Page 7 of The Funnel to You

“And remind me what that means,” I prompt her to continue.

“She does a lot of things that fit with an everyday girl's budget and time table. Most of the products she uses are from brands that are affordable and last a long time and have a lot of versatility to them.”

“That makes sense. So why hasn’t she gotten brand deals or a huge following? It seems like she has a great niche there.”

“She had to stop posting for a while. Work was too demanding and then she had to take a mental health break. She’s made a few videos talking about her anxiety and how that has affected her content and her job. She hit burnout trying to do everything so she had to find a better balance. Since she stopped posting for close to a year, she lost a lot of momentum and has struggled with getting back on top of things again. She also doesn’t hop on trends quickly, again because of the anxiety. She’s done some posts about the longevity of classic makeup and it isn’t sustainable to jump on every trend or every collection drop from a brand. That might have gotten her pulled from a few lists for free stuff.”

“That makes sense. Knowing that background helps because I can focus on brands that target classic looks and everyday collections rather than trendy collaborations.”

“Exactly. You got this, Matt. You’re going to do great tonight.”

“I am going to head home and shower and then get ready for my call. I’ve got a Zoom meeting booked for five tonight. Wish me luck. And no,” I stop her before she even starts with her next request, “you may not come home with me to listen while I have my call with her.”

She humphs a sigh at me and stomps her feet like she’s going to throw a mini temper tantrum. She walks over to give me a hug, then decides against it once she sees how sweaty I am.

“Okay, you are gross – definitely take a shower. But thank you for telling me. I can’t wait to hear how it goes. You are going to cut her a deal if cost is a problem, right? I’d seriously love to see her account take off. She deserves it. Especially with all the crap she’s had to deal with over the last few years at work and starting out on her own.”

Like I said, my sister is a huge fan.

“I’ll do my best. Love you, Ash.”

I head out the door and jog back home. I have a few hours to make this perfect. And I cannot blow this proposal. Not just for my business, or my sister, but for me too.

Chapter Four

Sasha

Iced Shaken Espresso with Vanilla

Social Post: What platforms do you most utilize when you are looking at makeup and skincare content? #sashaloveslipstick #socialmedia #beautyblogger

Image Description: Light purple background with “I have a question” text on the square.

Today was better than yesterday at work, thankfully. I got the order done for Ryan and was able to redo some of the inventory issues we had yesterday. How someone could mix up PVC and CPVC, I have no idea, but that’s what happened. It only took an hour out of my day to figure out the problem, adjust the counts, and get the labels fixed on the shelf. Looking at things, you wouldn’t be able to tell I did anything, but I know what I completed, and the fact that the only girl supervisor in the store figured out the issue…yeah, that’s a win in my book.

I make it home from work and go over the email from Matt again. I want to make sure I know what to expect on this call so I don’t totally sound clueless. Content is something I understand. Makeup I totally get. But getting the right people to see my content and then go to my website to work with me in some capacity is something I need help with. And I don’t want to be taken advantage of by someone just trying to sell me something.

I take a quick shower and throw my hair up in a bun before grabbing my favorite cardigan and do a quick and natural makeup look. Something that I know will look good on camera but won’t be weird for an early evening business call.

I grab out my phone to text Kylie and Carter before I log on to my computer.

Me: About to get on a call, do you guys need anything first?

Kylie: All good here. I should be home from work in about an hour. Deep breaths. Take lots of notes. Can’t wait to hear all the things!

Carter: Nope. Have fun. See you when we get home.

With that, I put my phone on silent and go grab my tea and water from the other room. Yes, I always have multiple drinks in front of me when I am working. I get the email confirmation pulled back up and then click the button to join the call.

“Here goes nothing.” I whisper to myself as I wait for him to join the call.

Matt logs in a minute before our scheduled call time. I notice right away how handsome he is. I can’t tell how tall he is from the computer screen, but his hair and eyes are the most comforting shade of brown. Comforting? No clue why that is the word I am drawn to, but there it is. He has a bit of scruff on his face, like a five o’clock shadow, and it makes him look the perfect amount of not perfect. As he adjusts a few things on his laptop, I notice a few tattoos on his arms. It looks like he is in the process of building out a sleeve on one arm and just a few small things on the other one. It’s hard to make out everything without coming across as staring at him though.

“Hey, Sasha. Thanks for meeting with me,” Matt says as he starts the call officially. He seems a lot more soft-spoken than I thought he would be. But I guess that makes sense if he works on computers and social media most of the time. It would be kind of weird if he was super bubbly and over excited for this meeting. That might actually freak me out a bit. “I hope work was good for you today. I saw your stories yesterday about the inventory issue.”

“It was good. I got a lot done at work today and was able to get out on time so I didn’t have to stress about being home before our call. Thanks again so much for looking over my content and getting back to me. You were the only response that came back that looked like you actually knew what I did and am looking to do. Makeup is definitely my passion and I want to share it with more people, but so many just see it as a hobby or something cute I do on the side. It’s so much more than that to me.” I respond to his initial question, then take a deep breath. I don’t want to totally dump all of my emotions onto this guy that I just met. Online even. I haven’t even met him in person. I don’t want to come across as desperate, but I need him to know this is serious to me.

“I can tell this is important to you. Full transparency, my sister has been watching your channel and content for a while, so I recognized your name when you sent the initial email over. So, I was already familiar with your content and what you do. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions to get a feel for what you are wanting to do and your timeline and then we can go from there?”

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