Breaking Through: How Niches and Real Connections Drive Brand Growth With Jennifer Powell

Hey, thank you for being here. I've got some good news for you. I've been excited to share with you. The Unstoppable Success Summit is happening in Irving, Texas, April 30th, 2026, and I want to see you in the room, uh, because I know one room can change everything. I just feel like you're one room, one conversation, one connection, one collaboration away from everything shifting in your business, your your mindset, and your future. And so get in the right room, join us in Irving, and learn insider knowledge from top business owners. We got 12 amazing speakers. You'll network with people who will elevate you and learn proven strategies to eliminate guesswork. You don't have to do it alone. So join us in Irving. And you know what? It's for a good cause because proceeds are going to be donated to Call to Freedom. So this won't just be impacting your lives. It will be helping so many women who have been survivors of human trafficking. So let's be unstoppable together. This isn't just another event. It's an opportunity to change everything and really have unstoppable success. So go to go.amberlylago.com/uss2026 and I will see you in the room. You can also find that link at Amberly Lago Motivation on Instagram. And in the show notes. Okay, I will see you in Irving. Welcome to the Amberly Lago Show, where grit, grace, and joy connect you to unstoppable success.

Hey there.

Thank you so much for tuning in to the Amberly Lago Show. I'm so glad you're here. And whether you are an entrepreneur, you're a creator, or just simply somebody Looking to amplify your influence and maybe get your product in the hands of other people? You're going to love this conversation. I have somebody amazing with us today. I have Jennifer Powell with us, y'all. She is the powerhouse founder of JP Inc., talent and digital agency, and she represents and develops incredible talent, helping them build authentic brands, meaningful impact in today's digital world. Not only that, she has a new course coming out too. So if you're ready to really amplify your influence, um, you are in the right place. Jen, thank you so much for being here and sharing your wisdom with us.

Oh, thank you for having me, Amberly. I'm so thrilled to be here with you.

Oh my goodness. And first of all, I just have to say she is very patient and so kind because we tried to connect on another date and I was like, oh no, I think we had the wrong links or something. So we missed each other. So I just appreciated Your kindness and you rebooking to be on the show. So thank you so much. You're amazing.

Oh, you're so sweet. Well, I'm excited to talk to you.

So yeah, well, I just want to— I'm just curious. And you're in LA and in Nashville. That's right. Well, you're, you're all over. You represent brands from all over. Um, and I am, you know, I've dealt— I, when I was in the entertainment industry, I had an agent when I was a professional dancer. And it was awesome to have an agent. And I honestly had never, I didn't even know that a company like yours existed that's so needed for entrepreneurs, especially who, you know, are starting businesses or who have products or services. How did you get it? Because you've been doing this for what, 20 years?

I think longer.

Really? Yeah.

Yes.

You must have started when you were like 7.

That's true. I was very young. Well, I was a, I was a model agent and I started in the late '90s as a model agent.

And where were you when you were a modeling agent?

I was in San Francisco and I started as an intern, as an assistant. I worked my way up and I, I loved it. It was really cool, but my love for it was the business aspect. Of the industry and learning about, you know, what makes a great model or what makes the business of modeling. And so then I ended up moving down to Los Angeles in 2005. I was brought down here by Alexis Borges at Next Models to run the women's board. And it was, it was just a thrilling time. It was really fun in fashion and In 2008, I ended up getting the very first fashion blogger sent to me by a photographer.

Hmm.

So I was a traditional gal. Like I was booking magazines, I was booking catalogs at the time and really having a whole lot of fun. And so when Rumi Neely from Fashion Toast, she was a blogger, came through my door and she was shooting, she had a blog, And she was shooting clothes and posting it on the blog and then linking out and everything was selling out. I was like, huh, maybe there's something to this that could be really valuable for a brand. And the brands kept sending her clothes so that Urban Outfitters, Pixi Market, all these guys were sending her clothes to wear and shoot and post on her blog. And then all the pieces were selling out. So yeah, it was a, it was a moment in time. It was a real like aha moment. And I came from a place where I knew how much money the brands had to pay the models. So then I call up Urban Outfitters and say, hey, Urban Outfitters, I know you pay $5,000 a day for a model to shoot catalog. How about you pay this talent $5,000 to shoot all your clothes? And to post it on her blog. And to my absolute thrill, they did. So it really started this very interesting business now, you know, create— being a creator, which now is an actual business to be in or a career path to choose. But at the time it was a lot of learning and testing and trying, and it was so disruptive. And so exciting to me because I just love the opportunity to do things differently and see how this could work and work for the brands and work for the talent. It was a really cool time.

Wow.

Was that the biggest pivot was when she walked through the door and you could kind of see things a little differently? Like, huh, maybe there's other opportunities here. Yes.

And I don't think I knew at the time that it was really the moment my entire career would change, but it truly was. And then I would talk to magazines and say, hey, have you thought of using this sort of talent? She can sell things too. Like, we can see her sell things. And so I was still running, you know, working on the women's board, booking for the— booking the models, but then also able to offer this other sort of talent. that sells things. So then after Rumi came and we had her for a little while, then all the very first international fashion bloggers started coming to me to do something similar to what Rumi was doing. So I had the very first, you know, the biggest fashion blogger from Italy come to me and the very first—

Wow.

From Spain. And here I was just a gal in Los Angeles learning and trying and testing and Experimenting truly, but building these women as entrepreneurs. And, um, and it was very exciting.

Yeah. Well, if there's somebody that like, they're going, well, that sounds great. I'd like to have an agent and start a business, but I don't have, I don't have a big, you know, vlog or blog or social media following. How can somebody that has a big idea, but they don't necessarily have a huge following yet. Start to make an impact and build their brand?

Well, mostly what we're seeing these days is you need a digital foundation for your business. So it's consistency in telling a story every day on your social media and just the consistency of it. And I don't think it's about numbers anymore. I love a niche. I was trying to find like the best influencers that play mahjong this weekend.

Really?

Yes. And I think it's about finding a niche that has a community that's engaged. So it's not the number, it's not the size, it's not the, all of those things. I mean, if you want to be a fashion girl, then that's the story you have to tell. But you could tell that story as you're going to drop your kids off at school and as you're going out on date night with your husband and as you're, you know, walking your dog. So there's ways of being able to tell stories and still have whatever it is shine through. It doesn't need to be super obvious. It can just be a through line of your social media, but you do have to be consistent. The best thing right now is that there's so many different platforms that you can really be, have your creative juices flow on, and you can try things in the beginning too. Like your thing could be Pinterest where you're making these gorgeous mood boards that people are following, and your thing could obviously Instagram, maybe it's TikTok, maybe it's Substack. You're a wonderful writer and that's the way that you want to connect with people. So There's a lot of different ways to be able to build your influence. And there's a lot of agents like me that are looking for interesting storytellers and people that are doing interesting niches. And it, it's not just about like the mega celebrity influencer anymore.

I know from experience, in fact, I had someone that wanted to be on my show and this is years ago. And I was like, oh wow, they've got millions of followers. There are going to be so many downloads for this episode.

Right.

And what I found, I learned kind of through this experience was the numbers aren't, can sometimes be fake. And I had her on and I'm like, oh my goodness, like her following was fake.

Wow.

It was a lot of bots. It was one of the least downloaded episodes. And I tell people in my mastermind all the time, don't buy fake followers. Like, you're not going to know your audience. It's, to me, it's more about the connection and it's about true following. I would rather have, you know, the less amount of followers, but real people. than the numbers that are just fake. And so when you're going to represent somebody, do you have a process in which you kind of go, okay, wait a minute, this person, this, there's no way this is real. There's no way they have 5 million followers and 12 likes on their post. Do you go through that process to kind of vet people out? We do.

We do go through that process. Of course. Yes. We actually have a platform that we use called CreatorIQ where you can Kind of tell the value of their following, but you can also make some pretty good assumptions when you're looking at screenshots of analytics from the backend of whatever the social platform that they're activated on. But, and it's engagement, it's, it's, it's an entire package though, Amberly, like it's, it really is. At first, it's about being excited about the business and the person, and honestly to feel if We think that we could do well by this sort of talent, whoever it is, when they're coming to us. And then we kind of go into the layers of, okay, where is their following? Because if their following isn't necessarily largely US and we're seeing a lot of brands that need largely US followers, then are we going to be the best ones to represent this talent? You know, maybe not. So we make decisions based on that and who we think that we could do well by and be able to perform for, because we work on an agency fee of brand deals. So we want to make sure that we're able to do, we're able to get you where you want to go too.

And that's a win-win for both. It has to be a great collaboration. Yeah.

And until they need us like every day, until it's just craziness and There's a, there's an inflection point in a business where you might not need me quite yet, but I'm going to keep an eye on you. And then at that inflection point, like it's time. So I tend to meet people on their path to really, really needing us. So then we're able to kind of pull the trigger when they're ready.

Oh, that's awesome. Well, do you find that there's one social media platform that's better than the others?

I think that the standard for a lot of brands and where they're the most comfortable is still Instagram. You know, they've activated on TikTok and started— some of the brands, especially the ones that are aiming for a younger audience, are really feeling TikTok. And, but the one that I'm most interested in right now is either blogs with newsletters Or Substack.

Really? Substack?

It's been unreal.

You mean I gotta be on Substack?

I don't know if you could take on one more platform. I mean—

Oh, Substack.

I know, right? Well, it's so interesting because you could send newsletters from it too. And we're seeing such a high opening rate of newsletters and sales from that. been so awesome. And then there's a lot of editors that have moved over there, journalists and people that love to write. And it feels like people are really getting their— it's a great place for creativity again, like writing creativity. And I feel like you can feel when people are happy on a platform somewhere. And I think that like we really tend to go in that direction of where that creator is happiest. And like, you can feel it, you can feel it through the, through their medium. So it's about finding that place for you and then really using it. And so brands are paying to be included into Substacks at this point. And it's really successful. Yeah. In converting in sales. It's exciting to see.

Wow.

Well, you know, there's so many different things to do. I remember when It was during when COVID started and, you know, my daughter got on TikTok and it was, you know, at home homeschooling and working out in the garage. And I was in LA at the time and everything was locked down and she was on TikTok doing these videos. And I was like, you know what, maybe I'll get on TikTok. And she goes, oh, mom, no, you are way too old to be on TikTok.

Oh.

And I was like, well, then I'm definitely going to be on TikTok. And so I got my phone. I was like, I'm going to do a little tap dance. I hadn't put my tap shoes on since my motorcycle accident. And I was trying to squeeze them on my foot. Didn't know if I could even do that anymore. And she goes, Mom, this shoe is not going to fit. And I felt like I was one of the stepsisters in Cinderella trying to get this tap shoe on. And I get it on and I do a little tap dance. And I say, this is the first on TikTok. This is the first time I've been able to tap dance since my— Motorcycle accident and 34 surgeries. And it like went viral, thousands and thousands, like, I don't know, like 700,000 views. And I was like, see, I can be on TikTok. I can be on TikTok, you know, but then I started on TikTok and then I was like, I just really couldn't keep up with it. And so I would say Instagram is probably the place that I'm most consistent on and I've just made it fun. And I just, I'm still trying to figure out.

Yeah.

figure it out. You know, I feel like things change a lot, but that's right. I didn't even know that you could do a newsletter through Substack. Yeah. That's how I, like, I gotta research that. So I wrote it down and I'm gonna learn how to do Substack, but there's like a newsletter through LinkedIn and there's Threads. And do you ever work with people who are like, oh, but I go viral on Threads? Is that even a thing? Because I stopped posting on Threads too.

Yes, but that's also kind of integrated into, uh, Instagram too. So yeah, there's a syndication that I feel that can be easy on Threads. I really love, and this is going super old school, is I think everybody should have a website.

Yeah.

Because if God forbid everything else goes down, which did happen to one of my creators once, she got hacked, her Instagram got hacked, and she called me and she's like, Do I have a business anymore? And I'm like, uh, hold on. Like, let me, let me come right back to you. I'm not sure. Like, it was so scary. So to have a website where everything can be housed, so you have that one place on the internet that everything kind of goes back to that you own, I think is really important too. So I know it's another thing with another thing with another thing, but there's also a world in which you syndicate across a lot of these things with the same content. And because it's a different audience, it can still work and see, you know, see where you have the most, um, traction and kind of lean into whatever that is. But I really am, my soapbox will always be have a website or a blog, like just to have that. And then everything else can kind of live off of that too.

Oh, I think we need to shout that off the rooftops. I tell my clients that all the time. You have to have a website if you have a business. I had a, um, Facebook business page that I worked so hard on and got like true following and it was verified before verified was, you were able to pay for it. I mean, it was like legit verified and it got hacked and it was like, oh my goodness. It was just, it was, it was terrible. So I lost that. Thank goodness I could see that they were trying to get into my Instagram.

Yes.

And they didn't, but that, that was a scary, a scary thing.

But, um, it could be really destructive to a business. I mean, it really could.

Oh yeah, for sure. And I can imagine if you've worked so hard, like my Instagram is like, yeah, that's where I've worked so hard to like, and to think that I would lose those connections. That's why I also tell my clients like the importance of having An email list. If something does happen, you own your email list.

That's right. Absolutely. And you do that on your blog. So, or you're on your website, if you will. So yeah.

Well, what, when you're evaluating talent, um, when somebody comes to you and they're like, I want an agent, what qualities, um, stand out as far as like long-term success for that client? What do you look for in, in that person that comes to you and they want you to represent them?

It's so hard at the beginning. It really is. But we go through their, we kind of audit their social media account to see, and then there's analytics from that we ask for, for, you know, several months. They have to be, you know, it doesn't have to be their main hustle quite yet. It doesn't have to be their main business. Mm-hmm. If it's a side hustle, that's the hardest thing because we have to make sure you're committed because the minute that my, me and my team get involved, you are getting gasoline thrown on the fire. Like you will be busy every single day. And this is a business that needs to be tended to every single day. And the way that you're really successful in this business, especially in the very beginning, is being consistent. Adhering to timelines, you know, shooting the correct content, like abiding by the creative brief. And so if we're going out and we're pitching you to our clients, then we need to make sure that it's going to be professional, like we're gonna be able to perform on their timelines because at the end of the day, we're providing, we're providing a service to brands. These brands are looking towards creators to do something that they very well could hire a model and go do on their own. So we have to give them a level of service and content and everything that they're looking for to be able to either sell more product or tell their brand story. We need to get them what they need in a professional manner. Like, this is a business. So hopefully We can evaluate that and we also can tell, you know, do they have an affiliate business on like an LTK or ShopMy? Have they been working with brands and in what capacity? We ask all the questions, those sorts of questions to see really how mature their creator business is. And it doesn't have to be super mature. There's going to be an element of guessing and guesswork. That we're doing in the beginning.

Yeah, I think it's so smart that you ask about like affiliate or I remember years ago. So I started taking a supplement that I really liked. I still take it to this day for gut health and it's through a company called Plexus. Now, had I known it was an MLM, I probably would have ran for the hills, but I had a friend of mine let me try it and I'm like, I really like that. And can I don't, I can't find it anywhere. Can you give me the link or where'd you buy it so I can get more? She goes, oh, it's part of my business. I had no idea. She was like the top of her MLM, like no idea, like double diamond. So anyway, I took it, but I was like, well, maybe it's just me. It took me months, like 6 months before I finally shared that. Yeah, this is what I take. Because I was telling people. Kind of on the side that were asking me what I took because I have this nerve disease that I was diagnosed with called complex regional pain syndrome. When I shared this on social media, it got like 800 comments on Instagram alone because I never shared supplements or products. And so people were like, oh, this must really be good if you take it because you don't share. Because I don't, I don't share something unless I really believe in it or I love it. Is that something that you ask creators or influencers or people with products? Do you ask them, hey, have you ever been a part of like an affiliate program or an MLM or anything like that?

Well, really we want them to be a part of an affiliate program because then you can track or see who their customers are, not just who their followers are. So MLM is, I guess it's, it's almost, it's a little different than what's going on.

It is a little bit different. Yeah.

But really, I think you're so wise in how you shared what worked for you because you're a trusted voice and you took it very personal and serious about what you shared with people and knew that they would, they would, it would be a valuable, you're a valuable source of information for those that might be in a similar situation with like, something medical that they're trying to find something for. And so, I think the most important thing is, and that's another thing that we do, that our talent is that, are they really talking about the things that they believe in, or is this a paycheck? There has to be an element of it being real. And that's how—

Yeah.

The most successful talent really build their business is people trust you. People trust these voices on the internet because where else are we finding information now? We used to like read magazines in the doctor's office, like when we were waiting and being like, oh wow, look at that. But now it's different. It's so important. The things that we're talking about as influencer or creator talent are real.

Oh yeah. Well, I know through my youngest daughter, That she finds out, I mean, we don't, you know, she just got home from school and she's in there. She doesn't have the TV on. She's scrolling through her phone. Right.

That's how it is.

And she finds things on TikTok and we will go to the store and the store will be sold out because there's a, there's like an influencer or somebody that got a brand deal and they're sharing about it on TikTok. And just like that, Sold out at all the stores. Like, and, um, I was at Sephora recently and they said the same thing. They said, oh yeah, we always know when there's somebody that posted something on TikTok because we sell out right away.

That's right. Yeah, it's, it's, um, they just, Sephora, to your point, like Sephora just started their own affiliate program for creators. It's a creator program where you can have, you know, you can link back to them. And so the creators are going to be making a percentage of sales directly from Sephora. And I wanna say they rolled that out a couple of weeks ago, but that—

Wow.

Brilliant, because these young girls, they're also selling to one another. They're like, you know, with whatever the product is. And even if they're not huge influencers, they're influencing one another. So it's going to be interesting to see how that works, and I'm sure it's going to be a huge success.

Oh yeah. Well, you think about Amazon. I mean, I was for years sending out the link. People would ask me all the time what mic they wanted to start their podcast, what camera to use, what lights to use, what mic do you use? And I was just sending them what I use just to try to help them. And then Malik, who works with me, said, Amberly, why are you not setting up an affiliate link on Amazon? And I'm like, Oh, well, I didn't even think about it. I wasn't. So now I actually have an affiliate link and I also created some, well, I didn't create it because I'm not that techie, but he helped me create it. I'm like, this is what I want to do. And he helped me build it, but helped me build a, um, podcast gear kind of test where you plug in what kind of podcaster you are. Uh, if you're traveling, if you're doing interviews or solo casts.

Yeah.

And it will give you the links of everything that you need to start your show. And by the way, if you're listening to this and want to start your podcast, I'll put that link in the show notes for you. But, but yeah, so there's so many amazing things that you can do. But so when you have a lot of entrepreneurs, and I feel like there is more and more and more, and when I started on Instagram, I feel like it was a little easier to even build your following.

Yeah.

How does somebody in such a noisy place right now. There's so many creators, there's so many fashion, you know, people in the industry or makeup people or, you know, how does somebody start to cut through the noise and separate themselves as, you know, the creator or the trusted brand to watch?

You need to try things. I think you need to try things that are a little different. And by doing that, I usually recommend going off of social media for a minute. And like grounding and taking a walk in nature and just like dreaming a bit. So that's where my best ideas come from and like just doing things different. I think that we are also influenced by what one another is doing. So don't be a knockoff, whatever, like whatever the other person is, but like really listen to your intuition and maybe you are influenced by other people, but do it with your own spin.

Yeah.

And don't be scared to look silly. I think people like to laugh and are wanting to laugh and be like, I'm just trying this. And if you have any feedback, there's lots of crowdsourcing that we've always done with the different creators and different points in their business to ask people, your followers, even if you have 800 followers, it's like family, friends, and, you know, the people you work with. What do you guys want to see from me? And like, is this funny? Like, I don't know. So ask, doing the ask me anythings and Being able to just crowdsource, dream. Don't just be a knockoff of somebody else. Like, it's okay to share your messy life. I think that's relatable. There was like this point in time, like, you could go to see the person that has the perfect life with the perfect this and the perfect that and the perfect things. But, and I know who those people are when I need inspiration for that, but where I really like to live and lean is like, The messiness, even starting a business, like talking to your audience about what you're trying to do and like letting them be a part of the process, I think is really, it's engaging and it's fun. And they are, they want to see you succeed and people want, are pulling for you. And like, so I think it's about making sure that you're not just knocking off what somebody else is doing. You're just getting in there and being creative and What you do today might not be what you do tomorrow or next week or a year from now. You've got to try new things and keep on going and your own, what feeds you and what your own inspiration is also going to change. So don't be afraid to change and try new things and be silly and, you know, just give it a whirl, be human. I think we all like love that part of what we're watching each other do is I want to be part of your life. And I want to see the messy parts and I want to root for you through the hard times. And I want to, and I'll be here and celebrate you through the good ones too. So it's very human.

Yeah. I love that. And I love that you're, you brought up the ask me anything. So I use things like that all the time, like in my stories on Instagram, uh, I get more people if I have beautifully created graphics in my story on Instagram. I get like hardly any views, but if it's like me, if it's, especially if it's a video of my daughter or my dog Nugget. Oh goodness. That's what, especially if my daughter like gets so many views, but she doesn't like being on my social media. I like have to beg my family to let me even get them on my story. But I listen to my audience and ask me anything. I pay attention to what questions they're asking. And just recently, you know, I had, had been on hiatus for, with the show for the first time in 6 years. And, um, starting it back, I took a break so I could get really intentional. So I love that you say, take a break, like get off social media, go out, dream a little. That's what I needed to do. And I had all these beautifully designed graphics and I actually put them up on my page and I was like, help me decide what the new cover art should be for the show. And it was almost unanimous that they picked my form, like my old cover art. Like they didn't want to change. So I'm like, okay, we'll keep it the same. But I'm like, listen, you know, I listened to my audience. So yeah, I love that you said be human, be real.

Yeah.

And let people on that experience with you. That is so good. Um, Well, what, what is unique about, and now where are you based out? Where do you live now?

So we are between Los Angeles and Nashville. And, um, we do have a senior in high school out here, but our little birds are flying the nest. So, um, yeah, but we're here in LA most of the time.

Are you? Well, so I lived in Woodland Hills and we had, my daughter's horse was boarded up in Calabasas and we were there for 31 years and moved.

Wow.

Moved back to Dallas. Yeah, it's been kind of a culture shock. And so I love going back to visit. We still have our house there. We might move back there. I don't know, but we've got our daughter. It's her senior year, my youngest daughter. So yeah, we're going to decide what we're going to do, but Nashville's great too.

Oh, it's so fun.

But I tell you, I thought things would slow down when I moved to Dallas and it just got busier. I mean, there's a lot of opportunity here in Dallas. There's a lot of events. Um, but so as far as you, you could really do your work anywhere.

That's right.

I would think, but I mean, what separates, what is the difference between, uh, what's unique about JP Inc compared to a traditional talent agency?

Well, the talent that we have really are like digitally native creators and a lot are They're all business owners and entrepreneurs is what they are. And if they aren't, when they come to me, they are on the path and we figure that out while they're with us and with our agency. I am a huge fan of multiple income streams. I am a huge fan of trying to figure out how to get them there. And not everybody is a fashion girl or whatever. We have a lot of really, really impressive entrepreneurs and founders of businesses. We have a tech founder in Tezza. We have somebody that has a skincare line for mothers and children called Nima. It's Mary Lawless Lee, who's located in Nashville. We have a lot of really inspiring founders, and that is so fun for me because I love product and I love figuring out how to get a digital creator and bring whatever it is to life in real life. So it's been, that I think is our biggest differentiator. We also work with other agencies. They send talent to us to be able to figure out how to either license or develop product and help with that part of the business. for their own creators too. So I think that that's a differentiator between us. We, we do love content. We do love those things. We do, you know, that all day, but really it's to try to figure out what the next phase is of a business. When you're at a point in your business where maybe you don't want to post 4 times a day and maybe you do want to try something new.

4 times a day?

I don't know. Some of them post so much. I'm like, how do we keep up with this?

Oh, but you know what though? I guess if that is your job like that, you know, for me, I've got my podcast, but I've got my mastermind and coaching clients and I travel, like I'm traveling through December every single week for speaking gigs. That's a lot. To think about posting 4 times a day, I'm like, woo. I'm like celebrating when I posted once a day, like, hallelujah, I got a post up. You know what I mean?

Yeah. So, wow.

But, but I guess if that's like what you're doing, that's your main goal. I could see where you could put all that effort and energy into that. But when you were talking about like, um, you want to make sure that, you know, it's not just, if it's a side hustle, that they're really going to have the time and they're going to put the energy and effort into it. That reminds me of Shark Tank, actually. Uh, we love watching Shark Tank and on Shark Tank, if it's just a side hustle and they're not putting that much effort or energy, they, they don't want them.

That's right.

Yeah, that's right.

It has to be about time for your main hustle when I come on. Like, we have to be making this change and jumping in. And that is a scary inflection point, I think, for a lot of people, is to take that risk. And, but there comes a time when you can't do 2 things 100%.

Yeah.

Like, you just have to decide the thing and, and do it and jump. It's Like when I left my agent, like being a model in my modeling agency and like jumped to my own business. I've been through it. It's hard. It's scary. It's like, are people going to believe? Am I going to really do this thing? And, and you just got to do it.

Yeah. What, I'm just curious, what agency were you with in San Francisco?

I was at Look Model Agency in San Francisco.

Oh, I know that agency. So I lived in the Bay Area for a year.

Did you?

Yeah.

I still, I'm very dear friends with Marie Christine, the owner still, and her son runs it and they're just, they're very special.

Oh yeah. I've heard of that. I just, I was just curious.

Yeah. And then I went to Next in Los Angeles and they have LA, New York, London, Paris, and Milan. And I'm still super close. Like my best friend runs the agency in LA and it was—

I haven't heard of that one, but I think that's probably because that was Like after my time, I was in that industry for, you know, I knew actually that I wanted to retire at age 25 because I thought that was so old. I was like, as a dancer, I am retiring at 20. I'm not going to be this bitter old dancer. I'm going to figure out what I'm going to do for the rest of my life at age 25. So I think I—

Well, I'm glad you did that because similarly to models, they feel the same thing. But isn't it amazing that kind of social media, and you had your own path, but like social media gives you the opportunity to be an entrepreneur. And like, I never felt— I, when models aged out at like 25, it was like, you, that's your life is just starting, guys. Like, yeah, your life is just starting then. And you as a dancer, there's a shelf life. Yes. But like our life is just starting at 25. Let's be honest. Right. Yeah.

Like, yeah, yeah, it was a big thing. People talk about like, oh man, when I turned, you know, 35 or when I turned 40, I'm like, for me, it was when I turned 25. I was like, holy moly, I got to figure out my life. You know what I mean? Um, but I, yeah, but 25 for a model and for dancers, it's like, okay, getting up there, you know, but I plan. I've got friends that still dance. I don't know how their bodies are holding up, but they, they still do it. Um, I, I'm just curious. Okay. So for somebody like me who I speak all over, um, I always wanted to have my own store so I could have like my own hoodies. And so I've got hoodies and, uh, you know, tumblers, like the basic things that I, I hand out, t-shirts that I, I give at my events and stuff like that. I have an annual event. Um, for somebody like me who's not necessarily, uh, I don't, a vlogger. I mean, I've got a blog, but it's for the podcast. What would you say? Is there some way that you'd be like, you know what, Amberly, I could see that we could work with you and do something like this or that? Just keep it real with me. Let, let me know what— What could I do? Would I have a chance with an agent? And if so, where would I start? Would I need to come to you with like, hey, I got this product, we could make it big together. How do you, where would I start?

Well, generally when people come to me and have an idea of product, there's something that's pulling at their heartstrings that they're like, this is what it is. This is the product. And I would ask them, you, do you have an affiliate business? Do we know, like, have you linked out to this product before? And do we know how it sells? So at what price point do you sell at? And where do you sell at? And you know these things through working on an affiliate network. And I know your team has set you up with a number of affiliate networks. So I would ask them for some of that data. Because that would inform the sort of product that you should be making and also where it should be sold. I think at this point, like stuff that you're selling for your tours, it's so important to do those things almost like merch because that's community building, right? That's community building. They get a piece of something of yours. And maybe that's not necessarily like, say you wanted to do pots and pans and sell into Walmart. That's not necessarily the same thing. Yeah.

Yeah.

But if you said, I want to do stationery and journals so people can note-take and do like these sorts of things, then we would come, we would, we would talk about working with some existing companies that do this. Maybe we would do a collaboration of, you know, between you and an existing, uh, an existing brand. And then we would talk about maybe how we get into A standalone product, your own standalone product, but through licensing. So you wouldn't have to do it on your own. You would find the right partner that would come in and do that for you. And that's a loaded conversation.

Oh my goodness. It sounds, it sounds like, well, you know, as far as products, like selling a book. So I've got 4 books. I only count really 2 because only 2 of them are books that I've written written. The other 2 are collaboration books.

Okay.

But my first book was a bestseller on Amazon, which I thought, whoa, hallelujah, that's amazing. I wasn't even expecting that. I was hoping that my mom would read it. You know, I was like, mom, I hope you buy this one book. Well, then my second book was a USA, it was a national bestseller.

Wow.

So you really have to hit big numbers to to get that. And I was, I cried when I found out that, that, that I got USA Today bestseller. And so I think that's really the only thing I've focused on as, as far as like products or my books. But then I have a free downloadable gratitude journal. I'm sitting here with my favorite pen that happens to be my pen. And I'm like, after I get off this call, I'm just really getting my, my wheels are going to be turning, thinking about stationery or Journals or just from this one conversation?

Well, it's, it should be thought of because there's ways of being able to reach a listener, an audience, your audience in ways that aren't just talking to them. Like you can, they can have a piece of you and you can do your motivational journals and you could do things like that, that there's teams of professionals that do this every day. And not only that, but then get it into Staples. I have the Sincerely Jules brand that has dated journals, calendars, all sorts of these things at Staples right now.

Oh, that's cute.

Yeah, it's so, it's great. It's amazing. And it's the way that she's able to connect with her follower and also a customer that's not just Maybe it's not even a follower that knew her, but they're now going to know when they see Sincerely Jules, oh, I really love these journals. They're so cute.

Oh, that is amazing.

Yes.

Well, you have something new coming out that I'm excited for you to share because you have a way for people to really start to step, step into this role, into this world with everything that you're doing. Can you tell us a little bit about your course and how we can go about like taking the course and getting started? For sure.

So obviously I talk to creators all day, every day. It's my job. And we have the same conversations all day, every day. I, they love working with their brand partners, but really it's about, okay, what's the next step for me? What I want to launch a brand. I want to launch a business. So, I created a course called The Creator's Path to Product. And the reason I did that is because there's certain things that we need to know before we get into, you know, going to meet with a manufacturer and putting a quarter of a million dollars in research and development to be able to get product to market. Like, there's a better way. So, the course takes you through like steps that are very basic with basically the information you already have from your social media analytics, and you put it together in a way that you then end up with a brand book that you then can use for licensing, like either collaborations, which is, you know, a brand-to-brand collab or a brand-to-influencer collaboration, or a standalone license where you can get partners, like I mentioned, like a great paper journal team to want to create those for you and for your brand. So it really just breaks down the steps. And look, I think that this is a marathon. It's not a sprint. If you want to build a business, it's about like really solidifying the foundation, the foundation of your brand and how you show up every day online in whatever medium it is. And collecting the analytics that you get from that and putting it together in a way that somebody like me, because I do, I have a talent agency, but I'm also a licensing agent. So somebody like me—

I saw that. I did. I saw that you have your whole, on Instagram actually. Yep.

Yes. So we can then take that and create the right partnerships for your brand. So It's called The Creator's Path to Product. You can find it on, um, jenniferpowell.com/course. We could put it in the show notes too.

Oh yeah, that will definitely be in the show notes. I definitely want to check that out and I'm going to share that with my mastermind people too. Oh, cool.

I put a promo together for you, AL45, for all your listeners. And, um, so they can have access to it at a discount, at a promo rate. And I really—

you're welcome. JenniferPowell.com/course. Correct. Promo code AL45.

That's right.

Okay. It's in the show notes, but I wanted to repeat that again. If you're jogging out on a run, stop right now and go look that up and use the promo code and use the promo code.

And I hope that what they get out of it is like a good education on what you need. For that next step. We go through term sheets and all sorts of actual, like a workbook of, and so I feel like it's really good information that I've needed and I've learned over the years because—

Yeah.

Look, you can't really go to school for this, right? Like we're learning together and I've been doing this for a very long time and had my fair share of a ton of success. But over the years, especially in the beginning, there was some learnings. And continue to be so. So I, I hope that people find it really helpful. And also you can hit me up in my DMs. I do answer all of them too.

So, okay, we're going to have all your social media links in the show notes as well. You are brilliant. Like you are just so brilliant with everything that you've done. I feel like you've just taken like the breadcrumbs and ran with it and taken all the things that you've learned and ran with it to help so many people create something that is going to be lasting and they're going to have lasting success. Um, so thank you so much.

Thank you. I'd say the same about you. You've created something super special, really, really special.

Well, thank you so much. Um, before we go, is there one last thing that you could give as far as the listeners advice about building their influence and impact? Um, if there was one thing you could advise them on, what would that be?

I think it's just because something doesn't exist. I mean, you, you still need to try and do it. It could be you that's in charge of making this whole thing happen. You know, I've, this didn't exist when I was a model agent and really like, I just made it up as I went and people responded to it. So dream big, take risks, and just because it doesn't exist, like It could be your job to make the thing exist. So get out there and do it and try things and have fun and find your joy and like be your boss, be the boss. Just go out and be the boss.

I love that. Y'all go out and be the boss. And I love that you said joy too. Find your joy. Do what lights you up.

I love that.

Well, thank you for being here and thank y'all for tuning into the show. It's because of you that this is a top 1% podcast. Share this with your entrepreneurial friends or your friends who you're like, I think they have a bright idea that they're— this is meant for them too. So share it and let's spread the joy and wisdom. And thank you again for being on the show with us today, Jen. I appreciate you.

Thank you for having me.

Thank you. I will see y'all next week.