Grow Your Business & Make More Money with Affiliate Marketing (+ Glōci Affiliate & Ambassador Updates) with Kelsey Eyers
29 Jul 2024 · 57 min
Podcast episode (recorded July 29, 2024) in which host Lori Harder interviews Kelsey Eyers about building and scaling businesses through affiliate and influencer marketing. Kelsey recounts launching a CBD brand (scaled to roughly $1M in its first year via affiliate/influencer partnerships), selling it, and later advising and running influencer/affiliate programs. They discuss authenticity, long-term partnerships vs transactional promotions, how Glōci/Glossy’s affiliate→ambassador tiers work, recruiting affiliates (tiers, discovery tools, relationship-building), common pitfalls, and Kelsey’s new adaptogen supplement brand VYB. The episode includes sponsor reads and a CTA with application instructions to join Glossy’s affiliate program.
Chapters
Affiliate Influencer marketing was. It really wasn't a big thing at the time. But all I knew was that I couldn't run like traditional digital advertising because it was a CBD project.
That's right. So you were forced into it.
I was forced into it. All I knew is that I needed my loyal customers and my friends and my family to share the product on their social media because organically building a social media following is very tough and it takes a long time.
Yeah.
So I was like, how can we speed this up? I can get everybody that I know to share about this and, and I'll give them, you know, whatever they sell, I'll give them commission on it.
You got it up to $1 million, correct?
Yeah, yeah. So yeah, it was in like a year more than through Influencer and yeah, more than I thought I would be able to do.
Yeah, I mean that's a really big deal. People don't understand, like for products to get to $1 million in a year is insane.
And I put everything into that company for a number of years and then was able to eventually sell it.
What was working back then and what is. Foreign?
Hey everyone, welcome back to the podcast. Guys.
I have the episode for you today.
If you are looking to make some extra money, if you are wanting to learn about affiliating, if you're thinking of adding affiliate marketing to your own business, to your own life, if you are looking for opportunities to not only make money but also to meet other like minded people, other like minded women who want to lock arms, become business besties, do life together, grow businesses together. If you're looking for that community, this podcast is for you today. Because we not only have that for you in Glocee, which we are going to talk all about how we want to build one of the most amazing affiliate programs that are out there. But you guys, this is the new wave. I know you're seeing it out there with all of these network marketing companies that are now going to affiliate and all of these other brands that are looking for affiliates because it is the new way, it is the way of the future and you have to get on board. I'm telling you, why not make extra money off of the things that you love the most? And you're going to hear in this podcast about how passionate I am about it. Because it is how I really broke into business and it was the beginning of my career. And not just that, it's how I have made over $18 million. Not just affiliate marketing obviously, but network marketing. And since this is the new network marketing. I want you guys to get on board. So today I have Kelsey Ayres on the podcast. She is an affiliate and influencer marketing expert. She started her first e commerce business in 2018 that she went on to.
Scale to over a million dollars in.
Its first year through, you know it, influencer marketing. She's the genius that's helping us build our affiliate program for Glossy. And in the past eight years that I've known her, I feel like we've both lived multiple lifetimes because we both launched new companies. I feel like entrepreneur years should count.
Like dog years because of how much.
It challenges and accelerates your growth to.
A whole new level.
So Kelsey shares how she was able to scale her first CBD company as quickly as she did through affiliate marketing. And I remember watching this, you guys, she was working with my husband Chris, and he would always come back and tell me, like, you gotta work with Kelsey. I cannot believe what she's doing with her company with affiliate marketing. Like, they're growing so fast. We're gonna talk about everything you need to know about what influencer and affiliate marketing is, and it works. So we cover things that are going to help you as an entrepreneur. You can apply to business, like how to talk about your product or service on social media in an authentic way that leads to sales, trusting your gut as an entrepreneur versus always looking to others for what you should do. And I don't know whether or not you should have a business partner. So, you guys, we also share a lot more details on how you can become an affiliate for Glocee because I want you as an affiliate and exciting incentives that are coming in the future for those that become affiliates. So we have such big plans for you, which you would be our Glossy affiliate partner, you guys. So you can not only earn with Glossy, but in the future you're going to be able to come on trips and expand your network with other women who are in their Glossy era too, doing big things in the world. So if you're interested in becoming an affiliate for Glossy, take a quick second to pause this episode and click the link in the show notes to apply.
Because we would love to have you.
Let's get started in the show.
Kelsey, welcome to the earn your happy podcast.
Thank you.
It's so fun to have you here in person because most people listening do not know this because it's a fairly new partnership. But we get to work together, yes, on Glossy, which is so fun, but this is not our first rodeo in life together. We Go way, way back. I think it's been around eight years.
Around eight years that we've been in each other's circle.
So first of all, for everybody listening, you are helping me build the affiliate and ambassador program, which for me is one of the most important pieces of Glo C. And for everyone, as we go on this journey today, I want you to think about different places, maybe in your business or life where you could collaborate.
Yeah.
Where you could, you know, create some form of collaboration or connection with your audience and have it be a win win for both people. And I think that's what you and I are on this journey doing is moving forward, going. And we're just like. Some of it, I know that some of it you are, like, an absolute expert in, but for the ambassador portion, I feel like we're trying everything.
Yeah.
We're just in the very beginning phases, but you were the person that I wanted to try everything with, so thank you.
Yeah.
I'm so excited you're here. Okay, so let's go back to the very beginning when our worlds first collided. Okay, so tell me about how that all came about.
Yeah. So I actually. I started listening to Chris's podcast, actually.
How dare you.
Yes. You know, sorry. But then, of course, I was really. I was introduced to yours really soon, and I was inspired by both of you guys. And I had just started my first business having never even dabbled in entrepreneurship at all. So I found it very inspiring to kind of hear, like, not only just the business side of it, but also, like, the personal development side that you guys brought to it. Because starting your first company is going through a journey. Oh, my God.
The ultimate journey.
It's an ultimate journey. And I was like, in the thick of it. And I was just getting so much from you guys. I remember at the time, my business was like. I mean, we were very small, but it was, you know, I was putting, like, my heart and soul into it. And, yeah, you guys just really inspired me to be able to, like, take bigger leaps. And then I took the biggest leap that I had ever taken. And I remember pulling out my credit card and being like, I am going to bet on myself, as you guys had talked about so many times, and join fast foundations. And I was so scared, Lori. Like, I was really. Oh, my God.
Where were you living at this time?
I was in California.
You were in California?
I was in California. I lived in Long beach at the time. And I remember it was at the hotel in la. I can't remember. You were. You remember.
But I Know where.
Yeah. So I remember thinking, okay, this is perfect. I'm going to do this. But just like, I knew putting myself out there like that I was going to be so uncomfortable.
Yeah.
And the drive there, I, like, almost turned around, like, three times.
Are you extrovert or introvert?
I'm both.
Okay.
I'm. I'm like a very extroverted introvert. Like, when I know somebody, I'm super loud. Like, too loud. Very goofy. But.
But like, strangers.
Strangers. It's hard.
Danger.
Yeah. And then especially, like, being vulnerable in front of people. Like, and again, I had no confidence in where I was with my business. I was like, this is. Is my first time.
Totally.
I would be in a room with people like that are so much more.
Successful, which is everybody's fear. Like, that is. Which I'm sure you learned very quickly after that is always like, is everyone better than me? Am I going to add value?
What am I doing?
Yeah, but, like, we're all in that boat.
Totally. But getting there. One of the first things that we did, one of the exercises was to go up in front of everyone and speak.
Oh, that's right.
And my company was a CBD company. And I remember just like, sitting there and, like, eating CBD gummies, hoping that it would, like, calm my heart rate down because I was so nervous.
I'm gonna put this stuff to the test.
I was about to go to the bathroom and just hide out while you guys said my name. Like, I'm. I'm not joking. I was so scared. But long story short, I ended up, like, absolutely loving the experience. I came home and there was just a fire lit. I was. I was in it. And I put everything into that company for a number of years and then was able to eventually sell it. So, I mean, so awesome. Yeah, I mean, it just. It was really, like, the catalyst for me, like, betting everything I have on myself and kind of giving me the confidence where, you know, I think we put, like, people on pedestals and to think, like, okay, well, if I can do this and this, then, you know, I can really do anything. So thank you.
You're saying great things start in fear and in absolute, like, the barf moments.
Yes, 100%. Like, that was the biggest. One of the biggest barf moments that I ever had.
Oh, I love that.
And it literally kick started, like, everything in my career up to this point. So.
And you. I mean, you didn't just go for it.
You.
I mean, you went in an industry that was also fairly challenging.
Yeah.
Which I can understand with having. Trying to start an alcohol company. There's just a lot of red tape around new things.
Right.
Okay, so tell me about the journey of building your first CBD company.
Yeah, it was a lot. I mean, I was. Yeah, A ton of red tape, ton of restrictions. So I had to get really creative. Yeah. And I learned affiliate and influencer marketing.
Because you had never had a product or anything.
I had never had.
You were just like, I'm gonna make these gummies.
Because no, Lori, I had. I had barely had a job yet alone a company. Like, I, I never, I wasn't really ever someone who had like, oh, I'm gonna be this, or I'm gonna be this. I really didn't know. I was like bouncing around, just trying to figure out, like, who I was, what I wanted to do, what was gonna give me, like, purpose and excite me. And so that did. Because it was a challenge. And when I was able to, like, overcome little challenges every day, I'm like, okay, I think this is what I like. I like building something. So, yeah, I ran into a lot of walls. We'll just say that. I mean, I lost a lot of money. I learned a lot of very hard lessons. I learned to, you know, not trust everyone and to really trust yourself more than anything.
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So yeah, that's a huge lesson.
It was a huge lesson because you.
Always want to give your power to everyone else who you think might know better than you.
Yes. And why do we always think everyone knows better than us?
It's the craziest thing. We start because we know and then when we get going we question everything because we think everyone else knows.
Yeah, I think. And even further along my journey in more recent. Yeah, months even I've had that lesson. Even like 10x. So yeah, I need to.
Can we hear that? And then we're going to go back to how you built the affiliate.
Yeah.
Influencer thing.
Tell me about that. Absolutely. I think I always relied on having a business partner. Like I always was like, I need to partner with somebody because if there's things that I don't know how to do. I need to make sure that somebody else does.
Yeah.
But I1 was kind of not giving myself enough credit because I can figure it out. Like, I think, like, one of the lessons I've actually learned from you in the many years we've known each other is everything can be figured out. So, yeah, I. I always wanted a business partner and relied on other people to kind of just, like, carry the torch and realized the hard way through, like, multiple failed business relationships that I don't really need anyone. Like, in the weirdest way, like, people want to work with me. Not necessarily like, my skill set all the time. Right. Like, there's always going to be someone better than you. There's always going to be someone smarter than you. But, like, how do you present yourself in a way that is, you know, understanding of people seeing a client for what they are doing, what they're investing in, versus, like a transaction.
So did you have a partnership go awry or what happened?
Yeah, I had a couple. Okay. Yeah, I had a couple.
And so you've always started out wanting partnerships for that reason. So weird how the universe will give us, like, all different lessons where sometimes it's like I was like, oh, I don't really want partnerships. And then I'm like, very curious about them now.
Yeah. And. Well, and I don't think it's a bad thing. I think if you go into it, you can go into it however you'd like.
Totally.
With a certain mindset. But I think when you start something with someone and there's like, certain expectations and those expectations aren't aligned, it's never. It's never going to work out a million percent. It's so tough. And then even if that person is, like, trying their hardest or, you know, maybe just doesn't bring to the table what you thought they did, it's, you know, you're just. It's. It's a letdown on both sides. I think. So, Yeah. I think from here on out, I will be solo unless it. For some reason, it's like me and my husband starting something together. But yeah, I've been able to find really good, great people. I just don't need to necessarily, like, partner. Partner.
Yeah.
That's interesting. Just to. To put a bow on it. I think it's like, in. In my experience, I feel like it's great to. It's almost like starting on your own and figuring out who you are within that business first.
Yeah.
Because like, when I started glossy, I didn't even Know what my. What my main strengths would be, like, what my skill sets would be. So if I would have partnered from the beginning, like, I initially actually thought I wanted to, I think I'd be doing something totally different that wouldn't feel aligned and I'd want to be. I'd be like, oh, God, I have someone now who I hired away. What I wanted to do or not hired.
Partnered away.
Right.
My part of what I wanted to do. Okay, so let's go back to you. Like, in the very beginning, you had started building, like, an influencer program. How did you know how to do that?
Yeah.
And was that intuitive? Like, we need influencers to sell this?
I didn't know. To answer your question, I didn't because.
This was a little while ago.
It wasn't like it was one of those things where, you know, affiliate influencer marketing was. It really wasn't a big thing at the time. But all I knew was that I couldn't run, like, traditional digital advertising because it was a CBD product.
Oh, that's right.
So you were forced into it.
I was forced into it. All I knew is that I needed my loyal customers and my friends and my family to share the product on their social media because organically building a social media following is very tough and it takes a long time.
Yeah.
So I was like, how can we speed this up? I can get everybody that I know to share about this, and I'll give them, you know, whatever they sell, I'll give them commission on it. So, yes, it was affiliate, but I didn't know that.
Yeah.
As I educated myself a little bit more, I realized, okay, I'm building an affiliate program. Influencer wasn't really even. It wasn't even talked about at the time, like, early 2018. And yeah, grew the company using affiliates. And what was awesome was not only was I growing, but people that were partnering with me were also able to, like, build in additional revenue streams for their families or, you know, for their own businesses by talking about the products that they loved, which was mine. So, yeah, grew the company that way and then kind of got noticed for doing that with other companies and started freelancing, doing affiliate and influencer marketing for companies from very early stage startup to large corporate companies. And then it kind of just. Just took off from there.
What do you think has changed since then in the, like, what was working back then and what is working now?
Yeah, everything has changed. Obviously, like, there was no such thing as paying an influencer for content. I mean, maybe on, like, celebrity level of Course, like brand partnerships or brand ambassadorship, you know, if you saw like a celebrity promoting a product or some sort of endorsement, but there was nobody, you know, with 10,000 followers on Instagram making money from that, like that just didn't happen. Everyone was okay with working for a percentage of the revenue that they generated. So that's changed a lot. I mean, just social media in general has changed and there's been so much. I feel like it's every week. Honestly, there's something that we have to adapt and change with, but honestly, I mean, kind of to tie it back to glossy. That's what's so cool about our partnership is that we've been able to take such creative and unique approaches with it and not with just Glossy, but with every brand that I've worked with because it changes. And you can't have something like hard set in stone because next week, you know, I mean, we could lose TikTok.
Right, exactly.
There's, you know, there's just always something, but that's not going to be the only thing. You just have to be willing to adapt and change and be able to see things from the client's perspective, but also from the creator's perspective. Because without the creator, like what we're doing doesn't make sense.
Yeah. And it's so interesting because you don't know even if your product is going to fit with different people or on different platforms or about the price point or there's so many different variables that even in the beginning, like I'm willing to look at and change on our end to also fit with what's going on in the affiliate world, in the influencer world. Because that is now the main marketing for the most part. It's such a huge piece of how you get out there. So for affiliates, how do affiliate, like how on earth, if people are listening, how do you even find affiliates?
Yeah, and I guess that's kind of brand dependent as well because for Glocee, I mean we kind of have tiers, right, where you know, some people are hand selected based on their network or their relationship with you or past things that they've done or, you know, past campaign success, I guess I mean to say, and then in a lot of cases, like with your affiliate, it's more of a broad, you know, open invite to anybody who would be willing to promote the product in exchange for X, Y and Z, you know, whatever that brand is willing to offer them. So it's kind of a different approach with everyone, but it's a lot of Relationship building on my end, over the past, I guess, almost eight years now, I've built a lot of relationships with different creators and different management companies who work with creators. I've also become really close with a lot of, like, search and discovery and influencer management tools that have databases of, you know, 10 million plus. And I work with them and I'm able to source relationships that way. But it's, it's a struggle with every new brand because there's, you know, you have to be so aligned with somebody to make sure that you are protecting the image and integrity of your brand. So there's a lot that goes into the search and discovery side of it.
There's so much that's gone into it that I'm like, oh, my God, it's so robust. Everything that you guys do, from what you said, like protecting the brand to the agreements with the ambassadors and the influencers and how you want your brand talked about. And the beginning is it's a lot of legwork getting everything set up. So what. What parts for you feel fun? What parts feel like a really heavy lift?
And I'm not just saying this, but honestly, the whole thing is fun. Like, I have.
I have things like that.
I've been like, lucky enough at this point to only choose the brands that I want to work with. And I'm really, really interested in growing with. And because of that, all of the steps are really exciting. But the most fun part is being able to put a different spin on it. I mean, if every single affiliate, influencer or ambassador program looked the same, I mean, it would just be so boring. Like, they. From the creator side too, like, they want to see a different twist. I mean, I have a brand that, you know, we've built out different incentives to the point that, like, they're giving away weekly, they're giving away vacations and cars and, you know, so that, that stuff's really fun. Being able to figure out how to make it exciting on the partners side as well. Yes.
Which I can't wait for that point.
Oh, we're getting there. Yeah, we're getting there. Yeah.
Which is so fun, you guys. As your company grows, you can do so much more for your customer. So how ours works, which we can kind of chat about, is we have essentially, you can go and choose to be an affiliate. I'll have you explain a little bit about how we have it set up.
Yeah. So entry level, you become an affiliate for glossy. We are going to send you glossy product and you are going to agree to share about glossy on your social media. It's really up to you after one engagement how much you want to put in. You can just remain an affiliate and post as you would like when you would like, or you can really put a lot more time and intention into this and work your way up to the ambassador level. Once you reach the ambassador level, you kind of like unlock different perks and incentives and some of that involves your time, Some of that involves different trainings and ways that we can show you how to really make this a a really lucrative opportunity and then different fun incentives as well. I mean we've even talked about like some of the stuff in the way future that I'm already really excited for. But you have really big things on the horizon if you really want to take it to the ambassador level.
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And I'm excited about this because we want to get on. I know you're getting on a lot of the calls of like, training people how to do it right because there's so many. There's so many people that I see doing it wrong. Not, not our people yet, but like, they think they can just take a picture and post it. And the thing is, is that people can feel whether you're authentic or not. You really, like, you need to be using the product. You really do. And you need to be sharing about what your experience is and the benefits because people can just literally see through it. There's actually. I don't know if you've seen it, but there's like a whole campaign popping up about de inferencing.
Yeah.
And I'm like, okay. I kind of love it because it'll make people have to be more authentic.
Yeah.
And so de influencing is essentially like these influencers who come on and talk about, like, what they really felt about.
A product, which, I mean, if I think Back to like 2018 when I was building my first company and the type of content that worked then, it's funny because the static image, it actually worked like static image. Here's your coupon code. And then I love this product in the caption. Great, okay, people are gonna purchase. We over consume content at this point from every aspect of our lives. It needs to be something that resonates with people. So, yeah, it's really cool to be able to work on the creator side and educate people on what I've seen work with brands and with specific types of product, especially when we're talking about a health and wellness or something. Consumable, like Glossy is peer to peer recommendation. There's just nothing more valuable than that. But, but to your point, authenticity is key. If you're someone who's promoting a hundred different products in a similar category on your page. I mean, it's unlikely that, you know, one post with this product is going to work. Now if you were saying, okay, I just found Glossy, this is the end all be all for me. And then now, you know, you've consistently been sharing about Glossy. Yes, then it will work.
So, yeah, it's, you know, coming from a sales background, a network marketing background, where I, I essentially, essentially I was like just an affiliate every single day. Yeah, that's what network. That's what network marketing is. But learning the things that truly converted and it takes time. I think that's the thing that people don't realize. And I think everybody wants to be like an influencer or an affiliate, and they, you know, they go in with it with the best intentions and they're like a brand that I really align with, except they only give it a month or even three months and it's like, oh, it didn't take off the way I wanted. Well, people need to know that you've been doing, like, this is truly a part of your life. Like, I've been drinking a shake from my network marketing company for 15 years. When I say it, people know I've been doing it. Like, they see me actually eating it every day. Yeah. So it's like one of those things that, that was easy for me to convert people because they're like, she does this every freaking day. Like, this is actually happening. And so if people have podcast ads and they're like, why aren't these ads working? Well, have you done them for six months? Do you actually talk about it in different ways? Of all the ways that you use it, like, how you use it and what the benefits are and why it's better for your life. So that's a lot of what we want to do on these calls is to really show people, like, let's take some different approaches, be really, really consistent with it.
Yeah.
And some of the big podcast hosts that I know and I'm friends with, who they are just like crushing in the affiliate world, because it truly is brands that they use. What they do is they'll pick for like a year or two years, like, what are the brands I'm really using and really aligning with, and they go deep with them. That's what you and I want together in our partnership. That's what you and I want for everybody who comes on is we don't want like the Fly by Night people. I really want people to be like, no, I want to use this product. I really want to like eat, breathe, sleep this product, make it a part of what I do so that we can eventually your audience will catch up to that and we can pay you in a great way.
Yeah. I mean, tying back to like over consumption of content, I think people also want instant gratification with everything, totally every aspect of their life. And so you're right, someone tries, they do one post and they get a few likes on it and it doesn't create anything for them. And then they'll probably feel like a little bit ashamed, a little bit embarrassed, like, okay, maybe this isn't for me, but anyone who I know who's been successful at anything, going back to what I said earlier, they might not be the best at it, but they're the most consistent. And that really applies here as well. Like, we want people who are going to consistently be sharing and committed to a long term partnership. This is not transactional. So, yeah, I think with Glossy, like, we're really kind of trying to pull almost that affiliate and influencer. We're de influencing Glossy. We're really trying to make it a partnership program that people can learn not only about Glossi, but learn how to just be better at being an affiliate or a creator.
Because we want to make it better for the people who are sticking with us long haul. Like, we have big plans for you. You just have to have faith that that's happening.
Yeah.
So I want to talk about the benefits for people about, you know, a lot of people, influencers, like, they want to get that money up front and then go and do some of the posts or oh my gosh. Because this is a podcast and I know so many podcasters, there's a lot of podcasts, who, especially now there was an algorithm change in how your downloads were counted. It is not easy to make money on podcasts if you're just getting paid for ads.
Yeah.
So the thing that whether it's Glossy.
Or another company doing this kind of.
Partnership, long term is going to be your most. I think it's going to be your biggest chance for the most lucrative deals that feel the most authentic. So what was happening to me even when I was placing ads is it's like the ads take longer to catch on and you really need to feel it and people need to see you with the product. What would happen is I get placed with an ad for three months and maybe it wouldn't perform well because it's not necessarily who I am or I'm not using it every day or I'm not talking about it all the time. Yeah, it was just those particular spots that they asked me to talk about and so maybe don't perform well. And I see it all the time just churn after churn after churn on everyone's podcast, a three month placing with this company, a three month placing with this company and then it's gone. Like they're not re signing up up because they're not seeing what they want. So what happens is that you can burn through the companies that you want on your podcast pretty darn fast or burn through the companies that you're sharing pretty fast because they're not going to pay you anymore.
Yeah.
Because it's not consistent. It's not really who you are. So I suggest truly going deep with like finding those affiliates you love. Find like three to four companies and go so deep with those partnerships. But that takes time.
Time.
It's going to take a year or two.
And once you roll into that, it's like, okay, well, when I think of Kelsey, I think of, you know, organifier. When I think Kelsey, I think of glossy. When I think of Kelsey, I know her skincare routine. Like, you want it that solid that if I'm like, what lotion should I be getting? Oh, she always says, talks about this spf. That's the best spf. Yeah, like that is how connected you want to be to the brands that you choose.
Yeah, I couldn't agree more. Yeah, you want to really partner with people. You want to consistently be talking about this product. I mean, again, and you can't always assume that everyone's watching your content at all times. So you put one time and you expect all 10,000 of your followers to make a purchase that one time. I think, yeah, it's just back to being overstimulated with content. When someone's promoting a hundred different products on their platform, they just lose a little bit of. Of validity, I guess. So I, yeah, I couldn't agree more. Finding your core brands and brands again, like you said, that you actually use and talk about and yeah. And just go really hard with those.
It's gonna make your life easier too.
If you're really using it.
Content's gonna be really easy to do because you're not gonna have to set it up or go, oh, I have to remember to put this in my calendar to do this post or like, what Am I saying, why do I like this? I don't really like the taste. Like, it just. It's so much easier with which will.
Make the money come easy.
That's why selling shakes for me was the easiest thing I've ever done. I'm like, so you're telling me I'm just gonna upload my lunch every day?
Yeah.
Cool.
Great.
Yeah. Cool. Easy.
Yeah. And once you do it enough where you've kind of like, you've gotten over, like the education phase, then it becomes more like, okay, here's how I incorporate this into my lifestyle. And I'm just thinking of, like, glossy. There's so many different ways. Like, okay, I'm using my glossy in my morning routine and my nighttime routine at the gym. Like, here's how I'm sharing glossy with my friends. Here's my friend's feedback on this product. So it's. Yeah, it's really about education. First incorporating it into your lifestyle and then just being really consistent.
So you built the company that you're working on or working in right now, and you kind of built the anti agency agency. Why is that? Why are you doing what you do right now?
So after I sold Sweat, Sweat was my sweat cbd.
Yep.
After I sold Sweat, I was at the time building another agency. And that's the reason that I sold Sweat was because managing that and then also building an agency was just to.
Say, you sold that for. I mean, it was making a million. You got it up to a million dollars, Correct.
Yeah. Yeah. So, yeah, it was in like a.
Year more than through Influencer and.
Yeah, more than I thought I would be able to do. Yeah.
I mean, that's a really big deal. People don't understand, like, like. Well, some people understand, but for products to get to a million dollars in a year is insane.
Yeah.
In the first year.
Yeah. And I, like I said, and I will be the first to tell you too, I also lost a lot because I, you know, tested different things and tried different things and tried products that never took off. And it was a roller coaster, but it was ultimately worth it. I tell my dad. I'm like that, sorry, dad. I don't remember anything from college, but I remember everything from this. So this was like my education.
Exactly.
It was everything.
That's how I am. Yeah. Yeah.
Just by doing. But building an agency at the same time, doing that. Not recommended. Do not. 10 out of 10. Don't do. Don't do it. Yeah. I was just overwhelmed. And I was also partnering with different people to build this agency and it was, it became a lot. So I wanted to put all my eggs in one basket and I really went for it with the agency only to really realize that I, I didn't love the structure, it was vertical. So I was in charge of sales and bringing on new clients. But then it would get passed down to the next person. And I lost communication with my clients and didn't get to be part of like the creative strategy anymore, which is really what I like. I wanted to, you know, work with them and build a strategy based on my experience with brands in, you know, that were similar size or in a similar space. And, and yeah, I just lost touch with that, which was not fulfilling to me. So actually last year I just decided to step away from that and I just wanted to build a team of experts that I didn't have to manage. So each one of those individuals are now in charge of their own business. They're each entrepreneurs in itself. So they each have their own teams that they work with. And then I get to work on the projects that I really like because my time is not, not spent doing day to day implementation of like really tedious task work which now you've seen how much goes into, how much goes into like the early stages of setting that up. I rather get to come in and you know, collaborate on, okay, here's our strategy for the next month or you know, some of the larger paid influencer campaigns that we do. So the stuff that really lights me up, I get to be a part of and I also don't have to babysit anybody anymore. I mean, at the end of the day, if they want to be successful, they will do a great job and I don't have to look over them. So it's awesome. I'm super happy and I feel really fulfilled and I, yeah, I get to be, finally get to be choosy about who I work with.
So that's the best. That's the best. Yeah. What would you say you are most excited about within that what you do right now, like coming up right now?
I mean the brands that we have chosen to work with are all really exciting brands to me and I think the possibility with each individual brand is really endless. So I don't want to just be like, I mean we really are an extension of your team. But I really want to be integrated into the teams that these brands have and grow with them.
I feel that we actually feel that.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Good. I feel, yeah. You and Lauren, I mean we were talking all the time. Yes, we were Collabing back and forth, making adjustments. It's not like, okay, let me submit that to this person and we'll make the change next week. Right. Like, we're on, we're on.
It's happening in real time.
Everything is happening real time. So it's exciting. We get to see the movement, we get to see the growth. And what I would really love and what I'm excited for is to watch these brands grow and just to be a part of that. Because I still love like the brand and product side of things.
Yeah.
But I also can look at it from this angle and this lens and not necessarily have to be in the thick of it to still get what I like out of, out of that type of business. So, yeah, just a lot to come with everyone.
Okay, so what have we set up for people if they're like, okay, I want to be an affiliate for glossy.
So once they apply to be an affiliate, of course we want to keep some sort of exclusivity with this, but we really are opening it up to anyone who is really passionate about the product or is passionate about growing with a brand. I think that's really, you know, a core of what we're looking for in the partnerships that we're, we're outreaching to. And once they are onboarded as an affiliate, they get access to product, they get to post about the product and earn from posting. I guess I shouldn't limit it to posting. We also are going to have podcasters, we're going to have people who just want to almost network, market with their friends and families. Email us if you want to email us.
We've got an ambassador who's got a great. She's a blogger.
Yeah.
So, yeah, if you're a blogger and that's how you share products that way.
Yeah. And to be honest, some of the most, just to encourage people who are listening, like, oh, I don't really have a huge email list or I don't have a huge social media following. Some of the best and biggest highest earning creators that I have ever worked with have 10 to 50,000 followers.
Totally.
So they just are so good at connecting with their audience and kind of doubling down on specific products. And they have been able to create generational wealth for their families through these kinds of partnerships. So, yeah, as an affiliate, there's so much opportunity just to start earning, you know, maybe play around with it a bit, see if it's a good fit for you. And then from there, if you really want to take it seriously, then you can be you know, you can graduate up to becoming a Glocee ambassador, which has all the perks and incentives.
Amazing.
Yeah. And higher earning potential. And then, yeah, there's going to be some really great ways to connect with you, which I know a lot of people in your audience are. That's a lot of value right there.
I'm just so excited to reward those women who have worked so hard. That's like what I'm, I'm like, hurry up, be an affiliate, then be an ambassador so we can reward you and take you on either these trips or masterminds or whatever we're going to do with, with incredible women. So I can't wait for that.
And how cool is it that like I literally started in your mastermind, then we just kind of became friends. Now we're working together and now I'm helping you do this. And now there's so many different ways that people can get connected to you and your network. Not just by going to your mastermind. Now they can come and be an affiliate for you, work their way up to ambassador, go on trips with you. Like we're gonna plan a lot of that cool stuff. So there's. Yeah, it's, it's a, it's a great way to put yourself out there and get in front of people who are going to inspire you and not only lift you up from like how you can earn with glossy, but just in general, like in with life and personal development is, you know, holistically so.
Well, all we're doing now is shopping online and we're, we're pretty much just seeing it through people. So why not be one of those people who, and I'm telling you, women are, we are the best advocates of what we love. You should be getting paid for it if you're talking about it. I thoroughly believe that. So we want to pay you for talking about it. If you love it. If you love it. Okay, so you're doing something really cool. You're building a supplement company as well.
Tell me about it.
Yeah. Quite a bit different than Glossy Different Avenue, but it's going to be a Adaptogen brand. We're gonna start with adaptogenic mushrooms. I personally just have, have had just a really great experience with adaptogenic mushrooms from like Lion's Mane and Chaga. I'm someone who like definitely struggles with anxiety and I'm just very hyperactive.
Do you know why we relate so well?
Yeah, just a lot of anxiety. Self induced. Right, right.
Oh, 90% of it. Yeah.
Yeah. I want to take on new Things and I want to, like, build new skill sets and then somehow they end up causing me more anxiety.
Right, right. Please figure this out for me.
Yeah. But there's a lot of different things that I've tried. CBD was actually one of them. And so I built that from, you know, personal need totally. And then was able to, you know, grow that to what it was. And now again, building something out of more personal need where I want other people who are high performers and people who have, you know, a million mile an hour lifestyles, but want to slow down and be able to focus on the things that really matter, whether that be your career or quality time with your friends or family. I needed that and I created it. So set to. Probably. Probably. I say probably because you understand how.
This goes, but probably is this maybe a three to six month range? That's what we're gonna say.
It's been probably since last April. I love those.
Oh, trust me, it's. I probably felt like two years. Yeah.
Yeah. And then it was, oh, great, we found our supplier. This is. Everything's good. Nope, Not.
No, it's not.
It's actually not.
No. This guy hasn't emailed me back in three weeks now. It's like.
But you had the best call and.
You were this close to signing paperwork and the paperwork just never comes.
Yeah, it's.
What is this?
I don't know. I don't know.
It's important people hear this because they're going to be like, oh, my God. It's almost why you can't give people a set date. Like, you get excited.
You just.
I looked like a jackass like 25 times. So I was like, it's eight April, it's May, it's June, it's July, it's August. And I was like, fuck it. It's someday.
Okay.
Lay off me.
Yeah, it'll be here soon enough. Okay. Coming soon. Coming soon.
I'm gonna go do some anxiety work over here.
It's. Yeah, it really is crazy. And my business partner, I actually met him through. He owns an Amazon agency. So we connected through working with clients together. And I'm like, you're what I'm missing and I'm what you're missing. Let's do something together.
Got it.
We do this for brands all day. Like, let's also do it for ourselves.
Yep.
So we partnered. And he had never built a brand from like, scratch. He had come in at a lot of times where the brand had maybe been a year in or two years in. He is floored that we can't get an email back, can't get a call back. It takes so much time to find the right partner. Because you're not just looking for who can actually create this product. You're really looking at who is going to be the backbone to this product. Because if we don't have this product, we don't have this brand. And if something falls through on their end or they're organized or they mess up the formulation, that's everything. It's your cash flow. It's everything. So it took us a minute, and we're finally here. We just finalized R and D, and. Yeah, we should possibly probably. We have product in hand by first week of August, so.
Amazing.
Amazing.
And it's called.
It's called Vibe. V Y B. Thank you. Yeah. And we're just gonna stick to the adaptogenic supplement space in unique delivery methods. So Gummies is, you know, everybody loves gummies. We'll. We'll start with that. But exploring some really cool other delivery methods like coffee and chocolate and. Yeah, all kinds of things. Great.
Delivery methods.
Yes. Yeah. You know, you gotta. You gotta be unique. I mean, there's a hundred different, like, capsules. A hundred thousand.
I'm just in this place of. And I don't know, maybe I'll make a pill someday. I don't know. But, like, I just. I can't do another pill.
Yeah.
Oh, it's so hard for me to swallow pills.
Yeah. Yeah, it's. It is. It is tough. Yeah. And, yeah, we really want to stand out because we want to build it fast and build it fast and sell it fast.
Yeah.
That's exciting. Yeah, it's exciting. And people. I mean, I'm such a consumer. I love new products when I find things that I love, love.
So I.
Same.
I can't wait to try Vibe.
Yeah. Well, thank you.
All the good vibes. Okay. So you and I have both grown up in small towns.
Yes, we have.
And what do you think that that has done for you? Like, how has that helped you win?
Yeah, I think. Well, work ethic is one.
Where were you from originally?
Wisconsin. Yeah.
Okay. Which part?
Lacrosse.
Oh, Lacrosse.
Okay, awesome. So small. Small town. Lacrosse is actually.
I was.
I was actually from a town called West Salem, which is a small town outside of lacrosse. So, like 2000, which is also a small town, which is also a small town. So like 2,000 people when I lived there. I think they're up to four now. So things are really Metropolis. Yes, it is a. Is a blue.
Like, do they have a Kmart yet?
No. Oh, no. You have to drive 15 miles to go to anything that's not like a small local.
Like a big dollar. Yeah, got it. Yep. We know these towns.
Yes, we do.
That's where I'm from.
And. And yeah, at the time, you know, I'm sure you can relate, like, looking at people who, like, lived in the big city in California, it was like, oh, my gosh, that's so great. I'm so excited to do that. And when I could, I did. But yeah, I think growing up in a small town really taught me work ethic and it gave me a sense of, like, accountability and like family orientation that I think a lot of people don't have, I guess. And I think all of those things have helped me in business. So obviously work ethic, but just being able to get along with people and kind of be a chameleon in certain situations, I feel like that's like a small town trait.
Totally. Like survival.
Survival and just like, just like nice. Just everybody's more nice. Like, if you're not nice, the lunch lady is going to tell. Your mom is going to tell you, oh, you're out. The whole town knows.
Travels first.
Yeah. You're terrible. By the end of the day.
So the whole Piggly Wiggly is gonna know.
Yeah. Yeah.
Which is a grocery store. Everyone.
Yeah.
Okay. So small town or work hard work ethic. When I first came to LA la, people are gonna hate me for this, but you're also gonna be called out. So I just remember, like, I would talk to people and I would meet another Midwesterner who would maybe had just. Just come and maybe I was on year. This is when I'd been here for a while. Yeah. Let's say I was year five or seven or something. And they would come and they're like, any advice? I'm like, you're gonna be just fine. Because, yeah, you're the way you grew up. You're gonna win here because all you have to do is keep your word and show up. Because everyone was so flaky, so low.
That I was like, you're gonna win. All you gotta do is show up.
It's crazy.
How many times have you heard, oh, you're not from. From here.
Oh, all the time.
But you're not still. Yeah, yeah. You're not from here. You're not from here. And I lived here for 10 years. Okay. So I mean, that's all. That's a long time. But yeah, it's. You definitely stand out in a number of different Ways. But yeah, I think I wouldn't change it. I'm sure you wouldn't either. No, at the time it felt like, why am I here?
Yes.
And now I could not be more thankful for that. And it's been such a roller coaster too because was moving here, living in la, living in the big city and then now moving back to more small town. Not as small, but smaller.
Where are you guys right now?
Right outside of Chicago. Yeah. So moving back to small town, it really has become, it was such a roller coaster of. I want the city to. Okay, I'm ready to like slow down and get back to like a slower, a slower paced lifestyle where I can just concentrate on more simplicity. But yeah, I think at the end of the day it just all. It's not really where you live, it's just like what actually brings you purpose.
Totally.
And not here, not in la, you can get a lot more quality time. You're not in your car, you're not in your car. And it's. Yeah, exactly. It's a little bit more of like a hustle and bustle here. I don't think there's a right or a wrong way and you can be successful wherever you live, to be honest. But.
But I was in my car for three hours yesterday driving up to la. Cause I'm not in la. We're in. We are all in. That was the slowest I've ever said a sentence. We are all. We're in Orange county, which is like an hour out of la, which is major for my nervous system. So I do think that. And by the way, I do see you LA hustlers. I see you, but it's not all of you. And that's why you win as well. But for sure, when you are building big dreams, I think it's really important to pay attention to who you're around, who's on your team and what area you're in, how your nervous system feels in that area. And I just couldn't maintain that pace up in LA while building something. I needed, I needed like the energy around me to be a bit more like fueling, soul filling, recharging nature.
Right.
So yeah, I think that's important.
Yeah. And I think it's like, you know, you're told, oh, if you want to be successful, you got to be in New York, you got to be in la, you have to be in like all of the major cities. But, but I honestly think like at the end of the day you have to be wherever you feel fulfilled.
I agree.
And for some people, that looks like the hustle and bustle, and for some people, that looks like, I haven't seen a neighbor in five years. So there you go.
You're coming out.
Yeah.
Look at you in the big city.
Yeah. Yeah.
All right. Well, I am so excited about this.
And, you know, let's end on the.
Last question of what. What is success for you?
I think success for me is time and being able to create enough time to do the things that I love. And that's not, like, time away from my career by any means. That's just not having to clock into a job that takes away time doing something I love. So time doing things I love, like building what I'm building right now and time with my family and time with the people that mean something to me or doing things that fill me up. So it's just something I never would have gotten had I stayed on the path of, like, I'm gonna work a corporate job and be in a cubicle from nine to five. And honestly, not to say there's anything wrong with that at all, I think just when, you know, you know, for me, it just. It was. I need my time to myself. Maybe I'm a little bit more selfish, but, yeah, I think, yeah, success to me is just being able to put my time and spend my time where I want to and do things that really make me feel whole.
Okay, guys, if you are interested in being an affiliate, all you have to do is DM me on Instagram, Lori.
Harder DM me the word colab, C.
O, L, L, A, B, and I'm.
Going to send you the link for you to fill out the application to.
Become a glossy affiliate.
It.
And then, as you know, if you become an affiliate and you love it and you do well, you can get invited into the ambassador program, which is where you really, really unlock a lot of the fun stuff, the internal stuff, the trips, the. The time spent with incredible, you know, celebrity female entrepreneurs. And you really get to deep dive into your business, and we get to help you with different things. I'm really excited about that. And then I know that you don't work with a lot of people. So this podcast was not about filling you up like an agency. It's really like you're looking specifically for those dream businesses.
Yeah.
That want to build an influencer, ambassador, whatever that looks like program. So you don't even have this set up in a way that's like, go to my website.
Right.
If you know that this is you and you have something like a Glossy or like a, you know, a business that would be a great fit for.
What we're talking about.
Yeah, you can DM Kelsey. So can you give us your handle?
Yes, it's Kelsey. K E L S E y dot E Y E R S. Okay, Kelsey.
Yes. So you guys go DM her. If this is something you're like, oh, my God, I need this. I want to build this. I have this product that would be amazing with this. Go and check that out. But again, this podcast wasn't necessarily about filling up her agenda with that, because you're building your company, you're building a dream business, but there could be some great fits out there who could also work with you.
Yeah. And not only that. I mean, if I can help anybody in any way, I'm always open to do that. There's been so many hands, including yourself, that have reached out and have been that middle person for me. So if there's anything, I have, you know, other recommendations and different people that I can refer you to to help grow your business as well. So always happy to. To put out a hand.
Well, thank you so much for coming on. I'm so grateful for you. It's just been so much fun.
Yeah.
And I'm excited to see what we.
All build together, so I'm so excited. This is going to be an unbelievable opportunity for so many people, and I can't. I'm so happy to be a part of it.
It's like, what I'm most excited about.
Yeah, me too.
Pretty much all of it, so. Okay, well, thank you so much, and.
You guys, thank you for tuning in. And until next time, earn your happy.
Bye, everyone.
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