Ever wondered how to actually turn User-Generated Content into a real, revenue-generating business?
This week on the I Am That Content Creator Podcast, we’re joined by Gemmacreator, fashion brand founder, and mum—who shares how UGC became the stepping stone from burned-out retail worker to full-blown CEO of her own clothing label, Zejt the Label.
Inside this episode, we unpack:
- How Gemma replaced her retail income in just 30 days using UGC
- The real process of starting with gifted collabs before landing paid brand deals
- Why UGC is the ultimate skillset for building your brand, not just others'
- How she's documenting her product journey to build community before she launches
- Navigating business growth while living with endometriosis and raising a baby
From pitching brands with no followers, to designing clothes for women recovering from C-sections and surgery, Gemma proves that you don’t need a massive audience you need clarity, courage, and content that connects.
UGC is more than a side hustle. It’s the skillset that funds freedom, builds confidence, and helps you turn your personal brand into a profitable business.
🎧 Subscribe to the podcast now and listen to the full episode to discover how UGC can help you build your dream business.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Are you ready to master the art of creating
content that converts?
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Hey, I'm Mia, a mum of two who went from being a
burnt out ambo to six-figurecontent creator in less than a
year, all while navigating alate ADHD diagnosis.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
And I'm Kristen, also a mum of two and a former
corporate branding queen turnedentrepreneur.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
My dyslexic brain sees marketing very differently,
and that's my superpower, andtogether we're showing women
like you how to master videomarketing and create content
that generates income, whetheryou're just starting out or
ready to scale.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
We are breaking down everything from landing brand
deals to building your ownempire.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Welcome to.
I Am that Content Creatorpodcast where we turn scroll
stopping content into seriousincome.
No filters, no fluff, just realstrategies from two
neurodivergent mums who get it.
So let's turn your phone into avideo marketing machine and
let's go.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
Let's go.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Guys, be professional guys, I'm going in.
Okay, there's that intro done.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
Welcome to the I Am that Content Creator podcast.
We're cutting through the noiseto show you exactly how to
create scroll-stopping content,land premium brand deals and
build a thriving online business.
No BS, just proven strategiesthat scale.
All right, today on the podcast, we are joined by a guest,
which is very exciting.
So, gemma, welcome to thepodcast.
(01:24):
Hi, thank you.
Now, mia's not here with ustoday, she's sick.
She's very exciting.
So, gemma, welcome to thepodcast.
Hi, thank you.
Now, mia's not here with ustoday, she's sick.
She's got babies.
As that happens, they're alwayssick when you need them, and
then we couldn't get on theRiverside app, so we're in Zoom
and then my mic wouldn't work.
So it's always a fun day beingan entrepreneur.
Now we have invited Gemma on thepodcast.
We're going to hear her story,understand what she's done so
far, where she is in her journeyand if I don't know much of it
(01:47):
which is the best part aboutwhen we do these kinds of
conversations, because I want tomake sure that we really hear
your journey and your story andwhere it all began for you.
So, if you have, you got like aI know you've got your own
business.
I know you've a bit of a spicybrain have we discussed, and
it's one of those things that,as an entrepreneur, I think we
continuously just keep turningto, things that we might enjoy
and trying things, and so I'dlove to hear your journey and
(02:10):
how you got to where you are andlet us know about your business
, which we will spell out,because I believe that it is
pronounced Zayt.
Is that correct?
Yep, and you got it.
Yes, that's good.
But, it's not spelled like thatis it?
Speaker 3 (02:23):
Yeah, I've got Maltese background so it's
spelled in the Maltese way,which probably means nothing to
you guys.
It's not that important, butpeople try and read it and
they're like z-z-z.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
So it's Z-A-J-T, is that correct?
Z-e-j-t, z-e-j-t, right ATRight.
So there you go.
So that's when you're lookingfor it.
We will tag it below in theshow notes so you guys can go
and have a look.
But, gemma, I'd love to justask you where your
entrepreneurial journey started,and I know that you're a mum,
so we have a lot of listenersthat are mums, and so it's
(02:54):
really nice to hear people'sstory from kind of where they
started, where they are now andwhat it's the rollercoaster that
is this incredible journey.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
So if we're going to go back to my entrepreneurial
journey, it actually probablystarted as a child and I didn't
realize that.
So I would set up like fakelittle carnivals and stuff like
that for my sister, withmattresses over the back of the
couch, and I would charge herfive cents per ride and all up
she'd spend like $20 and I'd begoing, yes, like cashing it in.
(03:22):
So I've always done littlethings like that.
But since I started like apart-time job, I started working
in retail and I just kept thesame job for 13 years, never
stepped outside of my comfortzone, just stepped up within
that business until I sort ofgot sick of it.
I think COVID changed a lot ofthings for a lot of people and I
(03:42):
had my baby and I was like youknow what?
I'm going to start somethingand we'll see where this goes,
and that's where I started CozyCow.
So that was primarily kidsbeanbags.
But I had no idea what I wasdoing and I just started buying
socks and random things.
Like I went overboard, I blewthe budget and essentially I
just wasn't able to sell thestuff that well because it was
(04:04):
so random.
But I got really sick last yearand I didn't know it at the
time, but it was endometriosis,which I'm sure a lot of
listeners probably haveexperiences with.
That or similar.
I got to the point where I justcouldn't work anymore what I was
doing.
So I quit my job and startedUGC within the same week and I
was like I hope this works out,because I need to rest, I need
(04:27):
time with my baby and I need todo something to keep myself busy
.
And within the first month Iwas making four figures, so I
replaced my income.
I was blown away with how thatchanged things.
It also gave me so muchconfidence on camera and all
that sort of stuff and justrecently I sort of decided that
I would start my own businessagain with the knowledge that I
(04:48):
have now Building it slowly andintentionally.
I've set up a mailing listcorrectly, got everything on
board and on track.
I really do want to work withcreators.
It's really interesting beingon both sides of the fence.
But yeah, that's sort of whereI am at now and how I got to
that point.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
So when you started, if we go back to when you worked
your typical nine to five, whatdid that look like for you when
you were doing your typicalnine to five?
And did you come straight outof uni and walk straight into a
job like the must do school,then do uni, then do a job and
then I started working at 15 atlike a big department store.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
And I went to uni to be a teacher.
I actually went twice and bothtimes I was like oh, I just
can't.
You know, it wasn't for me.
As much as I love teaching, Ididn't see myself as a teacher.
So, yeah, I just stayed workingthere.
And when I turned 18, I waslike I've got to get into
management, like I need to makemore money.
And I did all of that and Ionly slowed down once I had my
(05:50):
baby.
I went to part-time and I waslike just not doing it for me,
like it was a very physical.
I know a lot of people probablythink retail, you're just
behind the register, but boxesand stuff like that and yeah, I
was unloading the truck andeverything like it's sort of
everywhere.
But it was good fun's.
Just I think I got past myexpiry date there.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
Yeah, and I think also so when you have, like I
think this is the typical thingwe seem to find, especially.
I know Mia and myself beingmums, we had that
entrepreneurial spirit.
Now, when you look back and yousee those moments, like you
said, with your sister and thecouch and there's so many things
that I look back I'm like, oh,that was a very big sign.
Then that was a very big sign.
Then you don't know it.
I think when you're that age,you just kind of keep doing what
you do.
But when you have kids, thereis just something.
(06:29):
Did you find like a moment or atime that you were kind of
sitting around and justsomething like it was just this
itch that you wanted to scratch?
Was it that kind of feelinglike you just thought there's
got to be a different way?
Speaker 3 (06:39):
Yeah, I just felt like when I started it was a
kid's brand, so I was like Iwant my baby to be with me at
home and be more involved, andif I go and do work he can be
there.
Yeah, yeah, just different.
I didn't like the idea of justgoing to work every day and see
you later.
Yeah, sorry about the bird inthe background.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
So in terms of having your baby and spending that
time kind of stepping away fromwork to be with them, so did you
have your endometriosisdiagnosis after having your baby
?
Speaker 3 (07:11):
Yeah, so I've had it for about 10 years.
When I look back at my symptomsand stuff like that but it got
significantly worse after havinghim and like stopping the pill
and all that sort of stuff, Iwas like, oh, something's really
wrong here, and so did you findthat.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
once you kind of identified that and knew that it
was what it was and kind ofwent through that process, was
that what kind of really spurredyou on to see what was a
different way, in terms of likethe UGC and discovering that and
then your own business, wasthat the kind of I don't know
like a push just to find adifferent way?
Speaker 3 (07:45):
do you think, yeah, that was the push to leave a
normal job.
I was just like something's gotto change and if this is
endometriosis, I need to likefind something else to do,
because I can't keep living likethis.
Yeah, and then, as soon as Ihad my surgery and it was all
confirmed, I was like, yeah,I've made the right choice,
(08:11):
regardless of how hard it'sgoing to be running it all
yourself.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
Yeah, I just need something that's going to be
flexible with my life.
And so curious to know, becauseI know with Mia's story she was
an ambo and she was burnt outand just basically made that
phone call like I'm not comingback to work, packed up her
house, decided to take a caravanaround Australia and had that
same moment like, okay, I haveto kind of make it work now.
And she ended up finding avideo on TikTok in a wonderful
scroll session that told herabout UGC and her kind of
(08:36):
journey started from there.
So for you, did you know aboutUGC before you kind of stepped
into it, or did you find it like, hmm, okay, I have heard of it,
like before I started it, and Idid like look up other creators
and stuff.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
I don't think I understood it when I began,
though.
Like I saw a lot of aesthetic,you know, skincare and whatever,
like not actually talking aboutthe product and being raw and
honest about it and stuff likethat.
It was very glamorous and Ithought at the time like that's
what brands want.
But obviously you learn as yougo and you learn what works and
they start running ads and yousee, like the return on
(09:12):
investment and you're like, okay, that works, that doesn't.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
And so what was your favourite part when you started
the UGC process?
What was the bit that you'relike, okay, this could be good.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
Probably the feedback , like just getting the hype and
stuff on social media, like Idon't expect anything to go
viral and I don't actually wantit to because I don't want to
receive the hate, but just allthe positive comments and stuff.
Or just receiving messages fromsmaller brands saying, oh my
gosh, can you make me somethinglike this?
I really want one.
The collaborations, all that,like I just yeah, if it feels
good, you're doing somethinggood for a brand.
Whether it's paid or gifted, Idon't really mind, I just love
(09:51):
being creative and peopleactually enjoying it.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
So, when you kind of started your UGC journey and for
people that are listening, thatare wondering, like they're
seeing, there's always that bigstep between, okay, you just
start and you just create avideo.
But, like, what we want peopleto understand is that process
that different people take to toget to that end result, which
is creating your first video,getting paid for it or getting a
(10:14):
gifted collab.
So did you find something fromaround your house, create a
video and send it to a brand, ordid you contact brands first
and say, hey, look, I'm startingto do UGC.
What was your kind of processto get you started?
Speaker 3 (10:27):
So, I watched a whole bunch of videos and they said
grab some products from aroundthe house.
Yep, so I did.
I did three videos at home justwith, like a hair straightener
and things like that.
Yeah, Put them out there.
And then from there I messagedsome smaller brands myself that
I knew they kind of needed a bitof support and a bit of like
help on social media and stuff.
(10:48):
So I just reached out andoffered to do gifted collabs
with them.
They all had audiences of aboutlike three to 5,000 followers.
I was like it'll be a goodcollab and they sent me their
products.
We did some videos and put themon both of our profiles and
from there, like it just gotseen and I, to be honest, don't
pitch very much because I don'tlike to do it.
I don't think anyone likes topitch, but yeah, I kind of
(11:10):
attracted a brand like a smallbrand market towards my videos
rather than the big ones.
I have done a couple of bigones but yeah, I do enjoy
working with smaller brands.
It is a lot more complicated.
Some of them have never heardof UGC and you've got to go
through the whole process ofexplaining what usage rights are
and whatnot.
But I mean.
To me it's all worth it in theend, Like you get paid and you
(11:34):
do something good for a business.
That's the main thing.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
I think sometimes we had this discussion, I think
recently on one of the podcasts,and me and I were saying
there's a lot of people that youknow, there's advice that you
can do a 30-second video and youget paid hundreds of dollars
and it's you know.
So then there's this likereally easy, oh my God.
And then we saw one particularcomment somewhere that was
around you know, this takes along time and it's not that easy
(11:56):
.
I was like of course it takestime.
Like if you go to your job thatyou hate and you don't get paid
what you want, like you stillhave to work to get paid.
And so from a creator's point ofview, because I want to, then
like, because I was looking atthrough some of your content
that you've obviously createdfor Zayt as well and I was like
you obviously really dounderstand how to edit and how
to film and so that's that'sbrought into your content as
(12:19):
well for you now to be able touse as a small business owner
building your brand.
So do you think that journeythrough UGC and starting there
really helped you?
Even doing the products fromhome and kind of starting from
nowhere and building up that waskind of part of your process to
gain confidence and clarityaround how to create content and
what brands need, and likebuilding that confidence around
(12:41):
what brands actually need.
Do you feel like that was partof your journey in a really
positive way that's allowed youto be where you are and kind of
connect with brands you want towork with?
Speaker 3 (12:50):
Yeah, 100%.
The comparison between startingZayt and Cozy Cow I had no idea
back when I was doing Cozy CowAgain, I thought it was all
aesthetic shots.
Yeah, no idea with marketingnothing.
And then, since doing UGC, Iknow how to create.
I know what I want to create.
I know what brands do behindthe scenes and what they ask for
.
So in all of that, I know whatto create as well, to make it
(13:13):
not sound like an ad and showoff products in a nice way that
encourages sales, but withoutgoing hey, buy this t-shirt,
it's really cool.
Yeah, yeah.
But it is also weird.
If anyone is doing UGC andlooking to start their own brand
, it does feel different makingcontent for your own brand.
It's just not the same.
I feel like you may be a littlebit more careless when it's
(13:35):
somebody else's, because you cando what you want and they're
going to tell you if it's goodor not, whereas for your own,
you're the one that's going todecide if it's worth putting out
there, and most of the time Iwould just say just do it, just
put it out there, yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
Which is great advice , because I think sometimes and
this is one thing we talkedabout in our workshop recently
is when you're close to yourproduct or your service or
whatever it is, you become likeit's very hard to sell it
because it feels gross and itfeels uncomfortable, because you
maybe haven't quite understoodthat what you're creating is the
service and it's that realmarketing that you've got to get
into and the brand messaging,all the story when when you're
(14:08):
doing it for somebody else, itkind of allows you to step back
from that emotional connectionand just sell the product and
talk about the product and itdoesn't feel uncomfortable, it
doesn't feel icky because you'retalking about somebody else.
It's so much easier to sellsomebody else's product or
service.
And that's probably the blessingof UGC and what we love to
celebrate the most is because itallows you as a creator to,
(14:32):
like you said so perfectly, youlearn that skill of marketing
and not everybody did marketingLike.
My background is in brand andmarketing, so I was lucky enough
to do that and that's part ofmy career, but it's very, you
know, now, looking at it, theUGC creators that are successful
are the ones that actuallyallow themselves to step into
somebody's brand, understand thebrand and really make it
(14:52):
authentic in terms of just, youknow you're talking about that
brand to your best friend orsomebody that you feel
comfortable with, rather thanselling something of your own
that can feel really quite hardbecause you're so close to it.
So I think, in terms of brandsthat you've worked with, have
you found any brands that you'vewanted to create content that
feels really authentic to youand the brands been like no,
(15:14):
that doesn't really fit with us?
Have you ever had a brand thatyou're like no, but this is what
I really think you should betalking about from my
perspective.
Speaker 3 (15:21):
I'll talk about one brand in particular.
I was asked to do four videosfor them and they wanted them
very specific.
They weren't necessarilyscripted, yeah yeah, they were
just very specific.
And I did the four videos and Isort of said to them look, this
is the one that I think wouldbe a moneymaker, run your ads
with this one.
They didn't listen and look,I'm no expert in marketing.
(15:45):
I don't have an opinion on mycontent, and so does everyone
else.
It might not have been the bestone, but it was just clear, it
was good, it was raw, it was100% better than the other three
, and they chose to use theworst one out of the four to run
their ads and likeunfortunately, nothing really
(16:08):
came of it.
But yeah, just things like that.
It's a bit disappointing whenthey want a certain thing said
or a certain thing done andyou're like, oh, it's just, that
isn't going to sell.
You know, all I can say forbrands is to trust your creators
as well.
They know what they're doing.
Speaker 1 (16:17):
I think that's really such an important message and
one that I know that Mia and Icelebrate so much, because,
coming from the brand andmarketing standpoint, you know,
I know the KPIs and all of thosethings that brands have to hit
and they know their message,they know their target market,
like you know that's respect tothem they do.
But when you're getting UGC andthe difference with the UGC is
you're asking a user usually ofthat piece of content, a user of
(16:41):
that product sorry that uses itin a way that works for them,
uses it in a way that they love.
So you kind of as a brand, youdo need to be a little bit
flexible with okay, that's howyou use it, like that's how I
could apply that and just it'sfor a brand's sake, just knowing
that UGC is very different fromyour typical ad campaign, your
(17:02):
typical kind of campaign youmight put money behind with ads.
It's more of really taking theperspective of the user and how
they use the content and howthey see a different perspective
, because I think that's what'sgoing to connect with a wider
audience.
So, yeah, we totally agree withyou and I think Mia even had a
client that she was working withand they gave her a script and
she did the script and then shejust went back to them and said,
(17:24):
because we had a conversationwith each other and we're like
but that's not.
You know, as a mom, I want toknow how.
I don't care if it's got extrathis and extra that.
I want to know is it going tosave me money in my weekly
shopping, Is it going to make mylife easier and is it going to
fit in my kitchen?
And the brand hadn't eventhought about that.
So she went back to them andapparently the brand were like
oh, okay, cool, we'll run withthem, we'll try them.
So it's important as creators,as well as you grow your
(17:47):
portfolio, to have confidence todo what you did and send those
ones back and say, hey look, Ithink this one might work.
Now, they're not always goingto take it, but I think doing
that also builds your confidenceand it allows you to put it
into a portfolio that anotherbrand might be like oh, that's a
great perspective, we might trythat.
So I think, yeah, I definitelyagree with that.
And what was the part of, orwhat is the part of, ugc that if
(18:10):
somebody was sitting listeningright now and they're thinking,
okay, that sounds kind of cool,but I can't do it.
Why would anybody want to payme for a video?
What would you say to them?
Speaker 3 (18:21):
I just would say to try it.
I didn't think I would actuallyget paid for a video either.
I was like I'll just do this tohelp out some of my friends
that have small businesses andwhatever.
And I was just sort of takenback when people started
offering me money or whatever,especially the bigger ones, like
I had a brand reach out andthey wanted 13 videos straight
(18:42):
off the bat.
And I was like, oh my goodnessHonestly I under quoted myself
on that one because I was so new, I didn't know what to do.
I'd only just made a contractup.
I had no idea.
Had only just made a contractup.
I had no idea.
But got it done.
It was fun, just try it.
That's all I can say.
If you don't put yourself outthere, you're not going to know
(19:03):
what your potential is going tobe.
Speaker 1 (19:04):
Yeah, and what I think is also important too,
because we always have thisdiscussion around the fact that
there's so many incredibleopportunities online.
If you want to start online,you want to start earning an
income, but a lot of them dotake time to either build an
audience or build your contentor understand the platform and
what your services and yourproducts are, and they can take
a bit of time.
(19:25):
Worth it, yes, but they do taketime.
Where UGC is something that,considering you kind of replaced
your wage within a week, didyou say that's incredible and
something that it is possible.
I think that's the thing wealways say it's the fastest way
that you can actually earn anincome, a flexible income online
.
Plus, you get to learn thatincredible skill of marketing
(19:47):
and branding and understandinghow to build that.
I think, if you are wonderingwhat's the worst thing that's
going to happen, the best thing.
Speaker 3 (19:55):
I wouldn't be starting my clothing label if I
didn't do UGC, because all themoney I've made from UGC is
what's funded it.
Like I had to convince myhusband hey, I'm about to drop a
whole lot more money on anotherbusiness after failing the
first one.
And I was like but don't worry,I'll use all the money I did
from UGC and that'll just fundit.
And he's like all right,whatever you do your thing.
(20:17):
But for people starting out,I'll probably just say, like
gifted collabs don't mean thatyou'll be unpaid forever, so
take on gifted collabs.
Like those brands can grow withyou.
If you're going with like astartup brand, as a startup
creator, you can grow together.
Like for me, as a brand and asa creator, I value relationships
more than anything.
Like I would rather work with acreator that I've worked with
(20:37):
before.
We have a good relationship.
They understand what I'mtalking about.
If I'm like oh hey, can youjust fix this up, or whatever
you know, building thatrelationship with a brand is key
.
Like that's how you're going toget ongoing paid work.
Speaker 1 (20:49):
Yeah, and you have just like totally lined up the
perfect segues for us to go here.
I was like the first one waslike we're down that road, and I
was like, yeah, she's nailed it.
We're talking about it aroundand then I was like, hang on a
minute, let's pull back and talkabout that point first, because
I think that is such anincredible point to make,
because it's something that evenwhen I started my career as a
graphic designer, those of usthat are in the creative world
(21:11):
we know that it's an undervaluedskill, even though it's such an
important skill.
It's very undervalued by most.
So the amount of freebies I didand the amount of logos I did
for $100 here and $100 there butsome of those landed me huge
jobs and huge opportunities thatwould never have happened if I
didn't say yes.
So I do love that you've saidthat, because I think there's a
(21:34):
line between obviously gettingpaid your worth and there
there's a line between obviouslygetting paid your worth and
there's also that line betweenthose gifted collabs, like
you've said, give you a coupleof things, and that is the
confidence to grow yourportfolio, understand how to do
content creation and really feelcomfortable to then charge your
worth and then also that, likeyou said, allows you to build
those relationships with brandsand you know, what was nice is
(21:57):
that it now sits exactly whereyou are, where you're building
your own brand, and so now youknow the language to speak
directly to the creator.
That is key, because a lot ofthese brands they don't
understand how to breathe forcreator properly and it's kind
of part of the problem in thiswhole landscape as well.
So I love that you've taken usthat way, because I now want to
(22:24):
really unpack your journey fromkind of the first business that
you created, and I love that.
Nothing's ever a failure.
We celebrate our failures ifyou will, but you learned
something.
I bet you learned something thatwas valuable to where you're
going now.
Would that be correct?
Never, it's not a failure, it'salways a lesson.
That's it A big, expensivelesson?
Yeah, and look, it hurts whenthere's money behind it.
I'm not going to undervaluethat at all, but I think if you
(22:46):
could take maybe we'll startwith if you could take one
lesson from that that maybe hityou in this next step, what
would it be?
Speaker 3 (22:54):
This probably applies to brands and creators is to
lower your expectations.
So, if you're starting a brand,don't expect you're going to
sell out on day one, because itis not going to happen.
That's the reality, unlessyou're some influencer or
something crazy Saying withcreators.
Don't expect to do one giftedcollab and have some
multimillion dollar companymessaging oh, I want to retain a
(23:16):
contract with you.
Yes, that's not going to happen.
They need to see your work,they need to see your example,
your quality, everything in bothbrand and creator quality and
yeah, what you're putting outthere is essential.
Speaker 1 (23:30):
Like they've got to judge you from it basically, and
what it does is kind of like,especially from that brand point
of view and in your firstbusiness and into UGC, I imagine
that learning was for you,building that confidence around
how to create and build anaudience, Like even though you'd
have to start UGC with anaudience, because it doesn't
have to go on your page, youdon't have to have lots of
(23:51):
followers.
But if you then choose to, offthe back of that, build your
personal brand and build abusiness brand whether it's a
product business or a servicebusiness the UGC that you've
done gives you the confidencearound showing up on camera, the
clarity around your content andthe ability for you to actually
grow a community that supportyou.
So I think that little lessonis beautiful in terms of knowing
(24:14):
that these are skill sets thatjust allow you to build online
for whatever you want.
So, in terms of stepping intoyour new business and I love
that you've backed it with UGC,because that, for us, is a
massive message that sometimesUGC is it's not always a
long-term solution for everybodyand that's probably something
(24:35):
that we celebrate most is we seeit as an incredible tool to
begin your journey to becomesustainable online, whether that
is to build a bigger UGCportfolio where that's all you
do but you can kind of scaleback and just do jobs you want,
or whether it's to fund yourbusiness.
So, because you've used it tofund your business, at what
point?
Because obviously you've got anentrepreneurial spirit.
(24:56):
You need to just like, just getout.
So at what point did you go?
No, this is, I need to do thisand I'm willing to do the UGC to
back my dream.
Was there a point where youjust kind of woke up and went no
, it's time.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
I think when I started UGC I just loved it and
I still do love it, but I see itmore now as a stepping stone
for me.
So there was a point where Ithought, oh, do I go into, like,
the digital products route?
You know, like I knew it wasalways going to be stepping
stone to something more and it'sdefinitely been a stepping
stone into my business.
Like working with othercreators and talking with other
(25:31):
creators has built thatcommunity where they've come
along to my brand it's there'sno products yet, it's just in
the launch phase, but I've gotcreators applying for PR.
I've got an email list of 140with no product to sell.
I was just like blown away byhow UGC has made that impact on
my brand.
I do feel guilt as a creator,sometimes, knowing, like you
(25:53):
know, wanting to be able to paycreators and stuff like that.
But the moment, like, everydollar is going to go into stock
, so it's hard being on bothsides and feeling that guilt of
these people want to be paid.
But, like you know, we'll justhave to see where it goes.
There is definitely guilt thereand that's only because I've
been on the other side but yeah,I don't know.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
You know, with that guilt, I think, comes a lot of
respect that you have for thoseconnections and those creators.
So I think there's a differencebetween a brand that has never
been in the shoes of a UGCcreator and it just goes oh,
let's just do a gifted collab,never pay.
You Like, there are some brandsthat you know aren't the best
and they do really take theircreators for a ride, and that's
(26:33):
absolutely not what we're about.
But it happens, that's life, ithappens in every industry.
But what you've got behind youis the respect and even you know
we're really big on thattransparency of you being able
to say to these creators look, Ineed you to know I cannot pay
you now, but if you're willingto stay and you like the product
and you back my product, thenthere will be a time where I can
pay you.
But and if you're transparent,people respect that and they're
(26:55):
the kind of people that willcome along for that journey with
you.
So it's, you know, that process.
Don't feel that guilt, because Ithink it's it's part of growing
any business and you've gotthat backing to be like I've
been in your shoes.
I know what it feels like.
So you're not going to beunpaid forever, but this is just
reality and I think that'sthere's a lot of response there.
So I'd like you, if you can, toexplain this new venture the
(27:16):
clothing brand in your building,because your story is amazing
and I think that connectionpiece and the storytelling
behind that becomes part of thesuccess of your business and how
you can connect with othercreators.
Speaker 3 (27:27):
Yeah.
So the plan was to sort ofdocument the process.
From the very beginning, a lotof people said to me like, oh,
you shouldn't start your socialmedia, you've got nothing to
sell.
People are going to loseinterest, don't listen to them.
Don't listen to them.
Well, I didn't, good.
But yeah, I think just buildinglike a community first brand I'm
not going to be able to doeverything that.
I'm asked Like I've had a lotof people go can you make this,
(27:57):
can you design this?
And I'm like I'll try my best.
I want to like try and be asinclusive as possible with my
sizing and stuff like that.
I will say it's freaking hardto do an extended size range.
Like manufacturers make it hard, they double the price and it's
just I'm trying.
But yeah, I just want it to belike really feedback driven
fashion.
Obviously, things take a longtime to make, so you can't ask
for something and get it thenext day.
But yeah, I think justinvolving creators, involving
the community, building it allup, has been really good and
(28:20):
hopefully I can launch in likeOctober.
Speaker 1 (28:23):
But who knows?
Yeah, and so, just because Idon't know if we've really
articulated exactly the clothingthat you're making, who's it
for and what are you doing?
Why are you creating it?
Speaker 3 (28:33):
It's pretty much just capsule, basic sort of stuff.
The aim is for it to all becomfortable.
So whether it's for mums thathave had cesareans and have a
scar that gets a little bitirritated with tight jeans and
whatnot, whether it's peoplelike me that have had
endometriosis surgery and yourbelly button's full of scars and
you can't have tight pantseither, I just want it to be
comfortable but still lookdressy and still look put
(28:56):
together.
So that you know I think youguys have talked about it at the
very early days of your podcastabout how you dress really
reflect your confidence.
Yeah, that's it.
That's something that's reallyimportant to me too.
Like I can spend a couple ofdays in my dressing gown and get
nothing done and the minute Idress myself up, I do my makeup,
I look good, I feel good, mycontent like radiates and
(29:18):
everything I do is like 10 timesbetter.
So I want to kind ofencapsulate that with the brand
as well.
You feel comfortable, but youcan still look really good.
Speaker 1 (29:26):
And I do love that because, you know, having I had
both emergency caesareans withmy kids and I remember like that
, however, many weeks after youjust feel gross, like things
don't fit, you don't want thingsto touch you, and it's just
really uncomfortable.
So, you know, creating a brandwith that in mind and creating a
brand for a community of women,especially that you know we're
(29:49):
just, I think we're justtouching the surface of all the
things that are going on insideus that we had no idea.
And all of a sudden you're likewhy do I look six months
pregnant when I'm not?
But I'm so bloated and thething fits me Like it's just and
you know, heading intomenopause, that's a whole
different level of absolute.
Speaker 3 (30:07):
You still find yourself wearing maternity
clothes like two years afteryou've given birth.
Speaker 1 (30:12):
They've got room and when I feel like I could just
sit in them.
So it's really nice that you'vegot that backing and you've got
that thought behind it and themessaging and the message to
actually carry that brand.
So what do you see when itcomes to building your brand?
How do you want to build thatcommunity around you and how are
(30:35):
you starting to build thatcommunity around you?
Speaker 3 (30:37):
Honestly, like I probably should have more of a
strategy in place, but I am kindof just winging it, putting my
stuff out there and seeing whatpeople respond to and, like I
did a sample unboxing video notlong ago and a try on video and
basically that's just me going.
I like this, I don't like this,this is too big.
What do you think of this color?
Just because I like somethingdoesn't mean that everybody else
(30:58):
is going to, and it was reallygood to get feedback on the
responses before I go and say tomy manufacturer like, yeah, I
want to stick with this one ornot.
So yeah, just sort of buildingcommunity and letting them have
the decision.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
Yeah, and are you hoping that, potentially, you
could stock your clothing intodifferent shops and brands?
Is that what you're hoping, ormaking it all online, or what?
Have you got dreams for whatthat looks like To be?
Speaker 3 (31:23):
completely honest, I actually do not want to stock my
clothes anywhere.
I know that's probably a goalfor a lot of people to like get
on the iconic or get into, likelittle boutique stores.
I feel like that's probably agoal for a lot of people to get
on the iconic or get into littleboutique stores.
I feel like that would probablybe a bit too hard for me to
manage.
I do want to have a teameventually One day.
That'd be great, a littlewarehouse and little studio for
photos and things like that.
(31:44):
But I'm happy to just keep itonline, keep it seamless, handle
everything in-house and nothave, know, have the risk of
losing stock.
I mean, like I said, I workedin retail for 13 years.
A lot of theft goes on and youknow a lot of damaged products.
People spill their coffee likeI've probably seen the worst of
it being in a department store,of all things.
But you know there's just somuch more risk and it's sad that
(32:08):
brick and mortar is sort ofreality.
Speaker 1 (32:10):
I think that's the thing, isn't it?
Speaker 3 (32:16):
definitely, definitely.
No, I was just gonna say myplan is to just be an online
store and that's it at themoment.
Speaker 1 (32:20):
Things can always change.
You never know, yeah.
And so in your process of kindof building this, what's
something that like finding themanufacturers and material and
all that kind of stuff, I'm surethat's been a rollercoaster
ride.
So what's the fun bits andwhat's the like?
Holy crap, do I am, I, can I dothis?
What's like?
What's the emotionalrollercoaster like?
Speaker 3 (32:40):
The holy crap part is definitely.
I don't know if anyonelistening is aware of what a
tech pack is, but that's enoughto make you change your mind on
doing a clothing business.
Speaker 1 (32:50):
Tell me what it is, because I don't think I even
know what that is.
Speaker 3 (32:53):
So it's when you're doing a custom piece of clothing
, completely custom, you have todo pictures of the product,
pictures of where you wanteverything.
You can't just say I want thisT-shirt with a logo here, you
have to do exactly fivecentimetres from the top, I want
the logo to be this wide, ithas to be these colours, and
(33:18):
you've got to get the correctcolor codes and whatnot.
And then from there you have todo your sizing chart, your
grading, which is where you talkabout a size extra small needs
this measurement on the sleeveand this measurement here, and
you've got to do that for everysize.
If you don't, they might notmake it right.
So your stock will arrive andyour extra small will be great
because, well, for me, I'm anextra small, so of course I know
what measurements I need, butmy 2XL could be something
completely different, because ifyou don't specify, oh so that
(33:40):
just takes days, not even hoursdays, to work out exactly every
thread color.
Speaker 1 (33:47):
That would make me very anxious.
Like even when I have tomeasure something, my husband's
like can you mismeasure that?
I'm like I probably wouldn'tget me to measure that because
I'm going to get it wrong.
He's like no, you'll be right.
I was like I just I'm not verygood at the fine detail stuff,
so that would be a lot, thatwould be hard.
Speaker 3 (34:02):
That will be the first thing that I outsource if
I start making money, because itjust isn't my forte.
The design part is, but thetechnical measurements and all
that.
No, but in your first question,the good thing about it all,
the most exciting part, is whenyou do receive those samples and
you get to see your stuff cometo life and try them on.
And you know you do get a bitdisappointed sometimes when
(34:24):
you're like, well, that's not it, but for the most part it's so
good seeing a physical productthat you created in your hands.
Speaker 1 (34:35):
Yeah, and I think you know back to your point of
people saying, oh, don't shareit till you've finished it.
I think you know, as a consumer,strangely enough, I want to see
the moment you open a packageand you're like this is not what
I wanted, because it just showsthat you know you are and if
it's going to be an online store, especially like people want to
come along that journey andhopefully then you'll find that
people are more invested in youas the creator than sometimes
even the product Like theproduct is like a cool yeah,
(34:56):
great, that's going to beperfect for me because so you
know sharing your personal story, your personal challenges,
finding creators that have had,you know, cesareans or they've
had endometriosis, or aligningwith brands like that can be a
really smart move for you tobuild your brand in a way that
people kind of it's top of mind.
When they think of that comfort, they think of you.
(35:17):
So I think you know buildingthat story and sharing those
moments, although sometimes Ithink they can feel like, oh, no
one cares.
You'd be surprised how manypeople like we watch Gogglebox
for crying out loud.
I love that show just watch.
I love it.
So we do that as consumers.
So taking people along and thenyou, I think then you'll find
(35:37):
those creators that really doalign with you, that kind of
have followed your journey, orwhen they kind of find your
brand, they go, oh that's, I'vegot that.
I know how she feels.
I want to try these, this brandon and use that.
So I think it's really smartmarketing and could be very
exciting.
Speaker 3 (35:55):
Yeah, I'm glad I'm showing the journey because,
like, I've been trying to dodenim and I've had at least 10
different pairs yeah, oh, it'shard.
I've had 10 pairs and like, Ijust keep getting people asking
for denim, which I totally getit, Like I love denim, but I can
now show them that, hey, I'vehad 10 samples.
(36:17):
Like this is costing me afortune and I cannot get it
right, so at least I can explainto people like this is why I'm
not doing denim.
I've shown you guys all thecrappy samples I've had and I'm
calling it quits on the denimuntil later on, you know,
Whereas I feel like if I didn'tshow the journey and I just went
hey, here's my brand, take itor leave it.
People are going to go.
What's she doing now?
You know?
Speaker 1 (36:34):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's a different question.
Us multi-passionateentrepreneurs often go like oh,
I bet everyone's just like whatare you doing now?
I'm like just things, don'tworry about it, it'll be fine,
ignore it if you don't like it,okay.
And so, in terms of kind ofjust as I really want people to
understand, because I love thatyou kind of went there without
even being kind of asked interms of UGC funding, this kind
(36:57):
of dream of yours is thatsomething like when you and I
know from my partner and evenMia's partner, like they're so
supportive, but you can just seesometimes they're like cool,
yeah, you do that thing.
Like, do you find that you'realways trying to have to maybe
prove yourself that like no, Ican do this.
If we need more money, I'lljust go and make more money with
(37:18):
UGC.
I think, as entrepreneurs,there's something really cool
about going okay, there's aproblem, we need more money.
Cool, I'll go and do some moreUGC, I'll go and do that.
Is that something that you feelnow it's kind of a confidence
booster in you, because you'relike you know what, we need some
more money.
Speaker 3 (37:37):
I'm going to do some more UGC.
Is that how you feel about it?
Definitely, if I need somethingin particular, I'm like okay,
time to start pitching now, asmuch as I don't like to time to
pitch because I need some moremoney.
I feel like a lot of creatorswill relate to this, but people
don't see it as a job Like Ihave people that go oh, you can
come to lunch on Tuesday because, like you don't really work.
I'm like I do.
I'm like I can stop and have acup of tea at any point.
(38:00):
That's the good thing.
But it is a job Like I'm nothome to just take my car for a
service or do this, or likequeue up or whatever the
situation is.
You know, come and get me fromthe airport because you don't
work.
Like it's not rude, it's just amatter of people don't really
understand, or they see yourcontent and they go okay, that
was 30 seconds.
That's 30 seconds of her day.
(38:21):
No, that's probably three hoursbecause makeup, hair, set up,
editing the script.
If you have to do a script,like you know, there's so much
involved and that's something Idon't think people will ever
understand.
So there's sort of no pointsometimes explaining.
Speaker 1 (38:37):
I think it's something that you couldn't have
articulated that better interms of the conversations me
and I always have.
We're so lucky and I hate theword lucky because we've all
worked our asses off to be here,but we've put ourselves in a
situation where, if my kids aresick tomorrow, cool, they have
the day off, I'm home.
Is it ideal?
(38:57):
Absolutely not.
But I'd take this life and thisperseverance and getting up at
5am to do the things that I wantto do in silence.
I take that over going to a jobI don't enjoy, to do a job for
somebody else when I know in myheart and soul I can make money
when and if I need from my owncreativity, from my own output.
(39:17):
So I think it's so and, likeyou've said, people may never
understand and sometimes it'seasier just to be like.
We've got a wedding business aswell.
It's a bespoke one, so it's notall the time, but people find
it much easier to talk to meabout that because they're like
it's a wedding business.
They do weddings, they do likeit just makes sense to them.
We're like this online thingeven though it's a huge success
(39:39):
and we've got incrediblecreators and we love what we do.
It's kind of like I don't knowwhat it does.
So if we just don't talk aboutit, it we kind of need to just
rally together and celebrate theshit out of each other because
nobody else gets it and theydon't have to and we don't have
to make them get it.
But it's so important that weunderstand what we're doing is
(40:00):
so valuable and it is worthwhile, and we've put in the hours of
work that nobody else isprepared to do because we
believe in something better forourselves and our family, and I
think that's way more important.
But I love that you've saidthat, because I was like, yeah,
that's probably most of ourlisteners are like I don't feel
like that too.
Speaker 3 (40:15):
I feel like that too, yeah, Honestly, like no one
cared when I was doing the smallbrands and stuff.
And then I had a very bighousehold name and my family
were like oh my God.
And I told them what product Igot and how much I got paid and
they were like, what, like you?
And I was like, yeah, like, butall my videos are this valuable
, like I, you know, considerthem all equal, whereas you know
(40:37):
they've heard of thisparticular brand and that's very
exciting that it's actuallyreal.
It's like the other stuff's not.
Speaker 1 (40:43):
I don't know.
No, it's just.
I think it's fair to say theyjust don't get it because it
doesn't fit the box.
But what I suppose we want tomake sure people understand and
I'm so thankful for your storybecause you've brought up so
many incredible points is thatwhat we do is valuable and what
we do is really really coolbecause we get to choose how we
work, we get to choose who wework with and we get to choose
(41:07):
if we get paid or not, whetherit's a gifted collab or not.
So it's, you know, we've gotreally so much opportunity.
You've just got to have thecourage to do it.
It's basically like that's assimple as it is.
It's just got to have thecourage to start.
Speaker 3 (41:19):
Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 1 (41:21):
Yeah, and so as we kind of wrap up because I know
you'd be a very busy, busy womanI would like to just know from
you a couple of things.
We'll start with.
We kind of touched on the start, but if somebody has listened
to this whole episode andthey've just got something
ticking inside them because thething that we always hear is I'm
too old, I'm not good enough, Idon't know where to start I
(41:43):
know that just start is the wayto go, but is there a kind of a
moment that you've had in yourjourney where you were like okay
, I'm so glad I did this, Ididn't think I would be able to
do this Like, is there anything?
I know I've put you on the spota bit, but just like a moment
in your journey where you'relike I'd love to share that with
someone that is doubtingthemselves, I think if you're
mentally thinking already aboutstarting it, that's the best
(42:06):
time to start.
Speaker 3 (42:06):
I think if I did things any earlier I wouldn't
have had a clue what I was doing.
Like same with my previousbusiness.
You know it's okay to juststart, but think about things
for a little bit and make sureit's definitely what you want to
do.
If it's playing on your mindnonstop like do I do UGC?
And you're looking it up allthe time, that's a good sign
that you're ready to go.
Speaker 1 (42:35):
And then I'd also like to ask you about being just
because we have lots of parentsand lots of mothers inside our
community as well, and online,there's lots of us mothers
trying to create something else.
As a mum, how do you feel aboutcreating something, and for
your business as well as UGC,creating something that is kind
of a legacy slash your own thing.
(42:56):
So you're creating a path thatyou're making all the rules up
Like.
How does that make you feel asa woman, and certainly as a mum,
because I think there'ssomething in it that's just like
I'm doing this for.
You know, is there somethingthat you can my?
Speaker 3 (43:07):
husband runs his own business and it's, you know,
construction based, so you cansee him doing the physical work
and all of that.
And it does make me proud to sayI am running a business and I
am doing well in it andhopefully the future one does
well as well.
My son will pack orders with meand stuff for my previous
business and he can see that I'mworking.
But then at the same time hesaid the other day he's like oh,
(43:30):
I don't want to go to nannies,I want to stay home with you
because you just work at home.
And he's only two and I waslike, excuse me, like I just
work at home doing nothing, Ican just have you with me all
the time, you know.
But like I just know that he'sgoing to grow up and see me
striving for things and doingthings for myself, and that's
not like I want nothing more formy own children than to go
(43:53):
after what they want to do.
Even if it's going to set themback, even if it's going to be a
fail, just get out there andtry it and I'll always support
them in doing that, because whenit works, it works.
Speaker 1 (44:02):
Yeah, and also when it's kind of like, I think also
when it lights you up, like youknow, when your kids can see
what you do makes you happy.
That's just the most magicthing is when they you know, yes
, you're working from home.
My kids say it to me all thetime.
Sometimes they'll say thingslike are you just doing that
thing on the computer with me?
Again, I'm like it's not just athing, we are very busy, but
(44:23):
they kind of like they know thatthat's where mum goes to work.
She goes to work from home butshe has like a job, like dad has
a job, but she does hers athome.
But I think you know that it's.
It's also something that itjust brings you joy, and so they
can't help but be like oh, okay, this.
I don't know what she's doing,but she's happy when I need her,
she's there.
Speaker 3 (44:44):
He like grabs the tripod.
He's like mum, I'm making avideo.
Okay, like cool, he's allexcited about it too, and I'm
like you're not making one buddy.
Speaker 1 (44:53):
You can be my roadie and so I'd love you just to
share, especially because ourcommunity are full of incredible
women and there's some men.
We're definitely inviting anymen into this UGC space.
But for the women and for yourbrands, have you got anything
just to share with them so theycan follow along your journey
and let them know where they canfollow that?
So drop your handles.
We'll put them in the shownotes anyway, but I'd love you
just to share kind of why you'redoing this so they can follow
(45:17):
along and be part of thisjourney with you, Because I
think it's a really specialbrand and needed and we'd love
to support you on your journey.
Thank, you.
Speaker 3 (45:24):
So it's Zayt the label.
Just one word, if you can spellit correctly Z-E-J-T the label.
I'm happy to take requests ifthere's anyone listening.
That's like I really have beenlooking for this.
I did have recently somebodythat's in a wheelchair and
they've requested a specificpiece of clothing that they'd
like me to try and come up with.
Probably a long way off gettingthat piece done, but I'm open
(45:46):
to anything so I can try my bestto make these silly little tech
pack things of what you want.
But yeah, reach out, let meknow, comment on my things.
If you hate something, let meknow about that too, because it
all makes such a big difference.
Speaker 1 (46:01):
Yeah, excited to share everything and I think
that's a really smart decisionin terms of from a brand
perspective, because if, bygetting that feedback early
although there's some feedback,you can't take on everything,
but by getting it early andquickly it allows you to kind of
stop gap any going intoproduction of something that
people are like it's not reallywhat I wanted.
So I think you know it's reallysmart and I'm looking forward
(46:23):
to seeing how that journeyunfolds, because I think brands
that do that and I know that youknow, fake the Label.
They do that very well in termsof just sharing their process
and the behind the scenes.
And Mia and I we sent a TikTokto each other the other week.
That was just around the factthat this, what's the gen,
what's the generation now, gen ZI'm going to say I get very
confused.
(46:43):
I'm like I'm millennials, sowhatever, I know that one.
But you know, this newgeneration of kids, young adults
, marketing is different because, like, they've rewritten the
rule book on marketing, which isreally cool, but, as you know,
older marketers, we've got tounderstand that the more they
can buy into your story becausethey can, and we've got social
media so we can see behind thescenes the more relatable and
(47:06):
respectable your brand is goingto be if you kind of uphold
those values and you show peopleyour brand value.
So I think it's really smartmarketing and we will celebrate
it the whole way and see how itgoes.
So we look forward to seeinghow it all unfolds.
Speaker 3 (47:18):
Thank you.
Well, it's nice to hear thatfrom someone that's got a
marketing background, because Idon't.
Speaker 1 (47:22):
But I think what you've done and again, like
we've said, is just doing thatUGC has set you up to understand
how to market a brand and thenit's given you that like, oh
okay, when I started my firstbusiness, I know what I was
doing wrong because I hadn'tdone XYZ and now I'm starting
this one, I know what I can doto kind of fuel that and fund
that.
So I think that's what's reallycool about the UGC side of it
(47:46):
is it really does.
It's so undervalued in.
Yes, you get paid for it, youget paid to create a video.
That's cool, but theundervalued skill is this skill
of learning video marketing andlearning how to get inside a
brand and create content thatactually does convert in a way
that you may never haveunderstood prior to that.
So I think that's a reallyclear message that hopefully
(48:07):
people have taken by listeningtoday Hopefully.
Well, fingers crossed.
If not, I hope they had a goodtime.
We'll see you later, if that'sokay.
Yeah, that's fine, but thankyou so much for your time, gemma
.
It's been really, really nicetalking to you and we can't wait
to see how this all unfolds foryou.
So all the details will be inthe show notes.
Go along, hit, follow, followthe journey.
If If you've got any requests,then hit Gemma up, because I
(48:30):
think that would be reallyhelpful, and if you're a content
creator that is willing tosupport her in her journey, I
reckon I'd be dropping in theDMs there as well.
Speaker 3 (48:38):
Yes, let me know, because if you work with us from
the start, we'll pay you oneday.
Speaker 1 (48:42):
Okay, that's the way it's got to be and that's fine
If you like that from the start.
I think people respect whatthat looks like because it just
means that it might be.
You send them a sample pack orsomething every so often and
they get to try it and test it,and then you get that real-time
feedback.
So I think you're doing theright things and I look forward
to seeing it unfold.
Thank you, pleasure Sweet.
Good job Shit podcast.
(49:03):
I've got so many good ones too.
Are you ready to master the art of creating
content that converts?
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Hey, I'm Mia, a mum of two who went from being a
burnt out ambo to six-figurecontent creator in less than a
year, all while navigating alate ADHD diagnosis.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
And I'm Kristen, also a mum of two and a former
corporate branding queen turnedentrepreneur.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
My dyslexic brain sees marketing very differently,
and that's my superpower, andtogether we're showing women
like you how to master videomarketing and create content
that generates income, whetheryou're just starting out or
ready to scale.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
We are breaking down everything from landing brand
deals to building your ownempire.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Welcome to.
I Am that Content Creatorpodcast where we turn scroll
stopping content into seriousincome.
No filters, no fluff, just realstrategies from two
neurodivergent mums who get it.
So let's turn your phone into avideo marketing machine and
let's go.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
Let's go.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
Guys, be professional guys, I'm going in.
Okay, there's that intro done.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
Welcome to the I Am that Content Creator podcast.
We're cutting through the noiseto show you exactly how to
create scroll-stopping content,land premium brand deals and
build a thriving online business.
No BS, just proven strategiesthat scale.
All right, today on the podcast, we are joined by a guest,
which is very exciting.
So, gemma, welcome to thepodcast.
(01:24):
Hi, thank you.
Now, mia's not here with ustoday, she's sick.
She's very exciting.
So, gemma, welcome to thepodcast.
Hi, thank you.
Now, mia's not here with ustoday, she's sick.
She's got babies.
As that happens, they're alwayssick when you need them, and
then we couldn't get on theRiverside app, so we're in Zoom
and then my mic wouldn't work.
So it's always a fun day beingan entrepreneur.
Now we have invited Gemma on thepodcast.
We're going to hear her story,understand what she's done so
far, where she is in her journeyand if I don't know much of it
(01:47):
which is the best part aboutwhen we do these kinds of
conversations, because I want tomake sure that we really hear
your journey and your story andwhere it all began for you.
So, if you have, you got like aI know you've got your own
business.
I know you've a bit of a spicybrain have we discussed, and
it's one of those things that,as an entrepreneur, I think we
continuously just keep turningto, things that we might enjoy
and trying things, and so I'dlove to hear your journey and
(02:10):
how you got to where you are andlet us know about your business
, which we will spell out,because I believe that it is
pronounced Zayt.
Is that correct?
Yep, and you got it.
Yes, that's good.
But, it's not spelled like thatis it?
Speaker 3 (02:23):
Yeah, I've got Maltese background so it's
spelled in the Maltese way,which probably means nothing to
you guys.
It's not that important, butpeople try and read it and
they're like z-z-z.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
So it's Z-A-J-T, is that correct?
Z-e-j-t, z-e-j-t, right ATRight.
So there you go.
So that's when you're lookingfor it.
We will tag it below in theshow notes so you guys can go
and have a look.
But, gemma, I'd love to justask you where your
entrepreneurial journey started,and I know that you're a mum,
so we have a lot of listenersthat are mums, and so it's
(02:54):
really nice to hear people'sstory from kind of where they
started, where they are now andwhat it's the rollercoaster that
is this incredible journey.
Speaker 3 (03:02):
So if we're going to go back to my entrepreneurial
journey, it actually probablystarted as a child and I didn't
realize that.
So I would set up like fakelittle carnivals and stuff like
that for my sister, withmattresses over the back of the
couch, and I would charge herfive cents per ride and all up
she'd spend like $20 and I'd begoing, yes, like cashing it in.
(03:22):
So I've always done littlethings like that.
But since I started like apart-time job, I started working
in retail and I just kept thesame job for 13 years, never
stepped outside of my comfortzone, just stepped up within
that business until I sort ofgot sick of it.
I think COVID changed a lot ofthings for a lot of people and I
(03:42):
had my baby and I was like youknow what?
I'm going to start somethingand we'll see where this goes,
and that's where I started CozyCow.
So that was primarily kidsbeanbags.
But I had no idea what I wasdoing and I just started buying
socks and random things.
Like I went overboard, I blewthe budget and essentially I
just wasn't able to sell thestuff that well because it was
(04:04):
so random.
But I got really sick last yearand I didn't know it at the
time, but it was endometriosis,which I'm sure a lot of
listeners probably haveexperiences with.
That or similar.
I got to the point where I justcouldn't work anymore what I was
doing.
So I quit my job and startedUGC within the same week and I
was like I hope this works out,because I need to rest, I need
(04:27):
time with my baby and I need todo something to keep myself busy
.
And within the first month Iwas making four figures, so I
replaced my income.
I was blown away with how thatchanged things.
It also gave me so muchconfidence on camera and all
that sort of stuff and justrecently I sort of decided that
I would start my own businessagain with the knowledge that I
(04:48):
have now Building it slowly andintentionally.
I've set up a mailing listcorrectly, got everything on
board and on track.
I really do want to work withcreators.
It's really interesting beingon both sides of the fence.
But yeah, that's sort of whereI am at now and how I got to
that point.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
So when you started, if we go back to when you worked
your typical nine to five, whatdid that look like for you when
you were doing your typicalnine to five?
And did you come straight outof uni and walk straight into a
job like the must do school,then do uni, then do a job and
then I started working at 15 atlike a big department store.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
And I went to uni to be a teacher.
I actually went twice and bothtimes I was like oh, I just
can't.
You know, it wasn't for me.
As much as I love teaching, Ididn't see myself as a teacher.
So, yeah, I just stayed workingthere.
And when I turned 18, I waslike I've got to get into
management, like I need to makemore money.
And I did all of that and Ionly slowed down once I had my
(05:50):
baby.
I went to part-time and I waslike just not doing it for me,
like it was a very physical.
I know a lot of people probablythink retail, you're just
behind the register, but boxesand stuff like that and yeah, I
was unloading the truck andeverything like it's sort of
everywhere.
But it was good fun's.
Just I think I got past myexpiry date there.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
Yeah, and I think also so when you have, like I
think this is the typical thingwe seem to find, especially.
I know Mia and myself beingmums, we had that
entrepreneurial spirit.
Now, when you look back and yousee those moments, like you
said, with your sister and thecouch and there's so many things
that I look back I'm like, oh,that was a very big sign.
Then that was a very big sign.
Then you don't know it.
I think when you're that age,you just kind of keep doing what
you do.
But when you have kids, thereis just something.
(06:29):
Did you find like a moment or atime that you were kind of
sitting around and justsomething like it was just this
itch that you wanted to scratch?
Was it that kind of feelinglike you just thought there's
got to be a different way?
Speaker 3 (06:39):
Yeah, I just felt like when I started it was a
kid's brand, so I was like Iwant my baby to be with me at
home and be more involved, andif I go and do work he can be
there.
Yeah, yeah, just different.
I didn't like the idea of justgoing to work every day and see
you later.
Yeah, sorry about the bird inthe background.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
So in terms of having your baby and spending that
time kind of stepping away fromwork to be with them, so did you
have your endometriosisdiagnosis after having your baby
?
Speaker 3 (07:11):
Yeah, so I've had it for about 10 years.
When I look back at my symptomsand stuff like that but it got
significantly worse after havinghim and like stopping the pill
and all that sort of stuff, Iwas like, oh, something's really
wrong here, and so did you findthat.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
once you kind of identified that and knew that it
was what it was and kind ofwent through that process, was
that what kind of really spurredyou on to see what was a
different way, in terms of likethe UGC and discovering that and
then your own business, wasthat the kind of I don't know
like a push just to find adifferent way?
Speaker 3 (07:45):
do you think, yeah, that was the push to leave a
normal job.
I was just like something's gotto change and if this is
endometriosis, I need to likefind something else to do,
because I can't keep living likethis.
Yeah, and then, as soon as Ihad my surgery and it was all
confirmed, I was like, yeah,I've made the right choice,
(08:11):
regardless of how hard it'sgoing to be running it all
yourself.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
Yeah, I just need something that's going to be
flexible with my life.
And so curious to know, becauseI know with Mia's story she was
an ambo and she was burnt outand just basically made that
phone call like I'm not comingback to work, packed up her
house, decided to take a caravanaround Australia and had that
same moment like, okay, I haveto kind of make it work now.
And she ended up finding avideo on TikTok in a wonderful
scroll session that told herabout UGC and her kind of
(08:36):
journey started from there.
So for you, did you know aboutUGC before you kind of stepped
into it, or did you find it like, hmm, okay, I have heard of it,
like before I started it, and Idid like look up other creators
and stuff.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
I don't think I understood it when I began,
though.
Like I saw a lot of aesthetic,you know, skincare and whatever,
like not actually talking aboutthe product and being raw and
honest about it and stuff likethat.
It was very glamorous and Ithought at the time like that's
what brands want.
But obviously you learn as yougo and you learn what works and
they start running ads and yousee, like the return on
(09:12):
investment and you're like, okay, that works, that doesn't.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
And so what was your favourite part when you started
the UGC process?
What was the bit that you'relike, okay, this could be good.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
Probably the feedback , like just getting the hype and
stuff on social media, like Idon't expect anything to go
viral and I don't actually wantit to because I don't want to
receive the hate, but just allthe positive comments and stuff.
Or just receiving messages fromsmaller brands saying, oh my
gosh, can you make me somethinglike this?
I really want one.
The collaborations, all that,like I just yeah, if it feels
good, you're doing somethinggood for a brand.
Whether it's paid or gifted, Idon't really mind, I just love
(09:51):
being creative and peopleactually enjoying it.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
So, when you kind of started your UGC journey and for
people that are listening, thatare wondering, like they're
seeing, there's always that bigstep between, okay, you just
start and you just create avideo.
But, like, what we want peopleto understand is that process
that different people take to toget to that end result, which
is creating your first video,getting paid for it or getting a
(10:14):
gifted collab.
So did you find something fromaround your house, create a
video and send it to a brand, ordid you contact brands first
and say, hey, look, I'm startingto do UGC.
What was your kind of processto get you started?
Speaker 3 (10:27):
So, I watched a whole bunch of videos and they said
grab some products from aroundthe house.
Yep, so I did.
I did three videos at home justwith, like a hair straightener
and things like that.
Yeah, Put them out there.
And then from there I messagedsome smaller brands myself that
I knew they kind of needed a bitof support and a bit of like
help on social media and stuff.
(10:48):
So I just reached out andoffered to do gifted collabs
with them.
They all had audiences of aboutlike three to 5,000 followers.
I was like it'll be a goodcollab and they sent me their
products.
We did some videos and put themon both of our profiles and
from there, like it just gotseen and I, to be honest, don't
pitch very much because I don'tlike to do it.
I don't think anyone likes topitch, but yeah, I kind of
(11:10):
attracted a brand like a smallbrand market towards my videos
rather than the big ones.
I have done a couple of bigones but yeah, I do enjoy
working with smaller brands.
It is a lot more complicated.
Some of them have never heardof UGC and you've got to go
through the whole process ofexplaining what usage rights are
and whatnot.
But I mean.
To me it's all worth it in theend, Like you get paid and you
(11:34):
do something good for a business.
That's the main thing.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
I think sometimes we had this discussion, I think
recently on one of the podcasts,and me and I were saying
there's a lot of people that youknow, there's advice that you
can do a 30-second video and youget paid hundreds of dollars
and it's you know.
So then there's this likereally easy, oh my God.
And then we saw one particularcomment somewhere that was
around you know, this takes along time and it's not that easy
(11:56):
.
I was like of course it takestime.
Like if you go to your job thatyou hate and you don't get paid
what you want, like you stillhave to work to get paid.
And so from a creator's point ofview, because I want to, then
like, because I was looking atthrough some of your content
that you've obviously createdfor Zayt as well and I was like
you obviously really dounderstand how to edit and how
to film and so that's that'sbrought into your content as
(12:19):
well for you now to be able touse as a small business owner
building your brand.
So do you think that journeythrough UGC and starting there
really helped you?
Even doing the products fromhome and kind of starting from
nowhere and building up that waskind of part of your process to
gain confidence and clarityaround how to create content and
what brands need, and likebuilding that confidence around
(12:41):
what brands actually need.
Do you feel like that was partof your journey in a really
positive way that's allowed youto be where you are and kind of
connect with brands you want towork with?
Speaker 3 (12:50):
Yeah, 100%.
The comparison between startingZayt and Cozy Cow I had no idea
back when I was doing Cozy CowAgain, I thought it was all
aesthetic shots.
Yeah, no idea with marketingnothing.
And then, since doing UGC, Iknow how to create.
I know what I want to create.
I know what brands do behindthe scenes and what they ask for
.
So in all of that, I know whatto create as well, to make it
(13:13):
not sound like an ad and showoff products in a nice way that
encourages sales, but withoutgoing hey, buy this t-shirt,
it's really cool.
Yeah, yeah.
But it is also weird.
If anyone is doing UGC andlooking to start their own brand
, it does feel different makingcontent for your own brand.
It's just not the same.
I feel like you may be a littlebit more careless when it's
(13:35):
somebody else's, because you cando what you want and they're
going to tell you if it's goodor not, whereas for your own,
you're the one that's going todecide if it's worth putting out
there, and most of the time Iwould just say just do it, just
put it out there, yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
Which is great advice , because I think sometimes and
this is one thing we talkedabout in our workshop recently
is when you're close to yourproduct or your service or
whatever it is, you become likeit's very hard to sell it
because it feels gross and itfeels uncomfortable, because you
maybe haven't quite understoodthat what you're creating is the
service and it's that realmarketing that you've got to get
into and the brand messaging,all the story when when you're
(14:08):
doing it for somebody else, itkind of allows you to step back
from that emotional connectionand just sell the product and
talk about the product and itdoesn't feel uncomfortable, it
doesn't feel icky because you'retalking about somebody else.
It's so much easier to sellsomebody else's product or
service.
And that's probably the blessingof UGC and what we love to
celebrate the most is because itallows you as a creator to,
(14:32):
like you said so perfectly, youlearn that skill of marketing
and not everybody did marketingLike.
My background is in brand andmarketing, so I was lucky enough
to do that and that's part ofmy career, but it's very, you
know, now, looking at it, theUGC creators that are successful
are the ones that actuallyallow themselves to step into
somebody's brand, understand thebrand and really make it
(14:52):
authentic in terms of just, youknow you're talking about that
brand to your best friend orsomebody that you feel
comfortable with, rather thanselling something of your own
that can feel really quite hardbecause you're so close to it.
So I think, in terms of brandsthat you've worked with, have
you found any brands that you'vewanted to create content that
feels really authentic to youand the brands been like no,
(15:14):
that doesn't really fit with us?
Have you ever had a brand thatyou're like no, but this is what
I really think you should betalking about from my
perspective.
Speaker 3 (15:21):
I'll talk about one brand in particular.
I was asked to do four videosfor them and they wanted them
very specific.
They weren't necessarilyscripted, yeah yeah, they were
just very specific.
And I did the four videos and Isort of said to them look, this
is the one that I think wouldbe a moneymaker, run your ads
with this one.
They didn't listen and look,I'm no expert in marketing.
(15:45):
I don't have an opinion on mycontent, and so does everyone
else.
It might not have been the bestone, but it was just clear, it
was good, it was raw, it was100% better than the other three
, and they chose to use theworst one out of the four to run
their ads and likeunfortunately, nothing really
(16:08):
came of it.
But yeah, just things like that.
It's a bit disappointing whenthey want a certain thing said
or a certain thing done andyou're like, oh, it's just, that
isn't going to sell.
You know, all I can say forbrands is to trust your creators
as well.
They know what they're doing.
Speaker 1 (16:17):
I think that's really such an important message and
one that I know that Mia and Icelebrate so much, because,
coming from the brand andmarketing standpoint, you know,
I know the KPIs and all of thosethings that brands have to hit
and they know their message,they know their target market,
like you know that's respect tothem they do.
But when you're getting UGC andthe difference with the UGC is
you're asking a user usually ofthat piece of content, a user of
(16:41):
that product sorry that uses itin a way that works for them,
uses it in a way that they love.
So you kind of as a brand, youdo need to be a little bit
flexible with okay, that's howyou use it, like that's how I
could apply that and just it'sfor a brand's sake, just knowing
that UGC is very different fromyour typical ad campaign, your
(17:02):
typical kind of campaign youmight put money behind with ads.
It's more of really taking theperspective of the user and how
they use the content and howthey see a different perspective
, because I think that's what'sgoing to connect with a wider
audience.
So, yeah, we totally agree withyou and I think Mia even had a
client that she was working withand they gave her a script and
she did the script and then shejust went back to them and said,
(17:24):
because we had a conversationwith each other and we're like
but that's not.
You know, as a mom, I want toknow how.
I don't care if it's got extrathis and extra that.
I want to know is it going tosave me money in my weekly
shopping, Is it going to make mylife easier and is it going to
fit in my kitchen?
And the brand hadn't eventhought about that.
So she went back to them andapparently the brand were like
oh, okay, cool, we'll run withthem, we'll try them.
So it's important as creators,as well as you grow your
(17:47):
portfolio, to have confidence todo what you did and send those
ones back and say, hey look, Ithink this one might work.
Now, they're not always goingto take it, but I think doing
that also builds your confidenceand it allows you to put it
into a portfolio that anotherbrand might be like oh, that's a
great perspective, we might trythat.
So I think, yeah, I definitelyagree with that.
And what was the part of, orwhat is the part of, ugc that if
(18:10):
somebody was sitting listeningright now and they're thinking,
okay, that sounds kind of cool,but I can't do it.
Why would anybody want to payme for a video?
What would you say to them?
Speaker 3 (18:21):
I just would say to try it.
I didn't think I would actuallyget paid for a video either.
I was like I'll just do this tohelp out some of my friends
that have small businesses andwhatever.
And I was just sort of takenback when people started
offering me money or whatever,especially the bigger ones, like
I had a brand reach out andthey wanted 13 videos straight
(18:42):
off the bat.
And I was like, oh my goodnessHonestly I under quoted myself
on that one because I was so new, I didn't know what to do.
I'd only just made a contractup.
I had no idea.
Had only just made a contractup.
I had no idea.
But got it done.
It was fun, just try it.
That's all I can say.
If you don't put yourself outthere, you're not going to know
(19:03):
what your potential is going tobe.
Speaker 1 (19:04):
Yeah, and what I think is also important too,
because we always have thisdiscussion around the fact that
there's so many incredibleopportunities online.
If you want to start online,you want to start earning an
income, but a lot of them dotake time to either build an
audience or build your contentor understand the platform and
what your services and yourproducts are, and they can take
a bit of time.
(19:25):
Worth it, yes, but they do taketime.
Where UGC is something that,considering you kind of replaced
your wage within a week, didyou say that's incredible and
something that it is possible.
I think that's the thing wealways say it's the fastest way
that you can actually earn anincome, a flexible income online
.
Plus, you get to learn thatincredible skill of marketing
(19:47):
and branding and understandinghow to build that.
I think, if you are wonderingwhat's the worst thing that's
going to happen, the best thing.
Speaker 3 (19:55):
I wouldn't be starting my clothing label if I
didn't do UGC, because all themoney I've made from UGC is
what's funded it.
Like I had to convince myhusband hey, I'm about to drop a
whole lot more money on anotherbusiness after failing the
first one.
And I was like but don't worry,I'll use all the money I did
from UGC and that'll just fundit.
And he's like all right,whatever you do your thing.
(20:17):
But for people starting out,I'll probably just say, like
gifted collabs don't mean thatyou'll be unpaid forever, so
take on gifted collabs.
Like those brands can grow withyou.
If you're going with like astartup brand, as a startup
creator, you can grow together.
Like for me, as a brand and asa creator, I value relationships
more than anything.
Like I would rather work with acreator that I've worked with
(20:37):
before.
We have a good relationship.
They understand what I'mtalking about.
If I'm like oh hey, can youjust fix this up, or whatever
you know, building thatrelationship with a brand is key
.
Like that's how you're going toget ongoing paid work.
Speaker 1 (20:49):
Yeah, and you have just like totally lined up the
perfect segues for us to go here.
I was like the first one waslike we're down that road, and I
was like, yeah, she's nailed it.
We're talking about it aroundand then I was like, hang on a
minute, let's pull back and talkabout that point first, because
I think that is such anincredible point to make,
because it's something that evenwhen I started my career as a
graphic designer, those of usthat are in the creative world
(21:11):
we know that it's an undervaluedskill, even though it's such an
important skill.
It's very undervalued by most.
So the amount of freebies I didand the amount of logos I did
for $100 here and $100 there butsome of those landed me huge
jobs and huge opportunities thatwould never have happened if I
didn't say yes.
So I do love that you've saidthat, because I think there's a
(21:34):
line between obviously gettingpaid your worth and there
there's a line between obviouslygetting paid your worth and
there's also that line betweenthose gifted collabs, like
you've said, give you a coupleof things, and that is the
confidence to grow yourportfolio, understand how to do
content creation and really feelcomfortable to then charge your
worth and then also that, likeyou said, allows you to build
those relationships with brandsand you know, what was nice is
(21:57):
that it now sits exactly whereyou are, where you're building
your own brand, and so now youknow the language to speak
directly to the creator.
That is key, because a lot ofthese brands they don't
understand how to breathe forcreator properly and it's kind
of part of the problem in thiswhole landscape as well.
So I love that you've taken usthat way, because I now want to
(22:24):
really unpack your journey fromkind of the first business that
you created, and I love that.
Nothing's ever a failure.
We celebrate our failures ifyou will, but you learned
something.
I bet you learned something thatwas valuable to where you're
going now.
Would that be correct?
Never, it's not a failure, it'salways a lesson.
That's it A big, expensivelesson?
Yeah, and look, it hurts whenthere's money behind it.
I'm not going to undervaluethat at all, but I think if you
(22:46):
could take maybe we'll startwith if you could take one
lesson from that that maybe hityou in this next step, what
would it be?
Speaker 3 (22:54):
This probably applies to brands and creators is to
lower your expectations.
So, if you're starting a brand,don't expect you're going to
sell out on day one, because itis not going to happen.
That's the reality, unlessyou're some influencer or
something crazy Saying withcreators.
Don't expect to do one giftedcollab and have some
multimillion dollar companymessaging oh, I want to retain a
(23:16):
contract with you.
Yes, that's not going to happen.
They need to see your work,they need to see your example,
your quality, everything in bothbrand and creator quality and
yeah, what you're putting outthere is essential.
Speaker 1 (23:30):
Like they've got to judge you from it basically, and
what it does is kind of like,especially from that brand point
of view and in your firstbusiness and into UGC, I imagine
that learning was for you,building that confidence around
how to create and build anaudience, Like even though you'd
have to start UGC with anaudience, because it doesn't
have to go on your page, youdon't have to have lots of
(23:51):
followers.
But if you then choose to, offthe back of that, build your
personal brand and build abusiness brand whether it's a
product business or a servicebusiness the UGC that you've
done gives you the confidencearound showing up on camera, the
clarity around your content andthe ability for you to actually
grow a community that supportyou.
So I think that little lessonis beautiful in terms of knowing
(24:14):
that these are skill sets thatjust allow you to build online
for whatever you want.
So, in terms of stepping intoyour new business and I love
that you've backed it with UGC,because that, for us, is a
massive message that sometimesUGC is it's not always a
long-term solution for everybodyand that's probably something
(24:35):
that we celebrate most is we seeit as an incredible tool to
begin your journey to becomesustainable online, whether that
is to build a bigger UGCportfolio where that's all you
do but you can kind of scaleback and just do jobs you want,
or whether it's to fund yourbusiness.
So, because you've used it tofund your business, at what
point?
Because obviously you've got anentrepreneurial spirit.
(24:56):
You need to just like, just getout.
So at what point did you go?
No, this is, I need to do thisand I'm willing to do the UGC to
back my dream.
Was there a point where youjust kind of woke up and went no
, it's time.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
I think when I started UGC I just loved it and
I still do love it, but I see itmore now as a stepping stone
for me.
So there was a point where Ithought, oh, do I go into, like,
the digital products route?
You know, like I knew it wasalways going to be stepping
stone to something more and it'sdefinitely been a stepping
stone into my business.
Like working with othercreators and talking with other
(25:31):
creators has built thatcommunity where they've come
along to my brand it's there'sno products yet, it's just in
the launch phase, but I've gotcreators applying for PR.
I've got an email list of 140with no product to sell.
I was just like blown away byhow UGC has made that impact on
my brand.
I do feel guilt as a creator,sometimes, knowing, like you
(25:53):
know, wanting to be able to paycreators and stuff like that.
But the moment, like, everydollar is going to go into stock
, so it's hard being on bothsides and feeling that guilt of
these people want to be paid.
But, like you know, we'll justhave to see where it goes.
There is definitely guilt thereand that's only because I've
been on the other side but yeah,I don't know.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
You know, with that guilt, I think, comes a lot of
respect that you have for thoseconnections and those creators.
So I think there's a differencebetween a brand that has never
been in the shoes of a UGCcreator and it just goes oh,
let's just do a gifted collab,never pay.
You Like, there are some brandsthat you know aren't the best
and they do really take theircreators for a ride, and that's
(26:33):
absolutely not what we're about.
But it happens, that's life, ithappens in every industry.
But what you've got behind youis the respect and even you know
we're really big on thattransparency of you being able
to say to these creators look, Ineed you to know I cannot pay
you now, but if you're willingto stay and you like the product
and you back my product, thenthere will be a time where I can
pay you.
But and if you're transparent,people respect that and they're
(26:55):
the kind of people that willcome along for that journey with
you.
So it's, you know, that process.
Don't feel that guilt, because Ithink it's it's part of growing
any business and you've gotthat backing to be like I've
been in your shoes.
I know what it feels like.
So you're not going to beunpaid forever, but this is just
reality and I think that'sthere's a lot of response there.
So I'd like you, if you can, toexplain this new venture the
(27:16):
clothing brand in your building,because your story is amazing
and I think that connectionpiece and the storytelling
behind that becomes part of thesuccess of your business and how
you can connect with othercreators.
Speaker 3 (27:27):
Yeah.
So the plan was to sort ofdocument the process.
From the very beginning, a lotof people said to me like, oh,
you shouldn't start your socialmedia, you've got nothing to
sell.
People are going to loseinterest, don't listen to them.
Don't listen to them.
Well, I didn't, good.
But yeah, I think just buildinglike a community first brand I'm
not going to be able to doeverything that.
I'm asked Like I've had a lotof people go can you make this,
(27:57):
can you design this?
And I'm like I'll try my best.
I want to like try and be asinclusive as possible with my
sizing and stuff like that.
I will say it's freaking hardto do an extended size range.
Like manufacturers make it hard, they double the price and it's
just I'm trying.
But yeah, I just want it to belike really feedback driven
fashion.
Obviously, things take a longtime to make, so you can't ask
for something and get it thenext day.
But yeah, I think justinvolving creators, involving
the community, building it allup, has been really good and
(28:20):
hopefully I can launch in likeOctober.
Speaker 1 (28:23):
But who knows?
Yeah, and so, just because Idon't know if we've really
articulated exactly the clothingthat you're making, who's it
for and what are you doing?
Why are you creating it?
Speaker 3 (28:33):
It's pretty much just capsule, basic sort of stuff.
The aim is for it to all becomfortable.
So whether it's for mums thathave had cesareans and have a
scar that gets a little bitirritated with tight jeans and
whatnot, whether it's peoplelike me that have had
endometriosis surgery and yourbelly button's full of scars and
you can't have tight pantseither, I just want it to be
comfortable but still lookdressy and still look put
(28:56):
together.
So that you know I think youguys have talked about it at the
very early days of your podcastabout how you dress really
reflect your confidence.
Yeah, that's it.
That's something that's reallyimportant to me too.
Like I can spend a couple ofdays in my dressing gown and get
nothing done and the minute Idress myself up, I do my makeup,
I look good, I feel good, mycontent like radiates and
(29:18):
everything I do is like 10 timesbetter.
So I want to kind ofencapsulate that with the brand
as well.
You feel comfortable, but youcan still look really good.
Speaker 1 (29:26):
And I do love that because, you know, having I had
both emergency caesareans withmy kids and I remember like that
, however, many weeks after youjust feel gross, like things
don't fit, you don't want thingsto touch you, and it's just
really uncomfortable.
So, you know, creating a brandwith that in mind and creating a
brand for a community of women,especially that you know we're
(29:49):
just, I think we're justtouching the surface of all the
things that are going on insideus that we had no idea.
And all of a sudden you're likewhy do I look six months
pregnant when I'm not?
But I'm so bloated and thething fits me Like it's just and
you know, heading intomenopause, that's a whole
different level of absolute.
Speaker 3 (30:07):
You still find yourself wearing maternity
clothes like two years afteryou've given birth.
Speaker 1 (30:12):
They've got room and when I feel like I could just
sit in them.
So it's really nice that you'vegot that backing and you've got
that thought behind it and themessaging and the message to
actually carry that brand.
So what do you see when itcomes to building your brand?
How do you want to build thatcommunity around you and how are
(30:35):
you starting to build thatcommunity around you?
Speaker 3 (30:37):
Honestly, like I probably should have more of a
strategy in place, but I am kindof just winging it, putting my
stuff out there and seeing whatpeople respond to and, like I
did a sample unboxing video notlong ago and a try on video and
basically that's just me going.
I like this, I don't like this,this is too big.
What do you think of this color?
Just because I like somethingdoesn't mean that everybody else
(30:58):
is going to, and it was reallygood to get feedback on the
responses before I go and say tomy manufacturer like, yeah, I
want to stick with this one ornot.
So yeah, just sort of buildingcommunity and letting them have
the decision.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
Yeah, and are you hoping that, potentially, you
could stock your clothing intodifferent shops and brands?
Is that what you're hoping, ormaking it all online, or what?
Have you got dreams for whatthat looks like To be?
Speaker 3 (31:23):
completely honest, I actually do not want to stock my
clothes anywhere.
I know that's probably a goalfor a lot of people to like get
on the iconic or get into, likelittle boutique stores.
I feel like that's probably agoal for a lot of people to get
on the iconic or get into littleboutique stores.
I feel like that would probablybe a bit too hard for me to
manage.
I do want to have a teameventually One day.
That'd be great, a littlewarehouse and little studio for
photos and things like that.
(31:44):
But I'm happy to just keep itonline, keep it seamless, handle
everything in-house and nothave, know, have the risk of
losing stock.
I mean, like I said, I workedin retail for 13 years.
A lot of theft goes on and youknow a lot of damaged products.
People spill their coffee likeI've probably seen the worst of
it being in a department store,of all things.
But you know there's just somuch more risk and it's sad that
(32:08):
brick and mortar is sort ofreality.
Speaker 1 (32:10):
I think that's the thing, isn't it?
Speaker 3 (32:16):
definitely, definitely.
No, I was just gonna say myplan is to just be an online
store and that's it at themoment.
Speaker 1 (32:20):
Things can always change.
You never know, yeah.
And so in your process of kindof building this, what's
something that like finding themanufacturers and material and
all that kind of stuff, I'm surethat's been a rollercoaster
ride.
So what's the fun bits andwhat's the like?
Holy crap, do I am, I, can I dothis?
What's like?
What's the emotionalrollercoaster like?
Speaker 3 (32:40):
The holy crap part is definitely.
I don't know if anyonelistening is aware of what a
tech pack is, but that's enoughto make you change your mind on
doing a clothing business.
Speaker 1 (32:50):
Tell me what it is, because I don't think I even
know what that is.
Speaker 3 (32:53):
So it's when you're doing a custom piece of clothing
, completely custom, you have todo pictures of the product,
pictures of where you wanteverything.
You can't just say I want thisT-shirt with a logo here, you
have to do exactly fivecentimetres from the top, I want
the logo to be this wide, ithas to be these colours, and
(33:18):
you've got to get the correctcolor codes and whatnot.
And then from there you have todo your sizing chart, your
grading, which is where you talkabout a size extra small needs
this measurement on the sleeveand this measurement here, and
you've got to do that for everysize.
If you don't, they might notmake it right.
So your stock will arrive andyour extra small will be great
because, well, for me, I'm anextra small, so of course I know
what measurements I need, butmy 2XL could be something
completely different, because ifyou don't specify, oh so that
(33:40):
just takes days, not even hoursdays, to work out exactly every
thread color.
Speaker 1 (33:47):
That would make me very anxious.
Like even when I have tomeasure something, my husband's
like can you mismeasure that?
I'm like I probably wouldn'tget me to measure that because
I'm going to get it wrong.
He's like no, you'll be right.
I was like I just I'm not verygood at the fine detail stuff,
so that would be a lot, thatwould be hard.
Speaker 3 (34:02):
That will be the first thing that I outsource if
I start making money, because itjust isn't my forte.
The design part is, but thetechnical measurements and all
that.
No, but in your first question,the good thing about it all,
the most exciting part, is whenyou do receive those samples and
you get to see your stuff cometo life and try them on.
And you know you do get a bitdisappointed sometimes when
(34:24):
you're like, well, that's not it, but for the most part it's so
good seeing a physical productthat you created in your hands.
Speaker 1 (34:35):
Yeah, and I think you know back to your point of
people saying, oh, don't shareit till you've finished it.
I think you know, as a consumer,strangely enough, I want to see
the moment you open a packageand you're like this is not what
I wanted, because it just showsthat you know you are and if
it's going to be an online store, especially like people want to
come along that journey andhopefully then you'll find that
people are more invested in youas the creator than sometimes
even the product Like theproduct is like a cool yeah,
(34:56):
great, that's going to beperfect for me because so you
know sharing your personal story, your personal challenges,
finding creators that have had,you know, cesareans or they've
had endometriosis, or aligningwith brands like that can be a
really smart move for you tobuild your brand in a way that
people kind of it's top of mind.
When they think of that comfort, they think of you.
(35:17):
So I think you know buildingthat story and sharing those
moments, although sometimes Ithink they can feel like, oh, no
one cares.
You'd be surprised how manypeople like we watch Gogglebox
for crying out loud.
I love that show just watch.
I love it.
So we do that as consumers.
So taking people along and thenyou, I think then you'll find
(35:37):
those creators that really doalign with you, that kind of
have followed your journey, orwhen they kind of find your
brand, they go, oh that's, I'vegot that.
I know how she feels.
I want to try these, this brandon and use that.
So I think it's really smartmarketing and could be very
exciting.
Speaker 3 (35:55):
Yeah, I'm glad I'm showing the journey because,
like, I've been trying to dodenim and I've had at least 10
different pairs yeah, oh, it'shard.
I've had 10 pairs and like, Ijust keep getting people asking
for denim, which I totally getit, Like I love denim, but I can
now show them that, hey, I'vehad 10 samples.
(36:17):
Like this is costing me afortune and I cannot get it
right, so at least I can explainto people like this is why I'm
not doing denim.
I've shown you guys all thecrappy samples I've had and I'm
calling it quits on the denimuntil later on, you know,
Whereas I feel like if I didn'tshow the journey and I just went
hey, here's my brand, take itor leave it.
People are going to go.
What's she doing now?
You know?
Speaker 1 (36:34):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's a different question.
Us multi-passionateentrepreneurs often go like oh,
I bet everyone's just like whatare you doing now?
I'm like just things, don'tworry about it, it'll be fine,
ignore it if you don't like it,okay.
And so, in terms of kind ofjust as I really want people to
understand, because I love thatyou kind of went there without
even being kind of asked interms of UGC funding, this kind
(36:57):
of dream of yours is thatsomething like when you and I
know from my partner and evenMia's partner, like they're so
supportive, but you can just seesometimes they're like cool,
yeah, you do that thing.
Like, do you find that you'realways trying to have to maybe
prove yourself that like no, Ican do this.
If we need more money, I'lljust go and make more money with
(37:18):
UGC.
I think, as entrepreneurs,there's something really cool
about going okay, there's aproblem, we need more money.
Cool, I'll go and do some moreUGC, I'll go and do that.
Is that something that you feelnow it's kind of a confidence
booster in you, because you'relike you know what, we need some
more money.
Speaker 3 (37:37):
I'm going to do some more UGC.
Is that how you feel about it?
Definitely, if I need somethingin particular, I'm like okay,
time to start pitching now, asmuch as I don't like to time to
pitch because I need some moremoney.
I feel like a lot of creatorswill relate to this, but people
don't see it as a job Like Ihave people that go oh, you can
come to lunch on Tuesday because, like you don't really work.
I'm like I do.
I'm like I can stop and have acup of tea at any point.
(38:00):
That's the good thing.
But it is a job Like I'm nothome to just take my car for a
service or do this, or likequeue up or whatever the
situation is.
You know, come and get me fromthe airport because you don't
work.
Like it's not rude, it's just amatter of people don't really
understand, or they see yourcontent and they go okay, that
was 30 seconds.
That's 30 seconds of her day.
(38:21):
No, that's probably three hoursbecause makeup, hair, set up,
editing the script.
If you have to do a script,like you know, there's so much
involved and that's something Idon't think people will ever
understand.
So there's sort of no pointsometimes explaining.
Speaker 1 (38:37):
I think it's something that you couldn't have
articulated that better interms of the conversations me
and I always have.
We're so lucky and I hate theword lucky because we've all
worked our asses off to be here,but we've put ourselves in a
situation where, if my kids aresick tomorrow, cool, they have
the day off, I'm home.
Is it ideal?
(38:57):
Absolutely not.
But I'd take this life and thisperseverance and getting up at
5am to do the things that I wantto do in silence.
I take that over going to a jobI don't enjoy, to do a job for
somebody else when I know in myheart and soul I can make money
when and if I need from my owncreativity, from my own output.
(39:17):
So I think it's so and, likeyou've said, people may never
understand and sometimes it'seasier just to be like.
We've got a wedding business aswell.
It's a bespoke one, so it's notall the time, but people find
it much easier to talk to meabout that because they're like
it's a wedding business.
They do weddings, they do likeit just makes sense to them.
We're like this online thingeven though it's a huge success
(39:39):
and we've got incrediblecreators and we love what we do.
It's kind of like I don't knowwhat it does.
So if we just don't talk aboutit, it we kind of need to just
rally together and celebrate theshit out of each other because
nobody else gets it and theydon't have to and we don't have
to make them get it.
But it's so important that weunderstand what we're doing is
(40:00):
so valuable and it is worthwhile, and we've put in the hours of
work that nobody else isprepared to do because we
believe in something better forourselves and our family, and I
think that's way more important.
But I love that you've saidthat, because I was like, yeah,
that's probably most of ourlisteners are like I don't feel
like that too.
Speaker 3 (40:15):
I feel like that too, yeah, Honestly, like no one
cared when I was doing the smallbrands and stuff.
And then I had a very bighousehold name and my family
were like oh my God.
And I told them what product Igot and how much I got paid and
they were like, what, like you?
And I was like, yeah, like, butall my videos are this valuable
, like I, you know, considerthem all equal, whereas you know
(40:37):
they've heard of thisparticular brand and that's very
exciting that it's actuallyreal.
It's like the other stuff's not.
Speaker 1 (40:43):
I don't know.
No, it's just.
I think it's fair to say theyjust don't get it because it
doesn't fit the box.
But what I suppose we want tomake sure people understand and
I'm so thankful for your storybecause you've brought up so
many incredible points is thatwhat we do is valuable and what
we do is really really coolbecause we get to choose how we
work, we get to choose who wework with and we get to choose
(41:07):
if we get paid or not, whetherit's a gifted collab or not.
So it's, you know, we've gotreally so much opportunity.
You've just got to have thecourage to do it.
It's basically like that's assimple as it is.
It's just got to have thecourage to start.
Speaker 3 (41:19):
Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 1 (41:21):
Yeah, and so as we kind of wrap up because I know
you'd be a very busy, busy womanI would like to just know from
you a couple of things.
We'll start with.
We kind of touched on the start, but if somebody has listened
to this whole episode andthey've just got something
ticking inside them because thething that we always hear is I'm
too old, I'm not good enough, Idon't know where to start I
(41:43):
know that just start is the wayto go, but is there a kind of a
moment that you've had in yourjourney where you were like okay
, I'm so glad I did this, Ididn't think I would be able to
do this Like, is there anything?
I know I've put you on the spota bit, but just like a moment
in your journey where you'relike I'd love to share that with
someone that is doubtingthemselves, I think if you're
mentally thinking already aboutstarting it, that's the best
(42:06):
time to start.
Speaker 3 (42:06):
I think if I did things any earlier I wouldn't
have had a clue what I was doing.
Like same with my previousbusiness.
You know it's okay to juststart, but think about things
for a little bit and make sureit's definitely what you want to
do.
If it's playing on your mindnonstop like do I do UGC?
And you're looking it up allthe time, that's a good sign
that you're ready to go.
Speaker 1 (42:35):
And then I'd also like to ask you about being just
because we have lots of parentsand lots of mothers inside our
community as well, and online,there's lots of us mothers
trying to create something else.
As a mum, how do you feel aboutcreating something, and for
your business as well as UGC,creating something that is kind
of a legacy slash your own thing.
(42:56):
So you're creating a path thatyou're making all the rules up
Like.
How does that make you feel asa woman, and certainly as a mum,
because I think there'ssomething in it that's just like
I'm doing this for.
You know, is there somethingthat you can my?
Speaker 3 (43:07):
husband runs his own business and it's, you know,
construction based, so you cansee him doing the physical work
and all of that.
And it does make me proud to sayI am running a business and I
am doing well in it andhopefully the future one does
well as well.
My son will pack orders with meand stuff for my previous
business and he can see that I'mworking.
But then at the same time hesaid the other day he's like oh,
(43:30):
I don't want to go to nannies,I want to stay home with you
because you just work at home.
And he's only two and I waslike, excuse me, like I just
work at home doing nothing, Ican just have you with me all
the time, you know.
But like I just know that he'sgoing to grow up and see me
striving for things and doingthings for myself, and that's
not like I want nothing more formy own children than to go
(43:53):
after what they want to do.
Even if it's going to set themback, even if it's going to be a
fail, just get out there andtry it and I'll always support
them in doing that, because whenit works, it works.
Speaker 1 (44:02):
Yeah, and also when it's kind of like, I think also
when it lights you up, like youknow, when your kids can see
what you do makes you happy.
That's just the most magicthing is when they you know, yes
, you're working from home.
My kids say it to me all thetime.
Sometimes they'll say thingslike are you just doing that
thing on the computer with me?
Again, I'm like it's not just athing, we are very busy, but
(44:23):
they kind of like they know thatthat's where mum goes to work.
She goes to work from home butshe has like a job, like dad has
a job, but she does hers athome.
But I think you know that it's.
It's also something that itjust brings you joy, and so they
can't help but be like oh, okay, this.
I don't know what she's doing,but she's happy when I need her,
she's there.
Speaker 3 (44:44):
He like grabs the tripod.
He's like mum, I'm making avideo.
Okay, like cool, he's allexcited about it too, and I'm
like you're not making one buddy.
Speaker 1 (44:53):
You can be my roadie and so I'd love you just to
share, especially because ourcommunity are full of incredible
women and there's some men.
We're definitely inviting anymen into this UGC space.
But for the women and for yourbrands, have you got anything
just to share with them so theycan follow along your journey
and let them know where they canfollow that?
So drop your handles.
We'll put them in the shownotes anyway, but I'd love you
just to share kind of why you'redoing this so they can follow
(45:17):
along and be part of thisjourney with you, Because I
think it's a really specialbrand and needed and we'd love
to support you on your journey.
Thank, you.
Speaker 3 (45:24):
So it's Zayt the label.
Just one word, if you can spellit correctly Z-E-J-T the label.
I'm happy to take requests ifthere's anyone listening.
That's like I really have beenlooking for this.
I did have recently somebodythat's in a wheelchair and
they've requested a specificpiece of clothing that they'd
like me to try and come up with.
Probably a long way off gettingthat piece done, but I'm open
(45:46):
to anything so I can try my bestto make these silly little tech
pack things of what you want.
But yeah, reach out, let meknow, comment on my things.
If you hate something, let meknow about that too, because it
all makes such a big difference.
Speaker 1 (46:01):
Yeah, excited to share everything and I think
that's a really smart decisionin terms of from a brand
perspective, because if, bygetting that feedback early
although there's some feedback,you can't take on everything,
but by getting it early andquickly it allows you to kind of
stop gap any going intoproduction of something that
people are like it's not reallywhat I wanted.
So I think you know it's reallysmart and I'm looking forward
(46:23):
to seeing how that journeyunfolds, because I think brands
that do that and I know that youknow, fake the Label.
They do that very well in termsof just sharing their process
and the behind the scenes.
And Mia and I we sent a TikTokto each other the other week.
That was just around the factthat this, what's the gen,
what's the generation now, gen ZI'm going to say I get very
confused.
(46:43):
I'm like I'm millennials, sowhatever, I know that one.
But you know, this newgeneration of kids, young adults
, marketing is different because, like, they've rewritten the
rule book on marketing, which isreally cool, but, as you know,
older marketers, we've got tounderstand that the more they
can buy into your story becausethey can, and we've got social
media so we can see behind thescenes the more relatable and
(47:06):
respectable your brand is goingto be if you kind of uphold
those values and you show peopleyour brand value.
So I think it's really smartmarketing and we will celebrate
it the whole way and see how itgoes.
So we look forward to seeinghow it all unfolds.
Speaker 3 (47:18):
Thank you.
Well, it's nice to hear thatfrom someone that's got a
marketing background, because Idon't.
Speaker 1 (47:22):
But I think what you've done and again, like
we've said, is just doing thatUGC has set you up to understand
how to market a brand and thenit's given you that like, oh
okay, when I started my firstbusiness, I know what I was
doing wrong because I hadn'tdone XYZ and now I'm starting
this one, I know what I can doto kind of fuel that and fund
that.
So I think that's what's reallycool about the UGC side of it
(47:46):
is it really does.
It's so undervalued in.
Yes, you get paid for it, youget paid to create a video.
That's cool, but theundervalued skill is this skill
of learning video marketing andlearning how to get inside a
brand and create content thatactually does convert in a way
that you may never haveunderstood prior to that.
So I think that's a reallyclear message that hopefully
(48:07):
people have taken by listeningtoday Hopefully.
Well, fingers crossed.
If not, I hope they had a goodtime.
We'll see you later, if that'sokay.
Yeah, that's fine, but thankyou so much for your time, gemma
.
It's been really, really nicetalking to you and we can't wait
to see how this all unfolds foryou.
So all the details will be inthe show notes.
Go along, hit, follow, followthe journey.
If If you've got any requests,then hit Gemma up, because I
(48:30):
think that would be reallyhelpful, and if you're a content
creator that is willing tosupport her in her journey, I
reckon I'd be dropping in theDMs there as well.
Speaker 3 (48:38):
Yes, let me know, because if you work with us from
the start, we'll pay you oneday.
Speaker 1 (48:42):
Okay, that's the way it's got to be and that's fine
If you like that from the start.
I think people respect whatthat looks like because it just
means that it might be.
You send them a sample pack orsomething every so often and
they get to try it and test it,and then you get that real-time
feedback.
So I think you're doing theright things and I look forward
to seeing it unfold.
Thank you, pleasure Sweet.
Good job Shit podcast.
(49:03):
I've got so many good ones too.
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