We recently connected with Olivia Mann and have shared our conversation below.

Olivia, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

I think it’s hard to analyze “what it takes” looking inward at myself, but I’ve given this question a lot of thought – To be successful, you need to want it more than the day before. You need to want to be a better version of yourself day after day, constantly exceeding your own personal expectations. What this looks like for me is always taking the opportunities that scare me–the opportunities that feel “out of my league.” Constantly pushing that boundary and riding the edge of my knowledge has only forced me to learn and be resourceful.

I’ve been working in the creative industry since I was 15, chasing my goals and climbing the ladder in the music industry. I quickly learned that no two paths are the same and that success is not linear. You go through peaks and valleys, you jump into plenty of unknown situations, and you bet on yourself. I think anyone with any ounce of an entrepreneurial bug has to be a little bit insane. In the best way! Creating something out of nothing is wild and very inspiring. There is nothing I love more than supporting another hard-working entrepreneur.

However, it’s important to remember that success looks different for everyone. We all have different goals and aspirations we are chasing, and each path of success will be different. Success also does not have to be career-based. Success can be having the time to spend with your family or feeling fully at peace with who you are.

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?

I’ve always loved the social media space. As an artist, having a social media presence kind of comes with the territory. Instagram was brand new when I was in the thick of music, so I literally grew with the app. Fast forward a few years, and my love for social media and all things digital marketing only doubled. After working as a freelancer on a few accounts, I decided to give it a real shot at the top of 2023. I started Olivia Mann Creative and have never looked back.

I’ve been fortunate to work with talented creators in various fields, such as influencers, musicians, podcasters, and more. My favorite thing about my job is being a part of building something with a team. Whether it’s just my client and I collaborating or an entire team (managers, labels, etc.) I thoroughly enjoy the collaboration process and seeing the vision of a piece come to life. Social media can be very overwhelming at times, and sometimes people don’t love being on the platform; this is where I step in. I enjoy each step of the process, from storyboarding to creating content to posting it to the platforms.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Being consistent and transparent. Always. I want the experience that my clients have with me to be consistent across the board whether they have 100 followers or a million. Your reputation is everything, especially in this space. Working in a creative industry comes with a lot of trust and emotions. Most of my clients are creatives themselves with a vision, and it’s my job to put myself in their shoes to create the most authentic content I can for them. Having the trust of your clients is so important. I learned very quickly that every creator brings something unique to the table, and you can’t just use a one-size-fits-all plan. Taking the time to really understand each of my client’s story and the best way to tell it on socials is I feel what sets me apart from other social media managers.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I feel like I am constantly unlearning the “lesson” that you need to be professionally educated to do “this” or “that”. One of the most asked questions I get is – “Where did you go to school and what did you major in?”

Most people are shocked when I tell them that my formal education stopped after graduating high school. I used to be very embarrassed by that fact and had myself convinced that I wasn’t “good enough” because I didn’t have a degree of some sort.
Don’t get me wrong; getting a degree is great, but that’s not how I got to this spot for my story. I learned mostly by being forced to figure the social media world out, because I had to and I’m so thankful I did.

There is a quote by Winston Churchill that I love. It says:
“Play the game for more than you can afford to lose… only then will you learn the game.”

Playing the game in real time helped me learn the game more than any degree ever could. I think it’s important to realize the value of hands-on education and learning things in real time is invaluable. For example someone can explain how to edit a video over and over but until you actually do it you don’t really know the extent of what goes into it.

Contact Info:

• Website: oliviamanncreative.com
• Instagram: @oliviamanncreative @livyjeanne

Image Credits
B&W Julia Perkins Main Image Nathaniel Clayton