KSHB 41 reporter Abby Dodge covers consumer issues, personal budgeting and everyday spending. Share your story idea with Abby.
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Social media can have a large impact on small businesses, and influencers may be the people to thank.
“I just wanted to be able to highlight, support and really champion these individuals who were starting small businesses, Black-owned and really had unique stories to tell,” said Kansas City influencer Jasmine Thompson.
Linktree estimates there are more than 200 million creators online with a variety of income levels.
In 2022, the median income for an influencer was about $45,000.
Thompson creates content in her free time, keeping her 9 to 5 as her main source of income.
“I love the spontaneity of it all,” she said. “And being able to do it at my leisure instead of feeling the hustle and grind behind the new industry of influencing and content creating.”
The growing creator economy is expected to reach a value of more than $528 billion by 2030.
Thompson mainly posts on Instagram, but TikTok widely markets the impact the platform has on small and medium businesses throughout the country.
The social media platform said 35,000 Kansas businesses and 87,000 Missouri businesses use the app with hundreds of millions of dollars contributed to both state’s gross domestic products.
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