Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tia Yorek. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Tia, thanks for joining us today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?
I believe it takes a positive, focused, and determined mindset to be successful. Since day 1 of starting my business, I’ve incorporated meditation, journaling, and verbal/written positive affirmations to train my subconscious to follow my goals even when there are bumps in the road. As a UGC creator, you often deal with rejection, no response to email pitches, and a rollercoaster of emotions. If I were to quit when it gets hard, I wouldn’t have experienced the financial freedom and endless vacations I live through currently. Regarding mindset, doubt is your biggest enemy; so I continuously recite my goals and speak out loud gratitude and thanks for achieving my future goals. I’ve found my greatest life hack to be: think, act, and behave as if you’ve already achieved your wildest dreams and aspirations. By doing so, I become the version of me that follows the path of taking action steps to achieve anything I set my mind to. Ask yourself, what would that version of you do weekly? Would she prioritize partying on the weekends? No. Would she give up when it gets hard? No. Would she have a victim mindset? No. Would she prioritize working out daily to support a healthy body and mind? Yes. Would she continuously brainstorm how to capitalize off of her passions? Yes. Would she wake up at 5am just to get a head start? Yes.
Tia, 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?
My name is Tia Marie Yorek, and I am an entrepreneur at heart. I was born and raised in Minnesota where the beginning of my story takes place. I began filming and editing videos at the age of 9, and quickly began visualizing a life where I could be a successful videographer for a living. Throughout high school, I won many awards for videography, and started a YouTube channel, which continued throughout college gaining 4,000+ subscribers. I strived to be an influencer/vlogger, yet this vision all came crashing down my senior year of college when I was mauled in the face by a rottweiler in 2021. My entire bottom lip was split open leading to a split in my chin as well. For a year, I quit all things social as I had multiple stitches/wounds I thought would never heal. I was devastated and almost completely gave up. In July 2022, I discovered the profession User Generated Content on TikTok, and wished I looked normal so I could take a swing at it. UGC is where a person films and edits videos of themselves using a brand’s product and sends the video over to the brand for the brand to use as organic content and/or run as paid advertisements. Suddenly, a light sparked in me and I decided to give this a shot regardless of my facial wounds. I tried to gain clients for 2 months and failed entirely. Truth is, I knew nothing about what it takes to be a successful UGC creator. I decided to pitch my UGC services to a local multi-million local hair care manufacturing company who ran 5+ salon professional hair care brands. They had no idea what UGC was, and decided to hire me as a full-time 9-5 employee to be the head of social media and manage all 5 socials. During my first day at the job, I asked the president where I should begin. He shrugged his shoulders and walked away. I had 2 options– do the bare minimum and get by, or go full workaholic and learn the ropes of UGC from the brands side. I single-handedly implemented UGC into all 5 brands. I was no longer a UGC creator, I was now a UGC recruiter, manager, script-writer, packager, content-planner, caption-writer, and product launch facilitator for 5 brands. Here, I recruited 300+ UGC creators, reviewed over 1000 UGC portfolios, quickly gained a large following on UGC twitter and made an iconic reputation within the UGC community. Fast forward a year and a half, I now held the knowledge of every secret detail regarding UGC from the brand’s POV, and most importantly, how to become a successful UGC creator. I quit in January 2024, and took the biggest risk of my life– I had $0 funds, no plan, and a whole lot of determination. I revived my UGC LLC from 2022 and began creating content + pitching to brands. Within 2 months, I doubled my 9-5 income, and reeled the money in. Wow, freedom. I provided UGC to clients ranging from testimonials, unboxing, skits, to paid media, long-form content, and product-based videography. My boyfriend, Brennan, was still miserable stuck in his 9-5. He had never used a camera or video editing program and a wild idea sparked in my mind: “If I can teach him how to be a successful UGC creator from scratch, I can teach anyone”. We began weekend UGC lessons, hours and hours of curriculum, filming techniques, how to pitch to brands, how to land paid deals. Fast forward 2 months, he quit his 9-5, and we packed up and moved to Miami. Surreal. We had UGC deals left and right. Individually, together as a couple, multiple 4-figure monthly TikTok retainers, and a beautiful life financially free. I couldn’t help but revisit my feelings of being trapped in a 9-5, feeling so far away from my own dreams and aspirations, and knew there were others out there struggling, capable of becoming full-time UGC creators. I also experienced many struggles from a UGC creator’s POV such as UGC agencies taking huge cuts from creators, confusing and messy UGC briefs from brands, and the constant action of clients trying to lower UGC creator’s rates. I set a goal to tackle all of this. In September 2024, I founded my UGC community; “UGC&Chill” where I aimed to teach new and existing UGC creators all the secrets of UGC from the brand’s POV in hopes for them to pursue their content creation dreams and leave their 9-5s. Today, “UGC&Chill” has 100+ students I mentor daily, 10+ subjects of curriculum featuring 35+ follow-along videos, and 4 weekly Power Hour calls where we guide and mentor students in real time. Numerous students of mine have landed their first paid deals, quit their 9-5s, and have reached financial goals under my mentorship. Now, it was time to tackle the common issues of the UGC industry. In October 2024, I founded “Cyber Glow Digital Agency”. (www.cyberglow.co) Here, my main focus was to work with UGC creators at their own rate instead of taking a 20%-40% cut from their efforts like most agencies. I’ve successfully held this goal accountable, and make it clear to each client that my rate as an agency owner/creative strategist/script-writer/UGC manager is separate from the UGC Creator’s rate, standing up for UGC creators. Today, my agency has profited 5 figures and counting, all separate from paying UGC creators their normal rate without taking a cut. Today, I’m honored to be a 5-figure UGC creator, 5-figure UGC Fiverr seller, a mentor/coach to 100+ UGC students, and a 5-figure UGC agency owner. Wearing all these hats, I solve a variety of issues for both the brand’s side, and UGC Creator side. For the brand, I create high-converting 15-30 second paid advertisements known as UGC where I implement the direct-response formula: a killer hook, body, and call to action. I stand out with my profound editing skills that do not give viewers even a second to think about scrolling, along with my attention to detail of the brands mission + goals. For UGC creators, I provide connections to brands at UGC industry standard rates and above, clear and easy briefs/scripts to navigate through, and immediate payment upon their deliverables being approved, all without taking a cut of their earned funds. I also mentor and coach aspiring UGC creators from scratch exactly how to become a successful UGC creator. When reflecting upon my journey, I’m most proud of my decision to begin UGC back in 2022 amidst my facial wounds. Although I had nearly another 6 months to heal, I took the biggest leap of faith and put an end to my negative thoughts of doubt and my insecurities. I’m beyond proud of my drive to make the UGC industry a better place, and to solve issues left and right. For any followers or fans of mine, I want you to know that no matter your appearance, YOU are the only YOU in this entire world, and there are brands out there searching for your authentic approach to UGC. Facial wounds, cystic acne, and a negative mindset were all struggles I overcame to be a UGC creator, and whatever you’re going through, you can do the same. You do matter, and your past does not define you. To potential clients, I’d like you to know that working with me goes beyond a one-and-done deal; I have endless connections to top-notch creators, aspiring UGC creators, and a following of around 3,000 UGC creators ready to be recruited for opportunities at any given moment. In addition to UGC creation, I have been praised for my unique-script writing abilities and creative strategy. To anyone reading this, I want you to know that you have the power to chase and achieve your wildest dreams. The first step is starting.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
The UGC community across TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter is full of UGC accounts ran by individuals sharing their wins, UGC education, and applying to UGC opportunities. Within my business, I value my 3 pillars: Honesty, Professionalism, and Creativity. I abide by these pillars across my socials, ultimately contributing to my online reputation as a UGC Creator/Coach/Recruiter/Agency Owner. Honesty: Recently, a brand double paid me. 2 separate payments of $750 into my bank account for one project. I came across this while doing taxes, remembered my business pillar of honesty and immediately drafted up an email to my point of contact stating this mistake. Although I could have said nothing and profited the additional $750, the client was beyond grateful for my honesty and offered another UGC deal to call it even. This client of mine will remember my honesty, ultimately raising my reputation within the company. Professionalism: I vowed since day 1 in July 2022, to never ever tweet about/post UGC conflict. During my time at my 9-5 as a UGC Recruiter, the creators who vent about brands, name drop brands, or bring UGC chaos into the space are the ones I stayed far away from, as they could potentially do the same to my former hair care brands. My number one advice for new creators is to hold yourself accountable through UGC brand chaos and keep it off of your socials. Creativity: my 3rd pillar is creativity and I prioritize this when dealing with briefs or writing my own scripts. Whether it’s an original hook, special fx when editing, or capturing unique angles of products, I’m constantly thinking outside of the box and gathering the latest UGC research. I believe my 3 pillars of Honesty, Professionalism, and Creativity have helped me build an excellent reputation within the UGC community.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
One book that helped me greatly in fostering a positive entrepreneurial mindset is “You 2: A High Velocity Formula for Multiplying Your Personal Effectiveness in Quantum Leaps” by Price Pritchett. “You 2 promotes an unconventional strategy for achieving breakthrough performance. This powerful new method replaces the concept of attaining gradual, incremental success through massive effort. Instead, it puts forth 18 key components for building massive success while expending less effort.” This is an excellent read and I recommend it to anyone and everyone, especially entrepreneurs. The book was recommended to me by one of my mentors, Jacob Levinrad, an astonishing 8-figure entrepreneur.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ugctiamarie.info/portfolio https://www.skool.com/ugc-chill-7539/about www.cyberglow.co
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tiaayorek/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiayorek?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
- Twitter: https://x.com/ugctiamarie
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@bytiamarie
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@bytiamarie
Image Credits
All images were taken by me, Tia Marie Yorek