People, Passions & Projects #2: Shivani Loves Food

J = Jinal
S = Shivani

J: Thanks for joining me today! How have you been?

S: Thank you for having me! I’m doing good thanks, how about you?

J: I’m great! Thanks for being here. I think the first time I came across your website was when I was looking for a scramble tofu recipe. Talk me through why you chose to start Shivani Loves Food?

S: Of course! So I started SLF shortly after my GCSE’s as a way to keep busy during the summer. I set up a website and shared a few recipes here and there for my family and friends to see. Over time, I grew my social media presence and turned my blog into a side business, which I never expected to do! It’s been a great journey.

J: What were the first steps of action you took to bring Shivani Loves Food to life?

S: One of the very first steps when starting a blog is to come up with blog name. As you can tell, mine is pretty self-explanatory! Aside from that, you’ll need a domain name, web hosting and website builder - I use Wordpress.org and highly recommend it.

J: Starting a website from scratch could seem daunting for those (like myself) with no web-design experience. How did you find it?

S: It was definitely daunting at first and trust me I made almost every mistake in the book along the way. But soon you learn what to do well and look back on those times and laugh. It’s also really great to make friends with other bloggers and join Facebook groups (my favourite is Food Bloggers Central) as there’s plenty of advice on there.

J: It’s been about 4 years since you started your blog (congratulations by the way!), what drives you to create new content for a prolonged period of time?

S: Thank you! I can’t believe it’s been so long. Lately I’ve actually been taking a more relaxed approach with blogging. It’s easy to feel pressured to churn out a blog post every week, but I’ve been trying to focus more on creating quality content at my own pace. It’s important to take time for yourself too, especially when balancing a degree with a blog.

J: With following our hobbies or projects, we can often get disheartened if we do not see immediate results. How long did it take before your page started getting attention?

S: Perseverance is definitely key. It took me forever to get my blog on an ad network. I think I made pennies in ad money on my first day, but I remember being so proud of myself! I love seeing other people recreate my recipes too. It’s like, “wow, people actually read my blog and want to make my food”. That’s pretty cool. It definitely takes time to grow your blog presence and build a reader base, but as long as you enjoy what you are doing, growing your blog shouldn’t feel like effort. I think that’s the main thing.

J: Through Shivani Loves Food, have you been able to open yourself up to new experiences and opportunities?

S: Definitely! I’ve worked with some amazing brands (Tesco, AO.com, and Heinz to name a few) and have been sent some pretty cool products too. The first time a brand sent me a PR package I was so surprised! My blog has also been featured on Buzzfeed, Best of Vegan and The Guardian, which still amazes me.

One of my favourite initiatives was selling eCookbook on SLF to raise money for COVID-19 relief in India. We managed to raise over $800 which is amazing, I never expected to raise so much, and it’s been really great to see my blog readers donate to support the cause.

J: What are you plans for the future with it?

S: Even though I am not spending as much time blogging at the moment, I do hope to share recipes here and there alongside studying. But I’m definitely not planning on cancelling my website hosting anytime soon!

J: Thanks so much for all your insights. Any final words you would tell anyone who's looking to start a project or follow their passion?

S: If you’re passionate about it, go for it. You never know what might come from it.

J: And lastly, how can we find you on the web?

S: You can find me on Instagram @shivanilf and can also view all my recipes on the blog: shivanilovesfood.com.