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Alex Obochi Is Monetising Her Creativity Through Brand Collaborations

Alex Obochi, Piggyvest

Making a career out of your creative interests is hard work, especially in these dire economic times where the security of a conventional career seems appealing. Alex Obochi, of Diary Of A Fatshionista, has never had such worries, only a passion to do as much as she can creatively.

Speaking with PiggyVest, she tells us how the pandemic kickstarted her career, the challenges of collaboration and the highs and lows of building sustainably in a system that rewards fast and cheap creation. 

Hi Alex, could we get to know you a bit better?

My name is Alexandra Obochi. I’m a 25-year-old multidisciplinary creative, born in Lagos, raised in Abuja, and from Enugu state. I’m currently self-employed, and I do a lot of creative work across multiple mediums. 

What did you want to be when you were growing up?

I honestly can’t say I wanted to be anything in particular. My mates were always saying they wanted to be lawyers and doctors, but I never felt inclined to answer those questions for myself, even up till I went to university. I wasn’t excited to pick a course; I just wanted to get to school and be done with it. 

What were you interested in then?

I guess creativity was what I was destined to do because I don’t know any other field where I would have excelled like I do now. I studied International Relations at university, and I’m still learning about the field. But I always gravitated towards creative expression. 

Please tell us a bit more about it.

I’m a multidisciplinary artist, which means I apply a range of creative skills in my work. These include photography, content creation, professional makeup artistry, artistic direction, and creative direction. I also sell jewellery and run a sustainable fashion brand that combines traditional Igbo techniques with contemporary design. 

How did you get into content creation and influencing? 

I graduated from university in 2019, and I was supposed to go for NYSC the next year. Then the pandemic hit, and the world shut down. I decided to find a way to pull myself out of the depressive episode I was experiencing. At the time, I had an interest in makeup and was doing it for clients and myself, so I started creating beauty tutorial videos and posting them to Instagram.

I eventually discovered that beauty wasn’t the only thing I wanted to do, so I expanded into fashion, creating this content at home. As I posted, I began to attract a following, and eventually, brands reached out to collaborate with me. That’s what led me here. 

Do you have a niche, or are you a generalist?

I don’t have a specific niche, but a lot of my work is influenced by an African aesthetic. Having a niche means boxing yourself in, and I didn’t really want to do that with any of the mediums in which I create. 

At what point did you realise influencing could be a revenue-generating business?

I realised this almost immediately I started creating content. You never think people would want to pay you in particular for your work, but thanks to the internet, I knew other creators were getting paid. That motivated me to quickly monetise my work, because I wanted to get where they were. 

With content creation, there is so much potential for success yet so much risk of failure. How do you find a balance when you create?

These days, I find myself at a crossroads in my career because our industry is unstructured, especially in Nigeria. Brands want free work and do not really appreciate the work that we do. There is a high risk of failure, but passion helps me power through. 

Being in a country like Nigeria where people don’t feel influencing is a real job is a challenge, and I’m currently facing some uncertainty in my influencing career, but I’m still trying to find balance. Some days, I feel good; some days, I feel bad, but I try to keep my mental health in check and keep my spirits high. 

Can you walk us through how you make money as a content creator/influencer?

I currently make money when brands reach out to me to advertise their products or collaborate with me on creating content. Brands don’t see you as a creator they can pay for work if you don’t have a massive following or have many collaborations on your portfolio. Usually, they want us to work for free or collaborate in exchange for gifts. 

Content creators under 20,000 followers often have to make a decision on whether to work with a brand that offers other forms of compensation or visibility and credibility if they don’t want to offer payment. It’s a tricky thing, but I’m figuring it out. 

How does virality affect your brand/business financially?

I have only had one of my videos go viral so far, surpassing one million views, and it happened organically and was not for a video I strategically positioned to bring in business. But I think that when strategic videos meet the algorithm, virality could bring in a lot of conversions, growth and sales depending on how the video is positioned. 

What would you consider your biggest financial win as an influencer?

So far, the most I have been paid for a collaboration, was ₦300,000 to influence for spa. I am interested in wellness and have been fortunate to work with a lot of spas in Abuja. There is still a lot of money to be made, and I’m still growing in my career. 

Have you had any brand collaborations? If yes, what was the process like?

Usually, brands prefer to send you their products and hope you use them in your content without payment. I don’t consider those collaborations, but I have a lot of brand collaborations with fashion and lifestyle brands. The process is simple. Usually, the brands will find my work and contact me. I’m not really a stressful person, so I execute the brief to the best of my ability.

What is your dream brand collaboration and the biggest collaboration you have had so far?

I would love to collaborate with Kai Collective, an international brand owned by a Nigerian woman. 

My biggest collaboration so far is with Topicals, the international skincare brand. I shot my shot on Twitter and they saw and responded to me. It was supposed to be a paid collaboration, but that part fell through. I wanted to work with them anyway, so I did. 

How do you choose who to collaborate with and how do you handle the financials of collaborating as an entrepreneur?

When a brand reaches out to me, I look at their website and social media to get a sense of compatibility. If I like their work or I feel we have a similar aesthetic or vibe, then I respond. I have to be picky about brand collaborations because they are cash-intensive, and a lot of that money comes out of my personal finances.

I also batch create to save money on shoot costs and use locations close to me to minimise logistics costs. 

Do you have a preferred method of saving?

\My preferred method is giving other people money to save on my behalf because I’m not a big saver. But for my businesses, I make an effort to put aside some of the profit I make from selling to clients, so I have the capital to re-invest into my business. Because my business is ethical, I have to buy materials in small batches which makes it very expensive, so savings (with a feature like Quick Save) are essential to ensuring that I am able to run my business successfully. 

How to use Quick Save on PiggyVest
How to use Quick Save on PiggyVest

How do you plan and budget for your business, especially given the crazy inflation in the last two years?

Honestly, it’s just God. Every time you visit, prices have increased and you spend way more than you budgeted for materials and other resources. We have no choice, so we make do. 

Have there been any challenges in building your business over the years, especially financial ones?

I am a solo entrepreneur trying to juggle a lot of responsibilities, so there are a lot of financial challenges, especially with budgeting, saving and investing. 

Do you have a long-term savings/investment strategy, such as a Piggyvest Savings Account or Investify, for staying financially secure throughout your career and beyond?

Honestly, at the moment, I am not making enough money to prioritise long-term savings and investments. But I am just in the early stages of building my career. For example, my fashion business is just a year old, so I am learning from my mistakes and taking time to refine my business strategies so I can break even and make a profit, which I can then direct into savings and investments to secure my career in the long term. 

Are there any financial decisions you have made over the course of your career that you are very proud of?

I’m very proud of the fact that I never hesitate to reinvest profit and capital into my work as an influencer and my businesses. I always prioritise my businesses over other concerns. 

I am also very proud of my decision to travel to Lagos to attend the 2023 Lagos Fashion Week. It increased my visibility as an influencer and brought my work to the attention of many brands. 

Were there any financial mistakes you made at the beginning of your journey?

When I was launching my second collection for my fashion brand, Ndiiche, I invested a lot of money into creating the samples. In hindsight, I feel I overextended myself because I haven’t been able to recoup the costs of production yet.  

What financial tips would you like to share with other young professionals who want to build a financially secure career?

I don’t think I’m quite there yet to offer proper advice about building a financially secure career as I am still building my own, but I will say that for young entrepreneurs who are trying build a career in an unstructured industry like the creative space, your passion will see you through the rough financial patches that would break other businesses. 

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