We were lucky to catch up with Vanessa Szymanski recently and have shared our conversation below.

Vanessa, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with education – we’d love to hear your thoughts about how we can better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career.

I feel that the biggest flaw in the education system is the disconnect between introducing students to the knowledge and core principles they need to acquire to excel in their field and the actual introduction to the day to day environment they would be working in. It is difficult to make a life path decision on how you will be spending a majority of your living hours on Earth without spending an actual day in the physical working environment. A perfect example is lawyers I have talked to who invested large amounts of time and money in their law school education only to realize a year or two into their careers that they hate the actual work. I struggled with making a career path decision because it was difficult to conceptualize the day to day lifestyle that would ensue for a given career path without experiencing a few firsthand to compare and make a heartfelt decision on. The availability of information and career resources on the internet has certainly evolved over time to help bridge this gap, but I personally feel that college curriculum should absolutely provide “field trips” to the actual environments in 100 level courses to allow students to be more strategic in the forcis of their educational efforts. I chose to obtain a degree in Marketing, but after graduating and working in different environments I quickly found a strong connection to the world of tech and data. My on the job learning and various mentors over the years allowed me to develop the skills I needed to grow in a different path that I found to be far more satisfying.

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

Aside from my regular work in tech, I am also a content creator managing 2 accounts on Instagram; @champagneandpaws and @beastie_bentley. The account I created for my dog, Bentley, started out as a fun creative outlet to showcase my 7lb rescue Griffonshire (Brussels Griffon/Yorkie mix) in different themed photos as he has an endless supply of costumes and clothing. As the account began to grow I started receiving contacts from different brands asking to exchange products and or money for posts to help spread awareness. He is now a dog products Influencer which has been so much fun for the both of us. We have the opportunity to test and review new and existing products and give firsthand feedback to our followers. The brands love Bentley’s unique and adorable look and love having photos of him with their products to use in their marketing. We love that we have been able to help beta test products and promote small businesses. With so many dog products on the market which continues to grow by leaps and bounds by the day, it always helps to get firsthand feedback from someone who has experience with a product, as well as to have a link between the brand and the product to go to with questions. Social Media has become the number one way to promote products and businesses and it is a very cost effective way for brands to use their marketing budget.

We also love traveling together, and I have always made it my mission to identify as many dog friendly businesses as possible, which I of course, enthusiastically communicate to every dog owner I know! I have run a Chicago Brussels Griffon meetup group for the past 18 years, so I love sharing this information with my local contacts as well. The love of our travels together inspired me to develop a second Instagram account, @champagneandpaws which I showcase food, wine and dog friendly locations. It has been such a great outlet for creativity. Outside of my structured day to day work. Hotel brands share photos of Bentley and/or us together at their properties which has been such a joy for us to see.

Have you ever had to pivot?

The best example of this which everyone can certainly relate to was the global pandemic and lockdowns. This is when my career shifted to a fully remote model. I was thrilled to eliminate the commute into the Chicago Loop and to be working from the comforts of my home, but the uncertainly of the state of the world and locked down businesses was definitely a source of stress. To keep myself occupied outside of my day to day work, I focused on developing creative content on Bentley’s Instagram, which grew at a more rapid rate during the lockdown. We engaged with so many other pet owners during that’s time and found a way to turn a negative into something so positive that we looked forward to waking up in the morning and seeing other dog content that brought a smile to our faces and making other dog owners smile. That regular engagement was such a silver lining in the storm cloud we were faced with. We have developed relationships with the owners of other dog accounts that we cherish to this day. This in turn grew our role in product sponsorship which has not only been a fun journey, but it has brought in money, as well as saved us money with the products provided to us.

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

I think trying to be original and authentic is always key. Stick with what you know and are passionate about and it will show. Staying regular on social media is critical, and staying engaged with your audience. Be honest and relatable, and stay true to a theme and overall aesthetic. We have a lot to learn on this journey to grow our accounts and love seeing the success stories out there.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://instagram.com/champagneandpaws?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/beastie_bentley?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vanessa.szymanski.946?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessa-szymanski-cssgb-ecba-46b3954
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@beastie_bentley?_t=8c7asbOqdJr&_r=1