Today we’d like to introduce you to Ramona Cruz-Peters, Editor-in-Chief of Fab Everyday and cookbook author.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
After graduating from UCLA in the early 2000s, I began my career at the social networking site MySpace. I originally planned to go into broadcast journalism but pivoted into corporate marketing and communications after college. What I didn’t realize at the time was how all of this experience (journalism, social networking, marketing, and communications) would circle back and one day intersect to where I am today, working for myself in my dream job at Fab Everyday. My time at MySpace gave me valuable insight into social media, my journalism studies gave me a storyteller perspective, and my experience marketing for other companies gave me the confidence to market my own company and brand.
I began my blog, Fab Everyday, shortly after my wedding in 2008 as a creative outlet for sharing DIY ideas, recipes, crafts, fashion, and travel recommendations. Since it began as a creative hobby, it wasn’t until years later that I realized there was power in monetizing my website. I created my LLC in 2016 and trademarked my brand name shortly after, with a goal of becoming an influential online lifestyle publisher, a la Martha Stewart and Magnolia. For the next two years, I targeted effort towards my business in my off-time (still working my corporate job by day), and my brand, website, and revenue steadily grew. In 2018, I reached a point where I knew I couldn’t give either my day job or my Fab Everyday business the full attention they required… I was simply spread too thin. Even though I had spent 12 years building my corporate career, in my heart, I knew that I couldn’t let my dreams for Fab Everyday go, so I took a leap of faith and left my corporate job to devote my time and energy to Fab Everyday full time. While it was a scary decision to leave the corporate stability I’d grown accustomed to, I haven’t looked back once.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Before I left the corporate world to transition to full-time entrepreneurship, I sought advice and information from several others who had done the same before me. It was important for me to know all the things I had to consider so that I could get my ducks in a row. Things like health insurance for my family, planning for taxes, making sure I had savings and alternate income streams for months where revenue ebbed were concerns of mine at first. Working for myself allowed me to pick up freelance work as needed when I needed a financial buffer. Even when money was tight, I tried to maintain confidence that by working hard and taking steps towards growth, that money would follow. It always did, even when it felt scary at times. I saw it as a continuation of the “faith” part of my initial leap of faith. You have to trust that if you know you’re doing the right thing and you’re working hard, that it will eventually pay off if you can just stick through the tough times.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Fab Everyday is about inspiring more fabulousness in the everyday. I see myself as the Martha Stewart of the busy working person. Like many of my readers, I like nice things, but I am busy and can’t “do it all,” so I offer recipes and tips for entertaining, home décor, personal style, and travel that include balance shortcuts and easier solutions. I keep up on trends and package them in ways my readers can digest without the need to study themselves.
Above all, I believe that while we can’t “do it all,” we can still do the things that are important to us personally when we learn to prioritize, balance, let some things go, and find easier solutions for the rest. Recipes are a significant piece of my content offering, and I tend to specialize in easy one-pan or one-pot solutions, like Instant Pot meals, sheet pan recipes, etc. My party and entertaining content offer a combination of DIY with store-bought and outsourced solutions to keep things easy but still fabulous.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
This is a great question! I would say that I am very lucky to have found a partner that not only supports me in pursuing my dreams but also supports me physically around the house and assist with my business as needed. I am also lucky to have received an ambassadorship with Allrecipes that over the years has led to me contributing to Allrecipes Magazine on a regular basis, helped me gain the attention of a publisher to write my first cookbook (Pressure Cooker Cookbook for Beginners), and has introduced me to other valuable partnerships. It was a partnership that started out small, but I was fortunate to get to leverage into some of the favorite aspects of my job today.
When it comes to luck, I think what makes all the difference is how you leverage it. You can’t expect lucky breaks to always fall into your lap, so when something positive comes your way, try to look at it as a foundation for growth so you can do the work and build new opportunities.
Contact Info:
- Email: ramonaruby@fabeveryday.com
- Website: https://fabeveryday.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fabeveryday
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fabeveryday
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/fabeveryday
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/fabeveryday
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/fabeveryday
