Game-Changing Advice From Self-Made Black Creators
I think it’s safe to assume that 2020 forced (or strongly encouraged) all of us to reevaluate our careers. Some were forced to shutter businesses while others were placed on indefinite furloughs. Wannabe content creators finally took the plunge and started creating too. In short, the pandemic (which is still happening, BTW) proved to be a game-changing event in more ways than one. For established publishers, influencers, strategists, and other content experts, it also illuminated the importance of knowing your why.
“When you create purpose behind your brand and then create with intention, you’re setting yourself up for longevity,” said Ty Alexander during our Winning Women event. “That’s how you survive a pandemic.”
The multi-hyphenate creator (wellness expert, writer, podcaster, etc.) wasn’t the only one to wax poetic about the keys to longevity during our Black History Month series. HerAgenda CEO and founder Rhonesha Byng, and The Idea Girl founder Brittany Antoinette, also revealed their 2020 strategies, along with plenty more advice for solopreneurs who want to create on their own terms.
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“The pandemic shook up reality for a lot of different people and had people saying, ‘I can’t just rely on my job for income.’ A lot of the new clients I got in 2020 were women who were let go of their jobs and who realized they needed external sources,” said Antoinette.Â
For Byng, it was a subscription model that kept the HerAgenda lights on.
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“The thing that really saved us was that we had a revenue stream that was rooted in our community. We started a subscription community in 2015 – now everyone’s doing it. We started it was because we couldn’t raise investment capital,” she said.
“As a Black woman founder I wasn’t being taken seriously, so I leaned into my community and thought about what I could offer them that would add value to their lives and would bring us revenue. The fact that we couldn’t raise money in 2015 saved us in 2020.”
Pandemic aside, betting on yourself is the first step to staying resourceful and eventually knowing when your hands are too full.
“When I started dropping the ball, when I found myself missing deadlines, I knew I needed help,” said Alexander while reflecting on how she evolved with her growing brand. “The first thing I did was get a manager. I needed someone to speak on my behalf and demonstrate what I’m worth. I think brands appreciate it when you have someone speaking on your behalf. It just looks good.”
To that same point, Antoinette recommended staffing platforms like Upwork if you’re uncomfortable hiring on your own and remembering to hire people for their skills and not clout.
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“You can grow at a steady pace instead of adding people on for the sake of it. When you’re hiring out, especially for your company, make sure you’re keeping your company’s best interest first,” she said.
And above all things, Byng stressed the importance of investing in your craft, especially in an era where so much attention is put on “likes” and numbers.
“Before you develop a reputation, before you develop a brand, before you get a manager, you need to know what you’re doing. Now more than ever there are so many resources,” she added. “Focus on courage and bravery. This is scary. You have to be so vulnerable to put yourself out there with your writing. You can’t be pride-driven with your writing, you have to be vulnerable so you can learn to become better.”
Watch our entire conversation above for more game-changing advice, including why fear is one of the best teachers and how to get out of the perfectionist mentality.
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