Job in a bank? I’d rather be a mumfluencer
Business analyst quits to become social media star
A mum has told how she has swapped a promising career in banking to become a social media star with thousands of followers and 11million YouTube hits.
Ash Reid ditched her job as a business analyst after she shot to internet fame sharing parenting and lifestyle advice, as well as her favourite home hacks and beauty tips.
The married mum of two set up an Instagram account in 2015 after fearing her friends were fed up with her bombarding them with daily pictures of her newborn daughter on Facebook.
From there , she began uploading photos and videos across Instagram and YouTube, which has led to her working with top brands including Heinz, Mamas & Papas, Matalan and Fabletics to promote their products to her followers.
Ash, who is known online as Mama Reid, gave up her 9- 5 job and teamed up with YouTube parenting channel Channel Mum.
Now the 27-year-old, who is mum to Ella, five, and Charlie, three, has revealed how she turned her social media hobby into her livelihood.
She said: “After I became a mum, I real ised my Facebook had become baby book and I was afraid I was boring the life out my friends and family with five pictures of Ella in the same outfit.
“So when Ella was six months old, I set up a separate Instagram account and I soon started getting questions from other mums about parenting and weaning.
“It naturally progressed from there. I’d loved watching other vlogger mums talking about their lives so when I found out I was pregnant again, I decided to try it too and started spending my evening writing blog posts.
“As I got more confident, I discovered I had the gift of the Scottish gab and starteded videos talking about beingng pregnant and also wrote a birth blog.
“Maternity leave can bee overwhelming so the vlog gave me a project and gave me new people to talk to.
“One day I couldn’t believe bel my luck when Mamas & Papas got in touch saying they the liked what I was doing on Instagram and asked if Charlie Cha and I would come and model mod their new pram.
“I worked at the bank three days a week but in 2018, when I was due to go back to work after maternity mate leave, I told my husband husba I’d rather be a vlogger. “He said, ‘ You’re mad, this can’t be your job. Just posting pictures on Instagram and talking about life – how can that ever be a job?’
“I had no clue it was going to be as successful as it has been but I took a leap of faith. It’s bizarre that this is my job but I love it.”
Ash now has more than 58,000 Instagram followers and more than 76,000 subscribers to her YouTube channel.
She thinks her YouTube content, which has been viewed more than 11million times, became popular with fans because she is a normal mum. Ash added: “I knew people sometimes just wanted to see a bit of normality.”
Siobhan Freegard, founder of Channel Mum, said: “So many people want to be influencers but it’s a lot harder than it looks to be a successful one.
“Lots of fans have described Ash as ‘the best friend you wish you had’ and that’s why she’s doing so well.”