A closer look into my journey, the path I took and how I got where I am today.
01.
Began My Blog
Back when I was a teenager with far too many opinions and no outlet, I decided to start a very questionable Blogger site — complete with pixelated photos and fonts that should never have seen the light of day.
Cringe-worthy? Absolutely. But that little corner of the internet became the foundation for everything I’ve built since, teaching me more than I ever expected and giving me the confidence to keep going (and, thankfully, upgrade my aesthetic).
02.
Decided To Be Bold
Once I’d finally tidied up my site and made it into something I wasn’t embarrassed to show people, I decided it was time to be bold — and actually reach out to the brands I’d been raving about. I started by emailing their PR teams with posts I’d already written, which led to a few polite replies and the occasional freebie (fun, but not the goal).
What I really wanted were long-term partnerships — something that felt like a collaboration, not a transaction. And honestly, what was the worst that could happen? They’d say no… or worse, ignore me. Thankfully, a few didn’t — and that small leap changed everything.
03.
Advanced in My Marketing Career
While all of this was happening online, my professional marketing career was taking shape. I climbed the ranks, eventually working as a fractional CMO (a title that still sounds far fancier than it feels most days).
The two worlds — my site and my career — grew side by side, each feeding the other. The incredible opportunities I gained through my online work gave me the confidence, creativity, and grit I needed to show up as the best version of myself professionally — and vice versa.
04.
Developed Partnerships with Regular Customers
As time went on, I knew I wanted to evolve from the occasional brand collab to something more meaningful — ongoing partnerships with the companies I genuinely loved and talked about constantly. I refined my approach, made my processes more professional, and began treating my collaborations like the business they truly were.
The result? I’ve been lucky enough to work regularly with some of the biggest and most inspiring brands in the world — proof that passion paired with a bit of strategy can take you a long way.
05.
Began To Offer My Freelance Services
Over the years, I started getting messages from people who, like me, had something to say — often far more eloquently, I might add — but who struggled with the technical or strategic side of things. They had passion, but no clear direction.
That’s what inspired me to start offering my freelance services: to help creatives, writers, and dreamers take that next step confidently into what’s still a relatively new kind of career. Because sometimes, all you need is someone who’s been there, made the mistakes, and figured out the shortcuts.
06.
Oh, and Then I Wrote a Book
Something that might surprise a few people is that, somewhere along the way, I decided to write a novel. For years, writing had been my therapy — a way to manage my OCD and mental health — and the stories I created were meant for my eyes only. But, in a rare moment of following my own advice, I decided to be brave and reach out to a few book agents.
To my complete shock, the feedback was that what I had written was actually worth pursuing — real, professional validation that gave me a whole new level of confidence. And so, here I am — somewhere between keeping my writing as a soul-feeding passion and exploring whether it might just become the next big chapter in my creative career.
Take a look at my free guides to online success.
Tools and simple guides generated to help you improve your site, think about marketing, develop your confidence and take that next step into developing online opportunities.
What has helped me throughout my career
EXPANDING MY marketing skills
CIM
The CIM was my traditional starting point — a solid foundation in marketing theory that became the perfect benchmark once I gained real, hands-on industry experience. The gold standard for marketing.
Coursera
Coursera gave me the flexibility to keep learning while working full-time — sharpening my marketing, leadership, and creative skills through practical, industry-led courses at my own pace.
Girls in Marketing
Girls in Marketing was a game-changer — a supportive community that offered practical insights, relatable advice, and the reminder that women in this industry truly lift each other up.
LEARNING ABOUT WORDPRESS
Skill Share
Skillshare was my go-to for learning WordPress — bite-sized, practical lessons that made the technical side feel far less intimidating and helped me build real confidence, fast.
WP Beginner
WPBeginner was a lifesaver — clear, no-fluff tutorials that broke down WordPress basics into language I could actually understand, helping me solve problems and grow my site with ease.
Udemy
Udemy gave me the freedom to deep-dive into WordPress at my own pace — affordable, structured courses that turned trial and error into genuine, lasting expertise.
IMPROVING MY confidence and leadership knowledge
Private Workshops
I grew my confidence and leadership by seeking out privately run courses that resonated with my goals. Aligning with the topics and actively participating, I turned learning into actionable skills and built real-world confidence.
Inspirational People
I also boosted my confidence by following and learning from leaders I admired, like Emme Grede and Mel Robbins. Observing their insights, advice, and approaches helped me shape my own leadership style. It is learning in a digestible manner.
Read More
Reading regularly, across all kinds of content, keeps the mind sharp, broadens vocabulary, and sparks creativity. It’s a simple, effective way to build confidence, improve communication, and continuously challenge yourself.
STAY UP TO DATE
Join The Mailing List
Be the first to learn about updates, cahnges and more free guides and downloads.
[florence_newsletter]
My Business Tools
Email + Marketing
Campaign Monitor — Once you have built a data list, you need to generate a method of communicating with that audience. Campaign Monitor can help with that.
SEMrush — This tool offers a whole array of functions which are beneficial; however, the most important is its ability to show you improvements you need to make to your site.
Google Analytics — Taking time to learn what draws traffic to your site, what keeps them there, and when they leave is imperative for increasing your stats.
Hosting + Website
WordPress — If you want to create a site in this day and age, the route to go is WordPress. Taking time to learn the interface and the plug-ins has been essential.
17th Avenue — If you are struggling to get going, 17th Avenue is the place to go for themes and support to generating something aesthetic as the base to your site.
Bluehost — Over the years, I have tried a few different hosting companies for my sites and those of my customers. Bluehost is where I always come back to because of their amazing support.
Social Media
Later — Social media can be consuming when trying to build a brand and stay consistent. Later, removes the burden of remembering when to post with its easy scheduling tool.
Canva — As a skilled designer, this one hurts, but it’s helpful. Using Canva can help you to create amazing quality social media posts in no time at all. It’s a no-brainer.
Sprout Social — If you really want to take a deep-dive into your social metrics, the tool that I would recommend is Sprout Social. It’s an investment, but worth it for that next step.
This page contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission if you purchase through my links (at no extra cost to you). I only recommend companies and products that I have personally used, love, and trust.