263: Creating with Confidence - Consistency, Quality Content, and Establishing Trust with Tieghan Gerard

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Hello. Hello, and welcome to this episode of the Food Blogger Pro podcast. I'm Alexa, and I just wanted to take a quick second to welcome you to the show and to thank you so much for tuning in today. Today we have an awesome episode with an interview with somebody we've actually interviewed before, but all the way back in 2016, and it is the very talented Tegan Gerard from the food blog Half Baked Harvest. Now, if you spend all of about 2 seconds on half Baked Harvest, you'll know that she has quite a knack for food photography, recipe development, and just creating awesome content. She is outrageously talented and she's gonna be talking about how food and awesome content is at the core of everything that she does, but then it also allows her to branch out and do other exciting projects to grow her and to monetize her blog. She'll talk about the importance of setting boundaries on social media, about growing and balancing a personal brand and how that's so tough because it's very personal and so much more, including a fun story about her being in South Korea just a couple years ago when her brother won an Olympic gold medal, which is a pretty cool story. So it's a great interview. You're really going to enjoy it. So without any further ado, Bjork, take it away.

Teagan, welcome back to the podcast.

Thank you so much for having me. I'm. I'm so excited to be back.

Yeah, it's been fun to have these interviews that, that we're doing where we check in with people who have been on the podcast before, get a little update. And what's amazing is I can so vividly remember all of these interviews that I did. And in my mind, it doesn't seem like that long ago, but four or five years. There's a lot that can happen in that period of time.

It's crazy.

It is. It really is. I'd be curious if you, if you look back, April 2016 was the last episode that we published the interview that we did. If you look back and can do your best to remember, like a typical day then versus a typical day now, how similar or different are things for you now versus what life was like in 2016?

Oh, my gosh. I mean, they're so different, but they're also not, you know, I'm still, like, I've always. My content is key for me, so I'm still creating and that's. That's always my focus, but I'm doing so much more. So my day to day is, you know, there's just so many different things between managing a team and managing new projects and managing, you know, just a social media. There's. There's just so many more things than there was four years ago. But what's kind of unique, I feel like about me is I've definitely grown so much. I mean, tremendously. But I've always kept the content kind of the core of my brand. So to that point, I'm still creating new recipes and photographing them and cooking a ton.

One of the interesting things that you said when you were processing through that a word that came up a couple times was managing. And I think that's kind of a recurring theme that we've had in some of these conversations with people who, you know, a lot of times we're checking in with somebody who maybe started a site in 2009, 10, 11, 12 early on, and when we started the podcast, that was enough time for people to have five, six, seven years to really work on something, get a lot of traction and to have some success. And what I hear you saying is, hey, you know what? Content is still super important. It's still one of the main things that I focus on. It's still the core driver of Half Bake Harvest. But there's also this word of managing. Can you talk about how that has changed? And when you think about managing things, what. Whether they be projects or people, what are those new things that you are managing and how do you go about fitting that in while still doing content?

Well, you know, my balance is off, I'll tell you that one. A little bit. It's hard. It's so tricky. As someone who is really excited to be growing and doing everything that I'm doing, I'm definitely working a lot, but I love it so much. And managing has been probably my biggest struggle. It's such. Because, you know, I am so used to. Or I was. I'm not so much anymore, but I was so used to really just kind of doing it all myself and, you know, just kind of having like one focus where it was just the blog and now it's. It's so many different. There's so many different aspects to Half Baked Harvest. It's not just the blog, you know, and so we have. We have a very small team. But managing, that has been probably my biggest struggle just because I've never managed a team before and team members and how to delegate and like, all of those things is a whole new. A whole new thing for me. So I'm really. And I'm still learning that, you know, I'm still learning how to really delegate and really allow people to help, you know, and to come on, which has been really hard for me because I'm slightly a control freak. And then, you know, with we have so many different projects between cookbooks and product and you know, updates to the site redesigns, like just I could, you know, so many different things that we never had four years ago. So managing it at all is definitely like. And managing your time and managing your day to day and what, you know, trying to figure out, you know, okay, where is my time best spent? What can I delegate? Um, and you know. Yeah, so, so managing is, is, it's hard, but I'm slow, I'm slowly learning and the bottom line is I'm just still really learning, you know.

Awesome. So along that journey, eventually what happens is we realize we can't do it all. But there are some things that you want to continue to do. So I'd love to dive into that a little bit. What were some of the first things that you had that you brought people in to help out with along that journey? And I know that, you know, you have an extremely talented family that have helped out with some things. So was that the easiest place to start with? What did that look like to start to delegate some of those things to allow you to continue to focus on content?

Yeah, so for me, but yeah, I have a very. My family is huge and they're all kind of doing something different. So that was for me such an easy way to be able to bring on. To be able to bring on, you know, team members essentially. So I guess right off the bat, I mean even like just in this last year really has been our, which is crazy, which has been our first year really having full time employee, not employees, but team members. I like to think of more as just team members. And so this is like really in the last year we've really tried to integrate that more, but previous years it's really all been. And it still is very family focused. You know, my mom is very much still involved. She does all the back end of the blog and really has since day one. So I've always had that, you know. And she does the upkeep of the blog, she manages the ads, she, you know, like all of that like nitty gritty back end stuff that's really her. And she also copy edits all of the content. So it's a lot. You know, she's definitely a big part. And then yeah, I brought my younger brother on as well to he does. He still continues to do all of our video content. He films and edits those videos for social media. And the ones that you see like in Feed, you know, Instagram stories, I am of course doing. But so he is still very much a part of Halfway to Harvest and then we actually brought on two of my cousins to help with social media and they have been. Within the last year or so. That's been huge. To kind of really help me with that and take some of that workload off. And then we also have a team member we like, still trying to figure she's like doing a little bit of everything at this point. And so we like don't have a full on title for her, but she's essentially kind of a assistant area. She just kind of runs all aspects, jumps in wherever she can. So she's very much helping with my personal email load, helping me stay up to date with any kind of sponsored content, any projects that we're working on, going back and forth with our management team and kind of like taking the back and forth of everything out of it. So that really I just am used for the content and like, okay, Teeheen, you need to make this decision and that. So that's been really, really, that's been really, really helpful and that's probably been for me because she is, her name is Margaret and she's great. Um, she is not a family member, so that was like the biggest thing for me. And we've, we've really tried to hire in the past and it's been, we've gone through, you know, a slew of people and it's been hard, you know.

Yeah.

So this one's sticking, which is great. She's been on for a while now and yeah, she just kind of really helps me stay up to date with everything, stay organized, manage calendars, manage, you know, our bigger projects and all of that. And then, you know, my, my dad is also a huge part of the brand. He does all the grocery shopping, all of the, basically all of the cleaning. You know, it's a, it's a lot. So I'm very lucky to be very close. I'm literally next door neighbors with my parents. So, you know, that is a very. I feel very lucky in that way. And then we also have my brother's girlfriend, she manages, um, she helps to manage all of the commentary on the blog. So. The blog comments. Yeah. So, you know, we actually quite. Lenny's like listing it all out. There's quite a few of us, but, you know, I, it's different because they're family members. So I feel like, yes, there's such an. They're so integrated into the brand and half baked Harvest, but it's just. Yeah, I don't think of them as, you know, I don't know.

That's the. That's like the ultimate. Meeting the family for a girlfriend is like working within the family business.

It's like, oh, my gosh.

It's one thing to, like, go to Thanksgiving, but it's another to be hired by your boyfriend or your boyfriend's sister for the business.

Right. Well, it's crazy because she's actually been on for one of the longest times, you know, few years now, really, because before that, he was helping me with all that. He's like, I'm over this, Tegan. I don't want to do this.

Which is like classic brother thing to do, to be like, this is my job, but also, sister, I'm done.

Like, this is. Well, that. That's his. That's his line. That ain't my job. So.

And you're like, well, actually, it is technically, yeah.

Yeah. But no. So she's been really great, too. And it's. What's really nice is that for me, you know, I really like to keep Happy Harvest super personal. So all of these people are very close to me and know me, and that's been, I think, really, really helpful and continuing to build out the brand and keep it, you know, personal. Personal.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It really is one of the hard things that for somebody who has built a personal brand, and I think a lot of people who are creators, bloggers, have a following on social media can relate to this. You build a personal brand, but at some point you need to make it sustainable. And you do that by bringing people in. And in some ways you want that to preserve that as much as possible, the personal side of it. But also you. You can't do everything. And so you have to find these things that you are willing to switch from being a personal brand to being a brand that is personal. What were some of those really early pieces that you were willing to have somebody else help with? I heard you say email as one of those comments. Can you talk through making the decision? Because I think it's. If people continue to work hard to build what they're working on, they will have success. And so for listeners, eventually they will have to make this decision. What, when looking back, what was the most. The easiest and most helpful thing to give, give up, so to speak, or to delegate or to pass on and would you do that differently if you were to go back and do it again?

Yeah. Well, right off the bat, I want to say that it's still really big struggle for me. Like, I, you know, like, it's hard. It's really, really hard. And I think that anybody in this space can probably relate because it does feel so personal, especially with social media and platforms like Instagram and, you know, people really want to see you and interact with you, or at least that's what I've experienced. So it's been. It's been really hard. And I mean, just yesterday I was. I was on the phone, you know, saying how hard it is. I'm like, I know, I know I need to delegate more. I need to delegate more. But, you know, right off the. Right off the bat, we. I delegated the blog commentary. I mean, and I say that hesitantly because I delegated it, but I have, to this day, I am still interactive in the comments and getting back to people in questions and things like that. So it's really kind of having someone weave through what needs my eyes and that. I mean, that's a big help because we see a lot of traction and we see a lot of commentary. And so it took so much off of my plate, you know, and even just like, things like Pinterest, that was easy for me to delegate. We, you know, that was something that Caitlin, who does our blog comments, was actually doing. But we actually brought on a. Just this year, and to be very upfront with you, I'm still, like, on the fence as to whether it's a benefit or not, but we brought on someone to just kind of take over Pinterest. I mean, and when I say take over, that just kind of means that they are scheduling out our pins and pinning, you know, other. Other. Other pins. But at the same time, I still use Pinterest as a personal. Like, I still use it. So I'm pinning. So it's. I think it's basically what I'm getting at is it's really hard. But the things that we. I delegated right off the bat were things like that, you know, Pinterest scheduling out, Facebook content, blog commentary. And then within the last year, I've had a lot more help with social media through, you know, Instagram and making sure that, you know, things are scheduled properly and people are being responded to and things like that. So social media has been something. I'm still so interactive on it, but I've also been able to delegate some of that. And then all of the. I mean, all of the back end of the blog. I've really delegated that since the day one. So for me, that was just like, that's something that I never really had an attachment to. So that was easy, you know. And then in the last couple, or really the last year, email has been big. I've been able to Margaret, who is kind of managing. She's not managing my inbox, but she's helping to weed out what my eyes really need to be seeing. And then scheduling meetings and just the back. And there's so much back and forth day to day, when you start bringing things, bringing, you know, new projects on and all of that. And then, I mean, I didn't even think about this, but we do have management. You know, we're with DBA Digital Brand Architects. And so that was something that, you know, I. Gosh, I can't even remember how long I've been with them, at least probably. I probably started four years ago, maybe around the time I first talked to you with them. And so that's been, you know, they really manage all of our sponsored. All of our sponsored content. So I don't really have to deal with the contracts and any of that essentially, you know, so that's obviously a big way that I was able to. To delegate and not have to be thinking about that. So those are some of the things.

Can you talk about DBA and what that is, how they work, how you went about connecting with them?

Yeah, you know, how I went about connecting with them was actually through. My brother's now wife. His sister was with them. So she kind of was like, you know, I was talking to her and she's like, you, you cannot keep doing all this. Like, you know, basically, like, you need to delegate. You need to delegate, which everybody is always kind of on me about. But so I, I got on the phone with the founder, Raina, and kind of, you know, spoke to the brand and maybe where I wanted to be seeing it going and how, you know, and then she just kind of gave me all of the information and I signed. We signed with them. And, you know, to be honest, it was the first year, year and a half, maybe even two years. It was. It was very difficult for me because up until that point I was, you know, we were also seeing the contracts, working directly with the brands, you know, doing the negotiating. And it's not that I enjoyed that, but, like, I'm such a control freak that, like, I was like, well, is this company really. Are they really vetting for us? You know, are they really you know, like, what are they really doing? You know, and also, you know, outweighing the benefit because obviously they get a percentage of, you know, all of the things that we do in the brandings or in the sponsored content side. So it was really weighing the benefits and making sure that it was a good fit. And for the first, you know, year, year and a half, it was actually. It was so rocky and I actually left for a few months in the middle there and then went back because I couldn't handle it all. And. But since I went back, I've really worked at building my relationship with my manager and it's been a complete game changer, I think. I wasn't able to communicate properly and I'm just like, I've grown over those years, so communication is everything, and it's a really great relationship now, and my manager is a big part of the, you know, half the harvest and growing it and everything that we're doing right now. So what.

What are some of the things that you learned about communication that made that relationship better?

You just really need to speak your mind and not hold anything, you know, you. This person, especially when they're working so closely with you, you know, you can't hold anything back. You really do have to express your feelings and what you want as the content creator and as the brand. Um, and you can't, you know, you have to. You kind of really have to hold your ground. And I've always been, always, like, it's never been hard for me to say, I don't, I don't. I can't work with that brand because I don't use that brand. You know, like, I. I've really kept that. The core of, you know, Half Baked Harvest is that, like, we're not. We're not, like, essential. I don't want selling out, but, you know, like, we only work with the brands that we really use and own wholeheartedly, love. So I think that's been reflected in why, you know, sponsored content hasn't necessarily been, you know, seen as in a bad light for us, which I think is key. And so. But, yeah, I mean, communication just. I feel like I don't really remember what I was doing wrong then, but it's just kind of like you really just need. You just need to be open and be able to with me. I mean, we're just. We're in constant contact now. I mean, we text, we email, we hop on the phone. It's just. It's like a very constant communication flow and really allowing you. I Feel there needs to be a sense of trust, which I don't think I had before because I am a very like, hesitant person. So they're definitely. And that's why working with family is obviously so, so great for me because there's nobody I trust more. But yeah, in the last. It's really, it's really allowing. It was really allowing myself to be able to trust somebody outside of, you know, the family and opening up. I think.

Yeah, I feel like that's such a huge part of it is that trust element. Like you said, there's. Especially if you have a healthy relationship with your family, which, you know, we've been able to connect through the years. Visited you a few years ago when we were coming through Colorado, like obviously have a really incredible family that's very close. And that trust element is so important. So whether that be family or team, to have open communication and to have that level of trust goes such a long way. So I think to work towards that is such a great goal in all relationships, but especially business relationships as well.

Absolutely. Yeah.

One of the things that you talked about that's changed and evolved is like you used to kind of talk about blogging and now it's like it's kind of managing a media brand. So there's the blog, there's Instagram, there's video. What if you were to rank order kind of the platforms or the places that you focus on that are most important for Half Baked Harvest as a, as a brand, what would you say those would be like, what would the top, like five or top three? Whatever, Whatever you can say is like, yes, for sure. These are the most important places for us as a business.

Yeah. I still to this day look at the blog as the most important because that is the hub of everything. And I think that's been a key in growing our, you know, happy tarps as a brand. Because essentially I don't, I don't or I do not own. I mean those social media platforms, those are not mine. And you just never know what's going to happen. So, you know, I've always really made a focus to make sure that the blog is well up kept is really the core of where everybody kind of like the hub where everybody can really go back to because you just never know what's happening with social media. It's constantly changing and that's, you know, it's. We always have that, it will always be there. So I feel like with Instagram, Instagram is huge for us, don't get me wrong. And that's probably my number two. But with Instagram, I think a lot of content creators, influencers, whatever you want to call us, it's always such like a, what are we? I think with a lot of those people, some of them really kind of let their sights maybe fall to the wayside. And in doing that, you also lose your email list. And you lose, like, in. The email list is huge. I can't like, stress that one enough. Like, those are dedicated readers and people that want to see your content and that email is going directly to their inbox. And you know, like, with social media, you don't have a control over what your, what the algorithm is doing, what is going on. So really putting a focus on the blog and that in turn that email list as well has been. Is still really our core focus. And then from there I kind of just trickle everything out into the social media space. Right. So with Instagram being the biggest focus, I spend way too much time on Instagram. And, you know, that is definitely my number two focus for sure. But. And then, you know, that email news list and you know, we're still. I still do put a lot of. I'm probably forgetting something, but I still put, I do still put a lot of effort into, you know, Pinterest and making sure, like I, yes, I said that we brought on a team for that, but Pinterest, you know, I'm still very much in those conversations and knowing what's happening because it is a core content driver. Right back to Half Baked Harvest. And we see a lot of traffic through Pinterest to this day. And so we can't ignore it. We use Pinterest a lot. And I would say that those between the blog and email and Instagram and Pinterest.

Those would be kind of the top three. Yeah. Kind of like your top. What you would consider to be the most valuable. So if I was like, hey, you can only use three things to continue building your business. And it sounds like what I hear saying is blog super important, Instagram super important, email, and then Pinterest maybe kind of tied for third is as important.

Yeah, we're slowly getting into TikTok, which just. Oh, totally. We just don't need another platform. Everybody, can we just chill?

And I feel like especially, especially for people who have done so much work to build a strong presence in a place, the idea of like starting over is, is, is, is intimidating in some sense.

It's, it's tricky. Yeah.

So Instagram you mentioned as your second. You've obviously done something right and a Lot of that has to do with content, consistent content creation. But you have like a fast growing following on Instagram and 1.7 million followers, which is really incredible. And digital high five to you for doing that.

Thank you.

What do you think is, you know, as you've crafted your ability to use the platform to build a following, what do you consider to be the most valuable assets for a creator on Instagram to build a strong following? And what are the things that you've done that you'd attribute as the most important things to that growth?

Yeah, well, consistency I think is huge. You know, for me it always, it always goes back to content and quality content and making sure that what you are putting out is really something that you stand behind and feel strongly about and are excited to be sharing. Because I think that so much of it really does rub off. If you're just putting out content to put out content, it's not going to do anything for you. And then really sticking to my like core values. So like authenticity and for me, I think the biggest thing has been communication with my, with the happy terrorist community. I mean they really, I spend so much time in my direct messages, I spend so much time in the comments. I really allow our audience to be heard and interact with them, which I think is what people want and need and crave. And I think that's how you grow a personal brand and how you grow a dedicated following. So I really think that has been, you know, between consistency, content creation, really holding to my standards of not working with brands that I don't stand behind. Also not doing an over like a huge amount of sponsored content. It's not something that really excites me is doing a ton of branded work and you know, and there's really limited amount of brands that I do use anyways. I'm pretty minimalist in the kitchen, so I've been very, very picky about that. And I think that that is really built a trust with our audience. And you know, I think that that is just like we were just speaking to. Trust is really everything in light. I mean like it just, it always goes back to like trust and feeling like you can, you know, your, what you are seeing is really what that person wants to be putting out into the world and believes in it and can stand behind.

One of the questions that I have specifically with Instagram. So you're spending a lot of time in DMS in comments, you're producing a lot of content, so you're interacting with a lot of people. There's a, there's a, the, the, the sunny side to that is build, building trust, it's building a following, it's engaging with your followers, it's getting an idea of what they want and what they like or don't like. But there's also a shadow side to exposure to mean people and mean comments. What has that been like for you to protect your mental well being while also acknowledging the importance of Instagram as a platform or social media in general?

Yeah, I mean it's of course like nobody, nobody likes the hater comments and all those things. I've definitely learned to be able to like, okay, this person's just having a bad day or whatever or who knows? And so I've definitely learned to be able to really brush it off. But then there's those ones that get to you and you're just like, why, why do you need to say that? But I don't think, and I think because I've really been so interactive on the platform and honest and willing to share that we don't see a ton of it. We really don't. I mean we obviously get it, but we definitely, definitely get it. And I don't want to make it seem like we don't. But I don't think that we get nearly as much as some people in the space do. And I think it's because going back to even just the branded side of things, I don't work with the brands that I don't trust or I don't use. And I'm very, very honest and open with our community. And I think that's really been key and I think that. So I think that really helps. I really think that trust that those people feel like they have has been able to keep them kind. That said, the last few months have been a little bit different just because I think that the entire not. I think I know the entire world is really seeing a lot of not nice things happening. Yeah.

And it's interesting. I feel like there's the reality as a creator that as that the temperature, like the global national, whatever it might be temperature changes. Like you see that in a way that somebody who's not publishing content into the world and opening it up to comments or feedback doesn't see and I think more than anything important to acknowledge on varying degrees for whatever type of content you produce that does happen. And if you podcast listener are experiencing that, know that you're not alone in having to sort through kind of the, the mental gymnastics that go into feedback comments, you know, whether it be on a recipe or a brand that you work with that somebody doesn't like or just like on the rest in the world.

Right. The bottom line is you need to feel like as long as you are, feel, feel confident about what you' and what you're sharing, I mean, you don't know what happened in that person's day. You don't know where their headspace is at. You know, and it's really, it's not a reflection on you or what you've done. It's just. And that then that's something my mom has taught me, you know, like, you have to be able to brush it off and not, and I mean, you, it gets to me, trust me. Like, it's not an easy thing to do at all, but you definitely.

Have.

To be able to brush it off and find ways to cope. Whether, like, for me it's like out, you know, I need to like sleep on it and then go hiking and then I'm, you know, okay, forget about it. Move on. Focus on, you know, creating and doing what you, what you love.

Yeah, that's great. And I think your point to, I think one of the difficult things about social media is not having a connection with the people that you're having a conversation with. I think what I heard you saying was you're very intentional to have conversations with people ongoing. And so there is that connection, which it's really hard. It doesn't scale. And, and that's doing the work and showing up every day in a way that I think for a lot of people, they're not willing to do. So I think that's worth acknowledging not only how hard that is, but that's.

I think it's really important.

Yeah. So let's say, let's say you were to go back, have a conversation with yourself from four years ago. So two part question, what are the things that you would say to yourself, hey, you know what, maybe don't do this, this isn't worth it, or that won't pan out. And then the opposite side of that, what would be the things that you'd say, like, hey, you for sure need to do this or maybe do this a little bit earlier. So how about that first question? Maybe the things that you'd tell yourself, just skip that, don't focus on that, or maybe don't worry about it.

Oh man. I mean, there's so many, like, little things I would say for sure. But you know, the constant like I and I thing is I still do it though. Second guessing is really like my biggest hang up I do a lot of second guessing. I'm definitely my own worst critic. To this day. I would still tell myself, teagan, you just need to have some confidence and not do that.

But do you have an example of that? Is that with, like, a photograph or, like, if a recipe is, like, tested enough or, like, what is it? What does that look like for you to process through that?

It comes down. Photos, recipes, I mean, all of it. Anything that, like, I think, you know, it's. When you have a personal brand, everything is. It's so personal to you, right? So. So it's really hard. And, you know, I've always. I just have never put out. I don't think that it's worth putting out content that you are not really excited about and really stand behind. So it can be hard. And especially even. Almost as like, you would think it would get easier, but even after doing it for so many years, it's kind of like, you know, and then there's an added pressure of keeping everyone happy too, you know, so it's just really. It's being in your own mind and having a healthy mindset, and it can be really, really tricky. It really can. I think that in, you know, I think it can just. You just said something. You have to learn how to get through and have, like, you know, ways to almost, like, get out of your head and just not think about it. A lot of times I'll be like, you know, if I don't. I mean, I still reshoot content all the time, and I'm like, until I get it just right. So it's still. It's a big struggle for me. I would to this day tell myself, you need to just kind of like, know, trust it and put it out there. But that is something too. I also have to say is, like, just. You kind of also bite your tongue. Put it out there. I wish I would have done a lot more of that. Like, just like, stop worrying because, look, like, you put it out there and it did so well or whatever, you know, So I think that there's a lot, like, you need to obviously make sure what you're doing is you do love it and everything. But I think that to a point, you also need to step back and say, okay, I have done all I can do here. I feel confident in this. I'm gonna put it out. And whether it does well or doesn't, it doesn't matter. So I think that worrying about that aspect of things is something I definitely would tell myself to just, like, okay, you need to let it go. Let a little bit more go ye.

Hard at the same time, because I feel like there's probably. I don't want to feed. I don't want to feed into that and make it. Make it more extreme for you moving forward. But I also want to acknowledge, like, your insistence on a level of quality plays into the success that you've had, which is. Which is like, that is the yin and the yang of that.

That's this. That's the struggle. Yeah, it's like I said, I still struggle with it today. And I think that's why it's hard with personal brands. It's. And growing them and, you know, just like, trying to find the balance of it all. I think that there's just. There's no, like, for me there, and I still haven't found the answer. And I don't know that there is a perfect answer.

So, yeah, one of the. Somebody I worked for used to have this percentage goal, and for. For him it was 90%. And it was whether it was like drafting a letter. You know, in this case it'd be photography. But I found that to be helpful for the work that I do is to have a percentage. And for some people, it might be higher. Like, you might be like 98%. You know, other people, considering the, you know, restrictions they have in their life, it might be like 80%. But. And it. Obviously it's not like a concrete thing that you can actually figure out, like, hey, it's this percentage. But it's been helpful for me to think about, like, is this at 90% or 95% or whatever the percentage is? Because I think that's such a relatable thing for you as a creator. It reflects who you are, what you're about, you know, that people are going to see it, maybe make a recipe. You want it to be really successful. So I think that's something that a lot of people can understand and resonate with anything else that you would, you know, when you look back, you'd say, like, hey, maybe this project or this effort or this. This focus that I had, you know, I maybe wouldn't have spent as much time on it or focused on it as much. Or is it more mindset type stuff?

Yeah, I think it's more mindset stuff just because, you know, yes, there are. I mean, there are definitely brands that I wish that I wouldn't have necessarily worked with just because either it was not a great relationship or for whatever reason, you know, And I think early on, I'm sure I probably said yes to brands that I maybe shouldn't have said yes to because I don't, you know, use them. But I learned quickly that you really can't do that. And you know, I think that it's really just, and it's just something I really still need to tell myself is not, you know, should just, you gotta let a lot go and you gotta. Yeah, yeah.

I think that's great. And I think that's, you know, as we have some of these check ins reflect. And even for me personally, I think one of the things I hear you saying that I think is really important to point out is it's not like in any of these interviews we're doing that people have arrived. We are all in the thick of it, kind of figuring it out as we go. And every day, yes, for sure. But how about on the opposite side? What are the things that you look back on? You're like, this was really worth it and really important. And if you were to go back, you'd say like, hey, make sure that you do this. You know, if you're speaking to the person, you know, taken of four years ago, make sure you do this because this will pay off. Or this is worth it.

Yeah. There's so many things, I mean, for one, I should. Well, if you're asking what I should have done earlier, I definitely should have started delegating earlier because, you know, there's just, there's so many little things that you really have, do not need to be involved in, especially when you are, you know, we really have, we're doing a lot and so there's just so many little things that you just don't really need to be involved in too much. That said, it's like you still also need to know what's going on. Setting delegation, definitely I would have said like, do this sooner and you could be a little bit further along. We waited so long to bring on anyone outside of the family. So that, that's a big one for, for me. And then, you know, I think that focusing, like, I just always kept my head down, not focused on what anybody else in the space is really doing. And I think that's been really kind of great for me in creating a unique brand and a unique food blog or whatever you want to call it, because I really have not, you know, I've kept my eyes pretty like on my own work and what are you doing? And you know, not worried too much about what everyone else in the space was doing. So I really learned how to put my blinders up and Even like going back to social media, I am not on like, I'm not sitting there scrolling social media. And I think that that can really affect a lot of people too and their mental state. And I kind of realized like, I cannot, one, I don't have the time to, so I cannot, you know, sit there and scroll. And then when you scroll, you essentially just start like for me, comparison has been something that I still struggle with and you know, comparing your content to other people's content and oh, that's so much better or so much prettier or whatever. So I think that like not, you know, I think that's kind of giving myself those. And I'm like, even just thinking back to it now, like, I can't believe I did that. But giving myself those kind of like rules of like, okay, if you're going to be on social media, like be on social media, but be on media because you're, you're using it as a, as a tool, not as like a, you know, something that you want to sit there and scroll through all day.

Yeah, yeah, I think a lot of people will be able to relate to that. It's one of the reasons for me, like, like the biggest factor in me not using social media is that it's like, it's just so easy for me to like hop on and scroll through and see that.

And to compare you really have to like, you really have to set boundaries. It's just so key and otherwise you're going to drive yourself insane. I don't think anybody has the ability to not kind of like not compare. I mean, maybe if you're really. I'm sure some people do, but you know. Yeah, especially when you're someone creating content and in a creative space, I think it's hard to not compare. So I think that if you just set those boundaries and I just eliminate it from my, from my life, it just makes my life better.

So yeah, yeah, I think there's something to be said about the self awareness and to say throughout the day what are the things that I'm doing that make me feel better about myself or feel like I'm in a healthy place versus not. It's actually one of the things I've started to do. I use an app called Notion and I have a little note that's called everyday enjoyable. And not that you're going to get to the point where everything you do is enjoyable, but I have noticed it ebbs and flows in terms of the type of work that I do and how much do I enjoy that work. And sometimes there's gonna be work that we all do that we really don't enjoy. And it's just part of the process. It's like maybe you don't enjoy working out, but it's, you have a healthy body because of it. Similar things with work. But I do think there are things that we can do to protect ourselves, to keep, keep ourselves in a good headspace and to intentionally reflect on that which it sounds like you've done as it relates to social. And one of those things being like, hey, I'm going to spend the majority of my time interacting with people who are looking to connect, whether through DMs, comments, things like that versus like content consumption which would be scrolling through the feed or you know, watching stories or whatever it might be, which I think is really wise. So if you were to, from a business perspective, kind of that same rank order, what are the areas of half baked harvests that are most significant for you as a business? Like if you were to say 1, 2, 3, ads sponsor content, you've done cookbooks, are there areas where you consider to be the most important that you would, that you'd focus on the most from a business revenue perspective?

Yeah, I mean our ad content, which I hate to say is still one of our biggest revenue platforms. So we, you know, I'm so picky about the ads that. And I think that's also been really important to building. I'm really picky about ad placement, where they go, not making sure that we don't have too many. The pop up ads aren't too much. I hate the pop up ads. So it's pretty minimal and it's pretty minimal at this point. But you know, because we've, I've really put a focus on content and I think even just going back to Pinterest and going back to Facebook too, I can't, I can't, I forgot about Facebook. Facebook. But we still use Facebook as well. And so, you know, really kind of we see a lot. Our traffic is great, you know, so we see a lot of traffic and in turn our ads, even though that we don't have a huge amount and people don't ever really complain about them, our ads do insanely well. So that's still one of our top revenue sources. Sponsored content is not our top revenue source because I don't do a lot of it. It's, I would say it's probably, I would say it's probably like number three, we're getting into product and things like that. So that's kind of becoming a revenue source. But.

Is that you creating half baked Harvest branded product?

Yeah, we're working on some. It's not launched yet, but 2021, we'll have some product and then got some fun things going on like this year that are kind of really just dipping our toes into it. So outside of like the cookbook space and yeah, I've done two cookbooks now and I'm going to be completely honest, those you just like break even on and they've done. They've done well, you know, they've done. The cookbooks really are just kind of. I see the cookbooks as something that people, they do really enjoy, but they're not big revenue sources at all. I mean, of course we've made money off of them, but that's not really why I do them.

So, yeah, it's interesting. Even the conversations that I've had, not on the podcast, but with friends and connections who have written books, maybe in the finance space or personal improvement kind of similar idea where, hey, I'm not doing this as a single source of revenue, but I'm doing this in order to prove I'm an expert in this area or that I can do speaking gigs. And Lindsey's even talked about for Pinch of Yum for a cookbook, this idea of legacy in a different way than digital content. And forever you will have this book that somebody can hold and flip through and look, look at and almost as like a gift to readers. And we've never gone through the process of doing that, but it feels like a labor of love in a different way than other sort of work that you would do, which makes sense.

It's so much work. All I have to say is it is so much work. And you do it because for the audience and you do it because for me, I do it because the community wants it. And like you just said, cookbooks are so unique in that when you're cooking, a lot of people don't enjoy looking at their phone or having their computer out. And they really just want to have a physical recipe in front of them, you know, And I'm exactly that way. I don't like staring at my phone or having my computer out. And I don't really follow recipes, unfortunately, anymore, so it's hard for me to like. But, you know, cookbooks are like a. There's just something in your kitchen that feels homey and people love and they love to have them and they'll be there forever. So I think that's very unique. And you Know, I also do them. I have done them kind of to the point where you were saying, like, it's almost. For me, it's really more of a way to grow versus it's. Versus an avenue or a money resource.

Yeah, that makes sense. So one of the questions I'd be curious to hear you talk about is we've talked a lot about four years ago. What were things like, how have things changed? What are the things you do different, the advice you'd give yourself? I'm curious to know, when you look four years out, what do you hope if we do have a conversation in 2024, which is so weird to think about, but 2020 would have been weird to think about in 2016. What do you hope would be.

You wouldn't have predicted 2020? I don't say.

Yes, Right, right, right. Yeah. But what about 2024? Not predicting on a global level, but just for you personally, what would that look like, and what would you hope would life would look like?

Oh, I mean, I'm, you know, it's been. The last year has really been a major year of growth for. For us. And I don't see Half Baked Harvest is just. Just a food blog anymore. I see it as so much more. So I'm really kind of looking to grow. Food will always. Is always going to be that core for me, and. But I'm really looking to continue to grow the community and the audience and do more. Whether that's, you know, more cookbooks, which I'm like, so on the fence about, but more, more so getting, like I said, you know, we're getting into product. We're getting. We're doing or in the middle of a redesign, like, really kind of viewing Halfway Tarvis as a brand and not as a food blog. So, you know, whether it's more, I hate to say lifestyle, because I don't ever. I'm not switching any focus, really. Food will always be that core. I do so much of it. It's why people come to me, and I will never lose that, because I think that that's also been something that has really helped us stay successful, is that we haven't been like, okay, I'm gonna do this and I'm gonna do this and I'm gonna do that. It's really been consistent content and what people really want to see from me. But at the same time, I also see that our audience is very interested in, you know, the lifestyle of everything that I'm doing. So, you know, I'm in Colorado, I'm in A very unique place. People are very interested in that. So I think what's cool about food is it's, it's, it's really, it's the heart of the home. So because of that, I think that I have a space to also incorporate more, you know, lifestyle content. Whether that is, I, there are things that I love. I love interior design. I love, love doing tablescapes. Like, I'm just such a visual, creative kind of person that putting all that together and people want more of it. So, you know, I slowly have integrated that into the blog and just my social platforms and just kind of sharing more tidbits of my personal life. And I again, like it. But it's hard. It's not easy, you know, and it's. You're opening yourself up to criticism. You're opening yourself up just so much. But in four years, I really kind of hope that Half Baked Harvest is kind of more not. I don't, I don't want to be seen as just like a little food blog, but really more as that kind of like lifestyle, like all encompassing, you know, brand. So it's exciting. Yeah.

That's awesome. My last question. Has Half Baked Harvest ever considered sponsoring your brother Red in a snowboarding event? Putting a little, putting a Half Baked Harvest sticker on his snowboard? Would he be open to that? And.

Oh my God, he would totally do it. Absolutely.

Because you be open to it. That's the question.

I never thought about it. I don't know. I mean, it's funny because Red, you know, it's like he did the whole Olympic thing, right? And can you tell that story really.

Quick for people who are unfamiliar?

Did I talk to you? Was that was. How long was that, Was that, that was before the Olympics? Yeah.

Yep, yep, yep.

Oh, my God. Well, yeah, so my little, my little brother who is not little anymore, he just turned 20 and I'm just like, no. What is going on? He's 20, but at the time. So my little brother Red is a professional snowboarder and he went to, you know, Korea. He, he did the Olympics. He won the Olympics. And it was a whole. Is a crazy, crazy experience. And he's still snowboarding his, you know, he's still doing awesome. And he had an incredible season this past season. Unfortunately, a lot of their stuff has already been canceled for this coming year. So it's, it's just like, like you said, figuring out this new world is really tricky. So I mean, I would put as. Sure. I don't care what Red. I mean, really cool the really cool thing about, you know, my family is we really are, like, so close. And we would all do. No matter how much we're like, okay, you're annoying, go away. Like, we would all do, like, in.

The most loving way possible.

Absolutely. Yeah. We'd all do anything for each other, so. Or just happily support, support. And he would totally do it. Because the funny thing is, is all of his, you know, this is. The snowboard community is very, very loosey goosey.

Yes, totally.

And they, they love Half Baked Harvest because anytime that they can get some food and whatever. So it's good.

Yeah, that's awesome. Well, people have to look that up. Maybe we'll link to it in the show notes as well because it's really fun to see. It's fun to see you guys and your family there and cheering them on. It was like, wait a minute. It connects this thing that seems like another stratosphere, which is the Olympics and Olympic athletes.

So long. Um, yeah, we have some. We. Some blog posts about it and lots of pictures and it was crazy experience.

Yeah, we'll link to it. So, Tegan, thanks so much for coming on the podcast. Uh, obviously Half Baked Harvest is where people can find you, but do you just want to do a quick little recap? Maybe the best places for people to look for you and connect with you if they want to reach out?

Yeah, absolutely. Um, you can definitely reach out through Half Baked Harvest, that contact page, whatever. If you have any questions, I, you know, like, I noted to try to get back to everyone. Instagram, DM me, we're there. I'm there too, and on all social platforms. But really my, you know, blog and Instagram are really the best places to connect. So halfway. And they're all Half Baked Harvest.

Awesome. Hey, Teagan, so great to connect again. Thanks for coming on.

Yeah, thank you.

And that's a wrap on this episode of the Food Blogger Pro podcast. Thanks again for tuning in today and we hope you enjoyed this interview with Teagan. If you haven't listened to our first interview with her, it's linked in the show notes for this episode. So you can get there by going to foodbloggerpro.com 263. You can leave it, comment or find links to all of the resources that were mentioned in this episode. One exciting announcement that I wanted to end this episode on is that we are hiring. So Tegan talked about the importance of delegating work, and we are in the process of finding people to delegate work to as well here on the Food Blogger pro team. We are so excited to add to our team. Our team is just so fun, fun and incredible to work with. So we're looking to hire a forum manager to help us moderate the community forum on Food Blogger Pro, and then a customer success agent to help us support our customers and to help our members with their accounts. So if either of those sound like a great fit for you, we would love to have you apply. The deadline is actually this Friday, the 31st of July, but you can go to foodbloggerpro.com to learn more about both positions and then apply to either or to both if you think they would be a good fit. So that's all from us today, and we'll see you next time next Tuesday. And until then, make it a great week.

Sam.