Every week during the holidays, we interview an exceptional expert, leader, creative or entrepreneur with whom we have had the pleasure of crossing paths in some shape or form.

If you are new here, Reve Insiders is an exclusive network of global leaders, businesses, brands, professionals and creatives. Our 10 Questions Series is all about exploring what makes them tick. We find out how they are making a difference in our world or making changes in their own lives to impact the lives of others.

Relax, get comfortable and read on…

This week, we interviewed Claudia Kramer, a mum, fermentation enthusiast, savvy digital marketing expert with a passion to help businesses, agencies and solopreneurs build, manage and improve their digital marketing performance. Let’s dive in!

REVE INSIDERS: Thank you for joining us today, Claudia. It’s a delight to have you here and we hope your year has been an eventful one! Are you originally from Mexico and now based in Zurich, Switzerland? Can you share one of your most memorable travel experiences or places that you’ve visited?

Claudia Kramer: Thank you for this opportunity. Yes, I am originally from Mexico and I’ve been living in Europe for more than half of my life. Before coming to Zurich, I lived in Paris. Paris was the first city I visited in Europe and it was fascinating. I spent nearly 12 months in Paris before moving to Switzerland. It was in Paris where I met my now husband. I had learned French in Mexico, but when I arrived in France, I was surprised to realise that my French was not good at all. I learned so much more than the language in France. I walked a lot, visited all the famous places in Paris, and learned about the culture. Not only from the French culture, but also from the different cultures I was exposed to when meeting all the other foreigners in Paris.

REVE INSIDERS: How have you been able to balance being a mother of three wonderful kids and working as a digital marketing expert?

Claudia Kramer: My job is very flexible, most of it takes place in front of a computer, so I can work from home or from anywhere in the world. One great thing about being an entrepreneur is to have the flexibility to work whenever you need to and to stop whenever you have to. I can always take time off if I need to and I know I can compensate in the evenings or on an occasional weekend. If I have an intense period, for example, if I need to travel, we have someone who comes to our place for a few hours and helps with the cooking and cleaning. My kids are now all teens, so they don’t need to be taken care of, they rather need presence and food of course.

REVE INSIDERS: How did your digital marketing journey begin?

Claudia Kramer: I’ve always been interested in tech. My background is in business IT, so I studied marketing and different tech topics as well. I always worked with websites or helping others with tech issues. When I started my business I asked myself the question if I wanted to go on the website building route or learn something different. I wasn’t interested in just marketing, but when I started learning about analytics and digital advertising, and I saw how technical it can be, I was immediately hooked. I like challenges and solving issues, and I think there are a lot of things we can achieve, learn and solve with digital marketing.

REVE INSIDERS: What aspect of digital marketing do you enjoy working on the most?

Claudia Kramer: I really enjoy learning new things consistently and sharing my knowledge with other business owners or their teams. I love making tech things easy for others through workshops and courses. And I also enjoy the many possibilities digital marketing has to offer. No business is the same, but by applying the tools and techniques of digital marketing you can make a difference and help businesses grow.

REVE INSIDERS: Tell us more about your love for fermentation? How did it all begin and can you share a stand-out experience from your time in the United Kingdom learning about the art of fermenting?

Claudia Kramer: I’ve always been somewhat skeptical about what the media tells us healthy food is, so I started reading a lot about how food works in our body and what makes us healthy and sick. That’s when I discovered the benefits of fermented foods and the amazing world of our gut microbiota. I tried to make fermented foods at home, but I wasn’t sure I was doing it right. So I had the opportunity to attend a health conference near London where they had different fermentation workshops. It was amazing to learn so much about the effects of what we eat has on our bodies and our mental health. I continued reading and experimenting at home, so much that I started sharing what I learned with family and friends.

REVE INSIDERS: We know that wellness and health is very important to you. As a mum, what are your three quick, healthy and easy meals or snacks to prepare that our readers can maybe incorporate for the new year?

Claudia Kramer: As you know, I love fermented foods. So my favourite recipes contain something fermented. We love oat pancakes with milk kefir on a lazy Sunday morning, we eat them with maple syrup or honey. I also make marble cake with milk kefir and different gluten-free flour. And one of my favourite meals I make regularly is chicken soup and top that up with some avocado and sauerkraut.

REVE INSIDERS: How do you spend your free time, or what are your favourite hobbies? What does a regular wellness routine or self-care day look like for you?

Claudia Kramer: I love cycling, so whenever I have the chance, I get on a bike even if it rains.
My wellness routine consists of 3 main parts: exercise, healthy eating and self-reflection. I try to go to the gym twice or three times per week and I combine that with going to the steam bath, sauna and cold bath. I try to eat real food and avoid sugars and junk food whenever possible. As for self-reflection, I enjoy guided meditations and journaling. I am not 100% consistent with all these, but I try to be consistent 80% of the time, and when the other 20% happens, I accept it and enjoy it too 🙂

REVE INSIDERS: If you had one chance to go back in time to change any career decision you’ve made in the past, would you take it? And if yes, what decision would it be?

Claudia Kramer: I think if I had that chance, what I would do differently is to start a community and collaboration a lot earlier. I tried a few ventures that didn’t work, but I was doing it all by myself. When you involve others and create a community, things are more enjoyable and they have the opportunity to work better.

REVE INSIDERS: What are a few of your biggest business wins over the years? And what is one piece of advice that you would share with others looking to venture off into business?

Claudia Kramer: I would say my biggest win is the collaborations I’ve had over the years and all the people I’ve met on the way. Being a business owner can sometimes feel lonely, and when you meet other people who are on the same or similar boat, it is worth a lot. If I can share a piece of advice would be to find a community who shares your values and who are like-minded. This is really important because with entrepreneurship, there are always ups and downs and you need people who understand what you go through when you go down, and who celebrate with you when you are up.

REVE INSIDERS: Do you have any major projects coming up in the near future that you would like to share, personal or business-wise?

Claudia Kramer: I am planning a new program aimed at talented entrepreneurs with service-based businesses, who might need a bit of support with online and digital marketing tools. I would like to offer a knowledge base of how to do the tech part of marketing so that they can continue on their path to growing their business.

Lastly, thank you to (Femi Omoleye) for his research and contribution to this interview.