Sarah's Amazing Story of Overcoming Obstacles to Earn 8 Figures
Sarah’s story is one of overcoming obstacles and achieving the unthinkable. She started her blog as a way to share her journey with other parents, but soon found that she had hit on something much bigger.
Her message about faith, working hard and never giving up resonated with so many people that she was able to build a business around it – all while raising two children!
In this interview, Sarah shares how she went from being homeless to earning 8 figures. Read on for insights into what you can do when life throws you curveballs!
Read the Interview with Sarah Titus
Can you tell my readers about yourself and your blog?
I started out in a homeless shelter for abused women. It was a really rough time in my life. My now ex-husband had abandoned us and I had been a stay-at-home-mom all of my kids lives. I remember standing before the judge and he told me that I had to get a job outside the home or I risked losing everything in the divorce.
My heart sank. I already lost my marriage, my husband was having a physical affair, I had no income, I just felt like I was losing everything around me, I wasn’t ABOUT to lose my kids too, to some stranger while I left them all day and went to work.
Missing out on their lives wasn’t an option!
I started reselling (flipping products) on ebay and Craigslist.
Eventually started couponing – which REALLY helped and slowly got out of the mess I was in.
Today, I’ve made over 8-figures online in a world where literally everyone told me it couldn’t be done. 😊
What inspired you to start a blog?
God called me to start a blog.
At the time, I was making good money on ebay (to me) and had no clue what a blog even was. Eventually, I learned you could make money from it, but I originally just started it because I was getting a lot of questions from friends asking how I was living so well on, at the time, $18k/year.
“If I create one blog post to answer each question, it’ll save me tons of time,” I thought to myself. I was just trying to save time, honestly. Most of the questions were all the same and each blog post was tackling one question.
The blog was secret. It wasn’t open to the world. It had a password on it. Come to find out, my friends were sharing the password and it quickly took off, much of a surprise to me. 😊
Tell me about your proudest achievement?
I guess inside, I find a little satisfaction knowing I’ve done so well online when everyone in my life told me I would never amount to anything. 😊
Growing up- the kids in school, my mom, my ex-husband, many of my friends as I got older, just everyone in my life seemed to have pegged me to be destined as a loser forever.
Thankfully, I was not a loser to Christ. It was like He passed over the Earth and saw me, helpless and no one to love me. He bestowed favor on me, loved me, picked me up, and made me the woman I am today. HE did that and all glory and credit goes to Him and Him alone. <3
If I had to pick one thing, it would be that because I feel like it’s affected every area of my life. I’m able to be with my kids, I’m able to provide for them and give THEM a good future. I’m able to be used as a witness for Christ and show the world HOPE. It just affects everything. 😊
What was your greatest failure, and what did you learn from that?
There was a certain point along the way that I was having too huge of a following. I was making a lot of money and everyone was saying how great I was.
I started to believe my “own press” and it was a mistake. I began getting prideful. I saw my heart before the Lord, becoming something I wasn’t proud of, and so I walked away from it all. I stopped posting what they came for and walked away. Just, did my own thing.
After a while, I started a Shopify store selling printables because it was a hobby of mine. Not expecting a huge paycheck from it, just doing what I love, creating things. It came to be that I made $52,060 my first month on Shopify and it quickly became successful, but THIS TIME, I remained humble about it. 😊 I still fight pride, I will freely admit. It’s a sin in me I’ll always deal with, but I constantly pray and try my best to keep it in check (constantly saying the Beatitudes in my head to myself), and I’m doing great at it right now.
I learned that it’s better to grow SLOW, than to hit on “instant fame” because when you do, most people just can’t handle it. I wasn’t emotionally prepared for it. It was all just happening too fast. I’ve learned to slow down and do things that I enjoy, instead of doing what the masses want from me if it makes me miserable.
What do you find is the most frustrating aspect of blogging?
Mainstream blogging. The things that are popular by most people in blogging are just not at all what you wanna listen to. Instead of following the herd, who thinks if they become a robot like someone else, they can gain the same success.
Instead, find 1-3 mentors that really resonate with YOU personally.
People that you want your business to look like and then stalk the heck out of them. 😊 Listen to everything they say. Buy all their programs. Be on their email list. Dissect their platforms. Go super deep and really get to know them and why they tick.
Then when you are making decisions, you can look at what your top 1-3 mentors do and make decisions based on that. Close your ears to what everyone else is saying and just focus on those mentors you picked.
Over time, the mentors you choose will change as you grow and that’s totally fine. But don’t have more than 3 tops. You risk spinning your wheels if you do.
What type of networking do you think is better to enhance your traffic to the blog?
My blog was founded on word-of-mouth marketing.
My Shopify store is so successful because of worth-of-mouth marketing.
Create stellar products that are the best on the planet, and others will do the “heavy lifting” for you. We naturally share things with others that we like or find helpful.
Just focus on serving others needs and being and doing your absolute best. Going the extra TEN miles and a lot of the marketing will happen naturally.
If it doesn’t, rethink what you’re doing.
Are you giving enough? Would YOU sign up for your own email newsletter, for example, if you read/got/saw what you give away? Most of the time, it’s just about not giving enough to them to really get their attention and be super helpful.
How do you manage time to run your blog efficiently?
I learned to systematize absolutely everything in my life. I’m actually working on a course right now that will teach all about how to balance life and making a good living online in a systematized, strategic way.
In the past three years, I’ve been able to cut my work 274 hours and raise my revenue 89%!
Seems like most everyone, whether a big blogger or a smaller one just getting started, they’re all spinning their wheels. It makes me so sad and that’s why I’m building the course. I know the answers and I wanna teach it!
How much time do you spend blogging?
Personally, I currently work 5-10 hours a week on my entire empire (including all platforms and tasks) and my assistants work 5-20 hours a week. During the summers, it’s less (more toward the 5 hours). During fourth quarter it’s on the higher end of things for them.
It’s an ebb and flow type of thing. 😊 Again, I just have absolutely everything in my life, both business and personal, systematized and streamlined. As a single mom, I wouldn’t want it any other way. My family comes first!!!
A lot of people think that blogging is an easy way to make money online. Do you have some tips for those people who are interested in making money from blogging?
I’m not sure what’s “easy” about it. It’s an insane amount of work. Building up the content, learning WordPress tech stuff, promoting your stuff, networking both online and offline.
With that said, the things that are the most valuable in life, require a lot of work.
Ask Albert Einstein how much work he put into the lightbulb.
If you want big things in life, you have to be willing to work hard for them. That doesn’t mean that you just put in the hours and success will come.
You have to be super strategic too. Know WHAT to work on. Know WHAT to do. But it’s a lifetime event, not some quick get rich scheme like some bloggers teach. Blogging is a long-haul type of thing.
If you can get that one mentality shift down, you’ll be a big step ahead of the game! When others are quitting, you’ll be the one still taking steps to make your dream come true and I think that’s the most important thing…not giving up!!!
What is the most significant difference in your life post-blogging?
That’s a really great question. I think that the biggest difference is determining who I am as a person.
In blogging, I found a space where I can just let go and be myself. I found a place I can talk to people, really connect with them, serve people (which I love to do) and just be their biggest cheerleader and best friend.
In blogging, I found myself. I found out who I am. I found out who I’m not. I’m NOT willing to compromise for money. I AM willing to work hard for my dreams.
You learn about yourself when you blog. Things you can’t learn any other way. You learn to accept yourself. You attract people like you, they accept you, and you feel “home”.
I remember going to an annual picnic at my previous church. I didn’t “fit” with the older ladies as I sat in their area. I didn’t “fit” with ladies my own age when I went to their area. I didn’t fit with the teens. So I went over to hang out with the kids. I fit the most there, just carefree and playing, having fun. Haha. But I still didn’t “fit”.
In blogging, I “fit”. It’s like there’s a space created just for me and only me. A position that only I can fill. A place created by God just for ME to fill. All my life, I never felt like I fit in, but in blogging, I do, and feeling that acceptance and love from my audience, has changed my life. I am incredibly grateful. <3
Do You have a Blogging Course? Can you please explain a little bit about it and how people can take your class?
I DO have a blogging course, yes. 😊 It’s called Honest Bloggers Academy®. You can click the link and sign up to join. It’s a course that will teach you a DIFFERENT way to blog. One that you can feel good about yourself doing, one that honors God without compromising your integrity and morals to make it big.
In it, I teach absolutely every step I took to get from when I first started out in blogging, all my goals, all the tasks I invested in, what I didn’t invest in, etc., to where I am now. It’s a great course for every blogger.
Can you tell us what other courses you offer?
I do have a lot of courses. 😊 I feel like this is the main area God wants me to build up the most. There’s so much I can teach because I’ve been making money online now for 23+ years! I’ve been at every stage along the way from homeless to 8-figures and there’s a lot that people need to know that many can’t teach because they haven’t been in those positions (such as homeless, for example).
My most popular selling course is the Million Dollar Shop® Bloggers Bundle. It includes the Honest Bloggers Academy® and my Million Dollar Shop® courses that teach how to set up a Shopify store and create and sell printables.
What is the best way for people to keep up to date with you?
My email list is where people get the best of me. I’m constantly sharing in there. It’s super personal and always filled with free printables, business tips, and faith-based encouragement. Things that will really help inspire people. My newsletter are my best friends and I give them all of me there. 😊
Thank You!
I would like to thank Sarah again. I’m so honored that she took the time out of her busy schedule to share her story and experiences with me. Her story inspires me to never give up and always believe in your faith.
We all have obstacles in life. In the end, we’re the only ones who can overcome them and find success. For those of you that are struggling with an obstacle right now, just remember to keep faith in yourself and never give up on your dreams! What was your biggest obstacle? Let us know how you overcame it!
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