Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Khan.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My husband and I had recently moved to Dallas from Wisconsin, and like anyone in a new place wanted to explore the city scene. We decided to start taking pictures and making notes of where to go, what to order, things to do so that we could take our family and friends once they started visiting us. My husband wanted to eventually make an album on Facebook for our friends to also use as a guide when in Dallas. He’d done that with places we had traveled and always received great feedback.
Soon after, we got pregnant and had a sweet baby boy the following Fall. While on maternity leave I was going stir crazy not working my day job. I was spending way too much time reading Mommy blogs, Web MD-ing every sniffle, messaging with other new Mom’s — this was especially bad during those late night feeds. I decided one night that I would create my city guide to Dallas but put it up on Instagram instead of Facebook. So quietly usurped all the pictures my husband has been saving for his album and started posting them on a public Instagram account. Voila! Dallas Eat & Play was born. It was my break from being a new and crazy mom and putting all my normal “workplace energy” into something productive. I’m sure if my little boy could speak, he would have expressed how happy he was that his Mommy was giving him some room to breathe.
I was lucky to have amazing pictures and content from my talented husband, and my following on Instagram grew. We wanted to only post about places, events, services we could truly recommend, and I think the audience appreciated that. I was also very happy that as a new person the city to meet this whole community of bloggers and have made some wonderful friends through that community.
Has it been a smooth road?
I think overall, it was a pretty smooth road. I went back to work after my maternity leave had ended and the account became a fun hobby for both my husband and myself. I think otherwise I could have easily obsessed over it and driven myself nuts!
If I could offer advice – Be a nice person. I promise good things will come to you whether it be collaborative opportunities or my in case some wonderful friends. I found the people that I clicked with and now feel like a have a good group of people in this Instagram world that I could reach out to, grab lunch with or have a chill night out.
Put yourself out there If you want to work with a business, reach out to them! What’s the worst a business could say to you? That they’re not interested? Even then, those places mostly don’t reply.
Be humble. You’d be surprised how a little Instafame can get to people’s heads. Just remain humble and show gratitude for all the opportunities you are provided.
Finally, something that ties into everything above. Please don’t bash businesses when you have a platform – even if it’s a few hundred followers – remember it’s that person’s livelihood you are affecting. If you don’t like a dish at a restaurant – then rather than blasting them using your platform, address it with the business. Trust me when I say I have had instances where I’ve been upset with a business or experience for whatever reason, but I choose to address it with the business directly and always feel much better about handling it that way than blasting and then maybe regretting it later. I think that also makes businesses more willing to work with you and keeps more doors open for future opportunities.
Long story short – be a class act.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into Dallas Eat & Play story. Tell us more about the business.
My day job is that work for the Federal government in Regulatory and Compliance and my husband is a Physician with a Dallas based group – both great jobs but allow for limited creativity. We wanted to do something to channel that energy into, and Dallas Eat & Play was it. The site and account developed out of our love of exploring new places and sharing our recommendations with friends – now we consider our audience our friends. We always love to hear their recommendations back and regularly reach out to ask questions and learn about new places and things to do in Dallas.
We’d like to think that we are known for delivering great recommendations to those wanting to explore what Dallas has to offer from dining to events and services. We hope that people recognize how genuine our recommendations are and not that we are posting because we received a hosted meal or service. We often post about places we aren’t offered anything from. We genuinely love that business or service want to share!
Do you have a lesson or advice you’d like to share with young women just starting out?
There will be some crappy days, and people can be jerks. But don’t let that compromise your beliefs and standards. It may take time, but that will be recognized, and you will be more successful because of it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.dallaseatandplay.com
- Email: dallaseatandplay@gmail.com
- Instagram: @dallaseatandplay
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dallas-Eat-Play-419722968466717/?ref=br_rs
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/dallas_eat
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
