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Behind the Screens: Chatting with a Blogger & YouTuber Turned Entrepreneur

How Sophie Mei Lan Transformed Their Hobby into a Full-Time Enterprise

March 31, 2024

Happy Sunday. This week we are chatting with Sophie, a journalist, blog writer, and social media entrepreneur. Sophie has a diverse career in the media industry and has used her knowledge and influence to create her own businesses in the online sphere.

In this interview she will cover:

  • The biggest drivers for growth

  • How to stay adaptable to trends

  • Advice for starting out.

Fun fact: Sophie also reached the semi-finals of Season 2 of Britain’s Got Talent as a belly dancer!

The 5-9 Formula Line Breakk

Sophie Mei Lan

Can you tell me a little bit about yourself and your business?

I’m Sophie Mei Lan, a journalist, ghostwriter, and content creator. I have used my love of telling, or as I say, sharing stories into a living. 

I run the Mama Mei blog, a YouTube channel, and social media sites which reaches over two billion people. I also present a radio show with my husband Danny Malin from Rate My Takeaway, and I am the founder of the Yorkshire Families magazine.

Out of all the different avenues you've done in the past, which has been the most rewarding?

Initially, setting up an online blog/magazine called Verita Magazine, which won me media awards and ended up being my launch pad into a career in journalism.

Later it was my YouTube channel which has led to me reaching two billion people. Both of which have grown my career in different ways.

What would you say has been the biggest driver of growth in your niche?

Definitely, the digital landscape. My work as a freelance journalist and writer initially came from pitching documentaries and going through a development process. Now we can make mini documentaries online in a much shorter time frame and we can engage with an audience like never before.

I love how the digital world has disrupted the gatekeepers in the media industry making it more diverse. 

How do you stay adaptable to industry trends and changes?

I like to listen to podcasts and YouTube every morning when I exercise to help me learn more about topics which I’m interested in. I never stop learning. Now, I’m bingeing on AI tutorials.

What advice would you give to someone just starting out?

Do your career your way. Learn and be inspired by others but follow your own path. You’ll never feel like you’ve made ‘it’, but you’ll have more confidence in who you are.

You are what you consume, so be mindful about who you surround yourself with, what you listen to, and how you treat yourself.

Get your personal development/self-care routine in at the start of the day before focusing on your work. It’s about focus management.

Where can people find you?

My website: sophiemeilan.com 
My Instagram: @sophiemeilan 
My YouTube: youtube.com/sophiemeilan

The 5-9 Formula Line Breakk

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If you’d like to read last week’s newsletter, an interview with Chris, a software engineer who built LEGO investing software as a side project. Check it out here.

Thank you all,

See you next week! 👋