Welcome to another Student Spotlight! If you’re wondering how to build a business online as a blogger or social media influencer, read on. In this series, I’m handing the microphone over to my students to tell their stories, share their missions, and give their best advice for working online.
Introducing: Erin Chau
Meet Toronto based Erin Chau, she is as fun, bright and uplifting as her creative content. Erin loves thinking outside the box with her work, and in the first week of this year alone she confirmed $6K worth of brand collabs, so I had to invite her to share some of her story in my Student Spotlight series!
Tell me your story. Why did you start your blog and Instagram?
Back when I was 15, I started a YouTube channel that was extremely successful (you’ve probably seen my ‘5 minute no heat curls’ video… 10 million views at the age of 15…) but then I fell out of love with the channel. I was too afraid to go back to YouTube after quitting because I was playing the comparison game with MYSELF. I was nervous people would judge me and compare me to my own previous success and it scared me.
About a year ago, I felt like part of my life was missing and that was my love for social media. I didn’t want to start YouTube again and wanted to try a new platform. I started my Instagram because I found that too many pages were picture perfect, and made me feel a little bit down about myself. And I thought that my life was boring and unsuccessful because I wasn’t living a life like theirs. I then felt that there were probably others like me who felt the same place and I wanted them to know that they weren’t alone!
Tell me about your business and your “why”!
I built my page on the fundamentals of empowering other women to build a lifestyle of inner and outer confidence. For inner confidence I talk about self love, self growth, and building the confidence to be unapologetically yourself.
I also give tons of IG tips and tricks because I want you to be confident in starting your own page if that is your dream. No secrets here! I tell you EVERYTHING! For outer confidence, I talk about products that I love to use and wear that make me feel like a badass and make me feel more confident about myself.
It’s so important to be the best versions of ourselves – and that is our true authentic selves. I am all about authenticity, creativity, and positivity as you can tell from my content. I love all things creativity and colour because that is ME. As an engineering student, most people think that you are always into analytical roles. Math, science, engineering… that’s it. I’m here to show that you don’t have to follow a traditional path and only do one thing! You can do what you love and be both a woman in STEM and also a creator!
How did you discover Christina?
I was scrolling through Instagram and saw an ad for a free class. I thought why not and was instantly intrigued since it was my first IG course ad I’ve ever seen. And I had to think long as hard (student budget) about whether I wanted to purchase her course, and surprisingly, for my birthday my mom got it for me!
Which course of Christina’s have you taken, and what inspired you to enroll?
The Influencer Bootcamp; I already had a solid following but felt like it was very trial and error. I wanted to see and implement actual strategies and stop wasting time!
What 3 – 5 “lightbulb moments” did you have while taking the courses?
1) I liked the growth strategy with targeting followers of people in your niche of the same following.
2) I knew a lot of the things mentioned in the course, but it was nice reassurance to know that what I am doing is on the right track.
3) I learned more about Lightroom!
What are the 2 – 3 most exciting things that have happened since completing the courses?
1) I went from $0 in brand collabs to getting over $10,000 in 4 months!
2) I felt more confident in my content creation and was so happy about building a community that was full of like-minded individuals. I’m all about building friendships and actual relationships with people, which is something I’m able to do now, and actually help others with their success.
What do you love most about the work you do?
I like that I have full creative freedom and I get to reach different people around the world. Some of my best friends are from the other side of the world and I would never have even met them if it wasn’t for Instagram. The app brought me together with some amazing people, and I love the community and connections I have.
What’s next for you? What’s your next big goal or project?
I really want to grow my audience more and be able to reach more women and empower them. A big goal of mine is to launch my first course, (helping creators under 10k followers to get paid collaborations) and maybe even launch my website! I have big dreams and goals for the upcoming 5 years, but I would say launching the first course is my first goal to have done by the end of 2021. I want to help as many people as possible and show them if I can do it – so can they!
What is your number one piece of advice for aspiring influencers or bloggers?
PATIENCE. It truly doesn’t happen overnight and you need to trust the process. Some days you’ll gain a TON of followers and some days you’ll LOSE a ton. You need to remind yourself why you do what you do, and on the days where you’re down, remind yourself of the wins and the positives that come from the experience. Never EVER give up on your dreams because the only thing that is coming between you and your goals is YOU. Nobody else.
What are your favorite accounts to follow on Instagram? Favorite bloggers?
Some of my favourite accounts are @thatsosofi, @kyliekatich, @kbousq, @emmasedition, and @paigearminta
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