BIRD WILLIAMS: You're listening to Bird Means Business Episode 85. 

Hi there! And thank you for tuning in to Bird Means Business podcast. I'm your host, Bird Williams, and I am so glad you're here. I don't take it lightly that I get to share this space with you, my listeners. So thank you so much for tuning in each week. Today, you're in for a treat. I have fashion and beauty blogger Elly Brown on the show. And we cover so much ground. We talk about comparison and competition, about monetization, and how to make money as an influencer. And we talk about how we don't do it all. We share our content planning strategies and the tools we love to make it all happen. And we even talk about building our dream teams and so much more. Like I said, we cover a lot. And I know this episode will be so valuable to you on your business-building journey. 

So a little bit about my friend Elly. She's from Brazil and now lives here in Houston, Texas. And she loves to share her life, fashion, and beauty tips on her blog and on social media. Elly began her blog, which is called Uptown with Elly Brown in 2014 as a way to encourage and uplift women in all walks of life. She knows that the demands of motherhood can lead us to feel overwhelmed and lonely. So she wants you to know that you shouldn't have to navigate it all alone or sacrifice your style just because you're a mother. Seven years later, Elly has worked with brands like Nike, Baby Jogger, and Sigma Beauty. I met Elly years ago at our church and my husband and I became fast friends with Elly and her husband, Jordan. It has been so incredibly inspiring to see her and her business evolve over the years. And I can't wait for you to learn from her experience in our interview. 

Now, if you're new to the show, and you're wondering who I am, here's a little bit about me. I've been in the entrepreneurship game since 2013 when I launched my first business, which is called The League. It's a warehouse gym here in Houston, Texas. Back then, as a first-time business owner, I didn't know what I didn't know. And y'all I made so many costly and time-consuming mistakes. It was a hot mess, y'all. So when I launched Bird Means Business podcast, I wanted to be the resource I wish I had back then when I first started. Gosh, I would have saved so much money and so much time had I known these practical strategies that I share here on the pod now. So my goal is to break down complex or confusing aspects of business into practical strategies and actionable steps because you can do this. You can do it. And you don't have to do it alone. Now if you're looking to launch or grow any type of brand, there are four crucial pillars of business that you must get a handle on and I share all about them in my free masterclass is called The 4 Make or Break Keys to Business Building Success. You can go to birdwilliams.com/masterclass to watch and get ready to take tons of notes and gain the momentum you need to make all of this happen. I'll link the free masterclass in the show notes for this episode. All right, I won't make you wait any longer. Let's dive in. 

Elly, I'm so glad to have you on the show. Thank you so much for being here.

ELLY: Thank you for having me. I'm so honored. Thank you. 

BIRD: Yes, this is gonna be tons of fun. I know that I have listeners who are interested in blogging. And you've had such an incredible journey, which I want to hear a lot more about. And we can really just start there. Because I'd love to really hear about how it all started. How did you get into blogging? Was it organic, like it just happened? Or were you calculated in your approach? Let me know. 

ELLY: Um, a little bit of both. At the time, I was actually working at the church. And I was pregnant with my second, Colin, at the time. And you know, I've always loved fashion. And I've always loved beauty. And I've always loved playing with all of that stuff. And I at that time had followed a few fashion bloggers and I loved what they were doing. I love the creativity side of it. I knew that you could potentially make money at that time because that was six years ago. So it's been a while. It was one of those things where I'm like, you know what, I'm gonna be at home. Because I was transitioning from working to part-time and then being fully at home. And I didn't want to lose myself in motherhood. And so I thought you know what, I think this is going to be something fun, something that I can do for myself. Because I know I don't have the personality type where I can just sit at home. So it'll be something on the side, keep me busy. And yeah, I just went for it, really.

BIRD: Oh, I love that. I love that you said that about motherhood too because it's so true - not wanting to lose yourself and really trying to find something for you. It can be tricky, but it's important to be really intentional about it. So I love that you started that way. And I bet you could have never imagined it would turn into what it is today. So what did that route look like from those humble beginnings? Just try and step out to now having like a flourishing following. Was there, like a particular moment or a particular opportunity that really launched you forward?

ELLY:  You know, I think there are a lot of things, right? Baby steps. I mean, I went into not knowing what the heck I was getting myself into. Because I think a lot of people, you see the influencer, you see the pretty pictures on the end. But there's so much behind it. It is an actual small business because you're the CEO, you're the marketing director, you're the financial person, you're also thinking creativity. And I mean like you're wearing so many different hats. And I think even when I first started out, I really was just throwing up collages together. And it wasn't until a friend I think about a year and a half into it. She was like, you know what? you really need to be taking pictures and showing your outfits. And I was like, you know what, okay, fine, I'll do it. And then from there, it just progressed. And it's been an over, a day-by-day, a year-by-year thing where it's just slowly grown. And I think I didn't start making money until it was almost my third year into doing it, where you work with a brand. And then you're like, okay, cool. And then you start going from there. And here it is. And honestly, no, I think I dreamed of it being to where it's at now. And obviously, I have goals, and I have dreams, and I have bigger things that I want to do. But no, I don't think I envisioned where I'm at now, fully.

BIRD: That's really neat. So whenever you got to that, you said that first brand partnership you had, was it something that they approached you? Did you approach them? How did you navigate that? Were you nervous? Were you excited?

ELLY: I think it was a small brand that had approached me on Instagram. And obviously, it's exciting, right? Because you're like, "Oh my gosh! They like me enough to want to pay me." I mean, obviously, it's a huge thing. Even now, to this day, I pinch myself. There are dream brands that I have been able to work with that I'm like, my gosh. It's been truly a blessing to be able to enjoy what I'm doing and do something that I really like. Yeah, it's been crazy. It's been a fun ride.

BIRD: Wow, that's super neat. I love it. I work with some influencers who are navigating the whole brand partnership thing. And I know, that's a question that a lot of folks have. So I love that you brought that up.

ELLY: I think it's a mix of both, right? Even to this day, when you're thinking about on the influencer side. And you got to do a little bit of both. You come up with the ideas. You come up with content or whatever, an editorial pitch. And you pitch that to a brand if that's a brand that you want to work with, because I do that, too. I think it goes both ways. It's a little bit of both, probably about 50/50. But yeah.

BIRD: That's awesome. I love it. And was there a moment or even opportunity where it really launched you forward? Or where you even just felt something shift, even if it wasn't the number of followers or the money in the bank or just some kind of shift where it went from like, okay, this is getting real. This is really like you said three years in you started making money. Was that it when things just really started to pick up? 

ELLY: I don't know if I can pinpoint it to one specific moment, speaking on the sense of where obviously I'm a believer. The goal for me has always been much bigger than just clothes and just beauty. And I mean, yeah, that's a platform that I can use to bring other people in and to share my story and my testimony. But I think really for me, it may have been, and it is to this day, it's those moments where I have somebody who messages me and who opens up and shares that they've either gone through a miscarriage. And something that I said or when I opened up about a struggle or whatever, a journey or whatever is going on in my life currently or something in the past or whatever. I think those are the moments that for me that register more just because, again, the platform when using it again and again. It's for fashion and beauty, but I do believe that there's something much bigger. And so for me to be able to say I think it's been those moments where again, I've been able to open up and share something. And I've gotten a message where it was something that I said or something that they read that I shared or whatever it is that they open up and I'm able to really just have that one heart-to-heart on the private side that nobody really sees. So I think that for me, is more of those moments where I'm like, okay, I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing in this season. So I think that may be that moment more so for me. 

BIRD: Oh, that's beautiful. And I've definitely been there. I did an episode months ago on having freedom, flexibility, and fulfillment as a mompreneur. And a young lady who launched a gym, actually, was like, this meant so much to me. She sent me this long email. It was like all of the hard work that I put into this podcast. If it was just for her, made it so worth it. It made it feel so good. So you're spot on about how important it is to have that encouragement along the way.

ELLY: Yeah, it is. Because in the day where social media obviously can be a great thing. But it can also be very bad and a toxic thing. And I think, recently, because there's so many influencers, and it's such a saturated market, as well. And everybody cares about the numbers. And although, yes, the numbers are a metric for working with brands. I think, again, for me, at the end of the day, I have to keep myself grounded because I always tell myself, it's for that one person, that one mom, where it's something that I inspired them to wear, it was, again, something that I said, or it was through my testimony through my marriage, through my family, it's for that one. And so again, yes, the numbers matter in a way. But I always have to bring myself back to like, hey, it's for that one. If the entire journey is just for that one, then so be it. I have to be okay with that, right?

BIRD: And when you approach your business from that angle, as it's service. I tell my clients this all the time. That numbers are super important. You have to make that make sense for it to be sustainable. But if you really think about what I'm giving the world through my product or service, it's actually helping someone. You as a beauty blogger, lifestyle, fashion blogger, that's giving us confidence. There's no feeling like having on a great outfit, or your makeup done. You feel confident. And there's power in that. And there's so much goodness in that. And then you can then pour from a full cup and not feel so empty, right? So we all are doing, we're serving in some way. And if you can really key into that, and sit there, it'll make it all so much more fulfilling. I have been in entrepreneurship for so long. And I've seen so many small businesses fail simply because they're not taking that service approach. It's just all about the numbers. Or all about whatever else and not about who am I serving? How can I make their lives better and really thinking about that. So that's beautiful that you brought that up?

ELLY: Yeah, what movie is it? Is it I, Robot or Robots? It's a cartoon. Anyways. The dad in the movie goes, "See a need, fill a need." And that I always think about that, see a need, fill a need. 

BIRD: Yes. That's beautiful. I love it. I love how our kids' cartoon movies. We pull this wisdom from them. There's so many of them where I'm like, wow.

ELLY: Every single one, especially the Disney ones. 

BIRD: That's awesome. I love it.

So for anyone tuning in who's considering going into blogging. I love this question. Are there any limiting beliefs you had to overcome to get to where you are today? I imagine as a blogger, like you said, social media can be very toxic. So whether it's how you've navigated that. But any kind of limiting beliefs that you've had to overcome to really be able to flourish in your lane? 

ELLY: Oh, gosh, there's probably a lot. I think the top one would probably be I think it's easy for you to fall in that comparison trap to see what everybody is doing. And be like, okay, you know, everybody's doing this kind of real, or this kind of video or styling this product or this shirt. So everybody jumps on that bandwagon. And I think it's different for you to follow the trends and kind of in a way, with Tik Tok, you have all these trends in the videos that you do when they go viral. And I think, to a certain degree, yes. But I think and that goes back to being authentic and being you. I think it's hard. Again, especially I think social media has changed a lot recently, in the last year, year and a half with everything. It's hard to be you and feel like you're not offending anybody or saying the wrong thing. But I think really, the biggest thing is just finding yourself and being yourself in a place that's so saturated. And because as cliche it is, there's nobody else that's going to replace you. There's nobody else that can be you at the end of the day. So I think the biggest thing is just being true to yourself, I think because again, that comparison trap and doing what everybody else is doing. And because that went viral. Oh, I'm gonna do that. And like the whole thing, Instagram is now saying that they're a video platform. And everybody's freaking out because oh my gosh, I don't know how to do videos. Like if you don't want to do videos, then just don't do videos. That's okay. So I think it's that. Then again, six years into it. And I still have to remind myself like, hey, no, stay in your lane. Do what you know works best and what you know how to do and what to do. 

BIRD: That's great. There's so much to pull from that, especially what you said about your story being unique and there being no one else like you. And when you really sit in your story and you're showing up authentically there. There's going to be someone out there who relates you said, You've shared about having a miscarriage and the different parts of your journey. There's someone out there who's gonna relate to that and be able to connect with you. And that connection is really what you're going through. Not so much the medium, which is what you're talking about in terms of whether it's a reel or a video. It's going to come out. You're going to connect with people, regardless, as long as you're showing up authentically. And then on the comparison point. Ooh, my goodness. That is such a big one. And even in business when it comes to competitive analyses. So that's something that's, you know, important for a business plan, for example, to know where your competition is, where you kind of fit in the market. And you know, I teach that in my programs. But I also say that we've never focused on the competition, right? We're not thinking who's our... I can't tell you my biggest competitor in our gym, for example, you know. I'm not super focused there. I'm really focused on our unique value proposition which goes back to your story and who you are, what you're offering, how you're serving the people you're serving? And saying, how can I show up best in what I'm uniquely gifted to do, and focusing there as opposed to the competition. So that is just really woven into so many different aspects of business. And it's really important that we have to remind ourselves again, and again.

ELLY: It is. Because for me, I was just talking to my friend who we work together. And you know, just one aspect of fashion, there are so many people who share just basic items. Just t-shirts, and t-shirts, and t-shirts. And I love t-shirts. Don't get me wrong. But I'm like, can we breakthrough, push that a little bit? And I even made a comment, because you know, you'll see in this just being completely vulnerable here. It's hard for me as a content creator when I try to do something different. And because my style is a little bit more different. And again, it's not going to be for everyone. And that's totally fine. But you see the same t-shirt. Or you know, again, the Nordstrom sale is currently going on. And everybody's sharing the same t-shirt and the same sweater and the same cardigan. And everybody's doing so great at it. And you're like, well, I don't really like that cardigan, but it's gonna bring in the views. So I have to constantly remind myself like, hey, you don't really like that cardigan. Don't get the cardigan. Don't share the cardigan, because it's not you. And again, it's hard, being authentic and reminding yourself to stay in your lane and kind of put on those blinders. Like you said, not necessarily to completely be oblivious to that because you need to know the trends. You need to kind of need to know all of that. But in a way, you got to do what works best for you. I can't occupy somebody else's lane and try to be somebody else, because that's not gonna work. 

BIRD: Oh, my goodness, I love that you're bringing this up. It reminds me, not to make it too deep. But it reminds me of that scripture that's like, what does it profit a man to gain the world but lose his soul? I believe that about the sweater. Is it me? I just thought, how many times do we just compromise if we put on a mask and pretend to do something that we don't even really feel aligned to do. I know a lot of small business owners felt like they needed to do that in 2020. Things were really rough. And you're just chasing after all these bright shiny objects and opportunities that don't really align with your core values or aren't really apart or aligned with your vision. But it's money now, for example. But then you have to be able to sleep at night. You have to sit with that decision that's not going to just be in that moment, though it's going to affect you and your team months down the road. And so it's so important. It's hard for all of us, right? Because you got to make money. But then you want to also say like I feel good about what I do at the end of the day. That's truly important. 

So kind of going back to the talk on brand partnerships and business and monetization. So for anyone out there who's interested in pursuing blogging as a business, how do you monetize and turn your content into income?

ELLY: There's a number of ways. There's affiliate links. And through affiliate links, you've got a number of platforms: rewardStyle, Shop Style, Commission Junction. You've got a number of companies through the affiliate links. And for anyone who doesn't even know what an affiliate link is. To explain that, that's just a link that uses cookie tracking. And most of these URLs have, I don't know, an expiration, five minutes, 10 minutes, however long. And you know, when somebody purchases or buys something off that affiliate link, for example, me, I would make a percentage commission off of that. So you have that, which is probably the biggest way most influencers make money. Then you have ads on their websites. And ad is just an ad, obviously, on your website for those who have a website. And then you have brand partnerships. And there's different also income, you know. I know people who go out and speak and get paid to speak and to do that or to go to an event. There's a number of ways. But probably the biggest two would be affiliate links and brand partnerships, where a brand will pay you for XYZ and amount of deliverables, whether it's a blog post, Instagram post. Yeah, those are probably the two biggest ways.

BIRD: I love it. That's awesome. And I think that'll be really helpful. When I was actually coming up with the outline for this episode, my digital marketing assistant was chiming in. And she mentioned that when she was like, I'd love to know how they make money. I think it's so cool to see all of their posts and it's like, wow, this is awesome. But if I were to go into that how it actually made money? But that makes a lot of sense. So I love that. And I'm sure brand partnerships can look really different, like you said, whether it's just a blog post or an Instagram post. But then even bigger partnerships, I guess, with whatever they might have going on their end as well.

ELLY: Yeah, normally with brand campaigns. So let's say, for example, I'm doing something for their Nordstrom sale. They have their anniversary. And so they come to you and say, hey, I'm working with them on the beauty side. And so what they're hiring me for is a round of social posts, and that includes Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and then a blog post. And then in the contract, you have certain deliverables. Like for this one, they want a minimum of five images. You know, you have your contracts of do's and don'ts and things that not necessarily have what they want you to say and don't, because it's like borderline not some brands will try to do that. I am like, no, you can't like put words in my mouth. But things like that. You're going to want me to mention is about the sale, how long the sale lasts and what are the benefits of having the Nordstrom credit card or debit card, whatever. So certain things and like things that they want you to mention. For those who maybe don't know what the Nordstrom card is about stuff like that. But there's tons of different contracts and stuff that you can do. You know, I've worked with brands on the three-month scale, on a six-month scale, on a year scale. There's tons of different ways to work with brands, definitely, options are pretty much endless or limitless.

BIRD: And that's exciting. And that's really good to know that it can be longer term. So it's not just necessarily for one post or one moment. I know that Terry has done brand partnerships where it's like they're promoting a certain product, and it's being released this time. And so he's just doing it in that moment. But there's also it could be over three months. That's great for recurring revenue or something over time. There are different kinds of contracts. That's great to know. 

ELLY: Yeah, and I prefer long-term contracts, just because you think about it also from a consumer standpoint. There is a rule of marketing. It's the seven or eight where it takes a consumer seven or eight times for them to register the product for them to finally make the purchase. So on the back end, when you're thinking about that, long-term collaborations and brand partnerships always benefit both parties the most. I mean, obviously, because you're not going to share something you don't like. So when you're integrating that daily, weekly, whatever it is, and working with a brand like that in a long term, it just registers with your audience, with your readers. They know that what you're promoting is something that you genuinely like that brand or product, whatever it is.

BIRD: It feels more authentic and natural. 

ELLY: It does. It does. Yeah. 

BIRD: How does it work in terms of your team? Do you have someone that helps you negotiate those contracts? How have you been able to build out your team over time, just from where you started to where you are now?

ELLY: I have a manager and she handles the collaborations for me. I have Alexis and she, I don't like calling her an assistant because she's so much more than that. I feel like roles like that just feel so unpersonable to me. She's a dear friend, and she helps out with a lot. But then I have somebody who edits my videos. And then I have somebody else who helps me with some social and Pinterest. And then I have also somebody who manages the website on the backend as far as coding, if there's anything that goes wrong, any of the site design, that's all going digital as well. 

BIRD: If you don't mind speaking to who was your first hire? Or how did you navigate that over time? Because I think one of the things that's just overwhelming for newbies is all the things. Like how you said you wear so many hats. You're admin. You're finance. You're all the things, right? Creative. And so at some point, I tell them in order to grow your business you're going to have to hire. And how did it look in terms of like your first hire and having to kind of bite the bullet and make that happen and how it evolved over time?

ELLY: It's hard because when you're a small business, you're wanting to keep... obviously I'm working hard. I want to be able to bring money home. I don't want to net out zero. But my manager, I've been working with her for almost four years. So she was probably the first one that we've been working together the longest. And she takes a percentage of what I bring in with collaborations. And then it was somebody for social with Pinterest, because I have my website. And here's my tip with Instagram. And I know Tik Tok is big also now. You can't build a business on something you don't own. I don't own Instagram. I don't own Tik Tok. I don't own Facebook. But what I do own is my website. What I do own is everybody who's subscribed to my newsletter. So for me, my bread and butter is always my blog, like that's my baby. And so I've always used Pinterest because Pinterest is great for pageviews. And so Pinterest was the second. And then I hired on chloédigital and I've been working with them for probably about two, three years. And then I finally hired an assistant, somebody to help out with just the smaller stuff and the smaller task. And it's just a second hand who I can trust, who knows the ins and outs and kind of can do something when I can't. 

BIRD: And do you think you would be where you are today without having made that first hire or without your team? 

ELLY: No. No. No.

BIRD: Yeah, I asked that because it's like what you said. Of course, it's hard to bite the bullet and have to pay, right? Because that's what's hard. It's like, I'm having to, you know, make this investment. But there's a huge return on that investment over time.

ELLY: Oh, yeah. I didn't want to at all. And Jordan had claimed himself as the CFO a while back when I was like, you can't give yourself that title, first of all. But it got to the point where really, it's like, you know, one, I am at home. The reason also why I love what I get to do is because I have the flexibility. I can be at home with the kids during the day. If something obviously needs my attention, I can get to it. But I have that flexibility of being at home with the kids. And so it got to a point where really, I was like, I can't be doing this anymore. I can't push myself. I can't stretch myself this thin. Because not only that, then you burn out, then you can't think well. Your creativity is just shot. You're at your wit's end. And like, then you can't perform. You can't be at your best. I can't be the best mom. I can't be the best wife because I'm thinking about work. And so I know I cannot be where I am today currently without Jen without Marissa without Kayla, without Alexis, really. And not only that all these women behind me that, I know it's Uptown with Elly Brown. And I know I'm the face of the brand. But really these people, they're the people behind me that are championing me, that are there to help me, that are there to give me a different perspective, that are there that I can lean on. And that have been a huge, huge value to Uptown. 

BIRD: Yes. Oh, my gosh, I love that so much. And I just want to real quick when that what you said because I was gonna bring it up earlier when you talked about not owning Instagram or any of the social media platforms. For anyone out there who doesn't understand, it's like those are free. So when we have our profile, our brand on these platforms, we're subject to the algorithm. We're subject to them choosing how often we are going to be appearing in our followers' feeds. Unless, of course, we pay to play where we buy ads to show up. That's how we're basically subject to that. Whereas with your email list, or with your website, you're actually paying a monthly subscription for those services. So you're able to control when people get an email from you. And the open rates for emails are around, I think it's like 17, 18%, depending on the industry. Whereas the number of people who are seeing your posts on social media is like 6%. So you're much more able to control who's seeing what you're putting out when it's something you own. So that's what she's talking to. And it is so important. I did a whole episode on is your marketing strategy just social media, because if it is, you're missing out on so much. 

ELLY: It is. I have no control over the algorithm on Instagram. Growing is not what it used to be like. And I did my fair share of the giveaways in the beginning. And I tried to grow a following quick as possible. And now it's biting me in the butt because you have these giveaways and people are really only interested in following you to enter into to win whatever it is that you're giving away, right? We could go on over here about these pods and these engagement things. But I have no control over that. And for me, it got to a point where like, listen. I can either spend all my energy on Instagram and try to fix the algorithm and try to, because I also feel like now with social media, I feel like every content has to be like, boom, explosive for it to go anywhere. And I don't have that energy. I just don't, I can't.

BIRD: Neither do I! 

ELLY: I am like, I also have four kids. So I can't, like I can't do this anymore, right? I can't. I can't think of creativity to have every, because really, I feel like videos specifically. If your video is just not outrageous, it's just hard, unless you're just some kind of magical unicorn. But I can't control any of that. I can't control what goes viral. I can't control what gets seen. And I can do my best and to engage and to do what I can on my part. But other than that it's out of my hands. And so this could be a full on episode. My website. I own my newsletter. My newsletter is where I send out emails and I get more personal. I share more things that I don't share on Instagram. And I do that for a purpose, obviously, because people who are subscribed to my newsletter really want to hear from me. So I make sure that I give that. But yeah, this could be a whole separate episode.

BIRD: Yes! Same here. Same here. I'm always giving a lot more, telling much more personal stories on my emails than I am on social media. Because like you said that's your tribe, that's your people. So I know it could be a whole episode to talk about that. But I do want to ask one question around your content planning strategy. And I want to ask because I think one of the things that overwhelms people most with social media is, I know I need to show up consistently, not only for the algorithm. But also just because consistency is what's going to pay off over time. But coming up with a strategy for what to post, when to post, how to draw inspiration for new ideas, and how to kind of stay on top of all that. You have Pinterest. You have Instagram. You have Facebook. Do you have a strategy for that? Does your manager help you? For me, I know, I sit down with my digital marketing assistant at the beginning of let's say, August, and we plan out the content for September. So we can try to stay a month ahead. Do you have a system for that?

ELLY: Yes, Trello. Everything's color coded. I also plan it out about a month in advance. Because another thing is, you know, Friends and Ross, like "Pivot. Pivot". I feel like you have to do a lot of pivoting. You have to be flexible. But it's a month planned out, sometimes a month and a half, two months. During the holidays, it's a little bit longer. You plan out really far out in advance. But yeah, there's a whole schedule and ideas that again, you have to be flexible. So things are always moving around. But you have, as far as like how you're coming up with ideas and how you're creating editorial and whatnot. That is really most of the feedback of what I'm getting. Either questions that I'm getting asked a lot, having that one-on-one conversation and things that I think that are going to, again, provide value and help somebody. So it generally speaking, it's content that I'm creating based on questions that I'm getting asked. So if I'm getting asked a lot about like, oh, you know, what are some of your favorite beauty products? Then I'm okay, well, I'm getting asked a lot about either how to do this, or how to do that, or how you style this. So then I bring that into the table and be like, okay, how can I help here? And then again, obviously trends and season and fashion as far as clothing and whatnot. I don't focus too much so on trends. I want to bring more, how do you wear an item multiple ways and really investing in your closet and building your wardrobe? That's one thing recently that I started. We are launching a series that I'm really excited about. It's just again, bringing that value and bringing the service and how can I help? But yeah, you gotta be flexible.

BIRD: That is so good. And I love that you brought up two things about, being flexible. I think that's so important. bBut also Trello. So Trello, for people listening is a project management system. I use Asana, and it is just amazing. I use the same thing for my content planning. It's all on boards, like you said, color coded and scheduled out. So for anyone listening, having some system, a tool that you can actually use to make that happen is crucial as well.

ELLY: Oh, yeah. And then as far as like when to post and how many times you're posting. Command is an app that I use. It's hard, though, because I feel like when you look at these apps, and you look at all of the different platforms, the time to post is always really finicky. So you have to keep a really close eye on your analytics, and you got to dive in and dig deep and figure out what works and what doesn't work. Again, you got to be flexible. And yeah, you gotta plan out.

BIRD: It was gold, what you said about really going by what people are asking. I think a lot of times when I'm speaking with entrepreneurs, they're coming up with content that they just think is good. Which is partly okay. But if you actually are trying to invest in the community and your audience, it's looking at what they're asking you and saying, okay, maybe I should put out more content about that.

ELLY: Yeah. I think and again, you'll look at trends, because Pinterest also comes out with their trends. Because Pinterest, YouTube, and obviously your blog are all SEO. SEO means search engine optimization. And so those are all I think in for somebody who has no idea what that all is. So when you go to Google, and you're typing how to style, I don't know, a denim jacket. Okay? That all is a keyword. And so for example, on the back end, in a blog post, I'm using that keyword "denim jacket". And I'm integrating that in the blog post, in the images, in the meta description, all of that. So when you type in "how to sell a denim jacket", my blog post is coming up. Same thing for Pinterest. And then same thing for YouTube, right? And so on the back end also, when you're looking at Pinterest trends, and even Google releases, or Google Trends that you can look up. And so I think there are certain things that you can do, some posts to kind of help. Because then in the fall every time, obviously fall boots and winter jackets. And so you can kind of create some posts like that. But I think you have to have a good balance of both of those. Because if you're creating content based just on the search engine, and only that, but you're not actually catering to your existing audience who are following you on social media or wherever. Then again, what's the service? Like, what value are you really providing to the people that you already have? Because I think that's another thing, right? And something that I remind myself constantly. You know, yeah, you want to grow and you want to expand your readership and your following. But instead of focusing on that. Focus on the readers that you currently have. Cater to those that are already there. And then the others will come, right? 

BIRD: That's so good. Oh my gosh, such a healthy approach to growing an audience. I just want you to know that there's so much gold coming out of your mouth right now about all of this. So thank you. Last question. And I know this is going to be an important one for anyone whose ears perked up earlier, whenever you said you had four kids. How in the world do you do it all with four kids? I think I get that question all the time. How do you do it all? And usually, my response is, I don't. I don't do it all. I have a team. 

ELLY: Did you see my face just now?

BIRD: Right, like I don't do it all. I have a team. I have family who helps with the kids. I delegate as much as I can to my husband, you know, for stuff around the house. There's a lot that goes into that. But I mean, I'm just so inspired. Because you have four kids. You're consistent with growing your brand, and you've done so many amazing things. How do you do it all? How would you encourage someone out there who's in a similar position?

ELLY: I don't know. I did the exact same thing you do. You have people around you who believe in you. I have an amazing husband who helps and who's extremely hands on. But you know what? I, for the longest time, and I still struggle with this, balance. And you know, I think about balance. And the Bible doesn't talk about balance, really. The word balance isn't in the Bible, because I looked. And I am a workaholic. I can pour into my job and go full force at it. And I can't. Like I can't do that. I learned quickly. You know, I think in society, we're also with that boss babe mentality and doing it all. And being at all. I think that is really damaging. I think there is a power in recognizing you're weak and that you can't do it all. And for me that Taylor Madu.  She said something that will forever stick with me. And I think I've shared this like fifteen times. I'm like, Taylor Madu said.  But it just really resonated with me. The way she sets balance is she sets boundaries. In order for you to have balance, you have to have boundaries. And I've learned that. I've learned that the hard way, especially the last year with working at home and my husband working at home and having four kids. And I have to set boundaries. And the only way to set boundaries is to be able to quote-unquote, do it all in a way where really I'm not doing it all because I still have a whole bunch of stuff that I have to do when there are things that I just did. It doesn't end. But you know, having your goals and having your must haves. The focus planner, I think it is. It's a really good planner. 

BIRD: I use that! Yeah!

ELLY: I kind of copied their, the big three, weekly, and your quarterly and yearly, all of that. And you focus on that. And I think being vulnerable with yourself and knowing that you can't do it all, that you're not going to be able to do it all. And I think there's a power in that. Knowing that you know what? It's okay. And then also that my thing is learning how to rest. That has also been a really big one this past year. Again, I can, in the process of trying to do it all. I've learned the hard way. And so learning to rest also. I was listening to Robert and Taylor Madu. They have their church in Dallas. But he had a series in resting. I think it was either her or she opened up the series. And I don't know if it was him or her. But I wrote it down, "to operate from a place of rest, not strive". And huge, I think in not striving to do it all again, be at all, and be here, and do this, and do that, and go from point A to point B. But to operate from a place of rest. To being content to where you're currently at and knowing again that you know what, sometimes things aren't just going to work out and I can't do it all at the expense of losing either my sanity, my mental health, my family, my relationship with my husband, or those around me, you know?

BIRD: Yes, that is so huge. You know, I heard this analogy once. And it's like the idea of having, like, we're juggling all these balls, right? You're juggling all these balls, and it's overwhelming. But the game changing moment is when you realize that some of the balls are plastic balls, and some are glass balls. So you're moving these balls, and there will be times where when you think about home life, and you think about your career, you're gonna have to drop the ball because you can't do it all. Yeah, but make sure you drop a plastic ball and not a glass ball. So there are plastic balls in your personal life, that it's not that big of a deal. We as moms, we go into the mom guilt, or we make ourselves feel bad or beat ourselves up over something that's really just a plastic ball. It's okay if we drop the ball there. But it's not okay that we've done the glass ball being there for a big moment for our kids or whatever. And then in our career, it's the same thing. There are some things that we might make urgent in our business, that's not urgent. It's a plastic ball. But we can't drop the glass ball. We do have to be excellent and have integrity and making meetings or whatever it might be. You know what I'm saying?

ELLY: Yeah. Yeah.

BIRD: you could say hey, I'm gonna have to, I'm not gonna be able to make it or we need to reschedule if that makes sense. And so it's really just giving your self the grace and the freedom to say there will be balls dropped. I just got to make sure I don't drop a glass ball. And for me, I was beating myself up over picking my kids up from school. So me and my husband were both, both dropping off and picking up because we're just obsessed with our kids. And we just wanted to drop off and pick up. We just loved it. I don't know why. Like, why do we both do this? Like one of us can do this. But I started to beat myself up over the fact that work things would run late and Terry would have to go pick them up by himself. And I was like, Ashley, this is a plastic ball, it's okay, if I don't pick them up for school. It's not okay, if I don't make it to a basketball game or something important. But you know what I'm saying? So that's gonna look different for everyone in their own season, in their own family. But that really helped me a lot.

ELLY: That's it right there. I mean, and then, you know, constantly going back to the drawing board and re evaluating. Like you said, seasons. Seasons change, and you have to learn how to adapt and change with it, right? Because some seasons are going to be more demanding, whether it may be work, or it may be home. And so you got to be able to constantly be able to reevaluate. Every week I sit down on Sunday, and I'm like, okay. I write down what I need to do for the week, my schedule. What are things that I need to do on this day, on that day? What's a priority? What's not? What can wait? What can't wait? And I think that kind of stuff helps. But I think also, again, I think we also have to go away with the mentality of do it all and be at all. You know, we talk about to be impossible. In the word impossible, it says I am possible. I'm like, but I feel like that's so just damaging. I'm like, I can't, I'm not possible. I'm not. I am weak. And in my weakness, though, that is where God's glory and God's strength comes in. And where I also in a part of the me being believer, I look back and I don't see my hand at work. I see God's hands at work. And for those who may not be a believer who don't really agree with that, that's fine. But that's what's worked for me.

BIRD: Yes, Elly. I think that is so huge. And I think it's so important that you bring it up. One of my first episodes was about how we made 100k in revenue, the first year in business with The League. And how we did it, right? And there were all these strategies. I know people are wanting to tune in to know all these business strategies. But I was like, the number one was the grace of God, because let me tell you, how we did that know what we were doing, how it doesn't ake sense when we look back. It wasn't even in our business plan. It was all the hand of God. So for me, my faith plays such a huge role in that way. Because that's my confidence. It's rooted in knowing that if God has called me here, he's going to be faithful to complete everything that he wants to do, in each and every season of our life. And I love that you brought up that about seasons. Because you get people guilting you for working too hard. You get people guilting you for resting too much. But what we have to understand is that there will be times. Like when you launch a business, that first few years, really the first year or two. It's gonna be mad, crazy. It's gonna be a lot. It's gonna take a lot from you, period. But then, eight years in with The League, it's a well-oiled machine. I spent maybe spend three hours a week on stuff with The League. So you have to give yourself grace.

ELLY: Absolutely. 

BIRD: So important. I love it. This was so great. I know that my listeners are going to love this conversation. And they're going to want to connect with you online. So where's the best place for them to reach you, whether it's your website, social media, whatever you want to put? Now I'll make sure to link all of this in the show notes so people can go and click there.

ELLY: I'm @uptownwithellybrown. E-L-L-Y. uptownwithellybrown.com. And I'm always an open book. So if they have any questions, and they want to ask me specifically, they can shoot me an email, direct message, whatever it is. I am more than happy to help with whatever. 

BIRD: Awesome! Thank you, Elly. It was such a pleasure having you on. 

ELLY: Thank you. Thank you so much for having me again. Thank you so much.

BIRD: Incredible, right? Elly has a heart full of gold and I am so glad to know her and learn from her. I'll be sure to link those ways to connect with Elly in the show notes so you can follow along on her journey. 

Thank you, thank you for tuning into Bird Means Business podcast. Make sure you subscribe on Apple Podcasts and follow us on Spotify so that you don't miss any episodes. And if you know someone who's interested in having a blog or growing a brand as an influencer, be sure to tell them about this episode so that they can get inspired too. 

Alright, talk to y'all next week.