Hi, I’m Rosetta Thurman and I’m the creator of The Blogging School. I started blogging in April 2007 and could never have imagined the benefits I would reap as a young nonprofit professional-turned entrepreneur.  Four years ago, I was a NOBODY in my industry. No one knew who I was and I had virtually NO personal brand. But in 2007, I made the decision to start a blog and EVERYTHING changed. People began to invite me to their events for speaking engagements, hire me for consulting gigs and ask me to write for professional publications. I was even offered an adjunct faculty position at a local university!

The opportunities were coming at me so fast that I started using my vacation time to meet with clients around the country, earning extra income every year on top of my 9 to 5 salary. In 2010, I quit my job to work for myself full-time and haven’t looked back!

Ever since I started blogging, I’ve been awarded significant recognition not only in my industry, but in other arenas as well. I’ve been featured in numerous media outlets including JET Magazine, The Washington Post, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Fox 5 News and The Network Journal. I’ve been named a “Top 25 Urban Entrepreneur to Follow,” ”Top 100 Most Desirable Mentor”, ”Top 25 Online Influencer in Leadership,” a ”Top 25 Most Influential Nonprofit Tweeter,” and a “New Leader in Philanthropy.” This year, one of my blogs was also nominated for a Black Weblog Award that showcases the best and brightest African American bloggers in over 30 categories.

I’ve also had the opportunity to publish my own book!

Just four years from my first blog post, I’m now running a full-time consulting business and getting paid to do what I love: write about my passions, speak at conferences, coach other professionals and help people pursue their full potential. Currently, I manage three successful blogs in three different niches: nonprofit leadership, personal development and social media. Blogging is the core of how I market my business as each one of my sites brings in steady clients and that bring in thousands of dollars in income for my business each month.

I can say that I owe all of my success to personal branding through social media. What is personal branding, you ask?

Business management guru Tom Peters coined the term in 1997 with this bold statement: “Big companies understand the importance of brands. Today, in the Age of the Individual, you have to be your own brand.” He wrote this in a fantastic manifesto titled “The Brand Called You”  that you should absolutely go read. Like right now.

But here’s something even simpler. Your personal brand is essentially your professional reputation. It’s what you’re known for. It’s what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.

Ultimately, my determination in using blogging to build my personal brand is what allowed me to make the decision to leave my job and branch out into full-time consulting in January 2010. I’m truly amazed at how far blogging has taken my career! And I want to show you how you can use blogging to craft a strong personal brand, too.

Whether you’re interested in blogging for your fledgling business or your budding career, The Blogging School will show you how to get started and get your professional blog set up the RIGHT way.

The Blogging School is my way of educating other bloggers and entrepreneurs about the power of social media. Here I offer tips, tools and strategies to start and improve your blog. Topics include branding, marketing, content, traffic and monetization. I hope the site is useful to you!

Free Tools

I have many free resources here to help you learn how to build your brand so you can grow your business and rock your career. Please use them and share with your colleagues if you find them useful!

Premium Services

I also offer two services here on the site if you’re interested in working with me more closely on your specific blogging challenges.