How did I get into blogging?
How did you get into blogging? Why did you start blogging? What inspired you to blog? Who was your blogging inspiration? A lot of people have asked me many such questions in the 4 years since I started blogging. I have always managed to dodge these questions, but I think that today, I should let you all into some of my secrets. It was a venture capitalist who inspired me to blog. Yes, you heard me right! It was not a travel blogger, but a VC whose blog and whose posts motivated me to start one of my own.
It all started back in my sales days when I met Brad Feld, VC and managing director of Foundry Group in Boulder, Colorado. The meeting did not have much in for me as a salesperson, but from that day onwards, I started following Feld Thoughts, Brad’s blog regularly. A lot of people out on the internet blog, but I liked the honest, no crap style of this VC. His organization invests in startup technology companies, which is again, an area of interest for me since I was working in the technology industry. This got me thinking about writing and about doing something that I love. And that is how the first ideas of my travel blog originated. I used to follow Brad’s blog for ideas on technology, a feel for writing naturally and basically sharing your thoughts on something you love doing.
Through Brad, I started following another VC, Mark Suster, who writes on his blog called ‘Both Sides of the Table’. This entrepreneur turned venture capitalist is known for his maverick and daredevil ways of writing. This taught me to be brave with my blogging while staying naturally aggressive. Apart from writing ideas, I regularly check Mark’s blog for startup advice, sales and marketing tips and for his random thoughts on the technology industry.
And from a travel perspective, I am a big fan of Gary Arndt, a travel blogger, who has been traveling around the world for the last 7 years. His blog, Everything Everywhere is one of the top travel blogs on the planet, but I like the unique way in which he goes about his traveling and blogging. He is one of those few travel bloggers who looked to create a brand for himself and stayed away from all link selling and advertising that other travel blogs use to make money. Instead, he created a brand that appealed to travel companies who in turn wished to connect with his brand. Gary is my travel motivator!
Personally, I have learnt a lot from these three gentlemen and their blogs. I intend to continue to learn more from them and hopefully, I will be able to use their advice and tips to make a better future for my blog and the startup ideas that I have been putting into motion.
Even if you do not wish to write a blog, I would recommend you looking up the blogs of these two VCs and the world traveler. Their vibrant thoughts are definitely worth a short read, if not a long one!
