I have known this young lady for a few years now, since she stepped into banking five years ago. But her career has now seen a complete U-turn.
I’m sure all you tech-savvy readers out there are far more aware than me of these live steaming apps that keep cropping up in China. You have the really popular names such as YY and Momo, but also many many more slightly lower profile ones. And that’s where my friend has ended up.
No, she’s not advising one of these firms on their funding. Instead, she has become what is called a ‘key opinion leader’ (KOL) — effectively a social media influencer.
What does that mean? Well, she started with getting herself some plastic surgery in South Korea — thereby becoming an ‘expert’ in the field. Her day now involves sitting in front of the computer, streaming make-up tutorials, giving advice on plastic surgery, showing people how to cook and pretty much streaming every part of her daily life online.
I was admittedly sceptical when I heard this. But she seems pretty chuffed: she has amassed millions of fans already, is paid better than when she was an investment banker, and doesn’t mind live streaming her life to strangers online.
It’s absolutely unimaginable to me, of course. But I must say it was a brave career move — and one that certainly seems to be reaping her some rewards.