Unexpected Entrepreneur Cheryl Tan Pivots Business To Video Content Niche and Finds Success

Entrepreneur: Cheryl Tan

Business: Cheryl Tan Media

Tilt: Video content for long-term plays 

Primary Channels: YouTube, newsletter

Other Channels: LinkedIn, Instagram

Time to First Dollar: Day one

Revenue Streams: Self-paced online courses, workshops, boot camps, one-on-one consulting

Favorite Actionable Advice:

• Wait to quit: Cheryl started freelancing while she kept her broadcast journalism job to vet her entrepreneurial ideas.
• See pivot possibilities: Cheryl Tan Media started by offering public relations services. Then, she saw the potential to narrow her tilt to video-related training for clients.
• Curate a mix of products: In her program library, she offers free content and lower-priced asynchronous courses, such as Camera Ready in 5 Days Challenge ($9) and Get Access to Video Kickstart ($27), which can be accessed immediately. She also promotes her signature and one-on-one consulting services and invites visitors to book a call.
• See content as a marketing tool, too: Evergreen content, such as blog posts, YouTube video tutorials, and podcasts, can help prospective clients see how you think, how you can help them, and what results could be experienced. It’s been a powerful tool for Cheryl’s business.

The Story of Cheryl Tan Media

Cheryl Tan “did not have that entrepreneurial thing” when she launched Cheryl Tan Media. 

“I was not a business owner,” she tells me, explaining her journey from being a television journalist to a successful entrepreneur running her own business for over 10 years. 

But even if she wouldn’t refer to herself an entrepreneur in 2014, her origin story is a familiar one. While she loved her job, her journalism career, and the experiences and storytelling opportunities it granted her, she wanted more. “You kind of come to a realization, or some people do, that they want something more. They want something different,” she explains.

Something different turned into Cheryl Tan Media, where Cheryl leans into her background to help corporate professionals, entrepreneurs, and experts increase their impact and reach with video content.  

From broadcast journalism to full-time content entrepreneur

Cheryl wanted more flexibility and more freedom. She started small with freelance contracts while working as a newsroom anchor in Virginia Beach, which afforded her the opportunity to, as she describes it, “vet her ideas.” 

When she ultimately made the leap into full time, her station gave her the incredible opportunity to talk about her new business on air, and Cheryl started her entrepreneurial career with a client on board from day one. 

The early days of Cheryl Tan Media focused on public relations services, using her expertise in media to help clients earn TV exposure. She recognized that when starting something new, it helps to do what you know. But she didn’t love the work. Fortunately, Cheryl knew more than just how to get clients in front of cameras. 

The revolution was not just televised 

Shortly after Cheryl started her business, came, as she calls it, “the video revolution.” 

As a journalist, Cheryl was a gatekeeper. Then, journalists, reporters, and producers of mainstream media chose which stories to share with their audiences. However, with the skyrocketing popularity and growing distribution channels for amateur video content, people gained control over where they could show up. Now, people have the power to create whatever video content they want, and then they let the public decide, she explains.

During our interview, Cheryl and I came back over and over to the power of video for storytelling, audience building, education, and connection. It’s a power Cheryl’s known for years. 

In the early days, Cheryl occasionally had to persuade her clients of the value of well-crafted video content. These days, as more and more platforms prioritize video content over all else, she doesn’t have to. Now, Cheryl helps clients see the possibilities within that video content creation. She takes a holistic approach to her consulting, online courses, short-term workshops, and video boot camps, helping clients design a content strategy and build the necessary foundations to create long term. 

Value of content to business

Though Cheryl didn’t have “that entrepreneurial thing,” she did have “the knowledge of how to create content.” She’s built her business on the value of that content, whether it’s sharing knowledge, amplifying their story, or helping other people do the same.

But Cheryl is also all too familiar with the reality of being a solopreneur, acknowledging that when you’re your own boss, sometimes your content creation can fall to the wayside. She admits that if she could go back and tell her younger self one thing, it would be to create more content. 

“I learned that when you create content people can see, through that content, how you think, how you can help them, the results of what you offer,” Cheryl explains. Evergreen content, such as blog posts, YouTube video tutorials, and podcasts, stands the test of time as valuable proof of a business concept. “The content can do that, you can show that. That’s really been very, very powerful,” she says.

That thinking explains why Cheryl is so passionate about helping her clients, some of whom she’s worked with for years, capitalize on the power of video content. She shows them what’s possible and helps to build the necessary skills and foundations to use video to share their own expertise, experiences, and missions. 

And when working with Cheryl, even the solopreneurs don’t have to worry about their content creation falling to the wayside. “I like to create that accountability for my clients,” she says with a laugh. “When I work with clients, they always tell me, ‘I didn’t think I could do this.’ I make them take action.” 

Whether it’s encouraging her clients to schedule time to create content, giving them the confidence to succeed, or gently nudging – maybe affectionately bullying – them to take that leap, the end result is the same. Cheryl has built her brand on getting results, not by doing the work for her clients, but by giving them the tools, helping them build the foundations, and holding them accountable to their own goals.

Consider This Your Accountability Check-In

Ready to take action? Whether you’re motivating yourself or relying on Cheryl for that accountability, here are a few things she says you can do right now: 

• Be intentional with your content creation. We, as business owners and content creators, don’t put time in the calendar to create content. Schedule dedicated time to create content on a regular basis, and follow through with that commitment.
  
• Find the thing that keeps you accountable. If you can be around people who are doing great things and you have a little bit of a role in helping them do that, it’s inspiring. Staying motivated can be a challenge when you’re your own boss — find whatever works to keep you on track and hold yourself to it. If all else fails, get paid to make content. That’s the cheat code.
  
• Focus your efforts on a receptive audience. When you have to convince people, they don’t take action. The people who come to me are the ones who put a stake in the ground and said, “I really want to get good at this.” Help your audience understand the value in your brand, but don’t work so hard on selling to the skeptics that you ignore those ready to commit.