Entrepreneur: Khadijah Lacey-Taylor

Biz: Miss.Laceyyy

Tilt: Things that bring her joy

Primary Channel: Instagram (20.4K)

Other Channels: TikTok (5.2K)

Time to First Dollar: 2 months

Rev Streams: Sponsored posts

Our Favorite Actionable Advice: 

  • Learn to DIY: Khadijah Lacey-Taylor and her husband Tamarco Taylor didn’t have the budget for a videographer. So, they taught themselves how to do it.
  • Ask for what you want: In negotiating sponsored content deals with sponsors, Khadijah isn’t afraid to ask for (and get) her top price.
  • See the media’s value to your business: A popular video prompted coverage of Khadijah and her content in multiple outlets, including a standalone interview by Insider. 

The Story

Since Khadijah Lacey-Taylor’s dad is a photographer, she grew up in front of the camera. She also always had a love for fashion. In college, she started an online clothing boutique and, through that venture, met her husband Tamarco Taylor. 

At the time, Khadijah wanted to create videos for her boutique brand. But there was one problem – she didn’t have any money to pay a videographer. “We’re going to learn how to do this ourselves,” Tamarco told her in 2016.

So, they learned the ABCs of video content before Instagram Reels or TikTok came on the scene. In 2019, they focused on Khadijah’s personal channel on Instagram, which had about 3K followers. The husband-and-wife team posted lifestyle videos and photos of each other. Eventually, they shut down that content business and committed 100% to Khadijah’s brand. Two months later, through an influencer marketing platform, she landed her first sponsored content deal with Tampax. She earned $200 and some product for a feed post and a story. 

@lalalalacey94 landed her first #SponosoredContent deal with @Tampax for $200. #ContentEntrepreneur #CreatorEconomy Click To Tweet

Miss.Laceyy Creates ‘Reels’ Before Instagram Does

In July 2020, Khadijah posted a fashion-related video of her and her husband that went viral. The video was cut and incorporated transitions in a way that resembled what would become known as a Reel a few weeks later when Instagram launched the feature. 

Khadijah and Tamarco were ahead of the curve, and people took notice. Outlets like Essense, The Shade Room (where it gained almost 4M views), Fashion Bomb Daily, and BET reposted the video to their feed. “Couples’ content always does better than anything,” Khadijah says. They gained almost 8K followers in one day. 

Creator wife-husband team Khadijah Lacey-Taylor (@lalalalacey94) and Tamarco Taylor did a Reels-like fashion video that went viral before @Instagram even launched Reels. #CreatorEconomy Click To Tweet

Developing a pricing strategy

Shortly after that video’s reach went wide, Khadijah earned five figures from deals with Target and three other brands. She says she priced herself based on originality (she was the only one doing short-form video), time, usage rights, and exclusivity (fee per month). 

Additionally, Khadijah quoted the brands her top price but had in mind a number she would accept if they wanted to negotiate. They didn’t even counter. By asking for what she wanted, Khadijah hit her year goal (five figures) in just one month.  

She tweeted about her viral success and mentioned that she didn’t even have 10K followers yet. Business Insider saw her tweet and reached out to Khadijah for an interview in fall 2020.

Becoming a full-time creator

By July 2021, Khadijah quit her job in accounting to become a full-time content creator. Then, she met someone on the Clubhouse app who hired her to become an influencer marketing coordinator. Now, Khadijah surrounds herself with content all day. 

Like many creators, Khadijah and her husband spent 24/7 creating content and felt burned out in 2021, so they slowed down. During the week, they plan and prep their content. Then Saturday or Sunday morning, they shoot, edit, and write captions for the week. 

Creator @lalalalacey94 felt burned out in 2021 so they slowed down, planning during the week and shooting on a weekend morning. #ContentEntrepreneur Click To Tweet

In 2021, Khadijah earned $30K on top of her full-time job salary. This year, she and her husband surpassed that in the first quarter.

Advice for content entrepreneurs

As for her fellow creators, Khadijah offers this pep talk: “Just don’t quit. Just don’t stop. Really hone in and perfect your craft, whatever it is. Whatever you’re great at, you want to be the absolute best where no one can come in and question you about anything. You’re top-notch. With that and inconsistency, you’re going to win. That’s what it’s all about on Instagram and TikTok.”

About the author

Bonnie owns Word of Mouth, a content agency specializing in social media, content marketing, and editorial writing. She's written for Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar, Coveteur, Man Repeller, Health.com, and more. She loves wearing fanny packs and laying in the fetal position.