TIKTOK, MOM LIFE AND A GORGEOUS HOME | FT. JO JOHNSON OVERBY
My Solo Road S2 Ep 7 | TikTok, Mom Life and a GORGEOUS Home | ft. Jo Johnson Overby
Today I’m joined by Jo Johnson Overby to talk all about being a content creator! We get into tips + advice she has for you, what she hope changes in the future, a dive into her life with her husband + daughter, and her house renovation!
LISTEN TO THE EPISODE
INTRODUCTION
Are you interested in becoming a content creator but don’t know where to start? In this week’s episode, Jo Johnson Overby joins me to talk all about her journey of becoming a content creator and going from being a wedding photographer to retiring her husband! We also get into how it’s been renovating her dream home (which I’m obsessed with) becoming a mom, and why you should follow your gut and go down the path that feels right to you!
HER BACKGROUND AND HOW SHE STARTED HER CONTENT CREATION JOURNEY
- She lives in Northwest Arkansas and LOVES it. They have the Ozark mountains and the second most mountain biking trails in the country.
- She went to the University of Arkansas to study small business entrepreneurship & marketing.
- She’s been creating daily content (on flickr) since highschool where she was really interested in photography.
- She was a wedding photographer for 5 years & she shot 217 weddings both nationally and internationally before she stopped.
- She gained her popularity on TikTok before the pandemic hit. She knew the demographic was younger but she was having fun. Then once the pandemic hit all of her weddings got canceled.
FROM WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER TO RETIRING HER HUSBAND
- She set the goal that 2020 was going to be her last year relying on her full time income in photography.
- In 2021 she started photographer education and decided to book 6 weddings and by the end of the year she closed the education business and became a full time content creator.
- She begged her husband to quit his job for 6 months but it’s intimidating because she wasn’t sure how long content creation will last.
- Tip: I recommend that you buy different assets so you can have them in the future if this doesn’t last!
- Social media may not go anywhere but it’s probably going to evolve.
- Since her husband quit his job there has been less stress and they are both involved in their daughters life.
THE PROBLEMS WITH CONTENT CREATION
- She would like to see more transparency in the space. The platforms reward you when the content you create doesn’t look as much like an ad.
- To her it’s really obvious when things are ad’s and to her friends that aren’t in this world, it’s not as obvious.
- The problem is that your engagement will be lower if it’s a sponsored content.
- Our generation had such expectations that we get everything for free. You can access everything online, including education, for free. Which can be an issue.
- She wants people to watch her content and then leave feeling good, not that they aren’t enough. More transparency and vulnerability!
TIPS ON BECOMING A CONTENT CREATOR
- Understand why you want to do it and what you want to provide. Do you want to entertain them? Make their lives easier? Her “why” is helping to boost people’s confidence & help them not feel alone in their experience.
- You don’t need that many followers, you just need a dedicated community!
- Her favorite platform is Instagram because she loves still images and communicating with her followers in the DM’s.
- She loves how raw TikTok is but you can’t interact with people the same way you can on Instagram.
- Instagram is more brutal with the comments and TikTok is more celebratory. And TikTok trends don’t translate to Instagram the same way.
- Stop looking at the comments and focus on what you’re doing to take care of your mental health!
HER NEW HOUSE RENOVATION
- She was driving down some back roads and saw a house for sale. She called up her real estate agent and they went to look at it even though they just moved into their house.
- It needed a lot of renovating but the price was great and it was exactly what they wanted.
- They spent 4-5 months working on the redesign, figuring out what walls they were going to keep, picking what layout they wanted. They also wanted it to be accessible for her mom who is in a power chair.
- They started the demo in April, got 4 months in and realized that none of it was going to work for her mom. They decided to do an inlaw suite addition
- This house is completely custom so it was really overwhelming but also one of the best times.
HOW TO FIND A CONTRACTOR YOU TRUST
- Finding a good contractor is a difficult task all over. So ask your friends for recommendations and ask for references.
- If you are doing a big project, make sure your energy vibes together. Interview them and see if your work ethic is similar.
- If you find a good contractor, they will be happy to show you previous work and let you talk to happy customers!
- She used “Restore The Home” to help them fully move in and organize. Everything will be more efficient if you hire a professional organizer!
FINAL ADVICE
Follow your gut with what you want to do, not what you feel pressured to do! Just because people are following one path or have one laid out for you, doesn’t mean you have to do what everyone is telling you. It doesn’t matter how much we have in common with what we’re doing, it’s how much we have in common with what we really want. If you want to travel in a van, go ahead. If you want to get married and have kids in a more traditional route, that’s fine too. Going after what YOU want and what your heart is telling you is key!
LISTEN TO THE EPISODE
