Harrison Wain, or you might know him better as “BoxBoy” where under that username he has over 2 million followers on Instagram and almost 300,000 followers on the platform Youtube. BoxBoy is someone you might call a social media influencer and earlier this week I got the chance to talk to him and see how he got started, what made the difference for him during his rise to internet fame and much more. We also talked about how one side of his personality stole the internet’s attention and helped catapult him to success, and then we talked about what has been going on with the other side of “BoxBoy”.
Harrison, how & when did you get started?
Harrison Wain/ BoxBoy: “It’s been about 4 years since I started out in entrepreneurship. I didn’t go to college or anything like that. What jumpstarted my passion for business was when I basically started a version of Uber at 15 and sold it to a company in the middle east. That quick turnaround got me obsessed with business and I’ve loved it ever since. Originally, I’m from Sydney, Australia. I lived in Sydney my whole life then, on a whim, I came to Los Angeles when I was 18 only having 35,000 followers online at the time. I started out sleeping on friends couches until I could afford to start paying for a place of my own. Now I’m 19 with my own place and millions of followers and the journey continues from here!”
What do you mean when you say “My Digital Twin”?
Harrison Wain/ BoxBoy:“Well, basically when I was starting out on social media I was just posting fashion type stuff, that’s kind of what I wanted my brand to revolve around – fashion. However, I quickly realized that people were more so interested in the comedic & entertainment kind of stuff that I was doing, and that kind of content is what was making me go viral. The fashion stuff wasn’t picking up enough traffic or engagement but people loved the comedic & entertaining bits that we did, and although I love both of those things very much, I had to go with what I knew would give me the most success, so that’s what I went with. I put the fashion side of me on the shelf for a little bit so I could pursue the entertaining side of me or “My Digital Twin” as I called it, so that’s kind of what I mean when I say that; that’s the side of me that stole the internet’s attention. The transition removed a large part of who I was, I had to do what made the most sense at the time, but I’m ready to transition again. This time I want to transition into what embodies the entire identity of me.”
What do you plan to do next?
Harrison Wain/ BoxBoy: “Obviously I can’t talk about everything I’m thinking, but over a period of time I’m going to start revealing the other parts of me that more so represent who I am on a deeper level. It’s so important to just be yourself, I wish everyone understood this and was more at peace with who they really are instead of trying to be something that you’re not. There is only one of you and there only ever will be you on you so we’ve got to embrace that. There’s millions of other people, but only one of you., so I’m trying to always embody that to and set the example for others. Alongside my partners Minh Le (@minhdynasty) & Jessica Aguilar (@jessica.hnsn) I am going to expose my truest image, which in many ways, was my original image.”
What advice do you have for someone following their dreams?
Harrison Wain/ BoxBoy: “Find something that you can truly have fun while doing, then you can have fun forever. Have a positive, determined mindset. Also people are everything, surround yourself with the people that have the right mindset and you will grow. As my dear friend and business partner, Minh Lê likes to say “wolves are stronger together when they are strong alone.” Being around the wrong people can stifle you or completely destroy you, some people can be so emotionally toxic to be around and sometimes you don’t realize it until you are out of the same environment as them. Do what makes you happy, don’t take no for an answer, always learn and move forward, protect your energy, and most especially, disregard the haters.”
Do you have any closing statements?
Harrison Wain/ BoxBoy: “Man… being successful and growing is a lot simpler than most people make it out to be, so always make sure that the thing you are investing hours a day into brings you joy. That way when times get tough, that joy on the other side always makes it worth it. Also don’t forget to protect your energy, keep the right people around you, have the right mindset, stay true to yourself always, and don’t forget to have fun. If you’re not having fun while doing it, you’re missing the most important part!”