Gal on the Go: The Ultimate Boss Guide to Miami
Y'all feel me?
CREATE & INNOVATE in collaboration with Marriott Hotels
photo credit: Yesi Flores
Miami is one of the most culturally diverse cities in the United States. It is also full of female entrepreneurs who are thriving in the Magic City.
So we headed to Miami this past month in partnership with Marriott Hotels to profile three women working and living in the city. Each has a unique relationship with Miami, two of whom having emigrated to the US. These women shared their #travelbrilliantly hacks, tips for success, and why Miami is the city for them.
We stayed at the newly renovated Marriott Stanton South Beach , taking in the sun, sand, and soaking up all the culture Miami has to offer.
GABRIELA GUZMAN, FOUNDER THE JUPITER CIRCLE
LOCATION: LITTLE HAVANA
photo credit: Erica Melissa
Gabriela Guzman, founder of The Jupiter Circle, just finished hosting her Group Strategy Session with six women entrepreneurs. "I've been hosting one-on-one sessions or larger workshops up until now," the creative entrepreneur says, and "I'm excited to lead a more intimate group of women learning from one another, supporting each other and diving deeper into their brand and social media. I believe sisterhood makes everything better."
Her shared creative office space in Little Havana is a perfect example of this. She found the space with her friend Nadia, and they brought in a third friend and business woman, Jen. "We loved being able to create the space in line with our vision, taste and values. Today we also host "Brand New Mornings" in the space - free monthly meetings for creative entrepreneurs to chat about branding, creativity and business."
"I believe sisterhood makes everything better."
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In regards to the neighborhood she says, "Little Havana reminds me of the homey feeling of Santo Domingo in the 80s. People say 'hi' to you when you're walking down the street, there's salsa playing in the background, and there are options for delicious Latin American food all over the neighborhood. We have a community of artists and makers as neighbors and it's amazing."
Gabby grew up in the Dominican Republic and moved the United States when she was 19. At the time, she says she felt the need to make "sensible" career decisions, and worked for Consulting and Human Resources in New York for several years. Then at 28 she found herself pregnant with her son, laid off, and used it as the impetus to define and pursue her passions professionally. "I started working in Communications at Planned Parenthood Federation of America. I loved using my creativity in my work and became so excited to see the power of content and social media platforms to inspire action and make ideas spread." She then felt that calling, that inescapable 'what if,' to "do things 'my way,' own my time and spend much more time with my son. I had never before considered becoming an entrepreneur, but suddenly, starting my own thing was the only option."
The Jupiter Circle has evolved with Gaby as she becomes more clear about what fuels her and can make the greatest impact. "Today," she says, "I help women entrepreneurs define a solid foundation for their business growth, with an authentic brand and a solid social media plan that fits their life and vision."
Morning coffee spot: There's a coffee spot around the corner from our office, San Lorenzo where I get my morning café con leche. It's essentially sugar + milk + coffee and it's perfection.
Place you go when you need a little (or a lot) of inspiration: I'm an extrovert and I get a lot of inspiration from connecting with my closest girlfriends. There's a beautiful courtyard (see photos) right behind our office and we'll hang there and talk things out for hours.
Tourist attraction that’s a guilty pleasure: The Perez Art Museum (PAMM) is absolutely stunning and has one of the best views in the city. It's an absolute must see place. I try to go as often as I can.
The *one* restaurant where visitors have to try that *one* dish: The pan con bistec at Doce Provisions in Little Havana gives me absolute life.
Best place to watch the sunset: I love finding chill beaches in Miami where I can hang with my son and a few close friends. Right by my house Matheson Hammock is a great spot to relax and wind down the day.
Best place to hang when the clouds open up: There's so many! One of my favorites is Crandon Park in Key Biscayne.
Spot in the city you love to be still: This is going to sound crazy, but after not driving for 10 years, driving (without traffic) has been surprisingly therapeutic. When I need to clear my head I find myself just getting in the car and driving around neighborhoods I love. Just driving and listening to music and being in the moment with nowhere to go.
"When I need to clear my head I find myself just getting in the car and driving around neighborhoods I love."
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Best drink in Miami: When you're in Miami you HAVE to try a mojito - preferably the one at Ball & Chain at Calle Ocho.
ASHLEY ASPINWALL, BLOGGER & FOUNDER SIDE SMILE STYLE
LOCATION: WYNWOOD
photo credit: Yesi Flores
A relative newbie to Miami, Ashley Aspinwall is still getting used to the heat and she doesn't drink coffee, which means she hasn't tried Cuban coffee. "I hear it's very potent," laughs the Dallas-bred fashion blogger.
Ashley began blogging her senior year in college after a bad breakup-- "I needed a project," she says. "I had been reading blogs for a couple of years and thought to myself 'I can do that!' and just kind of hit the ground running."
Her parents didn't entirely agree and weren't sold on her ability to create a lucrative career. So she took a job in the corporate world out of college, a stint she credits as "as one of my biggest motivators to make my blog successful."
"I learned pretty early on how valuable being your own boss can be. From setting your own schedule to creative control, the autonomy was such a drastic change. I’m not sure I can ever go back! Although, having a knowledge of corporate infrastructure and that mentality has definitely helped me when I’m working with bigger brands."
Now Ashley has come a long way from her first post where she "was wearing a camel sweater and bright red jeans, awkwardly posing on my apartments fire escape." She's also a long way from home. "Miami is SO different from Dallas," the blogger explains, "which I think is the most exciting thing. I’ve never lived near the water, and I’m getting to experience so many cultures on a daily basis."
She says the making friends and building professional contacts hasn't been the easiest. "Honestly this has been an area that I have definitely struggled in. Due to my busy travel schedule, making new friends hasn’t been the easiest, especially in a transient city like Miami. On the professional end, I always try to attend any events that I’m in town for and make sure to follow up with any contacts I make in the process. With blogging, you never know who could bring you your next job!"
Travel hacks:
1. Drink a ton of water. Constantly flying is super dehydrating and your skin will seriously thank you for loading up on the H20.
2. Peppermint Oil. It is the swiss army knife of essential oils. I use it for headaches, nausea, stinky uber rides, you name it!
#TravelBrilliantly with: "Peppermint Oil. It is the swiss army knife of essential oils."
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3. I always bring a cashmere travel wrap with me on every trip I take, because planes are freezing.
4. I try to carve out at least a few hours at the beginning of a trip to go off on my own and explore without a plan. It helps me to get the lay of the land and I almost always discover something I never would have found in a guide book.
Favorite spot to shoot: The Beach
Best place to grab a juice: JugoFresh
Tourist spot you haven’t hit up yet, but want to: Joe’s Stone Crab
Secret spot in the city that’s just for you: The Key Biscayne Lighthouse - the beach is never crowded and it’s so beautiful!
Best place to meet new colleagues: Bachour Bakery and Bistro
Best morning meal to grab on the way to the airport: Old School Breakfast at S&S Diner
Most walkable neighborhood: Brickell
Favorite place to dance: FDR at the Delano
Best spot for after work drinks: Sugar Bar at the East
Best Cuban food: Versailles has the best Vaca Frita hands down and you can’t beat the atmosphere!
DANIELA RAMIREZ, BLOGGER & FOUNDER NANY'S KLOZET
LOCATION: DOWNTOWN MIAMI
photo credit: Gabriel Sanchez
Fashion blogger Daniela Ramirez of Nany's Klozet says that "Miami is basically the capital of Latin America."
The Venezuelan-born beauty says she loves being about to speak Spanish every day and buy Venezuelan food in all supermarkets. "Personally," she says, "I'm also a short flight away from home and from my husband's hometown, Puerto Rico. Professionally, many main hispanic magazines and big hispanic fashion brands are based in Miami. There are great opportunities for Latina bloggers here."
She loves shooting downtown for a couple of reasons. "While I love Miami's gorgeous ocean and palm trees, it can get repetitive when it comes to blog backdrops or when I need to do fall-ish outfits." So she says that "Downtown has a great city vibe that can be very versatile. Our downtown is not that big, but there are certain corners that work amazingly."
As for getting comfortable in front of the camera she urges upcoming bloggers to not be shy. "People are naturally curious...some will stare, some will ask you- but most people are just going to keep going with their lives. Also, be aware of your surroundings. I always let people walk by, I try not to interfere or be in their way. You can also avoid shooting in peak hours; for example, Downtown Miami is empty after 5pm."
Travel hacks:
1. Do not wear makeup on your flight and stay hydrated. I've realized that my skin feels dull and dry if I wear makeup while traveling.
2. Always bring the next day outfit in your carry on, in case your bag goes missing.
3. Always think versatile pieces to avoid over packing- things you can re-wear at least two times.
Best place to get coffee: Panther Coffee in Wynwood
Favorite spot for a date night: Lagniappe House
Favorite place to dance: Ball & Chain, El patio
Best walkable part of the city: Miami Design District
For a healthy meal you head to: Manna Life (see above photos!)
The one tourist attraction that’s a guilty pleasure: Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
The one tourist attraction you’ve never visited: Jungle Island
The one place any visitor has to hit up: Wynwood (24th Street for Art, Graffiti walls and great small places)
Favorite spot in the city to feel inspired: The Perez Art Museum (PAMM)
Best part of the city to see classic “Miami” art deco style: Ocean Drive
Best place to watch the sunset: South Pointé Park in Miami Beach
Create & Cultivate will be visiting 2 more cities across the United States in partnership with Marriott. For our next city, we're heading to Charlotte. Be sure to check back to see more of the series.
MORE FROM OUR BLOG:
Meet The Mentors: #CreateCultivateATL
As we’re gearing up for Create & Cultivate ATL this October, we’d like to introduce you to the amazing women that will part of our mentor sessions this fall.
Our mentor sessions are perfect for those of you who are looking for advice on how to manage your blog or business from some of the best female entrepreneurs in the digital space today.
If you're wondering what mentor is the best fit for you, check out of the ladies below that will be sitting down with you this October. Also, if you haven't gotten your ticket yet, what are you waiting for? Get your ticket now here.
Stay tuned as we add more mentors to our lineup too!
Nicolette Mason, Creator of NicoletteMason.com
Best for: Social Media, Blogging, Writing, Strategic Partnerships
Nicolette is a Los Angeles native who lives and works in NYC & LA . She is a freelance creative consultant, contributing editor at Marie Claire, and pens her blog nicolettemason.com, where she shares personal style snaps, travel, and the many things she loves.
Since launching her blog and graduating from Parsons School of Design, she’s contributed to dozens of publications including Marie Claire, Vogue Italia, Brooklyn Magazine, The L Magazine, Refinery29, Glamour Italy, and more, and has partnered with brands like ModCloth and Addition Elle, where she has a cocktail dress collection launching this spring, to design collections. She has also partnered with Target on the heralded launch of their plus-size brand, Ava & Viv.
Maxie McCoy, Creator of MaxieMcCoy.com
Best for: Life Coaching, Soul Searching, Career Development
An inspiration luminary, Maxie’s work is a new framework for using inspiration to create a life you’re jazzed to be living. It’s an experience that will put inspiration in your driver’s seat and shine a spotlight on your escape route from mediocrity. Her website provides weekly soul-busting writings, videos, and more inspiration than you know what to do with.
Maxie has also written for the Create & Cultivate blog and you can find her pieces here:
Professional Opinion: Maxie McCoy on Cultivating Inspiration
Professional Opinion: Maxie McCoy on When -and How-To Take a Sabbatical
Professional Opinion: How to Take a Leap of Faith in Your Career
Screw the Cue Cards: 5 Tips for Mastering a Live Audience
Don’t be a Bore: 4 Ways To Engage Your Audience in a Meaningful Wa
Jessy Fofana, Founder of LaRue PR
Best for: PR, Marketing, Social Media
Jessy Fofana is our go-to for all things PR. With her PR agency LaRue PR, she has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to utilizing PR to strategically grow brands and get them on the right radar. Not only that, she is our seasoned PR correspondent for the Create & Cultivate blog.
Jessy founded LaRue PR over seven years ago after successfully directing public relations initiatives for an impressive list of well-known fashion, lifestyle and cosmetics brands and retailers. She brings a unique perspective of understanding what every player in the PR game needs. Having worked in magazine publishing, she knows what editors are looking for, and as the co-creator of Femme Arsenal, an indie cosmetic brand, she understands what business owners need to grow to the next level. Get her advice in-person at Create & Cultivate Atlanta!
Mandy Kellogg Rye, Founder and Creative Director of Waiting On Martha
Best for: Blogging, Entrepreneurship, Creative Directing
It all started with a blog and a desire to unite all of the things Mandy loves the most in one place. From how-tos for setting the perfect table and custom crafted cocktails, to what Mandy’s wearing and the beloved “currently coveting” roundup, a glimpse of what’s on her ever-expanding want list, readers know that when they’re in need of a little inspiration, Mandy is just a click away.
Soon after the blog took off and Mandy could no longer keep up with the “where can I buy that?” requests, she decided it was high time to expand the brand. With that, the Waiting On Martha shop was born. On any given shopping day, you can find a variety of products spanning the home décor, tabletop, entertaining, paper, gift, men’s, women’s, kids and even pet categories.
Courtney Kerr, Founder of Kerrently.com and TV & Radio Personality
Best for: Blogging, Strategic Partnerships
Courtney’s life took an interesting turn when she was cast on Bravo’s 2011 docudrama, “Most Eligible Dallas,” which eventually led to a 2013 spinoff show, “Courtney Loves Dallas.” Female viewers were eager to know everything about Courtney’s wardrobe, which was her lightbulb moment to leave her longtime, successful career as a retail shopgirl and venture into the world of style blogging. For two years, Dallas woke up to her every morning on the panel of opinionated women on KTXD’s 2-hour morning show, “The Broadcast.” In 2014, CBS Radio also scooped up Courtney to co-host afternoon drive show, “UNcorked with Leigh Ann & Courtney Kerr,” which airs on their Dallas hot adult contemporary station, 103.7 KVIL. In January of 2016, “UNcorked” went nationally syndicated and began as a weekly online podcast for Play.It.
After 5 years of juggling it all & going 100mph in designer heels, Courtney recognized that it was time to elevate “What Courtney Wore” into a online magazine, appropriately named “KERRently.” In January 2016, “KERRently” was launched and it is where Courtney shares her thoughts on fashion, beauty, travel and just life in general.
You can read our Q+A with Courtney here on our blog.
Cailli & Sam Beckerman, Creators of Beckerman Blog
Best for: Blogging, Strategic Partnerships, Fashion Design, Creative Directing
Sam and Cailli Beckerman have been showcasing their fashion sense and outfits of the day since 2009. Living out the ultimate millennial dream, these twins flew to Dubai just to check out Chanel’s new collection for their blog. The twins’ bold styles revolve around bright colors, eclectic designs, and edgy ensembles. Even their ridiculously adorable Pomeranians dress to impress. From being designers to becoming bloggers, these twins have seen it all and have accumulated a following of over 163,000.
You can read our Q+A with Cailli and Sam here on our blog.
Daniela Ramirez, Creator of Nany’s Klozet
Best for: Blogging, Fashion, Strategic Partnerships
Daniela launched her fashion blog Nany’s Klozet in 2011 to be a fashion diary. Now five years later, she has gained 270,000 followers and over 43,000 YouTube subscribers in both the English speaking and Hispanophone spaces. Some of her partnerships have included Guess, Pantene, Lucky Brand and TRESemmé.
You can read our Q+A with Daniela here on our blog.
Jessi Malay, Creator of mywhiteT and Recording Artist
Best for: Blogging, Fashion, Music, Strategic Partnerships
Jessi Malay, a Los Angeles native, doesn’t just document her her daily outfit inspiration on her blog My White T, but she also has a successful music career. With over 100,000 followers on Instagram Jessi has successfully merged her love of music, fashion and beauty and turned it into a full-time career. Check our Q+A with her here.
You can read our Q+A with Jessi here on our blog.
Keiko Lynn, Creator of KeikoLynn.com and Founder of Brooklyn Brigade
Best for: Blogging, Creative Directing, Entrepreneurship, Strategic Partnerships
Since 2009, Keiko Lynn has shared her fashion, beauty, and lifestyle musings that have served as inspiration to her followers. Not only that, the Brooklyn based blogger has gone beyond the realm of being a blogger and turned into a creative entrepreneur when she founded Brooklyn Brigade creative studio with follow blogger Helena Glazer.
She is constantly creating and looking for inspiration, and shares a peek into her daily life, style, and beauty tips on keikolynn.com.
Kelly Mindell, Founder and Creative Director of Studio DIY
Best for: Entrepreneurship, Creative Directing, Strategic Partnerships
Kelly Mindell, a modern-day artisan and professional celebrator, launched her blog, Studio DIY, during her senior year of college. Her clever, colorful creations has attracted a growing audience of over 306,000 followers that has caught the attention Pocky, Tic Tac, Method Home, and Grease Live. Based in Los Angeles, Kelly pulls inspiration from the West coast culture and has been expanding Studio DIY’s scope by experimenting with fashion, travel, and drool-worthy food, like donut burgers!
Rachel Martino, Creator of RachMartino.com
Best for: Blogging, Strategic Partnerships, Fashion
Rachel Martino is a Francophone fashion and lifestyle blogger based out of Brooklyn that has been able to create an international brand right from her home, with over 384k followers. Not only that, she is 25 and just last year became a full-time blogger after leaving Esteé Lauder Brands as Origins’ Community Manager.
Now, Rachel is fully focused on creating amazing content for her blog, making strategic partnerships that make sense for her blog, and travelling “across the pond” to market to her French audience as well.
You can read our Q+A with Rachel on our blog here.
Adrianna Adarme, Creator of A Cozy Kitchen
Best for: Blogging, Book Writing, Cooking, Crafts
Atlanta-native Adrianna Adarme started her blog in 2009 as a place to celebrate pies and corgis - more specifically, her corgi Amelia. However, her blog has been a haven for countless of recipes and projects that have inspired her 230k followers online.
Following the growth of her blog and social channels, Adrianna launched her first book called The Year of Cozy which has various original recipes and projects for the perfect “cozy” home, and is getting ready to release her second cookbook, A Cozy Coloring Cookbook.
You can read our Counter Culture feature with Adrianna on our blog here.
Carrie Morey, Founder of Callie’s Charleston Biscuits & Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit
Best for: Entrepreneurship and Food
Carrie Morey became a culinary entrepreneur when she founded Callie’s in 2005 and from then on, she expanded the southern biscuit making tradition by making her brand Callie’s Charleston Biscuits accessible across the country, along with another restaurant in Atlanta’s vibrant Virginia Highlands neighborhood.Today, Callie has authored a cookbook that also includes her entrepreneurial narrative, and also is a guest lecturer at the College of Charleston School of Business, presenting the program’s Entrepreneurship Class.
Jeni Britton Bauer, Founder of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams
Best For: Entrepreneurship & Food
Jeni has been making ice creams professionally for two decades. Before that, she studied art, worked in a bakery, and had a serious hobby blending perfumes and collecting essential oils. Jeni founded Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams in 2002. Her ahead-of-the-trend vision—using whole ingredients and dairy from grass-pastured cows, rather than synthetic flavorings and commodity ice cream mix—coupled with inspired flavors sparked the artisan ice cream movement more than a decade before it would become a top food trend. Jeni is a James Beard Award-winning author of two cookbooks and has been recognized by Fast Company as one of the most creative people in business.
3 Top Fashion Bloggers Dish on the Behind-the-Scenes Reality
Don't be fooled by the blogs that they got.
Jacey Duprie of Damsel in Dior (photo credit: Alexandra Gibbs)
Blogging has come under scrutiny every which way to Sunday over the last five years. From those wondering about the longevity of the career, to sticker shock at six-figure endorsement deals between top bloggers and brands, like the recently reported $500,000 paycheck between Aimee Song and Laura Mercier, to those harsher critics who question if blogging is a career at all.
The shade, thrown from all corners of the www, is partially due to the shrouded nature of blog life. Is it real? Is it authentic? Just how much are people making for a photograph? For a long time bloggers were hush hush about their income and sponsored posts. Only recently has disclosure emerged as a trend-- from bloggers wanting to get out in front of the story and those who truly believe in transparency.
From the other side of the keyboard, bloggers appear to have it all. Work from home. Freebies. Invites all of the wold and the fancy events. But top-tier bloggers— those making over $10k/month only account for about 4% of the industry, and on the low-end, they aren't making anything at all. 42% of bloggers work full-time or part-time in a non-blogging job and are committing nights and weekends to the endeavor hoping that hard work, time, and determination will pay off.
Jacey Duprie, journalist turned blogger, started her blog Damsel in Dior in 2009. Two years later, in 2011, she left her job to pursue blogging full-time, and the switch from traditional media to blogging was no cake walk. “To anyone who says blogging is easy and is all about simply taking pretty pictures,” she says, “I challenge them to try doing it for one month, or just follow me around for a week and I’ll prove you wrong.”
It’s a sentiment echoed by many in the blog world.
Amanda Holstein who runs the popular modern-day advice column, Advice From a 20-Something says, “Most of blogging consists of sitting behind a computer and running your own business. I spend a lot more time than I anticipated managing the business side of things, like tracking and projecting revenue, securing campaigns, tracking expenses, etc..”
Amanda Holstein of Advice from a 20-Something (photo credit: Andrea Posadas)
She also brings up the difficulties of freelancing. To be your own hype person is a strange job and while Instagram and Snapchat show the fun side of blogging, AKA “the photoshoots, the trips, the events,” Amanda says, “most of blogging consists of sitting behind a computer and running your own business.”
Jacey sums it the difficulties as such: “In a nutshell: Invoicing and accounting is hard. Losing friends is harder. Hate forums suck (especially when they rip on your parents). Traveling alone is lonely. Fashion week is worse than figuring out which lunch table to sit at in high school. And it’s reshooting product because the brand didn’t want you to wear the color pink but they didn’t tell you not to wear the color pink until after you scheduled time with a photographer, waited out the rain to finally get the picture perfect sunset shot of an outfit you spent weeks planning…”
“Fashion week is worse than figuring out which lunch table to sit at in high school.”
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Amanda says another difficult aspect of running a blog is the solo time. “ It's tough not having someone around to bounce ideas off of. Even just having someone to listen while I talk through some of my thoughts and ideas would be so helpful.”
Daniela Ramirez who runs the Miami-based English/Spanish fashion blog Nany’s Klozet says that by the time she’s done explaining her job to someone, “they don’t have any words.”
“I do a lot more than take pictures. Taking blog photos is just a portion. I don’t have a manager, I don’t have an assistant. I answer at least 50 emails a day- from brands/PR companies wanting to work together and readers asking style/blog advice. I do all my management: negotiating with brands, invoices, follow-ups, etc. Every shoot is half planned (we do a lot of improvising), but since there are deadlines, we have to stay organized on what needs to be shot and were. We are also journalists; we write, we research. Some blogposts need graphics. When I do Youtube videos: planning, producing, editing…it’s a lot.”
“I do a lot more than take pictures. Taking blog photos is just a portion."
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That doesn’t even include the actual blogging she says. “Putting the post together, editing the photos, arranging the html in both languages, linking to each store.” The final cherry on top is the social media. You have to make sure “you update all networks with relevant content on each one.”
Daniela Ramirez of Nany's Klozet
If you take into consideration the rate at which someone scrolls past an Instagram photo, casually making the decision to like or not to like (that is the question of this digital age), the amount of BTS work that goes into curating and crafting is almost crazy.
Throw in the competition and the number of new fashion bloggers that get added to the sphere daily, and it’s amazing there aren’t more stories of blogger burnout. The pressure to be on top of trends and be early adapters mounts with every passing day. Bloggers constantly have to give their fan base what they want, stay authentic, and at the same time, keep content from getting boring. Many of them are also paying their photographers out of pocket.
Daniella says she likes to travel with a photographer because the shoots end up more natural, however, when she’s home she says, “I have to shoot about 3-4 outfits at a time because I am scheduling— and paying for— a photographer’s time.”
There are countless sites telling bloggers just how to make money. Focus on content that other outlets ignore. Make sure that you develop your photography and social media skills— AKA become the queen of appropriate hashtagging and engaging your audience— and focus on quantity and quality. As a blogger you are both king of the social media jungle as well as its most vulnerable prey. If you aren’t producing, you’re losing. There aren’t many professions that require such a constant outpouring of content, and it is exhausting.
"As a blogger you're both king of the social media jungle as well as its most vulnerable prey."
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And yet, it's a career that most fashion bloggers are reluctant to give up at this point. For Jacey she sticks with it because, quite simply, "it works." And there are few modern jobs that don't require more than a 40-hour work week commitment.
But if you think blogging is taking a photo and that "anyone can do it," think again friends.
Arianna Schioldager is the editorial director of Create & Cultivate. She has never once thought she could be a blogger.
More from our blog:
Nany's Klozet Shares the Four Hard Lessons of Blogging
And why Latina women need to support each other more.
Daniela Ramirez is a dreamer who started her blog to create an inspiring space for Latinas and WOC in fashion an beauty. The Miami-based influencer now has over 150k followers on Instagram.
But she doesn't think blogging should be an end goal. We caught up with the woman behind Nany's Klozet to chat hard lessons, blog evolution, and why Latinas and WOC should support each other more.
You've been blogging for 5 years now - how has your blog Nany's Klozet evolved since?
I actually started blogging in 2009. Back then it was called Fab Chic and Fit and it was only in Spanish- it had absolutely no personal style and was almost anonymous. I opened Nany’s Klozet in 2011 as a way to separate “magazine-ish” content from personal outfits.
Blogging has changed in so many ways. At the time most bloggers were either in school or working- few saw it as a business career, most of us were sharing content simply because had a need to share our passion or knowledge. I find it amazing how brands slowly started to realize the influence bloggers have, and we definitely have changed how brands market to their audiences. Also it is interesting to see how people have shifted from reading online to instant gratification with social.
What is one thing you used to do in 2011 for your blog, that you will never do again?
Never say never! But we (my now-husband takes all my photos) used to take outfit pictures in abandoned streets in the middle of nowhere. I was super shy about taking pictures with people around me, so I guess that’s why I liked it. Now I'll look at them and it didn’t make sense. I think that the outfit has to match what you are doing and where you are going.
What would you say are some of the hard lessons of blogging?
There have been many hard lessons along the way:
- Be very careful with contracts. Have a lawyer look at them. Some brands want to take advantage of you.
- Never lose yourself for money. Never take opportunities because of a good pay. It’s important to stay true to yourself. Your audience notices.
- Also don’t change for your audience. I’ve seen people change the direction of their content. I understand thinking about what content they need, but blogging is about sharing your passion, not pleasing others.
- We need to stop obsessing over numbers and followers….and focus in quality content (and quality of heart and soul)- with that, the following will come organically.
"Never take opportunities because of a good pay. It’s important to stay true to yourself. Your audience notices."
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Everyone has their one growth hack or strategy to help their blog grow - what is yours that you stick to religiously?
I try to interact with my readers as much as I can. To always answer their comments and keep the engagement high. Blogging is a two-way form of communication. It’s not only a “come, read me” but also listen back to what they have to say and answer. I always go to my reader’s profiles and comment on their photos. I’ve met so many amazing girls and I’ve found amazing blogs that way too.
"Blogging is a two-way form of communication. It’s not only a 'come, read me' but also listen back to what they have to say and answer."
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In a way your blog is a testament to making it look easy, while also looking polished and perfectly composed. However, we know that are BTS stressors that all bloggers deal with. What are some aspects of blogging that your audience doesn't see?
I don’t even know where to start…there are so many! My husband and I have had countless fights while taking pictures…I don’t even remember why but I get frustrated easily (and often!).
I also think we don’t wear heels as often as seen on the blog- I always have another extra pair on the car. Sunglasses are always great to increase the chance of a good picture. Plus sunglasses mean you don’t necessarily have to wear makeup!
Sometimes I think readers don’t know the amount of work we do and it all looks super flawless. Recently I did a nail polish campaign in Mexico where I had to change polish twice a day for three days and run around doing specific activities at the hotel. It was a blast, but it definitely wasn’t as polished and composed as it looked.
"Sometimes I think readers don’t know the amount of work we do [as bloggers]…and it all looks super flawless."
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As a Latina, you have been able to encourage other WOC to start their own blogs and become a part of the digital space in fashion. What else do you feel needs to be done for representation of Latinas and other WOC in the digital space?
Being 100% honest, I think Latinas and WOC need to start supporting each other MORE. I absolutely love my Latina community and I’m so proud to be Hispanic. However, I think Latina readers still prefer the tall/skinny/blonde/European looking blogger.
I also have been in many situations where I know I was filling the “Latina spot”- like campaigns with a blonde, a brunette, an African-American, and me. Brands need to stop looking at us as a space to fill, and instead acknowledge that we are a BIG part of U.S society.
What is one piece of advice that you have for anyone that is looking to start a blog today?
I would tell them to see a blog as a step to a reaching a bigger goal. I don’t think being a blogger should be the end-goal. For example: if you want to be a personal stylist….share your tips, do make overs, share your work. If you want to be a magazine editor, imagine you are already doing the job and treat your blog like it. Treat your blog as your portfolio…a passionate portfolio. Enjoy every second of it and genuinely network…you are going to meet some amazing people along the way!
"Treat your blog as your portfolio…a passionate portfolio."
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Make sure to see Daniela on panel this fall as she joins us at Create & Cultivate Atlanta. Click here to get your tickets now!
