Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dani Rodriguez. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Dani, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
I grew up in a household where “hard work” was the answer to everything. My parents always made sure my sister and I knew the importance of pushing through a task, even if we didn’t “like” it. I think this approach comes with its advantages and disadvantages. I enjoy giving something my all, but I definitely struggle with knowing when to throw in a towel. That’s why I think it’s important to have checks and balances with yourself as well as systems to evaluate if something is working. For me, if I’m working on a new project, I’ll give it my all for say a month. At the end of the month, I’ll have a debrief to go over what worked, what didn’t work, and measure the ROI on my efforts. That’ll ultimately determine where I should put my focus on next and what I should “dump.”
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I’m Dani and I’m a travel blogger and influencer coach based in Arizona! People know me as Dani The Explorer — the name of my travel blog. I spend a lot of time with my partner, Scott, and labradoodle, Chaco (I call him my son, haha!). I wouldn’t say there is anything unique about my background. I started working in pretty customer-service central roles in college. My first job was a Starbucks Barista and my next was working at Walt Disney World under the Disney College Program. It was those two jobs that taught me how much joy I get from helping people, which I think ultimately led me to the path I’m on today. Business wise, I’m pretty much all self-taught. I originally went to ASU and studied Supply Chain Management. I didn’t like it, so I went into marketing instead. My first job was with a marketing agency where I learned some social media basics. Everything else I know about my business has been through trial and error. Dani The Explorer is my travel site! I use that platform to help other creators make money from brand deals, too. The how and why behind Dani The Explorer starts with the marketing agency job I mentioned. I didn’t know too much about social media, but being the “young” one in the agency, I was thrown into it: “You’re young! Here, learn social media for our clients.” Believe it or not, I despised the idea of social media and thought it was a giant joke, but I started to really fall in love with the idea of creating content. I was doing a ton of local hiking at the time, so I decided it could be cool to post about the trails I traversed on social media. Those weekend adventures I was posting about grew me a small audience (maybe a few thousand followers), but I kept at it. Eventually, I was fired from my agency job, and it was at that moment that I decided this was the time to “shoot my shot.” And that began my journey as a full time content creator that I would later call Dani The Explorer. My original IG handle was pretty embarrassing— I’ll spare you the name haha. So my business started as literally just an Instagram page. I would post about my adventures and spend almost 80% of my time pitching brands. I would send them emails showcasing my photography work, asking if I could shoot their products. I did a few jobs for free before I felt confident charging for my work. I was charging next to nothing until I connected with some other creators and found out influencers could make thousands off content creation. That was a real lightbulb moment for me. In 2019, Scott and I decided to sell everything we own, move into a campervan, and create content full time. That was my first super successful year as a full time content creator. I was landing brand deals with REI, Mazda, Adobe, American Express, Eddie Bauer, tourism boards and more. This is how I made most of my money even through 2020.
My business has since expanded. I now teach others how to make money as a content creator and influencer with my course, #Sponsored Bootcamp. I also provide virtual assistance and management to content creators!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The first skill is focus. At some point in time, especially if you’re doing something online, you will see what others are doing, you will get jealous and you will feel the need to pivot — “If it’s working for them, it should work for me too!” Looking back, I wish I knew the importance of trusting the process and putting “blinders” on so I could focus on my journey and path, not what everyone else is doing.
I suppose with that, you need to have the mental skills to be genuinely happy for the success of others. Again, there’s no point in wallowing in what others are or are not doing and comparing that to your journey. If instead, you focus on being happy for others and recognizing that their success can happen for you, too, you’ll put yourself in a much better space mentally.
The final more “tactical” skill I’d say is marketing and content creation. You have to be able to reach customers and put your brand out there to make an impact on your journey!
All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?
I would say as my business has changed, I’ve noticed it’s gotten harder for me to show up, meaning I don’t market as well as I think I can be! It was easier for me to always create content on the go and make it about the places I was traveling when I was “just” a travel influencer. But now that I have services and products to offer, it’s gotten harder for me to get into a flow. This is something I’m challenging myself to do more of though!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.dani-the-explorer.com
- Instagram: @dani_the_explorer and @danimrodriguez
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniellemrodriguez/
Image Credits
Dani Rodriguez
