Meet Laura Funk of We Got the Funk in Brighton

Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Funk.

Laura, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I have always been a bit creative, a lot of outgoing and a storyteller. Social media has been a draw for me since it first started (yes I have an original “The Facebook” account) and I loved the idea of connecting with people and sharing our lives through pictures and videos. I loved scrapbooking, but when I became a new mom with a baby that never slept, I didn’t have time to keep on the scrapbook, so a great friend encouraged me to start a blog to keep those memories in a digital place that was easy to update and something I could reference back on when I did have the time to create those scrapbooks.

That was nearly ten years ago. What started as my way to save memories and share our lives, has grown into experiences and a full business that I never expected, but I am completely blessed by. It is now a family business, my husband contributes, our kids love being involved, and shoot, I am pretty sure the dogs have their Instagram poses ready too. Getting to where we are has NOT been easy. I pretty much never stop working and sleep is minimal, but we are so proud of this little website we have built an empire out of with a whole lot of tears, insomnia and probably a solid 30 lbs of cake.

Has it been a smooth road?
I think for us, everything was very gradual until it suddenly blew up three years ago. I would do some product reviews here and there, or have a sponsored post, or a brand reach out, or I would pitch a company and since the market was not saturated, yes’ were easy to come by.

It is not like that anymore. You need to know your audience, you need to have actual influence, you need to so show ROI, you need to be your most authentic self and you better be prepared for people to be their authentic selves as well.

We have struggled to grow our community, as I work full time outside of this blog as a teacher, and when I am at work, my students are my focus. I LOVE the community we have built, but it bums me out that I am not always available to them. That can really hamper your growth and engagement.

We have struggled with time management. I work 80 hours a week between the blog and teaching (at least, sometimes it is more), there were a few years where my drive to work and be successful was really impeding the needs of my husband who was dealing with mental health issues and it was draining me as well. I have known more bloggers and influencers that have gotten divorced because of this industry and we were almost there ourselves.

Please tell us about We Got the Funk. What should we know?
We Got the Funk is a play on our last name and now focuses on parenting and lifestyle topics. We value that authentic, honest and raw view and truly just want to share our story with others in hopes that it will inspire or help them. From recipes to mental health, to travel, to Colorado fun and more, we have a little bit of content for everyone.

My husband and I are both Colorado born and raised. We love this state and we are proud Coloradoan’s. I think that people continue to engage with us and to relate to us because we are honest, we do share the ups and downs and we are willing to be real.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Denver is home, it is the city we grew up in, it is the city that we showcase constantly on our social channels and in our posts and it is part of who We Got the Funk is.

I think this is difficult to answer because for us it is an obvious yes because our blog is about us, about our life and part of our life is Colorado, but it might not be for others because that might not be their focus.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.wegotthefunk.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: instagram.com/laurat_funk
• Facebook: facebook.com/wegotthefunk1
• Twitter: twitter.com/laurat_funk

Image Credit:
Mx4 Photography (Missy Long)

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