Woman to Watch :: Brittany Brown

Brittany Brown of Britt Around Town LLC calls herself an “Arbiter of Local Culture” and creates experience-based user-generated content for her blog and social media pages that helps to promote local businesses and small-town travel. She loves to document her life as she lives it and does the things that bring her joy, taking photos and traveling, all while getting to help others.

What has been the biggest challenge you have overcome?

The biggest challenge I have had to overcome so far is taking an already new concept and making it newer. Most people refer to what I do as an “Influencer”, however, I work very hard to set myself apart from that title. Unlike others who run accounts similar to what I do, I will not accept money in exchange for my posts as I believe that once I receive money for a review, my opinion becomes bought and doesn’t mean as much. I always want to make helping businesses my main priority. I try to get overhead sponsorships from townships, travel bureaus, shopping centers, hotel chains, etc that allow me to remain authentic with my posts. This has become a bit of a challenge as those who I am seeking sponsorships from don’t quite yet understand the value of what I do. It’s been a bit of a setback for the time being.

I recently gave up my 9 to 5 job to pursue content creation full-time. It was terrifying to give up a secure job with excellent benefits to go off on my own. I don’t have a background in business or any idea of where consistent revenue would be coming from. I have an amazing support system around me who have donated their time and skills to help me along the way. This couldn’t have been done without all of their knowledge and support.

What are you most proud of?

There is so much I am proud of when it comes to accomplishments with my brand. I won three awards, got my business license, and built a following of 10k+ people who trust my judgment. The thing I am most proud of is the people I have helped along the way. I have had several businesses credit me for keeping them afloat during the pandemic with exposure. People tell me they never knew a place existed until I posted about it, and then they became loyal customers themselves. I will often have people message me asking for recommendations or itineraries and I have even used my platform to help a local non-profit make thousands of dollars to expand their foundation!

You inspire us, but what are YOU inspired by?

Walt Disney has always been my inspiration because he never let anything stand in the way of his passions. Even when times were rough, he always stayed focused on his end goal and made his dreams come true.