Black Creators: Mattie James Turned Her Blog Into a Six-Figure Business

Black Creators is a special series highlighting some of the amazing Black women and men who’ve successfully used their passion and platform to unite our community.

As a renaissance woman, former Miss Liberia U.S.A., wife and mother of three, Mattie James wears many hats. However, she’s most widely recognized as an OG blogger and influencer.

It all began in 2010. James began blogging as a hobby which quickly morphed into a lucrative full-time job. Now, her lifestyle brand which has over 90K followers on Instagram, is a six-figure business.

James not only makes everyday magic by divulging both wellness and domestic goddess tips for those wanting to level up their home life, she is also dedicated to teaching fellow content creators how to grow their social following, pitch brands and create profitable content.

“Sure, you can Google a lot of the things I share with you in my courses and masterclasses, but most of the results are vague and outdated at best,” she says to ESSENCE.

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There are lots of influencers out there with better photos than me.There are quite a bit who have more followers than me. And there are a numerous amount of them who are noticeably more creative than I am.(And between me and you, I’ve met some influencers who are way smarter than me.) However – and I say this with my chest – MOST influencers will NOT outwork me.That’s why my influencer business makes more $$$$$$ than the influencers who have better photos and better ideas than I do. There is NO level of work beneath me. I don’t cut corners. I was (and I’m still) willing to my pay dues however long it took. I was willing to fail to succeed. I study my craft and intentionally become better every single year.This is not because I’m better than any influencer. It’s just because I’m willing to work harder than most of them.In tomorrow’s IG Live at 11:30a ET, I’ll be discussing the 5 Things That Make The Top Influencers Standout From The Rest.SPOILER: it ain’t got nothing to do with having a preset. P.S. – Linked to my mirror, necklace and signet ring (that I got engraved with my initials & under $100!) Follow me on the @liketoknow.it app to shop this post! http://liketk.it/2Vfup #liketkit #MattieLive : @ericajsimmons

A post shared by Mattie James | Influencer (@themattiejames) on Aug 25, 2020 at 6:28pm PDT

Never one to shy away from sharing both her successes and failures, she created The Mattie James Show podcast for the millennial professional in mind. From pitching brands to maximizing your to-do list, she empowers her audience with the tools and knowledge needed to thrive.

When asked how her courses and masterclasses can help micro-influencers and bloggers, she says, “Not only do I tell you what to do, but I show you how to do it with my curriculum. It’s not about what I teach you, but implementing it. The curriculum I offer is designed to help you continuously evolve as an influencer whether you’re in the very beginning stages or ready to become a full-time influencer.”

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The consistent results you’re looking for are in the process you keep avoiding.⁠ ⁠ I get it. Processes aren’t sexy. Your followers can’t see them or like them – there is no preset for them to make them look pretty. ⁠ ⁠ But, girl, they are necessary.⁠ ⁠ Let’s make it plain real quick: a PROCESS is a series of actions or steps taken in order to achieve a particular end. ⁠ ⁠ You think an Instagram post is one step. Same with a blog post. A YouTube video. An email. But that just isn’t true.⁠ ⁠ Each of these things require a series of actions or steps to be done well. ⁠ ⁠ This is why every time you write down when you want a blog post to go live on your calendar – it often doesn’t. Because you’ve only acknowledged when you would like the RESULT to be complete. You then have to schedule when the PROCESS will be executed.⁠ ⁠ A quality result is impossible until a process is acknowledged and then executed correctly.⁠ ⁠ Read that last line one more time.⁠ ⁠ Trust me. I was the queen of writing down color coded content goals in pretty planners with perfect handwriting. And I could never figure out why I still wasn’t consistent. ⁠ ⁠ When I took a step back and got more interested in the work than the result – I realized just how important having a process was. It makes my work noticeably better. And always gives me results.⁠ ⁠ What do you want results with but just aren’t getting them? Does it have a process? Are you executing the process correctly and consistently?⁠ ⁠ Continuing the convo about content processes with my email list this week. Join my list by signing up for my free Influencer Business Plan! (Link in bio.)⁠ ⁠ #MattieTaughtYou⁠ ⁠ ⁠ ⁠

A post shared by Mattie James | Influencer (@themattiejames) on Aug 17, 2020 at 10:01am PDT

James can back up her influencer coaching expertise with her deep experience in scoring high-profiled brand partnerships with the brands like Samsung, TJ MAXX, Gerber and so many more. With her popularized hashtag, #MattieTaughtYou, James dishes out advice on how to tighten up Instagram feeds, the art of batching content, negotiating rates for future brand sponsorships and content strategy for budding influencers looking to elevate and expand their brand. 

She’s committed to helping other Black women curate and develop their businesses by leveraging the power of social media to garner awareness. “Black women are not seen outside the scope of celebrity or sports,” she says. “My content gives them a peek into my everyday life which can be inspiring to another everyday Black girl or even someone else who has never crossed paths with someone who looks like me.” 

You can find Mattie James at mattiejames.com and on Instagram at @themattiejames. 

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