Y’all, I really lucked out in the husband department. This blog (and just about anything else I do) would not be possible without his enduring patience and selflessness. Charles pushes me to be better every day, and is truly my biggest supporter. When my brain is telling me that I can’t do something, his voice overpowers mine and tells me that I can.

So today I thought I’d give Charles a chance to share his side of the story. I got the idea from Victoria McGinley a couple years ago and thought it was brilliant. Even though he’s completely behind the scenes, Charles is an integral part of this blog. (You may have noticed his hairy arms in some of my DIY posts!) Anyway, here goes…

Your Name: Charles Gaylor
Your Day Job: Director, Small Business Center
Favorite Websites: Reddit, Motor Trend (I don’t have a lot of time for surfing.)

When my wife told me she was starting a blog, my first thought was…

This too shall pass. I’m partially kidding, but also sort of serious. I am a rather private person and never enjoy knowing there is a camera in the room. The very nature of running a lifestyle blog if that your lifestyle is put out there for the world to see, study, and judge. Sarah is very honest about the content that she posts. This is all real; we never knew just how real it would become. We have seen an amazingly warm response and could not be more grateful for the support.

The best part about being married to a blogger…

Sarah stays up to date on trends, competitors, colleagues, and general market data across a pretty diverse set of industries. Some call this obsession; some call it reading the news. It is all about remaining relevant. And because Sarah has to be constantly evolving, she is constantly being pushed. There is neither “resting” nor “laurels” here. This makes it fun. We always have something to talk about that is more than the local gossip or how the deli guy folded the cold cuts incorrectly. Ok, poor examples, but you get the idea.

The most challenging part about being married to a blogger is…

There is always a camera around. Again, I reiterate, this is real. We aren’t made up. We actually exist. My dog does jump up on my side of the bed every morning in a last ditch effort to avoid the inevitable workday, and this has ended up on Instagram from time to time. For someone like me, that would have been labeled an inexcusable invasion of privacy less than 3 years ago, and probably grounds for “we need to talk.” But I’ve become more accepting of this. I now realize the fun that can be had, and I’ve responded by trying to relax my standards.

The most useful app, program, or technology I’ve discovered through blogging is…

Content schedulers!

When it comes to blogging, I don’t get the point of…

The pricing model for sponsored reviews and posts. I’m a business consultant, so just bear with me. Bloggers offer companies an amazing way to get their products out there to a very specific market. You would be shocked if you priced out how much it would cost to have a single impression of a Facebook ad to an equally tailored customer base. Blogs like the one run by the lovely and talented Sarah are incredibly specific in what they discuss, and how the discussion is authored. Words are chosen carefully; tone is generated purposefully. Basically, the pieces are written with an incredibly specific reader in mind.

Each of those individual impressions, on each of those individual readers, carries a value. Facebook and Google Ads attempt to do the same exact thing, but are nowhere near as effective. Case and point: most people ignore, or are annoyed by, the presence of ads on general websites. But yet, it is the norm to pay more per impression for Facebook or Google Ads than with a matured blog. That is simply backwards.

If I were going to start a blog, I’d write about…

Cars (so I could hopefully test drive), beer (so I could hopefully test drive), brown liquor (so I could hopefully test drive…responsibly), and cigars (you get the idea).

Because my wife blogs, I’ve learned that she…

Is very gifted at spotting trends.

The blogging or career achievement I am most proud of my wife for is…

I’ll keep this blog-related and say that I am most proud of her first post after the rebrand. She proved to herself that she was able to compete. It is a fun thing to build a simple little site and talk about whatever you are feeling at any given moment. Don’t get me wrong, having a web journal is fun and can be relaxing or therapeutic even. But after the rebrand, Sarah quickly realized that she wanted to compete and see what she could build. If she decided to quit tomorrow, I’d still label the project a smashing success!