The Kentucky Gent, a men’s fashion and lifestyle blogger in Louisville, Kentucky, wearing Original Penguin Tee, Devil’s Rejects Plaid Shirt, Levi’s 511 Jeans, Richer Poorer Socks, and Converse Chuck Taylors.

New York State of Mind

The Kentucky Gent, a men’s fashion and lifestyle blogger in Louisville, Kentucky, wearing Original Penguin Tee, Devil’s Rejects Plaid Shirt, Levi’s 511 Jeans, Richer Poorer Socks, and Converse Chuck Taylors.If your dreams don’t scare you, they aren’t big enough.

When visiting New York anything and everything seems possible. Maybe it has to do with the fact that in New York you have to work to make things happens. Nothing just falls into your lap. While I do love living in Louisville I sometimes am left feeling one of two ways, entitled or inadequate. Both of which are incredibly detrimental to what I’m trying to accomplish.

On one hand, I’m a big fish in a little pond here in Louisville, and because of that I sometimes feel as if local brands and businesses should reach out to me. I mean, international brands do it, why shouldn’t they? Then I realized that the reason that the larger brands are reaching out to me is because they understand what most businesses in rural America don’t, that bloggers are an untapped marketing source (until now that is, wait until you see what I have up my sleeve and coming your way in November). Because of that I’ve began to reach out to more local businesses in regards to sponsored posts or collaborations, and I’m happy to say that I’ll be working with 21c here in Louisville (for a “Stay Local, Shop Local” post for the Holidays) come December, and I’m talking with another hotel in Indianapolis to do the same. Why, you may ask? Well, because as a recent article I read pointed out, Louisville is just a few hours away from most major cities (just another reason to move here y’all), and I plan on taking full advantage of that by starting a “Weekend Road Trip  ” series. If you’re in any of our surrounding cities, such as Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Nashville, St. Louis, or Chicago, and have a place I should check out, let me know in a comment below.

While on the other hand, I sometimes feel like large, international brands don’t want to work with this little blogger from Kentucky if they’ve not reached out to me. Finally I realized this mindset was doing NOTHING to further my career. Sometimes we have to step outside our comfort zone, risk rejection, and hope for the best. This morning I decided to reach out to an incredibly large, international cosmetic company in regards to working together on a “No Shave November” post, and to my surprise received a response from them a few hours after reaching out. I’m happy to say that I’ll be working with Lush on a post talking about my favorite time of the year, No Shave November.

Basically, what I’m trying to say is that just because you may not be playing in the major leagues because of your location, a current life situation, or certain circumstances doesn’t mean that you can’t step up to bat with the big boys. At the end of the day you’re the only one standing in your way. I’d rather know what happened, rather wonder what would’ve happened.

The Kentucky Gent, a men’s fashion and lifestyle blogger in Louisville, Kentucky, wearing Original Penguin Tee, Devil’s Rejects Plaid Shirt, Levi’s 511 Jeans, Richer Poorer Socks, and Converse Chuck Taylors. The Kentucky Gent, a men’s fashion and lifestyle blogger in Louisville, Kentucky, wearing Original Penguin Tee, Devil’s Rejects Plaid Shirt, Levi’s 511 Jeans, Richer Poorer Socks, and Converse Chuck Taylors. The Kentucky Gent, a men’s fashion and lifestyle blogger in Louisville, Kentucky, wearing Original Penguin Tee, Devil’s Rejects Plaid Shirt, Levi’s 511 Jeans, Richer Poorer Socks, and Converse Chuck Taylors. The Kentucky Gent, a men’s fashion and lifestyle blogger in Louisville, Kentucky, wearing Original Penguin Tee, Devil’s Rejects Plaid Shirt, Levi’s 511 Jeans, Richer Poorer Socks, and Converse Chuck Taylors. The Kentucky Gent, a men’s fashion and lifestyle blogger in Louisville, Kentucky, wearing Original Penguin Tee, Devil’s Rejects Plaid Shirt, Levi’s 511 Jeans, Richer Poorer Socks, and Converse Chuck Taylors.Plaid: Devil’s Harvest // Tee: (c/o) Original Penguin // Jeans: Levis // Socks: (c/o) Richer Poorer // Sneakers: Converse (c/o) East Dane

Josh

– The Kentucky Gent

louisville kentucky blogger
  1. Hi Josh! As soon as you wrote “reached out to an incredibly large cosmetics company” I was thinking, “I hope it’s Lush. Josh would be so awesome with them.” They’re a great company to work with and have always been kind whenever I reach out for writing related projects. Looking forward to everything you’ve got in the works but especially that post. So exciting. Cheers to big, scary, wonderful dreams. πŸ™‚

  2. Hi Josh! Just started following your blog. I split my time between Cincinnati & Louisville. For a Cincinnati piece I would recommend keeping it in the family and working with 21C the newest hot hotel here. Best food spots: Boca, Nada, Bakersfield, Terry’s Turf Club, or The Precinct where the Jeff Ruby story began. There are also great local shops in the OTR area (similar in style to Nulu) and a local T shirt company called Touch Me Tees is a staple in the city, bringing back hypercolor fashion. Cincinnati also loves its small breweries- check out Christian Moerlein if you have time.

    Hope this helps get you started in the city of Cincinnati.

    If you are ever looking for a guest blogger or copywriting services give me a shout: http://www.kbrooklynwest.com

    Much love,
    Brooklyn

    1. Thanks for the follow! Love the 21c in Cincinnati, I stayed there when I was in the city last. I’ll definitely be reaching out to them in regards to it, especially since they just received some accolades from Conde Nast Travel. I’ll be sure to add the places you listed to my do to list up there. Thanks again!

      I’ll be sure to keep you in mind for any opportunities that may pop up.

  3. First of all, love that tee. I’ve been having some NYC withdrawals every since coming back from my trip! Also, that’s awesome that you’re reaching out. I’ve been starting to do the same {not locally though} and I’ve been really pleased with the outcomes. It never hurts to ask, ya know? If another blogger/friend is working with a company you like, you can always get the company’s contact info from them.

    Anyways, a lot of stores here don’t understand that it’s a two-way street. Even if they are willing to work with you/us, they don’t ever consider compensation, whether it be product or monetary. We put in a lot of work with our blogs, and sometimes, they just don’t get it. So I feel ya! Hope you’re having a great day, Josh!

    xo,
    Grace
    A Southern Drawl

    1. I know, it’s one of my favorites (doesn’t feel too touristy). I’m having some serious NYC withdrawals as well. February can’t come soon enough. Exactly, it never hurts to ask. I’ve definitely gotten more no replies than I have replies, but you never know until you try.

      Couldn’t agree more about local brands/businesses not really understanding how we fit into the picture with them. Hopefully we can change that, sometime soon!

      Hope you’re having a great week. Thanks for stopping by πŸ˜‰

      1. Hi Josh & Grace! I was just reading a blog post from one of my favorite resources and this conversation from the other day popped in my head about locals understanding the worth of a blogger. Here are two great resources for some new ideas.
        The first link is the one that made me think of you all!

        Much love,
        B

  4. This was so encouraging! I just started blogging about a month ago, and I’m still trying to figure it all out! I love your blog and the ease of your style. It’s very authentic. As far as visiting cities.. Im from Nashville and i recommend it to everyone! If you visit you should definitely check out East Nashville area and eat at: Marche (brunch), The Pharmacy (burgers and beer all local), and Barista Parlor (the best coffee shop around) Just to name a few!

    Thanks for the inspiration,
    Erika

    http://www.inimitablebyerika.com

    1. SO glad that you were able to find the post encouraging. Trust me, I’ve been there, it’s so nice to hear that other bloggers (even the ones that look successful) are having/have had struggles in the past. It makes everything seem that much more attainable, and it really is. It just takes dedication and some hard work. We do have it harder being from smaller cities, as we don’t have the opportunities that those in the larger cities have (new store openings, brand showroom visits, etc), but we’ve gotta make the best of what we have. If you have any questions, need any tips feel free to drop me an e-mail!

      I love Nashville, and I’m looking forward to being able to come down and visit the city more. I”ll be sure to check out the places you’ve mentioned. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction!

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