MADEUS
productive. Taking that
time to yourself to get it
together will only benefit
you. The way I do that is
go on vacation or go
home (to Texas) to visit
my family. They always re-
energize me and keep me
grounded.
If you weren’t an influencer,
what would you be doing?
I can't imagine a world
where I’m not influencing
in one capacity or another,
mainly because even
before being an influencer
was a career, I’ve always
had influence, whether I
wanted it or not. What’s
funny is, I never wanted
the spotlight or to be in
front of people, but I can't
turn it off! In school, my
teachers saw me as a
leader at a young age, and
they would always push
me in that area. I tried to
be mediocre or what I
considered “normal” and
they would get mad and
tell my parents! (laughs) As
I got older I would always
end up in positions where
I had a level of influence,
in both large and small
ways. Like I said, my
husband and I are both
preacher’s kids and now
leaders in our church, so
we would most definitely
still be doing ministry in
some capacity. If I wasn’t
an influencer online, I’d
still probably working
for myself still as I’m
naturally self sufficient, but
I’m sure I’d be somewhere
doing something in front
of people, encouraging
people, influencing them
as best I could no matter
what field I’m in!
How do you decide what
brands you’re going to
work with? I’ve learned to
be very selective with my
time because I don't have
much of it. People don't
really know how much
work goes into the content
we make! Especially on
Youtube, one video can
take me anywhere from 5
hours to a few days to edit.
So I have to be selective
about which brands I give
my time. Usually, I choose
based on how well they
fit me and how much
return I can get on my
investment in them. Some
brands don't understand
time put in and will
devalue an influencer by
asking for way too much
without offering anything
for them in return. Free
products are great, but
bills are real, Wifi isn’t
free and gas money is
rising by the minute! With
all the work we put in,
we have to be financially
stable enough to
be consistent. So I have
to make sure that not
only do I care about what
I’m promoting and my
audience will resonate,
but it’s worth my time
and lucrative for me as a
business.
Without going into too
much detail, do you work
with brands on a consistent
#mademaven
basis or do you ever have
a down time where you’re
not working as much? Do
you have a side hustle?
I do work with brands
consistently, but I also set
my own pace because I
work for myself. I’m
considered an independent
contractor, so I decide
how hard I want to work.
It’s a blessing and a curse
because when I don’t want
to work as hard, I’m not as
productive. At the same
time there are dead
seasons, like around
the New Year or in the
summer where there
isn’t as much going on,
everyone is on vacation,
etc. But in the influencer
world, you can have
multiple side hustles that
still make money overnight
without you thinking
about it. Affiliate links,
brand collaborations,
and merchandise are
some great ways. I take
advantage of those
as side hustles.
What are some of the
downsides of being an
influencer that most people
don’t know about? There’s
a lot of hidden issues with
being an influencer but
one of the main ones is
that it’s mentally draining
and very lonely! We spend
a lot of time alone. Unless
you live in a hyper social
city like NYC or LA, being
an influencer is very
uncommon, so not many
people will be able to
relate, and the ones who
do live too far for you to
hang out with them. I’m
long distance with a lot of
my friends! Not to mention
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