At the beginning of 2020, I was so excited to start my journey as a full-time influencer. I had just booked the biggest campaign I have had in five years of blogging. It had only been 6 months since our dream wedding in Atlanta and 4 months since I had gotten my Master’s Degree. Not to mention I was elated to realize I’d be in a city for more than a year for the first time since college. I’d finally be able to establish myself in a blogging community in Charlotte and build a local audience with fun events and get-togethers.
Then came the biggest realization.
I just became a full-time freelancer during a freaking global pandemic.
*deep breath*
What does the blogging industry look like for a style and travel influencer who was not able to share about fashion outside of pajamas or travel anywhere further than the couch? Frankly, it continued to be something that I struggled with throughout the remainder of the year. What do I want my content to really reflect with so many important issues?
Mental and physical health struggles, loss of loved ones, and constant fear of the unknown. While I was blessed to be able to speak to an even larger audience about my passions for diversity and inclusion, due to the BLM resurgence, I couldn’t help but feel frustrated that it had taken others so long to see our need to be represented. Between this and the political landscape of our country, it started to become difficult to continue relationships with brands and even other influencers that I had featured in the past.
But pruning a plant can lead to growth.
2020 was filled with periods of growth for a lot of people, myself included.
The pandemic forced us to get creative with our means of connection (Zoom calls rather than my preferred brunches). And I found ways to balance current events and lifestyle topics with my supportive audience.
I shared on my Instagram this time last year but “intention” was the word that I used to drive my purpose for 2020. I had big plans for what I wanted my business to look like. Despite the negativity that surrounded the year, I’m proud of what I was able to accomplish. It can be scary to dream of something in a time when there’s uncertainty everywhere you look. But I’ve always been told if your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not big enough.
In 2020, during my first full year of being a full-time influencer, I was able to secure over $100,000 in business revenue. I saw my first 5-figure partnership and ended 2020 with 5 contracted in total. I was able to work with some of the biggest brands such as Amazon, Nordstrom, Crest, Abercrombie, and more.
And while I’m not sure if I want to have a word of the year or even create plans for myself during a time when no one really knows what the future holds, God has got me this far and He has never lost a battle.
With that in mind, a few of my goals for 2021 include MORE VIDEO CONTENT (woo!) 1.5 x my business revenue from 2020, creating a mentorship program for influencers, investing more into my retirement plans, and increasing my monthly blog page views to 50K. I do have a few more business goals in mind for 2021 that I won’t share. And I’m so excited to reveal them down the road but they’re still in their initial phases. I’ve got to keep some element of surprise, right? 😉
I wanted to end with a *disclaimer* that it can look like everyone is pushing you to constantly hustle for the next big thing. And I want to make sure that you know that it’s okay to not want those things. It’s okay to focus on rest and peace and whatever works for you. What good are goals or resolutions if they’re not in your best interest? In all honesty, I struggle with knowing if I truly enjoy working 24/7 or if it’s because I’ve done it for so long I don’t know how to live without it (that’s a topic for another time haha). BUT in the end, you have to do what’s best for you! If you are looking to create your own goals for your business, I hope that this post provided some sort of inspiration and encouragement.
You don’t need 100,000 followers. Or designer fashion. And you most certainly don’t need to pick talking about skincare topics or politics.
2021, I’m ready for you.
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This blog is out standing!!!
Awesome post! Well written. Inspiring!!!
2021, “I’m ready for you too”!