Feature: Boss Babe Ashley Torres Breaks Down Her Everyday Pursuits
You know the friend that handles herself with grace, completely dominates in her workspace and always looks like she stepped out of a chic California fashion magazine? That is Ashley Torres. I'm elated to share with you her blogging journey, business savvy tips and unfiltered pieces of advice. Without further adieu let's dive into those month's boss babe interview.
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Alright, girl – take it away! Introduce yourself!
Hi! I’m Ashley aka Everyday Pursuits. I like long walks on the beach (no, really I do), pasta, my daily starbucks... and as of a few weeks ago I’m newly engaged. EEK! When I’m not traveling you can find me in Venice, CA living that SoCal beach life!
Let’s chat about the name change from Pursuit of Shoes to Everyday Pursuits. What was the drive behind the revamp?
Pursuit of Shoes started 7 yrs. ago as just a hobby - at the time I was shoe OBSESSED! As the blog has grown over the years and I’ve “grown” (now 31) it became apparent that shoes and fashion were just a portion of what I wanted to write about. I mean, how many times can you write about 5 ways to wear skinny jeans? Right?! My love for traveling, entreprenuership, and everyday things (ie: relationships + adulting) were topics that resonated with me and my followers, so it made sense to transition to Everyday Pursuits. The name is all encompassing and allows me to write about everything! The primary 4 categories I write about are style, travel, conversations (relationships, etc.) and parties!
How did you land in the blogging world and is EDP your full time job or side hustle?
The blog started out of boredom from my first job after college which was a CPA at Deloitte + Touche (you can read more about my path in a previous Career Contessa Article.) After moving from accounting to e-commerce, working for Nordstrom and REVOLVE, I decided 2 years ago to quit my full time job to focus on growing the blog and my digital marketing business.
EDP is my full time job in the sense of the amount of work that’s put into it and I guess revenue, however, I’ve always been skeptical of putting all my eggs in the blogger basket which is why I started my digital marketing company Pursuit Digital which provides social media management, content creation, and digital marketing consulting for brands.
With social media relying heavily on cellphones and or computers, are there any apps that you use on a daily basis to make life easier? Also, how do you handle “turning off” blogger Ashley and being present in real time.
My go-to app for making social media life easier is PLANOLY. It helps you pre-schedule content and set reminders. I use it for myself and all my clients!
The struggle is real when it comes to turning off! I just created a goal for myself to read 2 books a month because even when I’m not “working” I find myself scrolling IG and Facebook endlessly. Some weekends I’ll leave my phone at home when we go out to dinner or brunch just so I can literally disconnect. It’s so hard though and it’s something I’m trying to get better at. Cell phone use is something my fiance and I talk about a lot since my work revolves around it - check out my recent post on balancing work and relationships.
Ok, sista – no sugarcoating allowed on this answer! What is one piece of career advice that you wish you had before you started your blogging journey?
Oh this is a hard one/ great question. When I first started I was pretty young and didn’t have a lot of extra $$ to spend on outfits, photographers, etc. and I found that really frustrating because it seemed like everyone else did and there was no way I would catch up. So #1 advice is be patient and don’t compare yourself to others. Someone will ALWAYS have something you don’t have. The second thing is that just like any business you do need to invest in what you’re doing ie: maybe you can’t afford a photog but it could be a good investment into showing brands you can create professional content and lead to future partnerships. SOO… not that you should go in debt getting your blog up and running but if you want to be taken seriously and you truly want it to be your business then you need to invest in it. Whether that’s getting a designer to build out your website, a photographer to take your photos, or taking a social media marketing class… INVEST in yourself and the business.
What have been some highlights and challenges you have experience during your time as a digital influencer?
This space is pretty crazy - there’s no one path or guidebook to navigate. That’s definitely been challenging. Sadly, it’s a bit of a popularity contest and just like High School, some people will do anything to win. This business is catty and can be extremely lonely. I’ve worked really hard to align myself with good people and keep my true non-blogger friends very close.
On a positive note, it’s allowed me SO many cool experiences, the ability to be my own boss, and connect with some pretty amazing people on the interwebs. That’s pretty awesome!
What other female leader(s) do you admire and why?
I love Jen Sincero - she’s an author who writes two of my favorite books: You’re a Badass and You’re a Badass with Money.
Sheryl Sandberg is also someone I admire because she seems like a GOOD person who has worked really hard to get where she is. Plus she’s very vocal about supporting women in the workplace!
Honestly, I admire my boss babes* who are young Entrepenuers working their butts off to make their businesses successful. They are the future female leaders and it’s exciting experience ALL THE things with them.
*Emily McDonald, founder of The Stylist LA
Jen Robin, founder of Life in Jeneral
Suzie Moldavon, celebrity makeup artist and founder of FlyBrow
Baily Hancock, founder of the Career Experiment
Valorie Darling, founder of Valorie Darling Photography
Time to get personal. What are 3 things that your followers may not know about you?
1. My dad passed away when I was 12. I never talk about this but it’s always on my mind and reminds me EVERY DAY never to judge people because you have ZERO idea what’s going on in their life or what has happened in the past. IG is such a highlight real and makes people judge so quickly “she has such a perfect life. “ We are all human and all have ups and downs. No ones life is perfect no matter how wealthy, beautiful, intelligent, connected, or happy they appear.
2. I broke my nose when I was 11. It was the worst and I still have a little bump that I’m SUPER self-conscious of.
3. Lately I’ve started having this weird fear of the tiny space between the plane and the jet bridge (when you’re boarding a flight). I hate standing and waiting close to it because I have an irrational fear that the jet bridge is going to fall out from under me - hah!
Can you give us any insight in a project you’re working on at the moment?
I’m about to embark on a big project called wedding planning - hah! While this is a super exciting time, I also feel this pressure that everyone is watching and it has to be EPIC. I know, I sound like I’m tooting my own influencer horn but that’s truly how I’m feeling at the moment so once we do start planning I want to be in a better head space and make sure everything is happening for US and not anyone else.
To keep up with Ashley ++ Every Day Pursuits follow her on the gram!
