When baby steps become BIG steps
I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit, since I was a little kid. Bets are, you could find me any weekend, selling lemonade from my driveway, or anything else that my mom would let me and my siblings sell. I cant believe I am about to air out this deep dark secret like it’s nothing… but, I was the national top seller for Girl Scout cookies for a couple years. My first real dance with entrepreneurship was when my best friend, Charity and I, decided to start a bohemian accessory and decor company called Old Soul Collections. We started out with flower headbands and dreamcatchers, both were instant hits! Instagram just started to become “popular” (nothing like it is today) and we actually made about 3,000$. THAT was the first taste of “on my own successes” and let me tell you, I WAS HOOKED. But, as life had it, that endeavor came to an end, and I went on about my life, graduating college, setting off to travel , starting a blog, well, and now here we are.
It's been about two years since I came to the REAL realization that I didn’t have to follow the norm of getting a lifelong office job and letting my dreams remain dreams, while I work on making someone else’s come true. I didn’t HAVE to commit myself to an office until I was sixty something, waiting for the day I had time AND money to make my dreams come true. I was determined how to figure out how to do it all, and wayyyy before I was a "senior citizen"(even tho its just a number, and all about how you live your life).My dreams can’t wait that long!!As all journeys are, my journey is ever changing. Not only do I have my own travel company, Wildflower Tours, but I have my personal brand as well! In the world we live in today, branding is everything. I actually started my personal brand on Instagram far before I knew I was actually branding myself, haha.When I first started my instagram @secretsofsunshine (October 2016) , I already had an idea of what social media marketing was. I wasn’t an expert but I did know it was a new wave of marketing, and companies were juuuuust getting wind of how vital it was. I will always remember the first time I received a message from a purse company, asking if they could send me something, FOR FREE, just so I could post about it. I couldn’t believe it. I was speechless. I basically felt like I had “made it”. Oh how little I knew… hahha.
Once companies saw me engaging in social media marketing, it was only a matter of time that they reached out as well. That is when my first “authentic decision" as a social media marketer presented itself to me. I was offered something I did not really want or would use, but I didn’t want to turn them down.. What if I never got a deal again?? Haha it sounds silly now, but I had to decide what to do, say yes, get the item and promote it, regardless of my personal feelings or hard pass on the opportunity. The answer was easy, I HAD to like what I was promoting. MY opinion mattered and if I just did this for the freebies, what kind of message would that be sending!?! An inauthentic one, thats for sure… so I made the easy decision. If i decided to partner with a product or company, I, personally had to want it, or would suggest a friend to try/buy it. And if I didn’t like it, agree with the company/ ideals or would never, EVER recommend it, I could not and would not accept the offer.This was a pretty important moment in my personal branding. It made me realize that I had a voice and that people were listening. I had to be very clear what I wanted to promote and how I wanted to be perceived by the rest of the world.Fast forward to this year, 2018. The social media marketing game has completely changed, Influencer marketing is at an all time high and EVERYONE wants to get in the game. Companies aren’t reaching out like they did “back in the day” and there is WAY MORE that goes into it now. The competition is fierce but I would say it is a win win for just about everyone. The companies get better marketing, content and all around coverage and us entrepreneurs and “whacky millennials” are very much needed and taken very seriously now. The industry literally BOOMED overnight.Throughout this year, online and in person communities have been popping up, supporting others that are in this industry. Once there was a handful of events and now it is impossible to keep up with them all. But the best news yet, there is room for everyone! Anyways, I digress…I partner with companies on a fairly regular basis now, but the novelty and excitement of it never wears off. To be honest, I got so excited as I was writing this just seeing how far I have come! But every now and then I get an opportunity that BLOWS MY MIND.One of those “mind-blowing opportunities” was attending Kaaboo Del Mar this year! What’s Kaaboo? Glad you asked. According to them, "KAABOO was created by music lovers for music lovers. An adult escape, uniquely curated to appeal to all five of your senses, with world-class music, hilarious comedy, inspiring contemporary art, gourmet cuisine, craft libations and personal indulgences” and I would definitely agree.
One morning, I was at a coffee shop working with my friend Andrea. I went through the motions of ordering my coffee, getting the WIFI password and setting up shop. The very first email I read had me SHOOK. “Dear Christina, I work for Blue Moon…we’re going to have a really cool, premium space at this year’s KAABOO Del Mar festival and would love to host you to partake in exclusive opportunities…”. You can imagine my reaction. I DIIIIIED. I couldn’t believe it. I basically felt like I had “made it”.The experience itself was incredible!! The lineup was amazing. I loved that it was a local venue, at a place I have grown up going to every year for events like the San Diego County Fair and Del Mar Horse Races. The art installations, comedy shows and live cooking experiences were something no other festival I attended has offered. I was able to go with my best friend Alex and sip on Blue Moon for three days while I made lifelong memories at Kaaboo 2018.Let me just say, that the Blue Moon Mango Brew is PHENOMENAL. I literally had like 10 of those beers a day, don’t judge me… but it was SO GOOD. OH MAHHH gosh.
I also had the opportunity to work with some pretty cool, local fashion brands that helped curated my festival fashion. Some of these awesome companies were Arawayuu, Make It Your Own (MIYO) and Child of Wild!Arawayuu creates 100% cotton, handwoven Wayuu mochila bags. They also carry an assortment of ADORABLE tassel earrings. Each accessory comes with a one-of-a-kind story told by artisan women from the Wayuu tribe in La Guajira, Colombia. Even better, THEY GIVE BACK!! 10% of the profits go back to the Wayuu Tribe! I met with the owner and she is amazing! She is so passionate about her company and the Wayauu people, and genuinely loves what she does!! Want your own Arawayuu accessories? Use my code “secretsofsunshine15” to get 15% off!!
Make it Your Own was a hidden gem right in my backyard, and I had NO IDEA how amazing it was, but now that the secret is out… I MAY AS WELL JUST MOVE IN. Their vintage collection is to die for. You can find their store in downtown Escondido, where they specialize in vintage, bohemian, festival, western and trending apparel, for both men and women! YAS PLEASE. Better yet, the prices are incomparable. Just believe me and check it out, I promise you won’t regret it! I got my Zara tank top (pictured above), a Free People Dress (pictured below) and other fun outfits to wear on my day to day activities!
Child of Wild has been a brand I have followed from the very beginning of their journey. I LOVE what they stand for and their jewelry, decor, accessories and EVERYTHING is so freaking cute. CHILD of WILD comes from the philosophy that fewer quality possessions that speak to your soul are what make your home and life fulfilled. CHILD of WILD pieces are heavily researched and inspired by historical art movements and cultural rituals and ideals. We believe that these pieces should have relevance in the world and the cultures, tribes, artists that produced them should be given credit.
I am sooo incredibly grateful for these companies that made this experience like no other. Like I said previously, I got so excited as I was writing this just seeing how far I have come, sometimes I forget just how much work I have put into this so far, and how much farther I still need to go. To be honest, It hasn’t been until this year that I became REALLLLY serious, purposeful and consistent when it comes to my personal brand. And consistency is VITAL, especially now. Everyone want to be someone and it feels like a rat race to the top. Sometimes remembering WHY I do this is what keeps me going.Don’t get me wrong, these perks are sooo cool! I am so grateful for the experiences that I have got to partake in and will be able to attend, but that is not why I do this. I am here to help people be vulnerable, live out their authentic lives. I am here to openly talk about hard stuff like mental health and dating... hopefully inspiring others to chase after their dreams and find their authentic self. I am here to help/encourage/support however I can-- especially regarding travel, wellness or lifestyle design.Okay, I am literally just ranting now, hahah. but all in all, this is still my ever-changing journey. It is so cool to see where I started all the way up to where I am today. I share this because I am growing through what I am going through… the entire essence of my blog. hahaha. so thanks for taking the ride with me. Buckle up, I have NO CLUE where this is going.