Hi, I’m Julie, the blogger behind The Family CEO.

In 2006 I hired myself to save my family money, make extra money, and get us out of debt. I started a blog to document my efforts. That’s how The Family CEO was born.

Prior to 2006 I already did all the things that I hired myself to do. I was naturally frugal, so I did many things to save money. I earned money – full-time before kids and part-time after. I was also pretty debt-adverse (even though we had plenty of it) so I was always working to pay it off.

So what was significant about 2006? By hiring myself I changed those things from just something I did to my focus. My job. That little shift in thinking was significant.

As a personal finance blogger, I’m a little unusual. Specifically, I’m in a different stage of life than a lot of bloggers. My husband and I are in our mid-to-late 40s (me, mid; him, late) and we just celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. We have two teenage children: a daughter starting her sophomore year in college and a son starting his sophomore year in high school.

Some other info about me:

  • I have a degree in Business Administration from The University of Kansas. At the time, I chose business because it was practical and I didn’t have a passion for anything else. It has served me well over the years and now I see that it was actually a very good fit for me.
  • I have worked in a number of small businesses throughout my life, starting with my uncle’s sporting goods store while I was in high school. I’ve also worked for a small employee benefits company and a small consulting company (both owned by women). Right now, in addition to freelance writing and blogging, I keep the books and do the payroll for my husband’s insurance agency and my dad’s business as well. You could say I have a real passion for small businesses.
  • I’m also passionate about blogging because it lets me combine all of my interests: writing, researching, personal finance, and even some photography. I also love working from home.
  • In my spare time I love to read, travel, and follow politics. I’m a huge political junkie. I also like decorating and homemaking and you’ll see those topics show up in my blog from time to time.

Since this is a post introducing myself, it wouldn’t be complete without telling you what blogging has done for me.

Starting a blog put me on a path that would take me places I didn’t even know I wanted to go. I’ve learned about writing for the internet, social media, search engines, and making money online.

It’s not a stretch to say that I’ve learned more in the last five years of blogging and writing for the internet than I did in four years of college. And that’s not a knock on college at all. It’s just a testament to where following an interest or a passion can take you. It’s been a blast.

I’ve also made connections with people – in person and virtually – that have enriched the experience. Yakezie has been a part of that. I look forward to staying active in the community going forward and seeing where this ride takes us all.