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Chelsea: Awesome. We are live. Hello. Y'all I mean, just a second. I'm going to share this feed over into the Hennapreneur community. And then we'll start with our live. Ask me anything session because, because that's what we're here for. All right. Let's see. Share this. Boop. Boop, boop, boop, boop.

Okay. So today we've got, there's a handful of questions that we're going to go, we're going to dive in to, and then there is also some conversations that I want to have with you guys around what it is to be a Hennapreneur in 2020, and it's going to be a little bit of tough love. So I'm going to just.

Like preface with that. Um, because I think that we need to have a heart to heart, so, um, okay. So first let's get through the questions that we have from the community and then we will chat. Yeah. So let's start at the top. Um, let me pause and say hello. Hello everyone. Hi. Welcome to our live. Ask me anything session. This is our first, uh, ask me anything for the month of April. If you're new here, if you're new to me and to Hennapreneur. Hi, my name is Chelsea Stevenson. I am a professional, henna artist and business strategist based here in Baltimore, Maryland, and I, um, help henna artists all around the world to start to grow and to scale their henna businesses.

Um, And so, yeah, that's what we do. So twice a month, I come live here on Facebook and I answer questions that are submitted by the community, um, on this live, uh, live session. So today we've got, um, I think two questions that I want to address, and then I want to have some conversation with you about, um, about what it is to be a Hennapreneur in 2020. And, um, we're going to have some, we're going to have some, some chats some chats about that. Okay. So, um, the first question that I've got here, um, do you know, this is a really good one. It's about Instagram. Do you know why people strategically tag other Instagram accounts, um, to get followers or to get more visibility? Sometimes I see local people tag a big corporation and wonder what the purpose is seeing that they aren't necessarily talking about their product. This is a really good question. So when we, um, when you see people, okay, let's take a step back. Let's pause. When you're working with Instagram for your business.

You can, there are multiple things that you can do to expand your organic reach. Right? One of those things that you can do is tag other accounts. And when you tag those accounts, using the at mention the content that you post not only shows up on your feed, but it actually can show up on theirs as well.

The way that it shows up is, you know, on Instagram you have two options. You can see the feed that's associated with that account, meaning the posts that that account has created. And then there's another feed of posts where, um, that account has been tagged. This would be an instance where when you tag that, that larger company or that larger, that other brand, um, your content would also show up on their tagged lists.

Now, Sometimes people will go to those pages and they'll look, and they'll see, where has this, this has been tagged and they might come across your content. That way. The other way is sometimes those other accounts, when they are tagged in, um, in content, then they will then repost that content they might share to their stories, or they might repost it in their own feed, um, because that's user generated content.

And a lot of times people like to businesses like to use user-generated content. To be able to, um, to, to, to fill in their feed, fill in gaps in their feed. So, um, you're right. People will, will make those tags of those other corporations. They may or may not actually be speaking about that company's product. Um, but they might have a similar ideal client. Um, if they're doing it strategically, they might have a similar ideal client, or it might be that they are, um, just hoping that they can catch some of that traffic from the tagged mention And showing up in that, in that company's, um, tagged profile feed. So, um, is it something that you should do you can do?

You can definitely, you can definitely do it. I will tag other brands, even for example, recently, um, I tagged a finance company. I actually tried three different companies. One of them was a finance company. One of them was a beauty company and the other, Oh gosh, what was it? It doesn't matter. it's neither here nor there, it was three different accounts. that had nothing to do with Henna, but they were accounts that my ideal client would follow, does follow and enjoys So I tagged those accounts in my stories and I was giving a shout to like, Hey, if you're looking for really good content around these themes, these are some, some accounts that you could reach out to. And so those accounts also. Uh, reposted my posts, re you know, um, reposted my story in their own story, which brought more traffic back to my account. So, um, it can be strategic so long as you're actually having, um, So long as there's a thought process behind it, we're not just like tagging accounts because they're big accounts and hoping that they're going to repost. That's normally not how that works. Um, you want it to be more, um, more personal, definitely give some context to why you're tight, why you're tagging them. Um, and if it's something that also shines light on that brand, or, um, gives a benefit, a benefit for that brand, then you might find that they would be in the position to, or willing to reshare that and reshare your posts, which is going to bring more eyes to your account.

So, um, uh, BreAnna I see your question. Do I offer classes? Yes, I do. Um, if you go to Hennapreneur dot com, there's a bunch of, there's three different, there's three different classes that are right off the top.

The first is Mixology and Basic Design. So if you are new to henna and you don't know how to mix your own paste, um, and you want to get started and you want to do this work, um, then Mixology and Basic Design is the place to be. Um, it is the most comprehensive class for, um, for beginner henna artists that's available online. So, um, amazing resource.

Then there's The Design Lab. So if you are interested in learning how to do designs, you already know how to make paste, but you're wanting to build your skillset.

Then the Design Lab is where you would want to be. The Design Lab is essentially a henna conference at your fingertips. It is a year's worth of content. There's 12 different in-depth classes that teach 12 different styles of design. And each of those styles, um, within each of those styles is like, hours of content so that you can learn, how to do X, Y, Z. And you can just continue, you know, as you continue to build your skillset.

Um, and then finally, there's The Accelerator and The Accelerator is a business program. That's where you learn everything from how to set up the foundations of your business, to how to market it, to how to show up on social media, the works.

Um, and if you have a question about any of those classes, feel free, you can, you can reach out and I'm happy to answer. Um, Okay.

So the next question they had is, uh, this is from Livy. Livy said, thank you, Chelsea. You're giving, you're giving us a lot already. I'm really grateful. It seems like everything has moved so much so quickly.

And now I want to do, I want to do, I want to do serious? Do you do seriously in my business? Would you please, do a challenge, like we already are doing at the moment to keep our mind straight just from the basics. Thank you. Okay. So Livy is at a point where she's wanting to take her, take her business to the next level.

It looks like, and she wanted to be serious about her business for the first time. I love that. I'm excited for that. Um, and, um, as far as a challenge, so let me pause. If you guys are not familiar right now inside of the Hennapreneur community, we are doing a show up on social media challenge. The show, the show up on social challenge is a, um, it's 27-day challenge.

Basically it's a month of I've given them prompts and every day they go on social media and show up to represent their business in different ways. So Livy has been taking advantage of that challenge. Every week, we do a check in to check our stats, to see how well let's see what results we're getting and the results have been phenomenal.

Like everyone is seeing increases in their Instagram growth and their Instagram engagement. I'm here for it. Loving it. If you're not in the challenge already join the Facebook group. You can join even if you're starting from behind. That's okay. You can jump in. Um, as far as if I'll do a challenge related to business, um, That's what that, I mean, that's what this is.

You can count on me to show up and provide you with, with the content that is going to keep you motivated. That's going to keep you inspired and it's going to keep your head in the right place. That's what I'm here for. Um, but I don't have anything, uh, like a challenge like this, like the show up on social challenge, that's specific, um, for, for us and.

This, like, I don't, I don't know. I don't know what exactly you might be looking for Livy but I mean, if you have something in mind, I'm, I'm all ears. Um, like I said, I'm here to serve you guys. I'm here to help you guys. Um, okay. So with those, those, those two out of the way, I want to have some conversation with you guys, and this is not okay.

Let me pause because I want to be really clear. I take the, I take the, um, I think I take your confidence seriously. I take your confidence. Seriously. I take your trust. Seriously. I have been working as a mentor to henna artists since 2012. Since 2012, that's when I first started consulting. And now that looks a lot different, obviously when Hennapreneur came to fruition, um, that, that look that that starts, that started to look different. That started to whatever, but the premise of Hennapreneur has always been the same and the premise of my showing up. To offer coaching and to offer consulting and to offer education has always been the same. I want to see our industry elevated. I want to see the artists who are doing this work being compensated appropriately.

And I want to see those artists not living the starving artist lifestyle. Like that is not a thing that I believe in. I believe that we are valuable. In society. And I believe that we're valuable as human beings and I believe that our work is valuable. And for that reason, my goal has always been by way of education, empowering henna artists to do this thing that they love and keep food on the table and keep a roof over their heads in the process. I have not been shy about the fact that, um, while the requests often come for classes that are related to design and so forth, I'm happy to provide those. When you guys ask for them, you guys need them. I believe that it's important that you feel confident in your skillset. I believe like all of that, a hundred percent, if you don't feel confident in the art that you're creating, then you're not going to do well in business because you're going to limit yourself. Right.

So, I have, but I've not been shy about the fact that that's not my passion, my passion, my, uh, I'm excited by, and I'm thrilled by, and I'm motivated by having a platform through which I can teach you how to build a business. That is what I do, right. That like, that is what I'm good at. And I've, I've been kind of. I've been kind of quiet. Um, I've been cautious about what I say as we're going through the motions of COVID-19 because I want to always, I want you to always feel empowered and I want you to always feel hopeful. And I want to say that today, like, I want to talk to you guys. I want to have a heart to heart with you about, about the 2020 um, season.

And I'm hope that it's, I hope that it's not discouraging, but at the same time, I feel like it's my job. I feel like it's my duty to be, to be honest, to be real with you. And I, I think I would be doing you a disservice if I mince my words. Okay. So this is where I'm at. I believe. that the 2020 season for henna artists, the 2020 peak Henna season is canceled. I, um, have been, I, I have in tracking what's going on with, and obviously this is in the U S um, uh, but I think that, I think that honestly, this is going to be pretty consistent worldwide. I think that we need to really warm up to the idea that 2020 is not a thing. And so if doing henna on skin is the only way that you have been able to generate revenue in your business.

Then I think that you are not going to be in the best position. I also believe that my, my, again, coming, this comes down to responsibility, right? I feel a personal responsibility as, um, a mentor and as someone who, um, people look up to and as a voice, someone with a platform, I feel the moral obligation to say that to you guys.

Now, I think that it's, it's nice and flowery to be like, you know, yeah it's possible that your October or your September festival still happen or your August festivals, if we're lucky, still happen. But I honestly don't think that that's the case. And let's be really real, even if, even if things clear up and August, September, and October, end up being festival months, that doesn't cover all of the months of revenue that you would have missed.

And even with people coming out of quarantine I think that people are going to be a lot more, um, cautious about where they're spending their money, how they're spending their money. I think they're going to be more cautious about, um, Even how, like, even if they want to attend these events. Right. So if you have up until now, depended on those things for your business to be successful, then I don't think that you're in a good position.

And I have said for years, for years, you guys. hennapreneurs they like, if you want to have, if you want henna to be your source of income, if you want to have a sustainable business, then leaning into festival. Life is not the answer. I've said this for years. And I feel like for years I have not been met with open ears. And I think that up until now, now there's this unfortunate catastrophe, right? That's blowing through our industry. Um, and other industries, of course, but blowing through our industry. And suddenly now we're seeing that, that what I was saying was not farfetched. It wasn't far fetched And I'm hoping that you guys will hear that this is not me saying, I told you.

So what it is is me saying you guys, I'm only telling you those things that I know to be true, and I'm only telling them to you because you need to hear them. And. I, there are two people out there. There's the people who are going to tell you what they, what you want to hear. And then there's those people who are going to tell you what you need to hear. And a good friend is going to tell you what you need to hear. And a good mentor is going to tell you what you need to hear. Please understand a hundred percent. I could. I could pitch you all day long, all day long on courses, on classes, on services that are going to make you feel good. I could sell them to you or I could talk to you about how listen, I don't think that you need these things right now.

What I think that you need to do right now is be focusing on how you can build a sustainable infrastructure for your business, because the way that things are going, your goal should not be, how can I, how can I get clients right now? First of all, that's not a thing. What your goal should be is how can I have a business in three months in six months in nine months?

And I, I say that, and I don't want to sound alarmist. I feel like there are going to be people who are gonna watch this replay and they're going to hear what I'm saying and they're going to think I want to give up. And then I think that there are other people who are going to see this and they're going to go, okay, it's time to buckle down.

And if you're in that position where you're like, yes, it's time to buckle down. I'm ready to buckle down then. That's I want you to know that that's what Hennapreneur is here for. Okay. So I I'll be just really real with you guys. I have already made the decision in my business in my own business. I am treating it as though I will not put henna on skin again in 2020.

That is the expectation that I have. Um, just the way that things are going, the way that I see, um, Uh, just public health, right. And the way that this timeline is looking, I don't expect, I don't expect that. I'm, I'm choosing to be, um, what's the word I'm gonna look for here. Conservative. I'm choosing to be conservative in my expectations and I'm going with the expectation that I will not put Henna on skin again in 2020, and that's really scary.

Right. But at the same time, I'm a business owner and you are a business owner. Okay. Your job is to still push through it. Your job is to show up. Anyway. We are not unicorns here. Okay. There are other industries that are experiencing the same type of losses, but now is the time when you have to make a decision on what type of business owner you want to be.

Do you want to be the business owner who looks down the barrel of the gun and says, forget it. This is too hard. And throws their hands up and walks away. Or are you going to be the business owner who says, you know what, I'm up for the challenge I want to, I want my business to be around in six months.

That is what I'm trying to push for you guys for. So even with, even with our challenge, With the show up on social challenge. It's not, you know, I didn't create the challenge just for, for fun though. It's fun, it's fun. And it keeps your head in the game and it keeps you thinking about how you can show up for your business. And it keeps you thinking about how you can be present for your brand and not just, you know, not just fade away. It's fun. Yes. But there's strategy behind every little bit of this challenge. And that strategy is all about empowering you to still be able to show up for your business for you still to take action in your business. I want your business to exist after all of this passes. Just some real, like real talk in my personal circle. Right? In my personal professional network, I have multitudes of business owners. Already, I'm seeing businesses fold fold like in people that I know I'm not talking about, Oh, I heard I heard this or I read an article on Facebook.

No, in my personal circle, I am already seeing and hearing of businesses, folding closing doors, closed business, gone, done over. And it's not just physical businesses. It's not just those businesses that have the, the, the brick and mortar. Even service-based businesses like ours that are very apples to apples with us. I'm already seeing those businesses close, fold go under, have no intention of opening back up. And I don't want that for us. So I want you guys to understand that moving forward, as we continue to move forward through this. Um, experience of COVID-19 as we continue to move forward through this experience of the 2020 Henna season and 2020 as a whole, I want to be incredibly clear, like this is me putting a stake in the ground, and I want you guys to understand, I am showing up for you for one massive reason, and that is, I want to see your business exist in six months time I want it to still exist. In a year from now, I don't want your business to be one of those that folds and closes. That's what I'm here for. So I want to, I wanted to, to have that conversation with you guys today and let you know that you can expect perhaps to hear me a little bit differently, you might hear me, uh, with a little bit more of this tone of tough love.

You might hear me with a little bit more of this tone of. Get it done. You might hear me in this new way, and I want you to know that that's where it's coming from because I'm seeing those losses in businesses, outside of, outside of ours. And I don't want us to experience that. I don't want you to experience that.

I want, I want your focus to very much be on how does my, how do I, what can I do now? What steps can I take now to make sure that I have a business? In six months, time in nine months time. Um, and so I feel like there's going to be two types of people that are, that are going to, uh, those who are going to be up for the challenge.

Because again, they're going to be those that are going to say that's too much, like that's too much and I'm out and will fold and will walk away walk away. And if that's you okay, if there, there are others that are going to say, all right, what do I need to do? Now's the time to buckle down what I need to do. And of that group, there's going to be two types of people.

There will be the people who are going to say during this time, I need to build my confidence. During this time. I need to build my technique. During this time, I need to imp improve my mastery of my craft. If that's you, there are resources available that will help you to build your design technique. And then there are those who are going to say, Chelsea, I hear what you've been saying.

And I'm with you a hundred percent. And these are the people who are going to understand that now is the time to start making decisions in the back end of your business. Now's the time to make, take actions for the back end of your business, to build sustainability and to build, um, to build a marketing machine behind your business.

And if that's you, then that's a different, that's a different route that we're going. That's where we really start to get into that coaching and that consulting and that working together to, to work on the infrastructure of your business. But there's two, there's two routes that you have to go, regardless of which route you go. This is where I want to be really clear, regardless of which route you go, whether you're going to decide to focus on building your artistic craft during this time. Or if you're going to decide to work on the infrastructure, the internal organization of your business, regardless of which way you go, there's something that you both have to do.

Okay. And that is you have to continue to nurture your audience. You have to continue to show up on social media. You have to continue. That's the only connection that you have. You don't have a connection You can't sit in face to face with people anymore. The festival opportunity is not a thing anymore. You have to build relationships with your audience. I cannot keep saying this over and over and over. Like I, it can't, it can't fall on deaf ears and that's why I'm like, I will, I will shout it from the rooftops. If you want to have a business in six months time, if you want to have a business after COVID-19, you have to take this action regardless of what you're doing on the back end.

You have to continue to show up and you have to continue to nurture your audience. You have to continue to build relationship with your client. You have to show, you have to continue to be present. If you don't do that, you will lose all traction. You will. And it will be so hard to earn that back. It will be so hard to earn that back.

I know that it is rough right now to feel like you're creating, to feel like you're putting the work in and that there's nothing that you're getting in return. Believe me. I understand it. I understand it. I understand it as a mobile artist and I understand it as someone who has a lease hanging over their head for a business, a building that I cannot even access, that I cannot even monetize. I get it. But you still have to do the work. You still have to do the work. So whether you're going to focus on design or focus on the infrastructure of a business, you still have to continue to build that connection with your audience. And that's why I'm pushing you guys to show up on social media.

That's why I'm pushing you guys to still continue to be uncomfortable, uh, and to, and to go beyond maybe those, those, um, what might, what might feel normal, what might feel safe. You have to get out there, you have to be willing to try something new. Um, and so. This is I'm going to wrap up. I just wanted to give you guys a little bit of a warning, a forewarning if you will, of what's to come with Hennapreneur because I, I would be doing you a disservice.

If I didn't tell you what I think is coming, and I would be doing you a disservice if I didn't tell you those things, that even, even those things that maybe you don't want to hear, and to hear that 2020 is canceled. Like that's heavy. I know. And then to hear that you have to do the work anyway. I know, but you have to, and I want to support you through that.

So there are tons of resources available that, uh, through Hennapreneur both free and paid, I'm working on getting some things ready. I've had a couple of requests from people who are like, look, I, I, now I want to get into the accelerator. Can I do that? The Accelerator or is it closed? I'm working on a way that I can change that so that I can bring you guys in. Um, there are people who are like the design lab, for example, I want access to the design lab, the conferences that are, that normally happen. I'm not going to be able to afford them, or they're not going to happen because of COVID. What can I do? Is The Design Lab an option, even that like I'm working to get all these things available for you guys in a different way, extended payment plans, like the works.

Like I'm really trying to make sure that I have what you need available. So if there's something specific that you're like, Chelsea, I need that, don't hesitate to let me know. I want to see you guys successful. Um, and so, yeah, I'm going to wrap up with that. I'm going to wrap up with that. Um, And yeah, that's what you can expect to see from Hennapreneur moving, moving for, as we move through this more conversations like these more, just heart to heart. Look, this is what it is a little bit of tough love. Um, and it's it's for your own good it's for your own. Good. I don't come and I don't come and say this for myself. I'll tell you someone, in fact, I'll tell you this, someone asked me the other day, are you afraid for your business? Are um, are you afraid for, you know, you afraid for Cardamon clove Henna. Are you scared for it? And I said, no, absolutely not. I'm not afraid for my business at all. I know a hundred percent, my business is going to come out on the other side, fine. Why? Because I've taken my own advice and I've built out relationships with my clients and I built out relationships with my community. And so there are people who I know, as soon as I opened the doors, they're just waiting, just waiting to be able to book that appointment. But that's not the case. That's not the case for everybody. That's not the case for everyone if you've leaned into, and if you've been dependent on festival work event work, or if you've not spent the time to nurture your audience on social media, um, there's no one waiting on the other side.

So what I'm trying to help you do, what I that's, what Hennapreneur is for this is the same message that I've been preaching for years. And unfortunately, now we're in a position where it's like, Really, this is the time to do it. Um, Now is the time you have to, you have to put the work in to build those relationships now so that when you do open the doors in six months, people are ready and they're waiting and they're excited to do business with you and they're excited to hire you and your business still exists.

So I'm okay with that. I'm really getting off of here. I want you guys to know that I love you and that I want to see you. The best for you. Um, and so if I can support you, if there's literally anything, if you have questions, if you're whatever you're welcome, you can drop them here in the comments. You can email them to me. Hello@Hennapreneur.om. You can put them in the Facebook group, like I'm here to support. You do not get me wrong. I'm here to support you, even when I'm showing up with tough love. And even when I'm showing up and saying this sucks, but this is what we gotta do. Um, so yeah, uh, With that we'll get off of here.

All right. I hope everybody's having a good day and I will talk to you guys later. All right. Oh, by the way, tomorrow, tomorrow, before I forget, tomorrow is Wednesday. Tomorrow will be our third mini class for the show up on social challenge. So inside of the Facebook group tomorrow, I'll be having a free class where I'll be, we'll be talking again about social media and social media strategy, which is exciting.

Um, so if you're not already a member of the Facebook group, be sure to join. Um, I have to jump on an Instagram because you guys have been all in the challenge and like I'm behind on my comments. I want to go back and comment on everybody's stuff. So, uh, I will be doing that. You guys will really find some love from me. If you are participating in the challenge. you'll find some love from me is today. So, all right, I'll talk to you guys later. Bye.