We recently connected with Melanie Guzman and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Melanie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?

I hope that my legacy will inspire others to achieve anything they put their minds to. The core essence of my business is to motivate others to be their authentic selves throughout all aspects of their lives. Everyone was created to make a difference in this world, and I want to enlighten that spark in every person that comes across my path. I truly believe that as long as you have the drive and perseverance to achieve a goal, the sky is the limit. I want to change the perception of the modeling/fashion industry and create a space for our voices to be heard. I would want corporations to see the value creators provide and view our craft as a legitimate business. I would want my parents and future kids to be proud of the work that I am doing. I hope the impact I make on others will resonate and carry on for future generations to come.

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 always had an interest for creating stories through a visual form growing up. This was mostly through the form of photography. I would constantly document my adventures through disposable and digital cameras. My passion for modeling truly blossomed in college after taking an introduction to photography class. I had to create a portfolio through Tumblr based off the topics the professor provided. I also began posting my projects on Instagram as well. This class allowed me to expand my thinking outside the traditional mindset and made me see ordinary objects through a creative perspective. I had a photographer contact me though Instagram stating he enjoyed my work and wanted to collaborate together. Through that collaboration, I was able to navigate through the modeling/fashion industry and achieve life changing opportunities such as walking NYFW, being on a Times Square Billboard, and obtaining many international publications.

Throughout my modeling journey, I began to encompass influencer work by collaborating with various companies to promote their products on my social media page. I gained experience making campaigns and content for Moxie lash, Woosh beauty, Cool Cat, and even had the opportunity to work with Jerry Springer on Judge Jerry. I truly found a new passion in the influencer space as I felt that I could be more of my authentic self. As I ventured out on this new path, I noticed that many small business owners, specifically POC, were not getting the proper platform reignition for their products/services. As a POC women, I understand the many adversities we face throughout the social media industry and wanted to change that.

As a result of this, Melvxb LLC primary focus is to assist small businesses with their social media presence through the utilization of social media campaigns and content creation. Throughout that process, I encompass my modeling, influencer, and content creation skills to educate business owners about the importance of social media and assist them to claim the recognition they deserve!!

Have you ever had to pivot?

During this past year, I experienced a lot of changes within my personal and professional life. I was very lost in the beginning of 2022 with my brand and did not know which direction to take it in. All the paths I had gone down lead to dead ends and I felt very discouraged and defeated. I did not have a passion to make art anymore and felt that the content I was creating was not authentic to myself. I even compilated if I should continue with modeling and influencer work as a career. I was also going through changes within my personal life regarding identity and the loss of a past connection. I felt as though my modeling created its own persona and I was living 2 separate lives. It got to the point that I didn’t even know what name to introduce myself. I knew that if I continued down that path, I was going to burnout and hit rock bottom.

I decided to take a step back from everything and focus on my mental health. I took about 2 months off of social media completely and spent that time healing and working on the issues I faced head on. I began to go to therapy and surrounded myself with positive energy and people. I reconnected with my faith and found an open community that I could lean on for support. I traveled to new places and expanded my horizons. Throughout this journey, I also discovered a different mindset of looking at my brand. Once I realized that I am the CEO to my company, the lightbulb switched in my head. I began to view everything through a business perspective and that changed the game for me. I began to surround myself with likeminded individuals in the corporate world and heeded the advice that they gave me. I placed myself in entrepreneur networking events to bounce ideas off and enhance my knowledge.

Looking back, I know I needed to go through those hardships in order to be where I am today. I am more secure within myself and know that I am following the path God has for me. I am still on my journey every day and excited for the next chapter in my life. I am more confident than ever that I can truly accomplish anything I sent my mind to.

How did you build your audience on social media?

My journey of building a social media audience was very gradual. I started modeling back in 2019 and made connections through photoshoots and networking events. Over time those connections grew as I began to immerse myself further within the industry. I also involve myself in online group spaces that help promote businesses within the creative fields. These techniques eventually brought me to the audience I have today.

The best advice that I could give for anyone that is starting to build their social media presence is NETWORK. Always put yourself in a room of opportunity and make yourself known in that space. You never know who knows who and it truly is a small world within the social media industry. Always be your authentic self when making connections. It might be intimidating to make that first step and put yourself out there but remember that your uniqueness will always shine through. You bring something valuable to the table that no one else can offer. Remember to trust the process and realize that it’s a journey. Great things don’t happen overnight. They take time but in the end it will all be worth it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://hoo.be/melvxb
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melvxb/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanie-e-guzman-ba8336216/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCzA0GVFU32Wtx98V3gzdp6A
• Other: BOOK YOUR NEXT SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN NOW!: https://www.melvxb.online/ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@melvxb

Image Credits
Luis Alameda @luis_captureofficial Josdani Minaya @jdsvisualz