Oct 17th – @ilovefoodiesct

Today I am featuring Benike from @ilovefoodiesct. I started following her because we share a commonality – eating out!!! I reached out to her for this series because I have been really wanting to feature a food account. Then I realized that Benike is not only an editor for I Love Foodies, but also works as an actress and model. This is one of the reasons I love doing my Who’s Out There? SERIES as I get to learn about amazing people. I had no idea who the person was behind this food account…there is always more than meets the eye. Check out Benike!

Hello! My name is Benike Palfi and I’m the editor of I Love Foodies. You’ll find I Love Foodies on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and our website. Personally, you’ll find me, Benike, on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and my website.

I follow @stuffwithsvet because I love the way Jenna’s account is curated – I always draw inspiration from accounts like hers because it looks so perfect and effortless. I hope that one day I’ll be able to learn to do that too (lots of epic fails on my part, haha). Plus, I love the personal touch – I feel that’s definitely something that’s missing on my business account. Because there’s so many people on my team, it’s a little hard to focus it on just one person! Baby steps.

I Love Foodies is a digimag focused primarily on eating out and restaurant reviews – but we also cover recipes, product reviews, and a few lifestyle and travel features.

I use Instagram because Instagram is a fun platform. Personally, I work as an actress and model, so very often I use it for inspiration for possible shoots or just to keep going and see other people that inspire me – and, in turn, (hopefully) inspire others with what I’m doing. For I Love Foodies, it’s a fun way to share my excitement of cool foodie things, to learn from others, and to ask for advice when I need it.

I wouldn’t be able to choose who my favorite Instagram accounts to follow are. From the many I follow – so many of my friends (and people who have become friends through Instagram) inspire me daily with their content. So I’ll choose a neutral account that I absolutely love: @mr.pokee. It’s about a hedgehog and he’s the cutest thing. That account makes me super happy!

The most important part of my business journey so far has been meeting like-minded people. Having others that push me, inspire me, and that I can, in turn, inspire and push has made all the difference. You can only get so far on your own, but having a community makes everything better. After all, if we can’t work together to make the world a better/happier place, then there’s no point to any of it.

For now, my 5-year goal with my business would be to re-focus and re-structure. The business started as something small, and I never expected it to grow as quickly as it did. I wasn’t quite prepared for that and need to undergo some massive restructuring so that it’s easier and better for my readers. Expanding to other cities is also a massive YES on the 5-year plan. We’ve expanded from Cape Town to include Johannesburg and now London. I’d love to get many other major cities involved as well.

What makes me stand out from other businesses would probably be my insane obsession with food? Haha. No, well, I think many other foodie accounts on Instagram are purely Instagram-focused (not all obviously, but largely). Mine isn’t. I’m a writer, so my main focus is populating the website, and I publish anything from 5+ articles a week. I’m not quite as active on Instagram (yet). So it’s definitely my writing – and my personal touch in my writing – that sets me apart.

How do I push through the worst times? Honestly, I really struggle with this because I’m an absolute workaholic and switching off is hard. So therefore, when I’m going through tough times I tend to push myself more and more. BUT, I’ve learned that this is very counter-productive and the best way to ‘push’ through the worst times is actually by stepping back – going for walks, meditating, doing yoga. Taking time out for me.

I’ve recently moved to London and begun following @angiesilverspoon – love her account and it would be so lovely to find out what inspires her. I think she would make a great feature!

Thank you for having me on the Who’s Out There? SERIES!!!