| March 5th, 2018

Cashing In: The Age of the Social Media Entrepreneur

By: journeymagazine

Sorry parents, but your college graduate may not be working a traditional nine to five.

According to a recent Freelancer’s Union report, 53 million people don’t have traditional jobs, and a large part of that number are college-aged people.

Instead of your average desk job, many young people make a living by freelancing or being entrepreneurs, and social media is partially to thank.

Whether you have a small business, budding career dreams, or want to make some cash on the side, a person’s social media page can be used to promote products, garner a customer base, and even appeal to a niche market.

Average users are cashing in on their social media followings, and some Florida A&M University (FAMU) students and alumni have turned their profiles into successful business pages.

From Fame to Fortune

Caitlyn Davis, a FAMU senior biology student was on spring break when her life and social media following changed forever thanks to a picture her friend posted of her.

“Next thing you know, [the picture] went to another page and then boom boom boom boom, and the rest is history,” Davis said.

Courtesy of Caitlyn Davis

That history includes Davis gaining tens of thousands of followers after a simple picture of her was shared online. Within days, Davis’ Instagram name “caittheegreat_” became a household name in the college community. She now has more than 35,000 followers on Instagram.

Originally, she only used her platform to post pictures of herself, but she soon found out about social media advertising. Companies gave her free items in exchange for posting pictures with their items. However, it wasn’t until her friends told her she could make money from her popularity that things began to change.

“I just thought [companies] gave shirts, but apparently they give shirts and money,” Davis said. “Since my platform is getting bigger, I can actually start making money off of it.”

Courtesy of Caitlyn Davis

And that’s exactly what she did. Her company, By Cait the Great, manufactures clothing designed for college-aged people. While she still enjoys posting pictures for fun, Davis’ Instagram is now largely dedicated to her business.

The Business of Shoes

Anthony Castro is no stranger to selling products on social media. After working at Nordstrom Rack for almost five years, he got the idea to start his own women’s shoe store. He moved to Tallahassee, FL to benefit off the local college students but had no company appeal in the new city. So, he turned to social media to get customers.

“When I moved here, we had maybe 50 followers, and I would say half of them were family,” Castro said. “So, I went to [Florida A&M University’s] campus and [Florida State University’s] campus just to gage interest. To see how the students here would have felt if a new women’s shoe store would have arrived here.”

During those campus visits, Castro raffled off concert tickets. He entered interested student’s names in the raffle in exchange for social media followers. Before long, word started spreading about his business.

“From the raffle, we gained nine or 10 thousand followers. I almost feel like it was an epidemic,” Castro said.

Now operating under the name Pink Shoe Bag, the company has almost 30,000 followers on Instagram, and it was that popularity that helped him open his first physical store.

Courtesy of Kayla Parker

Customers can access the company’s site from its Instagram page, or they can shop in the store located in the Governor’s Square Mall.

Castro says posting pictures and videos of his store and shoe collection on social media is vital for his success because the fashion industry is a visual business.

“For my business, it’s really about the picture of the shoe,” Castro said. “Instagram helps me paint a picture of the store.”

The Social Non-Profit

Castro and Davis built a profitable business out of their social media successes, but Gladys Murray built a non-profit out of her fame.

Murray, affectionately known as Liv, obtained a large social media following thanks to her popularity on campus. But even in the mist of what appeared to be a nice life, Murray needed reassurance. To help motivate herself, she started a private blog that featured words of encouragement.

Courtesy of Gladys Murray

“I didn’t advertise [the blog] or tell anyone about it, but I would make posts to express myself constructively. Then one day, I decided to make it public and share it with the world,” Murray said.

Since going live, the blog has reached thousands of people, and Murray capitalized on the success.

After graduating from FAMU in 2015, she created the brand “Get Livted,” playing off her nickname and mission to uplift others. The company sells motivational shirts, and Murray continues to post blogs and motivational videos to encourage her visitors.

Money or Message?

Murray believes writing and uplifting others are a part of her purpose, which supports what some experts say is the reason for social media.

According to a study from GlobalWebIndex, many followers of popular YouTube vloggers don’t tune into the videos for the advertised products or services but watch for the life advice given by the vloggers. Only 12 percent of YouTube viewers surveyed said they watch vlogs to find out about new brands and products.

While social media has become a site to cash in on your talents and business skills, it’s clear that the original purpose of the sites still prevails.

Social media began as a way to connect people no matter their location( see the history of social media here), and one feature that people enjoy is the ability to see and hear about other people’s life experiences.

Regardless of her business, Davis says many people thank her for being a positive role model. The same is true for Murray, who has many followers who enjoy her words of motivation.

Thus, the question remains: Do social media influencers and entrepreneurs have an added job of being a positive example for the thousands of people they market to?

The answer is unclear, but what is clear is social media sites are no longer just places to see what your friends are doing.

Social media has created a new wave of entrepreneurs, who have given new meaning and method to the word business.