Blogging and Business Investments for 2019

2018 was an amazing year for my blog and freelance work. I took on new projects, worked with great brands, really got clear on what I wanted to offer and feel very proud about the content I created.

I’m a big believer that the best tools for the job are the ones that you already have. I don’t have the fanciest tech equipment, and I’d always rather show up with the right tools for me than the raved about latest and greatest.

Still, the nature of tech is that it evolves, and pretty quickly these days. As a blogger, it’s no secret that we heavily rely on our tech tools. Our computers, phones and cameras go with us almost everywhere and get so much use and wear that eventually, they hit the end of their ropes. I know that my phone upgrade choices are always based on the model with the best camera for quick photo and video on the go.

Investing in your blog or business doesn’t have to be a bank breaking endeavor. I’ve written about affordable investments that you can and should be making! So this list of investments has a definite mix of high and lower priced investments I’m hoping to make in the new year.

An upgraded computer.

I bought this laptop (a 2015 Macbook Air) after graduating college and it’s actually holding up pretty well. But when it comes to video editing, it just doesn’t have the power I need to be able to get videos up and edited in a timely manner. Hour long exports and freezing when trying to do certain edits makes creating videos so frustrating. I knew that I wanted to make sure video was something that would stick before upgrading my tech. But now that I’ve been uploading consistently and only want to do more with video, it’s time for an upgrade.

I’ll be looking into getting an iMac in the new year, which I think will be a huge help with content creation!

A new workspace

I’ve lived in the same small studio for a little over two years. It’s just enough space for me, but I haven’t really worked out a way to set up a permanent work station here. I do more of my blogging and editing from the living room sofa, which has it’s highs (super comfy) and lows (way too comfy). In the new year, I either need to figure out a way to set up a dedicated work area, determine if I need to move into a larger apartment, or get a desk at a co-working space. This will be one of the first things I tackle in the new year.

The perfect filming lens

Ask 10 YouTubers what the best lens to film with is and you’ll get 10 different answers every time. Lenses can get super expensive very fast –from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. I currently film my vlogs with my Canon G7x which I love and all other videos with my Canon SL2 and a 24mm f2.8 pancake lens. It’s great, but not the best everyday lens and could be better at lowlight. I’m looking into the Sigma 18-35mm f1.8 (think dreamy, blurry backgrounds). I’m planning to do a bit more vlog style content, so upgrading my lens is a lower priority (could wait until Q3 or Q4), but is still something I want to look into doing!

Extra Camera Batteries

I don’t know how I’ve gone this long without ordering. Because I work full time and create a lot of content on weekends and off days, I usually have to create a lot of content in a day. Which usually means lots of battery power. I want to make sure I grab one extra battery for my DSLR and one extra battery for the vlog camera.

New photo props

This is always an investment I’m happy to make since so much of what I do is visual! And it’s needed for the freelance content I create for different clients. I usually spend some time walking through AC Moore and Paper Source finding new things that would be good to have on hand for props. I want try to do new things with craft paper, especially for some book shoots coming up.

If someone offered you a grant to get whatever you needed to take your brand to the next level, what would be on your list? I think the best part of a New Year is that we’re all a little more open to expressing what we really want and dreaming up our next big thing. There are ways to be realistic about what we’re going for and to make it all happen.

I’ve never invested in myself or my business and then regretted it later. I hope that 2019 gives us all more chances to invest, grow and try new things for our brands!