Check out Blazing Star BBQ Seasonings and Sauces
In this episode of the Influencer Income Show, host Danny Dobrzenski interviews Mike Star, owner and operator of Blazing Star Barbecue. Mike is a 21-year Air Force veteran who traveled the world and experienced a lot of unique cultures and tastes. He brings his unique flavors from his world travels to backyards everywhere.
Mike got started in the barbecue business by helping a friend open up several restaurants. He created their social media pages and helped them with their barbecue sauce. When COVID hit, the restaurants struggled and Mike turned to social media to promote his own barbecue sauce and seasonings.
Mike saw other seasoning companies blowing up on social media and knew that social media was the best way to grow his brand. He started creating recipe videos to promote his brand and quickly gained a following.
Mike travels all over the country to promote his products and do cooking demos. He believes that social media is still the vast majority of his advertising, but the in-person meetings help people make that final connection with him.
One of the things that Danny admires about Mike’s business is that he builds connections with his content creators. Mike doesn’t pay people to use his products, but he does spend time supporting them and having conversations with them. He believes that this is what helps him to retain influencers and keep them engaged in using his products.
Mike also offers advice to companies on how to attract influencers. He says that it’s more about building relationships than just sending out products. He recommends that companies spend time getting to know influencers and supporting them before even thinking about offering to send them products.
Finally, Mike talks about how he balances his professional life with his family life. He says that it’s a tough juggle, but he tries to plan his activities around his family’s schedule. He also gets up early in the morning so that he can take care of shipping and other tasks before his wife and daughter get up.
