Let me preface this article by saying these knowledge bombs are in no particular order. They just happened to resonate with me the loudest, the deepest, the hardest. My Top 7 Killer Take Away’s from TravelCon came from the mouths of many of the speakers, so you know they’re powerful and you know they work.
This article is going to provide you with all the value without the price tag of attending the conference. I think that’s pretty damn cool. And the information is transferable to anyone wanting to take their passion to the next level, not just bloggers.
Killer Take Away: Networking
We all get a certain feeling when we see that word. It either pumps you up and gets you excited or it fills you with dread. It comes naturally to some people, the social butterflies and extroverts amongst us. Or for the introverts, it makes your stomach do flips and you start getting anxious about having to talk to strangers and talk about yourself.
I fall a little into both camps. I’m very much an observer, especially in group situations or in new surroundings. I like to take a back seat, just watch and listen to other people (the extroverts mostly) and chime in when I’m ready and when I feel comfortable.
I’m not a fan of having all eyes on me, unlike Tupac! RIP. (Great album by the way) But once I’m comfortable and you get to know me, I’m loud and funny and I will interrupt your ass to say something…
Get Comfortable, Feeling Uncomfortable
One of my old bosses once said to me in a performance review once. “You have so much to bring to the table, you add so much value, when you do talk people listen! But you need to speak more often”
I’m still working on that but he is right.
Especially in this industry when you have to be your own biggest supporter, your own biggest promoter. The person shouting your name the loudest from every rooftop.
The second biggest and most influential supporters in your corner are going to be the people in your NETWORK.
Which means you guessed it! You’re going to have to network.
Connections and Relationships are Everything.
I don’t know how many times I heard that, from so many different speakers.
Having a vast array of connections and quality relationships are so important for success.
But they need to be the right people. They are not only going to be your biggest supporters, but they’re also going to be your reality checkers, your accountability partners and your critics (in a good constructive way though).
And Your Biggest Referrers!
Now, that was something I hadn’t considered before. But alas, it was something that was spoken about time and time again.
There may come a day when someone in your network, another blogger or content creator, is offered a job that they cannot undertake for whatever reason.
Therefore, you want to be the person that they think of next. The person that they know will be the right fit for the job, the right fit for the brand has the right work ethic, is professional and can deliver great work. You want that other blogger to refer you to that company for that job!
I’ve seen it happen before. I know people that have been given opportunities like this.
So, time to shake off those nerves and feelings of anxiousness and start spreading the word. (That word is YOU by the way!)
But How…?
Get yourself to some industry conferences and network in person. That’s going to be the most valuable every time. If you can’t, start networking online. Join some industry-specific Facebook groups. Tell people about yourself and what you do. You have to. People don’t know you until you tell them who you are and what you do!
Can I suggest you look up Clay Hebert, or purchase the virtual pass from TravelCon and watch his keynote speech about telling people “what you do” It is so powerful. Death to the elevator pitch!
Finally, don’t overlook the power of your family and friends. They are definitely part of your network. You may need to explain exactly what it is you do and how they can help, but they already naturally support you. Help them to help your business.
They have their own network of people online, at work and their own friends that they can be talking about you to.
Killer Take Away: Diversification and Versatility
If this is to be your business and not just your hobby, diversifying your skills as well as income is essential to success and longevity.
Your jobs, work you do and clients are going to be sporadic in the beginning. You are likely going to be doing the majority of pitching your work to brands before those brands start flooding your inbox with their own pitches.
It’s Important To Have Several Sources of Income.
For example, this could come from sources such as affiliate links, ads, freelance photography or writing, social media marketing, sponsored posts and so on.
Being versatile across a few different types of media is also going to make you stand out and increase the opportunity you have, to have different income streams.
Added to what I’ve already mentioned, once you are established and you have an audience you can start to diversify again. Think creating your own products, eBooks and eCourses or organising/running hosted/un-hosted group trips. As well as your existing skills in writing, photography, making and editing videos and hosting podcasts for example.
They Work Hand In Hand
These versatile skills are transferable to more jobs, thus more income. If a brand is looking for someone to hire and you have a versatile skill set that can get their name or product in front of more eyes on more media, you will stand out from the pack.
You don’t have to be perfect at these skills, but it shows brands that may be looking to book you that you have the versatility to be able to write, photograph, edit video for YouTube, host a web series, run a social media campaign so on and so forth.
Killer Take Away: Investment
This is going to come in the form of your own skills and your business.
You are going to have to spend money to make money, ya hear!
This will include but won’t be limited to, attending as many conferences as you can and up-skilling yourself. Be it through attending classes for your writing or photography. Maybe purchasing an online course or attending a webinar, in your field.
It could come in the form of buying new equipment. A new laptop, camera, editing software, or even some new outfits to wear in your photos.
Think Long Term
You’re should register your business name, purchase your hosting site and your domain. Don’t overlook buying a professional theme, if you’re going to have a website. Open a business banking account, and invest in a tax accountant.
You need to keep learning, keep upskilling and levelling up. The industry is always changing and you need to be malleable and skilled enough to keep up. And that my friend means investing in yourself and your business.
Killer Take Away: Produce What You’re Passionate About, Be Prolific and Be Consistent
You want to be able to wake up in the morning and feel so passionate about what you are doing that you can’t do anything else.
Whether that be photography, making videos, writing content, building websites or social media marketing to name a few.
Whatever the content, produce it, even when you have no followers or only a few.
You want to be the one producing so much content, that other people in the industry can’t help but notice you and your work. It’s necessary to be that prolific.
Some of the most successful bloggers and content creators are the ones that stayed the course, stuck around, were persistent and consistent in their output. But did it because they had a passion for it.
They were the last blogger standing when everyone else became impatient and quit.
Be the “one” that doesn’t quit.
This is a marathon, not a sprint. Yep! That old chestnut
Be Boringly Consistent
My old boss used to say that too. Be boringly consistent. Be so consistent in your output and what you deliver, that people know what they’re going to get from you and when. You’re like clockwork.
It’s easy to say that but what does it look like? Well, it’s going to be different for everyone. It’s something that you need to work out.
As a blogger, you want to be producing content at a rate that suits you and your audience. There’s no point smashing out 5 blog posts in one week and then zip for the next 3 weeks. That’s not consistency.
For example, It may look like one post a week, one post every two weeks or every month. That is something that only you can work out.
Once you’ve found your rhythm, stick to it, because your audience will come to expect it.
But, in saying that don’t lose sight of why you’re doing it and who you are doing it for.
Killer Take Away: Self-care, Mental Well Being and Health Must Be Part Of Your Daily Regime
Burnout is real whether in constant travelling or constant work. You need to take care of yourself. Sleep enough, eat right, exercise, meditate, get regular massages/facials, read often, journal daily, be mindful.
I felt some real travel burnout last year. Only 6 weeks into my 6-month journey around Asia. I had been on the go, sightseeing and moving every single day. Sleeping in a different bed every night. Hours and hours of long-ass bus and train journeys. Crossing international borders, sometimes by foot. I was physically and mentally knackered.
I felt like I couldn’t stop and relax because I would miss out on seeing something or doing something.
It wasn’t until I was talking to my Mum and she made me realise I need “a day off”. She said just go and spend the day on the beach, have a swim, read your book, otherwise, you’ll get sick and you won’t be able to continue.
Give Yourself Permission to Relax
It was only then that I realised I couldn’t sustain constant travel like that. I had to give myself permission to just have relaxing days. It is a form of self-care. I had to be comfortable with just “being” in a new place instead of always “doing”
After that I had days where I would just chill at a cafe for hours with my laptop, sit in a hostel common room chatting with people as they came and went for the day, swimming at the beach, then eating a cafe, then going back to the beach.
I made sure I was reading lots, listening to my favourite music, face timing with family back home, having deep spiritual conversations with home-stay hosts and other guests and meditating. All the things I knew would feed my soul.
It is so important to be mindful of what you consume, not just food, but relationships, social media, toxic friendships and information, negative self-talk.
Unfortunately, it can sometimes be easier said than done, but for your own mental health and well being, they are all things to be considered.
Banish from your life what doesn’t serve you, feed you positively, uplift you or support you mentally, physically, spiritually or financially.
What’s Up Doc?
Another absolute must is ensuring you listen to your body and have regular checkups at the doctor. I’ve heard too many stories of people ignoring symptoms because there too busy at work, or travelling or maybe just scared of what the doctor will say, to actually go.
It literally could be life and death. That weird lump, sun blemish, irregular mole, sore muscle in your back! Whatever is going on, get it checked. There is no messing around with your health.
Killer Take Away: Believe In Yourself And The Content You Produce
You are going to have to be your own number, one supporter. If you don’t honestly believe in your work, or that you can turn it into a profitable business, why would anyone else?
Sure, there’ll be moments of self-doubt, times where you question whether you’ve got what it takes. It happens to everyone.
You started this for a reason. Don’t quit. Finish it. How will you ever know the true potential something can reach if you quit. You could be on the cusp of something great, literally a moment, decision or a post away from a different life. At any moment!
1000 bloggers (or insert any other passion in there) start this journey and 999 quit the journey.
Remember why you started!
For me, it is to help other people travel, specifically women. To show women it’s okay to travel solo, that they 100% should travel any way they can and I want to teach them by providing useful how-to guides and blogs on my experiences.
That’s what I tell myself when I look at my analytics on some posts and only a handful of people read it. Sometimes my reaction is, the post is rubbish, no one liked it, immediate judgement on my abilities or the strength of the information.
But then I have to remember if one of my posts reaches one person and helps that person, then I have done what I set out to do. I have been successful in helping that person.
Define success on your own terms, success looks different for everyone. Everyone is running their own race. The only person you should be in competition with is yourself. Try and be better than you were the day before.
Do You, Boo!
Don’t be jealous, everyone is successful in their own way in their own time. Again, It can be easier said than done, if you start seeing peers get job offers, or their business takes off before yours. That was the right time for them, that was the race they were running. Your success will come to you at the exact right time it is meant to. Keep going!
Use your own voice and your own individual personality and perspective. That’s what will set you apart and differentiate you from other people. Your own perspective and experience. No one else has got that.
Don’t fall into the comparison game, it’ll do your head in and it is counterproductive. Just be yourself, let your information, experience and personality shine through your work and stop fearing the judgement! It’s mostly internal. That post you’re stressing about posting. Is it perfect? Will it resonate? Will it help? Just post the damn thing.
Something my mentor Glo says to herself each morning, and by putting emphasis on each word at a different time is the following:
I own my dream, I OWN my dream, I own MY dream, I own my DREAM
Killer Take Away: Create Before You Consume
You lose HOURS on social media and playing on your phone in general. Mindlessly scrolling, when you could be doing something productive, something income earning, something adventurous.
Get your phone out of your bedroom and buy an alarm clock. No more scrolling in bed before sleep, leave it on charge in your kitchen. Do not look at it as soon as you wake up.
The best advice I’ve received is when you wake up do one of these things. Meditate, write in your journal, practise gratitude, exercise, eat breakfast, write a blog post.
Give yourself 1-2 hours of self-care and creative space before you look at your phone and start consuming. You’ll be amazed at how productive you can be and how much of a difference it makes to your overall day and overall outlook.
Don’t Context Switch
What does that even mean?
When you are working, writing, creating etc keep your phone in a different room. Every time, it rings or dings or a notification flashes and you pick it up it breaks your creative flow.
You have switched from one context to the other and it could take you anywhere up to 20 minutes to get back into the flow that you had.
It may shock you to know but you don’t have to be accessible at all times. it is 100% okay to not answer the phone, respond immediately to a text or refresh your emails every 10 minutes. Put your phone down!
If you need to set expectations with people around this then absolutely do that.
Turn Off Notifications
I have recently turned off all notifications on my phone. Yep, that’s right! The only time I look at any of the apps on my phone is when I choose to, not when my phone makes a noise. It’s still a work in progress in regards to only checking it at certain times during the day, but it’s a step in the right direction.
Most of my friends are scattered all over the world so I had all sorts of notifications going off at all hours of the day and night. It was totally disruptive and not conducive to any sort of productivity.
Now I finish what I’m doing in regards to writing, editing, posting before I pick up my phone. Or I just wait until my lunch break.
I would hate to think how many hours I’ve lost in the past, but I can’t change that, I can only improve it moving forward. And so can you. Give it a go! I’ll think you’ll find it’s actually not that bad.
What do you think? Are these some killer take away’s or what? So much powerful information. What resonated with you the most? Let me know in the comments
Have you read the other posts in my TravelCon Series? How to make the most of your first travel conference, what to take to a travel conference, is TravelCon worth it?
Disclaimer: This information is provided to everyone who attended TravelCon. I’m not speaking from personal experience (except when I specifically say that I am), I am merely telling you what has been told to me, from the people who have used these techniques and had success from them.
Sources Include: Gloria Atanmo, Clay Hebert, Matt Kepnes, Kiersten Rich, Onieka Raymond, Chris Oldfield, Ryan Holiday, Kristin Addis, Sherry Ott, Derek Baron
Great read