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Alex Snodgrass
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Below the Line with James Beshara · #14 — Alex Snodgrass — Food for Thought
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How Can a Founder Take Care of Their Mental Health
Alex struggled with anxiety after having her child. She realized she had to take care of herself before being able to take care of the people around her. Things tend to come up around the house, and it's hard to balance work, motherhood, and random distractions. It was tricky to let go of the day-to-day parenting chores, but it also enabled Alex to work on her business and to be a good role model for her kids. You have to draw line in the sand and to stick with it.
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What Were the Three Stories That Have Shaped Alex Snodgrass
(1) Study abroad was a great experience that broaden Alex's world view and connected her to her ambitions. (2) Getting pregnant early into her marriage put a temporary damper on her ambition, but then later lead to (3) Starting The Defined Dish.
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When Was Alex Snodgrass Ready to Sign a Manager?
On Below the Line with James Beshara, Alex Snodgrass of The Defined Dish says signing a manager a year earlier would not have made sense. She had a voice, but she had not yet seen that the brand could be a product line, events, and speaking, rather than sponsored posts alone. The turn came when a meal-prep partner sold her recipes under her name and the food in another city did not taste right. That work was outside what she knew, and it was when a manager reached out. She later signed with Digital Brand Architects, the Los Angeles firm called DBA. Her manager, Denise, negotiates partnerships. Snodgrass still picks who she works with.
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Should an Influencer Work With a Management Firm
Yes. They negotiate on your behalf and know how to create partnership that benefits both parties. Using a management firm, Alex has been able to leverage her status for more income, while still only working with brands and partners that she approves.
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How Does Alex Snodgrass Say She Avoids Offending the Defined Dish Followers?
On Below the Line with James Beshara, Alex Snodgrass says she cannot. With about 250,000 followers, not offending someone is impossible, and one clumsy line is easy to twist. She says she gets insecure because she knows she can be misunderstood, and that this is a fact she has had to swallow. Beshara offers a recent San Francisco example: he and his wife stopped on a wide, empty sidewalk because their 18-month-old stopped walking, and a stranger yelled at them. Even a bland moment can set someone off. Snodgrass's conclusion is that you accept it rather than pretend you can prevent every offense.
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Have You Ever Being Brought to Tears With a Social Media Comment
Some random person on Instagram tried to shame Alex for spending too little time with her kids. Of course that was not true, but unfortunately "mom shaming" is a real thing, and strangers feel like it's their duty to give unsolicited baseless advice.
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Why Do People Love the Defined Dish
Alex loves what she does and she is 100% focused on making recipes that she enjoys. Her followers know that and come for the special feel.
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What Is the Hardest Thing About Running a Food Blog
The more you grow, the bigger the audience, and the bigger the demand to engage. Alex benefited a great deal from hiring people to take on the non-core parts, and focusing on her recipes.
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How Does Alex Snodgrass Make the Defined Dish a Success
It took a few years for her to realize that although she was a food blogger, it didn't mean she had to do what everyone else was doing. As soon as she found her niche, and started to produce recipes specifically for them, the site took off.
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What Was Alex's Husband View on Her Blog
He was very supporting and encouraged her to go 110% on it, to make sure that it would turn into a valuable business, instead of slow-burn her time.
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Why Would People Come to Meet the Creator of the Defined Dish Live
It was strange for Alex Snodgrass to know that people wanted to meet her. Why would they? Her husband suggested that maybe she was in fact giving something that was valuable to people. Maybe she was inspiring someone to cook for the first time, or to eat healthy. Whatever the reason, she was adding value.
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What Was It Like to Host Hundreds of People for a Dining Experience
It was very overwhelming because people wanted to see Alex as if she's a celebrity, while she never thought of herself that way and just wanted to share valuable recipes. From then on, she's decided to create events that would deliver more value to the audience.
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What Was Alex Snodgrass's First Live Show Like?
With 50,000 followers on her blog/instagram, Alex had a great time doing a live show in-front of real humans who showed up to share how her work changed their lives.
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Who Is Alex Snodgrass
Alex is a social media influencer and the foodie behind The Defined Dish. Alex has hundreds of thousands of followers, engaged with her incredibly tasty healthy and paleo meals. Two years in, with no traction, she was faced with the choice to shut down or to keep going; she stuck with it, and eventually The Define Dish took off.