Thank you PayPal and Walmart for sponsoring this post. Introducing PayPal cash in and cash out money services, the financial services alternative which allows you to manage your cash flow on your own terms!

1. It’s a lot of work.

I just want to be upfront – living the #momboss life ain’t easy. It is 100% what I love and about 80% fun, but certainly not easy.

I am a creative through and through. I’ve loved expressing my creativity through art, music and dance since I was a little girl. When I started seeing my photos as my creative outlet- that is when things really started to happen. But just because it does come naturally, doesn’t mean I also don’t have to work at it. Behind every successful photo – there are so many thoughts, out takes, and editing hours. So just prepare yourself for this workload and when it does actually happen rather quickly or spur of the moment, take it as a win! However most of the time it will probably be more of a planned and time intensive task.

2. How to start a brand relationship.

The best way to start working with brands is to show that have invested in that brand first. The fastest way to get noticed is to buy something from them that you’ve been wanting and is a natural fit for your life. Then take REALLY good pictures of it. Post it to your Instagram, post about it on your blog, and make sure to Tag them.

Stories are also a great way to get started with brands. Tagging in a story automatically creates a DM with them letting them know you’ve shared their brand. That is a great conversation starter and a perfect way to introduce yourself and your content creation/ storytelling skills! This is exactly how I began my partnership with Kortni Jeane and many of the other brands I work with. Once you have a portfolio of work, you can begin to pitch your content creation to brands directly. That can lead to so big and exciting things – aka something like this!

3. Be a real person! 

Be a real person! Flaws and all. Instagram is made for connection. People love to connect with other real people. Don’t be afraid to let the real and raw you shine through. Most of us out there are just looking to be heard and understood – so take the opportunity to cultivate that connection by sharing the real and raw from time to time. Even if you’re a shop owner or small business account; people connect with people – so make sure you are telling your story and letting them see the “woman behind the curtain” on a regular basis, not just product or sales posts.

Interact with those who comment, go and seek out the people who are following you, genuinely comment and relate as you would to people / friends in real life! That’s how you build trust and respect in daily life- that’s the same way you’ll do it online! I have been blown away with the amazing friendships that I have found through Instagram, and some of them have even turned into incredible partnerships as well. You just never know. So my best advice is be genuine and make friends!

4. How you get paid

As a blogger and digital content creator I make most of my money by doing freelance work for brands. It can be a bit all over the place when it comes to nailing down when and how to get paid.  Most brands pay within 2 weeks of post completion. However it can sometimes can take up to 30 (sometimes even 60) days after completion of your posts to get a check in the mail.  I use PayPal to receive most of my payments. Most of the brands I work with are comfortable using this and the convenience factor can’t be beat. There is a new cash in and cash out feature that PayPal has created in partnership with Walmart that is ULTRA convenient for me.

I am able to easily manage my cash flow from my PayPal balance for all of my freelance brand work.

I travel frequently and to be honest – just living the on-the-go #momlife so having the convenience and freedom to run into any Walmart and use the PayPal cash in and cash out money services at Walmart stores.

.No waiting around for a few days for the money to be transferred. 🙌🏻 I can now access the money in my PayPal account + easily load and withdraw money at any U.S. Walmart store. Learn more about the service here!

Having access to pay for IRL things with my PayPal cash balance is clutch. Check it out if you’re already a PayPal user – or even if you’re new!  Also if you’re a PayPal Cash Mastercard customer you can simply pay bills or make purchases online or anywhere ‘Mastercard’ is accepted, and access your cash balance using Walmart Service Desks, ATMs, and cash registers for the low fee of $3 per service. 

I truly love it when a service I already use and love goes above and beyond to make things easier for their users. That is GOLD. 

5. Invest in the tools of your trade.

If you want to make your online brand and presence into a money making venture you’ve got to approach it like a business. Investing in the right tools is the biggest tip I can give you. Instagram is a visual platform- you’ve got to know how to take clear, high quality and captivating images to stop the scroll and start getting noticed. As Beth Kirby of Local Milk says- you’ve got to hook them with the image and put the real life / deep thoughts in the caption. She’s got an excellent resource here. I really have learned a to from both her and Jenna Kutcher. They are both huge proponents of everything I’m telling you here.

Learn how to take good photos! There are so many great courses online. Skillshare has several beginner DSLR photography courses, and even You Tube has a ton a free resources. 

If that’s really not your thing, and investing in a camera is out of the question, then the next best thing is to invest in a photographer every couple of months to come take images for you. Plan your content ahead of time and maximize the whole day of shooting with that photographer. You’ll come away with some good strong images and you can fill in the gaps with ones of your own. If you have a business that doesn’t really lend itself to images, ( you’re a lawyer or a personal trainer and there are only so many gym selfies you can handle..) then try mixing in some stock photos. Unsplash and Death to Stock are some of my favorite modern, high quality, free – yes free – resources.

I’ll be doing a post soon outlining all of the photo and editing equipment I use – so stay tuned! 

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.