- Blog: Full Figure Plus
- Niche: Plus-Size Fashion
- Founder: Glen Johnson
- Twitter: @FullFigurePlus
It’s a commonly held perception that most men loathe shopping for their wife, but Glen Johnson was able to turn that opportunity into a full-time job. After his full-figured spouse was unable to find lingerie that accentuated her body type, Johnson, 44, browsed online and discovered numerous resources. Once he began sharing the links with others and receiving positive feedback, he decided to launch a one-stop destination for everything in plus-size fashion for men and women. That resulted in Full Figure Plus, a blog that features product reviews, profiles of independent fashion designers, special deals and The Plus Academy, a model training and development program for plus-size women.
Over the course of the past seven years, Johnson, who lives and operates out of Little Rock, Arkansas, has established himself as one of the prime authorities on plus-size female fashion and reports an estimated 60,000 visitors per month. The high traffic and generated revenue of $45,000 per year has allowed him to leave behind his former career as a painter in the construction field and earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Management from Ashford University with an anticipated MBA in Entrepreneurship Specialization this spring. As part of our first annual Black Blogger Month, BlackEnterprise.com recognizes Johnson for carving out a unique niche in the online space.
Full Figure Plus stands out because…
I blog about plus-size fashion and the majority of the blogs in the same niche are run by females. As a male I give it a different perspective, which brought me to the tagline of plus-size fashion from a male perspective. I tend to be more about getting to the fact and removing the passion and emotion that goes with some of the issues that are prevalent in the plus-size community. Also, I’m older that many of my peers. I see things from a different point of view.
People trust my brand because…
I don’t necessarily blog for myself. I blog for the reader and I’m looking to help readers in anyway possible. As a blogger, credibility is one of the most important things. Without being transparent there would be no way anyone would trust me or take advantage of any of the shopping links or conferences that I promote from day-to-day.
I realized blogging was a business when…
I got my first check. At that point I did it more as a hobby while job hunting. When I received my first check I realized if I put my efforts into it even more I could increase my income.
Uncle Sam got involved in my blog after…
2009 when the Federal Trading Commission decided to introduce legislature that said if bloggers get any products or services from companies that we write about, we have to disclose that relationship. Being told if I did not I could be fined $10,000 per infraction was an eye-opening experience.
The biggest mistake I ever made in business was…
Not networking more in the early years. Initially, I felt that in order for me to be successful I had to stay behind the computer. It wasn’t until three years ago when I went to conferences and learned from other bloggers in different areas that things began to grow in my business.
What I learned from that was…
In order for a business to grow you have to involve other people to look at things from another set of eyes.
Building a brand is important because…
If I don’t build a brand then eventually the company and the blog won’t be able to survive long-term. I’ve seen it happen year in and year out with blogs that have good ideas but no specific branding.
Anyone that wants to follow in my footsteps should…
First, start off with a plan. It doesn’t have to be a business plan but a plan with a solid idea. Then, follow the principle to execute the plan and evaluate the results of your activity to see what things are working and what things don’t work.
In business, you should never be afraid to…
Take risks. A major risk I took would be when I decided to go from a free service to a paid service and putting the money into making sure that my blog stays up. Since blogging is still not considered a mainstream business model, every time I put more money into what I do I take on a risk.
The pros of running a niche site are…
You have a focused audience and it’s easier to produce content if you’re focused opposed to doing things in a broad sweep.
The cons of running a niche site are…
If the niche is not a popular niche then maybe the [audience] isn’t as vocal. The plus side of that con is that their lack of being vocal does not equate to profit since you can still have high traffic.
Being plus-sized doesn’t mean…
That you should not have access to the same type of clothes and fashion alternatives that smaller sizes have. It doesn’t mean that you’re invisible.
The best piece of business advice I ever got was…
If you do what you enjoy in business then the money will work itself out.
Be sure to check out the rest of the digital thought leaders as they’re revealed each day by logging on to BlackEnterprise.com/BlackBloggerMonth.