Shelbey and I chatted about her beginning as a social influencer, her overall career goals, and her tips for creating a unique voice in the vast beauty community, among other great things. I would encourage anyone with entrepreneurial aspirations to read on because she has great overarching advice and insights! I hope you all enjoy, and a big thank you again to Shelbey for allowing me to pick her brain in order to do this!
The main aspect of the interview I wanted to focus on is Shelbey's voice in the beauty community. She is a breath of fresh air when it comes to paving her own path and remaining true to her original vision, which is one of the things that drew me into her videos and blog posts. As an entrepreneur, especially one in the beauty community, it seems easy to be sucked into mainstream trends and conforming to certain standards, but Shelbey gives great insight about her experience with this pressure:
"I've never really been the type to want something that everyone else has just because it's the latest trend. As a matter of fact, for the most part of my time in high school I was that kid who called everyone else a "poser" for trying to do things that were popular or trendy (I got over that phase haha). I don't know, I guess I just don't have that need or desire to want things that I see others have - except puppies.... I will want your puppy if you post a photo of it :)"
Shelbey and her new puppy OllieShe also touches on this while commenting on the daily challenge of creating new and unique content for her subscribers:
"There are SO many content creators on YouTube now, especially in the beauty community. A big challenge for me is that I always want to be creating new and exciting ideas that no one (or not many people) have done yet. It also used to be a slight challenge for me to not conform to the typical "beauty guru image" (lip fillers, extreme contour, crop tops, braids, etc.) Not that there's anything wrong with that certain look, I just feel as if it's now a look society expects women to have if they're working in this industry."
I also wanted to get a closer look at how she balances her work with her personal life, as I have heard many social influencers comment on the struggle to create periods of solitude for themselves and loved ones away from the public eye. She states that "When you work as an online influencer it's hard to distinguish what a "day off" is because you're constantly working on small pieces of work each day. BUT, most Saturdays I try to set everything aside and just chill out. Really, I just enjoy doing nothing with Will [her fiance] and our dog, Ollie. Those seem to be the best days! I never really had a set schedule of filming or blogging until I gave up my job last December to blog and work on YouTube full time. However, when I was in school I basically took any free time I had a dedicated it to my videos. I mostly made 1 video a week. That was what I had time for when I worked and went to school. I think it's always important to look at your channel as something that is fun and free - if you grow quickly, that's great. If you grow slower, or steadily, then at least you're growing while managing other priorities in your life." Aspiring online influencers take note! This concept that any growth is still growth is something I try to keep in mind, especially since I have other commitments in my life besides blogging and filming.
She also emphasizes the importance of a good support system: "My greatest joy in life is definitely friends and family. I have always been backed up and supported by an amazing group of people which I am so thankful for! As for being a social influencer, I would say the feedback I receive from viewers who have not only been inspired through my beauty related content but personal content as well. My goal is not to influence others to buy or go after the latest trends, but to follow their own path no matter what stage they are in during their lives."
I definitely wanted to ask Shelbey to touch on her reasons for beginning what is now her career as an online influencer, but also her advice to grow a loyal following. Anyone who is looking to create their own business can imagine how challenging it can be to grow, especially with a loyal and consistent following. Shelbey states that she found her niche on YouTube at 19 or 20 when she noticed that her knowledge through her position in the beauty industry at bareMinerals gave her insight to discuss the products, turning out to be an untapped area in the beauty community on YouTube. As a matter of fact, her hard work and dedication is coming to fruition in the form of a major feature with the company that started her career in the beauty industry. Shelbey is launching a collaboration with bareMinerals on their new Neutral Attraction palette on Thursday April 7th. Be sure to check it out on the bareMinerals website! In essence, Shelbey is demonstrating that anyone with passion and particular knowledge in a certain area can utilize them to create a voice for their vision that will set them apart from others and make their content appealing.
In terms of growing a blog and YouTube channel, she knows what's up: "I always tell bloggers that Pinterest is your best friend! To grow my blog I realized quickly that you need to have visually appealing content. Quick how to's and tutorials are the major trends on Pinterest and when you nail a good photo or pictorial that is repinned hundreds of times daily, that brings viewers to your blog without you even trying or consistently writing new content every day. YouTube is a bit more tricky. I've seen people who started their channel 5 years ago and have barely made it to 100,000 subscribers. Then there's people who have only had a channel for 6 months and are nearing half a million subscribers. Everyone has their own peak time but if you're putting effort and hard work into your videos and have a genuine personality, people will see that and you will continue to grow. For me personally, I started my channel almost 3 years ago and I'm nearing 70,000 subscribers. I'm content with that because I know I was not putting the effort into my videos like I do now (meaning that I have a 3 video per week schedule, take more time to film and edit content, consistently plan videos ahead etc.)"
I have noticed that perspective, especially in this line of work, is key. Having a vision that extends beyond online content seems to be cathartic and essential to maintaining a relatable aspect to blogs and videos. I was curious about the overall vision of Shelbey's work, and how she aspires to use her online platform to achieve that vision. She comments, "I just hope to continue to grow my platform in hopes to help others and inspire others to follow their dreams and just be the best they can possibly be for themselves and for others. Will and I definitely have plans in the future to do mission work overseas as well as in the United States and surrounding areas. I basically want to be a part of any cause I can help with. A big issue I hope to be a part of ending is human trafficking and human enslavement. We need people who are given these large platforms to be willing to help others and also spread awareness for the terrible issues parts of the world are facing. Overall, I just have this burning need to help others and give back."
I will leave you with these take-home messages from my interview with Shelbey:
Have a vision.
Have a unique voice.
Have a good support system.
and Have a backbone!
Shelbey's sage advice to us all is to "Have fun and don't take shit from anyone! ;)"
Please subscribe if you like this post and leave me a comment! (oh, and don't forget to go check out Shelbey's blog and channel!)
Shelbey's links: YouTube, Blog, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Snapchat: @LoveShelbey, Periscope: Shelbey Ashburn or LoveShelbey
