Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Katie Restrepo. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Katie, thanks for joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

When I first decided to start a blog and freelance journalist career, I knew nothing about the industry. Most people don’t understand how you can even make a living from a blog, but I thought I had done enough research to know generally what to do.

Boy was I wrong. All of the free webinars, podcasts, and YouTube videos were still helpful and led me to great networking opportunities, but I knew there was a knowledge gap. You don’t know what to ask if you don’t even know what you’re missing.

I invested in some lower-priced courses and paid for a couple of books which helped to start bringing in some income. However, my next step that really moved the needle was a more in-depth course with 1:1 coaching and a mastermind community.

I was doing things backward with affiliate marketing and what I thought I knew about Search Engine Optimization (SEO) was on the right track, but not quite the full picture. I don’t think everyone’s key to success is paying for a coach, but if you know the direction you want to go it definitely helps speed things up.

Consistency also helps build skill sets, and my first few years were definitely not made of consistent content creation. If I had to start over again, I would have learned SEO first and been consistent with my content. That way I would have built up my skillsets at a quicker pace and built a stronger foundation for my blogging business from the beginning.

Commit to something and invest in yourself to get what you need to make it happen.

Katie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

As a travel blogger, I create content that helps families travel together. This includes being a hub for travel research from reviews to itinerary examples. Inspiration is a big part, but it also details travel logistics: how to travel with kids as stress-free as possible. There are tips and tricks on my website and social media posts on everything from road trips to flying in planes with kids. The type of travel destinations ranges from camping to Disneyland and everything in between.
I am most proud of the Kids’ Travel Journal (sold on Etsy) since it stemmed from something I created for my own kids while we travel and now other families can enjoy documenting their adventures in a fun way as well.
I pull from our own experiences traveling within the US and abroad, then translate those experiences into advice or gear that will help other parents also enjoy traveling with their little ones.
It’s really all about how to plan, enjoy, and remember your family adventures.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My blog’s mission is to help and inspire parents to travel with their kids. Adventuring as a family has so many benefits, but many parents want to “wait until the kids are older,” and aren’t sure how to travel long distances with their young children. What to pack, family-friendly destinations, how to minimize whining and tantrums. These are all the things my content covers. From camping to Disneyland and everything in between, I focus on inspiration, ideas, why families should travel together, and how to make it easier. We are fully enjoying every moment of traveling together, even if it’s just a weekend getaway. I use our own experiences to then share what will help other parents. The travel blog also helps fuel another goal of mine, and that’s to be more present for my family with a better work-life balance. It’s the core of why I work so hard to keep growing my business.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

One of the main pieces of advice people share when venturing into any online entrepreneur creative career is to treat it like a job, not a hobby. Unfortunately, most people are unfamiliar with how blogging or being a content creator or influencer can provide a living for someone. Because of this and the fear of what people will say if it doesn’t work out (or even if it does work out), we often limit ourselves to working in our “spare time” and “on the side” and “just for fun.”

If you don’t quite understand what someone is trying to accomplish in a creative niche, I challenge you to ask them about the business side of things. Chances are if they take it seriously as a business they will be more than happy to discuss their plans with you. The more you know about the logistics, the more you will understand and be able to cheer them on in their journey.

Maybe it’s a pipe dream, maybe the odds are against them, or maybe it will never work out the way they want.

But maybe they’ll find themselves along the way, maybe they’ll encounter new opportunities they weren’t even seeking out, or maybe it will happen exactly as they say it will.

Everyone has a different journey, and there is a definite need for creative jobs in the world. Blogs specifically are more connectors for purchase decisions and hubs for research on particular topics or destinations. They are less and less about journaling someone’s life and more about how to help others and add value to someone seeking answers to questions.

Next time you search for something online such as reviews on a product or travel itinerary ideas, take a look at the website you visit. Notice how much you rely on and interact with blogs on a regular basis. Notice the possibilities.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://familytravelfolio.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/famtravelfolio/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/familytravelfolio/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-restrepo
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/FamTravelFolio
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF7PtOVpq-PWi5axYj3_YlQ
• Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/FamilyTravelFolio