Sometimes we come across a site online that just makes our jaw drop in appreciation and awe.  This week, it was Tiny Buddha that made us stop in our tracks.  We knew we had to interview its creator, Lori Deschene, to talk about how she runs the site, what gave her the inspiration to start it, and how it supports itself.

In case people don’t know about you and your amazing site, would you mind sharing what you do?

Sure! I run a website, tinybuddha.com, where I write and publish blog posts about overcoming life’s universal struggles. I run it as a community blog, sharing stories and insights from people from all over the globe, because I believe we all have something to teach and something to learn.

My hope is that the site helps us help each other, and reminds us that we’re never alone with our challenges. No matter what we’re going through, someone can understand. If we’re willing to be honest with each other, we can all thrive together instead of hurting alone.

What made you decide to start Tiny Buddha?

I started the site because I wanted to create a community where people felt safe to share
themselves authentically, to help themselves and each other.

I’d seen a lot of personal development blogs that seemed to present one person or panel of people as teachers or leaders, positioning readers as their students, and I wanted to be part of a different environment—one where it it’s not about experts vs. novices, or gurus vs. followers, but rather a group of human beings coming together to grow together.

Your site runs on donations instead of advertisements. How does this affect the nature of the site and have you been surprised by the response?

I actually do run ads; I’m just conservative with them, and selective about which ones I run. I don’t run network ads because I want to be sure I personally approve everything that shows on the site.

Being selective in this way has created a more engaged community, I believe, because it allows the content and conversations to be the focus. I find it’s a different feel when you have pop-ups, animated ads, video ads, and even ads right in the middle of blog posts, since they’re highly distracting.

Still, I’m not against ads—especially when they promote people I believe in who are doing good things. I don’t do a lot of the other things bloggers traditionally do for monetization, so the bulk of my earnings comes from ads and books.

Tiny Buddha is all about community. How do you encourage your readers to participate as much as they do both with you and with each other?

I don’t actively do much to encourage participation, aside from engaging regularly in the
comments. I think it’s just something that’s happened over time, as a natural consequence of the personal nature of the content.

When someone has the courage to open up and share him/herself, as writers often do, people tend to feel a pull to reach out and do the same. Vulnerability is contagious. People want to connect; they’re just waiting to feel safe, comfortable, and inspired to do it.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to start their own inspiring website like Tiny Buddha?

Identify your core purpose, let that guide your decisions, and make it a priority to share yourself authentically. Especially in our information-overloaded world, I believe we’re all looking for more than knowledge. We’re not drawn to sites solely because of their informative articles or interesting features, though those things may be compelling.

We’re looking to genuinely connect with other human beings, and belong to something larger than ourselves. Focus on the larger purpose, and then let that be your compass.

Be sure to hop over to Tiny Buddha to get some inspiration, community, and clarity!

*Know an artist, entrepreneur, or shop owner you’ll like to get advice from?  Leave us a comment below and we’ll do our best to get an interview with them!*