How Jenny Levine Finke Secured Sponsorships and Built a Thriving Community through the Fuel Your Influence Conference

Lauren welcomes guest Jenny Levine Finke, founder of the Denver Bloggers Club.   Jenny has planned more than 50 events in the last three years, including her flagship blogger and influencer conference called the Fuel Your Influence (FYI) Conference. Jenny has also created a huge, engaged Instagram community in addition to her blog, “Good For You Gluten-Free,” which has more than 100,000 unique visitors every month.   Diagnosed in her mid-30s with celiac disease, Jenny returned to school and started her blog, “Good For You Gluten-Free.” Eventually, she formed the Denver Bloggers Club.   The Fuel Your Influence Conference began so that brands and bloggers and influencers could all interact together. She planned events around topics she wanted to learn more about.   It started in 2018 and became known for its epic goodie bags. Lauren and Jenny discuss the origins of the goodie bags and talk about monetization models this year’s conference.   Lauren and Jenny talk about how Jenny uses social media strategically. specifically, building traffic SEO strategy, and the Pinterest powerhouse. They also discuss how social media positions you as a thought leader and a resource to the community you serve.   Jenny discusses collaboration with Lauren and how difficult it can be to get other entrepreneurs to share their information, leading her to create this conference.   Lauren shares a piece of advice a friend gave her about her business and competition. Her friend said, “There is enough business to go around. If you stop worrying about it, you’ll never worry about it again.”   Jenny and Lauren speak about the COVID-19 pandemic and how virtual events are replacing in-person events. Jenny says it’s challenging and explains why in-person events will bounce back.   One of the lessons of COVID-19, Jenny says, is learning how to diversify your business and the ways that you get people to support your business. The pandemic has taught her how to diversify her content, income, and the way she is delivering her services and content.   Connect with LVD here: IG: @ldaviscreative Bitly.com/beppodcast Connect with Jenny Here @goodforyouglutenfree The FYI Conference is going virtual this year: fyiconference.com