Lifestyle Blogger, Sherita Rankins Is On a Mission to Inspire Women to Live Their Best Life
Hi Sherita! So nice to talk to you today. Tell us a little about yourself and Busy Wife Busy Life.
Busy Wife Busy Life perfectly describes my life! I started the blog after getting married while working in finance part-time and acting and modeling. I was doing “all the things”! I’ve been a professional model from the age of 15 years old, and starting acting after moving to NYC in 2005. I’ve been featured in spots for Lancôme, Chevrolet & Bank of America, to name a few. I have a BBA in Finance and International Business from Loyola University Chicago and was the Director of Finance & Operations of a non-profit for eight years. I started investing my modeling income when I was a teenager and have a passion for educating women within the personal finance space. After a recent two year stint in LA, I returned to New York last year and live in Brooklyn with my husband, Brent.
What is the mission behind your business?
Busy Wife Busy Life is a lifestyle site that inspires women to be effortlessly stylish, travel more, make smart money decisions, and live their best life. Through its collection of travel guides, style inspiration, personal finance tips, and productivity hacks, this lifestyle site is a resource for all women, single or married, who want to live their best lives.
How did you get started blogging?
I started the site to brand myself as a host. The blog began as the busy woman’s guide to food, fashion, and finance. However, I didn’t know the potential for it to be its own business. It wasn’t until I went to BlogHer ’15 when I revamped the site and started to market it as a business.
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Share with us a favorite quote!
“Failure is impossible.” – Susan B. Anthony
What tools or resources do you use that help with your blog?
Other than apps like Canva, CoSchedule, and Tailwind, my contract employees are the best resources I have. My content editor, Pinterest Manager, and newsletter scheduler are three people whom I couldn’t live without.
What do you focus on most when it comes to creating content?
No matter what I am writing, my main focus is to provide value to my readers. If I am not writing about something that will help them in their lives, what was the point?
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned this year?
Life can change at any moment, and you have to be ready to adapt. No one knew what affects COVID-19 would have on our lives, mental health and jobs. My on-camera work came to a halt and campaigns with brands got put on hold unexpectedly. I have learned that you have to find ways to serve your audience while still caring for yourself. This year has been the biggest juggling act between motivation and sanity. I have had to look for opportunities in places I have never searched before and thankfully it is paying off.
Any tips you want to share with bloggers just starting out?
Niche down! The market is very saturated right now so find the one thing you are passionate about and write about that. Having one topic will give you focus and help you stand out in the crowd right now.
Where is your favorite place to travel?
I had a fantastic time in Thailand when we were there for a month. I would love to go back. I am also a big fan of Vegas – lol.
Ocean or mountains?
Ocean!
What is the best part of your job?
The best part of my job is also the worst part of my job – working for myself means not answering to anyone. Being my own boss gives me the freedom to do what I want when I want. However, that also comes with a caveat; at times, I am always working – on vacation, on weekends, late nights. So as much as it’s a blessing, it’s also a curse.
If you could have dinner with three people, dead or alive, who would they be?
Michelle Obama, Oprah and Sarah Blakely
What’s the best blogging advice you’ve ever received?
Don’t try to do it all and concentrate on SEO. By that I mean, if there is something you hate doing, hire someone to take care of that for you. Running a blog is full-time job, so the more help you can get doing the task that anyone can do, frees up your time to focus on only the tasks you can do.
What are the most popular posts on your blog?
The food section is surprisingly the most popular section on my site. I say surprisingly, not because the recipes aren’t delicious, but because I just starting adding new recipes this year after a 2 year hiatus. My style guide posts also do well, however these posts are by far some of the post popular on the site:
The Ultimate Guide of Things to Do in the Financial District NYC
10 Easy Tips for Selling Your Clothes Online
The Best Instagram Worthy Walls in Los Angeles
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