PHOTOGRAPHY // Erica Simmons
DRESS // ZARA -- BOOTS // MANGO -- TURTLENECK // /c/o Universal Standard
It feels good to be getting back to into the swing of things now that the New Year is here. For the last two weeks, I’ve been feverishly planning our content for the site and outlining the rest of the year.
That’s what January does. It makes you feel as if you have a clean slate and really pumps you up for the next 12 months. But the truth is, there’s nothing magical about January. Thank God for the perspective shift though. I certainly needed one.
While 2018 was a successful year for me, I have big plans for 2019. At first, I thought that I wanted to really level up as an influencer and do even more campaigns so I can make more money. But here’s the truth - the end goal is not to be a professional influencer, it’s to own a business.
To be clear, I understand I already do now. But I want to do less and make more. I want to focus on doing fewer things with bigger impact. I want my money to make itself whether I’m awake or asleep. I want to build something that doesn’t require me to touch it every time I need to profit.
Don’t get me wrong. Being an influencer is fun and lucrative to an extent - but certainly there’s more to come for MattieJames.com.
As far as business is concerned, I’m looking to get into creating my own products. There are so many ideas - some expected, some unexpected. I can’t wait to share with you. But in 2019, I decided to focus more on taking you guys more on that journey with me vs. outfit posts, tutorials, etc.
The content is still going to be there for sure, just with a lot more intent on documenting (vs. curated storytelling) and bringing you along for the journey.
Here are 5 things to expect from MattieJames.com and my business this year:
- More video. I struggled with this last year because I was so caught up in perfectionism and what everyone else was doing. It’s easier when I follow my own lead.
- More physical products. The mugs, shirt and planner will be back. Updating the online store to make the purchasing process as easy as possible. It’s been fun coming up with new sayings for the mugs and shirts. Plus, more. That’s all I can say.
- A couple of courses and a gang of FREE value + info for you guys. I didn’t launch once in 2018 and the courses were still valuable to you guys. Looking to update my strongest two and launch them a couple times this year.
- Platform/community for influencers. Something I’ve wanted to do for a while but was scared to do. Not anymore. More soon.
- More behind the scenes - how we make content for this site and bring campaigns to life is a team effort. Excited to share what that really looks like.
Just wanted to share what’s going on with your girl. I almost didn’t post this because I didn’t want to make premature announcement without any proof, but this post was necessary for accountability and transparency purposes. Besides, me and you have always had that kind of relationship.
Happy New Year, friends!