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

McKenna, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?

I hope that Coffee with McKenna is able to influence people’s lives in a few “small” ways:

Encourage support of local business – shop small, local businesses that support real people in the community.

Take steps towards sustainable living – small, incremental changes in your lifestyle to live more sustainably.

Form connections – even a small act of kindness can impact someone in a huge way on and offline; make sure to leave people better than how you found them.

McKenna, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Coffee with McKenna is a vibrant lifestyle and fashion creative brand by McKenna Pho, a passionate coffee addict and city girl based in Seattle, WA. The mission is to inspire followers with classic and sustainable fashion tips, lifestyle advice, and a sprinkle of humor, all while spotlighting local businesses and events. Join me on this caffeinated journey where style meets community, and discover how to live your best life, one coffee cup at a time!

I started Coffee with McKenna as a creative outlet while earning my Master’s degree and working full time. I have always loved fashion, so I started by posting my every day outfits to Instagram. While this is still my passion project, now I create content across the fashion AND lifestyle genres, often working with businesses to develop content that assists in advancing their marketing goals.

I am most proud of the connections that I have built through this brand; connections with community members, local businesses, and acquaintances turned in to friends. Through these connections, I create authentic, unique content that people can generally relate to or learn from.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I think a common misconception about content creators (or less affectionately: “influencers”) is that they all expect things for free and/or are lazy. While this may be true for some, it is not true for us all. There are times where we do exchange our services (social media post, photo / video creation, etc.) for a business’ service – for example, when I am invited to dine at a restaurant in exchange for an Instagram reel. However, I never expect a restaurant to offer me a free meal.

Additionally, creating the content and taking the time to post is often a tedious, time consuming process. On average, I spend at least an hour perfecting video footage into a reel, performing a voice over, setting background music and text overlay; then, another 20-30 minutes drafting the caption with all of the necessary details and tags; and then finally, 10 minutes to paste everything into the social media platform to post. This is all after the time it takes to capture the content, which, depending on the activity, could take 30 minutes or 3 hours.

I hope this helps illustrate that if a creator is passionate about the work they are doing, they spend quite a bit of time and energy on the project to make it successful.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

I do my best to be completely authentic and therefore my “clients” are businesses that I genuinely believe in and personally shop/support.

The first place I look when brainstorming potential partnerships are the services and products I frequently use. Since I begin as a genuine fan of the service/product, I have been able to build long-lasting relationships that are meaningful for both the brand and myself.

I am also always open to working with brands that match my values; for example, clothing brands that are size inclusive and sustainable.

One of my favorite ways to find new clients has been through local networking groups and events. There is nothing quite like forming a connection with the person behind a brand – it is incredibility fulfilling!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.coffeewithmckenna.com
• Instagram: @coffeewithmckenna
• Facebook: @coffeewithmckenna
• Linkedin: McKenna Pho
• Other: LiketoKnow.it, TikTok and Pinterest: @coffeewithmckenna