I recently spoke to Jonita Hayer, the content creator and influencer better known as @Lemonpoppyseedgirl. Jonita is the founder and creative director of lemonpoppyseedgirl.com and is on a mission to make women feel confident in front of the camera.

Adam: Thanks again for taking the time to share your journey and advice. First things first though, what is something about you that the many people who follow you don’t know?

Jonita: I rarely sleep. Even when I have the time, I have trouble turning myself off to get more than four or five hours of rest. 

Adam: How did you get here?  How did you become an influencer? What is the inside story?

Jonita: I initially started my Instagram as a way to take people on vacation with me and diarize my life. I began to incorporate fashion and beauty advice with a purpose to embrace women to get in front of the camera.  It generated a following that I am proud of today.

Adam: What inspired your mission to make women feel confident in front of the camera? And how can women - and men - feel confident in front of the camera and in general?

Jontia: Body positivity is one thing that many people struggle with the most. As a curvy woman, I know how difficult it can be finding clothing to suit my body type. I share my knowledge to show things such as cloths to accentuate the waist, makeup tips to enhance your features and posing advice to use camera angles to your advantage. I constantly remind everyone to be the best version of themselves because nothing is more attractive to an audience than confidence. 

Beauty is the ability to make others feel amazing not just by commenting on their looks. That is why I research for my followers brands that work with all body sizes. When I give styling tips I show how you can enhance a look as well as make it more flattering. For example, belting a loose flowing dress at the waist. This draws attention to your curves without clinching them. For beauty tips, I like to show how highlighter can give your skin a quick and healthy glow and a photo ready face. I just did a IG live with a photographer friend of mine to give quick tips on posing so you don’t constantly criticize your pictures. Simple adjustments such as hand placement on the hip and a slight angle with a slightly forward elongated neck can do wonders for your pictures.

Adam: What experiences, failures, setbacks or challenges have been most instrumental to your success and growth?

Jonita: I’ve worked with people that didn’t have the best intentions and used me solely for their benefit. I was taught quickly that everyone doesn’t always have your best interest in mind when working for you. This helped guide me to the right individuals and also put up a valuable guard that helps me analyze people I work with now. 

Adam:  What advice do you have for those interested in working with influencers? How do you decide who to work with?

Jonita: The advice I would give to those wanting to work with influencers is that you need to approach the collaboration as a business opportunity, much like any other creative professional would. I like to work with products and brands that I feel I would purchase myself or use as a consumer. I also like to know the backstory of the business and entrepreneur behind the brand.

 Adam: What advice do you have for those interested in becoming influencers?

Jonita: You need to find your niche and work on building that. Try not to be all over the place or keep up with the Joneses.  You need to be authentic and true to what you’re doing as your followers will see otherwise. 

Adam: What is the biggest misconception about the influencer world and life as an influencer?

Jonita: The biggest misconceptions are that it’s easy or just a hobby. Some people don’t realize how much time and effort goes into social platforms and every single post.

Adam: What has being an influencer taught you about branding and marketing? What are your three best marketing and branding tips?

Jonita: I have come to appreciate the amount of time, effort and thought that goes behind branding and marketing. Three tips:

-Know your audience

-Prioritize consistency 

-Don’t underestimate photography. Quality pictures provide a valuable visual asset.

Adam: In your experience, what are the defining qualities of an effective leader? How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the next level?

Jonita: Honesty, accountability and confidence. Leadership can be taken to the next level by staying humble and inspiring others.

Adam: Who are the best leaders you have been around and what have you learned from them?

Jonita: I’ve been fortunate to be around some strong women in my community as well as my online community. They continually put out amazing content and keep growing their businesses which motivates me to keep pushing harder.

Adam: What are your three best pieces of advice for anyone reading this?

Jonita: -Remain true to yourself and give your followers what they expect of you

-Networking is very important. On a smaller scale, networking can be cultivating friendships and support from fellow online influencers. On a larger scale, it can open up opportunities with brands.

-Continually having to create content can become a stressful and daunting task. Having a good support team around you as well as having personal outlets to recharge is just as important as creating content.

Adam: What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received?

Jonita: Surround yourself with awesome people who do what you do. They will help give you tips on how to take your business to the next level.

Adam: Is there anything else you would like to share?

Jonita: Having influence online is tough for a variety of reasons, but it’s always the support you receive that will keep you going. It’s funny how one great thing can outweigh many bad ones.