325: Bilingual Blogging – How Alejandra Graf Shares Recipes on Her Blog in English and Spanish

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Hello. Hello, you are listening to The Food Blogger Pro podcast. This is Bjork Ostrom, and today's interview is with Alejandra from Brown Sugar and Vanilla. But that's not the only name for her site. She actually has two sites that are exactly the same in different languages, and we're going to talk about that. It's one of the things that was really interesting for me to hear about her journey is not only her journey in general, what her journey looked like.

To the United States, some of the.

Reasons for that, and how that eventually led her to exploring and thinking about starting a blog and kind of her side hustle growing into her main hustle, and how that started both from a kind of need perspective for her to.

Figure out what the next step is.

But also thinking about what the needs are for other people. And she's going to talk about a concept that really resonated with me, and we're going to talk about specifically what that is and that idea behind keeping an eye out or an ear out for the things that people are saying thank you for. And I think that's a great concept to think about, especially if you're in.

The early stages, trying to figure out.

What you're going to do next, what you're going to focus on, what your niche or niche will be, and using this idea of thinking about what people are gonna say. What people say thank you for what?

What people, you know, when, when, when.

Somebody is coming to you and they're like, oh, my gosh, thank you for this thing, this advice, this service, whatever that is, think about what that is for you, and maybe that can guide you as you think about what your.

Focus is gonna be.

So it's a great conversation. We cover a lot of ground and a lot of territory that I'm not as familiar with, especially with a bilingual blog that's published both in Spanish and English. It's the same site, but different URLs. Really fascinating and interesting conversation with Alejandra from Brown Sugar and Vanilla. And she's also going to talk about her. The Spanish version of that as well. So let's go ahead and jump into this interview with Alejandra. Alejandra, welcome to the podcast.

Thank you so much.

Yeah, this is going to be a really fun conversation because the way that you're producing content is really unique because you're producing the same content in different ways.

English and Spanish, two different sites.

We're going to be talking about that, but before we do, I want to hear a little bit about your journey to this point, how you got Here, take me back to the point where you said, you know what, I want to focus on creating content, I want to blog. And when you first started blogging, was it in English or was it in Spanish?

Well, I kind of started blogging as an accident. I've been living here in the United states for around 10 years now. And the first two years we lived in Austin, Texas, and those years were like my learning curve on how to live here in the United States and, you know, a different culture and a different language and everything.

What were the things that were most.

Surprising from a culture perspective when you first moved?

I mean, you know, I love how family oriented families are here. I love how dads end up their work like at 6 o' clock and you see them playing in the park with their kids and they're so hands on with the babies and with everything. I love that. We are not used to that in Mexico. People work until 9 o'. Clock. We usually have help at home. So moms are not as involved as you are here with all the kids. I mean, we are very involved, but not that much hands on. You know, we have a lot of help. So I love that I fell in love the minute it was funny because the minute we got to Austin, I felt like, oh, this is like my place in the world, you know what I mean? It was like. I loved it. I loved it.

And your reason for moving 10 years ago to Austin was what?

Because it was like in Mexico. The city where I lived, it is the north part. I was born in Mexico City and when I was around 16 years old, we moved to Monterrey, that's the north part of Mexico. And 10 years ago, like 11, 12 years ago, we had a lot of security problems, right? So there were a lot of cartel fighting. There were a lot of things that were not pretty. And what happened is that because it's.

A northern city like that that's closer to the border, it's just by chance that that's.

No, it's. Sadly, it's been going on in all Mexico, but where we lived it's a very. It's close to the north, to Matamoros and all that part where they fight more. And also it's the city Monterrey, it's an industrial city, so it has a lot of money and a lot of power. So I guess that they were fighting for a place there or I don't know, but it was bad. And what happens is that like the neighborhood or the county that I lived is very small and everything starts to close down, like society Wise everything, right.

Like, to the point where you don't feel comfortable going out at night and wouldn't.

Yes. And to the point where, I mean, Santiago, my firstborn was like 8, 9 years old, and there was like, a wedding going on in a church next to our house or in the neighborhood that our house was. And he started, like, there were fireworks, and he suddenly stood up and he. Against the wall, and he was like, mom, there are, like gunshots and stuff. And we were like, this is it, right? So this is not a way to.

Live when your kid assumes that fireworks are fireworks but are a threat to his safety.

And yeah, yeah, it was like, no, this is not a way to live. And also, like, all that, society wise, like, kids started to, oh, if you're not from this school, I don't want to go to your house if you're not. And I understand it, society wise, because you. I mean, for security, right? Because you want to know the families and you want to know everything. Because sadly, with. With all this bad people, they go through all the, you know, from poor people to rich people to schools, private schools, public schools. They're everywhere. So we were like, my husband and I, we were like, there's a world out there, so let's move, right? So we took a map out. So where do you want to live? My husband is American. He's. His mom is from Brownsville, Texas, and his dad is from Mexico. So he was born in Brownsville, Texas, but he grew up in Mexico. But he went back and forth during the summers and stuff like that to the United States. So that was a huge thing, Right?

So, yeah, yeah, yeah.

We basically opened the map. And what city do you like? Do you like Austin? San Antonio. Because he had his business in Mexico. So I came first with the kids, and then he drove back and forth. So basically we were like, oh, San Antonio's close enough, but we don't like that much. San Antonio. Let's go to Austin. Okay, let's go to Austin.

So, okay, you went to Austin before, it was cool to go to Austin.

I know, I know.

Yeah. Now it's like the spot to go to.

And it was so funny because literally we bought a map. I mean, a map at the gas station. Okay, so where should we go? And then when we got to Austin, we bought a map again. We searched for realtors and, okay, where should we leave? So we started, like, looking houses around, and that's how we landed. I mean, it was like a very brave decision. And in our minds, there was never a plan B. So we have to make it work.

Burn the ships kind of analogy where there's no going back. So did you. Does your husband still have his business in Mexico or is he doing that anymore or. Not anymore. Okay.

No, not anymore. Part of the reason that we also moved is that he had a vending machine business.

Sure.

So it's a lot of cash. Right. So they take out the cash and put the cash in.

So I remember when I was a kid, I would go help my grandpa at a building he would own that he owned. And one of the things I would do is open up the vending machine and take all the quarters out. And as a kid, it was like the coolest thing ever because you just open it up and it's like, oh, there's all these. And there's Some really popular YouTube accounts of people who have like, vending machine businesses or like laundromat businesses. And they go around and they collect all the money, but it's like, it's all cash. Like, you're operating entirely in cash and then you carry it around.

Yeah. And when the situation that I was telling you about, I mean, it was not the ideal business to have in a city where there. It's like, security wise is not safe. No.

Yes. Yep. Yep. So you make the move in your land in Austin, and then for at least a period of time, your husband was driving back and forth and was operating his business. And for you, it sounds like that was a period of time where you were starting to say, like, okay, then what? Like, what do I do when I'm here? Obviously there's a lot to do just around moving, establishing in a new place, new culture, things like that. But then it sounds like there's another piece around consideration for work, like, what am I going to do? What am I going to create? Was that kind of what you were thinking about at that period of time?

Yeah, I was like, it was a time where I felt I got like my family back. We regrouped, we started a new schools, new way of running a household and stuff like that. And then my husband came to Austin and he found a job in Houston. So then we moved again.

Houston?

Yeah. To Houston. Well, we live in the Katy area, so it's the suburbs.

Katy, Texas. Is that a college town? Why do I know? Or is it just.

No, it's not. Well, you know what? Texas A and M is really close from here. It's that College Station, and it's about an hour, an hour and 15 minutes from here. So probably because of that sure, yeah. But it's big in football. I don't know if you follow high school football. So Katie has.

Maybe that's what I'm thinking of yet. Texas high school football. I love high school football, but like Texas high school football feels like it's just another level. Like it's so extreme.

Yeah, it's fun. It's fun.

So you, so you land in Houston and then that's when you start to kind of think about.

So when my, I was in Mexico, I was working in a high end art firm, right. So I studied art. So I always love like creating and photography and painting and all of that and. But my son Santiago was. When he was born, he was born with dairy allergies and now he's 20 years old, so. 20 years old. 20 years ago in Mexico, in the north part of Mexico, when it's like a very macho culture and meat oriented and all of that, I started to raise him dairy free and in a vegan diet. And I was like that crazy mom that did not give animal products to the kid. And you know, it was like all bad, right? So fast forward 10 years. When we got to Senate to Houston, I started to, okay, so now I know how things work around here. I know that my kids are okay. We know like the school system, we know anything. And that's when I started like thinking of what I was going to do, right? So I enrolled myself in Masters for Art history. I don't remember what it was, but that time I was reading the book from Daniel laporte, Firestarter Sessions. And there's a line where she says, do what people thank you for. So that like clicked my mind because at that time my friends were calling me, all of my friends that told me that I was a crazy one. They started calling me like, you know, my daughter has allergies, food allergies. What do I do and what do I. How do I substitute this and how do I do that?

So I love that idea of do what people thank you for.

Thank you for.

That's a great idea.

I mean, that book is awesome. I know.

What is the book called again?

Fire Starter Sessions. And it's from Daniel Laporte.

And the, the kind of focus of the book is.

What to do with your life.

Okay. I'm reading the, it says the Fire Starter Sessions, Soulful practical guide to creating success on your own terms. And so you're reading this kind of thinking, what are the. Where, what do I want to do with my life? And. And that. That phrase stuck out to you do what people thank you for. And then you started to think, what do people thank me for? Oh, it's when I help them with.

Yes.

How to, as with their family, eat dairy free or without animal products. Interesting.

That. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I spent a lot of time on the phone, like, do they said this, add a pinch of this and stuff like that. And my husband got to a point of like, can you stop? I mean, you have to do something. You have to make a blog do something. And I was like, like, okay. So I went and goog a blog and then I started.

When was this that that happened?

This was 2013. And I have to tell you that I enrolled in Food Blogger Pro.

Great.

Like, I. I don't know when you started. It was like, it was around that time.

It was, it was. It was a while ago. Yeah.

Yeah. So I'm so happy to meet you and finally thank you for all the things that you have done for me and everybody else. Yeah, it's fun.

Whenever we can close the loop on that. And you know, that's why we built Foodlogger Pro to be a part of somebody's journey. Right? So, yes. And it's fun when it's the. It's two parts of the journey. One would be, hey, can we help somebody early stages, figure out what's next, how to launch? But also like this, we've been around long enough where now we can have a conversation with somebody who can come back around and give advice and insight to people who are potentially themselves starting early stages or even if somebody's more established, to be able to say, you know, here's how you view work and what you've done and how you've kind of found success. So that's. That's really fun to hear.

So thank you so much. I mean, you showed us a way and I loved it. But, you know, in that time I was like super crazy with my. I have three kids and they all do sports and band and three different schools and stuff, so I had to stop. But I really remember that I was sitting on my bed with my computer, doing laundry, watching all the courses. That totally.

Yeah. That's awesome.

So, yeah.

So you have this moment where you ask the question, what do people thank me for? You start to get some clarity around that. How quickly after that did the idea of what your blog and your business would be start to formulate?

I think it was like, I don't know, around, like three to six months after. Because as I've. And I was enrolled in the in for my masters of art, I think it was art philosophy or art something. And so I had to cancel that and Google what's a blog and how to make a blog and stuff like that.

So you were pursuing a master's and decided to switch. Like, yeah, maybe this won't be a good fit for me. Was it that the idea of building a blog became more. Became the more attractive thing? Or was it in going through your master's you realized this isn't a fit for me?

Helping people. Helping people like it. It really lighted up something in me. And I. And I didn't know how to cook. I learned how to cook here in Austin. I mean, I was born a vegetarian because I never liked meat or chicken or something like that. Not because of my family, because of me. And so when Santiago was born, like being vegan, I had to start learning how to cook and eat the things that I wanted. And when we got to Austin, I saw all these products and this new produce and everything. So I was like, oh, this is my colleague. So it was something like that, but it was more related to helping people. And when I decided to start the blogs, I divided it in three because I knew that it could be a business. So I first divided it in three areas. First all the tech side, then the photography side, and then the food, right? So I was like, okay, what should I do first? First I need this. So I started with all the techie things and stuff like that. And then I learned how to. I took a professional certification course on how to be plant based chef. So I did that and then I started like learning photography. But as I said before, I was so busy with the kids that it made sense to me to divide the business in three. And every other year I go around like, okay, I'm stuck on photography. What do I need to do? I need this and this. Or tech wise, I need this. I need a better server. I need better things, right? So that has helped me a lot.

Do you. Do you mentally divide that up so it almost feels like you're making progress in a way that it wouldn't feel like that if you're just like, I just need to do all these things, and until I get through all of them, then it's not considered done. Whereas if you're focusing just on photography for a season, then you can say, great, I want to get better at photography and understand lightroom. Say so. Then you do a class and a course, you get better at it and you feel like, I moved through that. Check done. Now I Can focus on some of the tech stuff or what is your reason for kind of viewing it in three different areas or three different buckets?

Because I feel that I realized really early that to show what I wanted, the recipes and the food and the idea of this new way of eating that I had, I needed to show the food, like, yummy food, right. Not just a picture. And everybody asked you, what is that? I mean, I needed something beautiful, right? I needed to know how to write a recipe. Because my recipe sharing was add a pinch of salt, it'll taste good.

Yeah, yeah.

A little bit of lemon, you know, so I needed to really do that. And the tech side, I always was like, not my forte. So. Yeah, but the reason is, like, when I felt like I just couldn't go further because of all of my knowledge, I went and hired somebody else. And that, sure, that was smarter than me. Right. And with photography, when I looked at the photos and I was like, oh, God, no, this is not working, I feel stuck. That's when I moved ahead. And it's more of a feeling than a to do list.

Sure, that makes sense. When you started out, did you know, hey, you're going to start with writing all your content in English or writing in Spanish and talk a little bit about what that's like? Because you have two different sites, but the same content, but different languages. What is that like to run two.

Different sites and there are two different languages and two different voices? Right? Because there are things that you say in Spanish that if I said in English, they will be like, what is wrong with this girl? Right, so totally. So do you have an example of that?

Like, what would that be one of the things you would or wouldn't say?

I mean, not. Well, not in the blog, but with my life. Once my. One of my friends went to my house to my. My daughter had a play date, right? So she went to drop her daughter to my house, and I was just back from Mexico because we had a wedding there. And so I was standing at the door. I mean, I. I laugh every time I tell this story. I was standing at the door in my house, and she was in her car and she just put down the window and she was like, how was the wedding? And I was like, oh, God, I got intoxicated. It was so bad. But imagine me screaming from my door to my car and I could see her face, like, turning white and, you know, like, doubting, should I leave my daughter or not? And I was like, that's weird. What's going on? I don't know. Right. So she left her daughter and then she came like an hour earlier than she said she was going to come. And I was like, yeah, what's up? And she was like, oh, I think you meant food poisoning, right? And I was like, yeah, I got sick. I mean, I ate something and I got sick.

And she was like, versus her thinking like you just had so much to drink and this completely irresponsible person and.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So. But you could see her face like changing. And I was like, what's wrong? I mean, I'm the one that was sick, not you.

Yeah, right, right.

But examples like that I have like a million, like I always mix up words or like. So what I did is like I started in Spanish because of my friends were calling me like from Mexico, like, what do you do this and how do you do that?

Literally, like you being able to. Somebody asks you and instead of you writing an email, you write a blog post. Like, I think that's a good way to think about it. That happens even with me where, you know, in my family and kind of circle of friends, I'm known as like the tech guy. So like my brother in law is like, hey, should I buy the new imac or the old one that's a little bit bigger with an intel chip? And it's like, what do people thank you for? Like, what do people ask you questions about? And I could, if I didn't know what content I wanted to write about, I could write like a blog post and analyzing the difference between those two things. And it sounds like that's what you did. And because your friends who were asking you, if you were to connect with them, you'd speak Spanish. You wouldn't speak English. You started your site in Spanish, is that right?

Yes, yes, that's it. So I started in Spanish, but then I noticed that it was kind of expensive to maintain the blog and the cameras and all of that. So I needed to, even though I knew it was going to be a business, I didn't realize that so early. I needed to start working and to cover the costs. Right. So then I noticed that people were hiring me for my. They, they hired, they liked the recipes and they hired me. But they were like, can you write them in English? So I started writing them in English and they were bad, but I mean really, really bad. At the point that one editor just told me, you know, your writing is so weird. And I was like traumatized for life. Yeah.

Who are these people that you were writing for? Were these like brands doing sponsored content or like, for other companies.

Like other, like companies. Magazines on Internet, like mom bloggers, like what's. Like networks. Like networks. So, yeah, they were, they were hiring me to showcase the Mexican side of a recipe or for Mexican Independence Day, that it's today also, and stuff like that. So. But it was bad. So I had to learn. It's not only that I wrote in English also, I had to learn how to write in English because, I mean, I grew up in a bilingual school and lived in Boston and lived all over the place, but I never knew the vocabulary for the culinary world, you know what I mean? So I needed to do that. So that's when I noticed that I need to start earning more money and that it could be a business. That's when I started to write more in English. And that's when I decided to also, instead of calling it Bilonci Vanilla, that's what I call it. Brown sugar and vanilla. The English side. Because my friends here in the United States were like, what's your blog? And it was like, I mean, I never thought about that. So.

Yeah, but they would look at it and be like, wait, what is this? And how do you pronounce it versus, like, yeah, you know, if. If you translate that, it's, oh, brown sugar and vanilla. Like, okay, I know what that is.

Yeah, totally.

So when you, when you go through the process of publishing a recipe, are you. Do you. My guess would be you write in Spanish first. You have that all established, you publish it to your Spanish site and then you're taking that, translating it, publishing it to your English site. Is that.

Yes.

Correct?

Yes. Huh. I have the multiple language plugin for WordPress. So that has made it really easy because I just press a button and it says, copy the content from the Spanish side. So it copies it. And then Google Translate has been an amazing tool for me and I also use Grammarly. But now I also have an amazing editor that. She's been helping me a lot because I always mix up my prepositions or bent, like sayings. Like, instead of in a pinch, I used it in a totally different way. And she's so lovely. She's like, you know, ale, this is not the way we use this expression. So, yeah, she's been really, really lovely and I've been learning a lot with her.

I feel like languages. I remember this in high school, learning Spanish, it's like after I got done with Spanish one, I was like, I'm pretty good at Spanish. But it's like with languages the more you learn, the more you realize you have no idea.

No idea. Yeah, yeah.

And much respect for anybody like yourself, who's able to not only be bilingual, but then also to create content that reaches both audiences.

It's like being bicultural because, you know, that culture here and the culture there, it's two different things. Right.

And you would. You would interact different, you greet people different. I remember my wife Lindsay and I lived in the Philippines for a year.

And there's all of these really small.

Things that you don't know. A super specific example is like one of the ways that somebody would affirm or say yes, would they just be like, raise their eyebrows, almost like a nod.

And when you don't know that, it's.

A really weird interaction. When you ask a question somebody affirms by saying yes, raising their eyebrows, but you don't know that that's what it is. And so there's all those little nuances that exist. And so you can understand how that becomes difficult when you're trying to, you know, whether it be a little quip or phrase and just used in the exact right way is kind of.

I know, I know.

So one of the things you had talked about, and it's actually a tool that I use as well Grammarly, which is just this incredible tool that gives you kind of real time feedback, even.

On tone and things like that.

Yes.

I think the way that we write is such an important piece. Like when we look at hiring, it's so important. Any of the content you publish, so important. So I think that's important to point out. I'm curious to know with the two sites. So you have Google Analytics probably running on each site. Do you kind of run them as two separate things?

And, like, will you know that something will be popular?

Like a Spanish version of it will be popular, but the English version won't. And then I'm also curious about seasonality because I'm guessing that there's certain seasons where it'd be like, hey, this is the perfect timing for this recipe in Mexico, but it wouldn't be the perfect timing for that in, like, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

I know.

Will you still publish a recipe on both sites despite it being like out of season on one, or does that not matter as much?

No. Yes. And I think I'm still learning. It's been a huge, huge learning curve for me, all of that, because, I mean, I am Mexican, so in Mexico, we feel different. How we plan, we do not how we feel, we. We plan different for seasons. We're not as organized as we are here, that we plan for Thanksgiving months in advance, and especially with food blogging, that you have to go way further. Right. So if it has worked that I like combine the two countries, because for example, as I said, today is Mexican Independence Day and it's also Hispanic Heritage Month. Right. So I started publishing all the recipes. But on top of that, I'm also vegan. So it's like difficult to understand that Mexico here in the states. Right. That I'm Mexican and that I'm vegan. And so it's another level. And I don't look Mexican. So that's another thing.

And difficult to understand because traditionally you wouldn't like Mexican recipes would include some type of meat. Is that what you mean?

Yes, yes, yes. Here, here in the state, yeah, it's always meat, it always cream, it's always queso, it's always something. But in Mexico it's not animal products.

Always. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

But in Mexico it's not. Because in Mexico there are a lot of recipes that are, as you know, our cuisine is based in masa, right, in this corn flour. So there are a lot of things that are made with just masa or we use a lot of tomatoes and other vegetables. So we don't always include meat and dairy in our food. So it's been a long process to understand what, what resonates better with the people here. And, and, but also in Mexico they're like 10 years behind on the vegan side. So it's also been like educating people that you can do a soup and make it vegan, you can do this and make it vegan. So right now I think that everything has worked in a good way. Favorable. Do you say favorable? Yeah, sure, yeah, for me, yeah. Because as I said, Mexican independence is today and it's Hispanic Heritage Month. And then Mexico, it's growing its Halloween festivities and it's getting big in festivities. And then here in the States, the other muertos is getting big. So it's also a Mexican. So in a way it's kind of working.

Yeah. So I'm curious to know, what does traffic to your site, let's say your English site look like in Spanish speaking countries. And what does traffic to your Spanish site look like an English speaking countries specifically? I'm curious to know, like in the US there's a massive population of people who speak Spanish. And my guess is that it's a relatively, in the US at least in the food space, underserved market. But maybe I'm off on that.

No, no, no, there's. But you know, the people that live here are also consuming information. They're used to consume information and blogs and everything in English.

Sure.

Right. So. So my Spanish blog has an audience that it's from all over the world. I mean, Mexico is the first place and then Argentina is the second one and the United States is the third one.

Okay.

Because that's a Spanish. Right. And then that English side is all us. And it's growing. It's still growing. I mean, it's a. It's not that much traffic. But I like to have the option. I mean, if I was just writing and looking at the numbers, it would make sense just to write in Spanish because I. It's a huge difference, but I like having the English version and I think it's going to catch up at some point.

The huge difference in that your Spanish site is more popular.

Yes.

Is that what you mean? Yes.

Because I started it way before than the English one. Right, Got it.

And the other thing I'm curious is what does that look like? You know, you've talked about kind of the transition to being a business. You knew that it was going to be a business. It is. You have a team, an editor, people that you're working with. I'm curious to know, number one, when.

At what point were you like, oh.

This is transitioning into being a business, you know, was it running ads, was it getting a sponsorship? And then I'm also curious to know, are there things that are different in terms of like running ads on your site? Can you work with a traditional advertiser like mediavine or adthrive? And then also sponsorships. Are there companies that you're working with and would you work with companies in Mexico who hire you to promote a certain product? And are there considerations around contracts or things like that? Yeah, just really curious to know what that looks like.

Yes, I am with ad thrive right now. And again, I have to say that you and Lindsay showed us a way. So I followed you, what you were doing. Yeah. I'm so grateful for you both. You showed. I don't remember, but you said like every month or. I don't know how often you did it. You said like, this is what we earned or something. You had something like that, right?

Yeah. For a season we did reports where we said, here's. Later on we said traffic. And then here's kind of what we're spending money on. Here's where income is coming from.

Yeah.

For a lot of people it was like the four minute mile where it's like, once you see somebody do it, then you're like, oh, okay, then you can do it.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I, I, I'm grateful because you were like, oh, this is possible. You know, you showed us a way. At least you showed me a way. So I was like, oh, I have, I was running ads with, I always forget their name. It's blocker with blocker. Until I got the page views that you need for Ad Thrive, and then I got accepted in Ad Thrive and I've been working with them, and it's a challenge because I have to grow my US audience also. And, and, but I mean, I'm there and it's working, right? So that's a huge thing for me.

So can you run it, can you run it on your Spanish site? Or. Yes, you can run it on both. Okay.

Yes, yes. Because they're, Remember, they're the same side. They're just mirrors. Even though I write in different languages and with a different voice, it's like with, with that plugging, it's like a mirror, you know, Even though the URL.

This is helping me wrap my head around it. Even though the URL is the same, everything else.

Even though that URL is different.

Yeah.

Thank you.

Even though the URL is different, everything else with the site is the same. So even though I can pull up the Spanish version and the English version, those are viewed as technically the same site. Do you know what's going on behind the scenes and how that works? Or functionally, do you have just one Google Analytics account and it shows you.

You know, with Google Analytics, you can have as many properties as you want. So I have one for the whole site. I have one for the URL, the Spanish URL, and one for the, the, the English URL.

Got it. And so does it work in a way where, how does it, Is it based on the search term that you're using in terms of what shows up? Or, like, if I'm sitting here in Minnesota, will it always be brown sugar and vanilla that shows up? Or if I search using a Spanish search term, that will be the version that shows up. So it's like Google's intelligent enough to know based on the term that I'm using what will, what post it will display. Got it?

Yes. Because sometimes I even look for something in Spanish and my brown sugar and vanilla site comes first, then the Spanish one, because I'm here in the States.

And is that, is that location based? Or would you also. Could you. If I switched my default language within Chrome, Or Google to Spanish. I wonder if that would impact it.

I think it's. I don't know. Probably you know more than I do, but I think it is location based.

Sure.

Because when I go to. Because my. All of my settings are in English because I never understand the Spanish that they use. I understand only the English. But when I go to Mexico, I run ads in Spanish, so.

So I think it's location it knows. And when you, when you are in Mexico, would it be more likely to show the Spanish version of your site?

I don't know. I don't know. We'll have to.

It's so fascinating to me.

Yeah.

Because it's, it's an area that I don't really know anything about. And it seems kind of, kind of mysterious to me. But. But the point being the Spanish and English version, you're not logging. Are you logging into two separate WordPress accounts or it's the same WordPress account?

No, it's the same.

It's the same WordPress account.

It's the same. It's the same. And I can go like I have. I can show you the backend any day that you want. So you can take a look at it, but there's a little flag at the top and there you can click like a Spanish or the English version. And there's also like a logo that can show. That shows the whole site. Both languages.

Sure, that makes sense.

Yeah. I have an amazing developer that, he's a genius and he's been helping, especially.

In situations like this. How about your team? What does that look like? The people that you're working with and how did you build that over time? And when did you know was the right time to hire.

Well, Lee, the developer, it was like, I mean, it took me forever to just do the coding to hide that image when Pinterest was you, you know, so I always messed up and it's like, oh, no, this is not my thing. So he came into Bio first and then I have Joanna. She's like my manager, brand manager. She helps me with contracts and stuff. Answering to the other question that you asked before, I don't work with companies in Mexico. I only work with companies here in the States.

Why is that?

Because it's a different way of working. And I'm used working to working with the, with the US Companies. So it's different. US Companies are very formal. They say, like, here's the list of things that you need. This is the what I'm expecting. This is what I'm gonna pay you. Everything. And Mexico, everybody's lovely, and I'm so glad to meet you. And let's see if we see each other tomorrow, and then tomorrow never comes. And it drives me crazy.

Right.

So I'm, like, more used to working here. I mean, they're amazing. I love them. I am Mexican, but it's a totally different story. Right?

Yeah.

So. And then Joanna came because, as I said, I mean, Spanish is my first language. And when I read all the contracts, it took me forever because I. There were words that I did not understand or there were terms that I did not understand. So I. I just, like, I was like, no, this is not. And even negotiating and the things that I wasn't asking enough, and I wasn't.

Sure it was a mess. This is somebody who's helps with, like, contracts and brand.

Yeah, she's. Yes, she's Joanna Voss. She has an agency, a talent agency. That's what she calls her. And I think she works with, like, Joanna Voss, her name.

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

So she helps. I think we are five girls working with her. And she's. I love her because she's. She's been a huge help to my business and also an amazing teacher for me on what can we do as a business and how we can work together. So she's amazing.

What has been most helpful in that relationship? Like, when you say it's been amazing and super helpful.

Negotiating. Sure, negotiating. Because I don't know if it's my Mexican side or my immigrant kind of feeling or I don't know what it is.

Personality. Like. Yeah, like negotiating. Yeah.

No, no, no. And. And I also. I feel like I have to do a lot more because I. I don't speak English or whatever, you know, so she's been like, no, you're good. Stop. You know, so she's been amazing. Then I have a designer that works with. It's a designer, social media, everything guy. He's super nice. He's young, much, much younger than I am. And so he has a more modern way of looking things. And so he helps me edit videos, work with social programming stuff and all of that. And he also. Every year I do a magazine where I share, like, tips or what or recipes or how to do this or. I don't know, for all of the people that want to start. You know, January is big with healthy stuff, so I do that, and he's in charge of all that. And then I have Allison. That Allison, she's my editor, and I hired her. Well, started working with her because I wanted to look more professional because, as I said, I mixed my prepositions a lot of the time, or, you know, I don't know how to say things. And especially for the. For the content I do for other companies, she checks it and checks it again. And she's also an amazing translator. So if I don't have time to translate something, I give it to her and she translates it. Yeah.

Oh, that's awesome. So how did you find the different people to work with? I know that's a question that often comes up is people say, hey, I'm at the point where I kind of need some help, but I don't know where to go. Like, what would your advice be for people who are trying to find people to help them build their site?

You know, I really feel that when you're ready and you're open to opportunities and stuff, things will pop up and come to you. Probably. This is frustrating if you're to hear me say this. If you're, like, looking for a tech guy or looking. But it does it. Those are the ways that people have come to me and asking. I ask a lot of questions, a lot of questions. And I don't know, I think that to this point, I'm, like, embarrassing free or how. I don't know how to say it. I don't know. I don't feel embarrassed. So I just go and ask and ask and ask.

It's being humble and not. And not being above saying, like, can you help me? Or, like, I need help. Not, like, desperately need help in this thing, but like, hey, here's the thing. Like, can you help me with this? And I think a lot of times that stuff just lives in our head. And I've thought about that. Even when, like, we go through the process of whether it's trying to solve a problem or trying to hire, just saying it. Like, you go, you know, I went down and got a sandwich today at the sandwich shop in our building. If we were hiring, let's say, social media person, it wouldn't hurt to say, hey, you know, Doug, if you have know anybody, we're looking to hire a social media person. I see my parents this weekend. Hey. Yeah, it's been great at work lately. Just so you know, like, we're looking to hire somebody. Like, putting it out into the world, I think, allows other people to activate their brains to try and naturally, people will just try and solve a problem when presented with it.

Yes.

Whether that's like me figuring out we have this huge brown spot in our yard from our dog, Sage, Going and peeing in our yard in the same spot. And I'm like, how do I solve for this? I don't know how to patch. But then I start to ask people and there's all these ideas. The same thing exists with our businesses. And it sounds a little bit like that's what you're getting at, which is like, you speak it into the world. What that does is it activates other people to kind of problem solve and try and figure it out along with you.

Yeah, yeah. For example, Luis, the designer that works with me, he was working with a friend in Mexico that has a magazine, and with COVID he had to cut people off. And he came and visit and we were talking about this, and he. And I was just saying that, you know, if you know somebody that wants to work and because I'm like, I have a lot of things to do. And he's like, oh, you could hire him and for an hour a day. And that way we could. If you pay him, that way he will get his complete salary. Right. So that's what it did.

Cool. When you look at where, like, if you had a pie chart and you were to kind of graph out the business today, I'd be curious to know both sides. Like, what percentage wise, what does it look like for income sources? So advertising versus sponsored versus like, if you're doing freelance work. And then also, like, roughly what does that look like expenses? Is it mostly like team members or is there some other, you know, crazy expense that. That. That you feel like is really worth it? And it doesn't have to be like specific numbers, but just what does that look like for you from a business perspective? Both from the things that are most important for revenue and also the places that you say, hey, it's really important for me to spend money within my business in this area.

Yeah. So right now it's like let's say 80% sponsored work and 20%. Well, 75. 25% advertising. And for a long time, I did all the work by myself. And then the minute I had, like, a little bit extra, I decided to hire somebody. So I didn't pay me for a long, long time. I think I invested back into the business.

Yeah.

So I've always spent first on the business. And I like that. What I spent on ads right now, it goes directly. I mean, what I earn on ads, it goes directly to paying the server and paying all of the plugins and paying, you know, Grammarly and all of the extra things I do and like, half. And half of the. What I earned with sponsored content, goes to paying the team and a bit for myself.

Yeah. With the sponsor content, how are you able to find those connections and those. Is that sponsored content like you're posting to Instagram or your blog, or is it doing freelance work for other food and recipe sites where you're maybe developing a recipe and photographing it?

Yeah, so I don't do, like, freelance work anymore because now My focus is 100% on the blog because I have a lot of things that I need to fix and figure out. Yeah, yeah. You know, and to update content and a lot of things. And the sponsor content, I get it from Instagram or Joanna again, she helps a lot promoting my business.

Got it. And so with the agency, that's one of the things I think people forget about. The agency will sometimes find deals and bring them to you. Is that what you're getting at?

Yes. Yes. But before. Before I did. Before Joanna was working with me, I asked again. I just asked and introduced myself and, hey, I'm Alejandra. This is my blog. I do recipes in Spanish and in English, and that's the way. Or sometimes when I started, I just bought a product that I really, really loved and took pictures of it and developed recipes and just contact that girl, the pr. You can Google all the PR and you can Google everything. Right. So I think I've become really resourceful. Googling and, like, so I do a lot of that. And so I just introduced myself and said, hey, I'm Alejandra. I made this recipe with this flour, and I loved it, and my kids loved it, and would you like to work with me? And I told them a little bit my story, and that's how I started asking again.

Yeah, yeah. And asking with. But not without doing anything. Like, you did some work and you proved that you're willing to take the time to make the recipe, to photograph it, to include the product, versus coming without anything to offer, which I think a lot of people do. And it's a weird way to start a relationship.

Yeah. And. And, yeah. And there's a lot going on. Right. In the food blogger that. Well, not. Not just that food blog, blogging world, you know, in all this, like, influencer world that, hey, the bear has become that. It's like, guys, you have to show why you're good, and you have to show why you're different and why. So that's how I think. Right?

Yeah. That's great. It's inspiring for me to hear how resourceful you've been and doing this is Just hard in general, but then also with some additional hurdles that you've had to navigate. Like, I feel like it's hard just to communicate in general sometimes, but then what does it look like to communicate in a second language? Right. Yeah.

Yes.

It's level. It's, it's, it's a level deeper. And so a lot of admiration and respect from me for the work that you've done. It's really inspiring to see. If you look back, you know, between now and the time when you were folding laundry and watching Food Blogger Pro videos, what were the things. What were the things that you did along the way that were most impactful to the growth and success of your, of your blog and your business?

I think that I started to see like things turning around when I took it really seriously.

What does that mean and look like? Like, what did not taking it seriously look like? And then what does taking it seriously look like?

Yeah. So I kind of divided my time through the day and you have to make some sacrifices, wake up early to write a post before I send the kids to school or if there's. Taking my computer with me everywhere. As I said, I have three kids that super, super active. So I always carried my computer because I knew that I was going to work during soccer practice. I had half an hour or stuff like that. I stopped going to lunches, breakfast, whatever, moms got together things. And I was like, no, I'm working. And I also applied. I call it, I know it's called the Pomodoro method, but I call it the Lavadora. That's the washer method. It's like I turn on the washer machine and then I do something and then. Yeah, so that's.

Explain that concept for people who aren't familiar with it. Just the basic idea.

So the Pomodoro method is that you work for 45 minutes and then you rest for. Or you walk or you do another thing for 15 minutes. And that's the kind of the idea. Because my washer, the cycle took 45 minutes, so. And then that's why I do.

My question is, what do you do? You just like run it without a load when you don't have any laundry? Like just use, use, use that still.

Well, it, you know, I got. Now that I. You got me thinking when I was like folding laundry, I had. The kids were 10, 8 and 6 at that time.

Yeah.

So my husband traveled a lot. I was alone with them. But it was crazy. But it's, it's because I had like, it was not Only the washer. It was also like, take him to the class and come back. And take her to the class and come back.

You know, so these windows of time, essentially, what's great about Pomodoro method is that you can. It's. It's like. It's kind of breaking apart. The idea of, like, you have eight hours in a day to work, and you just kind of slog away for eight hours to say you work super focused on one thing for 45 minutes and then take a break. The idea being that if you work with, like, a TikTok pattern of, like, focus, focus, focus, break, that you'll actually be able to do more than if you just try and do eight hours straight through. But that idea of, like, committing to it, taking it seriously. We hear that, you know, there's an interview we recently did with Sarah Cook from Sustainable Cook. I want to make sure that I get her URL right. But she talked about that same idea, and she was like, you know what? I decided to take it seriously. And once I took it seriously, the impact that that had was substantial. Sustainable cooks with an S, not just sustainable cook. So I think it's a great note and an important consideration for people who are looking to level up. It's like, it takes time, it takes commitment, it takes hard work. And it's cool to hear a story, Alejandro, of you doing that and finding success in it. So if people want to connect with you, if they want to follow along, like you said today, when we're recording this, I don't know when it will go live, but when we're recording this, it's the start of the Hispanic Heritage Month, which is kind of fun to kick this off. And then you said, is it the 16th? Technically? So today's the 16th in Mexico. Well, is this 15th or 16th? You said it was Mexican Independence Day.

The 15th.

Oh, it's the 15th. Okay. I googled it quick, and it said September 16th.

Well, what happens is that today is the. They went to a church and rang a bell, then they scram. Let's. We're independent. Let's. But we start celebrating from today, I think.

Yeah, yeah. It's like a birthday weekend as a birthday day. Yeah.

You know, Mexicans, I mean, we party.

Let's start. Let's start. We know it's coming up. Let's just start now.

Yeah, let's do it. That's great.

So fun to have this conversation on today and, you know, leading into this month, and really fun to connect with somebody who's familiar with FoodBlocker Pro and especially in the early stages. So for those who want to follow along, where can they do that and how can they connect with you? Alejandra. Yeah.

So my blog in english is brown sugarandvanilla.com and my Instagram is But if you Google Ale Vegan, you'll find me Cool Ale. It's a L E, not I. Great.

And we'll link to it in the show notes too so people can go and click if they need to. So thanks so much for coming on the podcast and sharing your story. Really appreciate it and thank you so.

Much to you and Lindsey and everything that you have done for us. I mean, it's amazing and I will be forever grateful.

Oh well, really appreciate it. Means a lot and thanks for coming on.

Bye.

All right, one more big thank you to Alejandra for coming on the podcast, sharing her story, her journey in starting her site, but also her journey in coming to the United States.

What that was like and what that.

Experience was like for her. And it was really fun to have this conversation with her.

We didn't, we're not publishing the podcast.

On this date, but on the first day of Hispanic Heritage Month. So it's fun for me to have that conversation on that day and Mexico's Independence Day as well as she shared.

So that's kind of cool.

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