Spokane woman builds business off popular Instagram page
SPOKANE, Wash. — A Spokane woman has managed to build an entire business from a popular Instagram page she started.
Chandler Baird started the @spokaneeats Instagram account in 2014 shortly after moving to Spokane. The Instagram page led to a blog and eventually an entire business. Baird now runs the page as a full-time job.
“Never could have pictured it this way, never could have wished it to be this way, but it’s so much better than I ever couldve imagined,” she said.
Baird said after she moved to Spokane, she was looking for a way to get to better know Spokane. She came up with the idea for Spokane Eats and saw no one else was doing this.
“Looked around, didn’t find anyone else that was doing it, so got started,” Baird said.
So she created the Instagram account. She created Spokane Eats to get the best experience out of the Inland Northwest. She says if someone has never been to Spokane, they can visit her website and plan everywhere they need to go.
On her website, you can find the best places to eat in the Inland Northwest, as well as the best shopping, events and nightlife.
“It’s a lot of everything,” Baird said.
She says her job works through a lot of word of mouth. Many event organizers and chefs find out about her website and want to be featured. Baird gets invited to test new menus, try out new experiences and taste the best drinks Spokane has to offer. Then, she writes blog and Instagram posts with the highlights of her experience.
And the business is growing fast. Baird has so much on her plate, she even has two interns working for her.
“I have learned so much. I’ve become such a much better writer since I’ve been with SpokaneEats. I’ve helped a lot with blog posts and things like that,” said Intern Erin Johnson.
But jumping to full time influencer wasn’t an easy transition for Baird. She was working a corporate marketing job and her husband was in medical school, making her the family’s only source of income. But she took the leap and it worked out.
And while taking on Spokane Eats full time was not an easy decision, Baird has a piece of advice for anyone who wants to run a social media business.
“I would say just go for it. Don’t try and make everything perfect. Don’t worry about having a perfect website and a perfect caption and a perfect photo. Just get something up there and get started and if you consistently put out good content, people will follow your page and be interested in what you’re saying,” said Baird.
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