I was recently interviewed for an article in our local paper in Charleston and other than being extremely flattered by the opportunity, I thought it might also be good to share it here with you guys on the blog. Not a day goes by that I don’t receive a DM asking about the specifics of my position as a business owner or blogger. If you’ve followed along on my insta-stories recently, you know I still owe you that IGTV about how I got started with the brand. I promise you, it’s coming, but in the meantime I wanted to share with you a few more details from my interview with the Post & Courier last week. It gives a little more insight on my “blogging” side and how it all kind of happened accidentally.
- How did you first get into the fashion world/fashion blogging?
Believe it or not, my background comes from Fashion. I fulfilled my childhood dreams of attending fashion school in college by getting my BFA in Fashion Design from the Fashion Institute of Technology (NYC) back in 2007. I got super lucky to get my first design job in the summer before entering my senior year. I was hired as an assistant designer that September and because I was so close to finishing, decided to carry my full-time credits with my full-time job through graduation. Over the course of my career, I’ve worked for some really amazing corporate companies (Gap, A&F, NY&Co, etc.) and quickly made my way from assistant designer to head designer in an unheard of amount of time. In a weird way, it’s been a little like Devil wears Prada meets Sweet Home Alabama. Of course, not without the copious amount of blood, sweat and tears.
I guess that’s why becoming a small business owner was so obvious for me.
I’m originally from a tiny beach town in NJ before I fled to New York City at 18. I never thought I’d leave the city, but after 10 yrs of living the fast life, my husband’s job sent us to Charleston in 2012 to, no doubt,“slow down”. There wasn’t a huge fashion presence here, or at least one that I was accustomed to, so I took it as an opportunity to start our family. When my first born, Aden was 6 weeks old, I realized there was an opportunity in the baby apparel market and decided to start my own business, Little Adi + Co. Much like my professional career, Little Adi + Co grew almost overnight and in our first 6 months of being in business, we released a brand new style that we dubbed “bummies”, which was a bloomer/short hybrid that took off immediately. With the staggering growth and increasing popularity of the brand on social media, I saw another platform evolve almost organically with the inception of our blog.
2. When did you first come up with the idea for your blog specifically and how did you go about creating it?
I actually started my blog in my 2nd year of business in 2015. I was pregnant with my second born, Hudson and my followers showed a ton of interest in his nursery. One thing led to another and I realized that I had a platform to connect on another level with my audience apart from social media. There was only so much you could fit of yourself in a 100-word photo caption. The blog allowed me to grow my brand and really show more dimension to myself well beyond just the clothing. I was starting to notice that my followers were inspired by our family and more specifically my stance as a stay at home mom running this full fledged business with my two (under two!) little boys underfoot. This curiosity about how I did it “all” and still raise a family became the foundation for my blog and led to it’s growth and what it is today. I see myself as a parenting blogger who speaks to the millennial moms, giving them lifestyle tips and family-friendly content with an occasional mix of this complicated yet fulfilling reality of entrepreneurship.
3. Are you making money from blogs/making it into a career? If so, how?
I’m super thankful in what my blog has accidentally provided for my family. I actually did things a little backwards in the blogging world, in the sense that I had built my audience first (through the brand) on social media. That seems to really appeal to the companies that I work with as an influencer, since I’m really tapped into my followers demographics.
When brands reach out to work with me, they immediately know the population they’re reaching with a specific campaign.
I’ve gained my followers trust and they truly do look to me for product recommendations, whether that be a rug for their living room or an all natural skincare product for their newborn. I take that pretty seriously, so although the budgets on certain campaigns can be really appealing and serve our family well, I only accept partnerships that are true to who I am and my brand. Blogging for me has become a second business and something I truly enjoy. It’s allowed me to pay for my kids schooling and allowed me to contribute to our family’s finances again.
4. How achievable is a career as a social media influencer/blogger today, do you think?
I think it’s absolutely achievable for most people. The thing that is exceptionally important now a days is authenticity. If you’re just getting started, it’s critical that you’re doing it for the right reasons and not because you see it as a lucrative way to make cash. Brands and companies see through that and believe it or not, so does your audience. Your growth needs to happen organically or else it’s really obvious that you’re not building a strong foundation. Blogging is a business and should be treated like one when you’re in the beginning stages. You wouldn’t start a brick and mortar without doing your due diligence and same goes for your blog. There’s so much that goes into blogging beyond just the pretty pictures. It’s really a labor of love for those that are the most successful with it. It’s a business that they have to strategize and plan out just like anything else. Content creation is a never ending cycle so passion is just as important and to, of course, evolve as you go on. You’ll need to adapt to the ever changing waves of social media and also to your audience.
5. What do you think people like about bloggers these days? Why are people reading/tuning in?
I think people are looking more towards social media for relatable content rather than the days when celebrities and tabloids were what you looked at for street style and product recommendations. It’s been especially great for parents, particularly moms, to have an outlet for friendships and advice.
Being a mom is hard to navigate alone and social media has made it extremely easy to hop on and see that there’s someone else going through the same exact thing.
It’s a great way to bond over colic or breastfeeding, pregnancy loss or PPD. I know having an easy and accessible resource has been really beneficial to a ton of women in particular and I think that’s what makes them hit the follow button instead of continuing to scroll by.
When I first started blogging, I felt really inadequate. My plans were never to be a full fledged blogger, but to connect better with my audience through my small business. It’s been a fun journey for me and one of the things I truly enjoy as an entrepreneur.
I’d love to answer any more questions you might have about this side of my business. Is there something you’re dying to know? Leave it in the comments below!
