So you wanna BECOME AN INFLUENCER. Let’s talk about your WHY.
Earlier this week, we talked about unlearning the two top reasons people want to be an influencer: followers (aka fame), and sponsorships (aka money and perks).

Most people want the lifestyle. But let me give you a scenario here.

Let’s say you wake up one morning with a million followers and your calendar can’t even contain sponsorship opportunities you’re getting. How would you use your voice and platform to make an impact on everyone who is following your content? How would they leave your post better than when they stumbled upon it?

If your WHY isn’t clear to you now, fame and money will only amplify who you really are as a person. It will either manifest, or expose you.

I was overjoyed to hear all of your reasons to get into the influencer industry on Instagram! I love that a lot of you want to empower and inspire people, because I surely didn’t think about that when I got started bc I grew my following from going viral back in 2013.

With that said, let’s expand on the empower and inspire part. I’ll give you a mini assignment:
Write about 5 reasons why being an influencer is important to you.

I want to become an influencer because __________.

It could be something personal. It could be something world-changing. As long as it’s true to you. Here are some of mine:

• I am an influencer because I want to empower people to live a lifestyle of purpose and tap into their full potential as a human being.
• I am an influencer because I want to give people hope that they can rise above their low seasons and their circumstance.
• I am an influencer because adulting and life is hard, and no one should go through it alone or without practical tips.
• I am an influencer because I want to help underprivileged youth, especially in the third world countries, and provide them with resources they need to get educated and get their families out of poverty.
• Finally, I am an entrepreneur because I want to build a business and a legacy for my family and future children that’s built on integrity and values, and reliant solely on my hard work and grit, not based on the say of an employer.

If you can’t come up with 5, that’s okay!

Here are some questions you can answer for yourself:

1. What makes you come alive? What makes your eyes light up? What makes you forget to eat?
2. If you were given the chance to do something that you love and not worry about a paycheck, what would it be? What task would you do for free?
3. What are you willing to struggle for?
4. If you could teach a younger you, what will you teach yourself that you never learned growing up?
5. What would people say about you at your funeral? How do you want to be remembered?

Once you have answers to these questions, your WHY will…

• Provide you with more clarity on your mission statement and your purpose, both for yourself and for someone else.
• Radiate in almost every single post you create, and every time people come to your platform, this is what they will see.
• Calibrate you back to the right direction when you feel lost or you feel like giving up.
• Make this influencer journey worthwhile and never feel like a job.
• Challenge you to be more purpose-driven than looking at the numbers or the results.
• Give you a bird’s eye view of the potential you could take your business one day and expand it beyond Instagram, or even the internet.
• Inspire you to keep expanding ways you could provide value and solutions for people.
• Keep you grounded as your platform grows because you decided to lay down your foundation with integrity and authenticity.

And! If you get your why right, and let that be the driver for everything you do? Guess what? The followers and sponsorships are just on the other side.

Want to go even deeper? Here’s some extra credit for ya.

Read “Start with Why” by Simon Sinek.

I’m sure some of you are new to reading self-development and leadership books, but trust me when I say that it will be the best investment you could ever do for yourself. When my old boss gifted me a leadership book, it flipped the switch for me to relentlessly find my purpose. Like they always say, not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers. Take a jab at it!

Next week, we’ll talk about your AUDIENCE. Knowing who your audience is will give you your HOW (aka how you’re going to make your content and provide value). I’m also gonna be doing something exciting for y’all next week, so tune back in!