Hi and welcome to the added value podcast. I'm your host Jules Thompson and here we're talking all things influencer marketing. I'm honored to bring you the stories of hustlers making a difference in their sphere of influence. If there's one consistent message, you'll see here is to own your unique value now, let's get to the show.Well, hello to my awesome podcast friends. What's up? I hope you guys are having an absolutely amazing summer. I can't believe it's already halfway through July. I don't know where the summer has gone so far, but a lot of great stuff is going on in my world. I just got back from New York with my work team Murr. I got to do one of my very favorite things in the world, which is to meet a lot of our content creators andAnd future brand friends at an awesome dinner. So we hosted about 20 influencers in New York City with the help of our friendliest or caucus who is one of our amazing partner. She's a celebrity nutritionist based out in LA and she helps connect us with people who Value Health and Wellness and could value a lot from partnering with our brand so really had such an amazing time. I think when you have the opportunity City to meet people face-to-face. It's one of the best things that you can do to deepen the relationships that you have. I mean when you think about working with influencers, it's part of your team. These are people who are representing your brand and they are your ambassadors and a lot of cases. So it really makes sense to invest in those relationships not just from you know, a transactional standpoint, but from a relationship standpoint, so honestly, you know gives them the chance to Ask you the brand questions about you know, what your philosophy is on your influencer marketing program ask about the products talk about new launches and more than that kind of see where your Mutual goals align. So I get to talk with influencers about you know, what our goals are in the future now and what campaigns were doing and what kind of content we're looking for and they get to do the same thing. We get to kind of hear what their goals are for, you know. What kind of brands are looking to work with and what kind of content they want to get into creating. So it's an incredible opportunity to make their relationship even stronger and partnering with someone like Leah who has such integrity and has so much respect as a nutritionist and her field which you know is just shown from her incredible roster of clients. And when you have someone like that vouching for your brand a truly does mean a lot if validates the Integrity of the brand the quality Lady of the brand and then her recommendation not only to her followers in her community and her clients, but to other content creators we could personally work with is just a really big deal and I feel very lucky to be in the room that I was in with the people that I was with. I always have so much fun. I always learn so much and it really just validates that you know, they work so so hard to create great content and to build relationships. Ation chips and time is the biggest commodity that any of us have so if you're an influencer and you're making the time to meet one-on-one with a brand and spend times been hours with them and you share that with your community, your community is going to be like wow, if they think this brand is worth their time. I really think you know, this brand is going to be something that I should be looking into and I can trust more so it's such a great opportunity if you're on the brand side, I definitely encourage you to seek out. Opportunities to connect with your influencers in person we try to do it probably once a quarter at least and it's just so valuable. It really does strengthen relationships on both sides. So that was a blast definitely a high like highlight of my week so far pilot of my month and I can't wait to do it again next month and I'll lay so no one knows better about the power of a face-to-face then our next guest Amelia Weiss when Amelia Our first moved to Nashville from Tampa Florida. She barely knew anyone. She was on the search for a way to connect with other female professionals and entrepreneurs and when she couldn't find one she created one. So I kind of was in this like women need to support each other. They need to have each other's backs mood and I was also in this mood where I was like in a new community that inspired me so much. So I kind of sat down and I could make a website I could make it Instagram. I could pitch email people from PR and I was like, I have all the tools Iron Man just faster into one thing since launching the Nash gals Network and early 2018. Amelia has also started her own Consulting and creative agency as a content creator her philosophy on working with Brands consists of genuine relationships added value and transparency on both sides as a freelancer and creative running multiple businesses and social media accounts. She proves that you don't have to have all of the answers. You just have to believe in yourself. It's not all festivals photoshoots and fun events. Like you see on social media. It's using every inch of her Google Calendar to maximize every minute of her day. Even if that means scheduling in her showers, not only is she one of the hardest working people. I know she is incredibly humble. She's constantly thinking about what more she can do for others, especially when it comes to empowering the women around her as both a content creator and businesswoman. She has experience working with Brands and as one. You are you are sharing things to add value to the people's lives that follow you are that's what I believed was social media anyways, and I don't I don't think that you should be working with someone if it doesn't add value that being said your time is worth something. So if you're spending time and you're spending resources and you're doing all of that, they should be paying you a certain amount. Amelia has tons of knowledge and experience and branding social media content public relations and most importantly has an The authentic intention of bringing people together and helping them excel in their career path. I feel so lucky to know her and I'm very excited for you to hear all about her amazing. Journey. Thank you so much for being here and listening. I hope you have fun hanging out with me and Amelia Weiss. Thank you so much for joining me and chatting with me. You're someone who ever since I started an influencer marketing. Obviously, you're one of the first people that I found and met able of it. Yes. Oh my gosh, and I think that's just like one of the highlights of my career thus far just because I remember going out to dinner with Elizabeth my coworker beforehand and we just like had a glass of wine. It was our first time kind of going in and like meeting people in person. So I don't think I'll ever forget it was such a great experience. I love hearing that that was one of my favorite events. My mom was actually there was her birthday weekend. And Abel is just so great the way they Embrace Community especially with females, but I love the way that we can just have events and everyone can come out and meet each other and it's so it's so great to hear that and that you met cars and that night too because I know that you guys have become really close and I got to go to it was a galentine's day Gala dad's event with you guys in the amazing strawberry lemonade. I know I will not forget. That's what it was. Right and the truffles truffles are the highlights these I choose to I didn't even know that night that Carson and Remy knew each other and it's so interesting when you know, someone through social media, I'm sure you've had this experience and then you see them and beat them in real life. Thank you for putting those events on and connecting the community because otherwise I would be missed out missing out on opportunities to meet such great people. So I would love to hear more about Out kind of how you grew up. Yeah, Miss boss lady. Oh my gosh. Well, I'm going to give you kind of a different story than most people probably would but I so I grew up in Tampa born and raised my mom and I are very very close. My dad passed away from cystic fibrosis, and I was too so it's always kind of spending my mom's as I can remember with that. She went back. She's a teacher. She's kindergarten teacher. She went back to teach Doing when I was probably when I was going into first grade something like that. I was really young. So I spent a lot of time, you know a lot of time with her one-on-one but a lot of time, you know with my grandma and my next-door neighbor's people giving me rides stuff like that because obviously she couldn't do it all she's a superwoman and so that I spent so much time alone and I just got used to be and I'm an only child so it's got used to being very independent and it's funny because people Talk a lot about only children and entrepreneur is MM. Is that something you know where I don't know. There we go. That's way longer and you know how kind of shapes that but I really think it was me having to not so much like we're like, I don't want to make it sound like I was alone all the time, but I definitely was held responsible for a lot of stuff at a young age that I don't know that a lot of people are Another thing about my childhood that at the time I probably thought it was really weird. But now I'm so thankful for it is we why like listen to and read and watch the stuff that a lot of kids were watching. I watched all of the Alfred Hitchcock movies and listen to The Beatles all the time and like records and stuff like that and kiss like I just found these baby pictures of me with like a kiss book and my hands like six months old, so I just have always been more on. Like the creative side of things and so when I graduated high school, which should probably Backtrack on that my senior year of high school. I convinced my mom to once I got into the school, by the way, because after if I hadn't gotten into school, no, but after I got enough is to I convince my mom to let me skip Mondays and Fridays and work from a coffee shop in high school. So like looking back like everyone thought it was so weird. Like I Most absences like I don't care but looking back I work in a coffee shop like three times a week now and I am so efficient there. So it's kind of like ironic to look back and think like I kind of set this path for myself and didn't necessarily realize it at the time when I went to school for a say I started studying art. I had no idea what I wanted to study. I again like school school was not necessarily my top priority. I enjoyed it. I enjoyed learning but I I enjoy learning about the things that they were teaching me. So studied art for a little bit realized. It was better as an outlet for me that I needed something creative, but I didn't need to be focusing all my energy on it. So I ended up picking the most broad major possible Humanities so I could study because for my school you pick three different things to go under Humanities. I studied literature learn a lot about copyrighting through that more than I know. I actually last night said to my boyfriend when I was writing. Something else. I think I'm getting good at copywriting and he was like, what does that mean? That was but uh and PR and marketing which I don't think I've used one thing from those classes in real life. Yeah, but I really just think that growing up as a super independent child. Formed me to to take the route of an entrepreneur as for its actions are the Nationals before I started the template files and because I was living in Orlando when I graduated college and I was miserable hated that place no offense to anyone that loves Orlando, but I moved up here and I knew one person my friend Karen and she kind of took me under her Wing which I'm really thankful for but I was really bored. I was still interviewing for jobs. ABS mostly in like the pr realm I was super into food and beverage and I was sitting at frothy monkey on till South and I was kind of like I had just gotten out of like a really bad relationship where he he had cheated on me with among a lot of other things. She dumped me with a bunch of women and I ended up at the end of that relationship kind of like I was really mad at them the whole time and then at the end I realized that like, we all went through the same thing together and I'm now actually best friends with one of the girls who cheated on me with her Rhythm time. She she was in the same shoes. But so I kind of was in this like women need to support each other. They need to have each other's backs mood. And I was also in this vid where I was like in a new community that inspired me so much. So I kind of sat down and I could make a website I could make it Instagram. I could pitch email people from PR and I was like, I have all the tools. Why don't I just Foster it into one thing and I didn't really know what was going to come of it or what? It was going to look like I ended up pitching Milling like a few people who I knew and natural and asking them if they thought it would be good. I emailed a few restaurants inside like hey, can we have like ten girls were at happy hour and we had a first happier a few months later and then it just kind of like took off from there. Like well-thought Wallflower Wells are who wildflowers as well, aren't we all just a little bit. So wow, that's a really cool to hear that. It was born out of a situation. in that's so unfortunately relatable for a lot of women, but that that emotion obviously is powerful enough to bring people together and I think Community is based on emotion and based on similar experiences and it's so cool that you made something negative so positive so I want to go back to college a little bit because I know and I hope that people listening that probably follow you and admire how entrepreneurial you are and your journey If they're in college, if they're thinking about going to college versus weighing work experience, or I know in my experience. I always give the advice of interning at your dream job and just kind of shoot for the stars and really put yourself out there and do the work while you're young and you can because that's going to set you up for the future. So I would love to hear your thoughts about Traditional School path because I know a lot of entrepreneurs do and some don't even graduate from college and obviously you did and I did As well versus having work experience and where the value in that lies in your opinion. Yeah, so honestly, well, I guess since I've started a business. No one has asked me about my degree which you know, sometimes I'm kind of like well don't you wanna know but I've been talking about this a lot lately with on panels. I was spoken what you know with other entrepreneurs stuff like that and it's really a mixed bag and I don't think there's like a right or wrong, but I think it really depends on the person. Which for me was a lesson in discipline and time management and social standards basically, like learning a lot about myself and a lot about relationships friendships what to prioritize stuff like that, of course, like the education component was important but like I said, it's not anything that I necessarily use that being said, I really agree with the internship thing. I had no idea. Do what I wanted to do until I went through a couple of internships in a couple of like short-term Contracting positions and really I had no idea actually graduated and started working at Make-a-Wish and Orlando and I was working there and I was working at a different nonprofit in Tampa and they both somehow like I thought I'd know what I thought I was going to be doing with the nonprofit, but they both put me on the marketing side and that trade me a lot of marketing and made me realize that I love doing great. Marketing. I just didn't want to do it and nonprofit because I didn't the CEO of the makos down there sat me down and was like, why are you here? Like if you want to make money you're going to have to switch from nonprofits to nonprofit and that's something that like, I've always been very just very into the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation for obvious reasons and like in my mind, I can't switch for nonprofits nonprofit. So that made me realize I want to do marketing but not in this field. So then I found a different internship in a different field. Food beverage and I ended up loving that but I was in PR and marketing and it made me realize I'm not really in the pr. That's not really my thing. So I really do and especially I didn't do it. I did it after college. I didn't intern in college. I had honestly I spent my summers in Tallahassee relaxing because I used to take to stupid amounts of courses during the year. But but like my intern Jill from Nash cause she she literally moved to Nashville. Her Image in like our software in her junior year to work at Fleming's and get to know people in the community so that she would have liked in in when she moved here after graduation and I feel like that's like the smartest thing that anyone can do whether you're interning or you're just like getting a step ahead in some way because you're building a skill and you're connecting your getting to know people. It's kind of like an invaluable. Thing. Yeah. Yes. No, it's it's true. I mean relationships. I found and using your network is obviously the best way to get symbiotic moves in your career. I think so, I think that's super smart as well. And I would love to go ahead and dive into what it takes to build a community and turn a community into a business. I promise it insert a man. I hate Club. I was I the the minute I am Moved out of Orlando. I kind of past that but but it did certainly Inspire the you know, my forward changes in how I thought about my relationships with women and empowering women and the community of women. The biggest thing for me with now Charles has been creating a mission and figuring out values and pillars of what that looks like and staying true to it. No matter how it develops. So I had I had no idea if it was was going to catch on or not. Like if it was going to be a thing like I didn't sit down and think like this is going to blow up in a random girl two bars going to ask me about it or you know, whatever but I did have to sit myself down and start with reasonable goals, which is why I started with happy hours. It seemed like the most achievable thing because before I was you know, I was unemployed and while I have lost money because I pay for a lot of things that I shouldn't pay for like Like I have like a stupid amount of plates in my house for no reason for a nescau stuff and like we don't need them but like I have them have like lots of fun dinner parties at your house one day. Well, okay. So I put I organized my garage I put them on this beautiful shelf that I built and then when I went out of town the Shelf fell onto the top of my car and half the plates broke so I know dinner parties maybe like small branches, but but no so I had to figure out what an achievable goal with look like For a community that was based solely on empowering women and not taking money from them being all inclusive. So we start with happy hours that seems like something I can call restaurant and say hey, can you accommodate, you know 15 women standing around at your bar outside on your patio? Is this a bad time to you another group kind of thing? And once I started I would literally go on Instagram and find Like the email of the restaurant and I would email a person get into contact and explain like the mission and you know, a lot of the people in those roles were women and they were like, oh, this is awesome. Like I would love to help out. I would love to be a part of it and what that it was just a really great, you know segue and two other things from there and from the pull of it was a lot of the women were in you know into some kind of blogging or creative. Industry like were in some position where they really enjoyed sharing, you know their lives and what they do every day and so sharing what happened at that restaurant looked really great for the restaurant as well. So that was a pull to begin with and then once I started sharing things on Instagram about our mission what we're doing and who was attending the event and what they looked like and how different it was in the Nashville Community more and more businesses and people started reaching out wanting to be involved and it really just grew Organically and I got to this point where we like there were so many things going on a month that I had to like be like no we have to do it next month, which I'm so bad at saying no to people so that was really difficult. But it's it's been this trial and error of learning how to support businesses but also support ourselves without You know using people or not supporting them and sometimes people will be involved in events and hate how it works out and not want to work with us again, and that's you know, that that happens and I try not to get upset about that. But then there's some people who are so supportive and want to work with us over and over and it's a great fit and so it's just been finding this cohesiveness with the community and also I guess Really hit the ground running and March of last year and So within a year we had over 60 events and it was like alongside building a business. It was exhausting. So I needed to take a step back this year and kind of say like now that this community has developed. What does it need? How can I make it more intentional? So we've been doing a lot of panels and also panels that I encourage men to come to because I think a lot of them are based on growth And I don't think that should just be limited to women really nothing should just be loaded until women, but the second that I invite men to happy hours. It becomes like a dating thing and it's just like I get so many questions from in about like, when's the happy hour and I'm like, I don't run a dating service like I swear I don't but yeah, so it's just been this really fruitful experience of learning how to govern a community that is run solely on values and really nothing else. Like we have a membership program that the fees literally go to it's $20 for a year and the fees literally go to like I don't paying for the videos that we use or donating to like nonprofits when we go to events and stuff like that. So it's it's been a really interesting long process and as for growing a brand on Instagram and on Facebook and all the platforms, it's really just been staying true to us and what works as for the morals which are you know, connecting people through community and not going with Like the not I don't want to see like the trends of you know, what's going on. But like I'm not going to sweat and I love Mayfair, but I'm not going to switch our entire like feed to look like my favorite just because that's what's like the thing right now. I know that Nashville is a really specific community. And so like when we go to Tampa, it's a very different community and you have to understand that and so that's why we have a city Rapids in Tampa and doing the Tampa gals Instagram and same thing like we extended a camber which is in Australia and they have a completely different. Vernacular like I don't understand how this ends are saying and so it which is really just it's so interesting to me, but we have a city rep there who I had to I had to delegate which is hard for me and she was doing such a great job. So I pretty much just said, you know, just run with it like it's your community as long as you stay within, you know, the values that we have the models that we have. It's yours just govern it. You know the way that your heart tells you to so, I don't know if that's an exact answer but it's it's been a process. I said my question would be for the Nash gals in Tampa gals. How did you know that you needed to create its own Brands? Like at what point when the community was growing where you like? I need to be intentional about growing a business because for instance I'm a great example of this. I am my own person, but I'm also trying to start this. Cast so how do I know whether I need to Branch out my my business from my personal brand. I I've always had this issue where I don't I don't take compliments very well and I don't like putting myself in like the spotlight of things which is where like being I guess an influencer is really like more like confusing for me, but just like me as a person not in general no offense anyone but but so far - cause I never intended to be the face of it. Like I am like the client facing person like professional like I'm the person that walks in and less it's one of my interns that says like Hey, we're here for this event. Like it's great to meet you like thanks for having us or I write like the thank you cards or you know, someone has a question or if a girl looks lost. I've introduced myself like and you know make them feel at home, but It's with Nash cows. It was always intended to be a community for every woman and I didn't want to make it a community about me because I didn't know where it would be going and I didn't know you know what it would look like eventually. So I think I always branded it like granted like on on my you know, my personal accounts with everything. I'll share about Nash cows. But on Nash cows, I don't think I posted about myself and One of my interns sent out an email and was like our founder really and I was like, but I know she's sweet, but it I think with a brain like that. It's really important, too. to make it and this was my goal literally since like the beginning of creating the Instagram and I'll tell you this with any business or anything is to fake it till you make it and I don't mean that in a negative way. I mean that in like make your website look like someone created it two years ago and you've been working forever and make your Instagram look like the most professional branded thing that there is even if you don't know what your brand is going to develop into if you look back with but it would take a lot of scrolling. But if you look back in the beginning of Nash cows, it was definitely like me branding but I would post stuff, you know from Pinterest and from other accounts and my whole thing Like I don't like pink like I'm not a pink girl and I was like, I'm making a female empowerment account. I'm not doing any pink and so all of its like blue scheme which like it's like this beautiful light blue is my favorite color and it's probably all over the web sites who but I think with any brand it's important to separate yourself out of it and focus on what your mission is with that brands that being said with My digital Consulting brand. I like I am the face of that because people are you know, getting what they're getting. I don't want someone to show up to a meeting and be confused when they don't find a man in a business suit. I own a few pants who's but they're like blue. So I like like the same colors of upsetting us. I yeah, I just and with that like I saw this did the same thing my website. Look, I think it looks good. It actually just have pink on it and I had a friend of mine hated professional copywriting sit down and read what I had written on my website and he was like, this is great. But why don't I make it a little more professional and I said, okay, can you read it again? But like with my voice and he was like, yeah. Okay like this is right like this is how it should be. So it's a personal brand like it needs to stay true to who you are. But if it's a brand that is more encompassing other people and other morals. So I think that it should be separate. Does that make sense? Yeah, and you have no idea how much value you just gave me right then that was such great advice and it really did meet me see things differently. So wow. I got ya back to I'm glad that you brought up your Instagram your website and your you know where you were pulling images from at the beginning because so many people could use the excuse of not knowing you know where to get certain images from or It apps and tools to create things that look professional. So what are your favorite apps and tools to work with so okay. I love canva. I don't know. If you do use canva I do so canva is like a simplified version of like Photoshop and InDesign. Like it definitely doesn't let you do like all the crazy like distortions. But oh my gosh, it's amazing and you can have it on your phone. So I create everything from like story. We Graphics to Graphics, you know the cute quotes that people use on actual feeds to our hope. I'm going through puberty our whole entire like email marketing campaigns literally everything I do is on canvas. Like I unless I didn't mean to make something transparent Photoshop everything I do is on campus. So that's that's my number one like just play with it. They have designs. If you are not design minded. Let's see scrolling through my phone. I so I use this professionally I use it visually I'm a very visual person plan Ali is great. But I use later because I'm I am on my phone so much with what I do, which is a lot of like Instagram and emails and running around because I'm always on the go. I'm always on my phone in the car like that's terrible advice, but I'm always on my phone the car and so later has a desktop version where you can fill out the entire grid on your desktop and you can plan it out and And it's also on your phone, but that is something that like has been a such a lifesaver to me because it has automatic posting as well. So like I go to Bonner on two weeks, but I have 10 accounts that I run and I'm not going to be posting. I mean I'm probably will be but like I'm not going to be like actively posting on you know, a professional one of my clients Instagrams. When I'm at Bonnaroo. Like I'm going to be doing yoga and a field like I'm not yeah, so as you should yes. Exactly. So that one's a great one unfold as really wonderful do use that one. It's it's kind of just a way to make like Beautiful Stories. It's like plug-and-play you can just type in text you can and I believe it's 99 Cents when you buy it might be free to download and then you buy the things I don't know but it's so so worth it. What else I have on here. That's fun. I use my Google Calendar like it's my job this thing is It's color-coordinated which is if you know me at all. I'm not extremely like I'm not very organized Tropical Skittles for all of you light purple is Nash girls. No, but it's I even have this joint one. I have a special and it's not on here because my mom's like here this one but I was special one that I share with my mom's and she doesn't ask me over and over or doing when she's in Tom and I have one with my boyfriend so that he knows when to be home from work to go to micromanage. If you can't help but I don't know if this is like it's not necessarily in the creative world, but there are a bunch of like the I know we just passed tax season, but they're a bunch of the like tax apps that if you do Contracting or freelancing or like even have like a side household that is going to be on your taxes somehow you can keep track of like every single mile you drive in your car and deduct all of that. So like that just is a little helper when it comes to next March and April and you're dying. Wow, that's so funny. I think that you're reading my mind as we're talking in the same room because every time I think of asking you a question you bring it up. So I was going to ask you about as a freelancer and as an entrepreneur how you make sure that you are paid what you're owed and how you keep track of your finances and how you keep those things organized because for me that's a huge barrier to entry and kind of a scary thing to think about as you monetize a business. Yeah. Oh my gosh that was there something I saw something on LinkedIn the other day and I wish I could pull it up but it was like six things. I've learned as a contractor or as you know, like a single person LLC so I have been contracting for probably I mean since I got out of college essentially and it's difficult there are different situations, but usually if it's a contract position they're trying to pay you hourly and they're trying to pay twelve to Fifteen dollars an hour which like for them if it's you know like a Three month contract is like five hundred dollars. It's nothing and it's not what you're worth. So at some point and Contracting I almost felt like I was being used a little bit. So I sat down and formed a single person LLC, which is just essentially like on a tax form you fill out the same thing. You're still yourself my I have my business name on it as an LLC, but it's with your social number. It's but is really really helpful with taxes. And that's not what I think about. I know nothing about taxes. Else does my taxes and I wish that I knew how because I would do them, but who I just can't priorities. Yeah, seriously, it's I thought it's one thing I have to figure out a lot of the time what what is worth my time and that's not one of them at one point out of scheduling and went to shower and I was like, I can't do taxes if I can't shower I'm being so serious my hair takes it looks I got my hair done like two days ago. So it's fine right now, but usually I are so clearly takes like 40 minutes to blow dry it. It's it is a commitment and a half. Especially when your AC is out know one thing that I have learned and I see people talk about this every single day is when you are doing a project for someone or you are working on something for someone telling them what your rates are and getting that in writing and running a contract and having them sign it even if it's just for a one-time project, which I just realized I need to take my own advice on. I'm working right now and and really just keeping track of that. Like I have on my calendar when I bill or when I am voice all of my clients because otherwise I won't remember and they won't remind me because you know pairs of you know, if they pay me but and like again it's not their responsibility to it's mine and for me, I there are some circumstances where I have worked with a lawyer, but generally I write my own contracts and there are super there's this girl. Girl, have you seen the girl who does contracts for creatives on Instagram? She I haven't used her but I've heard a lot of like great things about her. She literally will drop legal contracts for people who don't know how or don't know where to begin and I think she consults with it too. So if you have no idea how to even you know, do that one thing that I have learned and actually like a one of my aunt's who is doing Contracting for like Finance stuff told. That's a long time ago. I didn't listen and I should have is not to charge hourly because as a creative like some things can take me if I'm if I'm photoshopping if I'm designing something it could take me like 5 hours whereas and like they're expecting it's taken our kind of thing. Whereas like if I'm posting on social media about something the the thought process and the copywriting and grabbing that content whether it be going somewhere or pulling off the internet or editing it or whatever I'm doing and that strategy takes so much time in my head, but it takes five minutes to implement. So I'm charging by the hour. That's really not worth it. I'm I'm more charging a generally charge something monthly by like the skill and the amount of you know, the amount of value that I'm bringing to the table kind of thing. Yeah, that's it. Yeah, that's that's such great advice and my husband he's a software engineer and he would do freelance work every now and then and that's something he learned the hard way too is because you know conceptualize something and working on the code and changing things up because it doesn't work. If you if you charge hourly a lot of the time you're not getting the full value of what your words so I think that's such great advice and a good way for creatives to think about something because from the brand side, it's my biggest Error to accidentally not pay someone and that's the main reason I like using platforms and we do campaigns because it's you know, I know they can definitely be a pain in the butt and this is something we can talk about because I've yet to find we have yet to really work with a platform that is super efficient on both sides, but a really really huge benefit is the whole payment piece because you'll never forget to pay someone and we have the contract right there. So I guess what that we can go ahead and go into an influencer marketing. Being and you know, I know the word influencer is kind of icky but that's something I hope will be less icky in the future my one of my missions but this podcast is obviously to provide Insight from both sides. And my last episode was a Bailey who's my boss there. And so obviously there's a lot of Brands hide content, but I also want to make sure to get the other side from the influencer perspective and you Amelia are a unicorn who has experience on both sides. Amelia has sent me. I'm awesome people to work with and you know, she is like, you know connecting me to so many people as well and I love that about you and I love that you do that for your friends. And that's one of your passions is connecting people. So yeah, we just kind of love to hear what you think about influencers who want to start monetizing their blog and how they should think about partnering with Brands and so on and so forth anything that you have learned or would like to share. Yeah. So yeah, the word influencer is super interesting to me. And I go back and forth with it because I understand and I think this is a me thing like back to like the taking a compliment thing. I understand that like what I say has an influence on people but I don't know not like half the time. I have no idea what the hell I'm doing. So I don't necessarily like love that probably just because of like imposter syndrome kind of thing. So anyways, the the phrase is great. It's just a it's just a me think it's a real thing. I think so many other Creators would say the same thing and it's just my job title is influencer marketing specialist. And so part of me is just like no I want to validate. I want to validate the industry in that way and that word and but I totally understand because I think if I were an influencer, I would feel just as weird about you know, because I think of the connotation and I think it just the connotation needs to change because I don't think anyone goes into content Creation with the goal of what the what the connotation has become which is like Oh, it's all about me. I just want to take pretty pictures of myself and get like some compliments. You know, I think the industry has evolved so much since that perception was created. So I totally get where you're coming from. Yeah, and so something with that to like there is it is, you know, formerly known as influencer marketing but I think from an influences perspective. It's important to think of it as content creation because when you are working with a brand that's what you're doing you're Creating the content for them and they're saving money whether it be like it's it's not free marketing, but it's very cheap marketing for them and it's and you can speak on this too because you're you know in that industry, but it's it's you creating content for them. It's you bring value to them. So with me of the way that I've kind of learned this and there are platforms now as Julia mentioned like they're great you can get paid from them you can get products to them, but What like people will pitch you through emails through messages and stuff like that and I like I have learned over time. I also I hate soliciting people and like I don't want to take something that I'm not going to use and I don't want to tell people about something that I absolutely hate. So like I once worked with like a face mask company who like the face is literally I don't have sensitive skin hardly at all. I get sunburned but besides that and it literally made me like my had Bumps on my face and I had to email them and say listen, like I can't I can't share this because this isn't and I'm not going to say like like screw this company like they suck but like I you know, like I'm not going to give you a negative review. I'm going to tell you honestly, so I learned along the way that sometimes Brands would email me and say we'd love to work with you and do this and this and that and it isn't necessarily something that I would use in my everyday life or promoted my everyday life and with that. That back tire. I will never take a deal with someone that I don't want to promote but like this for example was like a one-piece company that empowers women and I was like, this is really on-brand for me, but I would never Really like posts in a one-piece. I don't know that's just it's just not my thing. And so so with them I was like if I'm going and they their big interest was was using the professional photos that I took for their Instagram. So I was essentially like either working with a photographer or taking my time to figure out like who was going to take pictures of me and arranging this whole photo. Shoot and like how many hours is that? Take me and how much am I paying you? Tog refer and then giving them these images like how much is that worth? And then that is how much I would say to like charge a brand that you're working with. There are other brands that I work with that I use the stuff all the time. Like I use Ancient Egyptians every day, which I love and there's I work with a brand virtue. It's it's actually one of the first friends I ever worked with and it's a haircare brand and my hair is a who and It's like one of my biggest things for my whole life and they send me all of their products as really quality products and they don't ask for anything exchange. Actually, they offered to pay me like monthly once and I was like no you give me this much product. You're not paying me to do it to like it just doesn't it doesn't sit well with me because they're adding value to My Life by sending me this thing that I don't have to go to the store and buy and spend my money on but at the same time like They don't know for I it's really hard for me to answer this question because I really look for like values and companies and relationships and transparency and like with them and like this might be interesting to you from your side to like she the woman who does our influencer marketing schedules calls and she catches up and like like I with we just talked to recently she's six months pregnant like she know a lot about her life. She knows a lot about my we've never met like it's just kind of like keeping the social and social media. And same thing with emfluence marketing and so that's with Brands. Like I really enjoy when it's a personal thing and not when a brand is using me for for like my following because so what I worked on the other side, I had emailed this girl and she sent me back a really interesting email with her her press kit and all of that and she said She said, you know like my which I've said this after her because I was like that was such a great way to phrase that she said my my brand and the community. I've I've grown as precious soil to me and I'm not going to share something or put something on there that doesn't reflect what I've liked garnered in my community and that is something that I've really taken to heart when working with different, you know, different brands and stuff like that and the same thing like I just don't think Everyone's to see like look at this paint that I used on the wall like hashtag add like I love this so much like No One's Gonna believe you. So I really just think it's you are you are sharing things to add value to the people's lives that follow you or that's what I believed was social media anyways, and I don't I don't think that you should be working with some of it doesn't add value. That being said your time is worth something. So if you're spending time and you're spending resources, Aces and you're doing all of that they should be paying you a certain amount especially if it's your full-time position. And so with that how do you determine you know, it sounds to me like you're super super fair with everything that you anyway both sides of the coin and I and any brand I think would appreciate that so much because you are promotion of a product doesn't mean anything if you don't actually care about it and your community. I'm going to have results for either side. So I think it's such great advice that content creators should consider that when they're choosing the Brand's to work with and let's say that you do have a project that you would accept money you for and you know, how do you determine whether or not you're using your iPhone and you're just shooting at home and that you want to create content for a brand and then when you you know, kind of curate more of a professional photo shoot and Honestly, I used to do a lot more professional photo shoots that I do now and it's it was great. But at the same time honestly like just from from a Content creation point of view. I think that iPhones are a lot. I mean granted like a great professional cameras going to look way better. But like for me like I don't feel comfortable doing photo shoots very much unless someone is telling me like exactly what to do like Literally where to look like how like close my eyes should be like, I'm not I'm so bad at it. I get so awkward. And so that's like not something I really enjoyed and it took kind of like the pleasure out of it for me. It didn't feel as creative to me. So I have been having a lot of fun like doing iPhone photo shoots around my house and you know around Nashville and stuff like that. I think it really depends on if you're taking a deal where you're promising. I like professional content, then you should be producing that content. But and I guess it really depends on the brand. So like when I work with a brand and kind of go through and look at their feet and kind of like what they are interested in because if they only have really professional stuff or some people only have Follies of stuff and like usually if they give you a brief it'll say that but sometimes people don't really consider like looking at what their aesthetic looks like for me if Me just posting on my feed all you typically do it with my iPhone just because I've been trying to break out of like the whole like Instagram has to be a whole aesthetic thing kind of make it more real but like if I'm shooting something like in my bathtub and I'm in my bathtub like it's like it was it doesn't really need to be like you don't have your tripod in the corner with the listen. Actually the tripod is in the corner of the house, but it has some balloons tied to from her birthday party and And my boyfriend whenever he has a chance, we'll say like to someone else like an another influence her boyfriend. I'll be like she gets out her tripod and like to do that. I don't like the term of literally sits in the corner like we've used it twice but we've just discovered an untapped Market influence her boyfriends and wounds our husbands. Wait, Danny Austin's husband is I can't remember what he changed his name to his name's Jorden, but you change its like the Instagram has been or something I think either As I do live or podcast and it's hilarious because it's just this weird looking to like like what it is. Like we there's one point where first I guess maybe because of Summer something I was receiving a lot of drinks in the mail. So dumb would go to work every day with a different kind of drink and he said the people are gonna start asking questions because I have such weird things that you can't buy at the store. I was like, yeah, that's gonna happen was her boyfriend problems hashtag. Let me get so much stuff like you get so much cool stuff and he doesn't get to complain so he can send me stuff. I don't want which is like I am with that to like one thing is sometimes I don't know what companies are going to send me and it's really wonderful like receiving products. But if I'm not going to use them, I'm either going to send them to like my I take I take my mom like a bag of stuff every time I go home because like I don't want her to be spending money on stuff and like she can just take this if I don't use right And it to my friends are like, you know, I don't know. I've seen some people where they'll do like a big giveaway and we did one on Nash cause we're like, I had the brands of prove it but whether they'll do a giveaway of the stuff that they don't want and it's just kind of like buying followers, but like with the free stuff that's gonna give you I don't know it feels off to me. So so that being said like he gets a lot of stuff at soda, like a lot of my friends are really spoiled when they come from out of town. I'm like hey take this home with you. Perks of the job. It's not so bad. No, I totally get that and that's something that I posted about yesterday is yeah and you know from our side it's you know, obviously way above my head what our packaging is is in and all of that but as someone who's in the health and wellness industry, it is on our brand to be environmentally aware and something that we definitely try to make use of every inch and the boxes that we have. We even made the boxes that we send out product and smaller. Just because it was more efficient and and yeah, and obviously these are recyclable and things like that. So obviously one of the big things I've always had an issue with with influencer world is just like the waist and the wasted it produces and the consumerism that it promotes. So I guess that's one part where you kind of have to stay true to your brand because this is going to be all over the place based on who you are and what type of influence are you are and what you're promoting but I think with you Civically, you know you talked a lot about health and wellness and natural products and things that really do impact people's lives in a positive way. So I just want to come in do you for always sharing things that you truly care about and it's not just like, you know superficial items. Not that there's anything wrong with that because I'm a girl I love buying cute clothes I buy off of influencers all the time, but I just really do appreciate that and as a brand, you know, that is something that continuously I hope more brands are conscious of and aware of I saw See a commented or responded to someone's comment about hey, I love buying your products, but it comes in so much plastic and packaging and they said, you know, they responded back where like, you know, we noticed that and we're soon going to be able to offer a package for your package list like shipping or something like that. So, you know, I think that is something to be aware of especially in this industry that you're not wasteful and then you're not sending people things that they don't want or they're not going to use because they're probably not going to post about it or promote it either, you know, Yeah, and that's like just both product ways and the amount of boxes. So I get everything shipped here because we're at my therapist because things get stolen from my front porch and I learned that the hard way when a box of mine got stolen. I think it was probably branded on the outside and it's you know, some of my neighbor but power to them they get the line I try to open things here and luckily I'm in this car working space where We have a few warehouses or people ship things out of like we have some guys who do candles and someone that does like a leather product. So I always ask them if they need a box to ship things out of and if I don't then they we have like a system here. They break down and recycle everything but when I do like when I am in a rush, I take things home. Like there are constantly my house is three floors. And so I'll bring things up to the second floor open them there and then I don't want to walk all the way down the stairs because I'm lazy and I have this pile of boxes and it's just like it feels like the most I mean besides the cats like really really love it. It really feels so wasteful to me and I think about that a lot. I said something to tell me other day about he likes to use like a plastic water bottles. Like he just loves them. They're everywhere but he loves them and I always say like we have so many like actual like metal or glass water bottles. Like why don't we try to reduce our waste and he like looks at the boxes and he's like, yeah, okay. Like I get hope it but it's not something that is really on my mind a lot. So I appreciate when brands are doing something what I you know small or big because it's so hard like what can you do? But yeah, that's that's such a difficult one and then as for like the products of there's definitely some stuff that I've gotten in in like loved and there's stuff that you either especially with skincare like hasn't worked for me like hasn't worked for my face. Face Hair Care like is just does like weird my hairs were just as weird things to my hair and I'm like granted like I'm sure the brand and and like this even happens with glossy like the thing I use everyday so many people are like that. I can't use that it breaks out my face and I'm like, well I use it everyday like it's great. But that kind of happened with any Brenner anything and when they're sending, you know, their Mass sending hundreds of influencers the same box like they're not going to They're not going to know or decide who gets wet. Like I could be I am allergic like elderberries and if somebody sent me like all of their products on had other berries that clearly I'm not going to use that but and that's just a waste of a product and like I said, like I do enjoy like being able to pass them on to other people or especially like like I mentioned that hair care brand they're really great about like if I love something letting letting them know so they can send me another one of it for me to share with a friend and like being really About that, but that's something like so really weirdly enough. I I had no idea about I wore drugstore makeup and I used to wash my face with water and a washcloth every night and put Neutrogena moisturizer on it. And that was it like through until until I moved here basically, maybe a little before that but my friend my best friend mayor and how give a lot of random stuff to know. She she was Always like really I had on all the trans like glassy sending Riley like all this stuff and I used to go to her house in Miami and look at like all the things on her little bathroom shelf and like be like, what's this was that like secretly play with it like not tell her and then she like catchy music. Let's do it like a face mask. Okay, but I have a best friend that I do the exact same thing was so I'm a hundred percent there. Well, it's so funny to look back now because I am constantly searching for like ways to store. All of these things and my intern wants me to get a skincare fridge so so bad. She wants to do a panel and skincare fridges if that there's a market for that. Let me know because she wants to talk about it, but I think are what Fringe have you heard like you literally it's like this mini. Oh, I think I saw it on skinny confidential. Yes, probably guess shoot. So hey, I got one and she's like obsessed with it and I'm like, but where do I put the fridge like? I don't have room for this up. So that is something that it really does mean something to me when brands are intentional about what they send. Like they whether they asked you like would you use this product or like I know that you guys have asked like are you allergic to something or do you like this or do you like that and to me like that's meaningful because it's like sometimes I don't necessarily need or want or feel apt towards the certain thing. Like I don't really use face masks anymore and it's just amazing. But if someone says we have face masks, I'm not going to share because I don't I don't enjoy them anymore. I think this is a perfect. Example of how Brands and influencers need to be better about opening up the conversation and not being so one-sided like the brand can't come out and influencer and say we need you to do this in this way and an influencer. I can't say. These are my rates in this is what I offer. I think it's more. I think it's going to be better for everyone when you work together to find out what your each passionate about and what your goal is for each campaign or for each product because you know, what we like to do is send. Usually it's a variety of products. So that way you can really honestly choose the one that you enjoy the most to talk about. And usually we aren't after professional content. We do we love reposting things that are shot on iPhones and that are user-generated just because honestly, it is more authentic and it is what your best friends going to be making, you know in her smoothie bowl and things like that. It's just more relatable. So if someone comes to us and saying hey, I'm going to spend all this money on a professional photo shoot. So my rate is higher. That might necessarily not be a good fit for us because that's not what we need. So I really love the fact that we're touching on this because I think it is a miss a lot of times I think on both sides being more. Like, how can I serve you and what products do you like or what services are you looking for out of this collaboration is going to get both sides a lot further and that's really how you build Partnerships that are going to last a long time. So I love that you love that. You mentioned that thanks. Yeah. Absolutely. That's that's such a huge one to me is just I'm all about relationships and like garnering those relationships. Like I know that another really great thing that you guys do is you'll send like full-size but I also have a lot of like the sample sizes which I appreciate because I have friends that had a friend call me and he was like, he was like my protein powders on backorder. Like what do I do? And he's like, I swear he's not like a crazy like muscle head or anything, but he just is really serious. But his health and his smoothies and I had mentioned ancient nutrition before and like this amazing stuff that I had and he was like I was like, I'll bring you a few little packs already unit like dropped it on his front porch and he's like obsessed. So it's that's like one of those things were well, it wasn't necessarily like communicated. It's a really helpful thing to try and like I brought them here before and people people ask me questions. Someone actually walked out to me once and who became my client probably because of this he was like, how do you have these like ancient nutrition products? Aren't in the market yet. And I was like, oh, yeah, you know why this is so cool. I mean, I love hearing things like this because you can you know work behind the scenes on something and not know all of the different interactions that people have with your product if it's not on social media. So this honestly makes my day and this is you know, connecting people and allowing for a good conversation around health and wellness is something I'm passionate about and I'm so lucky that I get to do that for my job too. And I'm glad that it benefits you and your life to like that's that's the whole point. That's how it works. And that's how it works. Well, so yay, what's next to wrap it up for you and your life and your career and your hustle, you're always dabbling in so many things and doing amazing events that are super cool and you're always you know meeting with the coolest people around town and tastemakers and content creators here in Nashville. So what's next for you? What's up? Oh gosh. Well, I kind of pride myself on this way. Only take one. Vacation I take I take a decent amount of vacations, but I don't stop working. I went to Egypt for a week and I worked the entire trip on a different continent, but we're not necessarily proud of but wait. Yeah, let's hold up on that. You need to have some more self-care time. I know but I actually from me and this some brought up to his probably not like a healthy way to cope but I Channel my stress into working which is probably what keeps me successful as like I'm if I'm stressed out. King or own cleaning and it's more likely I'm working because if you saw my house, you know, I'm not cleaning but that being said I take a week off I turn on my vacation email which I never do is probably says something really weird for Bonnaroo which like I'm not like a festival ground, but that's they have these wonderful. It's like I know people like think about like the lineup and all that but during the day since it's a camping Festival you wake up and there's yoga and there's dancing their sound baths and there's panels and so I'm really looking forward to My second year they're like really experiencing the things that have to offer especially because a lot of the a lot of people travel there a lot of the people that are presenting those things are from Nashville. So connecting with a lot of it's women. It's they have this one area that's called like the sanctuary and stuff like that. So I'm really excited for that that's in like two and a half weeks and then besides that for me summer is really just Kind of busy season with the vents and figuring out how to cope with the heat. I am working on taking on a partner and creating a full-service creative agency alongside all of the other things that I'm doing. So that's something that is exciting and will be a challenge for me as someone who is used to working solo and not delegating and so it will be a challenging summer for me. But I'm that's that's our growth has. Ben's yeah, I'm I know we talked a little bit about this earlier, but it's going to be such a great thing for you to have be able to focus on the creative direction of things on social media because that's really what you're passionate about and you've more than proven yourself capable. So it's really just taking everything to the next level and I could seriously sit here and talk to you and I have so many more questions to ask. So maybe we'll yeah, maybe we'll do a dot dot dot at the end of this and continue it another time, but this has been so insightful for Me and so much fun. So thank you for taking the time to sit down with me and chat and I hope you had fun. I did your awesome. Thank you. We're can everybody find you on social media. Oh gosh all over my Instagram at Amelia Weiss with an extra s because there is another million ways. I follow her. She's pretty cool. No, no. No, but but as she ever changed her name, it's mine. And then also the Nash cows and I the new company is V factory with a I've and I spelled out V. It's pretty much it. That's your website. Oh, my website is the gal start Network or Love. It Loud. Co is my my like personal digital Consulting business. And of course Fit Factory, but I'm pretty sure we're still under construction. So if you want to see a picture of a cute dog, you can go to that. Oh, yeah, that's pretty much it. And if you ever need me, you can email me because that is my most reliable form of communication if you text me and you might not get a response. Sorry Amelia to ice at gmail.com. Mom it's also linked to my personal Instagram, and then I have the Nationals email, which is just the Nationals at Gmail, and I'm also that was linked to me to all my emails are linked to me. There's 10 of them. He's a jack-of-all-trades. She can definitely help you out. Honestly. I've learned so much from the combo today. So, thank you. Well, that's a wrap. Thanks so much for hanging out with me and my girl boss Crush Amelia Weiss as she mentioned you can find her on Instagram at Amelia Weiss with two s's and at the Nash gals if you're in Nashville, I strongly suggest going to a Nashville's event. I've met so many incredible people there and if you're looking for an impressive group of women to connect with you. Certainly, we'll head on to the gals dot Network and check out the event schedule on their website. Now. Do you want to stay up to date on influencer marketing tips resources Instagram updates and more relevant information about this growing industry. Do you want to know about new episodes podcast guests and have the chance to submit questions for upcoming interviews with influencers and brand Specialists. Well, I'm sharing it all with you on Instagram now. Now officially at added value podcast. I really wanted a space to talk more about the topics. We discuss in these conversations and get to know you as the listeners what you're looking for. So, please feel free to head on over there and share your thoughts with me. I hope you find lots of value from the account as much as you do from the podcast, and I'm really excited to connect with more of you there. Thanks again for listening and until next time don't forget to own your all you
When Amelia first moved to Nashville from Tampa, FL she barely knew a soul. She was on the search for a way to connect with other female professionals and entrepreneurs and when she couldn’t find one, she created one. Since launching the Nash Gals Network in early 2018, Amelia has also started her own consulting and creative agency, Love It Loud Co. As a content creator her philosophy on working with brands consists of genuine relationships, value and transparency. As a freelancer and content creator running multiple businesses and social media accounts she proves that you don’t have to have all of the answers - you just have to believe in yourself. But its not all festivals, photoshoots and fun events like you see on social media. Its using every inch of her google calendar to maximize every minute of the day - even if that means scheduling in her showers. Not only is she one of the hardest working people I know, she is incredibly humble. She’s constantly thinking about what more she can do for others, especially when it comes to empowering women. As both a content creator and business woman, she has experience working with brands and as one. Amelia has tons of knowledge and experience in branding, social media content, public relations and most importantly - has an incredibly authentic intention of bringing people together and helping them excel in their career. I feel so lucky to know her and am very excited for you to hear about her amazing journey. You can find her on instagram at @ameilaweisss and @thenashgals. Go to thegals.network and check out the event schedule to meet incredible and inspiring individuals in the Nashville community. If you want to collab with Amelia on something creative, hit her up at 5thfactory. Don't forget to follow @addedvaluepodcast for more influencer marketing tips, stats and episode updates. Thanks again for listening, and don't forget to #ownyourvalue. 