How Lillian Ahenkan harnessed the power of conversation to build a brand.
Key Takeaways
- Lillian Ahenkan – better known by her moniker FlexMami – has an impressive 162,000 followers
- By integrating conversation into her content, Ahenkan has caught the attention of businesses across the nation.
“I’ve got no secrets,” Lillian Ahenkan – better known by her moniker FlexMami – tells Forbes Australia.
“I’ve spent my whole career being candid and open. Everyday I’m like, ‘I’ve got my period! I like Twilight! That person is really annoying!’.”
Whilst that doesn’t exactly cover the extent of Ahenkan’s – or Flex Mami’s – social media presence, she certainly has built her career on honest, deep conversations. But Ahenkan actually started her journey as DJ, which is where the alias came into play: “DJ Lilian just didn’t sound very good.”
“I feel like I’m offering a lot more than my clout would have you realise”
– Lillian Ahenkan, aka FlexMami
She quickly realised that the moniker was good for business. “It really allowed me to step into this role of super stardom in a way that others would accept far sooner, than if I was using my real name. This idea of shifting from DJing, to TV, to radio, to podcasting – it all felt, in the eye of the consumer, that this is just what someone does when they’re performing.”
Yes, she really has lived all those lives. Ahenkan has DJ’d for Rihanna, Doja Cat and SZA, she was crowned Instagram’s #YoungEntrepeneur in 2020, she’s launched her own e-commerce store, created a conversation card game, and has even written a book. She was also a contestant on Big Brother 2021, and is now the co-host of a CADA radio show. We’re not even scratching the surface.
But she admits it’s been tricky to build – and hold – a 160,000-strong following, when her content is a little different from the rest.
“For me, I don’t like to compete where I don’t compare,” she said. “I like to be where the action is happening, but I purposely create my own framework of what success is so you don’t measure me against your local bikini influencer – it’s not me, and I can’t do it in a way where it’s going to garner the same reception as others.”
And because she cared more about speaking up than dressing up (though she’s glam as hell), she began integrating conversation into her content. Now, businesses recognise just how valuable this kind of engagement is.
“My skills aren’t replicable. I feel like I’m offering a lot more than my clout would have you realise – it’s not easy to do what I do, to show up as I am, as I look, what I do, what I say, how I dress. It’s contrary to so much.”