What I’ve Learnt From Building a £300k+ Creator Business in Two Years
Frugal Chic® #57: What it takes to build a brand people remember.
Happy Sunday!
To my inner circle,
For those of you who are building a business in this new digital landscape, I wanted to share a few recent learnings from inside the creator economy.
After growing to over 800k across my platforms and making £86k profit this month, I’ve been reflecting a lot on what is actually moving the needle.
This paid tier is where we break the fourth wall and go deeper into the strategy behind it all.
Because yes, Frugal Chic is about budgeting and investing.
But equally, a huge part of what is helping me move towards financial freedom is not just the everyday personal finance habits. It is building a business, creating leverage, and understanding how attention works in this new economy.
In this issue:
Why the creator economy is changing what credibility, access and influence look like
The difference between having a niche and becoming a one-dimensional resource
Why memory recall matters more than chasing random viral moments
How storytelling, personal anecdotes and perspective turn content into a brand
Why the creators who last are the ones who genuinely enjoy the process
Why the creator economy is changing
The truth is, the creator economy is reshaping the media landscape and overall culture faster than we are realising.
I’ve noticed this a lot recently.
Obsession is the best film I’ve seen all year so far. It was made by a YouTuber in 20 days.
I got to go to Downing St for a creator briefing and tour. This received some negativity, because on social media it’s impossible to please anyone. Setting aside your feelings on this, my point is: I got to go. When in my life would I have ever gone? We quite literally got a tour of the Cabinet.
I am getting invited on panels to speak with industry experts with over 20+ years of experience. I objectively don’t deserve to be there in a traditional sense, but I am.
So we’re stuck in this weird place where everyone is desperate to become a content creator, but for me, it’s so clear from the outside, as someone who’s made it, who has what it takes and who doesn’t.
I get asked A LOT what my advice would be for beginner content creators who want to build a content brand like Frugal Chic®. How I grew to 800k followers collectively and became a household name in the influencer space in less than two years.
Here are the recent developments in my approach and mindset.
Firstly, have a niche, but don’t just become a resource.
So there’s this tension that many small creators swing between. Perhaps they have no niche, and that’s why they aren’t memorable. Or they niched down too much, and now people see them as a resource, but they don’t really care about them.
Let’s address the first problem: having no niche. There are a lot of people saying, “You are the niche,” which is true, but you have to have the most charisma I’ve ever seen. There are very few people who, for example, in their early 20s, have had enough life experience and wisdom to be able to pull from lots of different areas and excel at talking about ‘anything’.
Being able to talk about many topics is something I believe comes later, after you have established a core audience that cares. I can make a video about food or a recipe, but I will tie it back to saving money. My strength was being known for finance. I want people to associate finance on TikTok with me. That kind of memory recall only happens when you’re known for something specific.
