Alright, I’ll admit it. I needed a break from social media. Two weeks ago, my family and I went on a wonderful vacation to Hilton Head. During this trip, I decided to disconnect a little more from social media and truly enjoy the time with my family. To tell you the truth, it made me enjoy the trip even more. So much so that I continued my little hiatus for the following two weeks. No blogs, minimal story posts. It’s been exactly what I needed.
Sometimes, I sit and laugh about a little jab my younger brother made a few years back. “Oh, your life must be so hard, having to post on social media every day.” Although he was clearly being sarcastic, he didn’t realize how hard it actually is. Building a brand is difficult and, most days, exhausting. Many people see 95 Nutrition as it is today, but they forget or maybe were not around for its infancy stages when it was all on me personally to grow the business. For those who don’t know the history of the brand, let me briefly dive in.
Becoming the “face” of 95 Nutrition was a business decision sparked by none other than Russ Salvatore. Carmelo and I were dining at Russell’s one evening in 2015, pondering what drives people to this restaurant outside of the
excellent food. When my “to-go” bag came to the table, it dawned on me as I saw a character drawing of the owner plastered on both sides of the bag… Wait a minute, people come here for more than just the food. They come here for the man behind the operation. They come here for the experience Russ himself personally oversees and backs. They believe in him, the brand. The wheels started to turn, and I thought, “Why can’t I be the face of 95 Nutrition?”. If an 80-year-old man can brand himself and draw customers in, why can’t I?
That singular revelation that evening set the wheels in motion. I would be the face of the brand. I would be at the forefront of branding. Now, how do I make a lasting impression? BOOM. The red hair was born. Nobody ever remembered the brunette business owner, but I was certain that nobody could forget someone with bright red hair. As I began to “put myself out there,” I didn’t realize that it was going to be a lot harder than I thought. Exposing yourself to the general public is challenging in many ways. Will they like me? How will people respond to this bright red-haired chick telling them that weight loss does not need to be complicated? Let’s not forget keeping a forward-facing self while going through two pregnancies, postpartum recovery, being sleep-deprived with newborns, and the death of my father this year… just to name a few of the harder times. All the while, I have to keep going. Keep generating content for the brand. Keep my head above water. Well, after 8 years, I can say it was the best decision I ever made. I have built the most wonderful relationships with 95’s customers and have been able to reach more people than I ever expected. But, of course, you know you have to take the good with the bad.
Usher in the haters or what I like to call “the fans.” Early on, I would address the community of 95 Nutrition as “Friends,” and that has stuck over the years. I truly believe that every single customer who walks through the doors of 95 Nutrition is a friend of mine, even if we have never met before. You believed in what we do here enough to walk through the doors, and I want to make sure you are a satisfied customer and have you back through this journey. So, in my mind, we are FRIENDS. Naturally, the word “hater” is overplayed, so I call the people who don’t care for me or what this brand represents “Fans.” Over the many years, the fans have come in droves, and naturally, that will happen because if you are doing anything great in life, you will have critics.
Owning a health food company and being the face of it opens up the comments section to all sorts of hurtful rhetoric. I’m writing this and laughing to myself about some of the comments that have been made over the years. One time, in particular, sticks out. I was three months postpartum and did a promotional video… a guy slid into the comments section and said, “Clearly, this food isn’t working for the spokesperson.” 💀 Like HELLOOO, sir, I just had a baby three months ago… can you cut me some slack? I’m sure you know the answer is clearly, NO. People can be ruthless, and developing thick skin is what has gotten me this far. Now, I don’t want to end this on a negative note because my overall experience has been overwhelmingly wonderful over the years. Becoming the face of my brand was the best decision I ever made. I take pride in the fact that I have helped be the catalyst for so many people to take the first step in taking control of their health and making better decisions. That is something I will preach until the day I die.
Coming full circle, after 8 years of grinding, I am now getting to the point where I can realize that I do need a break from social media, and I also deserve to take one. I have a wonderful social media team here at 95 that keeps the ball rolling even when I need some time for myself and my family and for that I am so greatful. So, for all of the “Friends,” I am back and ready to keep the content flying, and for the “fans,” buckle up because I’m back!
