May 13, 2025 • 26 mins
Ep. 215 Marche Robinson is a lifestyle creator, style expert, and pop culture enthusiast who loves sharing authentic, everyday moments with her community.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Marshae Robinson is an attorney, entrepreneur, and content creator based
in North Carolina alongside her husband Michael, who is also
an attorney. So they share their journey of well, she
shares her jorney of motherhood. He's not really a mother,
but they share their journey of parenthood, fitness, and entrepreneurship
with the online community.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
That is growing by the day and it's really really big.
Welcome Marshae. Hi, thank you, absolutely so.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
I'm interested in some lessons because you figured out some
keys for social media and I want to know all
the things and how to grow and so what have
you learned? First, We're going to talk about money. What
have you learned about brand partnerships and monetization that you
wish you knew earlier?
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Okay, that's a good question because I've been doing this
for a long time, you know, like free monetization. I
will say number one is never accept the first rate
that is to you. Right, you should already have kind
of your rates in the back of your mind.
Speaker 4 (01:06):
You should kind of know generally what you're gonna charge.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
For different assets, so like a real a picture, usage
those things. And I think a lot of times I
know when I got my first brand deal, I got
paid fifty dollars by Hart's.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
Wow Wow.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
And I tell people it wasn't even fifty because I
had to pay the transfer fee from faype.
Speaker 4 (01:27):
Out to put in my account.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
But you know, you get so excited to get those
offers and just know that like you can negotiate, you know,
make sure you are trying to get your value and
that you're not just jumping at the first you know,
the first offer because you're excited, you know.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
So so at what at what point can you charge?
Speaker 2 (01:46):
So let's say I'm not.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
As big as Marchie on Instagram or TikTok or whatever.
At what point is there a number that I can
start charging that is there another metric people will look at.
Speaker 3 (01:59):
So I definitely think, you know, you have to take
into account your metrics in a way, just because it's
always nice to give something tangible. So like maybe you
charge a percentage of your following. I know, when I
first started understanding that you could monetize, someone in the industry,
was like, oh, charge you know, four percent of your following.
Speaker 4 (02:18):
So take your following, multiply that about.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
Four percent, and that's what you should charge for a post,
you know, and then if you do a real maybe
it's more because it's video.
Speaker 4 (02:26):
If you do stories, cut that in half.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
A lot of the calculators out there to me low volume,
so I wouldn't necessarily go by that. But I also
tell people like, you have to charge for your time
and effort. I think being an attorney, that's kind of
drilled in you from day one is that like, your
time is valuable, you know, so the time you take
to strategize your content, to shoot your content, to edit,
(02:50):
you know, to get it wrapped up nice and pretty
for the brand, all those things cost money, So you
don't you are valuable from day one.
Speaker 4 (02:58):
Even when it's just you know, your cousin's following you
are your.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
Best friend, You're still valuable because you are putting your
time in. So I think you just need to take
into account everything you're doing, because sometimes we think we
make it a lot, and then if you take the
time you spent and cut that down and multiply, you're like, oh,
I wasn't making that much, you know, based on my efforts.
So definitely just make sure something you're comfortable with. I
would never give like a heart and fast this is
(03:22):
what you should charge. But yeah, I would definitely think about,
you know, factoring your following, but also your time.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
How do you decide what parts of your life to
share and what to keep private.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
So I feel like I call myself a true lifestyle
creator because I just kind of.
Speaker 4 (03:43):
Share a lot of things.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
I always love fashion and beauty, and when I first
started creating content, I was just I just had a blog,
so it was just pictures from the internet, and then
it evolved to personal style photos. And then when I
got married, I featured my husband. And if I started
businesses or when I was working in corporate, I would
feature those things. And now I'm a mom, so I
feature that. So I like to kind of share the
(04:08):
things that I'm passionate about. But I feel like everyone
should have that boundary. There's just certain things I don't
share that much of. I don't really share a lot
of my daughter. I don't share her face. I just
feel like, you know, I'm an I'm an abies baby.
So I grew up in a town where you could
go outside and you're just out in the streets.
Speaker 4 (04:26):
There's no phones.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
Nope, there's not gonna be a picture of it tomorrow,
and so I want to give her as much of
that upbringing as I had, because I feel like, you know,
that was.
Speaker 4 (04:37):
The way to be, you know, where you're not just
everything isn't just online. So I try to limit her as.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
Much as possible, but she's with me a lot, so
she is in some of the content.
Speaker 4 (04:45):
So that's probably my main thing.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
So when before you became the marshe you know one
hundred and sixty thousand people on Instagram know, and you
know almost one hundred thousand or more on TikTok No,
when you decided I'm going to start sharing, what was
that decision making process? Like, like, how did you say
this is the kind of thing I'm going to do?
And when I got two followers, I'm going to keep
(05:09):
doing this thing?
Speaker 4 (05:12):
Right?
Speaker 3 (05:13):
I think I looked up in that I started a
blog first, and I started that in like twenty twelve maybe,
and it was really just a lot of the I feel.
I feel like a lot of the content creators who
are on different social platforms but started with a blog,
they'll all tell you it was a creative outlet. Right,
Like I'm a new attorney. I'm trying to figure out
what I'm gonna do with my life. But I've always
(05:34):
had a creative side, and people were starting to make
blogs in the years preceding that. So when I would
share with my family, they're like, you know, you could
just start a blog. I'm like me really, And then
I would just share images you know that I found.
And I think I lucked up because back then there
was no such thing as influencers. There was no such
(05:54):
thing as monetization and making money, and.
Speaker 4 (05:57):
This wasn't a job.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
So if you were blogging in twenty, well, it's because
you were truly passionate about what you were blogging about. Yeah,
So I think I looked up with that because I
kind of found my foundation in my footing early, and
so when I was able to monetize some years down
the line, I really didn't have to shift anything, right,
I was able to monetize kind of what I was
already sharing.
Speaker 4 (06:18):
So I think that that helped me tremendously.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
With you know what I share, because everything I share
I'm super passionate about and I would share it even
if I wasn't making money.
Speaker 4 (06:27):
So I think that's the key.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
Yeah, I'm interested in how you view social media and
your and your personal voice in other people's voices evolving
like what works on these platforms. I watch a lot
of YouTube creators and like some of them you never
see their face. Some of them you see their face,
but they don't talk. They'll just use captions. Some of
them still can show like a day in the life.
(06:52):
Some people used to show in the day of life,
and that doesn't work anymore. Like, I wonder how you
think about finding a voice right on all these platforms.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
It's so tricky, Like I feel like it's always a
juggling act, like you're never gonna have your like one
hundred method there. So like one thing about me, I
always remain flexible. I'm always willing to try a new
platform or kind of like a new feature on the platforms.
I think that one it keeps me challenged, which I
(07:23):
know just me personally.
Speaker 4 (07:24):
I like to be challenged on different things.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
But I think too, it's kind of finding how you
can share what you're already passionate about in a new way.
Speaker 4 (07:32):
I was actually just talking to my managers today.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
Because I just started like being super active on threads right,
and I'm like, okay, well, I'm not just gonna push
my video content to threads because people are like, look
already falling on on ID where I'm gonna go?
Speaker 4 (07:46):
Are always following you on TikTok Where am I going
to go? On threads?
Speaker 3 (07:49):
So one thing I have always loved talking about is
like pop culture and just like nostalgic television shows and stuff,
and my friends made play.
Speaker 4 (07:57):
Because they're like your memories great, like why do you
remember that?
Speaker 3 (07:59):
And so so, starting like a week ago, I just
started sharing all these like random pop culture moments. I
love the different things, and they're like doing so well
on threads and I'm like, okay, well, I guess this
is my threads. Like I come to threats to share
these things that might be overkilled on IG, but it's
still being still in my voice. And so like even
on TikTok, people joke like on TikTok, you could just
(08:21):
be your regular self. On IG, you have to package
you're pretty right. So I might have a random thought
that I would never put on a on a reel,
but it would be funny on a TikTok, or it
just might be another way for people to get to
know me on TikTok since that's my newer platform.
Speaker 4 (08:35):
I guess compared to IG. So it's just kind.
Speaker 3 (08:37):
Of finding different ways to share kind of the content
you already share, or share maybe a part of your
personality that you haven't shared, because that's essentially what happened
when IG went from just pictures. So like now it's
mostly reals, right, So now you're having to talk and.
Speaker 4 (08:53):
Entertain people more. I feel like you did when it
was just pictures.
Speaker 3 (08:56):
So just remain inflexible and just kind of think outside
of the box, but keeping that passion and keeping the authenticity.
Speaker 4 (09:04):
It's hard, though, but that's what I try to do.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
Yeah, you talk often about like multiple revenue streams, and
you said, I find this quote where you said one
thing my dad always taught me was that I should
never rely on one stream of income. His advice is
one of the main reasons why I stuck with my
blog for so long. There are times I wanted to quit,
but I kept going and glad. I'm glad I did.
I think it allows me to take risks in both
(09:27):
my day job and with my blog. So you often
talk about this, and I wonder how do you actively
apply that to your life in business today? You know
that effort to make sure you got these different streams
coming in.
Speaker 4 (09:43):
So.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
Basically as an entrepreneur, I watched my dad as an entrepreneur,
So that's definitely something he said and showed me, like
having multiple threings in income is very important.
Speaker 4 (09:54):
And I feel like the biggest way I showed that.
Speaker 3 (09:56):
Or I applied that to my life is when I
was like when I first started content creation and all
these other things, I had a corporate job the whole time,
and I didn't leave until twenty twenty, and I mean
I had to basically be pushed up against the corner,
like I had no choice but to leave because I
had the content creation just kind of blew up during quarantine.
Speaker 4 (10:20):
And I also had some other.
Speaker 3 (10:22):
Businesses I was starting, and I was getting to the
point with those where I needed to put a lot
more time into them. They required some travel and I
worked remotely with my job, but we were also I
worked in clinical research, so obviously everything was just going
crazy during that time, and I was like, Okay, I
can't physically do all these things, and what are the things.
Speaker 4 (10:42):
That I should focus on now versus the thing that
will always be there?
Speaker 3 (10:45):
And I already had like ten years of corporate experience,
so I was like, I can always go back, right,
but until then, you know, I did the full time job,
I did those things. You know, I'll do a side job,
and I'll always go back to corporate if I have to,
because I just feel like when you have different places
where you can get income, obviously it's a great way
to build your wealth, but more importantly, it just gives
(11:08):
you the feeling that like, I don't have to I
don't have to take this brand deal that I don't
feel like aligns with my with my brand, my personal brand,
because I don't I don't have to be desperate for
this brand deal, you know, or I don't have to
make content that maybe I'm not passionate about and then
I lose that authenticity because that's super important to me.
Speaker 4 (11:28):
So yeah, I think it just gives you more freedom, which.
Speaker 3 (11:31):
I mean that's what we all want right with our job,
is just like the freedom to do the things that
we want to do when we have the option.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
So yeah, you know, I'm interested in how you think
about consistency because so many people will get started on
these platforms and you know they'll go hard for three days,
you know, for days, three weeks, and then they just
fall off and then they'll come back and do another
three days for it. Like, how do you how do
you think about consistency?
Speaker 3 (11:58):
Yeah, well, I feel like this is the biggest part
where passion comes in, right, because if you just are like,
I'm gonna just make content because I want to make
a whole lot of money. And I see these pr
boxes and I see this and see that, I'm like, Okay,
that's definitely glamorous, but that's probably twenty or thirty percent.
Speaker 4 (12:16):
You know, maybe for bigger influencers there's.
Speaker 3 (12:18):
More glamorous, but you know, what sustains you and what
you're doing mostly is just creating content, brainstorming, pitching brand,
Like you're doing a lot of the non glamorous things,
you know. So if you're not passionate about what you're
writing about, you're not gonna be consistent. If you're not
doing it for the right reasons, you're not gonna be consistent.
And I think the biggest thing that I learned about discipline.
(12:44):
You know, they say you have to keep a promise
to yourself, you know, And I'm like, if I can't
get up and make content every day, like it's a job,
why do I expect to make it a job.
Speaker 4 (12:55):
Right. You can't just go to work three days and
not show up for two days. They gonna fire you.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
Right, So if you and you make content for three
days and then you don't post for.
Speaker 4 (13:04):
Two days, what are you teaching?
Speaker 3 (13:06):
You're teaching people like I can't trust this person to
create content, right, I can't trust this person to be
available or you know, be present. So I'm just not
even gonna worry about it. And a brand, they might
not see your content, you know, or your status fluctuate,
or they're not consistent, so a brand is like, oh,
we'll pass on them for now.
Speaker 4 (13:24):
So I think if you really want it to be
a job, you have to treat it like a job.
Speaker 3 (13:28):
And like I said, I'm passionate about what I share,
so it really doesn't. I mean, it feels like work,
but you know, a fun job compared to what I've
done before, So definitely not.
Speaker 4 (13:40):
You know, yeah, too hard to be consistent now.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
But yeah, man, you mentioned earlier you know how platforms
can be changing.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
You know, Instagram used to be one way, now it's
more reals and et cetera.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
How do you as an influencer somebody who makes a living,
creating content? How do you how do you pay attention
if you pay attention at all to what's working on
with the algorithms and the platform features.
Speaker 4 (14:02):
I will say I'm an analytics nerd.
Speaker 3 (14:05):
I love digging down into the numbers and seeing like, oh,
when they are like my followers most active, or what
did they like that I posted recently? Or what just
really jumped off? And Okay, how can I take the
essence of that and do it again right? Not just
completely knock it off again, but or goutye it again?
Speaker 4 (14:24):
But what is it that they liked about it? Right?
Speaker 3 (14:26):
And I try to be really I mean, I just
started like a broadcast channel on my IG because I'm like,
I really just want to connect with people a lot more,
because I think when you.
Speaker 4 (14:35):
Know them and you kind of talk on just a.
Speaker 3 (14:39):
Normal personal level, you kind of see what what are
they looking for? What really connects with the people that
follow you know that follow me? And I'll just say
I don't understand the Instagram algorithm. I've had numerous meetings
with Instagram, and it can be frustrating, Like you can
post a video that you spent an hour on and
it's like nobody sees it, and then I'll make a
(15:01):
fly by Night video and it gets like ten million views.
Speaker 4 (15:03):
I'm like, this doesn't even make any sense.
Speaker 3 (15:05):
So I tell everybody if you find yourself really like
just being over the algorithm, or you're like, why why
is my reach not here? Why just post it engaged
for an hour and get off the app. You don't
have to live on the app, just because that's a
part of your job, right. You can post, you can interact,
but you don't have to be sitting there, you know,
(15:25):
playing the comparison game or being frustrated.
Speaker 4 (15:28):
So I just think you just have to be.
Speaker 3 (15:32):
Try to stay as positive as possible and focus on
the analytics. You can't control, because I can't control if
IG wants to come tomorrow and make my reach ten
million or make it ten people.
Speaker 4 (15:41):
I can't control that.
Speaker 3 (15:42):
But I can control making my content every day, posting
what I want to post but also what you know,
helps my audience, and that's all I can really do,
and I think that's what keeps me from spiraling. You know,
sometimes when the contient doesn't do how I want it to,
like how I wanted to, I.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
Guess, yeah, and you said to treat this like a job,
and I wonder how much thoughtfulness in advance goes into
creating this content, Like are you, like you know, doing
like real content planning or you like planning out the next.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
Two three weeks a month? Are using spreadsheets for that?
Speaker 1 (16:15):
Or are you waiting day by day for inspiration to
hit like, Oh, I'm gonna make a post about that.
Speaker 4 (16:21):
I would say it's a little it's a little bit
of both.
Speaker 3 (16:24):
Honestly, I have managers, so they are constantly doing strategy
with me. They probably are like, can you girl stick
to the content calendar?
Speaker 4 (16:33):
Like I know they would. They could probably make a
calendar for me right and be like post.
Speaker 3 (16:37):
This on this ded hit all your pillars right, which
because I'm lifestyle it is sometimes hard because I'll be like, dang,
I've like literally only posted about my husband like this week,
or I haven't posted any fashion in two weeks. So
some I do like to hit all the pillars, but
I am so I think it's just my personality.
Speaker 4 (16:56):
I hate being like so.
Speaker 3 (17:00):
I don't know regiment it sometimes so like sometimes I'm
good about it, and sometimes I'm like, oh, I just
had this idea, and I'll have ideas strike all the time.
I have so many lists with ideas, So I think
the sweet spot is having the schedule where I know
I need to I want to do a certain amount
of this type of post this week, a certain amount
of that type of post this week, and then I
(17:21):
have a running list of just ideas and things that
come to me, and maybe like there's an idea that
makes sense to post during a certain cell right, or
maybe there's an idea that I have that's like, oh,
this will be better during holiday because certain times a
year are going to be more scheduled out because you
know during the holidays you're gonna be posting a lot
of holiday content, or like we have Easter coming up,
(17:43):
so there's certain things I know I want to capture
for that, so I can go ahead and plan those.
But I just like a little bit above, because I
do think as a true creative you can feel stifled
and you have to be too scheduled out. So I
don't want to feel that way, but I do unders
saying that if you want to be consistent and you
want to constantly give value, sometimes you do have to
(18:06):
make sure you're organized.
Speaker 4 (18:07):
So yeah, I think my manager like that answer. No, calendar.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
You know, I want you to talk about your your
business now and like you're in a natural haircare space
and like this is this a result of, Hey, I
have this platform, I would love to, you know, offer
something to the community or is something you had an
idea for previous to that and the platform just allows
you the opportunity to explore.
Speaker 4 (18:33):
Yeah, so definitely an idea I had before I grew up.
Speaker 3 (18:36):
My mom was a cosmotologist and cosmotology instructor.
Speaker 4 (18:41):
So my whole life my mom.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
I've been going to the salons and I feel like
if you as any salon owner's child, you were in
that salon every weekend, every night, you know, after school
and everything.
Speaker 4 (18:53):
And one thing about my mom.
Speaker 3 (18:54):
She always worked in kind of like an upscale salon
where she would be the only black silace or one
of two black silas, and most of her, if not all,
of her clientele were black women and they would come
and there was only one product. Everybody knows Mazzani, which
Mazzani is great, but that was the only product. And
it's like, Okay, everyone else can choose from all these
(19:18):
different products, but the one product geared towards our hair texture.
And I guess that was suitable for I guess a
luxury salon was Mazani. So I know, I always just
kind of I think seeing women come to the salon,
because especially for black women, it's just such a it's
almost like.
Speaker 4 (19:35):
A therapy situation. Like you come, you've.
Speaker 3 (19:38):
Had a long day, you get your hair done, you
leave feeling beautiful, and it's just you know.
Speaker 4 (19:43):
It's just a transformative experience.
Speaker 3 (19:45):
I think that always resonated with me, which is where
like the beauty I guess pillar for me comes. And
I had been talking to my husband actually a lot
about how I was like, I really want to start
a hair camera in like I wanted to be as
clean as possible because I had a close family member
get diagnosed with cancer and I was trying to find
her clean products, and so I was like, I want
(20:05):
to get her like clean hair care, clean everything. And
I was like, man, I wish we could have something
that was like super as clean as possible, vegan, you know,
cruelty free, but also still have that luxury feeling that
the women would have when they would come in my
mom salon. And so my husband's like, all right, look,
we're stuck at home. So let's go ahead and do
this hair care because you know, it was clearly we
(20:28):
were going to be quarantined for a while, and you know,
we did the research. He actually found a chemist that
could do the type of product I wanted, which was
like clean, cruelty free, also specialized in like textured hair,
black hair. And I was like, oh, perfect, you know,
let's do it. And so I was like, let's start
(20:49):
with a product that I know is important to my regimen,
which is going to be a hair mass and deepconditioning mass.
And I started with that and we formulated it for
a long time and then you know, all the different
we ran into a lot of different things with just
kind of the like we had a lot of issues
with delays of packages during twenty twenty and twenty twenty one.
Speaker 4 (21:10):
It was just a lot.
Speaker 3 (21:11):
But we launched it and it's an amazing hair mask.
And that's the only one I've used literally since twenty twenty.
And we are almost done formulating our second product. But
I feel like I have sophomore jinks.
Speaker 4 (21:23):
Is that what they call it when you have a
second album.
Speaker 3 (21:25):
Where I just wanted to be as perfect as the mast,
But you know, I'm fine with taking my time because
I just want to put out things that I'm passionate
about and that I feel like I would use. So
it has to be perfect.
Speaker 2 (21:37):
But where can people find Where can people find it?
Your stuff?
Speaker 3 (21:41):
So Easilen Beauty is the website, and I also we
have an IG page and I actually have it linked
on my bio too, so if they go to my page,
it's linked there.
Speaker 4 (21:52):
And also the website.
Speaker 3 (21:54):
So and we're sold on Amazon, so you know, use
your Amazon prom.
Speaker 4 (21:58):
And you can get it.
Speaker 3 (22:00):
You know, you're two day apprecipping if you want to
do Amazon. And we're currently talking to a few retailers,
so hopefully you'll be able to like go in the
store and get it.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
But what is in March's e DC every day carry?
Like what are the things that like be on your
phone that you always got to have, like you know
nearby when you leave a house, you're in the.
Speaker 2 (22:23):
Car, you at work, in the gy like where have
you at? These things got to be close.
Speaker 4 (22:28):
Honestly, if you said.
Speaker 3 (22:30):
Don't put my phone, uses the phone my camera, I
would say my camera because I like to just capture
a lot of video. I've realized the hardest thing about
video content is capturing it in the moment, right, because
then you think you want a video need like I
don't have the content. So my camera and everything else
(22:50):
is for my daughter.
Speaker 4 (22:51):
Okay, I have to have everything.
Speaker 3 (22:52):
She might need, so it's almost like everything I might
want as just taking a back seat.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
Are you talking about your phone camera? Are you cheating
on this one?
Speaker 4 (23:01):
No?
Speaker 2 (23:05):
I dig what do you use? Tell me what you use?
What camera do you is?
Speaker 3 (23:11):
Okay, don't get this one because I feel like this
was about obsolete. But it's the cannon N fifty but
it's so lightweight. And then I got this lens. It's
the eleven to twenty two millimeter cannon lens and it's honestly,
it's like lightweight, small stuff. But I really want to
get something like everyone. I feel like I'm seeing them
use these like Sony.
Speaker 4 (23:32):
They're like cinematic cameras.
Speaker 3 (23:34):
I really want something that's like a little more cinematic
because I just want to make I don't know.
Speaker 4 (23:38):
I just love the feel of, like of the videos.
Speaker 3 (23:42):
That come from them, So I think I'm probably gonna
upgrade soon, but I don't know. I told myself I
have to start posting YouTube videos and be consistent before
I can upgrade myself on the camera.
Speaker 4 (23:54):
It's a nig a deal on myself.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
I got one more for you. And so how do
you work with your husband? Like, how do you and
him balance the business relationship and the partnership?
Speaker 3 (24:07):
Man, I think because we've known each other for so long.
We actually met in middle school, so we know each
other and we're from I think we are very similar,
just kind of like how we grew up and kind
of like our ways of handling things, in our ways
of communicating, which helps, right because we're I feel like
we're starting.
Speaker 4 (24:27):
We got a little bit of a head start there.
Speaker 3 (24:29):
And also he is a good partner for me because
in the ways that he is strong, right, you know,
I feel like I'm very type A. He's super laid
back and he can see when something is about to.
Speaker 4 (24:45):
Maybe crash out, you know, and he'll be like, man,
it's okay, like I'll.
Speaker 3 (24:49):
Handle it, like let me do this, or he will
talk me down like you know, it's not a big deal,
or it's okay, we'll do this. And so I think
just honoring each other's strong strong I guess characteristics or
strong points and not feeling like I think like sometimes
egos can get in a way when you work with somebody,
(25:10):
you know, even.
Speaker 4 (25:11):
If it's not a romantic relationship, it could be a friend.
Speaker 3 (25:13):
And like, I don't feel like if he steps up
in a situation or he takes the leading situation, that's
a knock on me. I'm like thankful, you know what
I mean, Like, thank you for taking the rains on
this situation.
Speaker 4 (25:24):
And so I think just open.
Speaker 3 (25:26):
Communication everything makes a marriage strong, makes a partnership strong.
Anybody will tell you even if they start a business
with a complete stranger, it is like a marriage, you know.
So I think just communication, knowing when to let the
other person take the reins is is a huge part
and leaving your ego at the door, because it's just
like y'all should y'all have a common goal and it
(25:46):
shouldn't be about like one person feeling better than the
other and one person getting their way. It's about the
business moving forward in the best possible way. And when
you keep that, keep your eye on the prize, you know,
it makes it a lot easier to do.
Speaker 5 (26:00):
Black Tech Green Money is a production of Blavity Afro
Tech on the Black Effect podcast, Networking Night, Heart Media
and it's produced by Morgan Debonne and me Well Lucas
with the Ad Digital production support by Kate McDonald, Sarah
Ergan and Jada McGee. Special thank you to Michael Davis
and Love Beach. Learn more about my guests and other
techtshof as an Innovators at afrotech dot com. The video
version of this episode will drop to Black Tech Green
(26:22):
Money on YouTube, so tap in, enjoy your Black Tech
Green Money, share us to somebody, Go get your money.
Speaker 2 (26:29):
Peace in love,
Marshae Robinson is an attorney, entrepreneur, and content creator based
in North Carolina alongside her husband Michael, who is also
an attorney. So they share their journey of well, she
shares her jorney of motherhood. He's not really a mother,
but they share their journey of parenthood, fitness, and entrepreneurship
with the online community.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
That is growing by the day and it's really really big.
Welcome Marshae. Hi, thank you, absolutely so.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
I'm interested in some lessons because you figured out some
keys for social media and I want to know all
the things and how to grow and so what have
you learned? First, We're going to talk about money. What
have you learned about brand partnerships and monetization that you
wish you knew earlier?
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Okay, that's a good question because I've been doing this
for a long time, you know, like free monetization. I
will say number one is never accept the first rate
that is to you. Right, you should already have kind
of your rates in the back of your mind.
Speaker 4 (01:06):
You should kind of know generally what you're gonna charge.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
For different assets, so like a real a picture, usage
those things. And I think a lot of times I
know when I got my first brand deal, I got
paid fifty dollars by Hart's.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
Wow Wow.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
And I tell people it wasn't even fifty because I
had to pay the transfer fee from faype.
Speaker 4 (01:27):
Out to put in my account.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
But you know, you get so excited to get those
offers and just know that like you can negotiate, you know,
make sure you are trying to get your value and
that you're not just jumping at the first you know,
the first offer because you're excited, you know.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
So so at what at what point can you charge?
Speaker 2 (01:46):
So let's say I'm not.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
As big as Marchie on Instagram or TikTok or whatever.
At what point is there a number that I can
start charging that is there another metric people will look at.
Speaker 3 (01:59):
So I definitely think, you know, you have to take
into account your metrics in a way, just because it's
always nice to give something tangible. So like maybe you
charge a percentage of your following. I know, when I
first started understanding that you could monetize, someone in the industry,
was like, oh, charge you know, four percent of your following.
Speaker 4 (02:18):
So take your following, multiply that about.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
Four percent, and that's what you should charge for a post,
you know, and then if you do a real maybe
it's more because it's video.
Speaker 4 (02:26):
If you do stories, cut that in half.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
A lot of the calculators out there to me low volume,
so I wouldn't necessarily go by that. But I also
tell people like, you have to charge for your time
and effort. I think being an attorney, that's kind of
drilled in you from day one is that like, your
time is valuable, you know, so the time you take
to strategize your content, to shoot your content, to edit,
(02:50):
you know, to get it wrapped up nice and pretty
for the brand, all those things cost money, So you
don't you are valuable from day one.
Speaker 4 (02:58):
Even when it's just you know, your cousin's following you
are your.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
Best friend, You're still valuable because you are putting your
time in. So I think you just need to take
into account everything you're doing, because sometimes we think we
make it a lot, and then if you take the
time you spent and cut that down and multiply, you're like, oh,
I wasn't making that much, you know, based on my efforts.
So definitely just make sure something you're comfortable with. I
would never give like a heart and fast this is
(03:22):
what you should charge. But yeah, I would definitely think about,
you know, factoring your following, but also your time.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
How do you decide what parts of your life to
share and what to keep private.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
So I feel like I call myself a true lifestyle
creator because I just kind of.
Speaker 4 (03:43):
Share a lot of things.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
I always love fashion and beauty, and when I first
started creating content, I was just I just had a blog,
so it was just pictures from the internet, and then
it evolved to personal style photos. And then when I
got married, I featured my husband. And if I started
businesses or when I was working in corporate, I would
feature those things. And now I'm a mom, so I
feature that. So I like to kind of share the
(04:08):
things that I'm passionate about. But I feel like everyone
should have that boundary. There's just certain things I don't
share that much of. I don't really share a lot
of my daughter. I don't share her face. I just
feel like, you know, I'm an I'm an abies baby.
So I grew up in a town where you could
go outside and you're just out in the streets.
Speaker 4 (04:26):
There's no phones.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
Nope, there's not gonna be a picture of it tomorrow,
and so I want to give her as much of
that upbringing as I had, because I feel like, you know,
that was.
Speaker 4 (04:37):
The way to be, you know, where you're not just
everything isn't just online. So I try to limit her as.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
Much as possible, but she's with me a lot, so
she is in some of the content.
Speaker 4 (04:45):
So that's probably my main thing.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
So when before you became the marshe you know one
hundred and sixty thousand people on Instagram know, and you
know almost one hundred thousand or more on TikTok No,
when you decided I'm going to start sharing, what was
that decision making process? Like, like, how did you say
this is the kind of thing I'm going to do?
And when I got two followers, I'm going to keep
(05:09):
doing this thing?
Speaker 4 (05:12):
Right?
Speaker 3 (05:13):
I think I looked up in that I started a
blog first, and I started that in like twenty twelve maybe,
and it was really just a lot of the I feel.
I feel like a lot of the content creators who
are on different social platforms but started with a blog,
they'll all tell you it was a creative outlet. Right,
Like I'm a new attorney. I'm trying to figure out
what I'm gonna do with my life. But I've always
(05:34):
had a creative side, and people were starting to make
blogs in the years preceding that. So when I would
share with my family, they're like, you know, you could
just start a blog. I'm like me really, And then
I would just share images you know that I found.
And I think I lucked up because back then there
was no such thing as influencers. There was no such
(05:54):
thing as monetization and making money, and.
Speaker 4 (05:57):
This wasn't a job.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
So if you were blogging in twenty, well, it's because
you were truly passionate about what you were blogging about. Yeah,
So I think I looked up with that because I
kind of found my foundation in my footing early, and
so when I was able to monetize some years down
the line, I really didn't have to shift anything, right,
I was able to monetize kind of what I was
already sharing.
Speaker 4 (06:18):
So I think that that helped me tremendously.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
With you know what I share, because everything I share
I'm super passionate about and I would share it even
if I wasn't making money.
Speaker 4 (06:27):
So I think that's the key.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
Yeah, I'm interested in how you view social media and
your and your personal voice in other people's voices evolving
like what works on these platforms. I watch a lot
of YouTube creators and like some of them you never
see their face. Some of them you see their face,
but they don't talk. They'll just use captions. Some of
them still can show like a day in the life.
(06:52):
Some people used to show in the day of life,
and that doesn't work anymore. Like, I wonder how you
think about finding a voice right on all these platforms.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
It's so tricky, Like I feel like it's always a
juggling act, like you're never gonna have your like one
hundred method there. So like one thing about me, I
always remain flexible. I'm always willing to try a new
platform or kind of like a new feature on the platforms.
I think that one it keeps me challenged, which I
(07:23):
know just me personally.
Speaker 4 (07:24):
I like to be challenged on different things.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
But I think too, it's kind of finding how you
can share what you're already passionate about in a new way.
Speaker 4 (07:32):
I was actually just talking to my managers today.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
Because I just started like being super active on threads right,
and I'm like, okay, well, I'm not just gonna push
my video content to threads because people are like, look
already falling on on ID where I'm gonna go?
Speaker 4 (07:46):
Are always following you on TikTok Where am I going
to go? On threads?
Speaker 3 (07:49):
So one thing I have always loved talking about is
like pop culture and just like nostalgic television shows and stuff,
and my friends made play.
Speaker 4 (07:57):
Because they're like your memories great, like why do you
remember that?
Speaker 3 (07:59):
And so so, starting like a week ago, I just
started sharing all these like random pop culture moments. I
love the different things, and they're like doing so well
on threads and I'm like, okay, well, I guess this
is my threads. Like I come to threats to share
these things that might be overkilled on IG, but it's
still being still in my voice. And so like even
on TikTok, people joke like on TikTok, you could just
(08:21):
be your regular self. On IG, you have to package
you're pretty right. So I might have a random thought
that I would never put on a on a reel,
but it would be funny on a TikTok, or it
just might be another way for people to get to
know me on TikTok since that's my newer platform.
Speaker 4 (08:35):
I guess compared to IG. So it's just kind.
Speaker 3 (08:37):
Of finding different ways to share kind of the content
you already share, or share maybe a part of your
personality that you haven't shared, because that's essentially what happened
when IG went from just pictures. So like now it's
mostly reals, right, So now you're having to talk and.
Speaker 4 (08:53):
Entertain people more. I feel like you did when it
was just pictures.
Speaker 3 (08:56):
So just remain inflexible and just kind of think outside
of the box, but keeping that passion and keeping the authenticity.
Speaker 4 (09:04):
It's hard, though, but that's what I try to do.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
Yeah, you talk often about like multiple revenue streams, and
you said, I find this quote where you said one
thing my dad always taught me was that I should
never rely on one stream of income. His advice is
one of the main reasons why I stuck with my
blog for so long. There are times I wanted to quit,
but I kept going and glad. I'm glad I did.
I think it allows me to take risks in both
(09:27):
my day job and with my blog. So you often
talk about this, and I wonder how do you actively
apply that to your life in business today? You know
that effort to make sure you got these different streams
coming in.
Speaker 4 (09:43):
So.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
Basically as an entrepreneur, I watched my dad as an entrepreneur,
So that's definitely something he said and showed me, like
having multiple threings in income is very important.
Speaker 4 (09:54):
And I feel like the biggest way I showed that.
Speaker 3 (09:56):
Or I applied that to my life is when I
was like when I first started content creation and all
these other things, I had a corporate job the whole time,
and I didn't leave until twenty twenty, and I mean
I had to basically be pushed up against the corner,
like I had no choice but to leave because I
had the content creation just kind of blew up during quarantine.
Speaker 4 (10:20):
And I also had some other.
Speaker 3 (10:22):
Businesses I was starting, and I was getting to the
point with those where I needed to put a lot
more time into them. They required some travel and I
worked remotely with my job, but we were also I
worked in clinical research, so obviously everything was just going
crazy during that time, and I was like, Okay, I
can't physically do all these things, and what are the things.
Speaker 4 (10:42):
That I should focus on now versus the thing that
will always be there?
Speaker 3 (10:45):
And I already had like ten years of corporate experience,
so I was like, I can always go back, right,
but until then, you know, I did the full time job,
I did those things. You know, I'll do a side job,
and I'll always go back to corporate if I have to,
because I just feel like when you have different places
where you can get income, obviously it's a great way
to build your wealth, but more importantly, it just gives
(11:08):
you the feeling that like, I don't have to I
don't have to take this brand deal that I don't
feel like aligns with my with my brand, my personal brand,
because I don't I don't have to be desperate for
this brand deal, you know, or I don't have to
make content that maybe I'm not passionate about and then
I lose that authenticity because that's super important to me.
Speaker 4 (11:28):
So yeah, I think it just gives you more freedom, which.
Speaker 3 (11:31):
I mean that's what we all want right with our job,
is just like the freedom to do the things that
we want to do when we have the option.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
So yeah, you know, I'm interested in how you think
about consistency because so many people will get started on
these platforms and you know they'll go hard for three days,
you know, for days, three weeks, and then they just
fall off and then they'll come back and do another
three days for it. Like, how do you how do
you think about consistency?
Speaker 3 (11:58):
Yeah, well, I feel like this is the biggest part
where passion comes in, right, because if you just are like,
I'm gonna just make content because I want to make
a whole lot of money. And I see these pr
boxes and I see this and see that, I'm like, Okay,
that's definitely glamorous, but that's probably twenty or thirty percent.
Speaker 4 (12:16):
You know, maybe for bigger influencers there's.
Speaker 3 (12:18):
More glamorous, but you know, what sustains you and what
you're doing mostly is just creating content, brainstorming, pitching brand,
Like you're doing a lot of the non glamorous things,
you know. So if you're not passionate about what you're
writing about, you're not gonna be consistent. If you're not
doing it for the right reasons, you're not gonna be consistent.
And I think the biggest thing that I learned about discipline.
(12:44):
You know, they say you have to keep a promise
to yourself, you know, And I'm like, if I can't
get up and make content every day, like it's a job,
why do I expect to make it a job.
Speaker 4 (12:55):
Right. You can't just go to work three days and
not show up for two days. They gonna fire you.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
Right, So if you and you make content for three
days and then you don't post for.
Speaker 4 (13:04):
Two days, what are you teaching?
Speaker 3 (13:06):
You're teaching people like I can't trust this person to
create content, right, I can't trust this person to be
available or you know, be present. So I'm just not
even gonna worry about it. And a brand, they might
not see your content, you know, or your status fluctuate,
or they're not consistent, so a brand is like, oh,
we'll pass on them for now.
Speaker 4 (13:24):
So I think if you really want it to be
a job, you have to treat it like a job.
Speaker 3 (13:28):
And like I said, I'm passionate about what I share,
so it really doesn't. I mean, it feels like work,
but you know, a fun job compared to what I've
done before, So definitely not.
Speaker 4 (13:40):
You know, yeah, too hard to be consistent now.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
But yeah, man, you mentioned earlier you know how platforms
can be changing.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
You know, Instagram used to be one way, now it's
more reals and et cetera.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
How do you as an influencer somebody who makes a living,
creating content? How do you how do you pay attention
if you pay attention at all to what's working on
with the algorithms and the platform features.
Speaker 4 (14:02):
I will say I'm an analytics nerd.
Speaker 3 (14:05):
I love digging down into the numbers and seeing like, oh,
when they are like my followers most active, or what
did they like that I posted recently? Or what just
really jumped off? And Okay, how can I take the
essence of that and do it again right? Not just
completely knock it off again, but or goutye it again?
Speaker 4 (14:24):
But what is it that they liked about it? Right?
Speaker 3 (14:26):
And I try to be really I mean, I just
started like a broadcast channel on my IG because I'm like,
I really just want to connect with people a lot more,
because I think when you.
Speaker 4 (14:35):
Know them and you kind of talk on just a.
Speaker 3 (14:39):
Normal personal level, you kind of see what what are
they looking for? What really connects with the people that
follow you know that follow me? And I'll just say
I don't understand the Instagram algorithm. I've had numerous meetings
with Instagram, and it can be frustrating, Like you can
post a video that you spent an hour on and
it's like nobody sees it, and then I'll make a
(15:01):
fly by Night video and it gets like ten million views.
Speaker 4 (15:03):
I'm like, this doesn't even make any sense.
Speaker 3 (15:05):
So I tell everybody if you find yourself really like
just being over the algorithm, or you're like, why why
is my reach not here? Why just post it engaged
for an hour and get off the app. You don't
have to live on the app, just because that's a
part of your job, right. You can post, you can interact,
but you don't have to be sitting there, you know,
(15:25):
playing the comparison game or being frustrated.
Speaker 4 (15:28):
So I just think you just have to be.
Speaker 3 (15:32):
Try to stay as positive as possible and focus on
the analytics. You can't control, because I can't control if
IG wants to come tomorrow and make my reach ten
million or make it ten people.
Speaker 4 (15:41):
I can't control that.
Speaker 3 (15:42):
But I can control making my content every day, posting
what I want to post but also what you know,
helps my audience, and that's all I can really do,
and I think that's what keeps me from spiraling. You know,
sometimes when the contient doesn't do how I want it to,
like how I wanted to, I.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
Guess, yeah, and you said to treat this like a job,
and I wonder how much thoughtfulness in advance goes into
creating this content, Like are you, like you know, doing
like real content planning or you like planning out the next.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
Two three weeks a month? Are using spreadsheets for that?
Speaker 1 (16:15):
Or are you waiting day by day for inspiration to
hit like, Oh, I'm gonna make a post about that.
Speaker 4 (16:21):
I would say it's a little it's a little bit
of both.
Speaker 3 (16:24):
Honestly, I have managers, so they are constantly doing strategy
with me. They probably are like, can you girl stick
to the content calendar?
Speaker 4 (16:33):
Like I know they would. They could probably make a
calendar for me right and be like post.
Speaker 3 (16:37):
This on this ded hit all your pillars right, which
because I'm lifestyle it is sometimes hard because I'll be like, dang,
I've like literally only posted about my husband like this week,
or I haven't posted any fashion in two weeks. So
some I do like to hit all the pillars, but
I am so I think it's just my personality.
Speaker 4 (16:56):
I hate being like so.
Speaker 3 (17:00):
I don't know regiment it sometimes so like sometimes I'm
good about it, and sometimes I'm like, oh, I just
had this idea, and I'll have ideas strike all the time.
I have so many lists with ideas, So I think
the sweet spot is having the schedule where I know
I need to I want to do a certain amount
of this type of post this week, a certain amount
of that type of post this week, and then I
(17:21):
have a running list of just ideas and things that
come to me, and maybe like there's an idea that
makes sense to post during a certain cell right, or
maybe there's an idea that I have that's like, oh,
this will be better during holiday because certain times a
year are going to be more scheduled out because you
know during the holidays you're gonna be posting a lot
of holiday content, or like we have Easter coming up,
(17:43):
so there's certain things I know I want to capture
for that, so I can go ahead and plan those.
But I just like a little bit above, because I
do think as a true creative you can feel stifled
and you have to be too scheduled out. So I
don't want to feel that way, but I do unders
saying that if you want to be consistent and you
want to constantly give value, sometimes you do have to
(18:06):
make sure you're organized.
Speaker 4 (18:07):
So yeah, I think my manager like that answer. No, calendar.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
You know, I want you to talk about your your
business now and like you're in a natural haircare space
and like this is this a result of, Hey, I
have this platform, I would love to, you know, offer
something to the community or is something you had an
idea for previous to that and the platform just allows
you the opportunity to explore.
Speaker 4 (18:33):
Yeah, so definitely an idea I had before I grew up.
Speaker 3 (18:36):
My mom was a cosmotologist and cosmotology instructor.
Speaker 4 (18:41):
So my whole life my mom.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
I've been going to the salons and I feel like
if you as any salon owner's child, you were in
that salon every weekend, every night, you know, after school
and everything.
Speaker 4 (18:53):
And one thing about my mom.
Speaker 3 (18:54):
She always worked in kind of like an upscale salon
where she would be the only black silace or one
of two black silas, and most of her, if not all,
of her clientele were black women and they would come
and there was only one product. Everybody knows Mazzani, which
Mazzani is great, but that was the only product. And
it's like, Okay, everyone else can choose from all these
(19:18):
different products, but the one product geared towards our hair texture.
And I guess that was suitable for I guess a
luxury salon was Mazani. So I know, I always just
kind of I think seeing women come to the salon,
because especially for black women, it's just such a it's
almost like.
Speaker 4 (19:35):
A therapy situation. Like you come, you've.
Speaker 3 (19:38):
Had a long day, you get your hair done, you
leave feeling beautiful, and it's just you know.
Speaker 4 (19:43):
It's just a transformative experience.
Speaker 3 (19:45):
I think that always resonated with me, which is where
like the beauty I guess pillar for me comes. And
I had been talking to my husband actually a lot
about how I was like, I really want to start
a hair camera in like I wanted to be as
clean as possible because I had a close family member
get diagnosed with cancer and I was trying to find
her clean products, and so I was like, I want
(20:05):
to get her like clean hair care, clean everything. And
I was like, man, I wish we could have something
that was like super as clean as possible, vegan, you know,
cruelty free, but also still have that luxury feeling that
the women would have when they would come in my
mom salon. And so my husband's like, all right, look,
we're stuck at home. So let's go ahead and do
this hair care because you know, it was clearly we
(20:28):
were going to be quarantined for a while, and you know,
we did the research. He actually found a chemist that
could do the type of product I wanted, which was
like clean, cruelty free, also specialized in like textured hair,
black hair. And I was like, oh, perfect, you know,
let's do it. And so I was like, let's start
(20:49):
with a product that I know is important to my regimen,
which is going to be a hair mass and deepconditioning mass.
And I started with that and we formulated it for
a long time and then you know, all the different
we ran into a lot of different things with just
kind of the like we had a lot of issues
with delays of packages during twenty twenty and twenty twenty one.
Speaker 4 (21:10):
It was just a lot.
Speaker 3 (21:11):
But we launched it and it's an amazing hair mask.
And that's the only one I've used literally since twenty twenty.
And we are almost done formulating our second product. But
I feel like I have sophomore jinks.
Speaker 4 (21:23):
Is that what they call it when you have a
second album.
Speaker 3 (21:25):
Where I just wanted to be as perfect as the mast,
But you know, I'm fine with taking my time because
I just want to put out things that I'm passionate
about and that I feel like I would use. So
it has to be perfect.
Speaker 2 (21:37):
But where can people find Where can people find it?
Your stuff?
Speaker 3 (21:41):
So Easilen Beauty is the website, and I also we
have an IG page and I actually have it linked
on my bio too, so if they go to my page,
it's linked there.
Speaker 4 (21:52):
And also the website.
Speaker 3 (21:54):
So and we're sold on Amazon, so you know, use
your Amazon prom.
Speaker 4 (21:58):
And you can get it.
Speaker 3 (22:00):
You know, you're two day apprecipping if you want to
do Amazon. And we're currently talking to a few retailers,
so hopefully you'll be able to like go in the
store and get it.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
But what is in March's e DC every day carry?
Like what are the things that like be on your
phone that you always got to have, like you know
nearby when you leave a house, you're in the.
Speaker 2 (22:23):
Car, you at work, in the gy like where have
you at? These things got to be close.
Speaker 4 (22:28):
Honestly, if you said.
Speaker 3 (22:30):
Don't put my phone, uses the phone my camera, I
would say my camera because I like to just capture
a lot of video. I've realized the hardest thing about
video content is capturing it in the moment, right, because
then you think you want a video need like I
don't have the content. So my camera and everything else
(22:50):
is for my daughter.
Speaker 4 (22:51):
Okay, I have to have everything.
Speaker 3 (22:52):
She might need, so it's almost like everything I might
want as just taking a back seat.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
Are you talking about your phone camera? Are you cheating
on this one?
Speaker 4 (23:01):
No?
Speaker 2 (23:05):
I dig what do you use? Tell me what you use?
What camera do you is?
Speaker 3 (23:11):
Okay, don't get this one because I feel like this
was about obsolete. But it's the cannon N fifty but
it's so lightweight. And then I got this lens. It's
the eleven to twenty two millimeter cannon lens and it's honestly,
it's like lightweight, small stuff. But I really want to
get something like everyone. I feel like I'm seeing them
use these like Sony.
Speaker 4 (23:32):
They're like cinematic cameras.
Speaker 3 (23:34):
I really want something that's like a little more cinematic
because I just want to make I don't know.
Speaker 4 (23:38):
I just love the feel of, like of the videos.
Speaker 3 (23:42):
That come from them, So I think I'm probably gonna
upgrade soon, but I don't know. I told myself I
have to start posting YouTube videos and be consistent before
I can upgrade myself on the camera.
Speaker 4 (23:54):
It's a nig a deal on myself.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
I got one more for you. And so how do
you work with your husband? Like, how do you and
him balance the business relationship and the partnership?
Speaker 3 (24:07):
Man, I think because we've known each other for so long.
We actually met in middle school, so we know each
other and we're from I think we are very similar,
just kind of like how we grew up and kind
of like our ways of handling things, in our ways
of communicating, which helps, right because we're I feel like
we're starting.
Speaker 4 (24:27):
We got a little bit of a head start there.
Speaker 3 (24:29):
And also he is a good partner for me because
in the ways that he is strong, right, you know,
I feel like I'm very type A. He's super laid
back and he can see when something is about to.
Speaker 4 (24:45):
Maybe crash out, you know, and he'll be like, man,
it's okay, like I'll.
Speaker 3 (24:49):
Handle it, like let me do this, or he will
talk me down like you know, it's not a big deal,
or it's okay, we'll do this. And so I think
just honoring each other's strong strong I guess characteristics or
strong points and not feeling like I think like sometimes
egos can get in a way when you work with somebody,
(25:10):
you know, even.
Speaker 4 (25:11):
If it's not a romantic relationship, it could be a friend.
Speaker 3 (25:13):
And like, I don't feel like if he steps up
in a situation or he takes the leading situation, that's
a knock on me. I'm like thankful, you know what
I mean, Like, thank you for taking the rains on
this situation.
Speaker 4 (25:24):
And so I think just open.
Speaker 3 (25:26):
Communication everything makes a marriage strong, makes a partnership strong.
Anybody will tell you even if they start a business
with a complete stranger, it is like a marriage, you know.
So I think just communication, knowing when to let the
other person take the reins is is a huge part
and leaving your ego at the door, because it's just
like y'all should y'all have a common goal and it
(25:46):
shouldn't be about like one person feeling better than the
other and one person getting their way. It's about the
business moving forward in the best possible way. And when
you keep that, keep your eye on the prize, you know,
it makes it a lot easier to do.
Speaker 5 (26:00):
Black Tech Green Money is a production of Blavity Afro
Tech on the Black Effect podcast, Networking Night, Heart Media
and it's produced by Morgan Debonne and me Well Lucas
with the Ad Digital production support by Kate McDonald, Sarah
Ergan and Jada McGee. Special thank you to Michael Davis
and Love Beach. Learn more about my guests and other
techtshof as an Innovators at afrotech dot com. The video
version of this episode will drop to Black Tech Green
(26:22):
Money on YouTube, so tap in, enjoy your Black Tech
Green Money, share us to somebody, Go get your money.
Speaker 2 (26:29):
Peace in love,
Host
Will Lucas
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