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These days, developing your personal brand can easily become a well-paying, full-time gig and thanks to the internet, women can literally be whoever TF they want and actually get paid for it. While navigating the world of bloggers and influencers and PR (oh my) can be overwhelming, one self-made CEO is here to make the industry a little bit more accessible.

When life gives most people lemons, they make lemonade. But when God gave Taylar Barrington-Booker lemons, she built a lemonade stand and founded her very first business. Years later, the 31-year-old entrepreneur created Cliquish, a community of over 10,000 content creators that is dedicated to showing other women how to do the same thing.


Courtesy of Taylar Barrington-Booker

According to Taylar, the Cliquish community was developed out of a desire to eliminate the "you can't sit with us" stigma amongst women in business and is on a mission to create room at the table for everyone. Taylar told xoNecole, "I personally believe unhealthy competition comes from a misinformed concept that there is a lack, or not enough to go around; that collaboration means you have to share something that's not infinite, and that competing means it's you against someone else for a handful of spots."

The founder shared that this way of thinking incorrect AF and, in fact, emphasized the importance of having a strong group of fellow business owners in your corner that can support you along the way. She continued, "In most cases, the resources are infinite (even underutilized) and there's room for everyone to have upward mobility towards their dreams."

If you're looking to level up your brand and get into the influencer game but don't know where to start, scroll down for more info!

Find Your Niche

Courtesy of Taylar Barrington.

Nobody on this earth can do you, like you, and that's why Taylar says it's important to find your niche and commit to it. She shared, "The biggest mistake new content creators make is that they're afraid to niche down. Studies have shown that when you're talking to everyone, you're talking to no one and as a result, your message gets lost."

Thriving in an oversaturated market may be difficult, but that doesn't make it impossible. Taylar says that zeroing in on the message that you want to send isn't only a plus for your customer, but can also help you grow a loyal audience organically. "It's important, that on the big vast internet where billions of messages are being served, we be intentional about who we want to talk to. You'll know you're doing it right because when they show up to your corner of the web, they feel at home:"

When defining your niche, Taylar says that the more specific you are, the better. " [For example,] instead of focusing on skincare, focus on skincare for an audience segment like women of color with dry skin, or skincare through a content channel like DIY videos."

Along with finding your niche and understanding your audience, Taylar says that it's also important to create a consistent strategy that yield high-quality results. She continued, "In a world full of microwave dinners, be a good slow-cooked, well-marinated meal. People just can't resist quality. Find a consistent strategy for creating quality content, and show up with excellence every time."

"In a world full of microwave dinners, be a good slow-cooked, well-marinated meal. People just can't resist quality. Find a consistent strategy for creating quality content, and show up with excellence every time."

Know Your Why

Courtesy of Taylar Barrington.

No business or personal brand is picture-perfect, and this is especially true if there was no vision to begin with. Taylar says that one major misstep entrepreneurs make when developing their brand is forgetting to lay down a solid foundation.

She advised, "Identify what you plan to do with your platform, who exactly you plan to do it for, and how you plan to do it. These very foundational steps are often overlooked but are important in deciding your audience, niche and content purpose."

Once you understand why you're doing it, you need to understand why people should actually care. According to Taylar, solidifying a brand promise and creating a way to measure results is a sure way to level up more than just your follower count. She explained, "It's very easy to allow the Internet to tempt you to be someone other than you, but regardless of how easy it seems to do something that will help you build numbers, you have to have an unwavering commitment to simply being you. What's most important, is showing up the way that makes you feel good and true - focusing on the impact. The steady, dependable, numbers will follow."

"It's very easy to allow the Internet to tempt you to be someone other than you, but regardless of how easy it seems to do something that will help you build numbers, you have to have an unwavering commitment to simply being you."

She continued, "Change your mindset to measure success on impact. Can you motivate people to take action? To engage with your content? Once they do show up, be focused on the people who you are already serving, and serve them really, really well. It's not about numbers, it's about the influence."

Network Your Ass Off

Courtesy of Taylar Barrington.

Any healthy relationship needs a certain level of reciprocity, and Taylar says that when you're developing new business connections, it's important to think more about what you can give than what you can take. Creating long-term business relationships might be easier than you think, but Taylar challenges us to do more than make a connection. According to her, the goal is to create a community.

During our talk, Taylar also stressed the importance of being selective with your network. Every business opportunity that looks good isn't necessarily good for you, and this is important to keep in mind when meeting new people in your industry.

"Finally, I'd say be clear about what you need/want. Everything that glitters isn't your gold and every opportunity, isn't an opportunity for you." She continued, "This means you have to get really honest with yourself about your immediate next steps and create a networking strategy that aligns."

To learn more about Cliquish and join the movement, click here! And you can keep up with Taylar on Instagram @TaylarBarrington.

Featured image courtesy of Taylar Barrington.

 

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