2025 Has Entered The Chat!

From the wildfires in LA, the looming TikTok ban, NFL drama, inflation, we simply cannot catch a break. In true Zarina fashion, I'm looking at everything through a project management lens. So let's unpack some items, shall we? At the time that I'm recording this, multiple wildfires have broken out in Los Angeles. From palisades, all up and through.

I don't want to get to naming counties that I have no idea where they are, but Moral of the story, it's really scary to see, and it's so sad to see so many people lose their homes, their livelihoods, schools. It truly looks like a scene out of a terrible movie. I've also been privy to a lot of banter on Threads, Twitter. Online forums that say these are rich people crying about losing their million dollar homes, but no ma'am.

That is not it There's nothing that can prepare you to see your most prized possessions Everything that you've worked hard for memories just gone in minutes.

It's it's absolutely gut wrenching I just can't imagine how many people have lost their businesses and truly have no sense of what's next I imagine it's like walking around like a zombie In times like this, I think if you're a content creator, especially someone who might be in the midst of all this but isn't directly impacted by this, it can be confusing and challenging to figure out what your next steps are. Like, you don't want to be insensitive. You don't want to post and seem inconsiderate.

Will companies understand what's going on? Will your audience understand? Me personally, I would err on the side of empathy. I think it's always best practice to offer sincere condolences and acknowledge what's happening. Share resources if you can, share, things to get people, lift people's spirits. If you have business to tend to, meaning you have content that needs to be posted by a certain date, you can still do that. But as my grandmother always says, read the room.

Make sure you're sharing just as much condolences as you are sharing your ads and your sponsored content. Moral of the story, I just want to extend my deepest condolences to anyone who has been impacted by these wildfires. Just know that our thoughts and prayers are with you. You all will overcome this. You will rebuild. Bigger and better. Greater than before. You've got this. And for anyone who is interested in donating, I just did a quick Google search.

The Daily News. com has a few different organizations that you can reach out to if you would like to donate. The California Fire Foundation, the American Red Cross, which is RedCross. org. the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, the Salvation Army. There's so many places that you can, look up and donate to. California Community Foundation, Friends Indeed.

So, just do a quick little Google search and figure out some places where you can assist these communities and help these people get back on their feet. Like I said, 2025 is starting off with a bang. The big elephant in the room, a looming area of concern for a lot of creators, especially those who've started to get some momentum on this particular app, TikTok. If you've been living under a rock, or you've simply just been trying to avoid all the noise, Let me get you hip.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Joe Biden signed a law that requires the app TikTok be sold to a non Chinese buyer or face a ban. And like I mentioned at the time that this episode is being released, still no buyer. So what does this mean for creators who are actively using the account? Do you stop posting there? Do you keep posting and just close your eyes and hope that things will be okay? Honestly. I'm 50 50 on this.

Before all of this happened, I just thought TikTok generates way too much revenue for it to be quote unquote banned. I think litigation warfare could take months if not years to sort through, but clearly I'm wrong. As a talent manager, I've always stressed to my clients the importance of having multiple ways to relate and engage with your audience outside of these platforms because we've seen with Instagram and Facebook and now TikTok, bugs can take these, these apps offline.

which in turn messes with your coin, messes with your ability to make money, messes with your ability to make, meet your deadlines. So with all that being said, What do we do, Zarina? Like, you're telling me all these problems, but what do I do? I'm a creator, I want to create the content, I don't want to think about the politics. Unfortunately, babes, you have to. So I'd say, for now, I'm done. Continue to post as you normally would. Continue to engage as you normally would.

But invest in other platforms. Start posting on YouTube, perhaps. YouTube Shorts is still a thing. Post on Instagram. I know sometimes the engagement on Instagram is not as friendly as the engagement on TikTok. But still, there are ways around this. So, continue to post as you normally would, but just start putting your feelers out on other platforms. I'd also say push. your other platforms.

So in addition to the regular content that you normally post on TikTok, maybe mention people should follow you on Instagram. Maybe put a link to your YouTube on your bio. These are all ways that we can kind of work around this upcoming looming ban that we're facing. So fear not just diversify. I don't know if I mentioned this, but another way that I've seen a lot of creators and Make money or diversify their income is by creating email newsletters.

You should have an email list for the same reasons that I mentioned previously, but newsletters they are a little bit time consuming, but Live More Agency is here to help. Visit us online at livemoreagency. co. Shameless plug. But anyway, newsletters can be daunting, but again, it's another point of intersection, another way for you to reach your audience. that's long form. That is completely yours. You can do what you want with this audience.

Of course, following the correct, can spam laws, but that's a, another conversation for another podcast, but all in all, the key for 2025 is diversifying your reach. If you're looking for an example of an influencer, content creator, Who has successfully done that, in my opinion. Her name is Jeanette Reyes at Miss News Lady on Instagram. She's a former news anchor and co-host of Off the Record podcast.

She has truly been able to take her audience in a way that's more organic, natural to her, and she has a newsletter that she hosts on Beehive. If you haven't subscribed to it, subscribe to it. I really enjoy it. I enjoy getting that little boost of energy in my inbox. So she's one of the people that I think has really. Taking the mark and ran with it.

So check her out guys And when we're thinking about timing of newsletters, that's also up to your personal preference I have clients who send them out bi weekly monthly bi monthly But again, just know what you have the capacity to do and know what you can do consistently So again, I recommend You Probably sticking to a monthly cycle if you are an active content creator and you're already bogged down with all the other things that come with being a content creator.

Some of you have full time jobs, which I commend you because both are full time jobs. But moral of the story, if you have the capacity to Add a newsletter to your repertoire. You have the audience that would be engaging with your newsletter outside of Instagram, outside of Tik TOK, then do so notice the key word that I said, capacity. I don't want anybody burning out in 2025. I know I'm preaching to the choir.

It's inevitable that at some point you're going to reach your max capacity, but as creative entrepreneurs, content creators, I challenge you this year to prioritize self care. I know so many of us are on the go, go, go, but we need to relax, relate, and release. Shout out to Whitley. I find that consistent moments of peace helped me to reach peak levels of creativity. In 2025, I'm challenging you to stop and smell the roses consistently, not just when you're at capacity.

I also challenge you to pick up a good book or five and finish them, sis. Take a solo vacation. And to my influencer and content creator clients, it is okay to put your phone down from time to time. The ideas will still be there. Your audience will still be there. You have to make sure that you are okay. So in 2025, what are some ways that you're going to prioritize self care? Are you going to book that solo vacation? Are you going to book that staycation? What books are on your list?

If you need some suggestions, I just finished reading Seven Days in June by Tia Williams. Great read. I actually cried, which I haven't done in a while. I'm also planning to read When Making Others Happy is Making You Miserable by Karen Eman. And also on my list for this month, Think Like a Monk by Jay Shetty. These are a few of the things that I'm reading, but I've challenged myself to read at least five books this month. So somebody hold me to that. I need an accountability partner.

And I'm also challenging you as well, the creative entrepreneur who is bogged down by their nine to five and their requirements and commitments as a content creator. This year, you have to prioritize self care and I'm not playing friend. Okay. I just want to take the time to thank you so much for listening to this podcast. This truly started out as a dream of mine, something that I've been hemming and hawing about for a minute and I finally ripped the bandaid off and did it.

So thank you so much for spending some time with me. I'm so excited for the things that I have planned for operations unfiltered this year. Great interviews, great content, and maybe even a YouTube channel. Don't hold me to that. We'll see. Like I said, this is truly a passion project for me. I like bumping my gums, sharing my thoughts, and seeing if other people are just as crazy or have crazy thoughts like me. So thank you again for tuning in. I can't wait to chat with you next time.

Thanks again for tuning into Operations Unfiltered.