Dre Fox on Her Creatorpreneur Journey

Welcome to the second installment of Creators Unlocked! At this time, we’ve got Dre Fox on the docket. Dre, also called Time of Dre, is a content material creator and social media coach who focuses on serving to others enhance their private branding and create revenue streams via their on-line presence.

She is understood for her entertaining but informative content material and has a devoted following of practically 20,000 inventive people seeking to succeed on-line. On this interview, we speak in regards to the many hats she wears as a creatorpreneur.

Q: What impressed you to begin creating content material on social media?

Earlier than I grew to become a solopreneur, I labored for a social media software program firm straight with the social media groups of Fortune 500 firms like ESPN and L’Oreal. I used to be all the time too busy working to begin my very own social media, but it surely was a recurring query.

I knew the facility of it, although, so I took the plunge and began with the superior data I had discovered from working with all the massive accounts. Due to my experience, it took off rapidly and it was simply so enjoyable to lastly really feel inventive and like I had my very own nook of the web.

Q: What’s in your present device stack for content material creation, and what device would you say is an important a part of your content material creation?

A lot of my revenue comes from promoting digital services and products like programs and training, so I exploit barely totally different instruments than a full-blown creator. On the enterprise facet, I exploit Dubsado for shopper administration and Kajabi to host all of my programs and training applications. On the creator facet, two instruments which have been invaluable to me are for repurposing.

One, repurpose.io to create video content material on one platform and ship it over to a number of platforms in a single click on has saved me lots of time. And two, ChatGPT, which I’ve been utilizing to show sure previous posts into microblogs, so I haven’t got to rewrite the entire thing. I additionally use Lightroom for photographs and CapCut for movies.

Q: What’s your favourite platform for creating content material?

I’m a loyal fan of Instagram as a result of it’s a nurturing platform. I can have deep conversations within the DMs and on Tales and in my feedback with people who I’ve seen and identified for years. I really feel like platforms like TikTok are far more visibility and traffic-driven platforms. And other people may be imply as a result of they’re strangers and never nurtured in your neighborhood.

Q: Why did you select to go the creatorpreneur route?

There’s a elementary drawback once you depend on affect or model offers to construct your revenue: each month, you start again at zero since you do a deal that is not promised the subsequent month.

When you find yourself actually attempting to go full-time on-line or construct wealth as a creator, you want month-to-month recurring income – a assured baseline of cash coming in each month. So once I was influencing, some months could be $5000, others could be $800 and I noticed that I’d by no means really feel protected counting on that.

I knew that I had this Harvard-level social media data from my nine-to-five, and other people had been all the time asking how I put collectively this superior web page with nice content material. So little by little, I began instructing others and turned that right into a full-fledged enterprise in below 8 months which allowed me to give up my full-time job.

Had I accomplished that on model offers alone, I’d have waited two or three years earlier than I may get sufficient constant revenue to make that occur.

Q: How do you set targets as a content material creator?

I function alone and so to keep away from tunnel imaginative and prescient, I spend money on a enterprise coach yearly. It’s invaluable to be coached by people who have gone the place I wish to go or have the data that I am attempting to faucet into, and chatting with them actually helps me outline my targets.

I attempt to set targets round rising my affect on my college students, nurturing, and neighborhood constructing. I additionally set financially-driven targets like rising revenue and diversifying revenue streams. Then towards the tip of the yr. I am normally analytics and measuring the affect that I had that yr and actually seeing if I moved the needle ahead.

Q: What function does social media play in your private {and professional} life? How do you create boundaries?

Creating content material has develop into built-in into my life, so I haven’t got separate content material creation instances or solo actions. It is part of my on a regular basis existence which permits me to seamlessly movie and create with out it being a giant manufacturing. And it doesn’t interrupt my actual life – I discover delicate methods to movie that enable me to create content material with out impacting my experiences.

Nevertheless, I’ll admit that once I was within the progress part of my enterprise and actually attempting to get issues going, I used to be on Instagram for as much as 5 hours a day. And as soon as it acquired to the purpose of bodily penalties like carpal tunnel, I noticed I used to be doing an excessive amount of. I began to reevaluate what I used to be really doing once I had my telephone open. As you mature into your online business, you do notice that generally much less can really be extra

Q: What do you presently do to monetize your presence on social media?

From the highest incomes to the bottom incomes would begin with programs and training about content material creator subjects like personal branding, moving into the trade launching and promoting your merchandise.

Second to that’s consulting, the place manufacturers come to me for assist determining how one can enhance their social media. Third is user-generated content – making content material for manufacturers you do not see on my platform. And at last, the bottom is conventional influencing – sponsored posts and model offers.

Q: How do you resolve how one can cost on your services and products? Do you use as a solopreneur or as a enterprise with a group?

I’ve just a few people who assist me in my enterprise however they don’t seem to be like full-time salaried staff as a result of I am going via waves the place issues are tremendous busy and different instances the place it is not as busy.

In relation to pricing my services and products, I’m pricing based mostly on the transformation that I am creating and the data that I am bringing. With that in thoughts, I attempt to discover a worth or an funding stage for my programs and training that helps maintain folks to their dedication and accountability but in addition honors the data, expertise, and investments that I’ve made to assist them be capable to do the identical.

Q: What recommendation do you may have for dealing with personal and business finance as a creator?

The primary could be to avoid wasting 35 p.c for taxes as a basic rule of thumb and pay quarterly if potential so you are not stunned on the finish of the yr with an enormous invoice. Second, in case you’re making substantial revenue, you need to completely be working with a tax skilled who is aware of the state of affairs of being a content material creator. Third, take into account reinvesting a few of your revenue into mentorship to speed up your progress.

You would not imagine what number of instances I’ve talked to a creator who’s making nice cash or being actually profitable. And we talked about some choices and issues they might do in another way or ought to have been doing in another way. They usually have a second the place they notice they’ve been underpricing. When you may have steering, it might probably actually open your eyes to the entire pathways to income that you could be not have thought-about.

Q: How do you stability the necessity to make a dwelling with the will to create content material that’s true to the imaginative and prescient you may have on your firm, on your social media, and on your viewers?

That is really been my largest problem in enterprise as a result of I’m a real inventive at coronary heart. When you handed me a telephone and mentioned to create something, I might in all probability create extra whimsical content material than I do proper now. However there’s this dance you do relating to having a enterprise and being a creator.

I function below a 60-40 rule the place 60 p.c of my content material is tremendous worth and training pushed. After which 40 p.c is extra personality-driven, like life-style content material or humor in regards to the content material creation area. For many individuals, the perceived lack of creativity from turning into an actual enterprise is the most important resistance to going the creatorpreneur route.

Q: What’s the largest problem you face as a creator on social media?

It’s positively navigating burnout. You put on many hats as a creator, and once you attempt to delegate by hiring help, you’re now liable for somebody’s livelihood. So when issues are good, it is actually good, however when issues are tough, and you are not getting the visibility or folks aren’t becoming a member of your program, or manufacturers aren’t coming via like they used to, it might probably really feel like full-blown panic mode. The stress to submit an increasing number of in that state of affairs may be onerous to maintain.

When you’ve matured as a creator and have routines and programs, it’s simpler, however once you’re early, it’s a continuing grind that may be onerous to maintain up with and drive you to burnout.

Q: What steps are you taking to arrange for the way forward for social media because it evolves?

I will take this from two totally different angles. First, from a platform standpoint, folks will optimize for YouTube due to its highly effective search engine marketing and historical past. I can seek for a time period and get a video from 13 years in the past as a result of it’s nonetheless related – that doesn’t but occur on different video-oriented platforms.

When you begin on YouTube with a long-form video, you possibly can simply repurpose that for short-form video platforms like YouTube’s personal Shorts, TikTok, and Reels and even flip it right into a carousel for Instagram.

I additionally assume we’re gonna see much more podcasts from creators as properly as a result of they will develop into leaders of armies of communities. They’ll reside exterior of simply their social media display screen, they will be constructing one thing much more deep and impactful throughout the social sphere.

In relation to tendencies that I see within the influencer content material creator trade, I imagine conventional influencing goes to fade and we’ll see extra creatorpreneurs in 2023 and past. Creators, as an alternative of promoting merchandise for any individual else, are going to develop their very own programs, skincare manufacturers, jewellery strains and begin to develop into enterprise house owners in a extra conventional sense moderately than simply seeing themselves as content material creators.

I additionally assume that AI will have a significant impact on content creation. Instruments like ChatGPT will edge out creators who aren’t being unique or placing their persona into their content material.

Q: What recommendation would you give to beginner creators?

Usually, the primary query that individuals looking for my recommendation ask is, “how do I acquire followers?” – however that is the unsuitable query. First, it’s a must to know your private model and decide 4 to 5 core values that you just’re attempting to convey to the web area. Whether or not that’s that you just wish to weblog about one thing tangible, like getting wholesome, otherwise you wish to weblog about one thing enjoyable, like creating cool movies or life-style stuff. And the market is barely saturated in case you’re doing the identical factor as all people else. When you’re bringing a singular perspective, you’re already one among one – however you possibly can solely talk that perspective in case you perceive your private model and values.

The second piece is gaining visibility. So turning into a content material creator is about a few issues. When you concentrate on a model investing cash into you, they’re searching for a dependable associate who appears like somebody who’s constant of their content material creation, high quality, and message.

If you’re throwing spaghetti on the wall and your posts appear like lots of totally different content material at any given time, you would possibly come off as possibly any individual with a private account who’s simply on social media for enjoyable. The consistent look, message and feel helps the model see your profile and say, “we may give this individual cash,” and really feel assured about what they’ll get in return. 9 instances out of ten, creators who aren’t getting a model deal simply aren’t cohesive sufficient.

Third, I’d advise staying away from tendencies. Everybody on social media preaches hopping on tendencies to remain forward of the sport, but it surely makes us all fall in the identical footsteps and repeat the identical factor. You would possibly get just a few laughs and followers, however you will not construct model recognition by copying tendencies. I like to recommend specializing in creating unique content material that can assist you stand out.

Takeaways

Listed below are the highest takeaways from Dre’s interview:

• Investing in your self isn’t only for folks pursuing conventional careers – creators, particularly in case you’re an aspiring enterprise proprietor – needs to be investing in enhancing their abilities. Dre avoids tunnel imaginative and prescient as a creatorpreneur by investing in a enterprise coach to outline her targets.
• Dre turned her viewers right into a paid supply of revenue in 8 months, not via model offers or sponsorships, however via programs. Taking management of your viewers with a platform that you just personal is important as algorithms change and social media evolves.
• You want to have a transparent private model and distinctive perspective to draw and maintain the eye of an viewers. Signature branding can even assist give manufacturers confidence about investing in you for sponsorships.
• Don’t give in to the development cycle. Whereas they are often enjoyable at first, it finally ends up being repetitive. Dre recommends specializing in unique content material if you wish to stand out on-line. When you’re stumped for concepts, check out Dre’s methodology for producing inventive content material known as the Content material Tree that she shared with us in this article.
• If you wish to monetize your content material however are frightened about dropping creativity, Dre recommends balancing what it’s a must to do and what you wish to do. For her, that’s a 60-40 cut up between instructional and enjoyable content material.