Tracy Timberlake is an Award Winning Beauty Vlogger turned Business Coach along with being a Doctorate Degree student. She has a YouTube channel with over 20,000 subscribers and 2 million video views! Tracy is empowering women to make money using video and is on a mission to help millions of people all over the world to achieve their dreams and reach their full potential. She has a passion for young people and wants them to believe that they can grow up and be anything. Read our interview with Tracy below…

What motivated and inspired you to start your own business?

In one word: FREEDOM! Its one of my core values and played a big part in my desire to leave the traditional 9-5. I love the idea of being able to serve people and feel free at the same time!

Tell us about your business.

I started out as a YouTube Beauty and Lifestyle Vlogger. Realized I was putting in hours and hours – and it was becoming more of an expensive hobby than an actual money maker. So, I was frustrated. I had a huge passion for video and for my channel, but with school, and work, and other commitments it was almost impossible to keep up with the demand of a growing channel. I was faced with a decision. Keep going, or figure out a way to make it work!

So, I dug deep, and realized I wasn’t really utilizing the full capacity of my skill set. I LOVE business and I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit. There was a lot of synchronicity in my life that I wasn’t even noticing. For example, people were already asking me for branding advice, YouTube advice, and such. So, I turned my YouTube Channel on its head and gradually started incorporating some more business, branding, and video marketing things into the mix. Everything happened so fast!

Now, I get to work with some pretty rockstar women! Helping newbies and established entrepreneurs use the power of video to increase their brand visibility and stand out as the expert that they were meant to be!

Are you currently running any promos/contests/giveaways that you would like our readers to know about?

Nothing current. But I have tons of free resources for anyone who wants to learn a little more about how to make videos for their business. Like this one: www.tracytimberlakeonline.com/6steps

Where is your business based?

Miami, Florida!

What were the first few steps you took to get your business up and running?

When I first decided to start my own business, I thought it was imperative to learn from someone who had done it! So I hired a coach… many coaches actually!

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness of your business and getting new customers?

VIDEO!!! Of course I am partial LOL. But seriously! There is nothing like it! Video all the time. Video everywhere! Video is the marketing tool of the future – all the market research points to it! In 2017 its estimated that 80% of all online content will be video, which means that in a short time you may be watching this interview instead of reading it 🙂 I always incorporate a 360 degree marketing strategy – so even though I am heavily video reliant, its important to be aware of what each video platform needs/wants and utilize it accordingly.

What have been your biggest challenges so far?

Delegating. I just hired an assistant about 2 months ago. I built my business all by myself (with help from coaches and courses) for 6 months by myself. I knew if I wanted to scale and grow bigger I needed to delegate some of the tasks – but it was hard to let go of at first. But, my assistant is terrific, and it was one of the best decisions ever.

How did you overcome these challenges?

Coming to the realization that NO 6 or 7 figure business operates with only one person. If I wanted to play with the big dogs then I needed to act like it. So, I made the jump!

How do you keep motivated through difficult times?

Staying grounded. Remember that my message and my success is greater than just me! I do this because I know I am called to be a leader. When I think about all of the women (and men) I get to help, they keep me motivated.

How did you distinguish yourself from your competitors?

One of the things that distinguishes me is my experience AND my education. I am not just someone who started a coaching business out of the blue because I saw $ opportunity. I am really passionate about what I do, I am serious about it! I am also serious about making a contribution to the body of research that exists in the world about coaches. I am getting my doctorate in leadership and my dissertation specifically tackles the world of coaching. Coaching can get a bad rep because there is no governing body – which means, anyone can become a coach! No credentialing required. So people will sort of jump on the bandwagon because the see all of these coaches living the dream. Do I get to live the dream? Absolutely! But I hustled for it- and I didn’t expect any of it to happen quickly. I was just blessed that it did!

What is the best advice you have received recently?

“You’re an entrepreneur. You will figure it out.” LOL

My coach told me this on one of our calls. Doesn’t seem like advice, but to me it is. It is! It reminds me that I am resourceful and intelligent and I can indeed, figure it out!

What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs?

Be obsessed with the service aspect of your business. If you aren’t, it won’t work. You won’t make money fast enough. You won’t find clients fast enough. And you will get frustrated and quit. But if you have a true desire to help people and you let that fuel you, it will keep you motivated enough to keep going! Someone is literally on their knees praying for you to come into their life. Don’t quit before you reach that person!

What is your favorite business tool or resource?

Anything Google! I love Google Drive to share folders with clients. I love Google Calendar which syncs to my appointment scheduler. And of course I love YouTube (owned by Google) because its FREE, organic traffic that raises brand visibility!

What social media outlets do you use? List them below.

Instagram @tracytimberlake
Twitter @tracytimberlake
Facebook www.facebook.com/tracytimberlakeonline
Facebook Group www.facebook.com/groups/sidehustle
Website www.tracytimberlakeonline.com
#successinista

What is a good article or book you have read recently?

“The Value of Time” article.

What are you currently learning about for your business or looking for help with?

I am always learning, especially learning about my followers and what it is they need and how I can best serve them. I get to create some pretty cool things to help all of them!

What are your goals for the next few months and how are you striving to achieve them?

This last quarter should be pretty quiet for me. I am booked out with 1:1 clients until January – so I may release some trainings, special courses, or other containers for those on the waitlist and need support now 🙂