Miss Chindiya started her journey as a wealth manager, financial analyst for Millennials media and economic contributor for SAfm and BBC News. But she has since grown her fitness brand to international stardom partnering with brands like Facebook, Phillips Africa and Stanbic Bank.

This interview has been condensed for clarity and conciseness. 

In 2024, building an online brand is a lot like building and maintaining a fitness regimen. You have to constantly be working out and eating healthy to truly experience the maximum results. An online brand allows you to become a multi-hyphenate in any industry and this week Amanda talks to Michelina Chindiya also known as Miss Chindiya. An online content creator who has built a successful brand at the intersection of finance and fitness. 

Now partnering with pro fitness to run fitness programs, running a website with free workouts, a fitness program for expecting mothers and planning to release female-only boot camps in the coming year. She is a great example of all the opportunities that await just a phone click away. 

Amanda: What inspired you to go from your work in finance and opt to start building an online brand?

Miss Chindiya: I had been putting out a lot of personal fitness content. I found myself documenting everything I did in the gym. I felt like it was the one thing I was good at, that I wanted to share with everyone else. 

My current manager approached me and I remember them saying to me, “You know, with the kind of engagement that you get with some of your posts. You are clearly having an impact on people's lives. If we give this structure it could be even bigger. ” 

At this point, I had 2000 to 3000 followers and I would use the hashtag #MikeyGetsFit. By the end of the day, people would then post themselves doing the workouts that I had shared in my stories. 

Amanda: What motivated you to build this brand whilst hanging on to your 9-5?

Miss Chindiya: I decided to do both because I don’t want people to be put in a box. I want to show people that you can be a content creator and still be taken seriously as a financial advisor. You can be qualified in both. 

Amanda: Why was it important to strategize before building your brand?

Miss Chindiya: There must be a purpose behind every single thing that you do as a brand. Every post has to serve a purpose. Is it meant to grow your following? Is your caption giving your current followers value? Are you trying to get engagement? 

You also need to think strategically about who you're going to work with. Why you'd work with them, what value they bring and how you can both benefit. 

If you don't have a plan you can't measure your progress. Even if you can't sit down with a brand strategist, come up with your plan, set your goals, and map out how you're going to achieve each goal. These are the things that are very crucial to the foundation of building a brand. 

It's also really important to do those things first before you can get all the fancy things like building a team or getting a manager. 

Amanda: What does the dream team look like? 

Miss Chindiya: The dream team would look like having a manager, hairstylist, makeup artist, personal assistant, photographer, videographer, and a graphic designer a phone call away. 

Amanda: There are often reports of the influencer market being overcrowded, what is your advice on how to stand out as an online brand?

Miss Chindiya: 

• To stand out first, authentically tell your story because that's how you get initial organic growth. No two people are going to have the same story and that's what's going to make you unique.

• Secondly, do your best, even if it's not creating content with videographers and you don't have the equipment, put your best foot forward in terms of the type of content that you create. A lot of the content that I make on my page is mainly from my phone. Putting out consistent quality content shows that you respect your followers. 
• Third, make an effort to engage with your audience, be it via lives or in the comments. Your audience will be what fuels your growth.
• And lastly, focus on your niche, and really figure out what you want to be known for. What do you want to build a brand for? 

Amanda: You are an online finance and fitness expert, two very different topics. How do you combine these two factors as part of your online brand and how did you go about finding the commonality between them?

Miss Chindiya: There are seven pillars of wellness. Financial wellness and physical wellness are two of those. So I bridge finance and fitness together in the sense that they're all aspects of our wellness. At the end of the day, as a woman, it's very important to get your finances in order. Just the same way that getting your health in order empowers you. Especially when you're building an online brand and you're monetizing, it is a business. 

Amanda: What tips do you have for women when it comes to negotiating deals for themselves?

Miss Chindiya: If you are sure of what you have to offer, charge from the get-go. You can start as low as 20 bucks and work your way up. That's what I did.

Make sure, you charge for your time, distributing your content, and creating the content so that there is an equal exchange of value for you.

Don’t be intimidated when it comes to conversations about money, stand your ground. Don't allow people to negotiate you down. Send out your rate card, as it is, let them know how much your services cost and then leave it at that.

Amanda: What should women consider when pricing for their time?

Miss Chindiya: Research what other content creators who are in the same industry within the same follower range, are charging for their service. You can find a lot of this information publicly. Then you can compare with the prices being offered locally and be able to create your rate card. 

Amanda: What are some of the methods that one can employ to be able to juggle both a 9-5 and a successful online brand? 

Miss Chindiya: I think the key to balancing out things, in general, is managing your time and being very intentional about how you spend your time. You need to account for every hour of your day. 

I do this by keeping a diary. I live off of to-do lists. Sometimes it means, I'm not going for lunch so I can get other things done. Always see things through. Poor time management can lead to one getting frazzled or burnt out.

Amanda: Any last piece of advice for AMAKA readers?

Miss Chindiya: Remember that your time, expertise, skills and audience are all valuable. Social media has allowed me to create a second stream of income that now sustains me. I've gotten to a point where I can pay all my bills and maintain my lifestyle thanks to content creation. 

The last thing I will say is, society has put women in a box completely ignoring the many layers and aspects that each woman has. Undo the labeling, relabel yourself and live a happy and fulfilled life.