17 Apr Lessons Entrepreneurs Can Learn from Instafamous Jen Selter

She has nearly 6 million fans on Instagram. She’s been covered everywhere from TMZ to Yahoo to People.com and the London Mirror. Famous for her very toned figure and recently her equally toned Mom, at the tender age of 21, New Yorker Jen Selter has figured out the path to success. She focuses her image on fitness and wellness, and of course her many fans love seeing her workout pics and selfies. In many ways she is just beginning, but here are five things all entrepreneurs can learn from young Jen.

1. Find a niche and own it. I always say try to be the king or queen of something. Many feel Jen is the undisputed queen of her unique brand of selfies online. She has remained true to that mission and her fans clearly appreciate it. She’s even coined a cute phrase “Seltering.”

2. Social media is critical to business success. Jen built her image on Instagram, and now Tumblr, Facebook, Snapchat, etc. She has truly become a viral sensation and reminds us all that regardless of your business, whether marketing to consumers or business, a strong social media strategy is key in today’s business environment.

3. Listen to your advisors. I know some of the folks advising Jen and they are very experienced and objective, and I know she takes their advice seriously. Too many younger entrepreneurs do not seek out the benefit of guidance from those who have been around the block a bit.

4. Don’t give up your base. As I have often written about legends like Howard Stern, despite her fame Jen continues her regular postings on IG for her fans although she could begin to devote energies to other related activities. She understands that as she expands her brand, the place where it all started has to remain a key focus for her.

5. Health and wellness is a hot space. Instead of just relying on her impressive figure to draw attention, Jen focuses heavily on promoting living and eating right, thinking positively and working out. There is no question that today there is a strong and growing interest in businesses catering to average folks’ health and wellness and she is very smart to be in the forefront of that world.

I’m sure we’re going to see more positive messages and great things from Jen in the years ahead. Workout videos? Advice on healthy eating? A reality show with her Mom and grandmother? Go millenials!