Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Monica Michelle. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Monica, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.
Staring a tv network when I had no resources to do so, and had never been in the media space before, was a big risk. I many times thought, “Who am I to build a tv network?” I don’t know anything about this world, but I knew there was a need for it. I knew I had a big vision for it, and I knew that if I wasn’t the one to bring it to form, that this idea – this living energy and vibration of this vision, would eventually be picked up and brought to life by someone else.
I’m a big believer in the “frequency of ideas.” I truly believe that when something is meant to come to form, that it will, and if you’re not the one to bring it into form, that it will find someone else who will.
It’s intimidating to dream big, and it takes bold action and bold decision and mindset to make it happen. It’s scary, and if you think about it, EVERYTHING is a risk. 2020 taught us that. Nothing is ever for sure, set in stone, and secure for life. You might as well take the risk, especially when you are being called to something bigger.
In my book, there is nothing riskier than doing something that does not align with your higher calling. We are natural creators and visionaries. We have the ability to dream big, and then bring that vision and that dream into existence. How powerful and how magical it is to have this ability.
Sure, it doesn’t always work out, but that’s the risk. There’s just as much risk in not doing what you love.
Monica, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am motivated and feel called to this idea of “Restoring Eden,” helping to connect people to the planet and to each other through beauty. I am convinced that in order to restore our outer Eden, that we must first restore our inner Eden.
In September of 2020, while the entire world was on hold, this vision and calling became clear. In the midst of the stillness and a new way of life that forced the majority of the population to be at home, I thought that what the world needed was a bit of beauty. Through this realization, BloomTV was born.
The idea was to create a streaming network where lovers of flowers and beauty could go for feel-good pilots, shows, and educational video series that revolved around flowers. We saw a need for a network, where at the core, was a desire to bring beauty into the lives of people across the globe, inspiring connection to the planet and to each other through a new love and understanding of the many ways that flowers can be used. In January of 2022, we launched BloomTV.
BloomTV is your network for all things floral. Enjoy an immersive video library created by experts from across the globe as they demonstrate the various ways that flowers can be used. Whether you’re incorporating flowers into your garden, your home, art, diys, or recipes, this lifestyle channel will show you that there are endless ways to incorporate flowers into your every day, and experience life in full bloom.
Some of the video categories you can expect to find on BloomTV include:
* Cooking with flowers
* Florist reality
* Sustainability
* DIYs
* Flower Painting Tutorials
* Gardening
* Floral inspired interior design
* Connection/Community through flowers
* Flowers for mental health and wellbeing
* Flower Farming
* BloomTV en Espanol
* Garden Meditations
Through this lifestyle channel, we wanted people to experience more joy through having flowers around them and in their homes. We knew that through entertaining and educational shows that people would be able to understand the importance of connecting with nature and getting their hands in the dirt. We also knew that there was a need for a bigger sense of community and connection, and that we could provide that through interactive workshops led by incredible like-minded human beings.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
When I first began this journey of creating a network, It was in the midst of the pandemic. At the time, I was struggling to pay rent, and along with most of the world, was feeling discouraged and overwhelmed, especially now that this idea had been sparked. I thought, “How do I build a streaming network without any money?” Is was a daunting challenge to say the least, but I held the vision, put faith in the process, and something magical happened…all the right people showed up. People began to donate their time, and ask to help build the vision.
At one point, we decided to go the investor route, knowing that for our next phase of business (building our OTT platform to support the content and actually launching), that we would need significant funds, not to mention the funding for marketing, and big dollars for actually producing shows and series.
To make a long story short. the investor that we thought we had, disappeared. Just like that, abracadabra – we had no funds. This was a critical time, and we knew that we had to launch this company, and that we needed to do it soon. This forced us to get creative, which in turn, helped us create a profitable model, that we stay true to today. We created the capital we needed to launch without an investor or fundraising.
How We Built an OTT Site and Launched with No $$$$$:
We decided that we would put up a simple landing page, telling our customer base what we were building. We sold pre-launch tickets and lifetime memberships, letting these buyers know that they would be a crucial part of our testing phase “beta testers,” and that it would be their viewing habits and votes that would help us determine what type of shows we would be creating first. Within a few weeks, this simple landing page produced enough pre-launch sales that we were able to use those funds towards build out our site, and it gave us enough capital to even create some of our first productions. This not only got us started, and put money in our business account, but it also did something else..it proved our concept, before we even launched.
We didn’t think it was possible to start BloomTV (a media company) without funding, but what we found is that because we were forced to be creative, it really helped us to create a model that we are very proud of. This got us going, and because of this, we now have even better funding options for a fast-paced growth, if we decide to go that route.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
Social media has never been a strong suit for me personally, but when it came tho my business, I knew that I would have to “suck it up” for better terms, and do what was best for the companies’ growth.
What I found is that number 1 – there are people that know way more than me when it comes to social media, and number 2 – there are people who actually like to do things on social media. I’m a big believer in delegation, and sticking to what you’re good at. So, I decided to connect with my local university, and enter into their internship program.
There are people out there who love to be on social, so my advice is to delegate that out to someone who is good at it. When you work with an internship at your local university, you can bring on a student who will take over your accounts, and at the same time, that student can earn credits for their school, and all while doing something they love and are good at.
Social media is constantly changing, but what i’ve noticed is that growth happens when:
* You are consistent in posting
* You focus on building a community rather than selling all the time
* You focus on video content
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bloomtvnetwork.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bloomtv.network/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bloomtvnetwork
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monica-michelle-9630b799
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/BloomTV_Network
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCidQDu4ERpjiPRHa7sli3Yg