In 2009, Nelson amassed a following of 10,000 on Tumblr for a page dedicated to sustainable fashion. Therefore, taking up space on other social media platforms was a decision that made sense to Nelson because she was accustomed to establishing an online community from a shared interest.

At the time, Instagram was a place for Nelson to simply document her happy moments, but the influencer wave set a new standard for creating and monetizing content. Nelson became more intentional with engaging on social platforms to see what would land under the user’s radar. Now, you could say her combined following of four million across platforms is proof she has hit the jackpot.

“For a while, Instagram, I was not thinking of it as a place to grow. It was just a place to document stuff that I felt good about, but sure enough, like everything, people start asking how you can make money from it. We started seeing influencers coming into prominence in the 2010s. I started being a bit more intentional with the posts on my personal —
my ‘Hello, I’m Alexis’ page — and saw my follower counts start to grow again,” she said.

Of course, her intentionality has proved to be a formula for success. In fact, Nelson received the James Beard Award for Social Media Account, Cincinnati Esquire reports. The annual award preservers The James Beard Foundation Awards’ goal, which is to “recognize exceptional talent and achievement in the culinary arts, hospitality, media, and broader food system, as well as a demonstrated commitment to racial and gender equity, community, sustainability, and a culture where all can thrive,” the company’s website states.

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Alexis Nikole Nelson

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