I Spent Over 2,000 Minutes Talking to Creators, Brands & Founders Last Month. Here’s What I Learnt.
The other day, I was looking through my calendar when I realised I’d spent over 2,000 minutes on calls in a single month.
At first, I laughed. It explained why I constantly felt like I was either jumping into a Google meeting or walking out of one. But then it made me stop and think about what those hours actually represented.
They weren’t just meetings. They were conversations with creators wondering why brands weren’t replying to their emails, mentoring sessions helping creators turn their Influence To Income, calls with global brands planning campaigns, and strategy sessions with founders building personal brands that people actually remember.
It made me realise something I don’t think about often enough… I have a front-row seat to the conversations shaping the creator economy.
One of the promises I made to myself when I started my business was that I’d never gatekeep what I learn. Every week, I hear the same questions, challenges and breakthroughs from creators at every stage of their journey. While every story is different, the patterns are surprisingly similar.
Here are the three biggest lessons I keep coming back to.
1. Opportunities are built through relationships, not just reach.
One of the biggest myths in the creator economy is that brands only care about follower count. In reality, I speak to brands every week, and very few are simply looking for the biggest audience.
They’re looking for creators who understand their audience, communicate professionally, deliver content on time and genuinely care about the partnership. Those things might not show up on your Instagram profile, but they often have a bigger impact than another 10,000 followers.
Content might get you noticed, but relationships are what keep opportunities coming. The creators who consistently land repeat collaborations are usually the ones who stay in touch, ask for feedback and make working with them a great experience.
2. Great creators don’t wait to be discovered.
One conversation I have almost every day is with a creator asking why brands aren’t reaching out.
My answer is usually the same.
The creators landing the most consistent brand partnerships aren’t always waiting for inbound opportunities. They’re proactively introducing themselves, building relationships with brands they genuinely love and confidently communicating the value they can bring.
Pitching isn’t about convincing a brand to work with you. It’s about showing them why you’re the right fit for their campaign. When you shift your mindset from “asking for work” to “starting a conversation”, everything changes.
3. Action will always beat information.
Creators have never had more free advice available to them. There are endless podcasts, newsletters, YouTube videos and Instagram posts sharing tips on how to grow.
But information alone doesn’t build a business.
After thousands of conversations, I’ve realised that the creators who make the fastest progress aren’t necessarily the ones consuming the most content. They’re the ones who leave a strategy call, implement one idea and keep building momentum.
Perfection slows people down. Action moves them forward.
The biggest takeaway
After spending more than 2,000 minutes in conversations last month, one thing has become clear to me.
There isn’t a secret strategy that only successful creators know.
The creators building sustainable businesses are simply consistent. They create valuable content, nurture relationships, pitch themselves confidently and keep showing up, even when the results aren’t immediate.
Those habits might sound simple, but they’re often the difference between creators who occasionally land a gifted collaboration and those who build long-term careers.
If pitching brands is the part you’re finding most difficult, I’ve put together a free pitching guide that walks you through the strategies we use to help creators start meaningful conversations with brands.
If you’re ready to stop waiting for brands to find you and start creating opportunities yourself, download my free Pitching Guide. Inside, I’ll show you the strategies we use to help creators confidently approach brands and start monetising their content.