Niche Blogging: Getting Started

A couple of weeks ago I shared that I'm in the process of launching another blog. A niche blog. I also told you I was taking you along on the journey with me. 

I've been making notes of things as they transpire, but wasn't quite sure how to go about disseminating the information. I mean, I know I'm going to tell you right here like this, it's just that I couldn't decide when I needed to start. Yes, I tend to over-analyze sometimes. 

I figured sooner would be better than later and to go in chronological order (as best I can). 

Before I tell you about the paid gig I landed as a result of my new blog - the blog that hasn't even launched yet - you might want to hear how this whole thing got off the ground:

• the plan
  - it started off with random ideas jotted down on paper. I didn't try to control my thoughts, I just  went with the flow. As I look back and flip through pages, I have a list of things that bloggers are already doing in this space and on the opposite side I wrote how I could be different. I limited myself to the number of tags/labels I was going to use for each post and came up with those too, as well as how many pages my blog would have. I started off being really themed, but as I began working on it, I changed some things. Side note: This is called the 'Ready Fire Aim' approach. I didn't want to get consumed with over-planning. I wrote down different ways to monetize and prioritized that list. The most important question I asked myself was, "What solutions will this blog provide?". Niche blogs must solve problems. I even went so far as to write down what I thought my biggest challenge would be. 
• the design
  - simple and easy to navigate was a no-brainer. I hate to keep repeating the word "different", but the design is where I could really set myself apart from other bloggers. Everyone else goes with a light background. Ok. I'll do the opposite, no matter how many times I've been told by the experts not to. It works for this concept (I'll talk more about this once we launch) and I can always change it. Like Stephanie O'Dea did with A Year of Slow Cooking, and as I'm doing here, Blogger is my platform. I know you WordPress snobs just predicted my doom. That's alright...we'll talk more about this later on as well. I tapped my BFF who happens to be a graphic design student to work on my header. It's done. I had a vision and she brought it to life. Free of charge, I might add. Thanks Jackie! My blog's design will continue to evolve and the last thing I wanted to do was come down with a case of infatuatedwithmydesignitis. This condition has been known to paralyze bloggers. 
• the execution
  - the plan and design would be useless without it. After many long talks with myself and dealing with self-doubt, I got up one day and put the plan in motion. Once I got going and determined how many posts I would need to sustain the blog in the beginning, I estimated a launch timeframe. With working on content and allowing time for testing, April is the magic month. That's all I can guarantee. No exact date. I put in anywhere from 11-14 hours per day. I was starting to develop insomnia because I couldn't make my brain shut up. That was no fun. I've been sleeping much better these past couple of weeks. I've turned my Google calendar into an editorial calendar because I need one for this project. I have to keep track of post topics and frequency. 

So there you have it. That's basically what I did. None of which occurred when starting this blog.

Of course, I'm here to answer your questions. Do you have any suggestions?