We recently connected with Carter Sullivan and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Carter, thanks for joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

My parents have had the biggest impact on my career without realizing it. They are the hardest working people I know and instilled such great values in me from a young age that I’ve been able to carry through my education, career, and personal life. They are both extremely hard workers and showed me that with hard work, determination, and a dream you can achieve anything you put your mind to. I’m a firm believer in balance- you can work hard but also need to spend time recharging and resting.

Carter, 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?

My motto on my social media platforms is “getting through my 20s unfiltered” and that’s truly what my Youtube channel and Instagram are about. I started my Youtube channel in university and documented that experience, graduating during the pandemic, looking for my first post-grad job, buying our first home, paying off student loans and all the other things that come with life that no one really talks about! My channel has progressed as I’ve progressed and evolved into a space where vulnerability and transparency are really important. I talk a lot about personal finance, relationships, everyday life, juggling a corporate job and side hustle (which has now replaced my corporate job in terms of income/workload) and more! I truly think there is space for everyone online as we all bring our own personalities and views of the world to the internet however I think what sets me apart is my vulnerability and willingness to talk about uncomfortable topics like finance, mental health, grief, difficult relationships etc. I think social media is moving towards a new era of realistic and raw content, opposed to the aesthetic unattainable lifestyle and I really love that!

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

In 2022 I was able to take my “side hustle” full-time in terms of income and workload. I dropped down from a full-time corporate job to a casual/part-time corporate job in order to spend more time focusing on this dream of mine. I upload 3 videos a week to Youtube as well as juggle Instagram and other social media platforms and easily put in 40-50hours a week filming, editing, behind the scenes work and all the administrative tasks that come with owning a business like book-keeping! I am very grateful that my business has also surpassed by corporate job in terms of income. However having a corporate job and that reliable paycheck every two weeks is still very important to me for the time being. Ironically I think the key to taking a social media presence full-time is not always thinking of it from a business standpoint. You have to do it because you love it, you love posting online and curating a community. It can take years to make it a sustainable career (it took me almost 4 years to see any money from it) and if you go into it solely for the money it won’t be sustainable long-term in my opinion.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I think when you are in the lifestyle niche on social media you are constantly pivoting because you go through different seasons of life. Now that might not always be easy because your audience may really relate to you being in school for example or working a 9-5 but the really amazing thing abut social media is pivoting always you to tap into new audiences. I was really scared to make the transition from solely corporate/9-5 work content to more of a lifestyle/everyday life channel but in doing so yes I maybe lost a few subscribers but I was able to grow my community and tap into a whole new audience!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cartersully/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cartersullivan/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwB8X1ll0uXKPtPcOHZwGpg

Image Credits
FARRAH SANJARI PHOTOGRAPHY