The introvert and the profile picture…
One month ago today, I dared myself to launch on Facebook. I’d been helping people for a while in real life but it was at a dead end and it was sad because it had potential and it could have grown…..
At first, I hid behind a profile called “The Anonymous Listener.” No picture. No personality. I didn’t even tell my family because I felt embarrassed—because I’ve always been the black sheep. And surprise, surprise: The anonymous listener gained zero followers. Why would I? There was nothing to connect to.
Week two, I stepped into the abyss. I thought, fine… I’ll launch with a name. But not my full name. Shelley feels too much, so I’ll shorten it to Ellie. Still hiding a little. My profile picture? Just my company logo. Faceless and Personality free.
It felt transactional like following people just to get follows back. No spirit. No heart. Like sleeping together without the love. A Facebook one night stand if you will.
And then… I cracked (what a waste of two weeks typical shelley) I decided to put my actual face on my profile. I don’t even have my face on WhatsApp as I hate that stuff, And I felt like a total twat. Like a 20-year-old girl begging for likes with neither the face, the body, nor the promise of a 20-year-old girl.
But here’s the plot twist: within a week, I had 1,000 followers.
By week four, nearly 1,800 I’m not saying that’s a lot because to some it’s not but for me it’s the world.
I’ve made friends all over the world. I chat, I laugh, I engage the shit out of people every day. And for the first time ever, I feel like I’m living the best social life I’ve ever had.
The funny thing is I’ve always had a bit of a weird personality. Maybe funny. I was the class clown always quick with a comeback, witty, sometimes too much. People never quite knew how to take me. Maybe it’s an autistic thing. Maybe it’s a Shelley thing. Or an Ellie thing. Who fucking knows?
My dad always said I should’ve been a stand-up comedian. But my brain doesn’t work in straight lines so I could never manage a routine. And now maybe I’ve made myself sound like I think I’m funny and now you probably think I’m dull as dishwater.
The truth is, I’ve always been a people person. I’ve worked in sales, but I’ve always hated selling. I don’t like taking money off anyone. What I do love is the conversation. The authenticity. The realness of people. I ask too many questions, come across nosy, but only because I’m genuinely fascinated by people’s lives.
And I didn’t realise until now how perfectly those qualities fit with what I’m creating at The Room2Bloom.
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I never thought I’d launch my business this way. “Online” was never me. That was for my sister, my cousin, my kids—anyone else. Not me. I’ve always been more of a reach-for-your-tea and slippers kind of gal than a reach-for-the-stars one.
So I sat, profile-pictureless, letting life pass me by. But not anymore. Now I’m taking a new route in this social media vehicle I swore I’d never drive with my face slapped on the front like a bumper sticker that still makes me cringe when I think about it.
And yet… here I am. Rolling forward. Growing. Connecting. Becoming. Also still cringing…
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What started as a pipe dream a tiny seedling of an idea has started to bloom. Not very much but it’s seeing light and In just four weeks, thanks to this wild internet community, it’s grown into something I couldn’t have imagined.
I’m connecting with women and occasionally men after sifting out the weirdos and supporting them, body doubling with them, and already thinking about how to help even more maybe even by selling their products. The good times are rolling. I’m feeling optimistic, drained but optimistic.
And here’s the twist: I thought I was ready to do this because I’d already “done the work” on myself. That I knew myself now, so I could help others. But what I’ve realised is… I’m still on that journey. And The Room2Bloom is helping me grow just as much as I’m helping anyone else.
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It might sound silly, but I can’t wait for the seasons to roll in Halloween, Bonfire Night, Christmas and to celebrate them with my theroom2bloom family.
Because this little Room2Bloom hub? I grew it. From nothing. From a place of pain and a shit history that I lovingly refer to at “shitsTory”
I grew it myself. I took a chance on myself. And I’m proud of myself.
Turns out if you put seeds in shit, they do bloom As long as you use a profile photo