We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alivia Hershberger a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alivia , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

I am a huge supporter of locally owned businesses. I never knew the importance of  shopping local until I founded my non-profit, Simply Give. I became connected to so many people who started businesses here in Stark County. They were the first ones to sign up to be sponsors of all the good deeds and events our nonprofit was hosting. When Covid hit, there was a huge movement to shop local. Little by little, that trend started to fade as the big box stores started to open up. Although there are still a lot of people who shop local I knew I wanted to be part of promoting all of the local businesses that I came to know and love. I started a business called LIV LOCAL, a “play” on my name, Alivia. I am also always posting places to eat, where to buy goodies, coffee shops I frequent and local places that people NEED to know about. I also created a Liv Local Box full of local goods and coupons from local business owners. It’s been a blessing to me and a blessing to the business owner. Building relationships with women and families in the community through Simply Give gave me a platform to promote all of these small business with big dreams.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I have been a stay at home mom for over a decade now. Well, a stay at home mom, that’s never home. :) Loving my husband and our four kids has always been my top priority but I wanted to have something outside of them to use my creativity to connect with other women. Creating a social media page to talk about #momlife and #locallife seemed like the perfect fit. I found that posting with authenticity, humor and talking about the things I actually use and love brought ME happiness! It also let other women they are not alone in daily life and different struggles along the way. I am most proud of that, staying authentic. Being vulnerable on social media is actually nerve wracking at times, especially in today’s world where everyone wants to judge you. So I am loving to connect with women on that level and can also point them into the perfect direction for the best cup of coffee, the perfect date night spot OR even the best bakery to go buy a donut and cry in their car. Let’s face it, most women have done that a time or two in their life. HA! You get a little bit of everything when you follow my socials. We’ll just say that it keeps things interesting.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I am still continuing to build my brand on social media. But the best advice I have for someone starting to build is to stay true to who you are. What vibes do you want to give off and attract? Stay true to what your vision is. That doesn’t mean not pivoting along the way, but overall, just be you. Also, collaborations are the way to go. I love connecting with other business owners and sharing their posts and/or partnering with them for fun projects. Support others, and they will support you!

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

I know this may sounds like I’m saying this too much, but definatly authenticity. That builds trust. I won’t share anything on my pages that I don’t use. I won’t share anything that I don’t love. I always remind myself not ALL opportunities are for you. If a partnership, product or Collab doesn’t sit right with you, don’t do it. If you say “yes” to “all the things,” not only are you going to find yourself worn out, stressed but you will start to lose what YOU are most passionate about. If people are supporting you, your vision and your business, they deserve that trust factor. I feel that people know that I will be honest and keep it real.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @simplylivlife
• Facebook: Simply Liv
• Facebook: Simply Give
• Instagram: @simplygiveoh