Today we’d like to introduce you to Osjetta (OH-shee-tuh) Gascey (GAY-see).
Osjetta (OH-shee-tuh), let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I started my blog Houston Food Fetish as a hobby. I was visiting restaurants often. I begin to share pictures of my food and details about the restaurant on my social media platforms. People starting asking me more and more questions about my experiences, so I set up my blog on a free platform and started writing about every restaurant I visited. Over the years, I started networking with other bloggers and realized that I was actually operating a business without even knowing it. In late 2016, I decided to move my blog platform over to a hosted site and started to move out of just writing about my experiences as a hobby and managing my blog company.
Has it been a smooth road?
It hasn’t been smooth. I had many struggles. I didn’t really know how to take good pictures. I didn’t know how to cover a media event or what to do once I was invited to the event. I struggled with starting my blog in the beginning because I just went to the first free site versus looking at a self-hosted site, so I could own my own material. This eventually allowed me to charge for sponsored posts and collaborate with other brands.
I still struggle, but just in a different way. Social media is always changing, so it can be a struggle to keep up. As a blogger, you want to be visible among all platforms and sometimes you have to remain consistent, establish your brand, and connect with your community to be successful.
My biggest advice to young women starting their journey is to have a plan. Proper planning is key to being successful. They should also get a mentor in someone that is where they want to be. Lastly, it’s about being true to yourself, staying the course, and enjoying what you do. One of the things that I continuously work on is being consistent. My goal for 2018 is to be more consistent. The best thing about blogging is there are a tone of resources to help you get it right. Oh, and don’t get caught up with social media followers. Don’t focus on the person who has over 20K. Just focus on engaging with your followers and providing quality content. Brands these days want to know you have engagement and reach. The long-term payoff is what matters.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Houston Food Fetish – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I’m a food blogger. I focus on local restaurant reviews in the Houston area. I want to be the source for food that’s good, what’s new on the food scene, and best restaurants to visit in Houston. As a brand, I’m proud that I’ve stayed the course in this ever changing market and continued to do what I loved. Lately, I’ve been considering a rebrand. There’s a few things I want to really focus on the rest of this year and going forth. This includes Houston hot spots and great places to visit around the city and more travel destinations. My blog was started on the premise of using food to connect with people. My blog is about bringing people together through food.
Blogging isn’t my only source of income. I’m a woman with many roles. I’m a full-time marketing professional in the health-care industry. I’m also a travel agent. I believe women can be multi-dimensional and this can translate over into their career as well.
What advice would you give to someone at the start of her career?
I would recommend a few things:
-Learn from people in your industry who are doing what you want to do.
-Soak up as much knowledge as you can about the industry you are in.
-Network in your industry.
-Work hard and find ways showcase your skills and ability.
-Give back. There’s always someone else looking up to you. The knowledge someone holds can be a benefit to someone else.
-Always have a work life balance. I believe in having a lot of fun. If I’m going to work hard; I want to play hard.
Contact Info:
- Address: Cypress, TX
- Website: www.houstonfoodfetish.com
- Phone: 346-291-4172
- Email: info@houstonfoodfetish.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/osjettacharme
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/houstonfoodfetish
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/hfoodfetish
Image Credit:
Main photo taken by JP Hanney
Secondary photos in Yellow and Pink taken by JP Hanney
Photo in Orange taken by: Jaz Daigle
Photo in with Napa background taken by Osjetta Gascey
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
