How One Alum Built a Million Dollar Social Media Brand
As a Bentley student majoring in professional sales, Molly Curley Farrow ’17 wanted a career that would blend her promotional skills with her love of fashion. She knew social media would play a role, but she couldn’t have predicted its impact.
Fast-forward just nine years and Farrow earns a seven-figure annual income as a social media influencer with more than 500,000 followers across her Instagram and TikTok channels. Affiliated with Amazon, she promotes affordable fashion and generates $30 million in sales annually for the e-commerce giant.
Her career as a full-time influencer evolved from a successful swimwear line she launched during her final year at Bentley. As she promoted her bathing suits on social media, she witnessed the incredible power of the influencer market firsthand. She realized that channeling her expertise as a digital content producer and influencer had the potential to be a lucrative opportunity — one that was worth pursuing.
“Within two months of posting content for Amazon, I opened an email from them inviting me into the Amazon Influencer Program,” Farrow says. “When I saw the compensation structure, I said to my husband, ‘This must be fake. It can’t be real.’”
By 2022, Farrow let go of the swimwear venture, saying goodbye to her brick-and-mortar store to focus her expertise solely in the digital space. She has since built a loyal audience that looks to her for the latest in clothing trends and fashion tips. Farrow has expanded her content to include beauty and home products as well as parenting insights, taking care to maintain consistency with her established brand.
“I hope to grow and cultivate my following so they will stay with me through every stage of life,” Farrow says.
Farrow was named to Boston's Creator Class of 2025 by Boston Magazine.
Farrow's Tips For Aspiring Influencers
Jump In
While new influencers may think they need a flawless debut, Farrow suggests focusing instead on generating a lot of content. “At first, it’s about volume,” Farrow says. “I think the biggest mistake people make is being afraid that they’ll get no views or people will judge them. When you look back on your early content, you might think it’s terrible. But it’s the terrible content that teaches you how to make good content.”
Be authentic
Social audiences can sniff out fakes. Farrow presents herself as a fashion maven, which works because she is. Growing up, she loved shopping with her mother and worked as a model. “Do not copy people,” Farrow advises. “It can seem easier to take inspiration from someone else, and it can be scary to be yourself, but you're going to see way more success if you are authentic.”
Narrow your focus
Farrow’s earliest posts covered a wide range of lifestyle content, until she observed that a particular content type — inexpensive dresses for wedding guests — was gaining traction. So, she upped the frequency. Over time, her name and her brand became associated with wedding guest dresses, so much so that she would occasionally receive shout-outs when walking around Boston. “When I focused on the affordable fashion niche, I really started to take off,” Farrow says.
Create platform-specific content
Track engagement to inform content choices. Farrow discovered her Instagram audience respond more to posts that featured her family than her TikTok followers. So, she includes special moments at home with her young daughter and husband on her Instagram account, but she keeps her TikTok videos brief and fashion-focused.
Work smarter, not harder
Farrow seeks out ways to efficiently manage her schedule. She posts daily across platforms, prioritizing at least one in-feed reel post and sharing her day-to-day updates as Instagram stories. To work efficiently, she batches content and films a week’s worth of content in a single day. She also uses paid advertising through Meta that appears on both Facebook and Instagram. “I’m able to get clicks and sales without having to be constantly on my phone,” she notes.
Pay attention to details
Influencer posts need to be recognizable in the split second they appear in a social media feed. To help make that happen, Farrow keeps her video background consistent, filming in the same open and well-lit spot in her home. Even the wallpaper is a factor—it is distinct but subtle pattern intended to differentiate her account from other influencers. “If I changed that background, someone might not know who I am, and keep scrolling,” Farrow says.
Give it time
Although the pace online is rapid fire, building a successful influencer business typically follows the same path of any entrepreneurial venture. “I think a lot of people think that you can just start posting on social media and suddenly start making money. It's taken me a good ten years to really grow this into a business.”
Family Ties
Alphonse Lucchese ’70 with his granddaughter at her 2017 Bentley graduation.
Molly Farrow’s decision to go to Bentley was inspired by her grandfather, the late Alphonse Lucchese ’70, who received an honorary Doctor of Commercial Science degree in 2004 for his exceptional business career and his philanthropic support.
“You have never forgotten your roots,” said Joseph Morone, Bentley’s president at that time, as he presented Lucchese with his honorary degree at the university’s commencement ceremony. “You generously offer wisdom, advice and scholarship assistance to Bentley students whose circumstances — and career ambitions — often mirror your own.”
Lucchese possessed determination and grit that led him from a humble beginning as one of three children in an Italian immigrant family to CEO roles and corporate turnaround success stories. It took him 13 years to obtain his Bentley degree, which he completed on a part-time basis while raising his own young family.
Farrow remembers him as doting grandfather who loved chatting on the phone with her. “We were very close and I just always knew I would go to Bentley because of him,” she says.
Supported Student-Athletes
The late Lucchese, an avid sports fan, also funded scholarships for student-athletes who hailed from his hometown of Waltham. One recipient was Mackenzy Bernadeau ’08, an entrepreneur, retired NFL player and Bentley Hall of Famer who now serves on the Bentley President’s Council.
Lucchese with Mackenzy Bernadeau ’08.
Interested in following Farrow? Go to @mollyjcurley on all social platforms.