Busy Blooming with Tess Barclay

Welcome to WORK!! Today we're sitting down with @alexis_barber to dive into the unfiltered behind the scenes of the creator economy!

🔗 CHECK OUT ALEXIS:
Substack: Too Smart For This (https://toocollective.substack.com/)
Instagram: @alexisbarber
TikTok: @alexisbarber_
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UC7-YnRrflV9g6nLMWUkwDtA

🎧 LISTEN ON THE PODCAST
Listen on Apple: https://apple.co/3OsCVEK
Listen on Spotify: http://bit.ly/3CHpmPo
Listen anywhere else: https://pod.link/1565886767

📥 SPONSOR
Thanks to Storyblocks for sponsoring this video. Get 15% off any annual plan for a limited time, only available through this link: https://www.storyblocks.com/tessbarclay

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⏱️ CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS
0:00 Intro
4:00 Creators drive more culture than legacy media
6:20 The state of the creator economy in 2026
9:48 The best formula for a successful creator in 2026
12:21 Viewing yourself as a startup as a creator
15:07 The years you spend building the wrong thing
18:02 How to build a cohesive brand without being "niched down"
23:00 Long form content & how to grow on Substack
31:38 The biggest misconception about YouTube right now
33:44 The truth about thumbnails & titles from inside YouTube
36:38 Can you grow from vlogs on YouTube in 2026?
39:01 Should you be doing YouTube Shorts?
46:48 Does YouTube actually push small creators?
50:15 How to make social media your 9-to-5: 3 pillars
56:47 Alexis's Creator Essentials group cohort
1:03:00 Outro & Thank you!!

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🔗 LINKS
Busy Blooming HQ: https://www.busyblooming.ca/hq
Descript: https://get.descript.com/tess
ClickUp: https://try.web.clickup.com/tess
Riverside: https://riverside.fm/?via=tess-barclay
Rella: https://getrella.com/?via=busyblooming
My content creator essentials: https://www.amazon.com/shop/tessbarclay
My ShopMy (clothes, tech, etc.): https://shopmy.us/shop/tessbarclay
Some links are affiliate links — I may earn a commission if you sign up (at no extra cost to you!) 💸

📌 FOLLOW US
Busy Blooming IG → https://www.instagram.com/busybloomingg/
Tess IG → https://www.instagram.com/tessbarclay/
TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@tess.barclay

Busy Blooming® is a registered trademark. All content, formats, and segments are original works. Unauthorized reproduction or translation is not permitted.

#creatoreconomy #socialmedia #youtubegrowth

Welcome to WORK!! Today we're clocking in for a content therapy meeting chatting about ALL things social media, content creation, growing in 2026, mental health, success, sharing your personal life & more!! Special Xero offer: Get 90% off for 6 months using this link. Terms & Conditions apply.* https://referrals.xero.com/p9bgvx98mnw2

0:00 Intro3:56 How to start from scratch on social media in 2026? 10:28 How do I stay consistent when my mental health isn't?15:49 How do I re-brand without losing followers? 18:47 When are you successful as a creator & how to stay content when you're so far away from your goals? 23:37 What do I do when I don't like the product a brand sent me? 25:03 How to post more when I want to spend less time on social media?27:33 How to deal with cringe when people I know follow me? 29:33 How to grow on social media when my life is boring? 32:44 How to grow a personal brand without sharing my personal life? 36:44 How to deal with comparison as a content creator? 39:25 How to make a series unselfish? 42:06 HQ pricing update!!

Welcome to WORK!! Today we’re so back unpacking our firstly monthly instalment of State of Social Media!! We’ll be unpacking what’s working in March 2026 on social media, Instagram new features, content inso, creator economy news & more!

CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS
00:00 Intro
3:15 Polished casual content is still in
4:25 Tess’ theory: The two types of creator in 2026
5:00 Expert personal brand + examples
7:09 Chaotic personal brand + examples
8:07 Influencers aren’t influential anymore
9:38 Niche audiences in 2026 are essential
10:26 Instagram updates: Stickers, Carousels & Adam Mosseri corner lol
12:15 YouTube updates: Voicenote comments & quizzes
14:18 Podcasting news: Apple video & Jake Shane on Netflix
16:24 Average creator income & it’s not too late
20:30 Podcasts are the new late night
22:04 The future of this channel & this podcast
Check out Storyblocks at https://www.storyblocks.com/tessbarclay to level-up your content!

ARTICLES + LINKS MENTIONED
Average creator income
Fintech created for influencers
Vanity Fair the new late night
Substack articles: https://mufarodawn.substack.com/p/the-rise-of-the-expert-influencer
Substack article 2: https://curatedbyamritasingh.substack.com/p/the-difference-between-being-an-influencer
Reddit thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/influencermarketing/comments/1rg8k7d/ive_spent_millions_on_influencer_marketing_ama/

It's time for an HR meeting at the Busy Blooming office because we have been under RENOVATION!! In today's episode, I'll be unpacking what's happening with this podcast, unpacking Busy Blooming HQ for the first time & have an unfiltered discussion about feeling lost, in a rut & starting 2026 slow with content!

CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS
00:00 Intro
Part 1: What's new with Busy Blooming
3:16 The Monday episodes of the podcast
8:02 The New Wednesday episodes of the podcast (I need your thoughts!)
11:18 The changes to Busy Blooming HQ
Part 2: Unfiltered discussion about creating on social media
17:11 Having a slow start to posting in 2026 (you're not alone!)
19:24 The pressure to always know what you're doing
23:33 I moved!! & why I wanted to make some changes

Check out Storyblocks at https://www.storyblocks.com/tessbarclay to level-up your content!

Today we're kicking off our 3-part YouTube extravaganza to celebrate hitting 100k!! Today I'm sharing the one mindset that changed everything for me a few years ago about viewing YouTube as a puzzle piece.

CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS
00:00 Intro
4:01 Mindset 1 - YouTube is the middle puzzle piece
6:03 Mindset 2 - Podcast & YouTube channel = the same thing
7:06 How I combined the podcast & YouTube
8:27 How I made YouTube the puzzle piece
13:15 Content ideas & trends for this week
16:43 After hours: How do you start from scratch on social?
Check out Hostinger here: https://hostinger.com/tess and use code TESS for an additional 10% off! Their New Year Sale is on until Feb 17th where you can get started for $2.99!
#youtube2026 #youtubegrowth #100kyoutube