Episode description
Show Notes:
0.00: Astonishingly, the 9-5 grind doesn't leave much wiggle room for fueling wanderlust... so Jessica Serna found herself concocting a plan to make travel work around her day job. Weekend jaunts and quick getaways soon became a way of life and a full-time career for Jessica and her now husband.
4:20: "Suddenly all these free things were coming in, but that's when I was starting to learn about my voice." Jessica adjusts to having an impact and steering away from allowing brands to dictate her content.
07:35: Jessica shares tips and advice for building a brand or even having influence in your day job, and talks about why it's essential to stay authentic and true to your voice: balancing your true passions with sponsored content and battling the misconception that influence is disingenuous. "The biggest value I can provide is making sure (my posts are) true to why the people who follow me follow me. I also try to be very intentional about not spreading misinformation (by checking) with experts in that field before I endorse certain products."
12:35: Making decisions about which brands to support, and the importance of brands being open to the content concepts Jessica and Ismail propose. "If they'll let me take that product on a hike or provide me that creative flexibility, I can still provide value to my community while providing even more value to the brand. It's only hurting everyone if I post something they are not going to engage with."
16:01 Loops, giveaways and other questionable follower growth tactics... plus how Jessica has embraced a multitude of platforms to become more relevant (and ultimately drive growth in an ethical manner). How a dream trip - complete with a private plane and film crew - and partnership with a state tourism board came to life thanks to integrity in personal brand building (and a few good relationships).
27:55: Jessica discusses road blocks to building her business, self development, areas where she had a learning curve and the aftermath of the early days when she thought loop giveaways were perfectly legitimate tools. "I make sure that I'm constantly doing something new but staying focused on my passion for traveling locally... and creating a mindset change about Texas being boring."
32:50: Everyone has influence. How do you build a personal brand that you can be proud of and stand behind?
35:00: Currently consuming: what we're all reading or devouring.
41:00: Jessica's word of the year: how she's constantly reaching out for kindness.
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