Rising Stars: Meet Iva Johnson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Iva Johnson.

Iva, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin? 
I am a lifelong resident of Michigan, and I have always loved my state! As a teenager, I would think of ways to bring attention to what we offer, and as I got older and technology advanced, blogs became a popular way to do this. I started my blog, “The Coddiwomplist,” five years ago. I had originally started on WordPress with a basic blog a few years before that called “Beyond My Front Door,” but I wanted to be able to eventually monetize it, and having my own website was the best option. 

I have always been very “money conscious,” and I have a philosophy that you shouldn’t have to take out a second mortgage to enjoy a vacation, day trips, or family time. My blog has two main purposes…) How to travel without spending a ton of money, and 2) To introduce people to adventures they may not have thought of before or even heard about around Michigan. 

When I write a blog post, I not only talk about the venue or destination but what my experience was. I am as honest as I can be about what I spend, the service I received, and more. I also give suggestions on how to make the trip affordable to anyone. Finally, I give my opinion on whether the trip or adventure was worth the time and money spent because I truly hate to see people spend their hard-earned money on a hyped-up day that clearly did not meet the advertising. Everyone should be able to make memories! 

Doing the blog has taught me a lot over the last few years. There is so much about my state that I had no idea about, and I love to share that with my readers. It has also been an adventure wrestling with the technology that I was not familiar with previously – like building my own website! 

I have worked hard in the last year and a half to build the social media presence with accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, Tumblr, and Twitter (I admittedly neglect Twitter since I don’t feel it is the right fit for me). On Facebook, my readers enjoy such features as “On This Day In Michigan History.” “Exploring Michigan,” “Michigan Fair Season,” and more 

My next steps are to gain sponsors to make traveling easier and more frequent 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My struggles have been several, to be honest… 

I was definitely not what you would call technology savvy before I started, and with such a shoestring budget, I had to learn a lot. Thank Heavens for YouTube! I spent many, many hours studying how to build a website and more! I am still not where I hope to be eventually, but I am happy with my progress 

I have also had issues with my social media accounts being hacked and shut down, leaving me to completely start over – which is where I am at currently. 

Finally, trying to monetize my website without using Google Ad Sense to clutter my pages has been a struggle. The number one complaint I have heard from so many people is that they hate visiting websites and being bombarded with popup ads or ads plastered all over. I completely agree, so I am holding out on doing that. I want visitors to enjoy browsing around my website. Currently, the only popup is to sign up for “The Coddiwomplist Club,” which is a weekly email, and that is all people will find on thecoddiwomplist.com 

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I have a Bachelor of Business Administration from Siena Heights University (Adrian, Michigan) 

Prior to starting my blog, I was a Realtor in the Jackson area 

I think what sets me apart is that I love to do the research for whatever subject I am writing about to give people the background. I feel most travel blogs only give small bits of information about what to do to at the venue, etc – very superficial information. I know there are a lot of people who like to know how the area came about and grew to what it is at the moment. I feel I am thorough with current instructions concerning times, what is allowed or not allowed, etc 

One aspect of the blogging that I am very passionate about is the photography side. I love sharing my photos with my readers, and I get a lot of wonderful feedback from them, too – I want to tell them the story of where I am at through my pictures and make them want to visit based on what they see from me 

What does success mean to you?
I don’t really have any one specific tell for success. I enjoy setting goals and working to achieve them one at a time, and when I have, I set a new goal to work towards. Success for me is being able to keep climbing upwards 

Currently, I have a goal to increase my website traffic, monetize my website and get more followers on the Facebook page that I had to restart – a setback but a chance to change up a few things and try out a few more 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thecoddiwomplist.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecoddiwomplist/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecoddiwomplistblog
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/heresmymichigan
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/thecoddiwomplist/

Image Credits
Iva Johnson