We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kayy Mas a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Kayy, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

I recently took a very big, life-changing risk with my work and business. Travels with Kayy was started in 2018 as my side-hustle. For financial reasons, I always needed to work a full-time 9-5 job. However, I found myself becoming increasingly frustrated and overwhelmed with the toxic culture that comes along with a typical 40-hour work week. I enjoy traveling, having a flexible schedule, and being able to prioritize my wants and needs. Unfortunately, my 9-5 did not allow for that. I knew I did not want to stay in that life and was motivated to change it. The goal was to eventually take my side hustle full-time when I felt ready and financially stable. That did not end up happening, though. In the last year there was an intense pressure put on me by my job to go above and beyond what should have been expected of me, with a clear message that I was replaceable. Despite not feeling fully ready to be my own boss, I chose to quit my job. I am now a freelancer and travel blogger, who sets my own schedule and actually has time to focus on what I’m most passionate about. I am still waiting to see the end result. I don’t have it all figured out and it’s definitely stressful and uncomfortable not feeling like I’m fully in control of my situation. However, I love what I’m doing and I’ve never felt so happy and free.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am the owner and creator of Travels with Kayy, a travel blog and travel service. I am first and foremost passionate about sharing authentic and unique travel experiences with my audience through creative storytelling on my blog and visual imagery on my social media accounts. I also share travel tips and hacks, with a specific focus on how to save money and how to make the travel planning process easier! Speaking of the travel planning process, Travels with Kayy also offers planning services that can accommodate any of your travel needs. Whether you want help finding the best deal for your trip, a fully customized itinerary, or travel booking assistance, Travels with Kayy can help!

I started Travels with Kayy because I love travel and I wanted to share my experiences with others. I also found that I was pretty good at finding travel deals and putting together travel itineraries. Others expressed to me that they found the travel planning and booking process frustrating, while I found it to be quite enjoyable. As a result, I thought it would be beneficial to share tips and tricks, while also offering it as a service to others. I am not a travel agent, nor do I have contracts with any one company. Instead, I am an independent operator, intent only on meeting my clients needs to the best of my ability.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My passion is ultimately what drives my creative journey. To be honest, I don’t know if I’ve ever worked this hard at something if I couldn’t see the immediate results right in front of me. It’s very difficult keeping at something that, many times, I feel as though I’m failing at. Especially when there are so many successful creators out there to compare myself to. I’ve actually quit a few times, told myself it was pointless and to not even bother. What always brings me back, though, is my passion. I live and breathe travel. I absolutely love sharing my content with others and it makes me incredibly happy when I get positive feedback from my audience and clients. I still can’t see the full picture, as I’m not even close to where I want to be one day with my business. However, I am going to keep at it because I love what I do and I don’t want all the work I’ve put into it to be in vain.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Consistently showing up is the one and only thing I have found that truly grows my clientele and audience. Inconsistency does not work well for growth. When I say consistency, I of course mean posting regularly on my blog and social media accounts to not only attract new potential clients, but also keep my current audience engaged. However, with consistency, I also mean being a consistent creator. I pride myself on my honest nature. With my audience, I will never pretend to be someone I’m not, especially on social media. Both new and old followers genuinely appreciate that. I will also always show up with quality content, especially if I am creating a product for an individual client! This keeps client’s happy and coming back for more.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://travelswithkayy.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/travelswithkayy
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/travelswithkayy
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/travelswithkayy
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/travelswithkayy/ https://www.tiktok.com/@travelswithkayy