There’s no question that Kylie Jenner’s family fame was a massive amplifier of her success – and one of the biggest debates going on right now is the question of whether she really is TRULY a self-made billionaire.
Self-made is defined as “someone who is successful by their own efforts”. But would Kylie have achieved billionaire status without the help of her famous siblings and family? Would she really have been able to launch such a successful business without the connections she is afforded? Would she really have 128 million Instagram followers without seeing firsthand the power of viral content?
A billionaire is someone with one THOUSAND million. I mean. I don’t know if I can emphasise this enough. It ain’t easy to turn millions into billions. Kylie may have had it easier than many of us, but she sure isn’t a bimbo with no smarts like many make her out to be.
Although yes, there’s few who have a similar situation to the Kardashian – Jenner family – and therefore few who seem to have the opportunities that they do. But focusing on the ‘unfairness’ of said situation won’t do us any good – so let’s flip this.
After all, if money only amplifies who you are – you can still achieve pretty epic results as an entrepreneur with a lot less money than the Kardashian-Jenner clan. So, what can you learn from Kylie Jenner? Here’s my take:
TAKE YOUR MESS AND TURN IT INTO GOLD
The Kardashian family’s original claim to fame was their father, Robert Kardashian who was the attorney for O.J Simpson back in 1995. Along with many of the family dating famous Hollywood celebs, and the infamous sex tape which propelled her sister Kim’s into the spotlight – the family has been in the media for a multitude of reasons over the years – for business success, scandals, relationship dramas and so much more. For all us ‘normies’, though – we often feel like the bumps in the road hold us back – a sign to stop doing what we’re dong, or that maybe this entrepreneur life isn’t for us. But I’d offer a different perspective: that these bumps are just lessons – and opportunities that could propel us ten steps forward, if we take them, learn from them and turn them into gold.
INFLUENCER MARKETING IS POWERFUL AF
A lot of business owners wonder if influencer marketing is actually going to benefit their business or if it’s just a way for beautiful people with great photo editing skills to get paid big bucks, or get free stuff. It’s often a case of finding those with great engagement and connections with their audience – but the real crux of it is understanding customer decision making and their ties to the influencers they are following. Many of Kylie’s followers are beauty junkies with a penchant for expensive, exclusive makeup – and with 77% of her followers being females between 18 – 24 years old. Her first product launch sold out within less than a minute, crashing her website. For entrepreneurs with a much smaller budget – this doesn’t mean you can’t get good results collaborating with influencers – even micro-influencers at a smaller scale, can have incredible results. Get to know their audience – who is ACTUALLY following them. Do some research on their engagement and results from past collaborations. Make sure you have a solid follow-up for any new leads that come through as a result of your campaign.
HATERS = OFTEN A SIGN OF GROWTH
With a divisive personal brand and one of the most famous families in America, it’s (unfortunately) part of the package to have haters. It’s just amplification of your current social circle. There’ll always be people who do – and who DON’T like you. And just because you’re famous – doesn’t mean these comments hurt any less. As entrepreneurs, increasing visibility often means more trolls, more people who don’t like you, and more people who think it’s ok to tell you how they feel. On the plus side – it also means a lot more people who ADORE you. The lesson here? Not to hide who you are out of fear of judgement. Show the world who you really are, because truth be told: the judgement will happen anyway.
TRADITIONAL MARKETING MAY BE OUTDATED, BUT CONSUMER PSYCHOLOGY REMAINS THE SAME
Kylie has built her empire using social media marketing to promote her lifestyle brand, and between sharing more intimate aspects of her life and the opposite approach of keeping her lip fillers and pregnancy a secret for months – she’d been one of the most influential celebrities to date. That is, until the World Record Egg beat her for most liked post on Instagram in early 2019. Her success with consistent record breaking launches – at one point making $19 million USD in one day – has been utilising classic strategies of limited stock launches, countdowns to build excitement, and urgency to bring in the big bucks. Because in the world of Instagram and social status based on influence and association – FOMO (fear of missing out) is REAL and can be a huge driver with sales. What’s the lesson here? Follow the trends, but keep your marketing foundations strong. Influencers can help you drive traffic to your business – but you’ve gotta have the offer right on.
Let’s face it. You may not have the fame that Kylie Jenner was born into, but your potential is still pretty huge. What’s your biggest takeaway from the Kardashian-Jenner clan’s success in business?
Kristy x
Photo by Rafael Saes on Unsplash