What do you do for health insurance?
We pay for it ourselves! Through my business. I feel like we pay so much a month for our entire family and it is still like C+ insurance which is very frustrating but the best we can do!
How did you develop your business plan? Did you take a class or use a specific resource?
When I officially started my business in 2011 and filed for a LLC I worked with a small business attorney to develop a business plan. But it was very vague! And to be honest the social media environment was so new and I really had no idea what sort of business I was embarking on. I guess my business plan was more of a “how much money do I need to make to pay my bills” strategy. And to be honest, that is still how it operates to this day (ha) but with way more strategic goals/plans in place. Now I know what parts of my business are the most lucrative, the trust that I want to encourage and keep within my community and the type of partnerships to reach for. But again, it really is an ever changing landscape and I’ve learned that my business plan has to be flexible. It really had been a learn-as-I-go but also trust your gut, business plan.
Tips to growing quality audience! Finding quality new people!
This is hard! But I do have some thoughts on this after making some mistakes. I think a big misconception about a “quality audience” is the number of followers you have. It is actually all about how ENGAGED your audience is compared to your follower count. I think my biggest tip to grow a quality audience is to focus on the audience you have. Nourish your community, engage them, respond, create for them instead of creating for new. For me, the strongest builder of my community is word of mouth versus attracting someone new online. Keep creating for the community you already have, stay consistent, let them rely on you, strength your relationship and the rest will follow.
Do you have a limit on the number of brand partnerships you commit to per week/month? How many collabs do you feel comfortable with each month?
95% of my brand partnerships are planned months in advance and are ones that I work with on a monthly basis. So usually, going into a new month, I take on anywhere from 10-15. It is rare for me to take on one-off brand partnerships (unless it is a brand I already use and love or one that I’m excited to get behind) so usually what you’re seeing is from my core partnerships. There are months where I take on more and months where I take on less. I have cut back on my brand partnerships a lot and ideally like to keep it to 2-3 a week. Sometimes it is heavier and other times it is slower. I am gearing up for Q4 which will probably lead to more opportunities. I did implement a “no weekend sponsorships” with my team as I’m trying to take more breaks from my phone on the weekends.
How do you make time to post content? Do you have a different content schedule?
I am the most disorganized poster of all time but I’ve learned that it just is what it is. My brain is all over the place (I always have a million ideas that I want to put out RIGHT AT THIS MOMENT at all times) and my output isn’t what it used to be. But I also think that the casual chaos has led to a more trusted audience response? My content calendar with my brand partnerships is very defined and upholding their expectations is the most important in my business. All organic content that I work on for you guys is just icing on the cake. If I can focus enough to execute my ideas then I feel like I’ve done a good job.
Also, now that my kids are in school 5 full days a week, I have more time to create what I want to create for YOU. Just need to be better about time management.
How do you find the balance to working from home and not doing home chores?
THIS IS THE HARDEST THING FOR ME. I am very easily distracted by home chores. I really have to work on separating myself from what needs to be done around our house when I need to get work stuff done. I don’t have an answer for this and sometimes wish it was something I could outsource but the truth is, I like being in charge of it all. There is a weird part of me that love the chores that come with maintaining my house and I’m okay with that.
How many employees do you have? What do they do?
My assistant, Katie, manages my editorial calendar, affiliate platforms (LTK + SHOPMY), email communication with my manager, Pinterest and helps me create graphics for social/my site. I also work with a management company to help negotiate my contracts and manage my brand partnerships, keep up with partner communication and invoicing. Dave helps me with my accounting/finances, shoot content when needed and just generally helps me maintain life balance. We are small but mighty!
Tips for someone starting fresh with a mom fashion life insta?
Go for it! Stay consistent, don’t worry about who is watching, share what brings you joy and the rest will follow.
What happened to Olive Lane?
Sweet Olive Lane, I miss it! Full transparency: I created Olive Lane with a marketing partner who helped me create, maintain and finance the website and branding. I was introduced to her through my management company and she wanted to help back influencer led brands (I had pitched the idea of OL to my management team a few years prior when I wanted to make serveware for kids). She helped me co-create this brand and brought me on as the creative director, product marketing and social media marketer (although we were drop-ship so didn’t carry any actual inventory). After a year a half I felt a lack of communication and disconnect between her team and I. I was made aware that the business was sort of poorly managed and she offered to hand it over to me completely. At the time, it just didn’t feel like something I could full take on myself. With 50+ brands to communicate with, shipping, brand packaging, fulfillment, etc. I felt like the business and the Olive Lane marketplace was basically a well curated extension of the product recommendations I already make on my own site/personal platforms. I was so sad to let the brand of Olive Lane go, but it didn’t feel like something I could successfully keep running by myself at the time. You live and you learn.
How do you stay up to date with the trends of social media? Or is blogging where it’s at?
I should probably be better about staying up to date with them but the truth is I don’t think that is my phase of life anymore. My audience is not Gen Z and the trends don’t seem entirely enticing to my audience? Tell me if I’m wrong! I have tried to dabble in all of it but I find that it takes away from the platforms that I’ve worked so hard on over the years – primarily my blog and Instagram. I know that blogging isn’t IT right now but this website is the only thing that I actually own, which makes me proud and want to keep it up.
Balance between bigger business/more success and the additional stress? Worth it?
I have thought about this so much over the years. The truth is I don’t think I want more success through my current efforts on social media. I think that would require something that I don’t want to give up. I watch the top performers in my industry on IG and I don’t want a phone/camera out all the time. I personally don’t want a room filled with employees. I feel really happy with how I operate personally and professionally. If it happens naturally with what I’m doing right now – AMAZING! If it doesn’t, I feel perfectly content sharing everyday joys with the incredible return I already see from my community.
All that to say, I really want to write a children’s book. If my business grew from a new outlet but didn’t necessarily feel like “bigger business” then that would be fun, too.
How do you manage your closet?
I go through my closet every couple of months. I usually give the good stuff to my sister and friends and also sell on the Real Real. The other stuff I donate!
Do you negotiate your rates with brands? Or do they come with a nonnegotiable number?
Most brands ask for my rate page (pricing, engagement analytics and examples of past partnership performance) before making an “offer.” There is usually some sort of negotiation between content ask and price but it is never too far off. I usually know immediately whether a brand is a good fit or not, if they are then every contract has some sort of negotiation process to make it work!
With your job, did you have to get a business license or be incorporated?
Yes, I formed an LLC! You can do it online through your state!
Can you deduct all of your clothing expenses as business expenses?
I can deduct some but I don’t deduct everything.
If this is a brand you naturally share already then it should be easy. Figure out what your rates are and give them proof that you perform for them! Share screenshots of your content, how many people clicked your links or shopped. If you show them your performance they are more likely to want to partner with you!
If you could go back in time, what are three things you would do differently with your business?
I would have trusted my own intuition and joy in making decisions about certain things. Especially during times of transition in my personal life where I felt like I needed to do things for the sake of staying relevant.
I wouldn’t have been so hard on myself in keeping up with the image of perfection.
…and honestly, I think every other trial and error has led me to where I am now. I wouldn’t have done anything else differently because I wouldn’t have learned what I know right now. I’m grateful for all of it!
