Oh, hi.
You look adorable. Every single one of you. Did you do something to your hair? Is that a new shirt?
What a great looking bunch!
I’d like to thank all the little people who helped me get to where I was today. Wait, no, wrong acceptance speech. Let’s try this again.
Stage One: Young Grasshopper
It was with some trepidation that I joined the Yakezie challenge almost exactly one year ago. I’d been writing several times a week, and I was starting to find my voice. Some of the nice voices inside my computer (which, by the way, is how crazy starts) were telling me to join the challenge at Yakezie. As some of you probably know, that entire sentence could have been in Mandarin for all I understood. So, the voices sent links.
And the voices inside my computer were some of the nicest voices I’d ever heard. If I’m going crazy, it sure is pleasant. It took me a long time to realize that they were, in fact, linked to real, live, breathing people who I was happy to consider my friends. But that took a long time. At first, they were just little cute pictures with nicely worded pieces of advice.
One of the first things Sam ever typed to me was something along the lines of, “Wow, I’ve never seen a blog with two different captchas, you might want to consider changing that so that people can actually comment on your posts,” and I was sort of starstruck. You remember how girls used to swoon at Beatles concerts? Me neither, but I’ve seen the pictures, and I have to be honest, it was a little like that when the cool kids started commenting.
Stage Two: Gaining Traction
One of the best parts about starting at ground zero is that you learn so much, so quickly. After joining the challenge, I started talking to other bloggers. I started to understand what PR means, what Google juice means (FYI, it’s not in the cold beverage aisle) and which other numbers I could focus on.
I hit my stride with posting, too. I paid off the last bit of my “evil” credit card debt with a tax refund, and that gave me the confidence to start to tell others about how to get out of (and into!) serious amounts of credit card debt.
The best thing I did during the traction-gaining phase was attending #FinCon12. I went into it thinking I didn’t belong, that I’d be found out for a fraud, that people wouldn’t be as nice in person as they were on the computer, and I left with an entirely different perspective.
Pro tip, though? Don’t tell someone who’s writing you admire that she writes like she has lighter hair. You just end up looking like a doofus. Also, she won’t forget it.
I made connections with some seriously nice people at FinCon, and those relationships turned “friendly robots living in my computer” to “friends I can call/text/email/tweet/gchat” and for me, that has made all the difference.
Stage Three: Yakezie!
Now, I’m no longer a challenger. With this post, I’m a member of this friendly, intelligent, witty, and like I mentioned above, exceedingly good looking bunch. I’m still developing my tone, and I don’t know why some of my posts strike a chord more than others.*
It’s been an eventful year for me financially, which makes for good content. When I started, I still had some pesky credit card debt. Since then, I’ve saved half my income, maxed out my IRA contribution, paid off my student loan, and, by golly, I am darn near total debt freedom. I know I have Yakezie to thank for at least some of that success.
What is Yakezie (Yah-Ke-Zee)? one might ask. And if you asked me, aloud, I’d pay close attention to your pronunciation because I’m still not sure how to say it. But then I would tell you:
Let me put it to you this way. You know the Breakfast Club? (If not, then I’d make them watch the movie and come back so I could finish the analogy.) Imagine them, only cooler, if that’s possible. Talking about personal finance. And blogging. And community. And purpose. And instead of sitting on desks in detention, they’re eloquently writing about personal finance blogging. Because they like to. Some of the members of this cool club have even made a little (or a lot!) money off their passion. But ultimately, it’s a group of people who are trying to help people take control of their finances and live their lives better.
And I honestly couldn’t be happier to be a part of the crowd.
So, if you’re considering taking on the challenge, just jump on in! The water’s fine!
*Fun fact: of the 300-something posts on Frugal Portland, the one that gets read the most is the one where I try to see if it makes sense to date without pants. So, while many of my posts center around frugality, and some even talk about things to do in my fair city, I still don’t know what my audience wants. Or, maybe I do. Maybe they want me to talk more about dating.
Congrats Kathleen. Well deserved…
Congratulations Kathleen. I definitely consider you one of the cool kids :)
Congratulation! You are doing great so keep it up. Don’t get burned out though. :)
Way to go on making it through the challenge! It seems much shorter than a year! Glad you made it!
Congratulations Kathleen! you are a blogging rock star!
I am glad you made it with the rest of us in this class! I had a lot of the same things happen to me when I started! I was so clueless…
CONGRATULATIONS! Welcome aboard! You’ve got a great thing goin’, excited that you’re now part of the “cool kids” club. Me, I’ll be the dorky kid in the corner playing tetris, but don’t mind me :)
Congratulations Kathleen. I can’t believe I haven’t read the dating post that you mentioned. I know what I’m reading after I write this.
Or maybe they want you to talk more about not wearing pants! :D
It is crazy how the posts you put a ton of effort and love into and think are going to do great, nobody ever reads, and then the post you put up because you couldn’t think about anything better to write about that day go to the top of your traffic.
[…] see my member post here, and check back tomorrow for a longer (more than eleven word) […]
Congrats! You’re doing great :)
Well deserved Kathleen. I am hoping to become a member later this year as my challenge ends in May I think. I hope to be the one that posts their story on here!
Congrats Kathleen! I love The Breakfast Club reference, it has always been one of those movies that I could just watch at anytime. I finish my six months in two weeks, so I (hopefully) look forward to being a member as well. :)
Thanks, everyone! I’m really happy to be here. In all seriousness, this has been the best challenge and I’d recommend it to anyone hoping to get their little corner of the internet some attention. See you soon in this space, Grayson!
I’m glad you mad it through an entire year! Gets to be a piece of cake after a while yeah? Like talking or eating a cheeseburger when hungry.
A lot of challengers actually weren’t able to complete the Challenge this time around. Perhaps it’s due to fatigue, or perhaps we’re hitting a saturation point. Either way, it’s good to have you as it’s fun to have a cozy group of friendly folks.
I might go up to Portlandia for the WDS and just partake in the after hour festivities. I wasn’t able to get a ticket.
Hope all is well! And let me know if you need online dating tips from a man’s perspective per your article!
Sam
I hope you get google traffic for “no pants dates”. And you have to wonder what they might have been misspelling!
I’m with Mrs. PoP. I’ll bet “no pants dates” is a seriously BIG internet keyword that nobody noticed until now…. Congrats to one of the nicest people I know!
Congrats on becoming a Member! It’s been fun getting to know you over the last several months. If I ever pass through Portland I’ll let you know!
Sam, let me know if you want a ticket — I keep seeing people try to sell theirs, but otherwise, yes, come visit! That goes for anyone who finds their way into Portland. I promise I will wear pants. :)
I’m so glad to consider you a friend, Kathleen! Great job with all your blog success. I think you write like a hot chick. ;)
What sort of search queries are you getting for the “no pants” article? Anything PG?
Welcome to the club!
Hey Kathleen, “the water’s fine”. Haha, brilliant.
As a UK resident I wasn’t sure what to expect, but everyone is so welcoming. I’m coming up to 6months and enjoy writing but don’t think I’ll ever break 200,000. I got down to 400,000 from over 2million but it’s tough to get lower.
Congratulations on conquering the challenge!
Congratulations and welcome! I am old enough to remember the screaming girls at Beatles concerts.
Congrats on completing the challenge and becoming a member! I have to say your logo is awesome.
Well done Kathleen and welcome. You rock!
Congratulations! I really like the “voice” you have developed. Hopefully I’ll be in the “cool kids club” soon too.
Yay Kathleen! Congrats, and well done! It is people like you that make us want to move to Portland:)
Welcome Kathleen and congratulations on completing the Challenge!
Congratulations Kathleen! Glad to see you crushed the challenge and continue to do well.
I love your writing! Congratulations on your newly minted Yakezie status! I’m looking forward to my own Yakezie challenge journey! :)
This post is very encouraging and I thank you for that. I joined the challenge about 2 months ago and I felt completely lost on what this is all about. Now, I’m finally starting to understand what Yakezie is all about. Thanks again for the post.