Zuryna Livermore: Hey, hey.
Welcome back to Operations Unfiltered, the
podcast that takes you behind the scenes
of influencer and talent management.
I'm your host and your favorite marketing
project manager, girly Zuryna, and if
you're new here, operations Unfiltered
is definitely a passion project of mine.
I started this because I like to yap.
I like project management, and I love
all things influencer management.
So you're in the right place if that
aligns with what you have in mind.
And can you guys believe that
this is the first episode of 2026?
I know, I know I've been a little
bit late, but you know, life been
life in so better late than never.
Anyway, quick life update 2026 already
feels super full, but not chaotic.
And yes, there is a difference.
I feel like I'm in a season of
alignment over accumulation.
I'm doing less yeses, but better yeses.
And there's some exciting things
that are in the works behind the
scenes, media partnerships, community
focused projects, and overall
content that blends business culture.
In my real life.
I mean, I'm a mom, I'm a wife, I'm a
entrepreneur, I'm a full-time employee.
And right now the goal for me
isn't necessarily visibility.
It's more so about impact
and overall sustainability.
Okay, so with this first solo episode,
I definitely wanna give a little bit
about, a little bit of an insight
into what I have planned for the
year, some things that I'm doing as
a business owner, as an entrepreneur.
But one of the things that I
really wanted to tackle in Q1
is tool tools, tech, tech tools.
I can't talk today, but I really
wanted to touch on tech fatigue and
just talk about the overall tech stack
that I'll be using, um, at some point.
I feel like I got involved
with too many platforms.
I have too many log logins, and I'm
overall a little bit overwhelmed,
and what I'm having to tell
myself is that more tools don't
equal pro productivity in 2026.
Honestly, my internal check-in or
my internal mantra is, does this
tool that I'm using simplify my
workflow or does it complicate it?
And if it adds steps to it
instead of removing steps, then
for me, it's not a solution.
Period.
So for anyone curious about what I'm
actually using, about what my current
tech stack looks like, again, as an
entrepreneur, as a wife and mom, as
a budding content creator myself,
these are the things that I'm using.
They're non-negotiables.
The first one is Google Drive.
I use that for all documents,
spreadsheets in general,
organization, especially file sharing.
That's been a game changer.
I also use Canva Pro for all
my marketing materials, podcast
covers, logos, all of that.
And then the one thing that I've
been splurging on for the past maybe
six months, is that occasionally
I will utilize a virtual assistant
to help manage my inbound.
My inbox and manage some of my
outbound pitching when I need it.
I'm also actively exploring ways
to automate parts of my business
using Chad GPT or as I lovingly
refer to him or her Alan Iverson.
And let me say this clearly, the magic
and using Chad GPT is in good prompts.
And if you ever need help with those
prompts, send me a DM on Instagram.
I got you.
Now, I am a content creator.
I manage content creators.
So to edit videos, I'm
a cap cut pro girly.
Yes.
I pay monthly.
It's $19 a month, and I'm waiting
for the class action lawsuit against
Apple because I swear it comes out
at a different date every month.
But whatever.
I do pay for it monthly.
I occasionally will use Instagram edits.
But to be honest with you guys,
tool fatigue is so real and I'm not
learning another platform right now.
So maybe we'll save that
for a quarter two goal.
We'll see.
The other thing that I wanted to chat with
or bring to the front of the congregation
for is a little bit of discourse is
something that I've seen on threads
I've seen in a few LinkedIn groups.
And the question is, do you
need an official business email?
Short answer for me.
And this might make people frown, make
people get indigestion, but I'm gonna
say that you don't immediately need one.
But eventually, yes.
Now, if you're just starting
out, Gmail is fine, dms are fine.
But when you're pitching brands,
partnerships, or media, what I've
learned is that perception matters.
A business email doesn't
make you better at business.
It just makes it easier for
people to take you seriously.
Think of it as a scaling signal.
It's not necessarily a requirement.
And if we're being honest, like
I said, operations Unfiltered
is me being completely honest.
I have conducted and am currently
conducting business through my personal
Gmail, and the reason for this is that my
domain emails sometimes gets stuck or goes
straight to spam, and my response rate is
noticeably higher with my personal Gmail.
So I just opt for that.
And honestly, what my workaround
is, I include my business email
in the CC line and in in my email
signature so people know that they
can take me seriously, but it's
professional enough and it's effective.
And what my moral of this story is,
don't let anyone shame you for using
your Gmail, because I've closed $5,000
deals via my Gmail and I've closed
deals through my business email.
So do with that information what you will.
Now I'm realizing I'm
yapping and on solo episodes.
I don't like to talk too long
because I know that people's
brain like mine turns to mush.
So before this episodes gets too
long and I lose you, I wanna let
you know what's next for operations
unfiltered, and I'm gonna narrow
it down into three little things.
More intentional content, more
transparency, and more behind
the scenes conversations.
You can also expect a few more of
these solo episodes where I just
do a brain dump, more breakdowns
and more real Talk about building
your entrepreneurial journey.
Is that a word?
Building your entrepreneurial
journey without burnout.
Honestly, for me, this year
isn't about proving anything.
It's about building something that lasts.
And if this episode resonated with
you, please send it to someone.
If this episode resonated with you, please
feel free to send it to someone who's in
their building stage right now and needs
a business bestie because that is me.
Anyway.
Thank you for listening.
Thank you for being here.
Be sure to follow me on Instagram at
Operations Unfiltered and at Lady Z
says, for all the behind the scenes
moments that happen between the episodes.
Don't forget, I'm Zuryna your favorite
marketing project manager, girly,
and this is Operations Unfiltered.
I'll see you next time.