Canadian blogger, brander and world traveller. Casie Stewart has built a strong personal brand and spent the last 10 years documenting her life and adventures at casiestewart.com. She's been in the Wall Street Journal, tv, movies, commercials, and you might recognize her face from the Internet.
What do you do?
I am a blogger, speaker, and consultant. I've been writing my blog for 10 years and it's grown as a platform where I write about about fashion, tech, travel and tell stories through brand partnerships. I'm represented by the National Speakers Bureau of Canada and speak about social media, millennials, branding, and business.
I also work with businesses to help them tell their brand story through social media and educate them on how to get the most out of the Internet.
What do you find most rewarding about your role? Most challenging?
When I started out I had no idea where blogging would take me. I only ever dreamed it would become a 'thing'. The most rewarding thing for me is that I stuck with doing something I love and made a career out of it.
Most challenging? I was ahead of my time a couple years ago so trying to explain what I do and it's value to brands and agencies was an uphill battle. I struggled with 'why am I doing this? should I just get a regular job?'.
How do you stay up to date with trends in your industry/field?
I spend heaps of time reading on the internet on my Macbook, iPhone, iPad. One of my fav apps is Zite, it's a news aggregator where you can break things down into topics. Twitter is a great resource for up to the second news as it happens too.
What are your top five applications or programs?
I love Instagram: It's really taken off over the last few years and I share better photos now because of it.
NextIssue: Buying pounds of magazines each months isn't practical so having multiple magazines at my fingertips is cool.
Rdio is my go-to for music: I was given a free membership when it came to Canada but loved it so much I'm a paying subscriber now.
GoPro. I love my little camera for travelling but also for taking photos on my daily adventures. It's perfect to fit in your purse and since it has wifi, the app makes sharing fast and easy.
Tile. I ordered Tile when they were on Kickstarter and am a happy Tiler now. I've got one in all my purses and on my keys. It's a lifesaver when you're in a hurry and can't find your purse/keys!
Best way to stay on top of email?
Check it often? I've tried apps to manage my inbox but I have 20,000 unread emails in my Gmail. I have multiple addresses and get heaps of email each day. I try to put things in folders but I could really use an assistant to organize my Inbox!
What is your best time-saving trick?
WORK SMART. I constantly see people waste time being inefficient. I'm creative in business and life and I try to be the most efficient in my work. It saves times, money, and stress.
One non-tech thing you can't live without?
Red lipstick. I have at least one in every purse and never leave home without it. If I'm working from home and have a client call I always put on my lipstick ...even though they can't see me.
What does your workspace look like?
I'm often on the go and work from my phone. My workspace is always different, it's wherever my computer is. Home, airports, a nice cafe, or my partners film studio. My favourite place to work is the cottage in Muskoka during the summer.
