Today we’d like to introduce you to Ericke Tan.
Ericke, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was born in LA but I grew up in the Philippines. I was 14 when I first moved to the US, ever since then, I’ve been moving between my two homes. I finished the latter half of high school at Bishop Conaty in Downtown LA. After graduating, I went to nursing school in the Philippines. My parents always insisted I work in the medical field, so I didn’t even know I had other options.
In college, I made extra money by selling vintage clothes on eBay. I would share my outfits on Lookbook.nu and eventually launched a fashion blog in 2009. This helped me land a social media internship at a local clothing company while finishing my last year of nursing school. Immediately after graduating college, I started working there full time. I managed the e-comm and digital department for a year before coming back to LA.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Migrating by myself at such a young age taught me how to listen to my intuition and trust my gut. To adapt, I always had to be spunky and resourceful. Before I left the Philippines, I sold everything I had and used the $5,000 I saved up to start over in LA. I’m the second of five kids, so I try not to burden my parents too much. When I found out I had to go back to school for a year to be qualified to take the RN licensure exam, I took that as a sign that maybe nursing is really not for me. I sought marketing related jobs and found an SEO job for a start-up in Downtown LA. I’ve been working for the same company ever since. I always thought I had a disadvantage because I didn’t go to school for what I do but you just really have to be present, pay attention to the job and keep learning from your mistakes.
Please tell us about Ericke Online.
I work at an automotive digital advertising company and I also manage my own lifestyle blog called: Ericke Online.
When we were a start-up, I had to wear many hats and worked in many different parts of our business. I learned how to make websites from scratch, help clients with branding across all platforms and promote customer engagement through paid ads. Nowadays, I manage the digital leg of our company, focusing on display and video campaigns.
I love to share stories and that’s what I use my website for. I interview inspiring people who follow their passion, produce my own videos and photos featuring my style secrets, travels and backstage access to local parties.
I use what I learn from working at an advertising agency and apply it to my personal ventures and vice versa. Maintaining my own brand allows me to be more mindful of my clients’ concerns and preferences. More importantly, it keeps me up to date with marketing trends, especially in the digital sphere.
I’m neither a blogger nor an IG model. I like to think “digital media maven” fits me best.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
In the Philippines, blackouts happen very often. Whenever the power was out, my siblings and I would sleep in the same room. I remember we would just lay in the dark and talk about anything and everything until we all fall asleep. It’s still the most special memory I have of home.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://ericke.online
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/ericketan
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ericketan
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