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Leave a comment Posted on SEO Spotlight Series, Storytelling, Uncategorized

What Do I Do for a Living? I Am a Driver Recruiter (with a Side Hustle of Earning Passive Income through Social Media Ad Revenue, Capitalizing on SEO)

It is quite possible to know a person very well and for a long time, without actually knowing much about what they do for a living. I think it is interesting how a person’s career, which occupies the majority of their waking hours, is undeniably connected somehow to the version of that person you know.

Their personality, talents, and interests, in “real life” outside of work obviously translate relevantly to how they make a living. If not, they would not be good enough to sustain making a living in that career.

So whether you’ve known me since preschool but haven’t been around me much since we graduated high school, or you’ve only known me as a married man with two kids, if you don’t really know how I make a living, you’re going to find out now…

I am a recruiter for truck drivers at a Fortune 500 company at their location in the Nashville area. I am responsible for filling job openings, nationwide, for them. I admit this may sound like a random career, but imagine all the 18 wheeler trucks you see anytime you’re on the interstate, moving all the freight to all the stores. Without truck drivers, our economy could not exist very long.

To burrow from my own LinkedIn profile, here’s an overview of my job as a recruiter:

My position identifies, recruits, interviews and recommends candidates for driving positions. Other daily responsibilities include sourcing, screening, interviewing and referring candidates to hiring managers, determining the best approach to fill assigned positions, maintaining effective working relationships with HR and business partners to ensure appropriate service levels are met; ensuring compliance with all legal aspects of recruiting, exercising judgment within defined procedures and practices to determine appropriate actions, and working in compliance with established procedures and protocols.

What I do for a living is a hybrid of Sales and Human Resources, as I have a quota to hit for my monthly hires.

This has been my career since I graduated college with an English degree; which I had originally intended to use to be a teacher.

Ever since Covid Culture kicked in, I’ve been working from my kitchen table. I love it!

But I also have a strong personal conviction to turn my hobbies into side hustles; as opposed to allowing my hobbies to cost me a lot of money.

Therefore, I am the content creator of two YouTube channels (containing thousands of videos I’ve created) and this website (containing hundreds of blog posts; both of which earn passive revenue from ads thanks to Google AdSense (I get a percentage of the revenue from the ads that show before my videos), as well as Amazon Affiliates (like if readers of this blog post click on that yellow taco shirt photo, and either buy the shirt or anything else while they are browsing… I get a percentage of that sale.)

With hundreds of blog posts on this website; as well as thousands of YouTube videos between my two channels, I am just some random guy making money off multiple random people any given minute of every day.

And anybody can do what I do, even you! I’m simply capitalizing on SEO (search engine optimization).

How I make a living is undeniably connected to my personality and skill set:

I am useless when it comes to anything related to math, engineering, or handyman work… or anything at all that could be classified as “technical”.

But when it comes to using my communication skills to hire people who need jobs for managers who eagerly need those spots filled- and when it comes to using the Internet as a dragnet to use content that I create to capture people’s attention… I can do that.

Just don’t expect me to be able to help you fix your car if it’s anything beyond changing a flat tire or to be able help your kid with their math homework if they’re beyond the 4th grade. I will immediately disappoint you!

1 Comment Posted on SEO Spotlight Series, Uncategorized

Getting Free Products To Review On Your Blog: The Basics 

Unless you’re a celebrity or a huge influencer, whether it be on Instagram, YouTube or other social media channels, to get free products to be sent to you by companies, you have to send them a cold email. For a lot of bloggers, doing this can be a little bit intimidating as most of them do not know how to get started, and not everyone has a background in sales, marketing, and corporate industry. Don’t worry though! Here are some tips to help you get started:

Do Some Research Before Sending Out That Email

For new bloggers, check and do some research first suggest VelSEOity. See if the company does send out free products even to new bloggers. You may also want to check for other blogs found within your niche – bloggers that cover the same topics as you do and try to look for patterns. Have you noticed a company or two that is found in most of those blogs? If so, they’re more likely to be receptive to sending out free products to bloggers. Check that company and look for products that are not getting a lot of reviews or are not represented well online. This is a great way to get started and even increase your chances of getting positive answers on your first try.

Contact Them Via Email

There’s no better way than to send your proposal but through the company’s email address. Based on your research, contact the company e-mail and the authorized person. When writing a proposal, make sure that you go straight to the point and cut out the fluff. When you’re contacting companies looking for products to review, make sure that you’re completely honest about your social media followings, traffic, engagement percentage as well as explain how you can help them. Never lie about these statistics as a simple search will be able to reveal if you’re telling the truth or if you’re making the numbers up. If you’re a small blog or a startup, there are still chances to get numerous partnerships as long as you’re true to your reviews and you’ve shown credibility to your audience.

Don’t Stop With E-Mails

If the company you’re eyeing for doesn’t have any e-mail address posted on their website, go for the extra mile and send them snail mail or fax. Not too many bloggers do this, and it will show your dedication as a blogger and would most likely be noticed by your target companies.

Keep The Companies Updated

As soon as you have closed with an agreement, do not stop there. Stay in contact with them and let them know about updates such as when you’ve received the product. Let them know once you’re reviewing the product, once it has been posted, and finally, with some results. It is your responsibility as a blogger to make sure that you keep the company informed – do not skip this part and make sure to take this seriously.

Leave a comment Posted on fatherhood, parenting, Uncategorized

Dear Holly: A Summer of Sunscreen (and Sunburn)

3 years, 3 months.

Dear Holly,

Thanks to multiple family members taking DNA tests, it is officially undeniable that you have a decent amount of DNA that is Italian, Mexican (Native American/Spanish), Sephardic Jewish, and West Asian (from Iran, Iran, Lebanon). But I don’t think most people would think that if they saw you, thanks to your blonde hair and blue eyes.

Your physical traits are more representative of the Norwegian and British DNA you also have.

While your brother was also born with blonde hair, blue eyes, and fair skin, his hair and skin have turned much darker over the years.

I am beginning to have serious doubts that your skin will get much darker because by the time your brother was your age now, he wasn’t still getting sunburned as quickly and easily as you do.

This has been a summer of sunblock and sunburn for you.

You are the white sheep of the family.

Love,

Daddy

Leave a comment Posted on fatherhood, Uncategorized, Writing

My Blog Website is Now 10 Years Old: Getting Published as a Daddy Blogger, Making My National TV Debut, and Becoming an SEO Side Hustler

It was exactly a decade ago today that I published my very first blog post here on this website. It was called, “Snail Trails: Your Memory May Be the Only Proof an Event Ever Happened.”

For the first year of my blog, I was just writing about random thoughts that went through my head; much like the kind of topics I cover on my YouTube channels now.

But about a year into blogging, my wife and I found out we were going to be having our first child. I decided to start writing a letter to our child at least every week.

Just a few months into my new series, I was featured in American Baby magazine. And a few months after that, I was chosen by Parents Magazine to be their official daddy blogger for the next 4 years.

This led to me being given dozens of opportunities to feature brand-new vehicles on my blog, as companies like Lexus and Chevy often sent me cars for a week at a time; even sending me and family on trips as well.

After my time at Parents.com ended, the next venture was been hand-selected by one of the scouts for Lifetime’s upcoming TV show, This Time Next Year. My national TV debut took place in February 2018.

Since then, I have been using my blogging experience and SEO knowledge to operate a few different side hustles to generate passive income, like placing Amazon links in my most popular posts and regularly selling guest blog posts to companies.

True story: I just bought a brand-new stereo for my Jeep based on my most recent Amazon payment I received.

It’s true I love writing and I love documenting my life on my blog, as it’s my way of keeping up with my own journey of life.

But I also don’t mind the fact that this blog has provided me opportunities that wouldn’t have happened otherwise.

Thank you to all my readers for being a part of my blog- and my life!

Leave a comment Posted on fatherhood, parenting, People, Storytelling, Uncategorized

Dear Jack: The Indoor Camp Out with Nonna and Papa

8 years, 3 months.

Of all Saturday nights for the power to go out for a couple of hours, it just happened to be the one where Mommy and I weren’t there.

We were staying at a hotel about 20 miles away, while Nonna and Papa were in town from Alabama to take care of you and your sister.

But the power outage was no problem- in fact, it was probably more exciting…

You and your sister got to camp out on the floor of the bedroom with Nonna and Papa; using blankets as sleeping bags, as you both held on to some of your favorite stuffed animals.

As you can see from this picture, your sister was proud to be a part of all the fun!

Love,

Daddy