Today, I’m so excited to finally tell you a little bit more about a project I’ve been working on for several months. But before I dive into the what, let me back up a bit with the why.
One of the things I’ve most enjoyed about my whole blogging adventure is sharing what I know with other people. When I first launched the studio last year, believe it or not, blog consulting and Photoshop tutorials were a completely last minute addition that I kind of just threw on to my menu of services. That, along with blog design, are now easily the most popular (so much so that I was able to 86 some of the other initial service offerings!). I can’t say I really mind — I’ve found that I’m passionate about helping women use the Internet to achieve whatever visions and dreams they have for themselves. After all, I can totally relate to the journey!
The only minor problem with having a business so based in offering one-on-one service is that there’s only one of me and a lot of bloggers. I’ve often found that there are more emails, more questions, and more clients than I could ever handle on my own. So I began to think about new ways that I could help larger groups of bloggers at once. And I knew that I probably wouldn’t be able to do it alone.
Fast forward to last September, when my colleague turned close friend Meg was in town. We planned on meeting up for lunch one day. Going into that lunch, I knew that I wanted to talk to her more about the potential for us to collaborate on something together, since through many conversations I had learned that she was equally as passionate about our industry and putting her entrepreneurial skills to work. Lucky for me, she was excited at the possibility! We tossed around a lot of ideas, some overly ambitious, some less so, but eventually, we landed upon an idea for a service that, at heart, could offer bloggers a place to learn. To get lots of resources about a lot of different types of things. Bloggers have all heard the adage ‘content is king’ — but let’s be honest, there’s a lot more to know about blogging, especially if you’ve made the decision to transition from hobby to business.
And so, The B Bar was born. We like to think of it as a place you can stop by and get a cool drink of water awesome. The B Bar, which will be launching in April, will offer downloadable e-books (or ‘cocktails’ as we’re dubbing them!) that cover all manner of topics related to blogging, social media, and working online. A brand new blogger? The Blog 101 cocktail will be the perfect fit for you. Want to know what legal issues you should be considering as a blogger? Done and done. Have no idea how to handle the bookkeeping and accounting side of things? You’re covered. In addition to penning many of the cocktails ourselves, we’ve been fortunate enough to collaborate with experts who can give you the skinny on the sometimes intimidating aspects of this industry (um, what’s a Schedule C?).
And there won’t just be cocktails for bloggers. We’ll also be releasing guides aimed at businesses who are interested in working with bloggers (because who better to educate a business on how to approach a blogger than…a blogger?). New cocktails will be added regularly, and we hope that there will be something for everyone.
In the meantime, while we all wait for happy hour to start, you can follow The B Bar on Twitter and Facebook (we’ll be sharing great links and resources in these two places as well!), and you can also sign up for our newsletter to be the first to know when the Bar is open.
I don’t know if I’ve ever really put this out there, and this might sound a bit dramatic and even like I’m overstating things a bit, but blogging has given me everything. It’s given me a creative outlet, a voice, friends who are like family, a career, and an entirely new skill set that I could never have imagined ever needing, much less actually understanding. It’s given me confidence. The greatest thing I can do for this industry is to give that back to other people. And since I can’t do it over real cocktails with the majority of you, having a virtual cocktail together is definitely the next best thing.
Thanks for reading this and sticking with me through this journey! Cheers!
PS – A huge, special shout out to Kristina Hultkrantz, who’s the extraordinary artist behind The B Bar’s drink illustrations, and of course to Lisa Butler, who’s been assisting on the backend site development. Both ladies are amazing!
Well done Victoria! This sounds amazing and such a good idea!
Thank you for sharing and being such a lovely blogger :D xx
This sounds like such a fantastic business venture. I can’t wait to see the finished product in April!
I absolutely LOVE this idea. What an amazing way to reach out to bloggers who have so many questions, but do not know how to ask or who to ask!
Way to go ladies!
xx Lynzy
oh! Can’t wait for this to get rolling! I’m excited to check it out!
That is so exciting! Can’t wait to see it all come together! : )
Kayla
http://www.lovelucygirl.com
Sounds amazing, looking forward to it!
I am so excited about the launch of B Bar, I just read all about it over on Meg’s blog as well and let’s just say I will totally be hanging out at the the bar!
X Kenzie
http://www.CaveGirlintheCity.com
Sounds like an awesome venture, and I have a few people (including myself!) who could definitely benefit from the tools!
Great work Victoria!
Oh Victoria I’m so excited about this! You have been such an incredible inspiration and guide through this blogging journey we are on and I can’t WAIT! Signing for the newsletter now :-)
xoxo
eileen
what exciting news! congrats on this new venture – as a new blogger myself, I cannot wait to dive into all the b bar goodness come April. so looking forward to it!
Fabulous idea! Can’t wait to check it out in April!
How exciting! Congrats lady!
You ladies never cease to amaze me with your fantastic ideas! I am so happy for the both of you! I’m definitely signing up for the newsletter!
congratulations on this new venture! This is very exciting. Your words “blogging has given me everything” are very inspirational to someone who would love nothing more than to make a career out of this fun little hobby :)
Congratulations and I can’t wait to see what is to come!
AWESOME! Can’t wait for the site to go live… I’m sure I’ll be sipping several of these cocktails :)
I can’t wait!!!
This sounds awesome! Congratulations on your new business venture!
So excited for this!! There is so much I want to learn.
Great Idea! I’ll be on the lookout this sounds like something I could definitely use!!
Can’t wait until it launches! Congrats! This sounds like a perfect place for me to go with some help, since I can’t bug you all the time :)
Congratulations, Victoria!! I know this is going to be great! You and Meg were definitely meant to work together
What a fabulous name! Cannot wait to see the launch. Many congratulations!
two of my go-to bloggy experts come together. SO excited for what you will do. get it, girls! ox
I’m so impressed, Victoria! This sounds like such an incredible idea. I can’t wait to see it come to fruition (and reap the benefits!).
This is SUCH a great idea! And I’m so excited that two of my fave bloggers are putting this together. You girls are really on top of thingsa nd it’s such a great concept that you’ve put together. Maybe this will be the kick I need to finally start blogging- it’s my resolution.
Can’t wait to hear more about it!
Thanks Victoria! This is just so exciting! xo
This is such a great idea! What a great concept you came up with- I’ll be sure to check back when its up!
Just read about this on Meg’s site. Great idea and I really think this will be a big success.
So excited! Can’t wait for the launch. Yay!!
What a great idea!! I look forward to seeing all the great things this new collaboration will bring. Will be nothing less than awesome!
xoxo
irene
http://www.theoplife.com
This is so exciting! I can’t wait for the launch! I’ve been a fan of your blog tip of the day posts, so I absolutely can’t wait to see what else you have in store!! Congratulations!
I am already marking my calendar for April to check it out. This is exactly the type of thing that I was looking for and am so excited to see what you guys have come up with.
This is awesome!
This is Amazing!!! I can’t wait to see what you two put together. Sounds like this is going to be an incredible resource. Brava!
That is so exciting! As a new blogger, this site will be very useful for me.
So excited for this! Definitely a need out there, so I can see nothing but success in your future! xx
Can’t wait to hear what you have in store–such a great idea and much needed resource!
This looks awesome! I can’t wait to see it:)
This. Is. Amazing. Can’t wait to see it launch!
Congratulations! Cannot wait to see what you’ve come up with – and cannot think of a more talented pair to learn from!
Awesome, V. I love that blogging has led to so many good things for you. I am very happy for you and excited about this new venture! xoxo
Congrats to the two of you! What a fun concept! XX
Congrats Victoria!! This is a genius idea and I know a lot of people will benefit from you & Meg’s infinite knowledge and I can’t wait for the launch!!! I love the illustrations, sheer perfection!
I am so excited! This is exactly what I was looking for the other day.
Thank you!
Alyssa
glitterandgapske.blogspot.com
CONGRATS!! I think this is such an amazing idea and collaboration. So excited for you, and I am so into the dramatics as well… in the brief moments I reflect about blogging I can’t get over how it’s changed my life, my outlook, my friendships, everything. Let me know if I can ever help in absolutely anyway. I’m a photoshop grad of yours and can attest to your amazing-ness. :)
So exciting! Can’t wait to be a B Bar customer! You guys are fantastic at what you do, and I can’t wait to see what you’re going to share with the blogging world!
Natalie
Name’s Not Ashley
Wishing you all the success with this! I had the pleasure of meeting Meg at your wedding and she is super duper cool.
This is so exciting! Congratulations! I’ve already signed up for the newsletter and cannot wait for this!
So excited for you and Meg! Can’t wait to see it all come to life. Congrats!
Congratulations!! This is incredibly exciting and I can’t wait to download some books!!
I’m so proud of both you and Meg on the creation of this! I can’t wait to visit the bar when it opens!
Congratulations, Victoria! This is so awesome and I am so stinkin excited about it!
Congratulations on your new venture! Wow, I’m so excited for this! I would love to take my blog to the next level this year, but for the most part I’m clueless about what I need to do to get there, so I have a feeling I could really use some of these e-books! April can’t come soon enough now… :)
Have a great week ahead!
so proud of you ladies! x
Congratulations Victoria! How very exciting! Knowing how much I benefitted from our consult, I know your product offering of “cocktails” will be incredible. Well done! xo
Clever, smart and (naturally) well-designed; this is genius!
Congratulations! I’m excited to see what it has in store!
Call me an alcoholic but I’m going to be spending lots of time at the bar in the near future!
Okay cringe-worthy joke but I couldn’t resist. Excited to see what’s in store!
This is so awesome! I truly believe that not everyone is cut out to be true entrepreneurs i.e. launching our own businesses and pursuing it full time etc,(I know I definitely am not!) but b bar will help me better my blog, what I consider to be an extension of myself and a sample of my writing and that would already be an amazing accomplishment. So looking forward to this!
xoxo, kasia
Hi Victoria, miss coming to your beautiful blog. Just wanted to say congratulations! You were so helpful to me and I’m sure you’ll both be even more successful together! All the best to you! xx
congratulations. this is so great. and so you. Lord knows I still have so much more blogging business to learn.
Such a brilliant idea! Congratulations and best of luck with this new venture.
–Angelica
http://www.savvygirllife.com
Very excited for The B Bar guides!
I can’t even begin to express how EXCITED I am for this. Congrats to you and Meg ..!!
xo, http://www.lifeaslolly.com
This sounds AMAZING! Congratulations Victoria (+ Meg!), can’t wait for this launch and to see what you have in store! Well done!
wow…This is great. I am going to be sure to like the facebook page and subscribe to the newsletter. I think it is so creative to name the different services after “cocktails” and that bloggers will have a place to go to learn.
WOWZA! SO exciting, Victoria!! I’m so excited for you and Meg and this is a genius idea!!! xo
Awesome! I’m really excited to see what’s to come!
This is GENIUS, Victoria! I’m so excited for the launch. I have such a great vision for where I want to take my blog, but not enough time to do all of the research on the various things I want to update. I’m so looking forward to all the great tips the b bar will surely have in store!
This is incredible! You are doing so many amazing things Victoria! I seriously cannot wait for the launch of the site and to be able to learn from you. So very excited!
Congratulations!!!
XO
CONGRATS! Your one on one consultation was AMAZING, so I am sure that this will be just as great! Best of luck!