Selling to Gen Zs & Securing Brand Deals with Tiara Willis

Speaker A: Welcome to the Freedom Slay Podcast where entrepreneurs, wantrepreneurs and other passionate peeps come to fast track their success. If you're trying to make boss moves, hit that subscribe button. You don't want to miss out on any of the goods because every week you're gonna hear the behind the scenes realty from people making ginormous leaps to grow their business. And as a result, you're gonna get the tools that you need to slay your own business goals. If you want to create a life of time and financial freedom, all while doing the things that you absolutely love, you're in the right place because we can't make an bank ground here. My name is G. Jones, your host and ah, freedom slayer in charge here. Let's begin. Welcome or welcome back to the Freedom Slay Podcast. In this episode we're going to be talking all about Gen Z culture, how to sell to Gen Z's as well as how to negotiate and secure a brand deal. What does it look like and feel like being an influencer and how do you get those deals that make your bank pay attention to you? Right, we're talking about that with the influencers influencer Tiara Willis. And she speaks from the heart really just from her personal experiences. And what I love about who she is and what she's done is that uh, she's been doing this before it was even a, ah, thing. She's been an influencer since the age of 14. She's now 21. But she became the face behind so many beauty and makeup influencer campaigns and really the voice for women of color and beauty. And that used to be her Twitter handle, actually. Women of color in beauty. Tiara saw an enormous gap when searching online for beauty and inspiration and she started working just to eliminate that gap and empower women of color, you know, just to own their beauty. This created her influence initially and her tenacity and just drive to really empower the community just really pushed her to where she is today. She's now at half a million followers across her platforms. Like I said, She's 21 now and she's a licensed esthetician and internationally renowned as the beauty and skincare influencer who worked with people like, well, people companies, I should say like Cerave and Nissan and Target, l' Oreal Ulta Beauty, Popsugar, Garnier Green Labs, Paula's Choice Topicals, Harvard University, Burt's Bees and all the people, all the companies. And multiple collaborations as well with Twitter and Twitter Spaces, Instyle magazine. She's Done all the things. She's been in Forbes and on Elle and Yahoo News and Popsugar and everywhere you can imagine. So you're gonna learn a lot. She's 21, but she's gonna drop you all the gems as if she has an MBA and been doing this for 21 years. Okay, so let's dive into this episode, and I'll chat with you on the other side. Hey. Hey, Tiara. How are you?

Speaker B: I'm okay. How are you?

Speaker A: I am good. I'm excited to have you on. Like I told you before, we.

Speaker B: Thank you.

Speaker A: Like I said before we hopped on, I've been following you a while on Twitter. I was actually confused at first. When I first started following, you had, like, 17 or something on your title, and I'm like, no way is she that young? I couldn't believe it. So, um, I'm really excited to chat with you now. I know you're 21 now, but really excited to chat with you today.

Speaker B: Yes. Thank you so much. I'm excited.

Speaker A: And I shared a bit about who you are in the intro or the episode, but are you able to share just the moments that shaped who you are and what you're doing today?

Speaker B: Yeah. So basically my background is when I was 14, I started a platform called Makeup for Women of Color. And basically the reason that I did that was because at the time, it was kind of difficult to find products and representation in the beauty space with girls that looked like me. And I started wearing makeup around that same time. My mom didn't let me wear makeup till my 8th grade graduation, but I had also been researching a lot of stuff. Like, I grew up in the age of YouTube, so I was always watching makeup tutorials. So I felt like by the time I was allowed to wear makeup, I was ready. And so I had a lot of my friends and, like, a lot of different people asking me for advice. So I was like, well, why don't I just make a whole page for it so then you guys can go look at it? So with that, it just grew really fast. Within, like, three months, I had already hit 10,000 followers. And I think it was just because at that time, it really felt a need because it really just was not a lot of information out there. Like, this was a time where foundations came in, like, eight shades, and maybe, like, one or two of them were for black and brown people. So what the page was was just a hub of, like, where to find products for us. What makeup looks can we have? Because also in advertisement, we just didn't see a lot of representation. So I started that. And then throughout high school I decided I was going to not go to college. I was going to graduate early and that I was going to pursue this as a career. I figured I do want to still do something after high school, maybe take graphic design or business school. Class is something that would add to my platform. So I decided to go to aesthetic school because one, I wanted to know how to treat the skin under the makeup. I really started wearing makeup because I was dealing with acne and dark spots. So one, I kind of wanted to go selfishly to like figure out how to clear my skin. And then also I wanted to go because I wanted to have a license to do makeup because I was also doing some freelance work. So going to setting school, I learned so much about my skin and I was always, you know, live tweeting the things that I learned. I'm um, someone that does not gatekeep information. So I really like to share my brain with my audience. So I was always posting about things. I was learning about skincare and treatments and different things like that and people really gravitated towards it. So even though my platform has changed and gone with the waves, the main point is still being educational. So now in this new kind of transition of mine is kind of giving people advice on the things that I learned throughout the past seven years as a content creator. Because I got my first check from a brand when I was about 15 years old. I think my first year in I had no idea what to do with it. And my parents are pretty annoyed because it was like this whole thing like what do you do with a teenager that isn't even old enough to have their own bank account? And it's getting, you know, thousands of dollars from different brands. So it was definitely a lot of trial and error figuring out taxes, figuring out how to read a contract. I did not come from that background of financial literacy, anything like that. Most of you, my family did not go to college, they went to work. So it was definitely new for a and I think for a lot of black and brown kids it's also like that where we just did not come from college educated family or just did not work in that field. So it was definitely a learning process. So now my goal in 2023 is helping other creators who uh, are also dealing with the same thing. I think with social media it's a very powerful place and a lot of people are gaining success overnight, especially young people. Gen Z and have no idea don't have the resources that they need to really advocate for themselves. So we're see seeing a lot of low balling and predatory brand deals and things like that and creators just having no idea what to do. I get so many messages from kids who have like millions of followers and are making zero money from it. Um, I don't have management representation, don't have an agency. And if they do have an agency, they're not getting the deals that they want or just not feeling properly represented. So that's kind of my goal for 2023 is really advocating for them. And so I'm launching a masterclass that kind of touches on all of those things. And throughout the year I'm going to provide, you know, more research resources for creators like myself and really just teaching them the things that I wish I knew earlier. But yeah, so that's kind of what this year is going to be about. So I'm really excited about that.

Speaker A: Oh my goodness. So many things to touch on on what you said just now. First of all, as uh, you were speaking, I'm like, oh, I hope you have actual like the resources like you said for these people. I'm like, I hope you have something paid for them to take. So when you said masterclass, I'm like, yes, okay, you're g something because they are coming. And I'm sure it can be overwhelming even for you with so many people coming to you asking you these questions. So to have it all in one space is super convenient. But you mentioned growing up during the time of YouTube. I still consume YouTube a lot. Do you watch it at all anymore or are you like off of YouTube and just on TikTok right now?

Speaker B: I feel like I'm definitely on TikTok right now. And it's funny too because all the YouTubers I used to watch are now on TikTok anyway. So I definitely think TikTok is the place to be right now. I think just in general for humans, our attention span has just only decreased. So TikTok is giving that short form content we're constantly getting, you know, that rush of dopamine by seeing content all over again and just getting really addicted to your for you page. So I'm definitely amongst those people that are, uh, on TikTok way too late. And you know, you get that message where it's like, okay, you've been on here a little bit too long, time to take a break. Like I get those all the time and I just like scroll right past it. So I definitely think social media just like in general has changed A lot. I remember, you know, MySpace, it's not a thing anymore, but it used to be huge and things are just changing. And then also these platforms like YouTube and Instagram are coming out with new features, trying to emulate TikTok, because they know it's the number one app right now. And it's also beat Google when it comes to SEO. And people are no longer looking up things on Google, they're typing them in on TikTok. So it's really the biggest platform right now. And I think we're for a good reason. Mhm.

Speaker A: Especially. Well, not even just Gen Zs, because a lot of people are on TikTok. And I appreciate what you said too, because YouTube has their shorts, Instagram has created the reels. And yeah, they are realizing that the short form content is where it's at. But the reality is you were an influencer before it was even a coin term. Like how did you deal with that? How did that feel at uh, 14, 15, getting your first check. But at 14, when you started getting this attention for the information, you knew.

Speaker B: I think one, it was definitely a little bit difficult because when you're an influencer, when you're a creator, I think one thing people don't understand is that you're now a business owner. And so being a business owner at 14 is definitely scary and intimidated. And you know, I'm in boardrooms or phone calls with people a lot older than me, twice my age, that know so much more than me and are looking to me for content or for advice or just talking about me. So it was definitely a little bit intimidating, but it was really a time where I just matured a lot faster and I think I experienced a lot of growth. And I was very open to being uncomfortable because I find that when you're in spaces that are uncomfortable or you're around people that know more than you, it's really good opportunity for growth. So I'm definitely grateful for the experience that I've had. And you know, I kind of grew up on the Internet in a way. Like my followers saw me start high school, graduate early. At 16, they graduate Aesthetic school. So it's definitely been a ride. And you know, I think with all creators, dealing with hate comments is really difficult, but I think it definitely taught me to have tough skin. And then it also gave me a little bit of media training as well. And so I've also been able to handle it a lot better and really make sure my, you know, social media experience is curated to be a safe space for Myself. So it's definitely been interesting growing up online. But again, I'm very grateful for the opportunity because I know a lot of people don't have that. Mhm.

Speaker A: That's such a great point. And you mentioned the hate comments. I've obviously seen that my platforms aren't as big as yours, but we have platforms and I see people just being sidetracked by those negative comments. You can have 100 positive ones, but that one negative one grasped your attention. How did you deal with that?

Speaker B: It's hard. I definitely remember days where, you know, maybe a tweet was misconstrued or people interpret my tone incorrectly. So the entire day I only got hate comments and seemed like, like my notifications were just people going back and forth and it was just a hot mess. So it definitely would give me a lot of anxiety. So I knew just to like take a break and then also make sure to filter my notifications to where it didn't seem as overwhelming. And then also trying to figure out what's worthy of being addressed and what's not. And then also I think knowing how to apologize or take something down, so it's hard to deal with, but just trying to remember all the love that I get and trying to stay positive and also doing things that I know could be harmful to myself. So I don't Google my name or look myself in blogs or things like that because I'm just. I know I might find some things that are hurtful. People have made rumors about me that are not completely true. And if I didn't look myself up, I probably wouldn't have Reddit. But it is kind of tempting. But it is hard to kind of just ignore people because it's true that majority of my online experience is positive, but the amount of hate comments that I would get is still abnormal when it comes to regular human experience. So I tell people, like, in your lifetime you probably maybe have 10 people say something really nasty or rude to you, but online it can be hundreds for a day. Even though you have thousand positive comments, it's still like hundreds of people saying really rude and negative things to you. So it definitely can take a toll. And I don't think it's something that you ever get used to. I think a lot of people, when they see other celebrities or influencers respond to hate comments, they're like, oh my gosh, if I was in that position, I wouldn't be saying anything. But it's one of those things where if you're not in it, you're not There. It doesn't matter how tough your skin is, it still hurts. And I think we all as creators can, um, get caught up in the hate and things like that. But really just trying to stay positive and trying to focus on the love and trying to ignore the hate and making sure to block people and adjusting your settings to make sure you don't see words in your notifications that you don't like. I mean, really just customizing your experience for online to be a safe space. And again, I feel like you should not be afraid to block people. Sometimes online people, like, make a thing on, like, this person. So many people block. That's bad. And I'm like, why not? It's your platform. Yeah. Why can you get to customize it the way you want? I mean, that's kind of the whole point, that those features are there to ensure your safety, to make sure you're comfortable. So I don't see why you shouldn't use those features that are available to you.

Speaker A: Such great advice. And I love that you shared that, that, you know, you aren't looking yourself up, even though it can be tempting. It's just so frustrating because you're like, it's these people who don't know who you obviously follow, or maybe many of them probably don't. They've seen this post and they have a comment. But it's just interesting to know. I always wonder, like, how were you brought up where you just want to just attack without knowing somebody or their intentions behind a post or anything. It's just. It's an interesting world we're living in, but it's also the gift where you are able to share your message to such a large audience. So I can definitely see how it's a gift and a curse for sure. Now, I have a question for you, and I'm going to have to read this one because it's a list of people. Okay, so you worked with some huge names. You have Sarah V. Nissan, Target, l', Oreal, Ulta Beauty, Paula's Choice, Burpees, Harvard University, and a whole lot more. Right. And when these companies then begin coming to you? Because I know you said you had your first check at 15, but when did the larger ones start reaching out to you?

Speaker B: So, uh, what I did in the beginning of my career was one, I made sure that the content I made was marketable. So making sure to tag different brands and really staying on top of, you know, talking about products, especially, you know, ones that I genuinely like. And also making sure to highlight or retweet or anything like that. The experience that my audience would have so say, like, I'm talking about an ointment and I really post and rave about that. And then my audience also feels the same way. So making sure to boost that content as well, and then having that organic content, that brand natural brand affinity also gave me the opportunity or the leg up to write a pitch. So in the beginning of my career, I heavily pitched and I heavily networked. So now I'm kind of at the point where I've made so many different relationships that the brand deals come a little bit easier to me. And that's one of the things I talk about in my masterclass, is where, you know, a lot of creators feel like they're not being reached out to brands or like they're just don't know anybody or don't know even how to get started. And what I tell them is that you need to start doing some outreach. You need to start pitching yourself. You need to start connecting with the corporate world and LinkedIn and things like that. So I think for me, very early on I was getting brand deals or at least in communication with very large companies. Even when I was in high school, I was leaving school early to go do photo shoots with Maybelline and things like that, because I really pitched to them and I really made sure to like, build a relationship with the brand manager. So very early on I was, I guess dealing with the big shots, you would say. But I definitely think a lot of that came from organic content online. But then also making sure to pitch myself and then also nourishing the relationships that I built with people working at these brands or these corporations.

Speaker A: Mm. You've had drive in high school that I don't know many young folks have. Right. So that's something special that comes with you as well. I want to help the listeners out a bit, the freedom slayers, I call them, because we mentioned pitching them and networking. But what would you say are, uh, the must haves or must do things that they have to have or do when they're approaching for brand deals?

Speaker B: One thing I would say that you definitely have to have is making who you are very clear. So there's a lot of influencers and creators out there, and at some point they can all look the same. But one thing I tell people to state is, you know, what your mission is. What are you adding to this platform outside of just talking about products? What difference are you trying to make on here? What is something that you're doing that's bigger than Yourself. I think for me that was a big leg up because it was like, oh, not only do we love Tiara and her content, but we also love what she stands for and that's something that we want to be a part of. So making sure your mission statement is clear and what you look to add to, to the audience and why would the brand benefit from working with you? And then also making sure that you have your track record. So talking about the brands that you are, uh, already worked with in the past and the publications maybe that you've been in. And then also making sure to include your analytics and things like that. And then also giving examples of the content that you create. So I tell people the most critical part in your pitch is having content already set up. So think of all the brands that you want to work with and kind of create almost not a vision board, but you want to be a copycat in the sense you want to study what the brand's already like and what they're already posting. So say if I want to work with Nike, who commonly has a lot of, you know, high res images, I want to make sure the content that I post organically is kind of in line with that. Or maybe I want to work with the beauty brand that likes to use a lot of trending sounds and something that's more relatable. Of course, I want to make sure that my content is already in, aligned with that. And when you write that in your pitch and you include those images or at least have it linked, they're already gonna see that you guys are kind of aligned. So not only in your pitch you wanna properly represent yourself, but then also in the content you create, you wanna show that there's some alignment there. Cause brands wanna see what kind of content that you're gonna make for them. Um, in this deal.

Speaker A: Love that. And what I got from that is you're creating customized pitches too. Because what Nike's interested in, we had Sonya Richards ross, who's for 20 years, um, she's an Olympic champion and real housewife, but she was on the podcast as well. Her episode My Life Today. So what you're sharing to them isn't going to be the same as what you will share for a, uh, glossier, you know what I mean? Like they're going to be different. So I love that you shared that you're going to be doing your homework and looking at what they want and also sharing your difference. And for those of you listening, understand that this is across the board. So yes, if you're an influencer. And you want yourself to stand out from other people. You have to share how you're different. But even when I'm pitching my products or speaking to different mass retailers about my products, they want to know how they're different.

Speaker B: Right?

Speaker A: And you have to be able to, whether you have a product based business, a service based business, or you are your business as an influencer, you have to be able to separate yourself and share what makes you different. And oftentimes people share the same story without realizing it, especially skincare brands and skincare influencers. Right. And it's doing your homework to see what others are saying so that you can separate yourself. Because everyone these days are saying natural ingredients, uh, that they had some type of skin care issue and uh, from that they wanted to create their own. How are you standing out from that? You know, so really pulling away from the generic box that many people are in and really helping yourself stand out. So I'm glad you mentioned that. And earlier in this conversation you shared how, you know, you weren't financially literate, obviously coming out of high school knowing how to deal with this money that's coming in all of a sudden. And as well as your parents and everyone and the reality people, especially us, uh, as black women, we're often undercharging for our products or services or for ourselves. Right. When we're providing value through ourselves through influencer marketing. So how did you combat this and what advice do you have for others who are trying to figure out their pricing? Because pricing is always something seems so mysterious. You know, occasionally you have people that will hop on TikTok or have a YouTube short or video sharing. This is how my, you know, I got in a brand deal. Don't accept anything less than this. But what's your tips for that?

Speaker B: I would say my advice for coming up, uh, with rates and I talk about this in the class also is one kind of asking around what other people are getting. So not only do I tell people to network with these corporations and these brand managers, but also create a community within your niche. So I would constantly message different influencers asking them about that. Of course you know, they cannot disclose exactly how much things like that, but kind, kind of asking around and finding out that way. And then also too in the class I kind of give a little formula, um, that you can have to kind of break down that you can use in general. And then I also think just knowing your worth and also comparing to what you got in the past. So think about, okay, this brand originally offered me this much M. And then keeping in mind that with a lot of these brands are offering you the, the end of the budget. So for example, I've had a brand come to me with an offer of $1,000. Really the max of the budget was 10. So it's been things like that where you always just want to make sure to ask for more and then think of what your standard price would be like, okay, I'm not going to take less than this, ask for more than that. So then you can of course negotiate down. And then also too, I find with how high you go, the brand is honest in being like, okay, we can actually only afford this much. So I definitely think knowing how to negot and kind of playing around with numbers and then also saying in your response like, hey, this is how much Tiara normally makes in this campaign or this is what her past partnerships have been, um, I definitely think gives you a leg up. But really it's just the art of negotiation and just making sure to ask for more. And then you can normally negotiate your way down but never accept the first deal. I made that big mistake so many times in the past where a brand offered me money that I could never even dreamed of. And I said, oh my gosh, yes, I'd love that. That's a big mistake. Because I know looking back, I could have made three times, 10 times more than that. And that's just been my experience is to just what I say is just never take the first offer. Because these brands especially the advertising budgets can be millions of dollars and they have it. And then also thinking about too the size of these corporations. So. So brands like l' Oreal or Unilever have these massive conglomerates. Parent companies normally have a bigger budget than your mom and pops. So you can also think about how even though a brand may appear smaller, you should do your research and seeing if they were acquired by a large parent company because normally that means that their ad budget is bigger.

Speaker A: Mhm. There's some great advice and I love that you mentioned that piece about negotiation. I had a mentor one time tell me that the very first offer you get, whether, ah, that's for a job, whether that's for any type of brand, deal, anything, it's never the highest. They expect you in fact to negotiate up, which is why they tend to lowball the first offer because they're expecting you to go up higher. So I love that you shared that and I want to switch gears a bit because I know you know all things. Gen Z being a Gen Z yourself, but also just interacting and working on behalf of gender Gen Z's for so long. Right. And um, what do you think companies and marketers are really missing or getting wrong when it comes to just attracting and keeping the attention of the Gen Z consumer?

Speaker B: I think with Gen Z they are spending more time in their phone with their friends and family. So they want the experience that they're having on their phone to kind of replace that feeling. So they want to have content that is relatable, that is funny, that feels like they're on FaceTime with someone. So I think one thing that a lot of these brands miss is that they're too professional, that they're too scripted, that they're too, you know, something that you would see on tv. People are not on their phone to watch a commercial that they would watch on tv. They're there to get the best tips from someone that feels like their sister or their girlfriend, someone that makes them laugh or someone that inspires them. That's the kind of feeling that they want to get. They want to feel like, this is what I would feel like if I was having a friendship, something that brings me joy, something that gives me fulfillment that I'm genuinely interested in. So what I tell, uh, people especially because I've had people come to me owning a brand or dealing with the marketing side of it, like, what do you guys like? And I'm like, okay, let me see your page. And I see it's super like high quality images, sure, that they spent millions of dollars on. And I'm like, people don't want to see that. People want to see like driving my Chevrolet to go get Starbucks. This is why I, um, love my Chevrolet. Like that's what they want to see. They don't want to see the Chevrolet like spinning around in the mountains and stuff. Nobody cares about that. They want to see things that they can relate to, something that will keep them on the app. So you definitely also want to make sure that your content is not scrollable. You want it to be something that's engaging, something that has a strong hook, something that's going to make it me watch it from the beginning to the end. So something that has a story or something that I can be inspired by or something that I know is going to be funny from beginning to end or I'm going to learn from this when I watch it. It should not feel like, like a TV commercial. It should feel something like I would get from talking to a friend of mine.

Speaker A: Oh, that's such great advice. I Love that you shared that. Because I think even the smaller businesses, many of the smaller businesses, when they think of putting together that curated Instagram page that was popular like 10 years ago, they think everything has to be matchy matchy and super high quality photos and all of these things, rather than giving it to, to their audience the way they themselves would like to receive it on their page. So I love that you shared that to just really, it's all about authenticity when it comes to Gen Zs. Right? Like they don't want to feel like they're being sold anything. At the end of the day, it seems as if it's just like, show me something that you genuinely love or if it is your brand, show me why I should genuinely love it. I'm glad you were able to break it down like that. And you've collected or amassed, I should say, so many followers up until this point. You're at almost like half a million or at half a million at this point. I know you said in three months you were at 10,000. Were they like constantly growing from there or have you had a few viral posts that's really just took off for you?

Speaker B: I think it's a mix of things. I think just definitely over time it's grown a lot. But there are definitely viral moments that not only brought like really good engagement, but also brought value and something that would add to someone's lives. So one thing I get complimented on just specifically for me and my content is just how educational it is is so when people recommend, you know, my page to their friends, they're always like, hey, follow Tiara because you're going to get really good advice for this. Or like, I know you have problems with your skin, girl, like, follow her. I get all my advice from her. When I meet people in person, they tell me like, girl, me and my friends have all your tweets in our group chat, sending screenshots and things like that. So for me and my audience, people follow me or stay around because they know that they're gonna learn something. Mhm.

Speaker A: And I can attest to that too because I started following you because someone shared a tweet and I'm like, okay, this is good stuff. And then, and my skin was fine at that point. But then when Covid hit, I started getting masking and I saw your post. I'm like, oh my goodness. I was hearing and saving all the things, so I can definitely resonate with that for sure. And what does your team look around like, around you? I know, like, do you have Your agent? Do you have your manager? Like, I know you have your PR folks. What does that team look like now?

Speaker B: Yeah, so I have management that deals with negotiations and sorting through things because I get a lot of offers and I just don't have the time to be like sifting through all of that. So I have that. And then I also have an assistant who is so amazing and helps me with emails and scheduling and then also just day to day errands and stuff. And then also have PR and things like that, dealing with press, things like this, podcasts and interviews and stuff like that. So that's my team. And then I also have an accountant who also does my taxes, but then also my year round bookkeeping. And then also I'm hiring contractors here and there for website design or local design and things like that. That. So it's definitely a mix of things. I have people that I'm constantly working with day to day or. And then I also would hire different contractors to do small jobs. And really what my philosophy is as a business owner is delegating. I've come to the realization that I just don't have the time. I wish I had to do everything and there's just not enough hours in the day and I would find myself constantly working and just also so missing out on a lot of things. I would miss a lot of opportunities. I would miss a lot of emails and responding super late because I was just getting so overwhelmed working on different things. And then also, you know, having a typical personal life. Like, even though I run a business, I am 21, I want to do regular 21 year old things. So what I've come to learn is hiring a team has been the best thing for me. And one thing my team says to me is like, girl, uh, I don't know how you were doing this this long by yourself. Like, this is crazy. Like, looking at my emails, I get an email like every two minutes. It's like, like insane. And I also need time to create things that are my bread and butter, right? Making my videos, making my Twitter posts, all that. But if I'm spending so much time on the miscellaneous things, I'm not getting opportunity to do that. And that's what's generating income in the business in the first place. So having a team that can deal with more of those things on the back end gives me one improved mental health and like also just not feeling overwhelmed. But then also financially benefits me because I'm spending more time, time, you know, on my craft and things that are generating income. That are the reason for the business in the first place.

Speaker A: Oh, my goodness, so many gems right there. And, uh, as you're speaking, I. First of all, I love that you mentioned a bookkeeper and accountant because that's something a lot of people ignore. And it's like, yes, girl, get those coins sorted. Because talk about those taxes, because they exist. The brand deals are coming and you also have to pay those taxes on those brand deals. So I love that you shared that and the fact that you're talking about delegating because that's something so many people have a hard time doing. They hold on to everything so closely. But you shared something. And I saw Lovey and she's been on the podcast as well. She shared something similar the other day where on her Instagram, she said she was trying to control those emails and answer them. And she realized that even if someone was to answer them late, let's say they're still going to do a better job than her because she was not getting to them know. So she's learning that delegation is where it's at. So I love that you mentioned that. And do you work with smaller brands any longer? Because I know you're not working with the big ones. Do you work with any smaller brands or any brands outside of the skincare space at all?

Speaker B: I think for me, when it comes to smaller companies, what I do is I'd rather just do something for free because I know that, you know, I minimum campaign rate is high because I have people, I have a team, I got to pay them. So speak on it.

Speaker A: Speak on it. That's the truth.

Speaker B: So it has to be a certain amount because I have people to pay. But I think when it comes to smaller companies, I'd rather just do it for free. I'd rather just send me something and if I like it, I will generally post about it. Don't worry about paying me because I don't want you to put you in an uncomfortable position. So that's kind of what I like to do. So I accept PR from virtually anybody, any small brand. And, you know, I get people tweeting me, please keep trying products. I'm like, absolutely, no problem. Just send them to me and if I like it, I'll talk about it. So that's kind of what I like to do. And then also my content in general is about uplifting other business owners. So uplifting other estheticians, small estheticians. A lot of people around the world are asking me, who's this? Who's that? So I'm also kind of constantly putting people on as the estheticians that I would trust or recommend. So I definitely think that's another piece where it's not about product based small businesses but also service based businesses as well.

Speaker A: Well mhm, that's great. And I love that you stay in that lane too because you're like, okay, I'm not trying to sell you this cap or talk to you about this cap on my head. Right. This hat. Because this is what I'm here for, the beauty space too. Let's talk about your masterclass because you've mentioned it a few times and I'm curious, when is it happening? What does it consist of? How often is it like tell me all the things.

Speaker B: Yeah, so with the classes we did a whole take. It's pretty long but it's a lot of different information and we made sure to break it up into sections. So what the class is going to talk about, I actually have the breakdown here that I can give you to make sure I know what I'm talking about is one, we're going to talk about creating your brand and then we're also going to talk about building a community and then we're also going to talk about networking and then we're going to talk about pitching and building credibility and then we're also going to talk about creating your rates and negotiations. So it's kind of going to be all around compensating on how to get a brand deal and how to even create a brand yourself and then also making sure you're getting paid properly. So it's going to come out about this month in um, a couple of weeks. It should be out hopefully February 21st is kind of what we're planning on.

Speaker A: Oh, that's my daddy's birthday. Oh, I'll remember that. Yeah. And is it like pre recorded where you have like it's like an E course or is it going to be live? E course.

Speaker B: Oh perfect.

Speaker A: So it's more so evergreen then so people can hop on and grab it whenever. So where can they find that when it is available? Because this is going to come out after the 21st of February for sure.

Speaker B: Yeah. So I think we'll know best on the platform is I'm definitely going to post it on social media exactly where it's going to be from. But I have to wait to get some more of those details.

Speaker A: Okay, no worries. I'll just have your team just send me the links and everything and I can be sure to include them in the show notes. So that everyone can click right through and get in all on it. Because I think that's. Yeah, I think that's dope. I know a lot of people that can benefit from that information. You know, a lot of times we think and can think, we can teach ourselves everything by going on YouTube or going on TikTok and doing all these things. Having it in one place though, from someone you know like and trust is completely different. So I love that you, you have done that and it's someone. I mean, you said you didn't go to college, but girl, you got an mba. Because the stuff you're speaking about, seriously, so many business owners don't know half the things you're talking about. Right? So I appreciate, appreciate that Even at just 21 years old, you're spitting game. Like you've been doing this for decades. And I love it, you know. So the final question I love to ask at the end of every single Freedom Slate podcast is what does freedom mean to you?

Speaker B: I think what freedom means to me, I think is feeling empowered. I think knowledge is everything. So for me, freedom feels like I'm in control and I can properly advocate for myself. That's what freedom feels like for me, where I have created a safe space and that I put work in that and I just feel in control of things.

Speaker A: Mhm. I actually have another question for you. I know this is supposed to be the last question, but what do your parents think now? Because I know you said at the beginning they're like, we haven't dealt with this. We're trying to figure out out, like what do they think? Like how do they explain what you do to their friends?

Speaker B: They're definitely proud of me and they also think that this is crazy, but they're proud of me and I appreciate them. Yeah. And it's been hard because some of it's a little bit challenging to understand and I had to definitely ask for a lot of help. But uh, my parents are proud of me and in the beginning I definitely think they were a little bit annoyed and overwhelmed. But now that I'm older and I kind of, you know, know what I'm. I have my own place, but I know that they're proud of me for sure.

Speaker A: Awesome. I love to hear it. Thank you so much for hopping on.

Speaker B: Thank you. I, uh, had a good time. Thank you so much.

Speaker A: I hope you enjoyed this episode. I know I did. Tiara knows a lot about of a lot and she really shared all the gems in this episode. And I hope you check out the masterclass again. The links are below in the show notes. And if you enjoyed this episode as much as I did, make sure you take a screenshot and take us over on Instagram. I'm at Gaynette of course that's g a y n e t e and uh, you can take Tiara over at the Tiara Willis over on Instagram and TikTok and it's spelled the T h e t ara is T I a r a and Willis is w I l l I s the Tierra Willis on Instagram and Twitter and TikTok all the places. And we'll chat next time. Bye bye. Okay. Okay. I see you, Freedom slayer. You stayed through to the end, which tells me that you likely enjoyed this episode list. If you haven't already, do your sister a favor by heading on over to the itunes store to leave a review for the podcast. It'll help others like you find a benefit from it. And look, it also helps with the rankings. Transparent AF I appreciate you.