Introducing my forever style crush and one of my absolute favorite humans, Ashley Cassidy of the instagram @ashbegash and blog blondecollective.com. We chat about her journey from getting a fashion degree to working in social media to going all in on her fashion blogging career. She talks about the importance of networking and finding a community that will embrace you and your dreams. She gets candid about the job losses and transitional periods that nudged her to get into blogging full time, and how that allowed her business to grow at a much faster rate. Ashley talks about what to do and not to do if you're a brand reaching out to work with influencers, and shares why its so important to respond to/engage with your community.Other things we cover:

Tactics for reaching out to brands/getting noticed by the ones you want to work withHer feelings about gifted productsWhat rebranding yourself can do to your growth trajectorySharing tips and advice with her core group of friends who are also influencersBrand collabs that stick out in her mind and whyThe value brands should be putting on storiesIGTV tipsTransparency in sharing numbers and results with brandsHer morning routine Her favorite podcasts to listen toWhat's next for her brand!Advice to aspiring influencersWho she looks up to in the influencer world

Resources Ashley mentioned.

The Skinny Confidential // TSC PodcastThe Influencer PodcastBrittany KrystleJenna Kutcher // The Goal Digger PodcastGary VeeSivan Ayla Richards //@sivanayla

Follow @addedvaluepodcast on Instagram!Listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.