I'm Not An Overnight Success Story

Many of you may think I had instant success and that could not be further from the truth. I am NOT an overnight success story (and chances are your favorite creator or entrepreneur aren’t either)!

I started seriously making money from my “social media side hustle” in 2017 — and by ~serious bank~ I mean about $5,000 before taxes and deductions aka zero dollars in my pocket. I had less than 10,000 followers but worked in PR + social media for 5 years which kept me ahead of the game.

I decided to give my blog an LLC in 2018 for security & organization reasons (I didn’t want to keep giving some random account executive on the brand side my social security number anymore) and this little shift helped me start taking myself seriously. I must’ve made about $25K my first year as an official company on paper.

Because I spent years curating my social community and presence + portfolio of work as a photographer, working with brands as a content creator was a natural income opportunity.

In 2019, I made $65K in this revenue stream alone with about 30K followers and a full-time job. This was also the year I put my coaching certification to the test and more seriously took on consulting clients to “test the waters as a freelancer.”

In 2020 I more than tripled that revenue. How?

1. I focused on what I learned my ideal client was looking for and where the market was going (through research)

2. I diversified my income streams with new services and products to meet their needs

3. I increased my pricing based on my expertise and now many years of experience

4. I continued to build my social presence with valuable content so new clients and opportunities would find their way to me

5. I nurtured my industry relationships to get tapped for new gigs (all my consulting income came by word-of-mouth)

6. Most importantly, I hired help. I hired my first two part-time team members, multiple experts and counsel as it became relevant

7. I also invested in myself through coaching & educational programs that filled my gaps (the game-changers were MINDSET programs)

It took me 3+ years to go from zero to profit. The lesson here is that the sooner you start, the sooner you’ll get there. You can do it!

TELL ME ABOUT YOUR SIDE HUSTLE OR BIZ BELOW!