WHITxWORKSERIES INTERVIEW
When did you found The Skinny Confidential?
The Skinny Confidential was founded about 9 years ago. One night when Michael & I were eating oysters and drinking dirty martinis, he convinced me to just go for it and launch. From when I had the idea to actually launching, I took a year to meticulously plan, find a web designer and really have a good foundation for the brand. I had binders & poster boards all dedicated to my vision.
What is the driving mission behind The Skinny Confidential?
My goal is to use the blog as a platform to connect with women from around the world & showcase MAJOR REALNESS. The Skinny Confidential is a cheeky resource for wellness, beauty, and skin. On the podcast, we dive deeper and have a more intimate connection with our audience. We talk open relationships, plastic surgery, the business of influencers, skin tips & tricks – but at the end of the day, it’s bringing women together to share things that are helpful for them.
Why do you think TSC resonates so much with women?
We’re all trying to do it all, all the time! So I think my readers like to come to The Skinny Confidential for some raw, cheeky discussions that provide value. We all need and want more time, so creating content with incredible value through the podcast, the blog or Instagram is crucial. I think that’s why my audience has formed into this incredible community of helping each other out with tips, advice & products.
Ultimately, it’s about bringing like-minded women together. It’s not about me. It’s about all of us staying connected and sharing our tips and tricks. I’m just part of the community.
How important is your personal brand vs 10 years ago?
My personal brand has always been important but the foundation and the life in my brand is The Skinny Confidential. The Skinny Confidential is bigger than Lauryn Evarts and I’ve always wanted it to be that way. My personal brand is important, but it’s not the full picture.
What advice would you give to young women who want to succeed in business?
Always strive for more than mediocrity. Produce quality, consistent content that provides takeaways (if you’re an influencer), and always play the long game. The short game is for suckers. Most importantly, it doesn't happen overnight. Be patient.
How would you recommend tackling business growth in today’s digital landscape?
The formula is really like baking a cake. There are so many different elements. It’s part consistency, part quality and you need to ask: are you speaking to each digital medium in the right way, are you providing value, are you trying to do everything at the same time but not one thing really well, are you being patient & playing the long game? There are just so many little things that go into it.
Also, you should have a unique perspective on whatever you’re talking about and be yourself. At the same time, there is no ONE formula.
How do you stay fresh to your audience?
I ask my audience what they want. I’m constantly in touch with them through emails, DM’s, the comment section on the blog, Snapchat & TSC Secret Facebook group. I’m constantly listening to what they want to talk about next and I do my best to deliver. My community is my number one, so I always want to hear what they have to say. I really do care about what they want to see. That comes with my intention. It was never how do I monetize– it was how do I provide value. Looking back, I’ve done that the whole time and have continued to do it as the blog grows. AND I take their tips and tricks too! I implement recommendations from my readers into the blog and give them credit. My audience and community is 100% the most important, in anything I do.
What are your best tips on scaling, while keeping true to your brand?
Scaling is hard. I went from being a solo-entrepreneur where I only had to be accountable to myself, to having a team. There are so many moving parts. I need to give my team what they need from me, so that they can do their jobs and it’s been a huge learning curve. There are so many more people to hold you accountable. My tips are:
1. Pick a good team
2. Read a lot of books & listen to podcasts related to business
3. Work in every area of your company
4. Do all of this, while maintaining what you need for self-care.
Most important: Make sure you sleep enough and do what you need to do to have the mental clarity to deal with it all & not be too overwhelmed.
One piece of advice you wish you had received?
I wish someone told me that as you grow, there are more moving parts, so there are more fires to put out. I actually thought as you grew, things would get easier and more streamlined, but it just doesn’t. Things are more chaotic as you grow. But in saying that, I’m also so lucky and thankful. I wouldn’t trade the chaos for anything.
How do you achieve work-life balance?
I kind of don’t! But that’s the game when you’re an entrepreneur. If you want to work for yourself and have your own business, you don’t always get weekends off.
We travel a lot for work, so we always like to add in some fun stuff. Also, my work doesn’t always feel like work. I love what I do and work with an amazing team- so we’re always having fun. Once in a while, I let my phone die and I just hang out with my dogs and catch up on Housewives in bed all day. I also try to make time to have dinners with family and friends without my phone around. But, the people who truly know me and love me, know and understand that my business is my priority right now.
I’ve accepted at this point in my life, without children, that my main focus will be about building The Skinny Confidential. It really is go-go-go from the second I wake up until the second I put my head on my pillow. That’s just where I’m at right now and I’m loving every second of it.
What is in store from TSC for 2019?
Lots of meetups, lots of live podcasting, more valuable, quality content, hopefully, another book and eventually more product.
Michael & I are having a blast recording our weekly podcast: The Skinny Confidential: HIM AND HER. We answer business and relationship questions from readers and just shoot the shit. It’s been so much fun to work on a new medium.
In the meantime, you can find some major realness on The Skinny Confidential.
