We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Antoinette Johnson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Antoinette below.

Antoinette , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you think folks should manage their own social media or hire a professional? What do you do?

I run all my social media pages for my brand. I am usually very picky about how my branding looks like. I learned how to do different graphic designs from Photoshop or Canva and create graphics that align with Forever Anti Studio. Also, it was super important for me to be involved with my social media content and show firsthand to my followers what it takes to be creative behind the scenes or my outfits of the day. Being originally a plus size blogger, I still showcase my style because, with plus size making progression in the fashion industry, plus size clothing is overlooked. I want to show them that you can be stylish no matter the size you are. For any creatives trying to figure out how to create their social media content, you should remember what your brand purpose is, and who your audience is, and tap into what trending in your niche, then you can create content based on that.

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 knew from since young age that I didn’t want to work for anybody. I worked my first job at a retail store when I was fourteen, and the experience was negative. I realize how much sacrifice a person can make for the employer or company just for that company to disregard you and treat you badly. The situation made me realize that I wanted to be a business owner and launched my first company (Cocktails with Antoinette) when I was nineteen and kept moving forward until I knew exactly where I wanted to begin my career in the fashion, film, and music industry. Forever Anti Studio is a creative agency that develops and creates visions that are designed to align with our client’s brand. I wanted to create a studio that offers a mixture of fashion styling + creative direction services in the fashion, music, and beauty industry. We have our work featured on Amazon Music, Complex Canada, Urban Planet, Rolling Loud, etc.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

A lot of entrepreneur starts their business as a side hustle. I worked at various places like retail stores, call centers, and even warehouse jobs to fund my side hustle (which eventually became my creative agency). I was forced to make my side hustle the main one when I got laid off during the pandemic, and I didn’t want to sit at home. I was already making connections in the fashion industry in Toronto and I was getting booked outside of my 9-5 to work on style model testing, music videos, and e-commerce shoots. I decided to take the risk and make my side hustle a full-time job. People don’t realize that to start a business, you need a lot of start-up funds, and depending on what type of business you want to create, those funds can start at hundreds to thousands of dollars.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy for me to grow my clientele is through referrals or word-of-mouth marketing. I know every service-based business said this, but it is a very effective way to reach out to your target market and build enough connections that they will recommend you for future jobs with their peers. Being a creative director and stylist, a lot of the clients I secure come from networking with individuals at events, social media, etc, who loved my work and wanted to take me on. Creating a standout service experience will have clients raving to their colleagues about you. Using social media is a big way to secure clients in your market. You can post about your brand and how it will help your target market. Having a marketing and customer service that is consistent and streamlined will also keep loyal clientele around you and continue to grow

Contact Info:

• Website: https://foreveranti.studio
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/_antoinettejohnson
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/antoinette-johnson-3b774825a?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@foreverantistudio

Image Credits
Antoinette Johnson