This probably won’t come as a shock to you…

Things tend to go a little chaotic in my day-to-day. After all, expecting the unexpected is why I fell in love with traveling. It’s how you broaden your perspective and surprise yourself–unlocking new experiences when you reach beyond your comfort zone.

While I’ll always make room for adventure, there are a few non-negotiables that have 0 wiggle room.

1️⃣ Working for “exposure”

We have a tendency to undervalue our input when we genuinely love what we do. I’ve definitely accepted a few unpaid brand partnerships in the beginning of my career, but soon found out that it pigeonholes you into the “will work for free” category.

If you feel inspired by one of my non-negotiables, I hope it’s this. Because even if you only have 100 followers, you deserve to get paid.

>>>Here’s a comprehensive guide to pricing yourself with confidence. It’s based on industry expectations so you won’t have to feel bad about “asking for too much.”

2️⃣ Don’t let demands get in the way of your passion

“Does content creation ruin travel for you?” I get asked this a lot. Fulfilling work responsibilities does change travel for me, like scheduling extra time at a destination to get the shots and deliverables I need. 

But I make it a non-negotiable to set boundaries so that I’m not in work mode 24/7. If not, what’s the point?

When you turn your passions into a career, set boundaries that protect your time and energy. After all, you need time to explore and play to share from a place that’s genuine and full of excitement.

3️⃣ Always lead by example 

This one’s huge for me. When I first created The Influencer Mastercourse and started sending out these emails, I knew I didn’t want to let this change my role in the Influencer industry. I didn’t want to only step into the role of educator and leave my career as a creator behind – I wanted to remain in the forefront of social media by facing the same challenges my students will encounter.

Because how could I teach my students how to succeed as an influencer if I’m not actively growing my audience, pitching and negotiating partnerships, and navigating the same rapidly shifting trends that my students face daily?

Many influencers turn to teaching once they’ve “made it,” swapping growth on Instagram for growth in sales. They stop creating the content they were once passionate about to create solely coaching content. Most stop working with brands, too. But I believe in order for my students to be successful, I need to understand what they’re up against in real-time.

And my promise to you is that I’ll remain in the trenches of the Creator Economy with you. It’s not one foot in, one foot out. I’ll always lead by example, putting into practice the strategies and tips I share with you.

I love it when unexpected things happen, but one thing I’m not willing to leave up to chance is your success.

It might seem weird to send an email about this stuff, but you know what? It was on my mind and you and everyone else on this email list knew the kind of person “behind the emails.”

Let me know if you need anything and thank you for being a part of this community! I love having the opportunity to share more vulnerably with you.

Catarina