We’re reaching out to some popular creators to get their best tips and tricks for success and better understand the ups and downs of life as a trailblazer on the internet.
This week, we caught up with Dani Klaric via email. Klaric is a TikToker with over 563,000 followers who makes interior design, fashion, lifestyle, and travel videos. She is also an interior decorator and entrepreneur, and her popularity on TikTok helped her to open and grow her own design firm.
The interview below has been condensed and edited.
What’s the first thing you do to start your day online?
I normally sit down and organize my schedule. I break down exactly what it is that I need to do that day. Writing everything down makes it much easier to not get sidetracked.
After I do that, I’ll eat breakfast while responding to emails and brand deals. Once I’m done with that, I’ll start filming! I always try to film in the morning since I only like using natural lighting for my videos.
What do you wish you knew when you were first starting out as a creator?
To have lots of patience. Social media is extremely time-consuming and sometimes very frustrating. In the beginning, it’s very difficult to keep going because it takes a lot of effort to create content, and sometimes it’s pretty upsetting when you don’t get any results in return.
But if you have patience, eventually you will achieve everything you wanted and more. I’m speaking solely from experience.
I also wish I knew earlier that consistency is key. It’s easy to say but it’s definitely hard to do. I’m talking about posting every single day, maybe even twice a day. I started posting every day in November and I’ve seen a drastic change. I wish I would’ve started sooner!
When did you realize you’d broken through and become a successful creator?
It honestly sometimes still doesn’t feel like I’m an “influencer”. But I definitely think I realized that I became a successful creator when I was able to start doing full-time content creation. So I guess it hit me when I started making money off of it.
If you hadn’t become a creator, what would you be doing right now?
I’m actually an interior decorator so I definitely would be doing that if I wasn’t a creator. Content creation has only helped me grow as a business and I am really grateful for that. I definitely think that if I didn’t have social media then I would probably be working at a decor firm instead of running my own decor firm. My audience has really made that possible for me and that’s why I’m extremely grateful for my platform and followers.
What’s one thing you do to manage your relationship with your fans?
I always try to respond to all of the comments, emails, and DMS I get! I actually feel like I haven’t done too much to express my gratitude towards my followers but I am trying to change that! I’m planning on going live more and inviting my followers to join me online for “coffee talks.” It should be fun.
What do you think of the idea of cancel culture?
Scary. I feel like cancel culture is extremely intense. I don’t agree or disagree with it.
It feels like nowadays everyone is getting canceled and I can’t keep up. I feel bad for most people getting canceled because for some reason, our society has extreme expectations from celebrities and influencers and sometimes we forget that they’re just regular people with regular lives and sometimes they mess up.
Of course there have been scenarios where it’s totally OK that these certain celebrities got canceled because there are things that shouldn’t be done. But I can’t imagine losing everything, one day to the next, and I definitely don’t want to experience that.
How much of your true self do you show online?
I try to stick to my true self just because I would hate to look up to someone and find out that they’ve been putting on a show the whole time.
I rarely make videos speaking because I’m a very shy person and struggle talking to the camera. So I’ve been working on posting more videos talking, to try to share what I’m like with my audience.
Sometimes, no matter how hard you try to stick to your true self when talking to a camera, it always comes off a bit fake in my opinion. So I always end up deleting and never uploading these talking videos because I’d rather not post anything than post something I’m not myself in.
I think sticking to your true self is probably the hardest thing to do as an influencer but definitely the secret to becoming a successful one.
What’s one of the best interactions you’ve ever had with someone who follows you?
I’ve had a few that I love remembering, but I think the first one that comes to mind was when I was waiting for my elevator in my building and there was a girl next to me who was waiting as well. She freaked out as soon as she saw me and told me how much she loved my videos and how she realized that we lived in the same building through my videos. She said she had been waiting to see me around the building to say hi! I couldn’t believe we lived in the same building let alone on the same floor! I found it super funny and cute and I’m so grateful she said hi. It made my entire week! Now every time I see her around we always say hi to each other.
What is your most treasured tool?
I definitely think creativity and storytelling are my most treasured tools. I used to be in the film industry and the reason why I loved film so much was because of the storytelling. I love being able to put an idea together and see it come to life. Of course, creativity always has a huge part in this since I’m always coming up with new ideas for everything! Not only for my videos online but also for my designs and how I decorate. Those two tools are definitely my most treasured since they are the reason why I’m where I am today.
What holds you accountable?
Definitely my fear of not achieving my dreams. My goals are what keep me going and why I’m always motivated to create new things. Having a clear vision of your goals and expectations is a huge key to becoming successful. Especially because it will be the only reason you stay motivated and don’t give up!
Thank you, Dani, for talking with us!
We’ll be featuring a new Q&A with a creator every week, so shoot an email to [email protected] for a chance to be included.
