Today we’d like to introduce you to Tara Miller.
Hi Tara, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My name is Tara and I am from Minnesota. I graduated from the University of MN – Duluth with a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance, with minors in Financial Planning & Psychology. I’ve always known I wanted to help people, but it took me a bit to figure out exactly what that meant. I’ve worked in various aspects of the Financial Industry for a little over 7 years and have always been passionate about helping and educating others about education planning and student loans. While working at a Financial Advising firm, I was able to help medical professionals budget and come up with a plan to get out of debt, and more recently have worked in Underwriting for student loans. It’s always brought me joy to see the savings I can help someone achieve by figuring out the best plan for their student loans. At the end of 2021, I decided to start the new year off by creating my social media platform, Debt Free Millennial. I wanted a creative outlet to share information related to personal finance and student loans. In less than 6 months, I have grown my Instagram to over 1,000 followers and created some amazing connections with other content creators like me. I’ve also been able to partner with some great brands that are changing the game for student loan borrowers and helping them get out of debt. My goal with this platform is to educate others on their options to get out of debt, as well as share my own journey to becoming debt-free.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Before starting this platform, I had little to no experience in running a social media page or creating content. I did a lot of research about how to create a successful page and create good content that will perform well. I taught myself how to use Canva to create a majority of my brand’s content, and how to create TikTok videos and Instagram Reels. I’ve had plenty of posts not do well, and while it can be discouraging, I try not to let it bring me down and use it as a learning experience. Social media is all about figuring out how to make the algorithm work for you, and creating valuable content that people want to consume.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I specialize in creating financial education content, most specifically related to student loans. I keep up to date on all the changes with student loans, and keep my followers in the loop with what they need to know regarding their student loans. I think having this niche of focusing on student loans is what sets me apart from others. Although I do share aspects of my personal journey to being debt-free, my main goal is to educate others on student loans and share my own experience with them. I also provide resources to my followers on a student loan refinancing, forgiveness programs, and other software/companies that can help them with their student loans.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
When I first decided I wanted to start my own social media page, I had already been following a few other creators that inspired me. Since I was starting from scratch, I wanted to connect with others in the space to learn more about how they got to where they are today and how to be successful in this space. As far as networking goes, I followed these individuals and consistently interacted with their content and started conversations/asked questions. Putting myself out there and reaching out to people directly is what’s worked well for me and helped me learn so much over the last 6 months. I also have connected with a lot of these individuals on LinkedIn to help grow my professional network.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Www.instagram.com/debtfreemillennial
- Facebook: Www.facebook.com/debtfreemillennial1
- Twitter: Www.twitter.com/debtfreemill
- Other: Www.TikTok.com/t/ZTdKdKmwE/
