We recently connected with Asmaou Kourouma and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Asmaou, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear how you think where to draw the line in terms of asking friends and family to support your business – what’s okay and what’s over the line?

I feel it is okay to ask friends and family to support your business as long as you keep in mind that they are not obligated to support you. Casting a wide net of supporters and customers ensures that you don’t exhaust the people that are closest to you. Right now I am crowdfunding for season two of my web series; The Ratchet Christian Show. I’ve asked the people who are closest to me to make a one time contribution. I don’t think it would be appropriate to ask again over the duration of the campaign. Although I know they love me and would probably contribute again, out of respect for them I wouldn’t pressure them to give more than they already have.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My brand is called The Ratchet Christian. What started out as a YouTube Channel where I talked to subscribers about the ups and down of being a young Christian has now turned into a Stand Up Comedy Career as well as a successful Web Series and Memoir by the same name. My mission is to offer a fresh perspective on the narrative of Christians in the media. I am tired of seeing stories about the cheating pastor or the snarky, bible thumping, mean girl at your school. I want to tell my story. A story about a regular person who is just trying to figure out their relationship with God. Navigating changing friendship dynamics and adventuring through dating in LA. I am most proud of the relatability of my brand. I am not the only Ratchet Christian out there. When people go to my comedy shows, watch my web series, or read my book, they’ll see themselves in my story and be encouraged.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

In order to build my social media audience I had to devote my focus and attention to it. I studied the trends and tried the ones that resonated with my brand. I posted consistently and ignored that inner voice that says- you’re posting too much, don’t annoy people, you’re going to look like you’re trying too hard. I ignored all of that and kept posting. Even when a post didn’t perform well and I felt discouraged, I stayed consistent. Consistency is key to building your audience. Also getting clear on what your message is and who you’re trying to reach with it helps to make more targeted content for those exact people.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

The co-creator of The Ratchet Christian Show is my friend Adrianna Clark. We met at an acting studio in 2017. We talked about creating our own project for years. In 2021 we decided to give it a try. Season one did well and now here we are getting ready to film season two!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://instabio.cc/40901147b0HWe
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theratchetchristian_?igsh=YzAwZjE1ZTI0Zg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3krg5Lh29iP8l1P1Nh-jZjEnhS8MAaWJ&si=tHa_jpkGgdz77wqm