Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Colleen Smith. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Colleen, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you manage your own social media?

I currently manage my own social media platforms. I feel as if this is the best way to stay true and authentic to my followers. I have grown organically over 15k followers over the last year. It has been hard staying consistent and coming up with new and engaging content but it’s worth the results!

Colleen, 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 name is Colleen and I am the owner of Kam + Lan. I take hoodies and crewnecks to the next level with bleach using many different techniques. Crafting and entrepreneurship has always been in my family so I guess it’s in the blood. I have always taught myself a craft every year. I have refurbished furniture, created macrame artwork, worked with resin artwork, design digital art and most recently I have started into clothing. I wanted to set myself apart from others who bleach clothing to stand out. I started using different techniques to bleach clothing giving it a very unique and one of a kind look. I used a pendulum technique bleaching a hoodie and the video I shared on my tiktok has over 1 million views which is amazing! I am always trying to learn new things and to improve my skills. I also care a lot about my art and making others happy who buy my art!

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

Two years ago I had my third child. Prior to that I have a bachelors degree in business/HR and worked in a corporate for over 20 years. I decided I was going to pivot my career and stay home with the children while also working on my small business. This has been harder than any other job I have had but more rewarding! I still don’t know how I manage all the tasks day to day.

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

Social media can be tricky! It takes a lot of dedication and hard work to build an audience organically. Consistency is key and what you have to offer someone else. One tip that has worked for me is posting in 3s. One video I would post is an educational video / tutorial, second video would be a trending audio video and third would be a product video. If one of the videos gets traction, the viewer would most likely go to your profile and check out the surrounding videos. Don’t give up just keep your head up. Also you have to be prepared for the negative side of social media. Try not to take anything personal.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://kam-lan.myshopify.com/
• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/kamandlan
• Other: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMeMbXQrD/