We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Ashley Castellanos. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Ashley below.

Hi Ashley, thanks for joining us today. Do you think folks should manage their own social media or hire a professional? What do you do?

I started my brand/business as a creator and I still am. I create content centered around food, travel, community and I have built a platform with that. Over the years I have grown that into a business in media as well as in the food/travel space. Putting on events and international group tours. When it comes to marketing, being a creator my strategy has been social first. That is where my community is, that is how I reach people and make the most impact. It goes to show how powerful social media is. The results have been incredible in that not only has it created an amazing network of people that I’ve gotten to work and partner with, but it was built a community of people that are interested in what I share and put out. People at the end of the day are always looking for community and if you can create that within your business, people will want to take part in what you’re doing.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Vegan Ventures is where foodies & travelers meet. Your guide to vegan food and travel in the social media space but also, an event and group tour producer. Hosting international group tours and events.

To put it short, I’ve always been a lover of food and travel. I’ve traveled to over 25 countries and have lived in 6 countries outside the U.S. I became vegan while I was living in Hanoi, Vietnam back in 2017 and I had an eye opening experience traveling as a vegan while living overseas. Upon my return to Portland, Oregon in 2019, I became infatuated by the vegan food scene here that I started a vegan food page for fun. Not knowing that this would later become my business. On my platform, I would share about the best foods, people, and places, it became something that I enjoyed doing. It organically grew a community of fellow vegan foodies and also travelers as my content expanded into travel and activities. My goal is to show that vegan travel is not as limiting as people might think it to be. My goal is to educate people on people, food, and places while also curating experiences that will create incredible memories.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

It’s been 5 years since I started posting on Vegan Ventures and initially, what helped grow that community was by consistently sharing about the same thing. It started off by sharing about vegan food finds. Particularly in Portland. I was consistent about it and that helped grow my audience. Over the years, the content evolved as I evolved, but it was still around exploring as a vegan. Not only was the content consistent in terms of what was being shared and how frequently, but it was something that I was genuinely interested in. People want authenticity, so whatever you share should be authentic and genuine to you.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

One thing was being consistent in what I was doing. That consistency really helps build your authority in whatever market you are in. Because you gain the knowledge and experience. But also, networking and putting myself out there. I’ve gone to many networking events I can find and I take advantage of any event invites I would receive in order to make connections. No matter what you do, it really is about connecting with others in your field and building those relationships. Not only that, I’ve had to put myself out there numerous times by providing information about myself, what I do, and what I offer. Talking about myself in that way doesn’t come natural to me, but people won’t know what you do or what you want to do unless you speak out and take action. Consistently putting myself out there has made the biggest impact for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.veganventuresofficial.com
• Instagram: @vegan_ventures
• Facebook: @veganventuresofficial
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-castellanos-a1716850/
• Youtube: @veganventuresofficial
• Other: TikTok @vegan_ventures

Image Credits

For the long panorama group photo, please give credit to HB Photos