Meet Myranda Hausheer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Myranda Hausheer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Myranda, what’s something about your industry that outsiders are probably unaware of?
Some of the biggest misconceptions about content creation is that it’s easy, people get lucky, go viral, and you “just get to hike and travel all of the time”. I’ve been working since I was 15 years old and owning my own business is the hardest I’ve ever worked. It’s been the most rewarding, though. I love what I do and I’m so grateful.

However, there is a lot that goes into this industry that most people never see. I sit in front of a computer (or my iPhone) a lot. There are days that there is less of that, of course, but I have a lot of “desk time” with this role. If you want to be a full time creator you can’t sit around and wait for brand deals to come to you. I do have inbound brand deals (brands who reach out to me) but I also pitch a lot. You also have to follow up, a lot. Sometimes you never hear back, you get ghosted, or told no. You can’t take rejection personally. Thankfully I have a thick skin from an old sales role, but it’s a grind. You also have to deal with people who are mean online. I am very quick to block folks who are mean to me, or my followers. I want my page to be a safe space, especially for beginners in the outdoors.

Being in this industry can also be challenging because you can get caught in the comparison trap of how your account is growing compared to others in a similar niche. It can be discouraging at times. However, how fast you’re growing is honestly out of your control, and it’s not helpful to fixate on. I try to focus on what I can control, which is the quality of my content, and how often I’m posting. There will always be ebbs and flows.

One other major thing that people don’t realize is how long it takes to edit a collaboration video. It typically takes me 2-4 hours to edit a video that’s only 15-60 seconds long. That doesn’t include the time it takes to prep your gear, drive to the mountains, go do the activity, get all of the content you need, drive home, unload all of your gear, and then start the editing process.

I think with any job it’s easy to glamorize, until you’re actually in it, and can see everything that goes into it. I feel like content creation is the perfect role for me and I’m so grateful that this is my life!

What should our readers know about your business?
I started Myranda in the Mountains in 2020. I moved to Denver, from Dallas, in December 2019. I was new to Denver when COVID hit, had no friends, lost my job, and I also couldn’t even work out at a gym or CorePower like I was used to. I joined a women’s Facebook group and started researching hikes in Colorado. I knew basically nothing about hiking or the outdoors. I was too scared to hike solo so I made my mom go with me on the first couple of hikes. I wasn’t prepared and was so ignorant that I didn’t even know that I should bring snacks/food because I would get hungry. I thankfully had a couple bottles of water and some layers. From there, I fell in love with the outdoors, started going on solo hikes, and collecting additional outdoor hobbies. I was sharing about it on my personal Instagram page, when an old fashion professor said that I should start a travel blog. I was skeptical and didn’t think what I was posting about would be interesting enough or good enough. But, I decided to try.

I started my Myranda in the Mountains Instagram page late in 2020. I didn’t post consistently until March of 2022. Like anything, a business (especially in social media) takes consistency. Thankfully, I started getting traction and my page started growing. By November 2022 I started to get my first paid brand collaborations. I was so excited!

November 2022 was also the time I unexpectedly lost my full time job. I’ve worked in the fashion industry, floral, event & wedding planning, sales, and property development, so I wasn’t sure what I was going to do next. I decided to take a couple weeks off and went on a road trip down to the Southwest and visited my dad and step mom, in Arizona. After that trip, I decided that I needed to listen to my gut, and take a chance on myself. I wanted to pursue content creation full time. My back up plan was to work part time somewhere, like a coffee shop, if I needed to. But I didn’t feel like a traditional 9-5 was the right path for me.

Thankfully, I’ve been able to do content creation full time (and social media marketing for other businesses) since November 2022. I can’t believe that it’s been over 2 years now.

It hasn’t been easy but I’m really proud of myself. It takes a lot of grit and determination to run your own business, deal with inconsistent income (especially being single), and deal with trolls at times. It can be physically demanding too, when you’re in the outdoor adventure space, and you need your body to do your job.

I’m proud that I’ve continued to try new hobbies and activities. I’ve grown a lot as a person in the last few years and I’m a lot more confident, too. I like and trust myself and I’ve had the best time being able to explore more of Colorado – even if that means I do a lot of it solo.

I like to talk about the new hobbies I’m starting, to encourage others to get out there, and to not be scared to be a beginner at something. I love getting messages from people who have shared that they tried something new or got back into an activity they haven’t done in a long time, because they saw me try something new. The outdoors is for everyone and it’s fun to be a small part in encouraging folks to get outside.

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?
This is such a hard question. I’m so lucky to live in Colorado where there is truly so much to see. It would depend a lot on the season and what kind of activities they like to do!

I love the long days in the summer, hiking to alpine lakes, and enjoying the stunning wildflowers. I started backpacking this summer and that was such a neat way to see more of the state that you can’t get to on just day trips.

Fall colors in Colorado are spectacular but it goes by so quickly!

I started skiing in January 2023 but last season (2023-2024) was the first time I got a season pass. It was so much fun to find a winter hobby I love, to ski with friends, and to get better at this sport.

If I had to pick 3 of my favorite places, to take a friend, they would be: the San Juans, Aspen, and Crested Butte.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’m really grateful that my mom has been extremely supportive! She’s always been there for me when I needed to vent about some quirk in this (weird) industry, or struggle I’m going through, and has even helped me film some brand collaborations when I needed an extra hand. I also have great friends who have supported me, too.

Website: https://www.myrandainthemountains.com/

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

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@myrandainthemountains