We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Linda Pina a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Linda, thank you so much for joining us and offering your lessons and wisdom for our readers. One of the things we most admire about you is your generosity and so we’d love if you could talk to us about where you think your generosity comes from.
I, Linda, was brought up in a very poor household. I was raised by a single mother with a drug addiction and I had 4 other siblings. I am the oldest so I became head of household at a very young age. I learned to manage as well as produce the things we needed to survive. I learned what was needed and figured out how to make it happen. Through my journey I also learned that helping others made my heart happy. I have developed the skills needed to be a good partner, friend and boss. People need to feel appreciated and like they are part of something good. It benefits me and our clientele.
Carla lost her parents at an early age and was raised by her sister with her twin nieces. She was raised in a very traditional household and developed her kindness towards others in that home. She is a very loving and supportive partner both in life and business.
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?
We take people on walking food tours in Oceanside and Vista. We love our area and want others to love it as much as we do. We are lucky to have embedded ourselves in the food scene here in the North County. We will visit four restaurants per our three hour tour. You will receive delicious food; most of the time it will be off menu. The Chefs really embrace us and try new menu items on us. You will also learn some interesting facts and bits of history of the area. The food is included with the tour, libations are available for purchase at each restaurant.
The future of Carla and Linda’s Local Tours will be expanding this Summer with Beer Tours and Wine Tours. We will guide you around the Downtown Oceanside area experiencing the local breweries and wineries.
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?
First you must know your area. Learn what makes your area special.
Second go to the places that you want to include in your endeavor. Learn about them. Show interest. People will help you if they know you are serious. Connect with the business, know what their needs/expectations are; let them know yours as well.
Third you must believe in yourself and your endeavor. Believe you can do it. Confidence is empowering.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
MARKETING. The toughest obstacle we face is learning the trends and current verbiage. We find that these things change almost daily. We take knowledge from our friends and social media. We continue to learn and develop great ads, reels and videos. We post daily to multiple sites and blast out ads for special events. We include current influencers in our social media as well as take them on tours. Getting our name out there so people know we’re here is the most important thing.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.shoesandchews.com
- Instagram: @shoesandchews
- Facebook: Carla and Linda’s Walking Food Tours
- Twitter: @shoesandchews
- Yelp: Carla and Linda’s Walking Food Tours
- Other: tictok: @shoesandchews
trip advisor: Carla and Linda’s Walking Food Tours
google: Carla and Linda’s Walking Food Tours
Image Credits
All photos taken by Linda Pina
