A few years ago, I built a mom influencer brand that grew to over 200,000 followers across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. From the outside, it looked exciting, successful, and honestly – like the dream. But behind the scenes, I made the decision to walk away from it and completely pivot my business. In this post, I’m breaking down exactly why I did that, what being an influencer is really like, and why I now focus on building an online education business instead.
LINKS MENTIONED:
- Download my FREE step-by-step Passive Income Guide
- YouTube video: Create an Online Course That People Actually Want to Buy
How I Built a 200K+ Mom Influencer Brand
When I became a twin mom, my content naturally shifted. I started sharing my experience with pregnancy, newborn life, and navigating motherhood, and my audience grew quickly. What started as a platform for photography and marketing content turned into a full personal brand centered around my life as a mom.
And to be clear – I still fully believe in showing up as yourself online. Building a personal brand is powerful. It creates connection, trust, and growth. That part, I would never take back.
But as my following grew, I got a firsthand look at what it actually takes to grow and sustain an influencer business. And that’s where things started to shift for me.
The Reality of Being an Influencer (That No One Talks About)
From the outside, being an influencer looks flexible and fun. But the reality is, it comes with a level of pressure that most people don’t fully understand.
There’s constant pressure to create content, to keep your life interesting, and to always have something to share. Even posting a few times a week requires hours of planning, filming, editing, and thinking through what to document. It’s not just “posting your life” – it’s strategically creating content around your life.
On top of that, there’s the mental weight of having hundreds of thousands of people judge your daily life. No matter what you share, there will be opinions. There will be criticism. And over time, that becomes exhausting.
I also started to realize how much of my life was being documented. There’s this underlying expectation that you’re always “on,” always sharing, always capturing moments – even when you don’t necessarily want to.
And for me, that didn’t align with the kind of life I wanted long-term.
Why I Chose to Step Away from Influencing
One of the biggest turning points for me was around sharing my kids online. As my twins got older, I became more and more uncomfortable with them being part of my brand.
Even though I had boundaries around what I shared, I noticed that people were following me specifically for my kids. The comments, the messages – it shifted in a way that didn’t feel right to me. And I realized I didn’t want my children to be a central part of my business.
At the same time, I took a step back and asked myself a bigger question: What am I actually passionate about?
The answer was clear. I love teaching. I love helping business owners learn how to market themselves online. I love building something that’s mine.
And that clarity made the decision a lot easier.
Why I Switched to Selling Digital Products and Online Courses
While I was growing my influencer brand, I was also building an online education business on the side. I was creating courses and digital products, teaching what I knew about marketing and business growth.
And honestly – the difference in lifestyle was night and day.
With digital products and online courses, I have so much more flexibility. I can create content ahead of time. I can step away when needed. I’m not tied to daily posting or brand deals that dictate what I create and when I create it.
Because that’s another piece people don’t always realize – influencers often rely on brand partnerships to make money. And while that can be lucrative, it also means you’re working with multiple “clients” at once. They have guidelines, expectations, and final approval.
I had already stepped away from client-based work as a photographer because I wanted more freedom. So stepping into influencer brand deals felt like going backward.
With an online business built on courses and digital products, I’m building my own assets. I’m creating something that works for me long-term, not something I have to constantly keep up with in real time.
What I Do Now (And Why I Love It)
Today, my business is centered around helping online business owners create and sell digital products and courses. That could be anything from mini courses to templates to full programs teaching a specific skill.
And the best part is – this is something anyone can do.
You don’t need a massive following. You don’t need to be an influencer. You just need to know something that other people want to learn.
That could come from your job, your experience, your hobbies, or something you’ve figured out in your own life. There are so many opportunities to turn that knowledge into a scalable online business.
If you do have an audience – whether it’s from influencing or content creation – this is, in my opinion, one of the best ways to monetize it. Instead of relying solely on brand deals, you’re creating your own offers and building something sustainable.
Influencer vs Online Business: Which Is Better?
This isn’t about saying one path is right or wrong. There are people who genuinely love being influencers and thrive in that space.
But I think it’s important to understand what each path actually looks like.
Being an influencer is a daily commitment. It requires consistency, creativity, and a willingness to share your life publicly. It can be incredibly rewarding, but it is a grind.
Building an online business with digital products is a different kind of work. It still takes effort upfront, but it allows for more flexibility, scalability, and long-term sustainability.
For me, it aligned so much better with the life I want – especially as a mom.
Final Thoughts: You Get to Choose What You Build
If you’re in a season where you’re building an audience or thinking about becoming an influencer, I hope this gives you a more honest look at what that path can look like.
And if you’re feeling pulled toward building something different – something that gives you more freedom, flexibility, and ownership – I want you to know that’s possible too.
You get to decide what your business looks like. You get to pivot. You get to change your mind.
And sometimes, walking away from something that looks “successful” on the outside is exactly what leads you to something that’s a much better fit for your life.
If you want to learn how to create and sell your own digital products or build an online education business, I’d love to help you with that. That’s exactly what I teach, and it’s something I’m incredibly passionate about.
