How three Black entrepreneurs made authenticity the name of their game
In college you’re trying to navigate a seemingly endless workload, make memories with friends old and new, all while embarking on a journey toward getting to know yourself and becoming an adult. While social media can blur the lines of reality for some, three women at the University of Maryland use social media to tell a genuine story of who they are and inspire others to do the same.
With your online presence being more important now than ever before, buzzwords like branding and image take on a new meaning in this digital world. Since 2010, Google Search queries for “personal branding” have steadily increased with Maryland being the eleventh most popular state for the term.
With hundreds of books and a multitude of plenty more search results, there is no one singular definition of a personal brand. The first step in creating a brand is just getting started.
Creating meaningful content
Jeyla Brown, a lifestyle blogger and self-taught hair stylist and lash tech, had what she calls “a spiritual awakening” right before the pandemic began. As she posted inspirational quotes and documented her personal growth journey, she noticed how often people would interact with her posts, remarking how relatable they were.
“I was trying to put out more meaningful content than just selfies or a coffee mug," Brown said. “When I got that engagement, I was like ‘well maybe I could just turn it into a page itself.’”
Her Instagram-based blog, Jeyla Brown (@jeylabrown), is her creative outlet dedicated to documenting all the different aspects of her life: relationships, hobbies and just everyday life. She also enjoys sharing motivational content for other people. Brown places a special emphasis on stories being how we learn from one another and push through adversity.
With being home due to the pandemic, she redirected all the time she’d spend physically attending classes or being in the office to creating content on her blog. The extra time also afforded her the opportunity to start J Bunny Beauty (@jbunny_beauty), her hair and nails side hustle.
“You don’t know you’re good at something until you give it a try,” Brown said. Being young and in college for Brown has meant experimenting and picking up new hobbies.
Sharing what you’re passionate about
Much like Brown, Sidney Gray was embarking on her own journey of growth when Fitness With Sid (@fitnesswsid) was created. After tearing her ACL in her junior year of high school, she had two options: get surgery or get in shape.
It’s not like Gray wasn’t athletic: she swam in elementary school and played basketball in middle school and high school. But she wasn’t as strong as she wanted to be. She found a love for weightlifting while taking an exploratory class that same year. She started asking for help outside of class with her form from teachers and peers. Soon, she was working out so much that it became an addiction, especially after seeing the results she was looking for.
Friends and other classmates saw Gray’s consistency and sought her out for tips and advice. She started the page to post her progress, but also to be a resource to the other women and younger girls who wanted to learn more about fitness and nutrition. At the time, she didn’t feel comfortable training people though.
“If I was going to provide something, it was going to be the best even though of course, I didn’t have every single thing to really be the “best trainer,”” Gray said. “I just knew I had to put myself out there and then just tweak whatever along the way.”
Just getting started is that much harder when you’re sharing your genuine interests with others on a platform where likes and comments can mean everything. Not getting caught up in all the numbers is an ongoing battle for Joelle Everett, style curator and creator of Fits By Jo (@fitsxjo).
Fits By Jo was birthed out of a conversation Everett had with a friend about creating an Instagram account to post outfits and inspiration from day to day. Everett would get dressed for class or a social function and snap a quick picture in her full body mirror before stepping out.
Over time, Everett found support after discovering there is an entire community dedicated to making fashion more accessible and intentional for the average person.
“People are doing this and putting time into it. It’s just a little more elaborate than what I’m doing so let me go the extra mile...be more thoughtful with my looks,” Everett said.
Knowing not all judgment is bad
Instead of being able to start new hobbies and passions during the pandemic, Everett found it difficult to continue doing what she loved without being able to go anywhere. Slowly though, she “made time to put on something other than sweats” and found herself stepping outside of her comfort zone when it came to the content she produced.
Everett created content ranging from teaching her followers how to use color theory to spice up their looks to encouraging sustainability by way of thrift shopping. But with this new content came the ruminations about what other people thought of her.
“We’re human, so naturally you’re going to care what other people think, especially if you’re putting yourself out there,” Everett said. When it comes to sharing her outfits and clothes, there are definitely moments when it gets to her, she continued.
“But at the end of the day, I just always have to ground myself and remember I’m doing this for me because I like what I have on, and I just want to show it,” Everett said.
Building a personal brand isn’t about getting the most likes or even trying to put out the best version of yourself; but about just doing it and being courageous enough to share your interests, hobbies and talents with others. Taking that first step is always the hardest part, but here are a few more tips and tricks to get you on your way to tailoring your personal brand.