Monique Volz, founder of Ambitious Kitchen, shares her inspiring journey from a humble food blog to a 7-figure business. She discusses the importance of storytelling in brand loyalty and how social media channels like Pinterest and Instagram transformed her marketing strategy. Monique reveals her successful email funnel strategy and the challenges of balancing family life and business. The conversation also explores the future of food content with AI and SEO shifts, providing valuable insights for aspiring creators.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Origin Story of Ambitious Kitchen
Monique started Ambitious Kitchen as a food blog in college to feel connected to her late parents.
It was initially an online journal and creative outlet, not a business.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Going Full-Time in 2014
Monique transitioned to full-time blogging in 2014 after brands began sponsoring posts and Pinterest traffic grew.
She matched her corporate salary and quit her job to pursue the blog full-time.
insights INSIGHT
Traffic Sources Insight
SEO drives about 60% of Ambitious Kitchen's traffic, followed by 30% direct traffic from loyal readers.
Social platforms like Instagram have a low direct traffic impact but serve as funnels to build brand connection.
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125 Ridiculously Good for You, Sometimes Indulgent, And Absolutely Never Boring Recipes For Every Meal Of The Day
Monique Volz
The Ambitious Kitchen Cookbook by Monique Volz presents a collection of 125 recipes that are both nutritious and delicious. The book includes a variety of dishes, from comforting meals to impressive desserts, with tips on how to make them gluten-free and dairy-free. It celebrates Monique's Puerto Rican heritage and offers a balanced approach to cooking, making it accessible for everyone.
The Five Types of Wealth
Sahil Bloom
Today I’m joined by Monique Volz, founder of Ambitious Kitchen, to explore how she built a thriving food blog into a 7-figure business—with a lean team, kids at home, and a strong sense of purpose.
We dive into the evolution of her brand, her best-performing growth channels, the funnel that sells her digital product on autopilot, and what the future of food content looks like with AI and SEO shifts.
Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 01:06 Launching Ambitious Kitchen in 2011 03:00 First income from ads and sponsored posts 05:58 When she knew it could be full-time 06:22 What changed with Pinterest & Instagram 10:00 Email funnel strategy using Grocer’s List 14:02 Plans to build a food media company beyond herself 21:50 TikTok vs. Instagram for discovery 25:34 Inside her full-time team and contractors 31:08 Scaling with kids and working in focused blocks 42:56 SEO, AI, and where food content is going
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