Doll Feature: #BossBabe Elaine Rau
Elaine Rau, creator of LadyBoss Blogger, is a woman after our own hearts! Her tagline is “Content BY Female Entrepreneurs FOR Female Entrepreneurs.” How awesome is that?!
We were so honored to be featured as a guest blogger on her website with our blog on how to pitch. We wanted to get to know the woman behind this platform for female entrepreneurs, so we had a little chat!
Growing up, what did you envision doing for a career and how did that shift into where you are today?
I wanted to be a singer and an actress, but I had terrible stage fright and really couldn’t sing LOL! I think at the core of it, I just wanted to have a platform to make an impact, which is what I am currently doing with my social media platforms and business blog: LadyBossBlogger.com.
How did your business start?
I was stuck in a developing country with no job and no purpose, so I started my blog to give myself something to do and to learn about who I wanted to become. I didn’t have the funds to pay for a business mentor, so instead I decided to interview inspirational women on my blog to learn their business tools and techniques. I was the most avid reader of my own blog and learned everything I know from it, which is why, I believe, it so quickly became an amazing resource for other women who were also trying to learn about entrepreneurship from a female perspective.
What were your biggest fears in launching your own business?
I didn’t realize I was starting a business when I bought my blog. I simply started the blog to help dig myself out of the downward spiral I was in and to give myself something to do. I think having a sales background helped because I wasn’t afraid of rejection and just went for it. I emailed 100 ladies, 10 of them got back to me and 1 agreed to pay for my services and the rest is history.
Tell us about the importance of mentorship.
I have had thousands of mentors… because I consider everyone I have interviewed on my blog to be my mentor. Almost all the business tools I use, I learned from them. I learned about Canva, which is the design tool that I use to create everything on my blog now, because 15 ladies in a row identified that as their main design platform, so I tried it out too.
What services do you provide?
I help ladies start, grow and scale their own money making blogs so that they can become full-time bloggers in half the time. I have a course on How To Start A Money Making Blog that compiles exactly how to build the foundation you need in order to actually make money from your blog. Anyone can start a blog, but did you know that only 9% of bloggers actually make money? I am here to increase that percentage.
What did you go to school for?
I went to school for art! Here is a little known fact: the majority of 6-figure bloggers have a background in graphic design! Why is this so important? Because branding and good design is what makes online businesses stand out.
Where are you located?
I am based in Chicago, IL.
Favorite place you have traveled to for work?
Europe. I had never been there before, and it was exactly as dreamy as I thought it would be! I went to Barcelona, Paris and London.
How would you narrow down the steps to launching a business?
1. Find a solution to a problem
2. Find the gap in the market
3. Promote your services
When I started LadyBossBlogger, there weren’t too many platforms out there that highlighted female entrepreneurs and their journeys. I couldn’t find what I was looking for, so I created it myself.
Tell us about a challenge you’ve overcome.
I was terrified of being on camera and recording myself, but I decided that I need to DO IT SCARED and that has been my motto ever since. The only way to get over your fears is to face them and do it over and over again until it becomes less scary and you start to actually get comfortable with it. There is no way around this uncomfortable process.
What are your thoughts on social media?
I love all social media. I honestly think it’s the best thing ever. You can hate it but that won’t make it go away, the more you learn to embrace things and use them to your advantage, the more you’ll enjoy the ever-changing landscape of life.
Online businesses survive with the help of social media. If social media never became a thing, I doubt that online businesses would have taken off as much as they have. While we had the internet, social media gave a new meaning, interest and story to all things online.
What motivates you?
Honestly, I rely on the motivation from the ladies I interview and pull the best quotes from their interview onto my motivational Instagram page @ladybossblogger. They all give such great advice and they always seem to be speaking directly to me!
Have you ever had doubts? How did you overcome them?
Of course, but I don’t let doubts linger in my mind. I’m always actively trying to find solutions to the problems that arise instead of stewing in self-doubt.
What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received?
Learn to rest, not quit. You’re going to want to quit at some point or another. DON’T. I truly believe that the only difference between those that are successful and those that aren’t is simply that they didn’t quit.
What job has taught you the most?
When I was the National Wedding Sales Manager, the job I held right before I started my own business, I learned to look at people as dollar signs. Never again will I let money rule over relationships, it distorts the mind and the world and it’s awful.
Tell us about one of your current projects.
Currently working on a course for influencers. I get asked all the time how I became an “influencer” and how to get paid as one. So, I’m finally creating a course to teach other ladies how to do it too!
How do you stay sharp?
I’m constantly taking new courses, reading new books and learning something new from other business owners on my blog!
Where can we find you on social media?
Instagram @ladybossblogger, @elainerau
Are you interested in being a featured POSH PR® #BossBabe? Let us know and we’ll share the love!
XO,
The PR Dolls