Episode 001 – How this mom built the biggest Houston food blog – and then took a step back!

I met Shanna when I began freelancing for her Houston food blog, Urban Swank. After 7 years of blogging with her co-owner Felice Sloan, Urban Swank is thriving with an app, regular appearances on What’s Eric Eating podcast, TV appearances and various awards. I thought this would be the perfect first episode for Mom Boss Hustle because Shanna is like most of us. She has experienced her share of ups and downs as her life has evolved from single woman, to newlywed, to mom while climbing the career ladder in corporate America and turning her love of restaurants into a rewarding side business. In this episode she explains how the blog started, how she manages a very involved calendar with color coding and prioritization, and the tipping point that made her have to decide – family or blog – and make a difficult choice. Additionally, she gives her top tips on maintaining a positive and supportive partnership with the co-owner of Urban Swank and a new partnership with her husband, the blogger behind Dude That Cookz.

 

Shanna’s Bio:

Shanna Jones is a Houston native with a background that spans over 15 years in Information Technology. In her current role as a Principal Enterprise Business Architect, Shanna is responsible for aligning business and IT strategic goals and objectives. In addition to her full-time career, Shanna is also the co-owner and editor of Houston lifestyle blog, Urban Swank, that has received numerous local and national accolades including “Best Food Blog” by the Houston Press. Her blog has also opened doors to television features on the Cooking Channel and Bravo TV. Shanna believes that one should live a life of passion and purpose and promotes the importance of work-life balance as she juggles being a wife, mother, professional, writer, wanderlust, food lover, and avid movie watcher.

Highlights:

[bctt tweet=”Checklists allow you to say “I got it done”, they do NOT give you balance – Shanna Jones” username=”www.twitter.com/mombosshustle_”]

[bctt tweet=”Living life with passion and purpose – Shanna Jones” username=”www.twitter.com/mombosshustle_”] [bctt tweet=”Partnerships thrive when you pick your battles and always maintain respect for each other – Shanna Jones” username=”www.twitter.com/mombosshustle_”]

Important Links:

Urban Swank

Dude That Cookz

Thank you for listening!