Meet the founder of The Creator Place and Grownup Girl Life, Ally White! Ally is a woman of many talents. She is a college blogger, youtuber, podcaster, and a national wellness writer for @hercampus. She also recently created a tik tok (@allywally22)!
Ally truly has a knack for social media and engaging audiences in her content. If you are not following The Creator Place & Grownup Girl Life on social media, you need to...NOW! The aesthetics of both instagram accounts are to die for and her posts are extremely informative.
(Instagram accounts are @thecreatorplacce and @grownupgirllife)
Provide a general overview of the business/ What is it all about?
The Creator Place is an online community created to support small creators! We welcome creators of all areas (photography, graphic design, podcasting, YouTube, fashion, and more). Our mission is to provide a place where all creators can network, collaborate, and receive support.
In addition to running The Creator Place, I also run an online blog called Grownup Girl Life. Grownup Girl Life incorporates a little bit of everything I love (skincare, beauty, fashion, wellness, and organization). I started the Grownup Girl Life Podcast back in September of 2019, and use the platform to discuss mental health, wellness, friendships, and other important topics.
What made you want to start a business?
The Creator Place was a concept that I had considered launching back in October. At the time, I was hosting Instagram live takeovers on that account. I felt kind of detached from my blog account and decided to move the takeovers and small creator support over to a community account to keep everything together. I feel like there are so many online communities, but they do not focus on helping “small creators” grow. My mission for The Creator Place was to give the small creators in my life a platform to grow their brands.
I started Grownup Girl Life because I have always had a desire to blog. My Dad was a finance blogger in the 2000’s, and I remember being so young and seeing his blog grow and reach so many people. He was interviewed in magazines and had so many subscribers. I saw his success at a young age, and creating a blog was always something he inspired me to do. He helped me launch Grownup Girl Life when I was feeling very lost in life, and it has been one of the best things I have ever done.
How has it been balancing a business and college life?
Balancing The Creator Place and Grownup Girl Life with college has definitely been a struggle at times! A lot of people ask me how I manage to do so many tasks in one day and my answer is time blocking. I block off my day in Google Calendar to designate certain tasks for both businesses in addition to my college classes and assignments. At the end of the day, college is number one to me and sometimes I have to put my classes above my social media work.
What has been your biggest challenge?
My biggest challenge has been getting over the fear of posting. You would think that after almost an entire year of sharing my life, taking photos, vlogging, and podcasting, I would have no anxiety over what I post. But I still get nervous to post certain videos or episodes of my podcast, and it is something that I am currently working on! I love being authentic and open with my audience and can’t let fear hold me back!
What has been the most fun?
The most fun part of running The Creator Place and blogging has been the friendships I have made with other creators! I feel like finding your group when you are blogging is so important because everyone needs a support system! I am so thankful for everyone who has shared any of my posts or commented. If I didn’t have the support from my creator friends, I am not sure if I would still be doing this!
What is your advice to other college students who want to start a business?
My biggest piece of advice to college students wanting to start a business is to start! Read books. Watch YouTube videos. Learn everything you can and find out how to start your business and grow. Do not be afraid to ask for help and message other business owners to see how they have launched their own. Starting is the scariest part, but success is waiting for you!
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