Hey guys, I want to share with you some things that you should keep in mind before starting a blog. I'm not an expert at blogging, I just feel the urge to share based on a lot of questions I get from people that want to start a blog.
Blogging can be a lot of fun, but it is important to consider a lot of things. I didn't have a plan when I started blogging and I'm paying for it now because I have to start doing what I should have done initially. Not having a plan made me to dabble a lot, struggle with content and even deal with a lot of doubt. I still have a lot of issues I'm trying to sort out but I can help you avoid making same.

Why Blog?

I think that this is the foremost question you need to answer. Why do you want to start a blog? Are you doing it because you want to add "blogger" to your bio? People own blogs for different reasons, you could open a personal blog to share your personal experiences, thoughts and values. Your blog could also be about lifestyle, travel, food, fashion, photography, parenting, addiction. It could be about your challenges as a student, single mom or about gossip. Whatever it is, you need to identify your niche. It could be that writing is your hobby, you want an outlet for your creative side, you want to have a side hustle, or you need the money full time. Consider why you want to start a blog.

Set Short-term and Long-term Goals

What do you hope to achieve now and in the long run? In 5 years time where do you see your blog? What do you hope to achieve in 3 months? Setting goals helps you have a target to work towards. Without a definite goal, you might just dabble aimlessly. I dabbled for my first year as a blogger because I didn't have a goal, I wasn't working towards anything so I didn't even know when I was falling short of expectations. Setting goals make you accountable, makes you keep track of your successes and failures.
So set goals and work towards them.

Choose a Blogging Platform

There are different blogging platforms to choose from. Blogger is Google's blogging platform, then there is wordpress, tumblr, weebly, e.tc.  Wordpress is the most popular because of its convenience and versatility. Whilst choosing a blogging platform it is important to note whether you want a self-hosted site or you just want free hosting. A self-hosted blog affords you a whole lot of benefits but it comes with a fee. A free-hosted blog has a lot of limitations but well it's free. You can start with free hosting like me and then move to a self-hosted site.
To make it more understandable;
Self-hosted = abcdef.com or abcdef.org
Free-hosted = abcdef.blogspot.com or  abcdef.wordpress.com
Platforms like blogger and wordpress afford you free hosting, with blogger all you need to have is a Google account. However, it is advisable to get a self hosted site for a more professional blog or a business.

Choose an Appropriate Name:

Your name has to be peculiar to you. It should be unique, easy to remember, and shouldn't be easily confused with another blog or brand. A lot of people prefer to use their names like lindaikeji.com, there's nothing wrong with that especially if it is a personal blog. It is important that your blog name should not be in contrast with your message, if you intend to blog about music, your name shouldn't give the illusion that your blog is about health or sports. Your name should give an insight to your theme.

Have a Content Strategy:
Content they say is king. If you have rich content, people would keep coming back to your blog. They look forward to your writing, because there is actually something to come back to. In order to engage and sustain people's attention you need to have a strategy about what you write.
First you need to be authentic. If you dish out false information, people won't trust you, your audience need to trust you to come back. If you're recommending a product, then they need to trust you that you're not just after getting a paycheck but you genuinely want to help them.
Again, you need to have a peculiar writing style. A style that a reader can point out and say, "oh this sounds like Sharon". Don't try to write like A or B, people can detect a fake from afar off. Your writing style is your unique voice and people have to be able to relate to it, if they can't relate to it then they won't feel like coming back.
It's very important to have a plan for your content. What type of content do you plan to post and how frequently do you want to post? Your strategy should drive traffic to your blog, because after writing you'll definitely want people to read. Social media share buttons are very important so you need to keep that in mind.


I hope this article was helpful and not overwhelming?
If you have questions for me, feel free to drop it in the comment box or send me a message on any of my social media handles. @sharonn_oh on Instagram and Facebook. Don't forget to

Remain Stylish
Love, Sharon.

Bend-down boutiques are very popular in this part of the world. In Nigeria, they are popularly known as Okirika or just OK while the Yankee Nigerians and some bloggers refer to it as "Thrift shops". Whichever category you fall under, I hope you get the clear picture of what I'm talking about? Well as much as some people don't want to identify with them because they feel it's beneath them or they can't imagine themselves wearing second-hand clothes, they are very important to the average Nigerian. It reminds me of that Julius Agwu's song "Bend-down select".

Now I see it as an opportunity to get some really pricey labels at a very cheap price. Most bloggers you know, don't spend a fortune on clothes as you presumed and most of the slay kings and queens you know thrifted some of their best pieces. To get the best out of thrift-shopping there are certain rules that you need to apply, they include:


1. Lose The Attitude:
Anty Siri we know you only wear tear-rubber clothes, but the day you decide to go thrift-shopping please get off your high horse. It won't help you in a Nigerian market, it would only make the sellers give you very outrageous prices. These sellers can smell a snub from afar off and once they detect it from you, mehn they're gonna charge you. So if you're going to shop in the market, be humble!

2. Be Patient:
Thrift-shopping requires patience, a lot of it. It is not a shopping mall, it is very informal and the sellers don't usual have time to sort out the clothes according to colors and sizes. The first few clothes you pick up might be too large or too small for you, don't be discouraged, keep digging!

3. Know Your Size:
This is very important. Whether you're shopping for shoes, belts, dresses, underwear or any other thing, know your size. Whilst some sellers maybe very liberal and allow you to try out what you want to buy, some others won't. Now on this point, another factor that comes into play is the nature of the market or location. If you're buying jean trousers in the market, you might not see where to try them on. Remember it's not a regular boutique where you can walk in with a receipt and demand a refund or an exchange, in this instance, you might be stuck with something that isn't your size.

via Buzz Nigeria

4. Negotiate:
Do I really need to remind a true African female the power of negotiation? Yes I do! I learnt negotiation from my mother. I've seen my mother buy something that the initial price was 9,000 Naira for 1,150 Naira, it will just happen like a miracle to you. You need to negotiate, It's not the regular boutique where the clothes have price tags attached to it. In an African market there is freedom of negotiation.
P.S: Don't fall for that emotional blackmail where they tell you that a big boy/girl like you is haggling price, it's all part of their business strategy.

5. Be Vigilant!
Be on alert for a lot of things, pick pockets, bag snatchers, etc. I'm not trying to scare you but it's all part of what you see in an everyday market. It's also important to watch out for those that will try to take away the finer things you've selected. This is the number one cause of fights at bend-down boutiques. Please don't get into a fight... we wouldn't want that.

Shopping at a bend-down boutique is a serious adventure, for some of us it has become quite normal but every shopping has it's own drama and lessons. Try it! You'll find very amazing and cool stuff. For the drama, it's part of what makes Nigeria a fun country to live in.

Have your ever been to a bend-down boutique? What do you think about it? Feel free to share your personal shopping rule with us or your experience below in the comment box.

Okirika ooo or shopping mall oo or online mall oo, just

Remain Stylish,
Love Sharon.

A lot of people have been asking me how I grew my natural hair, hence I decided to share it right here on the blog. I always encourage every lady that asks for my opinion to go natural. A lot of people are really scared about the stress, the money, the time, and the effort that is required to maintain natural hair. If you are scared, it is perfectly normal. I had very stubborn hair that no relaxer could tame, so the idea of going natural was very scary to me. When I started transitioning, the pain was unbearable and many times, I just wanted to relax and forget it, but my mama didn't raise a quitter so somehow I just continued.

When I was a child, I just couldn't wait to be an adult. I hated being a child, the adults always get to make the decisions and they impose it on children, what was that? Adults could go anywhere they wanted and do anything they liked, so cool. I wanted that, badly. Subsequently I got my wish. Adulthood has a way of being imposed on us and it does come with many lessons. So over the years, I have learnt some really interesting things;

I've gotten a couple of questions on how my Instagram feed changed, I'm going to try and answer those questions in this post. If you need brands to notice you, you have to work on your Instagram.
Honestly, I was blind to the whole Instagram process. I just went to Instagram and dumped pictures there and expected it to grow magically. Then I met Laiza King and and she gave me some tips, and showed me the things I was doing wrong. Then, I knew I had to change the outlook of my Instagram.

The first thing you need to understand is that Instagram is a visual app. It's all about what can be seen, what is pleasing to the eyes. That is why you find a lot of people putting extra effort in their pictures, to make it visually appealing. There is an Igbo adage that says that, the eyes will eat the food before the mouth. It goes down a long way to emphasize on the importance of making content that is aesthetic.

So, I started working on my Instagram. First I had to decide what I wanted my Instagram to look like. I wanted it to incorporate my interests in fashion, lifestyle, photography and faith. A lot of people advice picking out a theme color and organizing your posts to fit into that them. I tried that but I found it somewhat limiting. I wanted to post what I wanted without being confined to any color. I watched the feed of Ifeoma Amadi (thesvnflower). I love her feed, it's very colorful and very pretty to look at.

It's not necessarily about having one background, (I find that a bit boring) you need to have a go-to preset that when you apply it to your pictures they have the same look. I think I'll do a followup post on how to edit your Instagram pictures. I decided to incorporate white in most of my pictures, so that when you look it, it gives a cohesive look.

The hardest part of it is, letting your favorite pictures go because they don't fit in. You don't have to rush it. I gradually deleted pictures and added more. Change doesn't have to be rushed, it can be gradual to help people adjust. I'm still gradually easing out the old.

Another thing that improved the look of my Instagram was quotes. I wanted to be able to share motivation and faith. So, I learnt to design my graphics myself because I wanted the quotes to be uniform. You can find good quotes on any social media and share on your Instagram, just make sure it fits into your theme.

Essentially, you have to be yourself! I cannot overemphasize this. My mum used to say that the problem is that we go to the barbing salon and tell the barber, "cut my hair to be like Okoro's own" (it's supposed to sound better in Igbo) but what she was trying to say is that we try to be like Okoro without realizing we're different from him. Everybody's head is not the same, so Okoro's haircut cannot fit every head, so find out what works for you and suits you then stick to it.

Feel free to follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sharonn_oh/  I know my feed is far from perfect, but I just wanted to share and answer your questions. Don't forget to drop your comments and ask questions. Do have a fabulous weekend.

Remain Stylish
Love, Sharon

The growing rate of unemployment in Nigeria is alarming. Every year, more people graduate from the university, and end up joining the ever-increasing labour market. The way Nigerians embraced ponzi schemes shows the dire need to break out from poverty and what we all know as "recession". Everybody seems to agree that things are hard in Nigeria because of the high cost of living. So, for everybody that wants to earn extra cash, stay-home mom, student, corp member, graduate and those that wish to have a side job, here are 15 jobs you can do from home.

1. Dry-cleaning:
For those of you that stay home all day, most times all you do is just wash clothes. Most times you do a lot of laundry for yourself and other family members, so why not earn from it? Meet some neighbors, a few busy people around you, offer to do their laundry for them, do it well, deliver it and get some cool extra cash.

2. Makeup Artist:
Oh yes! I have a friend that is a stay-home mom. In the mornings, she prepares her kids for school and  then she starts her makeup for picking them up from school. So every weekday, all she does is wake, send kids to school, makeup, bring kids back from school. What are you doing with all that expensive makeup in your makeup bag? Use it and earn some cool cash. It's not all about making snapchat videos and posting slay pictures with captions like, "brows on fleek", "shadows popping" "lipstick dripping" "makeup on fleek". It's time to make somebody's face to be on fleek too. Grab your mom, sister or friend and give them that banging makeover you always give yourself. You can also do makeup tutorial videos with your phone or camera.

3. Private Tutor:
When I left secondary school, while I waited for my admission, I can remember teaching French to some people and I got real cash from it. It's quite simple, basically helping kids understand what they didn't understand in school. Some children are slower than others and need special attention to catch up to others in a certain area. You just need to come in a few hours a week and teach them. The good thing is that you can have different kids from different families and they pay you differently. Imagine getting 10-50k from 4 or 5 different families, depending on how much you agree on, do the math. These people earn more than regular teachers and they also have a flexible time-table too.

4. Personal Trainer:
This  is for you the workout freak with banging abs and biceps. You're a pro at this workout thingy, so why not help someone lose weight or stay fit?  You really don't have anything to lose, you're working out as you teach, so you're still in shape. Look at that new mom next door that wants to get her model figure back, that Oga struggling with pot belly, or that kid with low self-esteem because of their excess weight, all of them are potential clients. Help them lose some pounds and get a few extra bucks along the way.

So, you have a laptop, all you use it to do is watch movies, play video games and listen to music. I didn't know graphics designing was quite lucrative until I started blogging, these people wanted to bury me with outrageous prices. So, as broke as I was, I got pissed! I sat at my laptop all day till I figured out how to do my blog logo and all my graphics myself. You can put to use all that computer school knowledge right now. I know it's a bit deeper than that but you have to start somewhere and learn the ropes from there.




10. Freelance Writer:
I know people that write amazing posts on facebook and Wattpad, even some good bloggers. There are freelance writing jobs online, you need to check out some sites like
www.freelancer.com
 https://www.constant-content.com/
www.contentmart.com
Make Google your best friend and learn how to become a freelance writer and get paid for it.


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