I am incredibly excited to share a huge moment with you today: the official release of The Influencer Code.
My entire life, I have aimed to be at the pinnacle of anything I wanted to achieve. As a former athlete, that pinnacle was the Olympics, but a career-ending injury closed, or actually slammed that door shut. Was this the universe’s way of telling me I was meant to do something else… maybe something even bigger?
But what?
As heartbroken and lost as I was at the time, I decided that if I couldn’t go to the pinnacle of the athletic world, then I would find another ‘pinnacle’, and for me, that meant the corporate world, and New York City. I knew I wanted to start my own company, work for myself, and “make it” there.
I just didn’t know how I was going to get there.
I had no corporate work experience, no US visa. I didn’t even have a cell phone to my name, and I didn’t know a soul to call there if I did.
In the beginning, I did a lot of things that weren’t ideal. I worked in a consulting job I knew I didn’t want to get my work visa and to gain corporate experience. I went to business school to boost my credibility in the eyes of others, and to give myself the autonomy to start my own brand.
But how do you start a company without money or resources, in arguably the most expensive city in the world?
I was told to get more work experience, to raise money, to go back and live at home to save money… but I wasn’t having any of that. I was far too impatient. There had to be a better, faster way to achieve my goals.
Knowing first hand the power of fitness on one’s entire existence, I dreamed of creating an online fitness program and community for women — a place that would be the pinnacle for women’s online fitness. To get there, I knew the first step was to align my fledgling brand with a truly pinnacle brand. And what was a pinnacle brand in NYC?
The Plaza Hotel.
I knew if I could align myself with the Plaza, I could easily scale my business and create endless other opportunities.
The problem? I had no clue how to begin. What I did have was a burning passion, a strong work ethic, and ambition so intense, I wouldn’t give myself the choice to not figure it out. Without a safety net, I knew I had no one to turn to if it my dream didn’t materialize… and that kept me hungry.
This is when I learned first-hand about the value of relationships to make dreams come true.
I dug into some research on potential contacts at the Plaza, and discovered that the marketing director was a former ballerina… a fellow athlete who would no doubt share my passion for fitness and wellness. I knew I had a place to start the conversation, and so I reached out to her personally, offering to share my ideas for attracting brides to the hotel through a targeted fitness and beauty event — ideas that dovetailed perfectly with her goal to bring more weddings to their iconic ballroom.
When we met shortly after for tea and a chat, my ideas quickly evolved into what would become my first Bridal Bootcamp.
From the first word I wrote to forge this new connection, I focused on how my expertise and experience could help the Plaza realize their business goals. Suddenly, I was in the midst of my first influencer alliance… but it certainly wouldn’t be my last.
Because I realized I had a super power. The power to influence others.
And that’s where the Influencer Code began.
Today, attention is currency, and influence is wealth. But the question is, how do we achieve influence?
We align with those who have it. And when I realized that, everything changed for me.
After my success with the Plaza, and with the ongoing growth of my fitness business, I was able to begin a partnership with Trium Entertainment (the creators of The Biggest Loser) to launch and grow my first company: Fit Strong and Sexy.
From there, I continued to build relationships I knew would accelerate me on the road to achieving my goals. I forged alliances with huge brands like 24 Hour Fitness, Lionsgate, Zico, and LiveStrong that raised my profile in my industry. I sought out other fitness professionals to form win-win partnerships, and made my own brand stronger by helping other brands thrive. I was appointed to the advisory board of Lamborghini to bring my perspective and support to their iconic brand.
Then I took all the lessons I learned from creating my own platform and started a marketing agency… a business I was able to sell at the age of 32. Now I’m the CMO of another company, leading a massive rebrand.
It’s been a wild ride from those dark early lows to many incredible highs along the way. I believe the key to my success was the realization I could connect with almost anyone if I could find out what drives them, and how I could support them. I learned there was no person too famous and no brand too big, if I could make a real connection and support their vision and goals.
Now I’m passionate about helping other people and organizations of all kinds develop these relationships to grow exponentially bigger and faster than they ever could alone. It’s why I created the course on it.
The ability to garner influence is not a genetic trait. Everyone can transform their businesses and careers through the power of relationships.
They just need to know how… and that’s the Code.
The Influencer Code is my way of giving back to others and sharing something I’m fiercely passionate about — something that has not only helped me build my own brand, but helped so many others do the same, too.
But, this isn’t just about me or my own experience. I’ve carefully curated and enlisted the involvement of some of the most extraordinary experts in the marketing world.
My goal is to provide a hub of credible, insightful, and trusted resources that will help others learn how to build relationships from the people who do it best .
The mission of The Influencer Code is to become the most valuable and trusted go-to resource for all things Influencer Marketing, including:
- Helping people and companies understand true influencer marketing and how to leverage it to achieve real business goals
- Cutting-edge articles, data, presentations, and case studies
- Opinions, interviews, and perspectives from the world’s top Influencer Marketing experts and thought leaders
- Accredited online courses for marketers and influencers
- Reviews of the best resources, tools, and agencies (completely honest and fully vetted)
- A comprehensive book series (first edition hits bookshelves in 2019)
I’m proud to say there isn’t another book, course, or Influencer Marketing platform this credible or comprehensive… and we invite you to become a part of it.
Whether it’s a personal story, a case study, an insight, or a perspective on the industry, we’d love to hear from you. We aim to become the gold standard in Influencer Marketing, but it’s only worth it if we can collaborate and support all of YOU: the experts and the influencers who make the community what it is, and who do the real work.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out and connect. It’s what I love to do. And I personally promise to do everything in our power to help you grow your own influence, both personally and professionally.
With Gratitude and Excitement,
Amanda
