Why I’m Launching Food Blog Mentoring

At the Tastemaker Conference in LA in January, one of the things that struck me was just how much uncertainty people have. Everyone was wondering what everyone else was doing and working right now. That uncertainty shifted to a sense of relief that they weren’t alone in feeling bombarded by change and that uncertainty. Once the conference ended, everyone went home, and it was back to the daily grind. The glow inevitably fades.

About six months ago, I was approached to mentor three women. All of them are a little younger than me, in business, wanting to grow, and are in a season of transition. Working with them over the past six months has been such a privilege.

I’ve realised that strategy sessions are one of my greatest passions. When I get on a call with someone who is at the beginning of their business or feeling stuck, I love talking through ideas and directions and giving guidance about next steps and things to think about. Before Cre8d Design, I spent years teaching, and one of the things I loved most about it was figuring out ways to explain a concept until it finally clicked for the person in front of me.

Running a food blog business is a lot. You have planning, recipe development, shopping, cooking, cleaning, writing, social media, newsletters, automations, lead magnets, advertising, partnerships, SEO, content research, ad revenue, analytics, photography, videography, editing, and accounting. (I’ve probably missed things in this list.)

It is an incredibly rewarding business while also being exhausting, endless, and overwhelming. There are so many ways to monetize and grow, like a cookbook deal, actual food products, memberships, classes, digital products, and more. Figuring out what works for you and your audience takes strategy, not just amazing content.

I am rolling out mentoring for food bloggers first because a significant part of our work is with them, and because I don’t think there is enough happening in this space yet! While there are online peer support groups, this is very different from having someone in your corner consistently, who follows up and checks in. Someone who knows your business over time, what your goals are, and can see the whole picture when you are deep in the weeds. The longevity and depth of the relationship are what make it enriching rather than lonely.

As so much becomes AI-driven, people are starting to see how important genuine human connection is. I’m noticing that people are so very tired of social media, tired of the grind and the pressure to do more, more, more. There is a real shift towards wanting more meaning again in life. I read something so simple recently on Sarah Hart-Unger’s blog that I keep thinking about: What really matters in the end is time spent together, stories and meals shared, a place to come home to, traditions that connect us. That is what AI cannot replace. Yes, we can learn from AI and get ideas and help from it. But that connection is so not the same as with a real human. When you’re having an awful day, the machine can’t sit in silence with you where you feel its presence, or give you a hug.

The word mentor comes from the Odyssey* in Greek mythology, where Mentor was a trusted guide across a lifetime. Apprenticeships were typically how people trained in the past, and these lasted a few years. In modern times, mentoring has been replaced with short-term coaching packages. Ideally, mentoring is a long-term relationship. One where I get to know you and your business closely over time, and you have someone a little ahead of you who can listen, give guidance, and be genuinely in your corner.

With 17 years in small business and a longer period running multiple websites, I have a lot of outside perspective to bring across branding, strategy, data, design, technical, community, and content.

Mentoring is $450/month with a 3-month minimum.

* Christopher Nolan’s movie on this comes out soon, and gosh, it’s fascinating to read about the extremes he went to avoid CGI/AI in the film!