What if I told you that you could make six figures as a UGC content creator, work with 80+ brands, and get paid to live in Belgium for a month? 👀

Let's talk about it.

This week, I'm chatting with Goldie Choi , a former nurse who traded 11 years in healthcare for a full-time UGC business. In just two years, she's worked with over 80 brands and made more than $140,000 creating content. Casual.

But we're not just here to talk about the fun stuff. We're getting into what it actually takes to build a sustainable UGC business, because spoiler alert: being good at making videos is only ONE part of the job.

We're talking consistent pitching, hiring a VA, landing retainer clients, negotiating bigger packages, and the very unsexy business systems that separate making a few thousand dollars here and there from building consistent five-figure months.

And, of course, we HAVE to talk about Canvas UGC. Is it actually worth it? Or are we just making hundreds of videos for the possibility of making money while slowly losing our will to create content? Goldie shares her experience with performance-based pay, the numbers behind her brand deals, and why she'd rather focus on long-term partnerships than become a content factory.

Because yes, making money from content is great. But making money without completely burning yourself out? Even better.

IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT:

• How Goldie went from nursing to making six figures as a UGC content creator.
• The business systems that helped her move from inconsistent income to consistent five-figure months.
• Why consistent pitching matters even when you're fully booked with brand deals.
• Hiring a virtual assistant (VA) to manage pitching and buy back your time.
• The reality of working full-time in UGC, including scripting, filming, editing, and ALL the admin nobody talks about.
• How to land UGC retainer clients and turn one-off brand deals into long-term partnerships.
• Canvas UGC and whether performance-based compensation is actually worth your time.
• The real numbers behind making hundreds of videos for one brand.
• Why bigger packages, better creative, and long-term brand relationships might be a better approach to travel content monetization.
• How UGC has given Goldie the freedom to travel, work with brands internationally, and create experiences she never would have had as a nurse.
• Goldie's upcoming UGC marketplace, Pando, and her plans to make life easier for creators.
• Why UGC is worth exploring if you want more control over your income, schedule, and career.

CONNECT WITH GOLDIE:

Find Goldie on Instagram at @goldie.ventures for more about her UGC journey, brand partnerships, and life as a full-time creator.

She's also building Pando, a UGC marketplace designed to help creators and brands manage their workflows in one place, from contracts and deliverables to revisions and payments.

• Sign up for my newsletter, the Content Compass, the weekly newsletter for travel creators who are already landing brand deals and are ready to build the business behind their content.
• Get five shifts that will take you from travel creator to business owner with actionable next steps included. AND two private podcast episodes. Get the Creator to CEO Playbook for $5
• Say hi on Instagram

Join Us 👉 The Travel Creator Business Plan Community!

The only business-building community designed specifically for travel creators.
You’ll get:
✔ monthly business systems
✔ coworking + Q&A calls
✔ a private community of creators building real businesses
✔ guidance to help you move from “content machine” to “CEO energy”

Sign Up HERE

What if we’ve been fighting for our lives on Instagram while LinkedIn has been quietly getting people clients, brand deals, speaking gigs, and actual business opportunities?

In this episode, I’m joined again by Laura England, founder of The Writer’s Harbor, and she is officially here to convince me (and probably you) that LinkedIn is no longer the crusty, dusty corporate platform we’ve made it out to be.

We’re breaking down what LinkedIn marketing actually looks like for creators and business owners, how to create a content strategy that doesn’t require you to constantly feed the algorithm, and why storytelling might be one of the most underrated ways to grow your travel content business.

Laura shares her two-pronged LinkedIn strategy: casting a wider net with relatable, funny, or story-driven content, then using niche expertise posts to turn that visibility into the right audience, opportunities, and potential clients.

And if you’re in the travel industry? Pay attention.

We talk about why LinkedIn can be especially powerful for connecting with tourism boards, marketing teams, event organizers, brand partnership managers, conference organizers, and other decision-makers who might not even be active on Instagram.

We also get into how LinkedIn can fit into your larger content strategy for travel, including how to turn podcast episodes, travel experiences, events, and everyday stories into LinkedIn content — and then repurpose those ideas across Instagram, Threads, Pinterest, and email.

Inside the episode, we talk about:

• Why LinkedIn marketing isn't just for finding a corporate job
• How Laura uses storytelling to build visibility and relationships
• Why LinkedIn can help travel creators connect with tourism boards, brands, and decision-makers
• Laura's strategy for combining broad storytelling content with niche expertise
• Why you might only need to post 1–2 times per week when you're starting
• How commenting on other people's posts can create major visibility
• Why LinkedIn content can continue gaining impressions months after you post it
• How to use your Featured section to funnel people to your website, email list, podcast, or YouTube
• How to use SEO keywords naturally in your niche LinkedIn posts
• Why your LinkedIn posts should actually sound like YOU
• How LinkedIn fits into a sustainable content strategy for travel creators
• Why Laura recommends giving your LinkedIn strategy at least three months to compound

The biggest takeaway? You do not need another platform where you're desperately trying to go viral.

You need relationships. You need the right people finding your work. And you need a travel marketing strategy that doesn't require you to be online 24/7.

Maybe it's time to stop overthinking LinkedIn, tell your stories, talk about what you actually know, and let your content do a little more of the work for you.

Because apparently… there is life outside of the Instagram bubble. Who knew?

CONNECT WITH LAURA ENGLAND:

Follow her on Instagram

Amplify Your Voice on Linkedin: Q4 Spots Almost Sold OUT

Follow her on LinkedIn

• Sign up for my newsletter, the Content Compass, the weekly newsletter for travel creators who are already landing brand deals and are ready to build the business behind their content.
• Get five shifts that will take you from travel creator to business owner with actionable next steps included. AND two private podcast episodes. Get the Creator to CEO Playbook for $5
• Say hi on Instagram

Join Us 👉 The Travel Creator Business Plan Community!

The only business-building community designed specifically for travel creators.
You’ll get:
✔ monthly business systems
✔ coworking + Q&A calls
✔ a private community of creators building real businesses
✔ guidance to help you move from “content machine” to “CEO energy”

Sign Up HERE

Travel creators: do you actually know how much you make per hour?

Whether you’re a travel creator, travel influencer, UGC creator, or running a full-blown travel content business, figuring out what to charge can feel like the Wild Wild West. We see what other creators are charging, pick a number that sounds good, and hope it somehow makes sense.

But are you actually making a profit?

In this episode, I’m joined by profit strategist Michelle Denio to talk about how to price your work based on actual numbers — not vibes, what another creator charges, or the fact that $997 sounds like a nice internet-business number.

Michelle breaks down how to figure out what your time needs to be worth, the hidden hours you’re probably forgetting to account for, and why bringing in more revenue doesn’t necessarily mean you have a profitable travel content business.

We also talk about what happens when you hit capacity — because despite what the internet loves to tell us, the answer isn’t always, “Just raise your prices!”

Sometimes you need to change the way you work.

In this episode, we talk about:

• How to price your services as a travel creator, UGC creator, or content creator
• Why copying another creator’s pricing doesn’t tell you what YOU should charge
• How to figure out what your time actually needs to be worth
• The hidden hours you might not be accounting for in your client and brand work
• Why Michelle recommends adding a buffer when estimating how long projects will take
• How to know if a project or client is actually costing you money
• What to do when you realize you’re seriously undercharging
• Why hitting capacity doesn’t automatically mean you should raise your prices
• How changing your business model can give you more time without sacrificing revenue
• Project work vs. retainers and how recurring revenue can create a more sustainable business
• How to price profitably without pricing yourself out of your target market
• Why more revenue does NOT always equal more profit

If you’re building a travel creator business and constantly wondering what to charge, whether you should raise your prices, or why you’re making money but still feel like you’re working ALL the time… this episode is for you.

Because making more money as a travel creator isn’t just about landing more brand deals, UGC projects, or clients.

You also need to make sure the work you’re already doing is actually profitable.

🎧 Connect with Michelle

Listen to Michelle’s podcast, The Real Truth About Business, for more on pricing, profitability, sustainable business growth, and the actual numbers behind running your business.

Subscribe to her newsletter, the Sunday Morning Brew

Have a virtual coffee chat with Michelle ☕️

• Sign up for my newsletter, the Content Compass, the weekly newsletter for travel creators who are already landing brand deals and are ready to build the business behind their content.
• Get five shifts that will take you from travel creator to business owner with actionable next steps included. AND two private podcast episodes. Get the Creator to CEO Playbook for $5
• Say hi on Instagram

Join Us 👉 The Travel Creator Business Plan Community!

The only business-building community designed specifically for travel creators.
You’ll get:
✔ monthly business systems
✔ coworking + Q&A calls
✔ a private community of creators building real businesses
✔ guidance to help you move from “content machine” to “CEO energy”

Sign Up HERE