Melissa K Norris

My business is simple modern homesteading for a healthy & self-sufficient life. I am a published author of three books and garden planner. I’m just a plain country girl who loves playing in the dirt, stuffing food into Mason jars (after I wash my hands of course), and hunting down as many traditional old-fashioned skills as I can to put into use on our homestead. 

ABOUT:
We live on 14.96 acres in the foothills of the North Cascade mountain range of Washington state. We raise 100% of our own meat from our organic grass fed beef (holler to the sturdy white faced brown Herefords), a flock of hens for fresh eggs, meat chickens we butcher ourselves, and organic pork (cuz you haven’t eaten bacon until you’ve had home grown).

I’m a 5th generation homesteader who married a city boy… but that city boy quickly became a country boy and turned into a bonafide farmer when he moved to our family property. With our two children we believe in keeping the old ways alive, that our food shouldn’t come in boxed packages with ingredient lists a mile long you can’t pronounce. We still grow and seed-save the same strain of heirloom Tarheel green pole beans my family has been cultivating for over 100 years, because there’s some things worth saving.

I share  Simple Modern Homesteading for a Healthy & Self-Sufficient Life via my weekly podcast, Pioneering Today, and weekly YouTube channel, and blog posts. I mainly teach easy ways to grow your own organic fruits and vegetables in a backyard, cook from scratch, and preserve your own food using old-fashioned (but always up to date food safety-wise) techniques like canning, fermenting, dehydrating, and root cellar techniques. I have three traditionally published books and a garden planner, individual courses on Homemade Bread & Baking (including grinding your own fresh flour and full sourdough series), Homemade Bath & Body, and Home Canning with Confidence, along with the Pioneering Today Academy which is a membership site.

What I learned from MIA….
My marketing is of course the podcast, youtube channel, and website (topical freemiums as lead magnets), and built-in funnels via my books, but Facebook ads and webinars have been my primary growth factors for sales of courses and memberships as well as the way to build my email list. Email marketing has been the driver of everything. I have an automated welcome series when people first join that's 15 emails long to introduce them to myself and the brand  (to help facilitate the like, trust factor) as well as deliver some really amazing free resources within their first few emails with me. I have a re-engagement series if people don't open for more than 60 days to keep my list engaged as well. I send out two emails every week delivering free content after people go through the welcome sequence (or if they come in on a webinar funnel after the webinar).

I first found Chalene on Periscope years back when I was still working my day job. Went from there to binging her podcast. The most important things I learned from MIA was how she uses social media and her podcast to attract an audience and then lead them into her sales funnel. I watched how she married it all together to sell the book, 131, and launch her digital products. What I love is she's a full lifestyle, not focusing solely on one thing, because what I do isn't just gardening, or just canning, or just whole food cooking.

“The best thing about MIA was being able to replace my day job income and provide financial freedom for my family.”