Today we’d like to introduce you to Rhoda Hendrix.
Hi Rhoda, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I launched my blog, Southern Hospitality, in 2007, on a whim, sharing decorating ideas with a brand new internet audience. I had no idea at that time how it would completely change my life and give me a second career at the age of 50. Blogging was just getting started and the number of people out there doing it was a handful compared to the influx of influencers that are out there today. After going through a really damaging divorce in 2011 and losing everything financially, I moved from Alabama where I was living at the time, back to Georgia and in with my elderly parents, while I sorted out my life and figured out how to get back on my feet again. My audience of readers (mostly women) really supported my efforts and showed up on my blog day after day as I took my blog seriously and worked into setting it up as a business. Bloggers were just starting to make money back then. My efforts were rewarded and in 2012, I bought a fixer upper house with help from my parents and my dad and I worked for 6 months fixing that house up so I could move in. My readers were there every step of the way as we turned that rather ugly 1979 fixer upper into a beautiful home that I was proud to live in. Since then, I got married again in 2017 and my husband, Mark and I bought a house together and have spent the last 8 years renovating every room in our house as well as the backyard too. It’s been so much fun to share all my projects with my audience and many have been with me for years now. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to have a blog and to have it support me for the last 13 years as a full time income. Never did I dream that this would happen and I thank God for all of His blessings in giving me the best and most rewarding career I’ve ever had.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Blogging and influencing in general are brand new careers that have no rules or a how-to manual, so it’s been a learn as you go process and on the job training. I’m not a whiz with behind the scenes technical issues, so that’s always a challenge for me, but somehow I have managed to keep things going for almost 19 years now and I’m still out there sharing and have a presence online. As of this year, I’m semi-retired, but still working a few hours a week to keep my blog going. Unfortunately Google keeps changing things which affects all of our sites and with AI making a huge surge now, many bloggers have seen a steep decline in traffic to their websites, so this is a challenge across the board for all of us.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My blog is called Southern Hospitality, because I’m a Southern girl to the core and grew up in Georgia. I’ve always been interested in design and decorating, so that was one of the main topics I’ve shared on my blog. As time went by, I also added recipes, travel and fashion over 50. I love before and after projects and I think that’s what has drawn people to follow along with me for all these years. I love classic traditional design that stands the test of time. Creating a beautiful home doesn’t have to cost a fortune and I share budget friendly ideas for making a house a home.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I grew up in Georgia and during my childhood years, I was a real tomboy, preferring to be outside instead of inside. A little shy in high school, I wasn’t that involved with sports or extra activities. I did decorate my room growing up and loved having a pretty space. My mom let me add wallpaper and I bought colorful comforters that felt cozy to me. When I got my first house in my 20’s, that’s when my love of design started and I pored over magazines, finding pictures that I wanted to emulate. My mother pulled us along into all the fabric stores growing up, so I love fabrics and what they can do for a home as well. I believe a beautiful home is something we can all achieve and I can’t imagine living in a mundane non-colorful space. Life is too short for boring and mediocre rooms.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://southernhospitalityblog.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southernrhoda/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SouthernHospitalityBlog/
Image Credits
Rhoda Hendrix
