Today we’d like to introduce you to Charlie G.
Charlie, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I first started blogging 11 years ago, around 16 on blogspot.com before it was ever popular or a thing. I used to hang out on Myspace and design code my layout. In doing that, I took those skillsets and decided to code my blog so it could have an appealing aesthetic. After a while, I realized I enjoyed coding and wanted to go to school for it. I went to college and double majored in Software Engineering and Graphic Design. After three semesters, I dropped out after a bad car accident. A few years later, I went to work for a psychologist as her Executive Admin Assistant. About a year went by when I realized I still want to be an engineer and make websites so I enrolled in Grand Circus Bootcamp for web development, graduated, and got a job as a Software Engineer.
During this time, I used the money from my new found career as an engineer to invest in my fashion blogging. I bought clothes from Rainbow, took great pics, and tagged Rainbow and other similar retailers in those pics. Rainbow reached out to me and sent me a $50 gift card. I did the same thing with that gift card. Bought some decent looking clothes, took some amazing pics, tagged them in it. Rainbow was so impressed, they reached out to me to be one of their brand ambassadors for six months. I received free clothes and appeared on their website as an official brand ambassador. This was my first major collaboration with a well-established brand. From there, I continued working and blogging. Eventually, I became a brand ambassador for the Detroit Institute of Arts and became the first brand ambassador for the dating app Bumble for Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, which both paid over $1000 per month.
These were my first well-paying collaborations with any well-known brands. While doing this, my manager at my job was harassing me. I reported him multiple times to HR and got no type of help. After a while, seeing as though no one at the job cared about my well-being, I stopped showing up to work while still being compensated. I figured, if they don’t care about me while I’m there, they won’t notice when I’m not. About a few months later, they realized I hadn’t been badging in and decided to let me go. As prepared as I was expecting this, all I had was my phone and keys. From there, it lit a fire under me to begin reaching out pitching to brands. And I’ve been doing this full-time ever since.
It’ll be almost three years since I’ve been full-time working with brands and I realize that a lot of other bloggers/influencers either don’t know the basics of starting a money-making blog, reaching out to brands, or negotiating their worth. I found it an obligation to create a program where I can teach individuals how to work with brands and negotiate their worth. Brands will always try to take advantage of bloggers/influencers and if we’re not all on the same page, it can throw off the market (rate) of what another influencer charges. So I pride myself in teaching aspiring individuals how to be well-educated in this field and to always fight for their worth.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
This journey has never been easy. However, I will NEVER return back to a cubicle. Not having the freedom to eat WHEN you want or take a vacation only ONCE every six months etc, is not appealing to me. I originally wanted to be a software engineer so I can learn to code and make websites remotely but that’s not the lifestyle I’d like to lead. I want to make a living supporting my loved ones by being my most authentic self while inspiring others to do the same. In doing so, it’s never as easy as relying on a stable check. Chasing down money owed to you IS part of the game. Going weeks, sometimes months, where it’s dry and there’re no replies IS part of the game. But those big payoffs where I land five figure deals and get the opportunity to inspire whole cities and regions while being and showing who I am to the world, are not only memorable but worth every moment of those hardships I endured to get here.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
I’m a full-time influencer, content creator, and photographer amongst several other things. I’m most known for collaborating with brands and being a tastemaker. But I also take pride in educating both aspiring influencers/content creators and others not in this field (where applicable) to get paid to be themselves, negotiate their WORTH so that they can be paid the FAIR amount they should be receiving, and utilizing their voice/brand. If you have a voice, you have a brand. Everyone is a brand. Everyone has influence. Anyone can collaborate with a brand that aligns with them and be compensated for their worth and I love teaching people how because when I was struggling to get where I am today, no one was around to show me and still isn’t. But that doesn’t mean it has to be hard for the people coming after me.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success not only counts as monetary compensation to me but also self-happiness. Am I content with everything I’ve done? The content I’ve put out? Does it honestly reflect who I am as an individual and the messaging I want it to portray? Is it genuine? Is it authentic? Has it inspired someone to be their best authentic self? Do I inspire people to be their best and honest self? Once those questions are answered, then I feel like I’ve reached success.
Pricing:
- Branding Bootcamp for Influencers + Bloggers – 1 on 1 personalized coaching with video $800
- 1-hr Brand Consultation – $200
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.iamcharlieg.com
- Email: info@iamcharlieg.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamcharlieg
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iamcharlieg
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/iamgodiva
Image Credit:
Stephen Crosson, Kyle Powell, Charlie G.
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