My purpose of starting this newsletter was to be transparent about the highs and lows of this journey. So, sit down and brew your favorite tea because this one might be a while.
let’s start from the top
Towards the end of May, I had set an intention for preparing myself for the opportunities that I wanted to have. I decided I needed to prepare my pitch deck and a pricing sheet to have ready for doing my own outreach to restaurants, and to be ready for the day when brands start reaching out to me, which I figured would be far, far away. But, stepping out on faith, I told myself to stay ready so I wouldn’t have to get ready!!
And you know how it is, when you are preparing for something intangible. I had dragged my feet, done a little research, drafted some rough ideas, and was slowly but surely putting my materials together…in my head.
Well, June hits and a brand – which will remained unnamed for now – reached out to me for their newest campaign!!! They just launched their product across major grocery retailers throughout the country and wanted to partner with creators (like me!) to promote their product!! The representative asked for my rate sheet and I quickly got to work.
it’s go time
I gave myself a 24-hour deadline to put my ideas on paper and to ask my community for their advice. There’s SO many resources out there that have pricing guidelines for setting your rates and advice on the right questions to ask to gauge budget and deliverables. But I wanted to take advantage of the network I had, so I needed to talk to the people I knew in the space. I texted some people personally, spoke on the phone with a few others, and sent out an SOS IG story to my close friends (fellow foodies) for their help. I got an over pour of advice and encouragement that I’m forever grateful for! Shoutout to @beatbybeti, @boujiee.foodie, @camerynalysse, @charmcitytable, @chloelynneats, @danigirl_living, @deauxgirl_, @fabfoodieinthecity, @liajaeeee, and @reaulex for being willing to share your experiences, prices, draft communications for me, and for genuinely wanting to see me win!
So, I confidently put my graphic design hat on and made a rate sheet based off these conversations which I’m very proud of!! (I attached a copy of it here at the bottom but just blurred out the details 😃)
I really wanted to tell my friends and family about this opportunity as soon as it came up, but I decided I should wait until signatures were on the dotted line. Nothing worse than getting your biggest supporters excited about an opportunity that doesn’t work out then having to hit them with the news when it doesn’t.
I even waited to send out a newsletter because I just KNEW that the next one I’d send (AKA this one) would be me sharing the big news about sealing this brand deal!
so, what happened?
Well, God had other plans. After patiently waiting to finalize the deal, the brand decided to put the campaign on pause but reassured that they’d reach out when they’re ready to pick it back up.
Initially, I was thinking, “Good thing I waited to tell everyone about this…Now I don’t have to deal with any shame or embarrassment from getting excited for something that fell through.”
It’s like getting ready for a first date, shopping for the perfect outfit, styling your hair just right, double checking the mirror before you get out the car to make sure there’s no lipstick on your teeth, looking at the menu to plan out the least messy items to eat before you get there, and doing all the things you’re supposed to do to meet who could be the love of your life……..just to show up and get stood up.
But actually, I didn’t feel as salty as I thought I would. I was still excited to share this story with you guys even though it’s not quite the story I had hoped for. And ironically, I got the “bad” news while I was on my way to a new restaurant that personally invited me to try out their menu. Which was a goal of mine and a huge win for me. I’ll detail that in another post, but for now, what did I gain from this experience?
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I feel prepared for future brand deals and to do my own outreach
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I connected with my network and gained a new appreciation for having a community I can lean on
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I recognized that I am already living the things I dreamed of
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This experience got me excited about more opportunities to come
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I realized that you don’t have to have a ridiculous following for people to see your content or for brands to want to partner with you
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Most importantly: I value the time to reflect internally whether things go how I plan or not. It’s important to reserve that space between me and God to understand what He wants me to grasp from an experience. That time and space is sacred. It takes discipline to hold things for myself before excitedly sharing it out and potentially being overwhelmed by everyone else’s thoughts and ideas before even hearing my own.
As always, God’s plan is better than mine. I hope someday I can be someone else’s support in the way that my community supported me in this! Thanks again to everyone I talked to directly and for everyone who made it this far in this post ❤️ I am so appreciative that you allow me to take up some of your precious brain space. So cheers to this invaluable experience, and I hope you’re finding ways to have fun through all the ups and downs in your own journeys!
Rate Sheet Design – June 2024
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