Simply Stacie

For years, Stacie Vaughan worked as an accountant in public practice, spending long days sitting at her cubicle. But with two young daughters at home and chronic pain that was difficult to manage, Stacie decided to step away from the spreadsheets and give blogging a try.

“I stumbled into the blogging world after being at home and entering some blog giveaways, which were quite popular back then,” says Stacie. “Finally I decided to start a blog of my own, mainly focusing on product reviews and giveaways. And while this was enjoyable, it wasn’t my true passion.”

So what was Stacie’s passion? After a few years of product reviews, she finally got her answer on Christmas morning in 2011. “That morning I opened a gift from my parents: a Canon Rebel DSLR,” says Stacie. “Immediately I realized I had discovered my true calling, food photography.”

Stacie took plenty of courses and watched countless videos in order to sharpen her food photography skills. And best of all, food photography reunited Stacie with one of her first passions: cooking. As a child, she would always read her mother’s cookbooks, bookmarking recipes she wanted to make. She even made some recipes of her own — including scrambled eggs doused in salad dressing.

While you might not be able to find that egg concoction on Simply Stacie, you’ll find plenty of other recipes that have delighted readers around the world.

"My mission with Simply Stacie is to provide a go-to source for easy and delicious recipes that anyone can make,” explains Stacie. “As my tagline says: Let’s make memories – one dish at a time. With over 30 years of cooking experience, I understand the importance of recipes that save time and don’t break the bank.”

Soon, Stacie started to monetize her site. These efforts were humble at first, including accepting a $20 check for a sponsored post. At the time, that bit of revenue felt like hitting the jackpot — but it wasn’t until Stacie embraced an ad-supported model that she was able to start generating steady income.

Thanks to AdSense, Stacie was able to focus on the site full-time. And better yet, she didn’t have to manage the blog all on her own either. After a few years of consistent ad income, she was able to hire several contractors and even bring on a familiar face as her first full-time hire: her daughter.

“My oldest daughter, Olivia, graduated from university two years ago and came to work for me,” says Stacie. “We both work out of our respective homes. She does mainly virtual assistant tasks like creating, managing and scheduling social media, writing newsletters, and preparing blog posts.”

As a single mother, a steady income stream was a major deal for Stacie. She was finally able to comfortably support herself, her two daughters, and three cats — all while doing something she truly cares about.

“I used to dread going to my job before blogging, but I can honestly say that I wake up every day energized and motivated to work on my blog,” says Stacie. “It's something I created from scratch on my own and the fact that I can earn a living from it feels like a dream come true. I love knowing that I'm reaching people and helping them with meals for their families.”

What keeps Stacie going are the supportive emails that she gets from readers regularly. Her favorite messages are from readers who have been looking for a certain recipe a loved one used to make, then finally found it on Simply Stacie. It reminds her of the power of food to spur memories and bring people back to special times.

And she’s not ready to stop there. Stacie started a second blog in 2023, focused mainly on dinner recipes. Busy Day Dinners is small for now, but already growing. And a cookbook’s on the way, too — hopefully hitting stores by Christmas.

Just because Stacie has a successful blog (or two) doesn’t mean it’s time to sit back. She still wants to grow her skill set and get creative in the kitchen. She’s even enrolled in a new culinary arts course to sharpen her skills.

“I'm totally into lifelong learning,” says Stacie. “I'm 46 and know I have to keep adapting and growing — and hopefully grow my income, too. That way, I can expand and hire more people…and maybe even get my other daughter to come work for me too!”