The written word is a powerful thing, which when utilized correctly, can even make you money. In Lidiya Kesarovska’s case, she started using writing to make money initially, but this talent turned into way more.
Lidiya’s natural writing ability helped her start a career online and later build a successful one doing something completely different. She now teaches others how to create an abundant mindset, how to blog, and even how to create an online course, all while helping them reach their own individual goals in the process.
Allow me to introduce business mentor, blogger, and podcast host, Lidiya Kesarovska…
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Hey! I’m Lidiya Kesarovska, a business mentor, blogger, podcaster, and the founder of Let’s Reach Success and Bold Business School.
I started an online business seven years ago and haven’t looked back. First, that was freelance writing. Later, it turned into full-time blogging. Now, my main focus is my online courses.
While I started in the personal development industry and will always cover those topics, I’ve switched to teaching business over the years. After making many mistakes and learning from experience, I now help others become self-employed, pursue their passion, and live life on their own terms.
It all began with me being fascinated with the idea of lifestyle design. I craved freedom and independence, to move out of my home country, earn online doing what I love, and help others at the same time.
First came the mindset work (which never stops, really). Then things in my physical reality started changing too.
I took inspired action, and that was to write about personal development, which is what I’m most passionate about. That’s why I started my blog Let’s Reach Success back in 2013 and have been growing it ever since.
While it was first a hobby blog and I had no idea how to monetize it, later it turned into the foundation of my business and personal brand, a way for half a million people to find me every year, a source of multiple income streams, and a place where people find inspiration and actionable advice.
But my first income stream was different. While I was getting into blogging and creating content on my site, I was freelancing for clients. That turned into a regular income stream and gave me the confidence, experience, and reputation I needed to move on to doing bigger and more independent things.
While freelancing wasn’t pleasant, it is what gave me a great starting point. I built discipline, learned more about the publishing industry, worked with clients, saved enough to leave my home country, and had the chance to grow my blog on the side.
Later, my blogging income replaced my freelance income, and I never worked for clients again.
The first service I offered was writing. I simply created profiles on websites like Upwork and started applying for jobs. I only chose the ones that sounded like a good fit, and in my pitch, I linked to articles I’d published on my site so people could see what I could do for them.
The first money I made changed everything because it showed me it was possible–I could actually get paid for my writing even though English was my second language, I wasn’t based in the US, and I had no experience. So I started doing more of this until I eventually got good reviews, my profile on Upwork looked better and better, and I raised my rates and started setting the terms of the jobs.
As for my first product, I published ebooks back in the day but don’t really talk about them anymore. My first real product was my online course, Blog to Biz System, which teaches the framework for starting, growing, and monetizing a brand-new blog and turning it into a full-time business.
The idea didn’t really come suddenly to me. I just wanted to document the process of my blogging journey and teach others the ins and outs of it so they could do it better and faster. This course was comprehensive and ideal for beginners, intermediate, and even advanced bloggers.
Now I have many more products, mainly courses and masterclasses, and I teach blogging, starting a digital product business, being a course creator, content creation and marketing, etc.
The company itself (Let’s Reach Success) was first founded in my home country, Bulgaria. Later, as I relocated to Amsterdam (Netherlands), I registered it there.
It’s the simplest business structure. I’m a solopreneur, and that’s usually the first of the list of options when registering a new company. All the responsibility is on you, you take care of your business and personal finances and make sure these are separated, there are employees, and so on. I have had an accountant from the beginning so I don’t need to worry about taxes or missing important deadlines. I pay my taxes once a year.
If you’ve been wanting to start a business but the legal and financial part of it scares you, I’m here to tell you that it’s easy. Don’t let it be a barrier to actually starting.
I like attracting the right people to work with through my work and brand indirectly, not by contacting them personally or being salesy in any way.
I believe in the power of valuable content. Consistently providing value to your audience with good and strategic content can position you as an expert in your field and bring many new people to your site/podcast/YouTube channel/social media accounts. It can turn them into real followers, big fans, and eventually paying clients. Content helps you form relationships and can be the sole reason why people find you and choose to stay in your world.
Oh, so many. I’d say that at every stage of my business journey and mindset, it was different ones. But the learning never stops, and I believe that’s key. You gotta be a lifelong learner to stay in business long enough to actually make it.
I like to learn from people who’ve created something out of nothing, who have made mistakes, and who are actually living the kind of life I dream of. These are the self-made entrepreneurs who are also into personal growth and spirituality, who live an unconventional life, and who are deeply satisfied with what they’ve created.
Someone I like learning about business from is James Wedmore, for example. I’m inside his main business program, Business by Design, and love listening to his podcast Mind Your Business.
Kathrin Zenkina is one of the manifestation experts I like learning from. I’ve taken trainings from her and love her podcast The Manifestation Babe podcast.
Gala Darling is another person who I love learning from. I read her books, follow her updates, know her story, listen to her podcast, and am into her programs, including one membership.
Memorable books include:
– Breaking The Habit of Being Yourself (Dr. Joe Dispenza)
– Anything by Richard Dotts on manifestation
– Children of Emotionally Immature Parents (Lindsay C. Gibson)
– Reinventing Yourself (Janet S. Klosko, Jeffrey Young)
– It Didn’t Start with You (Mark Wolynn)
– $100M Offers (Alex Hormozi)
A lot of personal growth right now, which always leads me in the right direction in business. I’m constantly working on my money mindset, beliefs around self-worth, childhood issues, unresolved trauma, deep fears, etc. I see this as a game and there’s always a next level.
As for business, I’m now opening the doors to my signature program for course creators again–Bold Business School–and getting things ready for it.
Join the waitlist if you want to be the first to hear about it: https://letsreachsuccess.com/waitlist/
I’m also publishing new content on the blog and podcast regularly, updating old articles on the blog, and emailing my list every Tuesday. You can join my life by signing up for the free Abundant Biz Journal Challenge.
I also stopped using Instagram a few months ago, and it feels good. Now I’m basically not using social media for business, or at all, except for Pinterest, but that’s more like a search engine on its own.
Since quitting IG, I’ve had more creative freedom, the comparison and anxiety around checking updates and having to post are gone, and I just feel better about my business and produce more content on the platforms that matter to me.
Don’t let comparison get in the way. Most often we end up comparing our Stage 1 to someone else’s Stage 10, and we only see the gap in between. Then our goals seem unattainable but that’s not realistic. Find the right mentors online and read their stories, learn about their early days, and hear the mistakes they made.
Know that failure doesn’t define you. Every time someone doesn’t work out, it’s teaching you a necessary lesson so you get closer to what works. So you’re always heading in the right direction as long as you take action. Don’t let perfectionism stop you either.
Don’t try to speak to everyone online or to please people. Create aligned content, provide value to your ideal reader/listener/follower, and know that many others can find it and learn from it too.
Website: https://letsreachsuccess.com/
Podcast: https://letsreachsuccess.com/fearless/
Courses: https://letsreachsuccess.com/courses/
Blog coaching: https://letsreachsuccess.com/blog-coaching/
IG: http://instagram.com/letsreachsuccess
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/letsreachsuccess/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lidiya1/
My mother in law loves to sew.
A few years ago she asked me how to set up an online store.
She wanted to sell fancy throw pillows she was making.
I gave her very basic steps. Enough to get started (I don't know much about ecom).
A few weeks later she showed me her site. It
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I hope you make it.
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100 Nos is the price of one yes.
You can get as many as yeses as you damn well please as long as you’re willing to pay the price.
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He would likely roll his eyes and argue that none of us should be too surprised, based on the actuarial tables, but we’ve lost one of the 20th century’s greatest investors and businessmen.
Chris and I
