Today we’d like to introduce you to Sydney Anderson.
Hi Sydney, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Growing up, I always was fascinated by all the people making money off of social media by just simply doing what they love. From people doing photography to Youtube videos to creating their own online stores to becoming content creators, I became interested in it all. I’ve definitely found myself to be quite the entrepreneur almost my entire life, starting out with the little things like selling phone cases, tye dye clothes, thrift finds, and even cookie dough, then moving onto bigger things by creating a jewelry company in the middle school. This jewelry was completely flooded by the basement and was a huge hit at every craft fair in the area. In high school, I began to combine what I really loved, social media and making money off my small businesses by running a huge environmental campaign titled Carbon Less Accomplish More. I was truly making a change in the community revolving around carbon emission impacts and using my social media platform to my advantage by doing social media campaigns, and promoting events such as a huge pop-up thrift store I hosted which gathered over 500 community members and more. Alongside all of this, I created a photography company @photosbysydneya that was luckily getting lots of attention in my area. Realizing how easily I could use social media to achieve my goals, I really started to hustle. Continuing my photography work, I now shoot for social media influencers in the area, company business parties, and events, and am on the photography team for Blossom Magazine in Columbia, Sc. Having so many interests other than photography, I decided to get on the other side of the camera and signed to a modeling agency that is giving me more opportunities and connections than ever before. Dipping back into finding a social media career, I now am the Social Media and Events Manager for Plugged University, where I network with groups of people and companies to set up events and trips while creating and running new social media accounts. As someone who loves the hustle, I also run a college poster company where I design and sell USC-inspired posters and more to students through RedBubble on one of my social media platforms and established two drop-shipping stores through Shopify. It’s pretty obvious that social media has given me all of these opportunities and experiences, and I’ll continue to emphasize how important it is when it comes to entrepreneurship and networking.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It may seem like an easy road due to how easy some of it has been for me, but learning about how to accomplish each task was difficult. Investing in yourself is a huge step in eventually seeing a gradual profit, but that initial risk is something you have to be willing to take. I’ve been up and down with money for years, working three different jobs at home including an office job, waitressing, and bartending, but going back to being a full-time student also involved in clubs and the community is hard to juggle. That initial investment when starting up a company is huge, for example making a huge purchase for a new camera was a dent in my account when I really got into photography more and booked more and more shoots. Paying for products and web designers for Shopify stores are must-have costs that are a risk but a risk worthy of taking.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Photography and Social Media is what I’ve currently been investing my time in but recently have begun going down the modeling and brand advertising path. I’ve been working on growing my personal brand and resume by taking new career opportunities, as I mentioned before, including social media managing for Plugged University, working for Blossom Magazine, staying involved in the hospitality field by bartending and serving at a bar in the Boston area, Modeling for Hannah Noelle Models, and working as a desk receptionist at an apartment complex. As for Self-Established, Pup Cup Brand and Gym Runway have been my two latest Shopify Stores to launch, @university.prints is my Poster company, @photosbysydneya is my Photography account, and @carbonlessaccomplishmore is where you can check out my previous environmental work. Out of everything, I am most proud of the environmental impact I made in high school as it really made me feel like I made a change, whereas everything else is me working up to growing a platform so I am able to make change within different fields in the future. What sets me apart from others is my motivation to try new things and take risks. Once I have my mind set on a new idea, every part of me is focused on accomplishing whatever goal I set for myself.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
As a Boston native, I wanted to find a city with a similar feel but a little smaller so it’s easy to navigate and feel comfortable in since I’m 1000 miles from home. I’ve been in Columbia for a year and a half now as a student at USC, and I absolutely love it. This city has felt like home to me since the day I moved into my freshmen dorm a year ago. From working at a popular pizza place for a year in Five Points to exploring all the culture and art Main street has to offer, it’s been the best experience possible. One of my favorite days of the week in Columbia is Saturdays, when I can shop on Main Street at Soda City market in the morning, then hang out with my friends and go to our huge football stadium at night. It’s hard to think about my least favorite part of the city, but if I had to choose something, it would have to be the homeless population downtown. It is heartbreaking seeing the number of people hungry and looking for help in the community, and there is definitely change that needs to be made within the South Carolina government in order to fix it.
Contact Info:
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sydney-anderson-4b7475212
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/photosbysydneya | www.instagram.com/sydneychristinea
Image Credits
Salem News (@photosbysydneya)
