"Expose yourself to both information and people that keep your fire lit" with Christina Lampert
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Christina Lampert is a sustainable: content creator, NYFW model, and entrepreneur. Known as The Sustennial, she founded the Sustennial Network, which is an online celebration of the sustainable millennial lifestyle. She's attending Columbia University in the fall to obtain her Masters in Sustainability Management. Her channel focuses on an enviro-friendly, plant-based diet, and sustainable fashion lifestyle strategies. She also writes a sustainability business newsletter that goes out 2x a week.
Can you tell our readers about your background?
I was interning in the Lilly Pulitzer marketing department when my sustainability journey began in 2016. My coursework, in tandem, was focused heavily on using business as a force for good. I naturally began studying the impacts of fashion on our planet and wasn’t necessarily thrilled, more so shocked, with all that I found in my research. Since then, I’ve been questioning the norms of not only fashion but our diet, lifestyle, and business practices as they relate to the environment.
What inspired you to start your business?
The more I used this information to implement sustainable practices into my own lifestyle, the more I felt like an “outsider.” Sounds crazy now, however, I was laughed at multiple times for walking away to recycle a plastic bottle or asking the waitress to leave out the straw when ordering a drink. I came to a point where I knew that there had to be like-minded millennials out there however, I wasn’t connected with them. It inspired me to create an online community where this newfound sustainable lifestyle could be celebrated and appreciated rather than shamed.
Where is your business based?
My business is based in New York City, although I’ve since fled to Scottsdale, Arizona to enjoy the outdoors for a bit! I’ll be back in October for grad school in the fall.
How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?
My business is primarily focused on providing facts and information to my community that I wish I had previously known to make more informed decisions. In learning all that I have from my own research, it has driven me personally to make more sustainable decisions in the way that I live my own life. My hope is that it enables others to do the same within the Sustennial Network community.
From there, as the basis of the content I began sharing, I started to receive requests from brands who were a fit as part of those “newfound sustainable lifestyle” decisions. I began to promote them, quite genuinely, as sustainable alternatives, and found that they were willing to provide monetary compensation.
What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?
I would say word of mouth and collaborating with other bloggers. There’s a ton of sustainability influencers out there who buy followers however I feel that’s it’s somewhat against the point of “influencing” for positive change. If sustainability comes up in a peer to peer conversation, I hypothesize that my followers will mention my channel as something that they might be interested in. I’ve also teamed up to execute giveaways with other sustainability bloggers which have been successful in connecting with people I never would have otherwise.
What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?
My biggest challenge has been well, myself. On social media, it’s easy to wonder if you are providing content that your followers are actually interested in. Instagram, especially, because you put so much out there with little feedback as to whether or not followers enjoyed consuming the message. It’s challenging to value your work in terms other than likes and comments.
I’ve since screenshotted every message where followers have told me that they love what I’m doing and that it’s enabled them to make a sustainable change in their own life. I’ve had boatloads of followers tell me that they’ve purchased bamboo reusable wipes after I posted a tutorial on how to use them. It’s easy to get caught up in thinking that content creation is a one-sided thing however gathering and saving these messages to reflect on when they do arrive is crucial.
How do you stay focused?
Morning coffee. And also prepping half of my deliverable task the day before. For example, I uphold myself to send out two sustainability business newsletters per week. While you never know what the day is going to throw at you, I often ensure that I complete the research for the piece I’m doing the day before (the most strenuous part) and then write the actual newsletter the following day. Breaking it up is key and does help me stay focused.
For women like myself who typically run their business out of passion, it’s easy to stray the course and take action only when that fire is lit within you. Sometimes it dies, and that’s normal, however, it’s helpful to keep up with to-do lists and rely on content calendars for when that inspiration fire feels low or is nonexistent.
How do you differentiate your business from the competition?
The Sustennial Network celebrates every step of the sustainable millennial lifestyle journey. Most of my followers are coming from a place of status quo (right where I was four years ago) where they haven’t yet been exposed to the same information that I have from knowing what to research. My social channel is a place to explore this information, discover sustainable alternatives, and identify which you’d like to remain in your life that elicits more convenience and less negative impact.
I’m also very open about small steps. For example, in posting about the reusable bamboo makeup wipes, I mention in my caption that I likely will still keep disposable makeup wipes in store for those late nights coming home after a night out on the town. I think people relate to that vs. feeling the need to be 100% all-in for sustainable change. It’s a journey, it’s a process, and it all needs to be celebrated.
What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?
It’s been helpful to actively reach out and begin establishing relationships with brands that I’m fond of from a consumer perspective. Not only do they appreciate the love of someone who is in their target market, but they also start to explore your channel and offer to work together. This happened with a wonderful, female-founded brand called Semaine. They had targeted me from an advertisement and I reached out, letting them know I was happy they “found” me. Since then, they’ve asked me to become a commission-based ambassador for their plant-based period supplement offering.
What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?
Expose yourself to both information and people that keep your fire lit. There are days when you’ll wonder if anyone is getting value out of your efforts however the fire will keep you going until the point when it’s clear that they are. Whenever I’m feeling down, I think about all of the messages where my community has let me know about the changes that they’ve been making, and I continue to celebrate them. I think about all of the brands that are doing so much good – that I’ve been able to introduce into a new group of people that they might have not reached otherwise.
In short, never stop reflecting and absorbing your small wins to keep your fire going. For soon, they will become big wins.
What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?
My favorite app is Spotify. My “Zone” playlist helps me to pump out work when I need the motivation most.
My favorite blog is Dining with Skyler. Although it’s not sustainability-focused, I’ve learned a lot from Skyler with regard to keeping content consistent, engaging, and personal.
My favorite book (is this cheesy?) is The Fault in Our Stars. Reading that book has never made me appreciate my life and health more. While yes, the teen love romance was mushy, sad, and happy, the takeaway for me was that we cannot take this life for granted. Might as well do something we love, right?
What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?
Canva. While I always regret not taking a photoshop class, Canva allows for anyone to become a graphic designer. It’s been crucial in my content strategy and keeping my brand consistent.
Who is your business role model? Why?
My business role model is my mother. She’s a Certified Financial Planner with clients in the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia area. Ever since I was a little girl, she’s shown me what it takes to truly develop a trusting and genuine lifetime relationship with someone. While I may show up through a screen to most people in my online community, I often try to replicate her ability to connect in a heartfelt way.
How do you balance work and life?
It’s so tough to shut off your brain once you close your computer as an Entrepreneur. I, like many, feel guilty when I’m not working on content in some way, shape, or form. I’ve recently found myself balancing work and life by leaving my phone upstairs and taking a book outside to read.
What’s your favorite way to decompress?
I’d like to say yoga but sometimes by attention span doesn’t last for longer than thirty minutes. I do however set up my yoga mat every day after work and stretch in a leisurely manner. No agenda, no time set, no noise.
What do you have planned for the next six months?
I’ll be officially starting grad school at Columbia University studying for a Masters's degree in Sustainability Management this fall. I’m mostly excited about the next level of information and science that I’ll be absorbing in the coursework. I cannot wait to share my studies and deliverables with the Sustennial Network community.
I also have a lineup of sustainable fashion designers that I’ll be interviewing. A lot of the New York (Sustainable) Fashion Week will be online so it’ll be interesting to report on how that goes and the different looks.
How can our readers connect with you?
Feel free to follow me on Instagram, visit my website, or sign up for my sustainability business newsletter which is delivered to your inbox 2x a week.