Ep 11: Amya Zhanelle on Starting Her Gen Z Business - AZ is Media

Today’s guest is Amya Zhanelle, a social media strategist and Gen Z entrepreneur, who is President/CEO of her own business - AZ is Media. AZ Is Media (as-is-media) consults with businesses to increase their brand recognition through social media marketing. 

In this episode, you’ll hear how Amya struck out on her own when an internship with a large corporation was not offering her enough satisfaction, her ability to help businesses connect with the highly desirable younger generations, and some tips and suggestions on starting your own entrepreneurial journey.

Authentic, inspirational and relatable discussions with inspirational business leaders, gaining insight into what inspires them and how they got to where they are today. These conversations offer actionable tips for listeners to create their own path to success and shatter whatever glass ceilings arise and overcome any obstacles on their personal journey. Jeanniey Walden, Founder of Liftoff Enterprises, is the award-winning marketing, business & workplace expert and host of the TV show "LiftOff with Jeanniey Walden." Jeanniey dives into compelling conversations with incredible experts of all backgrounds to understand what makes them tick and expose how you, the viewer can learn from these experiences and start to "LiftOff."

Discussion points:

• Finding the path to entrepreneurship
• Turning down a position in a large corp to go out on her own
• Learning to ask for help
• Planning space for the business
• Funding - did not require a big financial investment
• Finding clients through networking and word of mouth
• Luck vs. hard work
• Hiring a team and using freelancers
• One thing businesses can change right now
• Influencers and brands
• Advice from mentors - balancing growth with self care
• Advice to someone who wants to follow their dreams - research your finances, resources, network, set goals, then DO IT.

Resources:

Amya Zhanelle LinkedIn

AZ IS Media

Jeanniey Walden LinkedIn

Liftoff Website

See what we look like; subscribe to our YouTube channel

Watch the TV show"LiftOff with Jeanniey Walden"

Follow us on Twitter

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Talk to us on Facebook

Meet Jeanniey live - see where she will be next

Transcript

[00:00:00] Jeanniey Walden: Hello, and welcome back to Liftoff Journeys. I'm here on set at the Walden Pond with Amaya Dume. Amaya, thanks for joining me on today's podcast. So excited to have you here. For those of you that are just streaming this, you can't see us. But for those of you that can, here we are together on set. So this is fun.

And Amaya, I'm so glad you were able to come on the shelve . Me too. Thank you for having me. Yes, absolutely. So at Liftoff Journeys, We talk about the journeys that got you to where you are today and what your journey is. And clearly for anyone who can see us, you're a lot younger than I am . So your journey's not as long as mine has been, but I have been so impressed.

I've known you for a really long time. I've been so impressed with your journey in life and your. Just exploration of different careers. So without me being a spoiler alert, tell us a little bit about, you know, where you are in your career and what your journey has been up until this point. 

[00:01:05] Amya Zhanelle: Right. So I have a social media consulting firm called As Is Media.

Um, I've been doing it for about three years now and you know, I started. in social media with an internship. And from there, throughout my later college experience, that's where I realized my passion for social media and for there, it just pursued me into moving forward with having my own business. I have always said that I wanted to be an entrepreneur.

I never knew what really that was going to look like, and social media was my first outlet. So that is where it all began. And now here I am. I have worked with tons of clients in so many different industries, which I love because there is never a moment where I'm not learning things. And it has been amazing.

I have met so many different people. They have taught me so many different things, and now we're just moving forward onto bigger and better things, trying to grow the company, hopefully getting a big team. . 

[00:02:13] Jeanniey Walden: It's been really great. . That's awesome. So I know a little bit about your story and uh, I think everybody listening would probably be very excited to hear about how you had an internship with a really large business, somebody in the Fortune 500 s and a time came in your life where they offered you the opportunity to work there full-time and give up your dreams of having your own.

Or for you to actually turn that down and start your own company, and I know that was a big decision point in your life. Will you talk a little bit about that? Because I think everyone would love to hear about 

[00:02:47] Amya Zhanelle: that. Yeah, it was a really difficult decision. I was at a point where I was coming to my.

Graduation, you know, in the midst of Covid, you would think the opportunities would be endless for me, but they were not. So I was at a standpoint where I launched my business while I did have my internship and, you know, ideally I would've wanted to grow with the company, but they did not provide me with.

The greatest opportunity for me to grow with them, and it was either stay in a place that was not going to be. , what, what is the word I'm looking for? It. It wasn't going to water my flowers, if you will. Okay. . And for me, I felt like I, I, I really wanted to do something for myself. Um, something that I truly had a passion for.

So that is why I. . I, I, I have all of the confidence in myself. I know that I am able to do this, and I just went with it. I, that's awesome 

[00:04:05] Jeanniey Walden: because so many people would not take that risk, especially starting off in their career. Yes. 

[00:04:10] Amya Zhanelle: It was a big trade off. It was a huge risk, but I don't regret it at. I was just 

[00:04:16] Jeanniey Walden: gonna ask you that.

If you ever think, oh, I wish I would've stayed with the big company and gotten big company experience. Mm-hmm. . So, okay. So you went ahead and followed your dreams. You didn't look back. I think that's awesome. Five years later, what has your biggest learning been about having your own 

[00:04:32] Amya Zhanelle: business? I think it has to do with knowing that you're not going to know everything, and that is okay.

I feel like a lot of people, they wait until it's, Right moment when they feel that they have all of this experience and expertise, but you just have to go into it knowing that it's okay to learn new things. It's okay to ask for help from other people that you see are doing similar things. And from that, that has one helped me.

Branch out and network and connect with other people. And it has also helped me to, cuz I wasn't always a person to ask for help. Mm-hmm. , I always struggled with that just because I wanted to do things on my own. I felt like, you know what, it's fine. I got this, I can trust myself, but. It is okay to reach out and be like, Hey, I, I'm not sure how to navigate this specific project.

Have you worked on something like this? And what was your experience with that? You know, so go knowing that. You're gonna learn new things. You are going to experience different challenges, different obstacles. You're not always gonna move forward. Sometimes it's gonna take you back, but it's a matter of how you, you approach those challenges and, and get to the next part of.

the big idea. 

[00:06:02] Jeanniey Walden: Yeah. So do you have it all mapped out in your head on where you want your business to be? Or are you kind of learning and changing as you go? Yeah, 

[00:06:11] Amya Zhanelle: I, I have an idea and for me, I want to be able to have my own studio office. I wanna have my team, I wanna have my photography studio where I can have my clients there.

You know, other people can, other creatives can use that as well. So there is definitely a bigger, long-term picture for my business, which I brought together probably within the last year. So I'm ready for it. . That's awesome. 

[00:06:43] Jeanniey Walden: Okay, so just starting out, how did you. Get enough funding to get the business started.

Did you borrow money? Are you bootstrapping it? Are you looking for investors like, because I'm sure a lot of listeners are wondering, well, I wanna start my own thing, but how do I do it financially? 

[00:07:02] Amya Zhanelle: Right. So reminder, I was in the midst of graduating college. My funds were not as extreme as some others that are starting at a company.

I did not ask for any money I used. The small chunk of funds that I had to make it work. Um, and I think that was probably the benefit for having an online service-based company, because when you start out, there aren't a lot of, um, costs initially you're, you don't have overhead or, or things like that. So, The spending was pretty minimal in the beginning, and in addition to that, once I started, there were a lot of people already messaging me to work with me.

Mm-hmm. . So the it, it just picked up from there. So I. kind of just managed it on my own and, and, and figured it out from there. . 

[00:08:04] Jeanniey Walden: So let's talk about how you got your first clients. How did you get your first clients ? Because I know as I'm building Liftoff Journeys and Liftoff TV show, I'm wondering, you know, I'm always thinking of there has to be new ways to get clients.

Like how, how did you do it, especially just coming 

[00:08:19] Amya Zhanelle: outta school, right? So a lot of my clients have been. by network referrals. Okay. Hugh being one of them. , yes. . You know, and that is where it all started. Um, just having people that know me, they say, oh my gosh, I just heard she has, she's doing social media.

Maybe she could help you with your business. And from there, it has just been a lot of word of mouth. Mm-hmm. that. brought me business, and then other times it's been me sharing things through Facebook groups and things like that, but heavy on my network. just bringing it 

[00:09:01] Jeanniey Walden: in. So you're a big believer in networks Cause I'm a big believer in networks.

Absolutely. And I think that if you have a strong network, they'll never let you fail. No matter how scary things might look. If you get to a point where you only have one client or you're not sure where you're gonna come from, somehow somebody always reaches out. Which takes me to my next question. Do you believe it's luck, hard work, or?

[00:09:22] Amya Zhanelle: Whew. That's a great question. . I, I feel like it can be a mix of things. Uh, for me, I always say speak it into existence. So whatever I'm trying to pursue, I, I don't say, oh, well, maybe, or, , oh, I would like to, I say I'm going to do this, and then I put forth the action plans to do that. So it's definitely a mix of all that.

And also just. Being confident in, in who you are and what you do, and making sure that you have the discipline, especially when you are a solopreneur, to do it on your own and, and continuously work at it and, and grow. 

[00:10:06] Jeanniey Walden: So in this creator economy that we're all living in, right, you're very well positioned to continue to grow and support people.

Do you? see yourself hiring employees? Or do you see yourself finding freelancers and just supporting more like creator economy as your 

[00:10:22] Amya Zhanelle: business grows? Mm-hmm. , I, I see a mix of that. So ideally in the future, I do wanna have like a, a nice team in-house. Right. Um, and then maybe for future projects.

depending on the client, you know, we will bring in, uh, additional creators and freelancers. So, um, and I think you see a lot of that with even bigger businesses. You know, they're, they're using a mix of freelancers and those in-house, so I am going to continue to move forward in doing. . 

[00:10:58] Jeanniey Walden: And what do you think is gonna happen with big brands or even smaller brands and companies that need to build their business over the next couple years with the advent of TikTok?

I know you're big on TikTok, you're big on Instagram. I've seen your reels come through. Do you feel that you're well positioned with your company to help those businesses learn how to connect with gen? . 

[00:11:21] Amya Zhanelle: Mm-hmm. . Yes, absolutely. I mean, me being a person that is actively in the generation, I feel like I have closer relations to be able to provide that support.

I'm frequently on social media, whether it's for business or personal, and I'm always looking at new. That businesses can use those platforms for their benefits. So I definitely think I, I have that, that take . So what do you think 

[00:11:53] Jeanniey Walden: businesses should change immediately about the way they interact on social media right now?

[00:11:59] Amya Zhanelle: I think they. They need to let loose. You know, when you think about it too much, you, you, you don't showcase your brand personality, and that's what our audiences are looking for. You take TikTok, um, , you'll see businesses, bigger businesses that are using TikTok and um, they're, they're not being so stiff, you know, they're finding very creative ways to connect with their audiences, even if it's not directly selling their product.

They're building that engaging community and from there it's pushing other areas of their marketing. So I definitely think you have to be. more. . Personable in the way for the brand. More authentic and And just have fun with it. It's social media. Yeah. . 

[00:12:54] Jeanniey Walden: Yeah. So what are your thoughts on micro influencers versus big brand influencers like the Kardashians versus traditional media?

[00:13:03] Amya Zhanelle: I think it's going to be relative to who your brand is. So certain brands, you don't need to have the huge influencers. You can. Utilize our micro influencers. I, I think that they should be looked at more because, um, they could be in these different audiences that you are actually trying to connect to, that you really want to.

Purchase your products. Sometimes with the bigger influencers, people get lost in the fact that, oh my God, it's, it's this huge celebrity and it kind of loses the face of, of what your product or service is. So in the sense of micro influencers, they can be more authentic and real when it comes to showcasing.

your products and and what you're putting out there. All 

[00:13:55] Jeanniey Walden: right, so crazy question. What do you think is gonna happen in the metaverse ? Like, have you gotten involved in that at all? Because I personally cannot envision putting on an Oculus and like going shopping at a mall through the Oculus and then having the clothes up at my house.

And how that being realistic, because if I have to choose what I'm gonna look like in a virtual world, it's probably not gonna be the same size clothes that I'm gonna order online. , what do you think about that future? 

[00:14:22] Amya Zhanelle: Yeah, yeah. I mean, the Metaverse, it is, it is a creation of technology. You know, some people are gonna be into it.

Me, however, I like to go into the store. I like to try on the things. So I don't think I'll be using the Metaverse a lot in the ways of substituting my more real experiences for things that I enjoy. You know, I think. It's more so for entertainment than than anything else, so. 

[00:14:53] Jeanniey Walden: All right. And what advice would you give to somebody that's in college or just graduating?

Cuz I can't believe that you've been outta school for almost five years. , I can't use it. That's feels like crazy. A long time to me, but, so now you are in a position where you can mentor others. , what's the advice that you're gonna give to someone if they wanted to be mentored by you? 

[00:15:14] Amya Zhanelle: I would say that's a, that's a chunky question.

right? . I, I would say that you think about what the ideal life that you wanna have. W what does that look like in terms of three years, five years? The end, what is it that you wanna pursue? What are your biggest passions? What are your skill sets? And think about how you can really make that into something that is going to bring you income.

And from there, , like, just lay out all of your plans. Planning is going to be key. I said before you're going to go learning things, but you also need to go in with a plan. So go in with a plan, figure out your strategy and just do it. You know, don't wait for the perfect moment, just do it. And 

[00:16:14] Jeanniey Walden: so, last question.

What do you look for for advice from mentors that you seek out? 

[00:16:20] Amya Zhanelle: I think probably. . How, how do you just continuously balance it all? Because I, I feel like sometimes I get a little stuck. Mm-hmm. and it can be overwhelming. So how do you take those moments to make sure that you're still growing, you're still doing things, and then checking in with yourself to be like, , here we are, we're doing this.

Let's not get scared. Let, let, let's, let's keep going. So how do, how do we keep pushing forward and, and growing as a business person, especially being a young, a younger entrepreneur? Um, it could be a little intimidating w coming into the workforce and you have people saying, oh, They don't look past your youth right.

Sometimes. Right. Oh, I know that. and, and, and how do you just get through that and, and still show, you know, the real deal, right. . 

[00:17:23] Jeanniey Walden: Right. Awesome. Well, what advice do you have for people that are. in a position where they've been in a company for a number of years, or they've been in a career for a number of years and they're looking to make a change.

Mm-hmm. , and they wanna follow their dreams. They listened to everything that you had to say today. They stepped back. They were like, wow, my purpose is actually this. I need to follow my dreams. How do you, what advice would you give them to 

[00:17:49] Amya Zhanelle: get started? I would do some research as far as what it is going to entail to.

Pursue your passion. Figure out everything that you need, the finances, the resources. Uh, try to speak to some people that might be doing what you want to do, and then just set out your goals as far as how you're gonna tackle really going for it. And then, do it. . I 

[00:18:16] Jeanniey Walden: love it. I love it. Amaya, thank you so much for being on Liftoff Journeys.

This has been a great recap of everything you've done in your business. A lot of really good advice for people that are just starting out, people that are thinking about making a career change and best of wishes to success for your growing business. Thank you so much for 

[00:18:35] Amya Zhanelle: having me. I really enjoyed 

[00:18:36] Jeanniey Walden: this

Yeah, this was great. So everybody stay tuned for. Great podcast with Liftoff journeys. We're gonna be following some really incredible stories over the upcoming week, so 

[00:18:47] Amya Zhanelle: stay tuned.