Erin Ruoff is a home and lifestyle blogger from Austin, Texas. Also a mama to one sweet, crazy, little boy. Her and her husband run a digital agency in Texas’ Silicon Valley and she runs a multi-million advertising program for a Berkshire Hathaway company. She’s a Texas born, Texas raised girl with an extreme love of traveling and hopes to sail the world one day.
Erin also runs Hi Lovely, a place to share life, home and travels. She’s easily seduced by a good cup of coffee, a well designed handbag or a margarita. Or all three. She’s currently designing and building (her and her husband) a modern farmhouse on a lake in Austin! She calls this the “ultimate DIY project”!
Q&A with Erin Ruoff
What interests you most about taking on DIY projects?
Owning the project. I get to set the budget, the timeline, hire who I want and have no one to answer to but myself. The control and end game are all in my hands. Not a contractor or builder that can leave you high and dry. It’s awesome running your own projects. Easier? No. But more rewarding and more transparent? Yes.
What creative areas do you prefer to focus on?
Interior design and upcoming interior trends are my favorite. We love building our house and planning the next projects. House shopping is my absolute favorite to see what design each house has in store for us.
What do you consider to be your greatest business accomplishment thus far?
Monetizing my blog and finding my creative niche. It’s incredible having my creative outlet pay me each month!
What has been your most difficult project that you’ve tackled?
Building our house. Ourselves. Difficult but extremely rewarding.
Do you have a brand partner that you consider to be your favorite?
Kendra Scott, Build.com, American Standard, Kohler.
Which platform helps you to reach your audience the most, and how do you keep them engaged?
My blog and Instagram. Consistency is key. And I struggle with that. Also engaging. ALWAYS reply to your DMs and comments!
Based upon your personal experience, what’s one piece of advice that you’d give to blogger/influencers?
Don’t get discouraged about number. Be creative and put passion into your posts and do things for yourself. NOT for others. Have fun and the followers will come.
What’s one fun fact about you that our readers would be surprised to know?
I also work full time as a Digital Media Coordinator for a Fortune 500 company. I manage a multimillion ad budget and the influencer campaigns! I get to be on both sides!
What do you like most about HAVEN Conference?
The inspiration from all the other designers, builders and DIYers. I’m in awe of the creativity and strength of individuals and speakers at HAVEN. It was truly life changing.
What do you want your audience to take away from your presentation at the Heart of HAVEN virtual conference?
Confidence that they know their worth and they can get paid sponsorships and turn one-off collaborations into long-term partnerships. From a blogger’s experience and a brand manager’s perspective.
Q and A with a HAVEN 2020 Speaker Series
(This section will be updated as more articles are published)
Amber Kemp-Gerstel
Heather Cooke
Carmen Smith
Jessica Litman
Corey Hudson
Wendy Zock
Racheal Jackson
Jessica Russell
Cara Newhart
Jess Crow
Tracy Pendergast
Brittany Norman
Jenn McMurray
Karen Snyder
Yuni Min
Kera Jeffers
Kate Smith
Erin Marshall
Rachel Rosenthal
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