Hampton University senior Ayanna Bozeman is just 20 years old and already making a name for herself.
The strategic communications major has taken her classroom training and her knowledge of social media to build a lucrative business and brand through YouTube.
With today’s information-driven youth looking for honest, unscripted and unbiased perspectives, Bozeman picked the perfect time to capitalize on that trend. Today, she has a following of 28,000 on YouTube.
But success didn’t come overnight. Bozeman created her YouTube channel just a year ago. She started with a small following — anywhere from 30 to 50 views with each new video. And, for the amount of effort she was putting into each post, she was tempted to quit. Her rise in popularity netted her notice on CNBC.com, which recently featured her in a story about entrepreneurship.
“It took a lot of effort to shoot and edit it all myself, but I told myself to stay consistent and see where it goes,” said Bozeman.
Her determination certainly paid off. Bozeman’s YouTube channel brings in a nice monthly paycheck, thank you. In addition, some of her viewers have begun offering Bozeman paid opportunities to review their products.
For years, Bozeman had ideas to start her own vlog. After some encouragement from her peers, she took the bull by the horns, grabbed a camera and started filming. She filmed and wrote about as much as she could, then posted it on YouTube.
“My goal was to reach everyone in my demographic. I use my vlog to talk about life and being in college,” said Bozeman.
Her lifestyles vlog covered everything from new hairstyles to cooking ideas for college kids.
She attributes her channel’s popularity and success to the fact that, she “keeps it very real.”
Bozeman will continue to vlog while finishing her last year at Hampton University before pursuing a career as an entertainment personality.
“The people who inspire me are my mom and my dad,” she said. They are very successful and I look up to them a lot.”
Bozeman continues to live by the motto, “Success is not an option, but a way of life.”
