Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tyllah-Chanel Cornelio. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Tyllah-Chanel, appreciate you joining us today. Alright, so we’d love to hear about how you got your first client or customer. What’s the story?
I launched my print company in May of 2020, but I didn’t get my first client until the end of June 2020. I spent time before my launch being transparent about being new to printing, learning the software and showing how horrible my first prints were. As I and my skills progressed, people following my journey could see the work and effort I was putting into perfecting my craft.
Aside from just sharing updates on twitter, I made a content schedule to share my progress 3-5 times a day and make it impossible for people to forget I was a printer. I also started off making prints for my marketing agency and use that to build my portfolio and get more brand exposure. Because I had another company before I started printing, it made it significantly easier to grow my print companies clientele over the first 6 months. I cross promoted on every platform, joined Facebook groups, blogged and used twitter daily to get new clients. I’ve actually never had family shop with my print company, although they do support and share my content.
Tyllah-Chanel, 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?
I am a Entrepreneur, Speaker, and content creator of 5+ years established in Desoto, Texas. Currently the Founder and CEO of Touched By Ty, The Marketing Bully & PrintGami. I am a digital artist, professional printer and digital marketing resource for small businesses globally.
To date, i have amassed an online audience of over 20,000 active community members via Twitter, TikTok & my Blog & Podcast. My passion for helping others, has led me to self publish multiple books, planners and create courses that all teach small business owners how to take advantage of digital marketing.
I started a print company because there were none doing what I was looking for (custom shaped and scented prints). Once I saw that gap in the market, I knew I had to fill it somehow. Also, with being an artist I could also create custom concepts, making it easier to upsell print packages.
As for marketing, it just happened organically. People always complimented me on my marketing style and asked for help with theirs. Then it blossomed into a consulting business where I help entrepreneurs globally crush their goals.
I think what sets me apart from others is how young I started and how young I still am. I started my entrepreneurial journey around 12 years old. Now, I’ll be 25 in April and I’m so happy I started when I did because I get to do what I live every single day. Something else that makes me different is that I am an “underdog”, I grew up in poverty, section 8, food stamps, and second hand clothes. So when people feel like they can’t overcome those struggles, they often relate to me because I’m working towards it step by step everyday.
Currently, I am most proud of my ability to take risk – even when I’m terrified. This desire to actually take risk and test the waters helped me grow a community, get amazing opportunities, move 200+ miles from home, acquire a warehouse and travel cross country for events. I think we all need to take risk to get to where we want to be, so I’m proud that I never shy away from that.
Main things I want people to know are that I’m very laid back, chill and monotone. It’s heavily portrayed in my content to, so I never pretend to be some quirky upbeat person when naturally I am not. I’d also like people to know that I am down to earth and driven by my passion for a better life which is what keeps me going when everything is tough.
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
The best source of clients for me has been Twitter. I use twitter every single day to grow my community, share content and generate leads. There’s been multiple times where I’ve generated 200+ leads in a day from twitter, making it unmatched for me.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
In January 2021 I decided I wanted to get a warehouse for my businesses. But in February I found out I had to have surgery and be on bed rest for 2+ months. I really wanted to give up on my warehouse goals, but instead I worked towards my goals from my iPad on bedrest. It really taught me to keep going even when you can’t see the end in sight anymore.
I got my warehouse for my 24th birthday and it felt so good knowing that although I had surgery, was on bed rest for 2 months and I couldn’t move around much – I still crushed my goals, signed my lease and got the keys to my first commercial space.
Contact Info:
- Website: Touched-by-ty.com | Printgami.com | Themarketingbully.co
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarketingBully_
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFiAt67mscd80MxyR4RaWig
Image Credits
Samantha Jimenez, Tee Manley Productions, Tyler, Tx