What I've Learned as a 7 Year Influencer/Content Creator
Here's my expertise gained from 7 years as an influencer and content creator...a post.
Every year; I typically see people wrap up the year sharing all of the accomplishments they've made for the year. I decided to get a little real about the realities of being an influencer and wanted to share some of the things I've learned that I feel are important for any influencer to hear!
No Amount of Money will Make Your Heart Content
There’s no amount of money that will make your heart content. I’ve had months making $69k, hours making $2k; all while living through some of my darkest moments. The money alone will not satisfy you. I made $200k less than I did last year and feel more fulfilled than I have in a long time . The answer: Jesus.
Business Evolves Constantly
There are ebbs and flows to business. Not every month will be a good month. Planning ahead and knowing the season you’re in is vital. You may hear “diversify your income” a lot because it’s real. I’ve had so many changes within these 7 years with my revenue streams. One stream in year 3 brought in $6k a month and now bringing in $2k; another stream brought $30k a year now bringing $200k a year. Things WILL evolve and the social media world is finicky; be diversified!
If you'd like more information on how I make money with my online business; check out my "How to Make Money Online Ebook." I walk through all of the ways I've diversified my income.
Budgeting is a Habit; How's your habit?
Discipline in budgeting will take you a long way; especially when you start making upwards of $400k+ and a lack of discipline will bite you in the butt every time. Start creating healthy money habits early; it will benefit you in the long run.
The best and most beneficial decisions I’ve made as a business owner:
⭐️Paying Off All Personal Debt
⭐️Adopting the Profit First Model for my Business
⭐️Having a Team
⭐️Separating Personal Funds from Business
⭐️Always Maintaining a 6 Month Emergency Savings
⭐️Not Chasing Followers
You Always Come First
Prioritize yourself! The business will be there; but if you don’t have a healthy you, the business will ultimately fail. Prioritize your mental health over a social media post. If a healthy mind equates to low social media engagement; so be it. There are so many other ways to make money. Social media was designed to help you; not break you!
In 2023, I posted on Instagram (main platform) 73 times out of 365 days; still cleared $300k+. Don't let folks pressure you into the “post everyday” mentality. It is NOT sustainable and if you are sustaining it, you’re likely giving up something else that’s valuable.
Value Things You Can't See
Along the lines of money won’t bring you happiness; things won’t either. Be mindful when you make big purchases like houses and luxury cars. Sure you may be able to afford it and don’t get me wrong those things are nice. But typically those nice things take from something. Whether it’s your time; decreased budget; less spending power. Sometimes being happy with less is the right mentality; even in an abundant season.
I speak from experience. Bought a major house with all the bells and whistles; pool; land; over 6,000 square ft of space and what did I lose…time maintaining it all and money trying to upkeep; and although I can afford it; I kind of enjoyed the simpler life when I could see the money in my account vs. in pool chemicals. Not to say that these things are wrong; but I would encourage a little more thought before taking the plunge. I highly suggest waiting a little later for those things in life if you’re a single business owner.
No Debt is the Best Debt
If you can pay it off; pay it off! I hear all of this advice about using credit/investments to build wealth and that’s great if you can master it; but the best feeling will always be no debt!
Peace of mind wins for me every time.
Find Your Own Way
Other peoples path may not be yours. Find what works for you. This is a simple thing, but I think people really miss this because of the simplicity of it. Just because everyone grows one way does not guarantee you success the same way. The two things that will help you grow are consistency and grind; how you do it can look completely different than everybody else’s. Embrace the uniqueness; there are enough carbon copies out there.
Website is King
Having your own website will always be the move! You own it; you don’t own social media. When I started 7 years ago, Facebook was the "IT" social media and instagram was slowly becoming more popular; TIKTOK didn't even exist. Imagine having to build platforms from scratch on all of these social medias; no way. Instead I leveraged my social media to point to my website. I don't chase followers; so what do I chase you may ask? Direct Website Visitors!
On the graph below; Direct = Visitors who visited my website by entering my website name Handmade-Haven.com directly. Not redirection from social media. This is the number I want to grow. Followers on social media are great; but this number tells me something. If social media was to shut down; or another social media takes over; I feel at ease knowing that I have a substantial amount of people who know my site "directly". As if; this is my own little social media. Build your own folks..and then utilize social media to point people to your site. After while; they will go directly to you as a source!
