Life and Work with Amy Kraynak

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Kraynak.

Amy, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I launched my blog, Later Ever After in the Fall 2017. The impetus for my blog was a conversation I had at my day job about my hobbies. I was a bit embarrassed to tell people that my hobbies include reading my favorite blogs, scouting out recent fashion finds, making my house a home and pondering my life timeline. The fact of the matter was, I spent hours each night following my favorite blogs covering all different topics, from travel to career. While I loved all these bloggers and still do today, none of them were my exact match. I was on a different life timeline then most of these women. I felt there must be other women out there who have the same thoughts.

From that, I was inspired to create a blog that highlights that living life on your own timeline has its benefits. Take a look at my life timeline. I bought my first condo in downtown Chicago when I was 25, as a single woman. I worked two jobs, seven days a week to save for and afford my condo, which I loved with all my heart. I got married later in life when I was 35, which was about 8 years after my core group of friends. I worked hard and landed a wonderful job, later in life than most people too and got my first real promotion at 36. I have no children, no pets and I’ve decided to launch a blog (my first ever) and I’m pushing my late thirties. My life is drastically different then all of my friends (and most of society), but that doesn’t bother me. It’s actually perfect for me. I love my life timeline because I define it, I control it and I embrace it. Was it hard moving at a different speed than the rest of my friends? Of course, but did I let that drag me down? NO! Through all the ups and downs in life, I realized that only I can make myself truly happy, only I hold the key to my success in life and only I can create my life timeline.

Has it been a smooth road?
Launching the blog definitely wasn’t a smooth road, it was more like a steep uphill climb, in fact, it was down right challenging. I knew absolutely nothing about blogging as I’ve been working in the financial field since I graduated college. The one thing I did know was people and blogging is about people and connecting with them. On the flip side, I didn’t have a techy bone in my body and most days, I can barely operate my iPhone. That meant, I had to learn everything that went into blogging; from setting up the actual website, designing the website, setting up a media kit, learning how to use a camera, how to edit the photos, etc. To get up to speed on all of that, I did a ton of research on each topic by reading books, taking online courses and following other bloggers. Google and YouTube became my new best friends. The most rewarding part of everything is that I did this myself. I figured it out and got it up and running.

My advice is pretty straightforward: don’t give up. As cliche as it sounds, just don’t ever give up. Keep your eye on the prize and push through. No path to success is smooth. There will be obstacles along the way and there will be haters. If something doesn’t work for you, know that there is another way or two or three. Work hard to achieve your goals, give it all you have and don’t strive for mediocrity.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Later Ever After – A Life, Style and Fashion Blog – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
By day, I work in finance and by nights and weekends, I share my perspectives on fashion, travel, career and life on Later Ever After. Juggling a full time job that requires a good amount of travel, running a blog and enjoying life with my husband makes for a pretty full plate, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. With my blog, I’ve been focused on providing my readers with an authentic look into my life and my life timeline. While my professional career to date includes a fancy title, several certificates and licenses, my blog is the first thing I’ve created purely on my own. It’s my brainchild from my experiences for the whole world to see. Later Ever After is about celebrating and embracing your life timeline. Taking my readers on that journey and teaching them to embrace it is my greatest accomplishment.

Are there any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve benefited from using?
There are so many options out there to read and use as resources it is easy to get overwhelmed. I’ve been a lover of books since I was little, there is nothing like the smell of a book, new or old. I still check books out of the library and enjoy browsing the book store with a chai tea latte in hand. I tend to read career focused books like Women Who Work and Basic Black. I’ll add in fiction books once in a while to mix it up. My favorites include Nightingale, All the Missing Girls and This Was Not The Plan.

I also love reading reading other blogs. Remember, it’s one of my passions! Some great ones for content and resources that I constantly turn to are The-M-Dash, The Everygirl and Blogging For Keeps. While, I don’t get to listen to as many podcasts as I would like, Entrepreneurs On Fire by John Lee Dumas is one of my favorites. I enjoy listening to the struggles that the currently successful went through because, it reminds me that we all have to start somewhere and that challenges are the norm and not the exception.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.latereverafter.com/
• Email: latereverafter@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/latereverafter/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/latereverafter/
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/latereverafter/

Image Credit:
Later Ever After

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