´t wish to turn my website into a superficial marketplace with ads I may not support. I did get offers, but I turned them down. You see, I believe in a new way of making business and I do believe in the goodwill in people. Meaning, people that do wish to give something back when they are given access to things of value, like healthy recipes that can improve their health. Unfortunately, this is not how things usually are done. Blog-business today is rather about creating a marketplace where you show ads and make recipes etc. based on products that other companies wish to sell and thereby want you to show on your blog. Now, all this is a bit turned upside down, isn´t it? I mean, shouldn´t the people who actually use my content also be the ones who pay for it? You go to the bookshop, you buy a book with recipes and you pay for it, right? You don´t ask some company to pay for it, do you?

Today's blogging is triggering destructive and nonserving behavior

Truth is that I think this 'old way' of running a blog and website is both unsustainable, disrespectful for whomever is running the blog (because they're supposed to give huge amount of content for free - 'sell out' in other words), and actually trigger destructive behavior. For it´s not respect to keep giving without getting something back. It is not serving humanity to teach others that they have to keep giving for free and be okay with the fact that no one who is using the actual content that you are creating is willing to pay for it. People are so used to it that they don´t think about what they´re doing, so let´s forgive them. But let's also wake them up and help them realize what they´re doing.

Fundraiser to allow people to give back & support

So, I have literally been working without salary for 5 years and I can see that this isn´t sustainable in the long term. Honestly, to use your own assets to serve others with the support of your family is not a very lucrative business. Therefore, I have started a fundraiser because I believe in the good in people. Well, I believe in the good in good people. ;-) Now, those who have been using my (Swedish) blog so far apparently didn´t felt triggered to give back with a few exceptions. For example, a woman named Elena liked one of my gluten free sourdough recipes, and she thought that was worth 100 SEK (about 10 dollars). Well, now we´re talking! Someone who doesn´t take me nor my content for granted! Elena is making an example of what I wish to be the future. People start giving back by nature and people stop taking gifts, life and others for granted.

Today´s business; many followers = a winner (no matter content)!

For some time ago I sent in a few poems (a synopsis) to Hay House UK. I know my poems are good because they only got positive feedback from people who read them. People were saying that my poems were healing and even called me a poetic genius.

When I got their answer, it was such a typical reflection of today´s business. - What I´m aiming to change(!) They were litterally saying; We liked it, but you´re not popular enough, so we'll reject your work. In other words; they are choosing to judge the writer from the size of his/her audience, and that is before the work even is published... And here I am thinking that the work is what supposed to bring the audience. Not the other way around!

Well, I prefer to know who sees me before the crowd does. For if you can´t see with your own eyes, and treasure with your own heart, what are you? And if you don´t value me because I don´t have a huge crowd surrounding me with big posters saying 'she´s popular', are you even interesting to me then? If you do like something or someone, but he/she/it isn´t very popular, should you reject him/her/it because of that?

My simple question is; Should we run our business based on popularity?

I can only speak for myself, but if I came here to be popular, I certainly came for the wrong reasons. And if popularity is more important than true and unique value/actually making a difference, something is definitely out of balance. Just saying...

A Sustainable business plan

So, when that is said. I now aim to create a more sustainable business in the future. I generally believe we need to shift our awareness from money to growth (i.e. creating true value), from winning over people to attract people, and from superficial values to genuine and sustainable values. We need to learn how to shape our business around true value rather than popularity. Why not try to make true value popular instead? We also need to learn to stop giving if we´re taken for granted. And adjust what we give to what comes back. In some cases, people simply can´t afford to pay for your content. Then that´s okay. But there´re many ways of 'giving back'. A simple 'thank you' may be all you need to hear. And it´s absolutely free.

Sponsorship

I believe that working for health and sustainability in fact is more important than being a football player or say a company selling makeup products. And those of us who create our own unique content with a genuine aim to make a difference don´t really fit in the category of 'influencers'. Although we DO influence, but there´s a difference, right? So I say It´s time that we create a new form of business model and work with sponsors who believe in what we do.

My dear mother says I´m ahead of my time. Well, we can´t change anything by repeating the present, can we? And someone has to keep walking towards a brighter future. Someone has to dare stepping outside the frame.

So, I hope you are 'with me'. ;-) If you are interested in sponsorship, feel free to write to me!

Would you like to donate (any amount is greatly appreciated), please visit my fundraiser here!

Much love & enlightenment, Ayako Miki