Authenticity Through Vulnerability

Dani Austin and Jordan Ramirez share their perspective on maintaining authenticity while scaling their influencer business and product company Divi. They emphasize the importance of staying relatable to their audience even as their business grows, particularly through authentic content creation and strategic business operations.

Key Points:

• Authenticity in Content Creation:

  • Show imperfections and mistakes openly
  • Share real-life moments, even when they're not perfect
  • Acknowledge and learn from errors publicly
  • Avoid trying to be perfect as it makes content unrelatable

• Strategic Home-Based Operations:

  • Keep business operations in the home to maintain authenticity
  • Team works from upstairs playroom instead of separate office
  • Maintain natural home environment for content creation
  • Traditional office setup would feel less relatable to audience

• Content Creation Approach:

  • Focus on daily life moments rather than polished content
  • Use Instagram stories as reality TV-style content
  • Share entire day from wake-up to bedtime
  • Create characters out of family members to make content more engaging

• Business Growth While Maintaining Authenticity:

  • Careful about how to position team members
  • Balance professional growth with authentic content
  • Keep core operations close to daily life
  • Maintain direct connection with audience despite company size

• Audience Trust:

  • Take responsibility for recommendations
  • Consider impact on audience before promoting products
  • Focus on serving audience rather than selling
  • Build trust through consistent, honest communication

• Family Integration:

  • Carefully consider how to involve family in content
  • Maintain ability to pivot away from family content if needed
  • Balance business needs with family privacy
  • Use family dynamics naturally in content creation

This approach has allowed them to scale their business while maintaining the authentic connection with their audience that initially built their success.