As much as I love what I do, I wish someone would have sat me down and told me the lows of this business. From a distance, everything looks so cute and neat and well put together. Well... it is! LOL! But, there is so much that goes into the background of blogging that new comers truly need to know. So, consider me big sister! I won't sugarcoat anything. It's about to get very real and honest.
1. You're not going to hit it big immediately. Everyone thinks, including myself, that the minute you start blogging, you'll become INSTANTLY FAMOUS and everyone will love you. WRONG!!! I'm a year and a half in and I'm still very mildly known. There are some exceptions to the rule. But, for the most part, everyone grows at their own pace. It's mostly about how hungry you are. The more work you put into it, the more you will get out of it. Whether you choose to write everything, start a YouTube Channel, or stick to being a Instagram Makeup Guru, the rules still apply. Go into this with an idea and remain focused on it. If you focus on the numbers, you will lose faith in what you're doing and give up just before you make it.
2. Don't copy already famous beauty gurus. Now, learning from people who have done it is one thing. But becoming exactly like them is totally different. And IRRITATING!! I can't tell you how annoying it is to watch a YouTube video that looks exactly like Kathleen Lights. She got to where she is by being herself and working very hard. You must do the same and be yourself! Now, there are things that you can learn from those who are where you want to be. For instance, I learned from Jaclyn Hill to be very thorough when explaining things in my videos. I learned from Jackie Aina to let me inner weirdness loose for the world to see. I learned from Denise how to utilize short videos on Instagram to gain more followers. And of course, I took from all of them different makeup application tips. As far as how I run my channel, blog, and IG page, I decided to do a lot of what I have up on my own. This took time and planning. I literally researched how to brand your business and went from there. I encourage all of you that want to do this to do the same. Secret: Your audience is mostly millennials. They crave authenticity. So, be your creative self.
3. Over-saturation is a GOOD THING. One of the biggest complaints I have seen recently with bloggers is competition. Yes, so many want to be a part of this wonderful world of beauty blogging. But this is a very good thing. This means there is a high demand for beauty. This gives newer beauty companies new opportunities to work with new bloggers. The one thing you will never see is a person unsubscribe to MannyMUA to subscribe to Patrick Starr. They're probably subscribed to both. I'm a blogger and I am subbed to at least 70 different beauty related channels. We love watching different videos! So, never worry about losing followers to someone else who does what you do. There is opportunity everywhere. Just take advantage of it.
4. This looks easy.... but it's NOT! The one major misconception about this industry is that it's easy. It's not. It's looks all pretty and glamorous. It is, but it takes effort. Here is a run down of one of my days: 7am- wake up and get Jaeda ready for school. 8am- Get her on the bus. 9am- workout (Gotta get in shape for the camera). 10am- shower and start my day. 11am- Respond to comments on IG, YouTube, Facebook, etc. 12pm- Do a look for the gram. 2pm- maybe eat, or edit photo for the gram. 3pm-7pm- Coaching. 7pm- Responding to comments on recent post, or promoting YouTube Video, or promoting page. 9pm- Get mini me ready for bed. 10pm-12am preparing blogging work for the next day, scheduling meetings with brands, scheduling collab videos, etc etc etc. That's a mild day. Then, I have the audacity to add more things to my plate, like this play I'm in. My point is that you're constantly doing something. I'm constantly talking to the world, constantly on my phone, constantly thinking and planning looks, constantly promoting, writing, filming, editing. It's not easy at all. You have to really love what you do to do it without complaints. You will lose a lot of sleep. You will work even when you're on vacation. You will work when you're sleeping. This is a 24/7, 365 day (366 on a leap year) job! So, if you are not interested in constantly working all the time, then I would re-think this line of business. The more well known you become, the more jam packed your schedule becomes.
I absolutely love what I do. Like truly. I live to wake up and think of different and new ways to communicate to you guys. But, it took me a year and a half to finally get settled into this career. It is very rewarding. There are so many things I love. But, I also love makeup. I'll be writing more blogs about this topic. If there is anything that you would like to know, comment below. I will do my best to add them into the next blog!
Aly Jae is a Beauty Influencer and a member of Ipsy Open Studios. Active in the Beauty Industry since 2008, Aly continues to educate others about makeup application, products, techniques, and skincare.
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