From Underwriter to Writer

My Journey into the Wonderful World of Blogging

When I dedicated 2023 to building my personal brand, this experience opened up brand-new opportunities in digital marketing for me.

My company had in fact laid me off after I spent 20 years devoted to the mortgage industry; no pity party was needed for this turn of events, something that impacted both myself and many others last year. It had to happen, and it forced me to adopt a fresh approach to life.

Turns out, I had been doing it all wrong: depending on someone else to dictate my future, that is. My commitment and devotion meant little in a market where 100s of candidates were vying for that one (!) job opening.

So, what exactly did I do? To stay optimistic, I threw myself into any and all activities geared toward building a new career and tested out lots of different things—ranging from Etsy and YouTube to delivering groceries. I faced some serious learning curves in the process, but going back to school at Otis College of Art and Design helped to an incredible degree. Binge-watching YouTube videos on topics I found exciting and having the courage to reach out to YouTubers who had found success helped motivate me as I continued down the path of content creation.

Here are some notable opportunities I’ve tested out (and plan to continue!):

  • Writing articles for LinkedIn, Medium, and my websites
  • Affiliated marketing
  • Building websites for both myself and my family
  • Launching my notary business
  • Posting videos on my YouTube Channel
  • Heading back to school to earn my UX certification
  • Making notebooks with KDP/Book Bolt and selling them on Amazon

What really stuck?

I can say now—with a deep sense of accomplishment—that I’ve found my passion in creating and nurturing my business, Lee’s OC Notary. This venture is a direct result of everything I learned and experienced in 2023.

In doing all of this and at the core of it all, however, is writing—which saved my soul.

Putting pen to paper (or I guess I should say fingers to keyboard) helped me process my thoughts, clarify my business strategies, and communicate more effectively with my audience. It rescued me.

Having a channel to express myself and communicate my worth to the world also flooded me with hope. Composing articles that were engaging enough to attract followers became my solace, and the more I shared my thoughts online, the more other people discovered my work. On challenging days, my spirits were brightened whenever I’d glance at my LinkedIn impressions, likes, claps, and encouraging comments.

Embarking on this new journey at age 47 was certainly daunting, but it pushed me to adapt and grow. Each step—from diversifying my skills to launching my business—was chock-full of learning curves. Facing rejection, mastering new technologies, and navigating the complexities of entrepreneurship were challenging, yet these experiences were crucial for my growth. They taught me resilience and the importance of self-reliance, and despite some initial setbacks, I learned to embrace each mistake as a valuable lesson: gradually building a future on my own terms.

Turning Points

On Medium, strangers followed me and even commented on my stories. The joy I experienced after earning my first $.10 on the platform may seem silly to some, but to me, it filled my heart: juxtaposed against all those rejections I received from employers who’d decided to “go in a different direction” after reviewing my resume. I believed on those days that no matter how many resumes I sent out or friends I networked with, the mortgage industry would remain bleak in the days and months to come.

Another significant milestone came after I learned how to use Adobe Photoshop and made artwork for a notebook to sell through KDP. Someone in the Netherlands—thousands of miles away from California—decided to purchase the notebook, and I made $6 dollars. A sense of triumph ensued.

Now in 2024, I’m drawing from everything I’ve learned and developing my notary business.

I encourage everyone—young, old, in a similar predicament as me, or simply wanting something more—to test out the waters and take one tiny step forward at a time. You will get better.

Navigating through these experiences, I’ve accumulated a wealth of knowledge and skills that now feed the next (super-important) aspect of my journey as I share my practical know-how with you.

How about some WordPress tips to get you going? Without future ado…

How I Publish Articles Using WordPress

Let’s dive into some specifics surrounding how I use WordPress to publish my articles, an instrumental process for establishing one’s online footprint. I’m excited to walk you through it!

If you don’t have a website yet, no worries! Check out my article, “Business Owner Essential – Build Your Website,” a step-by-step guide on how to do just what the title says. You can also glean the same information by heading to my YouTube channel (channel name: Phuong TL).

Follow these steps to publish an article on WordPress:

STEPS 1-4:

  1. Write your article 😊 (I normally do so in Microsoft Word).
  2. Find a relevant image or two to drop into the article.
  3. Compress your image(s) on this website (for free!): https://www.iloveimg.com/compress-image
  4. Head to “Posts” from your WordPress dashboard.

5. Click “Add New Post.”

Step 6 - This is Where You Add Your Post Title

On the next screen, add the title of your post. See “Yoast SEO” below? These items are RED because nothing is posted yet. I use this plugin to aid my search engine optimization (SEO) efforts, and you can too! I consider it a MUST for my website

Step 7- Clicking on “Edit with Elementor” Will Bring You to the Page Below.

Then, click on the nine-dot box (as pictured) and select an option to form the structure of your article (e.g., selecting “Title Heading” to initiate your new post). Each time you click on the box, the structure will begin forming on the right-hand side.

Note: I perform these steps AFTER writing my article so I’m familiar with the structure I need with respect to my headlines (H1), subheadings (H2, H3, H4), images, and content.

As for Steps 8, 9, 10, etc., these will add more structure to your post.

For myself, they typically include an H1 title, image, text editor(content), H2 subheading, test editor (content), and so on.

I’ll continue to click the box until I’ve fully built my post and then transfer over my article from Word, cutting and pasting the text on the left-hand side. Moving down, I’ll then upload any images in the designated space.

As for the final step?

That’s right, friends. It’s time to publish. Congrats on creating your very first WordPress article! 🎉

Thanks for reading!

Author Bio:

Hi! I’m Phuong Lee. After experiencing two layoffs in 2023, I decided to take control of my future and launch Lee’s OC Notary. This period in my life highlighted the importance of having multiple streams of income, and owning my own business has provided a unique opportunity to grow and shape my company in accordance with my business aspirations. With Lee’s OC Notary, I’m committed to providing excellent service while continuously adapting to the evolving needs of my clients.