The secret to Gold Coast fitness star Emily Skye’s success

GOLD Coast fitness star Emily Skye who is worth a cool $32m has revealed exclusively how she makes her millions — and it has nothing to do with Instagram.

Emily Skye, wearing pink at her photoshoot with us, after she announced her baby is a little girl. Picture Glenn Hampson

WHEN Emily Skye was named by Forbes the world’s third most powerful fitness ‘influencer’, it left people all over the globe wondering what she was doing right.

Though the Broadbeach fitness queen lifts weights and looks good in Lycra, behind her super fit image is an innate understanding of social media.

Emily Skye is now worth $32 million. Pictures: Jack Tran

Ms Skye, 32, now worth a cool $32 million and about to give birth to her first daughter, has revealed how she made her millions.

EMILY SKYE NAMED IN YOUNG RICH LIST

This is the story of the Gold Coast’s most successful fitness entrepreneur — in her own words.

RISE TO FAME

When I fell in love with health and fitness I wanted to do something educational so I started a blog before social media was really ‘a thing’.

(The blog) didn’t have a lot of followers but about five or six years ago I started building up my Facebook and Instagram accounts.

Dwayne Johnson and Emily Skye. Picture: Instagram

I remember (my partner) Declan didn’t really understand it and he’d tell me I should get a ‘real job’ but I said ‘just you wait Dec, this is going to be something big’.

So I started doing collaborations, writing posts, tagging people in things and building up my following organically … I was staying up until 4am most nights working on content and it was building really quickly, like 10,000 people a day.

THE PR GURU BEHIND EMILY SKYE

I decided to launch a program (Emily Skye F.I.T) so I did my certificate three and four in fitness and spoke to nutritionists and physiologists.

Emily Skye relaxing at her Gold Coast home. Picture Glenn Hampson

I’m really obsessive about making sure that the information I’m putting out there is accurate.

My programs come with meal plans for vegans, vegetarians and meat-eaters, at-home or gym workouts, tutorial videos for every exercise, shopping lists and a community forum.

THE SECRET TO HER SUCCESS

A lot of (influencers) have prioritised Instagram, but it actually isn’t important.

Facebook has always been my focus because you can put a link in all of your posts that your followers then click on to purchase your product.

People still don’t get it. They’re all focused on this Instagram thing and I can tell you from a business perspective that Instagram does not transact as well.

Emily Skye with her partner Declan Redmond and PR manager Sam Mangan Picture: Regina King

I think of it as a branding thing to get my name out there and Facebook is for business.

Probably 90 per cent of the money I’ve made comes from my plans.

CHILDHOOD

I grew up at Glenning Valley on the Central Coast, and I don’t want to do the whole sob story thing but my sister and I had a single parent and we didn’t have money.

There were years that we didn’t get Christmas presents (and) we had to get taken out of school because mum couldn’t afford the fees.

As a teenager I was really negative and insecure.

For as long as I could remember I never felt good about myself and didn’t really see any point in living.

Sam Mangan with his star client Emily Skye at Pacific Fair, Broadbeach. Picture: Jerad Williams

I went through times when I was suicidal and I had no direction or motivation to do anything. I went through bad relationships and boyfriends that were abusive; it was a horrible way to live.

THE LOVE STORY

When I was 24 I met my boyfriend Declan and we’ve been together for eight years.

Declan was a huge part of helping me make some changes and become a better person through health and fitness.

I also made some other changes: I started being more selective with who I surrounded myself with and I was more positive about myself.

We moved down to Cronulla ... he was in the army for 13 years so he left every six months.

We moved to the Gold Coast about four years ago and now he works with me on the business.

MODELLING DAYS

I started modelling as a teenager because I was craving love and acceptance from people (and) I thought the way to get it was through getting attention.

People knew who I was in the industry because I was one of the first models to have a website.

It sounds a bit silly but I was one of the only (models) in the world who had a website 18 years ago: emilyskye.com is still the website I use today.

I did a lot of commercial modelling for dress shops, bikini lines and I did some stuff for Bras n Things.

Emily relaxing at her Gold Coast home. Picture Glenn Hampson

I was actually the face of (fashion brand) Ice for nearly 10 years, they still have some of my photos up in shop windows.

When I started getting fit and healthy I gained quite a bit of muscle and I was pretty toned, for the first time in my life I thought I looked good.

But when I did photoshoots they would photoshop me and airbrush my abs out.

I thought ‘this is s**t’ for the first time in my life I felt good about myself, I don’t want to be involved in this.

Emily Skye with former friend and business partner Ashy Bines.

THE PREGNANCY

I’ve known since 12 weeks that it was a little girl (and) we’re pretty certain we’ve got a name.

I kind of romanticised the idea of pregnancy, and it is amazing, don’t get me wrong, but I had no idea that my body would be so sore.

I thought ‘I’m so fit and strong and I have been for so many years, surely I’ll be OK’ but that just wasn’t the case.

I have friends who don’t exercise and are doing better than me in their pregnancies. But you can’t compare yourself to others, what’s important is the health of the baby.

Fitness Guru Emily Skye at Goodlife Health Club. Pictures: Jack Tran

I haven’t continued working out at (high intensity) but I do exercise when I’m feeling up to it.

Being pregnant doesn’t mean you’re disabled.

People always comment ‘why don’t you just go for a walk?’ on my photos, but walking is really painful and when I dead lift I feel great. Why would I do something that hurts me?

THE CELEBRITIES

I’m friends with DJ (Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson) now … our mutual friend Brett Ratner who’s a movie producer was getting a star on the Walk of Fame and he invited both of us.

Then DJ invited me on set when he was filming (HBO show) Ballers in LA and spent half an hour just chatting to me and giving me advice.

Forbes named Emily Skye the third most powerful fitness influencer

I’m also the female face of Reebok with Gigi Hadid … she’s so lovely and down-to-earth.

She actually messaged me on Instagram a couple of years ago and asked me to be in a music video she was directing.

It was the DNCE video clip for ‘Cake by the Ocean’ which starred Joe Jonas.

It was a cool experience and it opened up the lines of communication between me and Gigi.

FEUD WITH FITNESS QUEEN ASHY BINES

I focus on positives and on the new family we’re about to have.

You learn from the past, every business has its ups and downs and hurdles and you can’t trust everyone.

Ashy Bines and Emily Skye

You just have to get through it, keep doing things the right way and stay true to yourself.

Editors note: In the Supreme Court on October 13 Platinum Investment Group owned by Bines and husband Steve Evans sued Emily Skye and her partner Declan Redmond for $1.5 million over a business falling-out.

The case is still before the courts.

THE FIGURES

Instagram followers: 2.1 million

Facebook followers: 10.9 million

Worth: $32 million