The why behind this Substack
Plus, my goals and a bit about why taking action isn't always great
Want to better understand my brain? Here it is in a snapshot:
Those are my Top 5 Clifton Strengths. In short, it means I’m always thinking about the future, how to make great (+ how to avoid bad shit), and talking about all of it with anyone who will listen.
No. 3 (Activator) is the one that gets me into trouble.
Activators want to do things now, not just think or talk about them. There’s zero space between “I want to do that” and “I’m doing that!”
This Substack is a perfect example. I had the idea, it sounded fun, and by the end of the day it was up and running. I do this a lot. Like, a lot a lot.
It’s great when the idea works out. The problem is, the idea doesn’t always work out. To be transparent, I usually move on to the next idea before waiting to see if the idea might have worked.
I’m working hard to break this pattern, starting with The Bad Influencer because this project really excites me. I don’t want to give up on it without giving it a real shot.
Part of seeing it through includes being consistent with content. I’ve not had time to write any of the “influencer” posts I want to share. But I also know that one missed week can turn into a month, and then a shiny object can distract me and this whole project could be at risk.
So, today I spontaneously decided to share the why behind The Bad Influencer and my goals with the project.
Why ‘The Bad Influencer’?
I already shared about “the pants” that prompted this Substack. But there’s more to the story.
What I didn’t really explain was why I want to try becoming an “influencer,” or what I mean when I say I’m a bad one.
Elephant in the room: Money 💰. Of course I’m excited about the prospect of adding a revenue stream to my business, which declined in ‘23 and the first half of ‘24. But coaching will likely always be my primary income source, so this is definitely about more than money.
A few other factors are at play:
Experimentation: Marketing is constantly changing, and it’s helpful to try new methods. I don’t chase trends, but this project is an opportunity to throw spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks. It won’t harm my primary business, and perhaps I’ll learn lessons that could actually benefit my coaching.
Representation: The average influencer is 27 years old. They are usually Instagram-perfect white women hawking shit they don’t really use because a brand gave them a bunch of cash and a script. I’m excited to be an alternative. If you’re also a fat, queer, boring Midwestern mom entrepreneur (or some parts of that), then maybe you’ll like the same shit I do. We all deserve to have someone who represents us talking to us.
F-U-N: Last, but certainly not least, I started this because it brings me so much joy. I love sharing what I love and, even more, hearing from people who also end up loving what they learn about from me. Plus, allows for so much creativity. It doesn’t need to be professional, educational, or intellectual. I’m just here to be fully myself and do something just for fun (that hopefully others enjoy, too).
And if it’s not clear from all of that, I don’t know what the hell I’m doing. I don’t fit the mold of an influencer in more ways than looks — I also lack all knowledge about how to do this, and certainly have no idea how to do it well. 🤣
That’s the “bad” part of this project … you get to watch me figure this out as I go, while I share the good, bad, and ugly of it all.
My goals for this project
Unsurprisingly, my goals for The Bad Influencer basically reflect my why.
I’d love to get to a place where this project brings in a somewhat consistent side income of $2,000 a month.
I also want to experiment with YouTube (here’s my account if you prefer video—it’s launching soon). My goal is to reach the necessary milestones to monetize there, which will help me reach my revenue goal.
As I said, though, this project is about more than money.
I also want to stay true to my values to see whether you can actually make money as an influencer without selling your soul. I will only EVER recommend things that I personally use/love, and that includes never taking a brand deal (no matter how tempting) unless it’s something I would actually tell my best friends to buy.
My goal is to also hear regular feedback from followers that they appreciate what I’m sharing and that they love finding an “influencer” who feels as real as they are.
And, of course, I only want to do this for as long as it continues to be fun. Once that stops, it’s time to move on to the next shiny object.
Hold me accountable to all of that, y’all!
A book recommendation
Finally, I want to end this with something “monetizable” since I am here to be an “influencer” after all! 🤣
I’m going to share a quick book recommendation — the same one I talked about multiple times today on Threads and that I regularly bring up when people ask me how to be a better feminist.
I’m a BIG, HUGE, GIANT cheerleader for “White Feminism: From the Suffragettes to Influencers and Who They Leave Behind” by Koa Beck (seems fitting, too, given the full title).
If you’re white or white presenting, this book is a must-read. It’s such a great place for gaining better insight into how the feminism so many of us learned is, in fact, not feminism at all.
Too many of us were brought up in 2nd or 3rd wave feminism, that was far too white- cis- and hetero-centered. This book is a super accessible (ie, not overly academic) look at intersectionality and the harm we cause when our “feminism” is not developed through an intersectional lens.
Okay, I’m going to pat myself on the back for putting out content this week despite having a sick kiddo at home yesterday and today, and loads of coaching calls on the calendar. Small steps toward breaking the unhelpful part of my Activator pattern!
See you next week with some sort of new content. Can’t wait to see what experiment I come up with ❤️
Your biggest fan,
Becky
PS: A quick shout out to
for her “What it REALLY takes to be a successful content creator” post, which was what I was reading when I decided to write this!
Thank you for the shout out lovely! :)
I love everything about this post Becky. Good luck! And hell yeah to White Feminism rec.