Coffee with Karla Erovick

Fifty Cups of Coffee, Cup #3: Karla Erovick, social media entrepreneur

Fifty Cups of Coffee #1: Karla Erovick
Date: January 19, 2024
Location: Zoom

How we know each other

Karla and I first met during a winery media event several years ago. We’ve seen each other on and off at different wine events over the years, most recently at the Women in Wine Oregon Conference last summer.

What Karla is doing now

Karla is a social media manager and coach, running her own agency – Magnetic Marketing. She also hosts small group trips that also give back at Travel with a Purpose.

Three questions

During these Fifty Cups of Coffee chats, I ask each person the same three questions. The reasoning behind each is as follows:

Question 1 – Social media makes it easy for other people to think that they know us, when truthfully, we all only see a small sliver of someone’s life and who they really are. This is the interviewee’s chance to share something that is important to them that, for whatever reason, other people may not know.

Question 2 – We all have fears, no matter who are are or where we are in life. This helps connect us and show we are all more alike than we are different.

Question 3 – I believe the answer to this question helps show each person’s true values, passions, and their why in life.

There are no right or wrong answers to any of these. I’m including each person’s answers in first person. Their answers have been edited from my notes for length and clarity, but these are their words.

What is one thing you wish more people knew about you?

“One is that I lead small group tours to international destinations. I lead my first two trips over the last two years: one was wine trip to Portugal and the last one was to Spain. These are 10-day international trips that are super immersive, and are wine, culture, and culinary focused. I’m planning my next one now: it will likely be Northern Italy in the Franciacorta wine region. They produce traditional method sparkling wine and most of it is consumes in Italy.”

“It will most likely be in October – that’s something I am really excited about. I used to write about travel and wine quite a bit so I love doing that the things I am most excited about. And, there’s a give back component: we do some activity that gives back to the region we are visiting.

“The second, is that I’ve taken up painting a few years ago and it’s one of my favorite ways to unwind, express my creativity, and have fun… I have a whole collection of paintings of wine country – a lot of wine country vineyards and farms. These were my sunrises (shows me a beautiful painting) inspired after my dad passed. This is what my heart wanted to paint. I sell these; once I’ve painted them they are ready to bring joy to someone else. There was a gallery in Newberg that had some of my work on reclaimed wood but they’re closing. I would love to find a place to display them.”

What is your deepest fear?

“I feel like being an entrepreneur… it’s being courageous. I am facing my fears on a daily basis and overcoming them in a way that being in a corporate environment you don’t. It’s everything – putting yourself out there in a way that you never had to do. It’s personal. When you’re an entrepreneur it’s personal. You can’t hide behind your company or your brand as a solopreneur You are the brand. You just have to step up and be there – be on camera, which is hard. I am facing my fears on a daily basis.”

“Something I think about this, and at the end of my life, I want my life to count. I don’t want to go through my life being superficial. I want to make a difference somehow. Whatever that difference is, I want to make a difference. My fear is that I would get distracted by the bright shiny whatever that I would not make the difference that I would make while I’m here.”

“A lot of the role models of being entrepreneurs are extroverts. I’m an introvert, and the way that they’re modeling how to do things isn’t necessarily a fit for me. So it’s realizing ‘hey, I’m different and the way I think is different’ and to give myself permission to be me instead of trying to be like them. To honor myself as an introvert. Owning that I’m different and allowing myself to be ok with that — and being able to help others do the same thing.” we naturally are drawn to people we can relate to – as I’m more vocal about being an introvert it’s attracting with people that resonates with.”

If you had unlimited funds, what would you do with your life?

“To me, unlimited funds and unlimited fun are connected. I would have a little cottage at the beach in Oregon. I love the Oregon coast! A quick escape when I needed my ocean fix. I don’t need to own places all over the world but I want to experience different cultures in different places more in depth, like mini sabbaticals. One a year or more where I spend 2 or 3 months in another country being a local, experiencing life from their perspective.”

“I would be able to embrace volunteer activities; I’d like to volunteer with nonprofits I align with. There are things that I care about and I would love to find an outlet to do that. My travel with a purpose trips have the element of giving back, but it would also be nice to offer trips that are focused on volunteerism.”

“I would give quite a bit of money away. I don’t need that much to live on. After investing, I would donate money to causes and groups that I believed in.”

Lessons learned

 My biggest takeaways from this coffee chat:

• Make time for the activities that fill your soul. I remember when Karla started sharing her painting adventures on Instagram, and I’ve loved watching how much joy painting brings to her. It is so clear that it makes her happy, and we should all make more time to do the things that bring us such joy.
• Being an entrepreneur is courageous. As someone who has been an entrepreneur for 20 years, I LOVED what Karla said about being an entrepreneur. And sometimes, when we’re in the weeds and buried in our work, it’s easy to forget that at the end of the day, we’re doing something brave that not many people dare to risk. No matter what obstacles we face or mistakes we make, we are still doing something courageous simply by doing what we do.
• There is almost always a way to combine work and play that best suits you. I love that Karla is hosting tours that are for small groups (usually around 6 people), which works well for her as someone who loves to travel and is an introvert. I also love that she has been able to add a give back component to these trips, as that is something that is very important to her as well.

Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me, Karla!

Learn more about Karla

Check out Karla’s social media management and coaching programs.

Follow Karla on Instagram @magneticmktg_socialmedia and at @trav.elwithpurpose

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Visit my main website: Urban Bliss Life.

Learn more about me at MarlynnSchotland.com.