Blogging and bloggers have been the topic of many conversations lately relating to authenticity and general good business practices relating to social media in part because this whole blogging forum is still new and evolving every day and in part because maybe it is the right time for this conversation. The holidays are here and as we all are girding our loins for the shopping season to come I couldn’t help but notice how incredibly bombarded we have all been all weekend long with Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals steals and general marketing overload. Similarly many bloggers have taken it upon themselves to map out every sale that is happening across the internet that you just might have some interest in and while I completely understand the value of culling all of that knowledge into one helpful spot that is not something that I am at all interested in doing. Like I said I understand the value of this approach completely but it isn’t what I am about and if you would like to learn a little bit more about my values and goals as a blogger read on (or if you are just interested in the outfit details those are there too. )
So yes, I did provide a few deals and steals in a roundup on Friday of my favorites but that’s because I didn’t see anyone advertising those sites (except for Nordstrom) on other blogs. One reason is they don’t know about a site like say Fashion BNKR, an Australian fashion hub that I love and have been trying to share with my readers since I discovered them. Why? They are unique, different, off the beaten path, affordable and are labels that I believe can help you discover your own unique voice which is why I am such a big fan of their envelope pushing pieces and that is why I jump at the opportunity to share their sales with you (seriously, check them out!) Net-A-Porter was an interesting one because they didn’t have a real promotion going on for the holiday but holy mackerel if you ever wanted some Isabel Marant for 50% off here was the time. Zara doesn’t need any advertising which is probably one of the reasons why it doesn’t do any type of affiliate programs (paying bloggers for referrals etc) which is also why they never show up on any blogger’s list of sites to shop but you should absolutely shop them and frequently for epic fashion at an affordable price, especially when they give you a blanket 30% off!!
Okay, so enough about what I support, what about my philosophy? Blogger Not Billionaire started as a naive attempt to show the world (or Seattle) that you can dress just as well as the street style stars of New York City without breaking the bank or feeling self conscious when you walk down the street doing it. Have I accomplished that? I am not sure but I do know I have all of these fantastic followers who appreciate my style and that I hope get a bit of inspiration from it as well or at least a little courage to try something a bit more dangerous sartorially. To all of them, and you my friendly reader, I say thank you for sticking with me along this journey and for the record I LOVE feedback. As for me personally, I wore an oversized white shearling vest and my famous laser cut Jeffrey Campbell over the knee boots into the office the other day all at once and felt fantastic doing it. Blogger Not Billionaire has certainly had the affect of giving me more confidence in my daily life to venture even further outside the norm and while I still acknowledge I dress nothing like most of my fellow Seattle residents I take pride in that now rather than am embarrassed by it. 
Now let’s get a little less comfortable here and talk about money because all of us know that blogging can be an incredibly lucrative business. If you have been a reader for a while you will probably notice a shocking lack of sponsored posts or C/O (care of) listings attached to garments. For one thing no one is knocking down my door to drape me in the latest Gucci nerdy-chic collection (darn) but for another, so far none of the offers I have received to do anything like that have felt genuine to me or ‘on brand’ for Blogger Not Billionaire. Also, lets face it, if you want a more mainstream very accessible blogger that will sell a million basic cardigans I am not your gal, that just isn’t who I am and representing that on my blog would be disingenuous. That isn’t to say if someone came up with a line of extraordinary oversized vests in various fabrications and color ways I wouldn’t be the first volunteer to test them out and be their spokesperson, but that would of course be disclosed and it would fit perfectly with the slightly off-center fearless styling that is at the heart of Blogger Not Billionaire. 
I love blogging and I love being the writer, content creator and stylist (/model unfortunately) for Blogger Not Billionaire. No matter what my work life throws at me or how stressful life is I have this incredible creative outlet through which to share who I am and what I stand for and I couldn’t be more grateful that I am able to do that and even more so that there are actually readers out there who appreciate what I do. Like all bloggers I would love to make this into my life’s work but I received some valuable advice from my brother, an artist who turned his passion into his job. He said, “Be careful when your hobby becomes your job. It’s great but then it’s your job and you need to find a new hobby.” Perhaps for now having the blog be my side project is the right balance but I do hope in the future to be able to morph it into something bigger and more impactful and hopefully then I will have another something waiting in the wings that I can on the side. 
I have to express one more time how while simply blogging is a joy in itself but the fact that there are people to share it will makes it more meaningful than I could have ever imagined. Thank you for reading, for following, for critiquing, for hating my posts, for loving them, for sharing your thoughts or for simply thinking them, I wouldn’t be where I am today without all of you.
Have a lovely week and please accept my gratitude to you for being on this journey with me. Sincerely, Rebecca
