Baking Videos: I Smell Money!

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Like so many of us, Johlene Orton is a busy wife and mom with ambitions to make money working from home. She’s turning her talents in the kitchen into an online business by producing her own baking videos and plans to self-publish a recipe ebook later this year.

Her resume now includes baker, recipe developer, photographer, writer, videographer and editor! Here’s a little taste of how Johlene manages to whip it all together.

For her best social media tips, read down to the Resources section!

Personal Life

Saira: What did you do before starting your business?

Johlene: I taught English as a 2^nd language to Spanish kids. Before that I worked as a Business Development Manager for a large freight forwarding company in South Africa.

Saira: Give us a picture of a typical weekday in your family.

Johlene: Hectic! To sum it up in one word ;-) I have a 4 year old boy and a 16 year old teenager so from the moment I wake up I multi-task. I work from home and make sure I’m at my desk the moment my family is out the door. This gives me 5 hours straight to do work because at 13:00 I need to leave to fetch my son at school. After that I run for 30 minutes on the treadmill, prepare lunch (we have our main meal at lunch time here in Spain). That is about the time my husband comes home and then our night routine starts.. homework, bathing, dinner etc. I also work at night when the kids are in bed and weekends is when I have most of my orders.

Work Life

Saira: What is your business all about?

Johlene: My business is about baking! I have a blog FLAVOURS&FROSTING where I share recipes, tricks and tutorials. I also make videos on YouTube (which I plan, film, edit and upload myself) and then I have my offline Cake business where I make cakes for special occasions on order.

Saira: In what ways do you make money online?

Johlene: For now advertising, but I have exciting projects planned for this year!

I plan to earn revenue through Affiliates, and I am currently setting up my site to accommodate this. I plan to incorporate suggestions below each blog post as well as create a ecommerce page with products I recommend on Amazon.

I also plan on self publishing a recipe ebook in 2015. I was told to not put your eggs in one basket so I’m constantly seeking new ways to generate income.

Saira: Where do most of your customers come from?

Johlene: Social Media, referrals, friends, word by mouth.

In Your Experience

Saira: In hindsight, what is one lesson that you learned?

Johlene: To focus on one thing at a time and to remember that my business is there to enhance my family and when I feel overwhelmed I always make sure I remember what is really important.

Saira: What do you consider to be your biggest success so far?

Johlene: All the knowledge I acquired baking different recipes, how the world of social media works (that is an ongoing learning process..) and all the technical skills I have acquired.

Saira: What advice would you give you other moms who are just starting out in the online world?

Johlene: Be yourself, don’t try to imitate others, no one can be you! Get your name out there on all social media platforms on a regular basis. Don’t spam!

Resources

Saira: What social media platforms are the most effective for growing your business?

Johlene: For me it has been Google+. However Facebook and Pinterest can be powerful too and that’s why I’m doing some online courses on how to effectively market your business on those platforms. The courses that I’m currently doing are:

Melanie Duncan “The Power of Pinning”
Video Overtake University “Bootcamp” which is all about how to rank your videos on YouTube

I also plan to join Lynda.com to do courses on Photography, Videography and Editing. Up to now I’ve taught myself but I think it’s time to learn from the experts!

Saira: What is your best social media tip or tool?

Johlene: I have so many but my #1 tip would be to stay active on a daily basis and to check what time your main target market is online, that is then the time you need to get your business in front of them.

I use Klout to see what time they suggest I schedule my posts on Twitter. Then for the other platforms I refer to my Google Analytics: I track the top 5 areas where my readers come from on a weekly basis (in the US I will track cities according to Central, Pacific, Eastern time – because of its size) and then I plan what times to schedule for that week. It’s not 100% accurate but it does help alot!

Another way is to track Facebook page likes: what time did you receive the most likes? For this to work you need to monitor it 3-5 times a day (in a 24 hour schedule because of time zones) on the day you posted it. When doing this take in consideration if you made use of Facebook Advertising for the specific post because that could affect the outcome.

Saira: Which online “gurus” do you refer to when you need direction or inspiration?

Johlene: Pat Flynn, Amy Porterfield, Melanie Duncan

Saira: What would you say is your most valuable resource?

Johlene: SPI The Smart Passive Income – I listen to the podcast all the time.

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Find Johlene & Her Recipes!

For everything from Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream to Pumpkin Purees, check out Johlene’s blog & videos. Connect with her below & follow her mompreneur journey.