Boss Babes Tuesday: Shirley Yang Founder of The Muses App

I first found the Muses app while I was perusing my Instagram feed. I saw a simple ad and was intrigued. It advertised a networking app that appeared to cater to female influencers ( Although, I have come across male influencers on the app as well.) There was a focus on empowerment and the importance of building each other up, team work and learning from your peers. After joining I instantaneously became involved in a few collaborations. I also was lucky enough to have the opportunity to attend one of their events,which are free for members of the app, and learn from a panel ofinfluencers and PR representatives for some high end cosmetic companies. I was privy to a wealth of information that evening, not to mention I was able to connect with a ton of women from all different industries. Before we all started networking and shaking hands, the founder of the app Shirley Yang gave us a piece of advice. She told us to take pictures with each other, tag each other on our social media platforms, and to promote each other. She told us you never know where a connection will bring you and to not be afraid to walk up and introduce yourself to promote your brand. It was such a simple message, but it was impactful and you could feel the way it resonated with everyone who attended.

Since then, I have continued using the Muses app and have made countless friendships, gained mentors, and the ability to promote small businesses through my own personal reach. It has been such a great experience and the support of the community Ive found is invaluable. This week for my Boss Babes Tuesday I interviewed the Shirley Yang. For more information on Muses and Shirley's incredible story read on below.



H:
I have had such amazing experience and gained incredible friends and contacts since I found the Muses app. What inspired you to get into the app business?

S:
First off, that's so great to hear you've gained incredible friends and contacts from Muses, that's always been the goal!! My inspiration came from NYFW 2014 when I took a major beauty Youtuber to her first fashion show and she snapped a selfie of the two of us. My following immediately doubled overnight. It happened several times as I often hung out with large Instagram and YouTube creators. That's when I realized more people should do this - pool audience for growth - and thus the idea behind Muses was born.

H:
I know there are definitely readers of mine who would be interested in the actual process of creating an app. What tips can you give of where to start and how to get going?

S:
Absolutely! I will first preface that hiring developers and designers definitely requires a good amount of time and financial resources. I raised Angel funds for Muses before embarking on developing the app. Fully customized mobile apps can cost anywhere between $20,000 - $100,000. The best route to go is if you know friends who are mobile UI/UX designers and developers. Steps would be:

1. Write down detailed product requirements, socialize your idea with a wide audience to get validation and input

2. Get high level designs from a designer

3. Bring the designs and your requirements to mobile developers for a quote. Make sure to get at least 2 - 3 different quotes

The rest is a continuous iterative process: Get feedback often, iterate on designs and product, and making sure you can come up with a business model that fits the product and target audience.

H:
I love seeing all your travel photos! How do you build travel into your work life and what is the number one way an influencer can get more acquainted in collaborating with hotels?

S:
One of the best parts of being in our industry is that we can work almost anywhere there is internet. For me, it is important to communicate with my husband that during our travels, I will need some down time to check email and work on Muses, as it is a startup and needs a lot of my attention consistently. I also make sure we have our reserved times when I give 100% of my attention to whatever it is we are doing together. 

As an influencer, the number one way to get more acquainted in collaborating with hotels is emailing with the person in charge of influencer relationships, most likely the PR Director for the hotel, tell them who you are, what's unique about you and that you would love to work on a partnership together. Be specific about what you'd like to do for the hotel, what angle you would take that is unique and valuable. 

H:
The Muses app is a phenomenal way for brands to market themselves; What  methods have you used to stand out in the sea of apps and market the Muses brand?

S:
Thank you Holly! We are fundamentally different in several ways: 1. Anyone can create a collab, not just brands. 2. Group collabs allow everyone to meet more people at once, creating a many to many relationship.  3. Our motto is "Friends who grow together, stay together", it's all about community over competition for us.

We are consistently iterating and improving as a small but mighty team. We are actually an integration. A "network" functionality similar to that of LinkedIn, where members can add each other to their networks and transforming our initial "influencer platform" to more of an "Entrepreneurs and Creative Professionals' network".

H:
Life gets so busy! How do you balance it all? 

S:
Meditation and philosophy plays a good role to balance life for me. I keep several books on stoicism next to my bedside and in my suitcase when I travel. I also have a ring with the words "This too shall pass" engraved on it.


Find Shirley:


Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shirley

Join Muses: https://bit.ly/hollynichole

Find Muses:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/muses

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/musesapp

Twitter: https://twitter.com/muses