Jen Ruiz

How a Lawyer Turned Travel Blogging into a Thriving Business

March 13th, 2025

Founded By

Jen Ruiz

Founders

Profitable

Yes

Year Started

2017

Customer

B2C

Founded By
Jen Ruiz: Founders
1

Profitable
Yes: Year Started
2017

Customer
B2C

Who is Jen Ruiz?

Jen Ruiz is a former lawyer from Puerto Rico who transitioned into a full-time travel blogger and author, known for her popular blog "Jen on a Jet Plane" and multiple Amazon bestselling books. She holds degrees in law and has been recognized as a three-time TEDx speaker, making a significant impact by sharing her travel expertise and inspiring others to explore the world.

What problem does Jen Ruiz solve?

Jen Ruiz helps people make their travel dreams affordable and achievable, cutting through the frustration of expensive flights and overwhelming planning by offering practical tips and inspiration for budget-friendly adventures.

How did Jen come up with the idea for Jen Ruiz?

Jen Ruiz's journey began with a personal challenge she set for herself before her 30th birthday: to take 12 trips in 12 months while maintaining her job as a lawyer. Surpassing this goal with 20 trips opened her eyes to the transformative power of travel and the possibility of pursuing a career rooted in her passion.

Jen's path to becoming Jen on a Jet Plane was largely influenced by her desire to find more personal fulfillment, feeling that despite her professional achievements, her personal life was lacking adventure and meaning. Her experiences in finding affordable flights and discovering new cultures sparked the idea that she could share these insights with others.

Jen started by self-publishing books and blogging to address common questions about budget traveling. Feedback from readers and audience engagement confirmed there was a demand for her insights, which encouraged her to continue refining her content. Throughout this journey, Jen faced the skepticism that comes with leaving a conventional career path but relied on her storytelling ability and desire to inspire others to push through. Her key takeaway: embracing uncertainty can lead to unforeseen opportunities and a life aligned with one's passions.

How did Jen Ruiz build the initial version of Jen Ruiz?

Jen Ruiz transitioned from being a lawyer to building her brand as a travel blogger through a meticulous process of content creation and strategic repurposing. She utilized blogging as her initial platform, where she repurposed content across multiple channels like YouTube, Facebook, and TikTok, significantly growing her audience. The process involved rebranding twice and experimenting with SEO to niche down and stand out, which took considerable time and effort but proved essential in targeting a particular region or travel topic. Additionally, Jen emphasized the importance of building an email list, despite realizing late the untapped potential of earlier traffic. Her journey, while full of learning curves, laid the groundwork for success in other digital projects like self-publishing and monetizing her content effectively.

What was the growth strategy for Jen Ruiz and how did they scale?

SEO

Jen Ruiz understood the importance of SEO and recognized it as a vital channel for traffic acquisition. She strategically decided to niche down to stand out, focusing on specific travel regions or topics to dominate those areas. This approach allowed her to become a recognized authority in particular niches, helping her content to rank higher in search engines.

Why it worked: By becoming an expert in specific travel niches and focusing on SEO, Jen was able to capture the attention of users searching for tailored travel content. This strategic approach not only drove significant organic traffic to her site but also positioned her as a go-to resource for niche travel information.

Email Marketing

Jen Ruiz identified the missed opportunity of not capturing her website traffic through email marketing early in her blogging career. Realizing this, she pivoted to prioritize building a robust email list, understanding its importance as the core of her business.

Why it worked: An email list provides direct communication with followers, allowing for personalized content delivery and engagement. By capturing email subscriptions, Jen could maintain her audience's attention and drive them back to her content and products, aiding in consistent website traffic and sales growth.

Content Repurposing Across Platforms

With a focus on content repurposing, Jen leveraged short-form videos created on TikTok to grow her channels on YouTube and Facebook. This strategy allowed her to maximize the reach of her content with minimal additional effort.

Why it worked: By repurposing content across multiple platforms, Jen was able to reach a broader audience without constantly creating new material. This method not only saved time but enhanced her presence across various social media channels, contributing to follower growth and diversified audience engagement.

What's the pricing strategy for Jen Ruiz?

Jen Ruiz primarily monetizes her expertise in travel and digital entrepreneurship through a diversified portfolio, including bestselling books available on Amazon, public speaking engagements such as TEDx talks, and her travel blog, which earns passive income via display ads from joining networks like Mediavine for blogs with over 50,000 monthly views.

What were the biggest lessons learned from building Jen Ruiz?

Build Your Email List Early: Jen realized the importance of capturing site traffic through a mailing list, understanding that it serves as the core of her business. Starting sooner could have led to even greater engagement and monetization opportunities.
Focus on SEO and Niche Down: By narrowing the scope of content to a specific region or topic, Jen could have stood out as an expert more quickly. Strategic SEO helps increase visibility and establish authority in a crowded space.
Repurpose Content Efficiently: Instead of constantly creating new content, Jen found success in repurposing existing work across platforms like YouTube and Facebook. This strategy maximizes reach and saves time.
Be Prepared to Pivot: During the pandemic, Jen pivoted her content strategy by focusing on remote work and entrepreneurship. This adaptability helped her maintain income streams and grow her audience through new channels like TikTok.
Start While You're Employed: Jen recommends beginning a side hustle while still gainfully employed. This allows you to take risks and test ideas without the immediate pressure of financial instability, laying a foundation for a future full-time business.

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