A Day in the Life of an Influencer
Why We Need More Women in Fintech and Why this Campaign is so Timely
I strongly believe we need more women in leadership roles across all industries, but given fintech’s growing influence across the financial world, it might be the best place to start. For centuries, women have been best placed to advise on money management, as traditionally it was women who were obliged to manage household spending. In more recent times, we have seen this evolve into the management of companies and even governments. So why can’t this be true for the fintech and crypto worlds, which will empower women to better influence how, when, and why money is spent.
Who My Inspiration is and Why
My mom has been, and will forever be my inspiration. I’ve never known another woman to be as strong, as intelligent or possess the soft skills she does. My mom has been a school teacher for over 35 years and also undertaken numerous extra projects on top of this. When they say how much the world is changing now, imagine living in a nation left to feel the effects of the death of the Soviet Union, where inflation ravaged the economy and an entire country had to start over again. There was no other way to survive than to be savvy and money-smart, concepts which certainly weren’t wide spread at that time. It was because of this, soft skills were desperately needed to generate as much income as possible. So it was my mom who taught me these lessons, how to get things done, how to be hungry, almost greedy, for knowledge and experience.
A Day in the Life of Me
The best day for me is one where I wake up without the alarm ringing. The best habit I know is to leave my phone in another room, so I can enjoy just a small part of your day that isn’t consumed by technology. Then I usually do what was planned. If it’s filming footage, I try to leave the whole day just for this one task. It’s one of the most energy consuming tasks for me, so I like to be prepared and have everything ready for these days. That means having my scripts written, outfits chosen and equipment prepped.
After I finish filming, I love being free to go anywhere. Usually, after any activities that require real focus and concentration, I love to go for a walk or just relax at home to clear my head and allow my conscious to recognise when work ends and leisure time begins. On the days where I work on my marketing consulting projects or focus on sel-education and learning, I start by creating detailed to-do lists. This way, I can prioritise my responsibilities and manage larger-scale projects through a step-by-step process. For instance, I'm currently learning Spanish so I ensure to set aside practice time every day, even if it’s only a ten minute Duolingo session at 11 pm and when I’m out running errands, I’m usually listening to Spanish stories for beginners.
Working on several different projects at any given time means my work routine can be different every day, however the one constant is my biggest goal for myself, living a healthy and balanced lifestyle, so I can always have the mental capacity to react to changes, make decisions quickly and perhaps most importantly minimise stress, which is always a bonus!
How I Got Started in Fintech/Crypto and Why I've Stayed
One positive I’ve been able to take from lockdown is that I've realised how much I thrive off innovation. I just love everything and anything new - whether that be in technology, food, or even people. I’ve also realised how much I love the battle of getting new projects off the ground, as over lockdown I started two online speaking classes which have been running for more than six months now and continue to go from strength to strength.
Back in 2016 when I came across the crypto industry, I was excited by how alien it all was. I made it my mission to educate as many people as possible about cryptocurrencies, blockchain and the benefits it could have reap for our everyday lives, and so I started a text blog and then a YouTube channel to try and reach as many people as I could. Putting out my first video was both terrifying and exhilarating. My aim was to explain the technology in simple terms as I had realised most content at that time was far too technical for the average person to understand and put into practice in their lives. I tried to make my content personable and relatable, for example, one video captured me buying shoes with crypto, and people loved it! The ability to break complex and technical information down into more simplistic and digestible content is a skill often overlooked, and something I felt the crypto industry was missing. Spoiler alert - I did happen to buy those shoes with my Wirex card and four years later, I still have them! Fast forward a few months and I began to get invited to networking events, industry conferences and began to interview some of the most influential figures within the industry, which has helped me to continue to chase my goal of making the crypto and fintech industries as accessible to as many people as possible.
Four years have passed, and I’ve now stopped creating video content focused on cryptocurrency. But what continues to inspire me the most is those people who reach out to me with stories about their success in the industry after coming across my content many years ago. This is the single greatest gift these past few years have bestowed upon me.
Written by Inna Tarpan, Founder of Womenique
Inna Tarpan, Marketing Manager, social media influencer and crypto-enthusiast, is passionate about female entrepreneurship.
As the Founder of Tarpan Digest, she has considerable expertise across the marketing sphere, responsible for everything from video production and influencer marketing, to social media strategic planning and event marketing. Her motivation for getting involved in Wirex’s Women in Crypto campaign is influenced by position as Co-Founder of Womenique, a female-focused social club that focuses on sharing knowledge and experiences, and supporting women who have moved to London in recent years.
