Christine Pilkington is the CEO of Crisp Media, which runs Entrepreneur Mom Now and City Mom Now. I happen to be the Content Manager for VancouverMom.ca, one of the sites under the City Mom Now umbrella. So, you can be forgiven for thinking that I was sucking up just a little when I asked to interview her. But I promise that really, it wasn’t about that. I asked to speak with Christine because in just over two years she went from publishing her first blog post on VancouverMom.ca to launching sites all across Canada, with plans to expand across North America. She took a very small initial investment, and built a company and a career for herself.
Moms start blogging for a variety of different reasons. Some of us are seeking community, some of us like to write, and some of us want to document our children’s early years. But many of us are also hoping that we can somehow turn a part-time hobby into something more. We look at people like Dooce and think that maybe we can make money online, doing something we enjoy, without ever having to leave the house. It’s an appealing thought, you have to admit. The truth, however, is that very few of us actually make a real career out of blogging. Since Christine has done it, I wanted to hear how she made it happen. When she sends me work-related emails, this is something we just don’t discuss, so I wanted the chance to pick her brain in a more informal setting.
Christine talked about how she created Crisp Media, and how she’s expanding her reach. She’s optimistic, and she believes that it really is possible to make a living online. You have to be creative, though, and it helps to have a solid understanding of what you’re doing and why. Listening to her speak, you definitely get the feeling that Christine knows what she’s doing and why. But more than that, you can also hear that in the process she’s creating something with a vision and a purpose. Her online magazines are designed to connect and empower moms, helping them to enjoy the place they live or make a go of starting their business. In the process, they come to see that underneath the yoga pants and the peanut butter fingerprints, there’s still a very cool person who can do some very cool stuff. That’s a powerful thing, and it’s what drew me to work for her.
Listen to our conversation on the Strocel.com podcast here:
To continue in the blogging theme, next week I’ll be sharing an interview with Jeanette Miller, the mom behind Limelite PR. You often hear bloggers talk about what PR folks are doing wrong. Jeanette will share her perspective from the other side of that relationship. She’ll also explain exactly what PR is, anyway, because I think there’s a lot of confusion around that. Subscribe to the Strocel.com podcast in iTunes, and you won’t miss a minute!
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Twitter: chrispilkington
says:
Thanks so much for having me Amber! Tons of fun. One of the most enjoyable interviews I’ve done.