Real Talks with Christina Polovich of ChrissyAdventures

If you’ve ever wondered how someone can do it all, then this interview is for you. Christina Polovich of Chrissy Adventures, is not only an amazing blogger but manages two companies daily, is a mom, wife and so much more.

Christina not only shares her life story and takes us hour by hour through her day, but also offers great advice on how to become an entrepreneur. 

Let’s get started.

Who are you and what’s your story?

Hi, my name is Christina Polovich. I am the author of ChrissyAdventures. That’s my favorite way to define who I am. 

I could tell you that I am a Mom, a Wife, business owner and a Grandma… but really I am just Chrissy.

Before I began writing, life was pretty hum-drum. It was normal, average and I was so tired all the time.

You see, I worked in Corporate America for a bit over 10 years and all I knew was working 40-60 hours a week. I had forgotten what it was like to be a Mom and a Grandma.

 

In 2009, my whole life changed. My husband of 14 years died as I was attempting to resuscitate him… in front of the boys. I battled with the grief, anger, depression, and PTSD for a year (on my own) before I reached out for help.

2010 was the birth of Chrissy Adventures; a way for me to express myself and cope through writing. I created a bucket list of items I wanted to accomplish. Afterall, I just said goodbye to a man who died with many regrets & I didn’t want to live that way (or end that way).

I saw the world through different eyes. I began to really appreciate every day and began to look for the adventure of living. No adventure was too small to be noticed. I realized I wasn’t the only one that had been through the issues I faced. I never thought anyone would read what I wrote for sure. Then, they came… readers started showing up. I still to this day am not sure why… but they do.

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What’s your average day like?
Take us hour by hour.

Routine? What is that? I’ve heard of this but never had it down pat. I have ADHD and I am lucky if I make it through each day. Ha!

• Okay seriously, I start off my day around 5:30 each morning by briefly looking over my social network accounts: Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, etc. I spend about an hour on this while having my coffee. Then I go through my personal emails, blog related emails, and business emails. Each of these has separate accounts and this process takes about an hour.
• Next, I watch the sun come up while I breathe deeply and thank God for giving me another day. This is like my morning break.
• By 8 am I am working as an office manager of my husband’s construction business.
• Around 10 am I switch hats and work for the Business consulting LLCI manage.
• At 11 am I take my dog for a walk around the neighborhood.
• At noon I go to my website and work on promotions and brand commitments.
• Around 1 pm I am back at it, working as Office Manager for my husband’s business. The business gets 2 hours for accounts receivable/accounts payable.
• At 3 pm I follow up with all my social network accounts again as I walk the dog around the neighborhood again.
• 4 pm I am back on my website: Blog posts or photography, following up on comments and reading other people’s blogs
• 5 pm – my husband’s business is closing up for the day so I finish up any remaining calls and/or paperwork
• At 6 pm it is supper time! The dog needs a walk so she can poop before supper! Imagine that.
• Around 7 pm we are stuffed to the brim and feeling lazy. My husband and I catch up on our day and watch a little TV.
• By 8 pm I am sneaking some more social network time in…because I love it. I’ll take the dog on another walk.
• The day ends between 9-10pm usually and I am off to bed.

From 8-5 during the day Monday – Friday, I answer the office line for all calls. I multi-task all day and switch hats on a dime 😉

I wish I could say this was a typical day, but every day is different for me. Some days I will be able to spend 5 or 6 hours on my blog. Other days, I just squeeze it in for a bit.

How do you stay motivated?
What or who inspires you?

My subscribers and followers inspire me. We are a community of survivors. We are either battling something huge in life or we have in the past and we stick together. I need them to pull me out of a funk if I slip into depression and I am here to pull them out if they start slipping away too.

Life inspires me. Life is but a blink and it’s gone. We are not promised another day and it is by mere faith alone that we go to bed at night assuming we will wake up in the morning.

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Let’s talk about goals.
How do you slay yours?

Goals? I love goals! That’s where they throw the ball…into the goal 😉 Yeah, I am bad with goals, always have been. When I achieve a goal I feel like I am on top of the world.

The only way I can personally achieve a goal is to not feel overwhelmed. So I set small goals. This means I have more goals than the average person to accomplish something, but to me, it’s more manageable this way. 

Example goal for me: If the main goal is to write a post, I break it out like this.

1. Research subject matter
2. Answer: am I still passionate about this?  If yes, move to #3.
3. Write the first draft.
4. Edit, revise grammar/spell check draft.
5. Insert appropriate photos (this step can take hours). I prefer to use my own photos and I have thousands to go through before I pick one.
6. Preview post   
7. Add Tags, Categories, and publish!

Other people I know will write this goal: Write blog post. I am not that person.

 

 

What’s one app or tool that you can’t do without?

I totally love IFTTT. This is the most useful app I have ever set up. It automates the post sharing and makes life so much easier. IFTTT is the name of the app “if this then that.”

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It is an app that will run automated processes for you such as sharing a post that you have written on your blog, or sharing social media across different networks if certain criteria are met, such as hashtags.

An example: If I post an article with the tag “Adventures” then share to my Pinterest board “Let’s Pin Each Other”. If I post on social media using hashtag “Chrissyadventures” shared on Twitter, my Facebook group, and Instagram, but not Pinterest.

This post includes affiliate links. 👇🏽 Click here for the full disclosure statement, thanks for your support! 😘

 

What’s your favorite and least favorite part of being an entrepreneur?

I have been self-employed since 2011 and I love it!

I love the freedoms we have to start or stop working whenever we want. I love that I get to travel with my husband & work. We get to enjoy life while we “work”.

The only part I don’t like is all the additional paperwork that goes into running your own business. Filing taxes is a super fun process now and usually, requires enough paperwork to fill up a plastic tote.

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What advice would you give to someone just starting out?

Being a business owner is not easy. You can make it easy after you’ve gotten a good feel for it, but it’s not going to be a bed of roses when you start.

• You have to treat it like any other job. You need a schedule and a focus. Allow time for your business to grow. It will not happen overnight.
• It would be great if you start off with some money already put you back. Being self-employed is like feast or famine. When the money is rolling in it’s great! But there will be lulls and slow times. Sock some money back to cover that.
• Stay relevant. Know your customer base. Sometimes what you want to do is not beneficial for your customers.

• Join some groups to learn from others before you pay a lot of money to take online courses from people who swear you can make $5000 in your first month (or any other exaggeration).
• It takes time to build an online presence. Rely on your friends in the beginning. They will visit you out of curiosity.
• Follow all the laws. Some people will tell you-you don’t really need to do this or that but keep yourself legal by following all the local, state and federal guidelines.

What’s the best business advice you’ve ever received?

Self-employment is feast or famine. Put money back for the slow times. Never stop putting money back, even if it’s a small amount.

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What books do you think every hustler should read?

This may seem off-topic, but I believe every business owner should read  The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman. I not promoting this book and it may not seem relative, but if you can trick your mind into understanding how others feel and think differently than you do, you have a better chance of marketing to your key audience. How can you effectively market yourself, your image or brand if you only think like you?

Another book I love is Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson and Kenneth Blanchard. Entrepreneurship requires adaptability and this short little read focuses on that. It’s a cute book with a powerful message!

Do you have a favorite quote or saying?

Every day is an adventure. Embrace it!

Can we talk about money?

How do you make yours? Did you save before you started?

My money comes in from the various businesses I run. We started the Construction business in 2013 and it has brought in its own income. It came out of the red about 18 months after opening.  

The LLC I manage pays me an administrative management fee. It was only in the red for 3 months.  

My blog is not a source of real or true income yet. It is a source of freebies and a never-ending line of merchants contacting me to promote their brands or products in exchange for a review. I have probably received over $10K in merchandise and services from it, but none of that could be put into the bank.

I already anticipate my focus will shift away from the other 2 businesses in the future. I am focused more on my blog now.

 

How do you find clients or readers? What’s your strategy?

Honestly, I have never had a strategy. I do consult the Google Search Console regularly to see what search terms are bringing readers in and I try to stay relevant as the times change. But, I will never sacrifice who I am and what I write just for traffic.

 

What role does social media play for you?
Do you have a favorite channel? Why?

I love social media. It’s actually one of my more relaxing times during the day. I actually prefer to scroll through Instagram or Pinterest at my leisure. Facebook is more stressful for me. I have so many family members and friends near and dear to my heart that comes up in my newsfeed. I hate to see all the political junk showing up. 3 or 4 years ago, Facebook uses to be my favorite. Now it’s just a political platform that I don’t care for much.

 

How do you do it all?

To answer your question, I have ADHD. I’ve struggled with it most of my life. It actually controlled me until I had my kids in my early twenties.

I worried through my entire pregnancy how I would be able to keep up with a kid when I couldn’t even keep up with my car keys or remember if I ate breakfast! I studied the Fine Art of multitasking.

The library was my teacher. I checked out many great books about multitasking in business. I assumed that those skills would more than apply in life. I realized the more things that I focused on, I was actually able to successfully complete each task. I’m sure it probably sounds crazy, but it’s all true. I am self-taught through behavior modification. ☺

Bonus Questions! 

Quickly tell us about yourself and what you’re currently:

• Reading? The Whole Town’s Talking by Fannie Flagg
  
• Watching? The Walking Dead, The Talking Dead, The Big Bang Theory
  
• Listening to? Air1 radio
  
• Eating? Chocolate
  
• Obsessed with? Coffee
  
• In Love with? My husband