Today we’d like to introduce you to Kim Vargo.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Yellow Brick Home started when a friend of ours said, “You should start a blog!” Every time she came to our house, she liked to spend 5 minutes guessing what was new, what had changed. She told us that we needed to share our ideas, and the blog was born not long after! Our blog turns 9 years old this summer and I’ve been working on it full time for the last several years. It was definitely scary to make the leap from a regular 9-5 to self-employed, but it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I guess you could say that my side-hustle-turned-full-hustle ALSO had a side-hustle that allowed me to take that leap. In addition to blogging about our home projects, I was also a working artist, painting portraits of our readers’ pets. The income made from my commissions allowed me to stay afloat until eventually, the blog began to make more traction. At the end of 2017, I sadly had to put the pet paintings to rest as we welcomed our baby girl! All this to say, there were times when I was working harder than I ever had, and there were moments of downtime, too. With our sweet girl, Lucy, in our lives now, I’m constantly working towards a work-life balance, and we’re still trying to figure that out 4 months in. My biggest tip would be to allow for those fluctuations in life. Give your so-called schedule and life plans breathing room.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into Yellow Brick Home story. Tell us more about the business.
Yellow Brick Home is the place where we talk about DIY, our current renovation projects, and a little bit about our family and pets, too! As the parents of two Pittie mixes, we’re huge advocates of pet adoption, and I know a lot of our readers are also proud Pittie owners. Although I write the majority of the posts on the blog, my husband, Scott, is every bit as invested in the business as well. We work on all the projects as a team!
I think that because we’ve been blogging for almost a decade, we’ve noticed that we have an overwhelming amount of dedicated, engaged readers. They’ve been there when we’ve been unsure on the direction of a project, and they’re constantly encouraging us to work smarter. In this huge, wide world of fast-paced social media, I’m proud of the people that come along for our ride and take the time to read through our thought process, provide feedback and even have witty conversations amongst themselves in our comment section.
Who do you look up to? How have they inspired you?
There’s such a strong community of women in my life that also run their own businesses – whether it’s a blog, retail or service-based. These are the women that encourage me to continue doing what I’m doing. Watching them flourish and grow, only inspires me to keep setting goals and reaching towards them every day.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.yellowbrickhome.com/
- Email: team@yellowbrickhome.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yellowbrickhome/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yellowbrickhome
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/yellowbrickhome/
Image Credit:
Kim Vargo, Yellow Brick Home
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
