Meet Elizabeth Jude Baptista | Creator & Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Elizabeth Jude Baptista and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Elizabeth Jude, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
As a first generation American, I’ve grown up listening to my family’s stories of struggle and hardship to make it to this country. I feel really blessed to come from a family that not only knows struggle, but also knows success. My family is full of entrepreneurs who’ve built lives worthy of the “American Dream” title. For me, being surrounded by this all my life has made starting my own business the most natural thing I’ve ever done.

I always knew I’d start my own business at some point, but never imagined I’d do it so young. Like so many others, when the pandemic hit, my life changed a lot. I went from being a college student with a thriving social life, to a lonely adolescent with a lack of purpose and way too much time on my hands. Social media was always fun and creative for me, so I really leaned into it. I always knew there was value in having a strong digital presence, so I continued to work at it until eventually it turned into a thriving influencer career.

Through this experience, I realized that I could turn any of my passions into a business. So when I began to go viral on TikTok for my series known as “100 days to 10k” where I shared my strategies for growing on social media, I quickly decided to take my expertise and turn it into a business. I started Jude The Agency during my senior year of college and by the time I graduated in May of 2022 I was working for myself full time as both an influencer and business owner.

Jude The Agency just turned two years old, and looking back I realize how relatively unafraid I was of failure. I always lead with curiosity. I think it’s so important to be curious and constantly evolving, especially in a field like marketing and social media. For me, this is what has helped my business grow into what it is today.

What should our readers know about your business?
I think what makes Jude The Agency different is our whole approach to social media. I come from an influencer background, and if you speak to any influencer they’ll tell you how important it is to them that they create content that brings value to their community above all else. Having a community based approach is what makes influencers so influential. I think more brands should adopt this mentality and prioritize their community before they ever ask for a sale. By doing this, brands will begin to see their followers turn into true fans of the brand, therefore making them more likely to organically purchase, promote, and create conversation around the product/service. It’s all about changing the mentality around social media from an “ask” approach to a “give” approach, and that’s how you can start thinking like an influencer.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Miami is a pretty fun city to explore. There are plenty of tourist traps and some are worth entertaining, but for me, a perfect weekend in Miami is less about flashy cars and more about ambiance and good conversation.

On Friday I suggest a fun dinner in the city paired with a quick drink afterwards at Sugar, a rooftop bar in Brickell, to enjoy the beautiful Miami skyline. Saturday morning you can usually find a farmer’s market or two somewhere in the city. This is a great way to support local artists and business owners, but also a chance to get a quick bite. In the evening you can start off with some casual drinks at Lagniappe or Broken Shaker. Both of these spots are hidden gems with a casual conversational vibe. After that I suggest getting dressed up and going to Marion in Brickell or Mayami in Wynwood. These spots are great, because you can have dinner and then around 11 they crank up the music and it turns into a club. You can spend all night there and have a great time. Sunday I suggest spending the day at the beach and then going to South Point Park to watch the sunset. There’s usually lots of music and dancing here each Sunday. At night, visit Espaniola Way. This is a small street in South Beach and it’s full of fun restaurants and outdoor seating.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to dedicate this to my parents who have always been supportive of my entrepreneurial spirit. I also want to give a big thank you to my online community and followers, because I wouldn’t be here without their support.

Website: https://www.judetheagency.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabeth_jude_/

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-baptista-5457a5168

Other: Personal TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@elizabeth_jude_
Business Instagram Page: https://www.instagram.com/judetheagency/
Business LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/jude-the-agency/

Image Credits
Headshots by Zarza Photography