Tomi Obebe, known as @goodtomicha on Instagram, is a full-time content creator out of Charlotte, North Carolina. In 2017, Obebe was introduced to the social media world when she landed an intern position with Insider after graduating from Auburn. This position allowed her to learn a great deal about digital media.

Obebe, who currently has over 38,000 followers on Instagram, went full-time as a creator in January 2020 after she gained a following from her fashion and lifestyle blog. The blogger doesn’t have hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram — and she’s proof that you don’t need them to earn over six figures a year and partner with huge brands such as Amazon, CoverGirl, and Hyatt Hotels.

Multiple streams of income

One major contributor to Obebe’s earnings of six figures in just one year without hundreds of thousands of followers is that she has multiple streams of income. The creator makes money from promoting brands, consulting, and affiliate marketing. While brand collaborations make up most of her income, she makes a nice chunk of change from her other endeavors.

The lifestyle blogger offers coaching for influencers, which she has been focusing more on this year. She charges $99 for a 30-minute, one-on-one consultation about influencer optimization and $199 for a full social media audit.

Obebe was interviewed by Insider and broke down how much she made from brand deals each month last year. Here are her earnings totaling $167,000:

Sticking to a schedule

Obebe knows the importance of making a schedule and sticking to it. She’s mastered the art of planning. She tries to stick to the same schedule each week. Her week looks something like this:

Mondays are “behind-the-scenes days,” where she goes through her expenses, plans her content, and works on her website’s SEO and optimization. She creates content on Tuesdays and Thursdays and posts photos and videos to her social media platforms and blog. Finally, on Wednesdays and Fridays, the savvy creator schedules calls with brands or clients who’ve booked consultations. 

Her advice for creators

Her advice to aspiring creators or those just starting out and working on their businesses alone is to keep track of all expenses, not just income.

“Make sure you are saving for taxes and using some type of book-keeping system that’s not just writing it down in a notebook,” she told Insider. “That can help you stay up-to-date when the end of the year comes.” 

This is great advice, especially when you’re wanting to go full-time. When you treat it like a hobby, it pays like a hobby. So, if your goal is to be all in as a content creator, treat it like a business.