Getting an exclusive look into the minds of entrepreneurs. Hear them talk about their experiences, and thought process throughout their journey of leadership and creating something out of nothing. In this episode Vanessa Chen, joins us answering questions along the way that you may need the answers too. So stay tuned.
[00:00:05] Welcome back to another episode of Moving the Mountain, a creative leadership podcast.
[00:00:09] Today's guest by Vicious Honey. At least that's her Instagram handle there.
[00:00:16] Real name is Vanessa and over a million followers on Instagram.
[00:00:22] And you're mostly in the fashion space.
[00:00:24] Yes, I would say so, but definitely trying to expand more into like lifestyle and letting
[00:00:29] people in on like my personality in real life as well lately.
[00:00:34] How did you get into like how did this all happen?
[00:00:38] All by accident, honestly, it wasn't really like a planned thing that I wanted to pursue.
[00:00:42] It was during quarantine.
[00:00:44] I feel like that's when everybody just had all their creative juices like just flowing.
[00:00:49] So I just started doing fashion videos for fun and I kind of just snowballed from there.
[00:00:53] Yeah. Did you was this like your just your personal account and you're like,
[00:00:57] hey, I'm just going to start posting this and then it.
[00:01:00] Yeah, I've had people always ask me like, oh, how did you come up with the name?
[00:01:04] And I tell them I literally made it up when I was 12.
[00:01:07] Like, I don't know.
[00:01:08] Like I've had this account for so long and it was just a personal account.
[00:01:11] I was always interested in fashion, but I never really, you know,
[00:01:14] pursued it as a career until it kind of just took off on its own.
[00:01:18] So how many followers did you start with?
[00:01:21] Like during yeah, when I first started creating fashion content, I think like
[00:01:28] 2000 around there. Yeah.
[00:01:31] And what was like the first video that kind of like popped off and you're like, oh,
[00:01:35] my God, was there one where it was like you grew overnight?
[00:01:39] Like a large amount or was it?
[00:01:41] I think so.
[00:01:42] Well, I started with Instagram reels.
[00:01:45] I think a lot of people started on TikTok, but I just always use Instagram a lot.
[00:01:49] So that's what I began with.
[00:01:51] And I think that I started doing reels at a really good time
[00:01:55] because it was right when it was starting to become a thing.
[00:01:59] And so I think I got really lucky with the timing.
[00:02:01] And so all of the views, you know, funneled to the few creators
[00:02:04] who were even posting reels in the first place.
[00:02:07] So I think it was my second video I ever posted that started to gain
[00:02:11] a lot of traction and it kind of just grew from there.
[00:02:14] Do you find now that we're, you know, three years out from that momentum?
[00:02:18] Is it harder to continue to build the audience or just having a large
[00:02:21] audience kind of compounds?
[00:02:23] I think yes and no, I think, you know, now that I have a larger audience,
[00:02:28] it is much easier to gain those consistent eyeballs.
[00:02:32] But at the same time, each of the platforms are very saturated.
[00:02:35] So now all of the eyeballs are also being distributed to a lot more creators.
[00:02:40] So definitely it's easier, but also harder in other ways.
[00:02:44] Yeah. And do you find there's like a format or like a recipe to like,
[00:02:49] Hey, I know this reel is going to do really well.
[00:02:52] Or like what type of reel is going to do well?
[00:02:54] I think the thing with social media is that it moves so fast
[00:02:57] and people's attention spans are so short that even if you find something
[00:03:02] like a formula that works really, really well, if you do it maybe 10 times,
[00:03:08] people are over it.
[00:03:08] So it's always about being on your toes and trying to think of something
[00:03:11] new to come out with.
[00:03:12] So it's a little bit tricky in that way.
[00:03:14] But yeah, how many hours a day or like a week do you feel like
[00:03:19] you put into kind of pushing the envelope and thinking of new
[00:03:24] strategies and ideas and things like that?
[00:03:27] Definitely a lot, for sure.
[00:03:29] I consider myself a workaholic, definitely.
[00:03:33] But I think, you know, as I've been growing my audience at the beginning,
[00:03:37] it was very much focused on growing the audience itself.
[00:03:42] Like how many new eyeballs can I get and how many more people can
[00:03:45] I attract to my page?
[00:03:47] Now I feel like I'm at the point where I'm not really pushing for growth,
[00:03:50] but more so cultivating a community that I already have and just making them
[00:03:55] feel more connected to me, if that makes sense.
[00:03:57] So what does it look like?
[00:03:59] Is that a lot of time spent like in your DMs, just kind of like
[00:04:03] responding to people and comments and like how scalable is that too?
[00:04:07] I'm sure a lot of people are reaching out.
[00:04:09] Yeah, I luckily have an assistant.
[00:04:12] So she helps me kind of manage all the DMs and all the comments that I receive.
[00:04:16] And she kind of filters through and I love to connect with, you know,
[00:04:20] the people who seem really inspired or really want to connect with me.
[00:04:25] And there's a lot of other ways as well, like through stories
[00:04:29] and Instagram has a broadcast channel feature now.
[00:04:32] And I think that's a really unique way to connect with people.
[00:04:35] OK. But what is that?
[00:04:36] I haven't heard of that. What is that broadcasting?
[00:04:38] It's kind of like a one way DM.
[00:04:41] So you can send direct messages to everybody in that community
[00:04:44] who kind of subscribes to your broadcast channel and it's a little bit more intimate.
[00:04:49] OK. And as far as like making
[00:04:53] being an influencer, like a full time career, like, what does that look like?
[00:04:59] You know, is it lucrative?
[00:05:01] Did you hit a certain threshold and then it starts becoming like,
[00:05:05] oh, I'm getting paid for this, like I could live off this.
[00:05:07] Or is it is it through views? Is it through partnerships?
[00:05:10] Like, how do you really kind of make a career out of?
[00:05:13] Yeah, there are a couple of different ways,
[00:05:15] typically that influencers make money online.
[00:05:18] So the first is through affiliate earnings.
[00:05:21] And so that's when let's say I have this top and I link it
[00:05:26] somewhere on my social media and you can earn a commission
[00:05:29] based on how many you sell through the referral.
[00:05:33] That's one of the ways another way is through monetary views, right?
[00:05:38] So platforms like YouTube, Instagram, TikTok,
[00:05:41] they all pay their creators.
[00:05:42] If you get this many views, you earn this many cents
[00:05:45] and it kind of compiles that way.
[00:05:47] So that's the second way.
[00:05:48] And then the third and most lucrative way
[00:05:50] in where currently probably 95 percent of my income
[00:05:54] is through sponsorships.
[00:05:56] So basically, you know, it varies brand deal and brand deal.
[00:06:01] But a brand reaches out, they send you a product
[00:06:05] and then you create content around that product
[00:06:07] and you get paid a flat rate for that piece of content.
[00:06:12] So OK. And out of like the platforms,
[00:06:16] YouTube, Instagram, like who who like pays the most
[00:06:22] for views or for views? Yeah.
[00:06:25] I would say YouTube, definitely, especially long form.
[00:06:28] Yeah. Is there a reason for that, you think?
[00:06:33] I'm not sure, honestly, it definitely fluctuates
[00:06:36] depending on the platform.
[00:06:38] I know that's like Instagram recently retired their program.
[00:06:43] It's always changing.
[00:06:45] I would say so I'm not really quite sure why, but I think for Instagram
[00:06:48] or sorry for YouTube in particular, it's really lucrative
[00:06:51] because when you're doing a long form video,
[00:06:54] it like the watch time is a lot higher.
[00:06:58] Yeah. And what is that like having influence?
[00:07:01] You have a million followers, like does that come with a certain level of responsibility?
[00:07:06] Do you kind of do you think about things more
[00:07:09] before like you're putting them out there kind of what's the or is it just kind of
[00:07:12] it happened gradually so it's just not really.
[00:07:15] Yeah, I think maybe a little bit of both, right?
[00:07:19] I'm extremely grateful for my community.
[00:07:22] And especially when I read really kind and heartfelt messages,
[00:07:25] that's when it really hits me.
[00:07:27] Like, oh my goodness, like to me, I'm just like I'm a regular person
[00:07:32] in my bedroom making videos,
[00:07:34] but it's just really cool to see like that I can connect with people
[00:07:39] in a way that you know, in my day to day, I'm not thinking about that.
[00:07:43] So every now and then, like I'll get hit with like a wow,
[00:07:46] like I'm in such an amazing position
[00:07:49] and I'm just so grateful for the audience that I have.
[00:07:52] But I would say on the day to day, like
[00:07:54] just a regular person too.
[00:07:56] So yeah, because I remember we did that event for you
[00:08:00] and there was a there was a young girl
[00:08:02] that traveled like halfway around the world to come to it.
[00:08:05] So you're definitely making an impact on
[00:08:08] and it seems like your crowd is a little bit on the younger side, right?
[00:08:12] And you launched recently this clothing line. Yes.
[00:08:16] Rain. Can you tell us a little bit more about that?
[00:08:19] Sure. So ever since I was a young girl,
[00:08:23] you know, I've always had an interest for fashion
[00:08:25] and it was always a dream of mine to build my own fashion brand.
[00:08:29] And you know, today I'm just so lucky to be in the position
[00:08:32] where I can make that a reality.
[00:08:35] So, A, it came from a dream of mine and B, I think realistically,
[00:08:41] you know, working with sponsorships is great
[00:08:44] and I'm so incredibly grateful for that opportunity.
[00:08:48] But I wanted more control, like I wanted to feel in control
[00:08:52] of my earnings and, you know, just build something that was mine.
[00:08:57] I didn't want to rely on other companies
[00:08:59] to basically fund my way of living.
[00:09:02] I wanted to just build something that was mine.
[00:09:05] And so I'm lucky enough to be working with my fiance, Jason,
[00:09:08] and we're kind of, you know, tag teaming on the project.
[00:09:12] But the whole brand identity is based around the idea
[00:09:18] of solving people's problems.
[00:09:20] It's funny because at the beginning,
[00:09:21] when we started brainstorming for the brand,
[00:09:24] I was just like, I just want to make some cute clothes.
[00:09:27] And like that was really it.
[00:09:28] And I didn't really have something else to it.
[00:09:31] And I didn't really feel that like passion that I thought I would.
[00:09:35] And then it wasn't until Jason and I sat down
[00:09:38] and we really started brainstorming and thinking like,
[00:09:41] how can we actually change people's lives?
[00:09:44] How can we build a product that isn't just cute clothes?
[00:09:47] But that's something that people, you know, really take value from.
[00:09:51] So our whole identity is around mix and match sets.
[00:09:54] So a bunch of different tops and a bunch of different bottoms
[00:09:57] that no matter which two you grab, they're always cohesive.
[00:10:00] And it just makes getting ready extremely easy.
[00:10:03] So yeah.
[00:10:04] Did you have to pick like a certain color palette to make that work?
[00:10:08] Definitely. Yes.
[00:10:09] So our first launch is going to start with four colors.
[00:10:13] And what's unique about us is that each launch
[00:10:16] in each collection isn't just cohesive within itself,
[00:10:19] but we want it to build out for the future and for all backwards compatibility.
[00:10:25] So the first four colors are going to be sticking around forever, basically.
[00:10:29] So for the first four, we really needed them to be versatile.
[00:10:32] And that was like the biggest mission for us.
[00:10:35] But it was really cool because, you know, I have this incredible audience.
[00:10:40] So why not ask them, you know, what they want?
[00:10:43] And so that's exactly what we did.
[00:10:45] We pulled my audience and just asked, like, what do you want?
[00:10:48] Because ultimately it's to help them.
[00:10:51] You know? Yeah.
[00:10:52] So I'm sure there's like a lot that kind of goes into building anything.
[00:10:58] How did you go about like finding the designers, finding like people
[00:11:03] to actually make the brands and distribute it?
[00:11:06] What was that like?
[00:11:08] The whole process has been a huge, huge learning curve, obviously.
[00:11:13] This is the first time that either of I either me or Jason have done anything like this.
[00:11:18] We both actually come from computer science backgrounds,
[00:11:20] so just so different than what we're used to.
[00:11:23] But and we're still learning every single day.
[00:11:26] But we definitely wanted to be as hands on as possible, right?
[00:11:32] So I do all of the designing and Jason was in charge of finding manufacturers.
[00:11:38] The thing that's really tricky is that, you know, again,
[00:11:41] we have no technical knowledge of fashion construction, right?
[00:11:47] Like I love the pieces that I'm wearing, but I don't really understand
[00:11:51] what are all the different options for fabrics?
[00:11:54] What are all the different options for seams?
[00:11:56] That's just something I'm not familiar with and something that I need someone to teach me.
[00:12:00] And it was definitely very daunting.
[00:12:02] So at first when he was reaching out to manufacturers,
[00:12:06] we were like, we want this piece, but it just wasn't perfect.
[00:12:09] And we didn't really know why and we just needed some guidance.
[00:12:13] So we were lucky enough through a colleague to find this company called Shift.
[00:12:18] They're based in Toronto, and so they've been a huge resource to us.
[00:12:23] So they help with all the technical aspects of the clothing,
[00:12:27] as well as a huge connection of manufacturers on their end that are trustworthy.
[00:12:32] And they kind of help guide us in the directions
[00:12:35] of what's even technically feasible in the first place.
[00:12:39] Yeah, that makes sense.
[00:12:40] Because I know with fashion, there's like a lot of subtleties.
[00:12:42] It's like you can get, you know, and it makes a big difference
[00:12:46] in the design and the quality.
[00:12:47] Yep. And, you know, even with like t-shirts, you have a basic t-shirt,
[00:12:50] but then you have a t-shirt with like a bigger like crew,
[00:12:53] like almost like a mock neck kind of thing.
[00:12:55] And it's like does it makes a big difference in like the design
[00:12:58] and how that shirt looks.
[00:13:01] We did a run of sweaters.
[00:13:04] And that was something too, like we wanted to embossed.
[00:13:07] And I think that was a, I didn't even know if that was possible.
[00:13:10] That's a thing you don't even know what is possible
[00:13:13] unless somebody tells you in the first place, right?
[00:13:17] Yeah, and doing the research and then, you know,
[00:13:20] even just like the patterns, like when we got them, like they came out good.
[00:13:23] We like them, but it was just like it was a little, I was like, oh,
[00:13:26] I probably would have changed this or changed that.
[00:13:28] So it's definitely a learning curve I found with.
[00:13:30] Definitely. A lot of trial and error.
[00:13:32] Yeah, for sure.
[00:13:33] They did a very small scale, but it was interesting.
[00:13:36] What would you say to someone that is looking to grow their audience,
[00:13:40] whether it be like a small business, you know, like ours or someone maybe like
[00:13:43] just getting started?
[00:13:44] Yeah. Do you mean in regards to social media or anything?
[00:13:47] Yeah, kind of growing like your account.
[00:13:51] I would say honestly, don't focus too much on trends.
[00:13:57] Like I think trends are a great way to get eyeballs.
[00:14:02] But if you're just copying and pasting, you know, what's trending right now?
[00:14:06] What should I use for an audio or transition?
[00:14:09] Sure, that might get you some eyeballs, but that's not what's going to hook
[00:14:12] your audience and like bring them in and connect with you.
[00:14:16] I know it sounds really cheesy,
[00:14:18] but authenticity is easily the most important thing that you can do.
[00:14:21] And that's what's going to set you apart from people who just, you know,
[00:14:25] oh, this is trendy. Let me just try this out and try this out just to get eyes.
[00:14:29] You want to really be able to connect with your audience
[00:14:32] and make them feel like they've learned something from you or have taken away
[00:14:37] something from your content. Yeah.
[00:14:40] Do you think like the like matters?
[00:14:42] Because I feel like you could be educational,
[00:14:44] but it's like the challenge is probably making it educational
[00:14:47] and entertaining and entertaining in like a small amount of time.
[00:14:52] Yeah, I think
[00:14:54] at least for me, what I try to do for my content
[00:14:57] is have a goal for each piece that I release.
[00:14:59] So, you know, sometimes there are just fun videos
[00:15:02] that are just entertaining and that's really it.
[00:15:05] And then sometimes there are videos that dive into a specific fashion topic
[00:15:09] and it's educational and people can take away from that.
[00:15:11] I think as long as you're kind of being intentional with whatever you're doing,
[00:15:16] it'll go a long way instead of just like throwing out whatever
[00:15:19] like in the wind. I think as long as you are
[00:15:23] as long as you are planned in that way, I think you should be
[00:15:27] good. Yeah.
[00:15:29] So with this clothing brand that you're releasing, is it now out?
[00:15:34] Not yet. April.
[00:15:35] OK. We're thinking.
[00:15:36] And are you mostly just distributing like online on your website?
[00:15:40] Yep. Everything is e-commerce.
[00:15:41] Yeah. What did you use for the back end of that platform?
[00:15:45] Yeah. So we are using Shopify,
[00:15:48] but it was also really important for us to not give a typical shopping
[00:15:52] experience. We wanted to be a little bit unique and a little bit different
[00:15:56] and again, like our whole backbone is the fact that we want to be a resource
[00:16:01] for people. So not just clothes, but a tool for life.
[00:16:05] And so we were looking through the Shopify themes that they have
[00:16:09] and we just felt like we wanted something a little bit more custom.
[00:16:13] So Shopify is still our back end, but we're actually working
[00:16:17] with an incredible team of web developers to bring together this
[00:16:20] really cool feature that allows you to visualize all the mix and match
[00:16:24] pieces together on the site.
[00:16:26] It sounds extremely costly.
[00:16:28] It is, but I think it's it's a very good use of the money.
[00:16:33] Like I think it'll go a long way.
[00:16:35] And how much of like how much do you invest in something like this?
[00:16:41] Or is it like, do you kind of go into debt for something like this?
[00:16:45] Is it something like you save for and make you kind of are you all in on it?
[00:16:49] Like what's a like a wise way to kind of launch something like that?
[00:16:53] Yeah, I mean, I think it really depends on your personal circumstance,
[00:16:57] you know, before going into an endeavor like this.
[00:17:00] I know it's varies very differently depending on the person for us.
[00:17:05] I'm grateful enough to be in the position where through all the sponsorships
[00:17:10] that I have been working on for the past few years,
[00:17:13] we're in the position where we can go all in, not to say that, you know,
[00:17:18] we're still trying to be a little bit risk averse, but at the same time,
[00:17:22] we're just extremely confident in the product and in the solution that we're
[00:17:26] providing that we're definitely going all in for sure.
[00:17:30] Yeah. And did you do like market research?
[00:17:33] You have like projections of like, hey, I think we're going to do
[00:17:35] X amount in sales, like first quarter or second quarter and that kind of thing.
[00:17:39] So for us, I think one of the biggest challenges that we faced
[00:17:43] is the fact that, you know, we've never done anything like this before.
[00:17:47] And even if somebody has 10 million followers, you know,
[00:17:52] you don't actually know how many of those people are willing to actually
[00:17:56] support in a monetary sense.
[00:17:59] So for us, it was definitely a shot in the dark for this first launch
[00:18:03] and how much we should actually order to be manufactured.
[00:18:07] But I think we did a pretty hopefully we did a pretty good estimate
[00:18:11] and it only just improves the more that you sell and the more data that you can get.
[00:18:15] So yeah. Is it did you do like a breakdown?
[00:18:18] It's like, OK, I have this many followers.
[00:18:20] I can project that X percent is going to buy a little bit.
[00:18:25] So over the past few months, we've been building out an email list
[00:18:28] and, you know, we have all of our rain social medias
[00:18:31] and we've been promoting this brand for a while to try to somewhat gauge
[00:18:37] the amount of interest that we have.
[00:18:39] But again, it's all like we won't really know until we actually launch
[00:18:43] and then we can kind of play around with the numbers from there.
[00:18:46] But yeah. And do you foresee it?
[00:18:48] Are you trying to keep it just kind of to like your brand and your website?
[00:18:52] Or do you have any bigger goals to kind of like go beyond that
[00:18:56] and have in retail and department stores?
[00:18:59] As of right now, we don't really have any goals of retail.
[00:19:02] Like that's not something on our radar, I'm sure at some point perhaps.
[00:19:06] But in general, we really want this brand
[00:19:10] to grow so big that it has nothing to do with me as a content creator.
[00:19:17] Like I hope to one day walk down the street and see somebody
[00:19:19] wearing a whole rain mix and match outfit and have absolutely no clue who I am.
[00:19:25] Like, of course, because I already have cultivated an amazing audience,
[00:19:29] you know, I'm grateful to have those eyeballs,
[00:19:32] but we want this to be so big that yeah, people have no clue
[00:19:35] like who I am as an individual.
[00:19:39] Now, speaking of that, like when you're out and do people recognize you?
[00:19:44] Sometimes, yeah, especially in like city areas.
[00:19:47] Yeah. And you said you mentioned your fiance who's here in studio with us.
[00:19:53] He's engaged in something right now.
[00:19:56] But is he still is he like full time kind of working on this with you?
[00:20:00] Or is he still at his company?
[00:20:02] Yes. So he made the jump a couple of months ago.
[00:20:06] I believe they could spend about six months and he quit his job.
[00:20:10] So now we're doing this together full time.
[00:20:13] He was in software, right?
[00:20:14] Yes. Software engineer.
[00:20:16] Awesome. Very cool.
[00:20:17] So it makes sense.
[00:20:18] He's kind of like doing the back end kind of technical stuff.
[00:20:20] A little cool. Yeah. I think it's great.
[00:20:22] We work really well together and we balance each other out
[00:20:26] because I tackle more of the creative side and the marketing side.
[00:20:29] And he does all the analytics and all the back end and he loves it.
[00:20:33] And those are areas that I'm not particularly jumping out of bed for.
[00:20:38] So it's great that he has an interest for it and vice versa.
[00:20:41] You know, he personally couldn't care less about, oh, should this, you know,
[00:20:48] mock neck Bolero be like an inch shorter or not?
[00:20:51] Like he's not particularly interested in women's fashion.
[00:20:54] So it's great that I have that other side to it and together we work really well.
[00:20:58] Yeah. What is your favorite part about what it is you do?
[00:21:02] In regards to rain or in regards to content creation,
[00:21:06] maybe both as like a sum of all the things that you work on.
[00:21:09] Some of all things I think for me, it's just well, number one,
[00:21:16] then this is more so I guess it applies for both.
[00:21:19] I think is growing an audience and, you know,
[00:21:22] building a community that I feel like is just so incredibly supportive
[00:21:27] and kind and cool.
[00:21:29] For instance, for our first rain photo shoot that's coming up
[00:21:34] in a couple of days, actually, we really wanted to pull from our community
[00:21:40] and we didn't just want to hire models that have no interest in the actual
[00:21:43] clothing and like the pieces that, you know, they're wearing.
[00:21:46] Like we figured if we already have a community that seems so passionate about it,
[00:21:51] why not have them represent the pieces? Right.
[00:21:54] And so it was so cool getting to speak with these people.
[00:21:56] We had meetings with like Zoom meetings and model casting calls.
[00:22:01] And it was just so cool to see a bunch of people that I've never met
[00:22:06] and they know our story and they know, you know, our brand.
[00:22:09] And I just I'm just so grateful for that.
[00:22:12] So I think overall, that's just been the coolest thing for me.
[00:22:16] That does sound that's awesome.
[00:22:19] Have you done photo shoots like that before?
[00:22:22] This will be the first one.
[00:22:24] I myself have done photo shoots, but believe it or not,
[00:22:28] I'm actually taking the photos. So wish me luck.
[00:22:32] Yeah. Nice.
[00:22:33] I might have to like email you for some pointers.
[00:22:36] So yeah, wish me luck on that.
[00:22:38] Are you going to model any of the clothes yourself?
[00:22:39] Yes, I think so. Yeah.
[00:22:41] Now, do you see yourself being like kind of like the face of the brand to start?
[00:22:45] I think to start, yes.
[00:22:47] Because again, most of the people who know Rain know it through me,
[00:22:52] but eventually I definitely want to kind of phase out a little bit
[00:22:56] and not take a backseat, but not be the face of the brand.
[00:23:01] My amazing assistant Jane, who you've met,
[00:23:05] she's actually going to be transitioning into a full time role specifically for Rain.
[00:23:09] So she won't really be on the vivacious assistant side,
[00:23:12] but she'll be tackling rain social media.
[00:23:15] And so I'm really excited to have her, you know, voice and her take on it as well.
[00:23:20] And for me to kind of transition out of just being the sole presence of Rain.
[00:23:26] How many full time people do you have?
[00:23:28] As of right now, it's just me, Jason and Jane.
[00:23:32] And you know, we're working with like web developers and everything,
[00:23:35] but those are more like contractors, so not on the team.
[00:23:38] OK. So as a wedding company, you know, you're getting married.
[00:23:43] Yes. What has been that process, that experience?
[00:23:49] It's been honestly surprisingly good.
[00:23:52] Like I guess I say surprisingly because, you know,
[00:23:56] a lot of people say that wedding planning is extremely stressful.
[00:23:59] And it was for sure, but in a good way.
[00:24:03] Like something that you know, I'm just super excited for.
[00:24:06] And I've had a lot of support, you know, Jane helps me a lot.
[00:24:09] My bridesmaids helped me a lot.
[00:24:10] So it's been smooth sailing for sure.
[00:24:13] How did you go about like finding your venue, picking your vendors, that kind of thing?
[00:24:17] Yeah, just through honestly, social media a lot.
[00:24:21] I found out to be very, very helpful.
[00:24:24] I know every time a vendor works a wedding, they typically tag the other vendors.
[00:24:29] And so I kind of did like a breadcrumb trail where I would tap this person who is tagged
[00:24:34] and then I would kind of follow somebody else they tagged.
[00:24:37] That's kind of how I found you guys.
[00:24:39] So I was looking into the venue because I knew I wanted that venue.
[00:24:43] And so I looked up videos of it and one of them was your video.
[00:24:47] OK. Kind of like that.
[00:24:49] Just like a little breadcrumb.
[00:24:50] We won't mention the venue.
[00:24:52] I don't know if you have stalkers.
[00:24:53] Oh, no, the X thing already.
[00:24:55] So OK. All right.
[00:24:57] And with Jason, did you guys kind of collaborate?
[00:25:02] And like or was it just like, hey, like whatever you want to do for venue?
[00:25:06] Was he kind of did he have anything where he's just like, no, no, I want this florist.
[00:25:11] No, no, no, no, not at all.
[00:25:13] He's not super interested in the nitty gritty of the wedding details
[00:25:18] over the planning or anything.
[00:25:20] The only thing that he was really, really picky on and, you know,
[00:25:24] he put his foot down was that he did not want to first look.
[00:25:28] He wanted a traditional I want to see you like walking down the aisle.
[00:25:31] Oh, OK. That's nice.
[00:25:33] It's romantic. Yeah, I think so too.
[00:25:35] I feel like sometimes people do the first look just to get the nerves out a little bit.
[00:25:39] Oh, see, that's the thing I said, oh, let's do a first look
[00:25:42] because I know I'm going to cry a ton.
[00:25:44] Like I'm going to be like falling my eyes out.
[00:25:47] And I was like, it'll be great.
[00:25:48] I'll just cry a bunch, fix myself up and then we can do the ceremony.
[00:25:51] And that's when he was like, no, like I want you to be bawling your eyes
[00:25:56] as you're walking down the aisle and not care what people think.
[00:25:59] So those is take you just be like mascara.
[00:26:02] Like the whole thing. Oh, yeah, it'll be not like a pretty
[00:26:05] like one tear falling down my face, like bawling.
[00:26:09] Are you guys having your like bridesmaids
[00:26:12] groomsmen like up there for the? Yes.
[00:26:14] Everybody. Yeah.
[00:26:15] So they'll be all walking down in Paris first.
[00:26:17] And what are you most excited about for the wedding?
[00:26:20] Walking down the aisle and seeing him. Yeah.
[00:26:22] And if you ask him the same question, it'll be the same thing.
[00:26:25] Seeing me. Jason, is that true?
[00:26:31] Nice.
[00:26:34] Are you going with a band or a DJ?
[00:26:37] A DJ, but for the ceremony, we're doing live musicians.
[00:26:41] OK, we saw at one wedding there was a violinist.
[00:26:45] Yes, that came down the aisle like and then the bride kind of came behind us.
[00:26:49] That's very I'd never seen that before. Yeah, it's cool.
[00:26:52] Yeah. So you're you're from Massachusetts, right?
[00:26:58] How did you land in like Rhode Island?
[00:27:00] Do you how do you frequent here?
[00:27:02] A lot not at all, actually.
[00:27:04] I think when we visited the venue, I believe that was my first time
[00:27:08] in Rhode Island. I think so.
[00:27:10] I might have driven through at some points, but never really stayed
[00:27:14] or explored the area.
[00:27:17] It was really honestly for the venue aesthetic.
[00:27:20] I felt that a lot of places in Massachusetts or New Hampshire,
[00:27:24] because we're on the mass New Hampshire border are beautiful and great.
[00:27:28] But a lot of them are more rustic feeling like barnyard wedding venues.
[00:27:33] And that's just something that didn't really resonate with us.
[00:27:36] So we wanted something a little bit more modern,
[00:27:39] a little bit more clean and bright and open and Newport Beach House was just perfect.
[00:27:43] Yeah, their venues, not that they're all like that,
[00:27:46] but they do have like that in Belmere.
[00:27:49] Was that one that you looked at as well?
[00:27:51] Online, but I don't think we visited.
[00:27:53] Yeah, that's a similar look.
[00:27:55] But Newport Beach House has a very just like kind of like more modern.
[00:27:59] Yes, definitely.
[00:28:00] Like kind of like a cool edge to it.
[00:28:02] And it's great.
[00:28:04] My friend, I think actually had one of the when the first they like remodeled it.
[00:28:07] He was like the first one to get married there.
[00:28:09] But I remember thinking like this is a beautiful spot.
[00:28:12] I think you got a great deal on it because it was 10 years ago.
[00:28:15] But awesome.
[00:28:17] So besides rain, anything else that's kind of coming up that you're looking to do?
[00:28:23] The pipeline.
[00:28:25] I don't know.
[00:28:26] I really feel like, you know, I mean, there's a lot going on
[00:28:29] right with the wedding and the launch and everything.
[00:28:31] But I think rain is going to be our baby until the actual babies.
[00:28:38] So that's kind of the plan, right?
[00:28:40] To grow a brand.
[00:28:42] I'm hoping that with this brand, I can be a little bit less in front of the cameras.
[00:28:49] So I'm thinking that with this brand again, I can take a little bit more of a backseat
[00:28:53] from being in front of the camera all day and hopefully focus on a family.
[00:28:57] Yeah.
[00:28:58] I know you had mentioned that at the Q&A that we did for you guys.
[00:29:02] And that was that was something that stuck out to me that,
[00:29:06] you know, you were kind of interested in having a family and kind of get into that.
[00:29:11] How old are you? I'm 23. 23.
[00:29:13] Oh, so you're even on the other side now.
[00:29:15] Are you planning on going like right into having a family?
[00:29:17] It really depends on how the brand goes, right?
[00:29:21] Ideally, I think right now we're thinking maybe when I'm 26, 27, looking into that.
[00:29:27] But I feel like I have a lot of ambitions for myself in my career.
[00:29:30] So it just depends on how the next few years pan out.
[00:29:33] Yeah.
[00:29:35] It does seem like with your audience and your ideas, like it could be really big.
[00:29:40] So yeah, that'd be amazing.
[00:29:43] And so focus on the brand and the family.
[00:29:47] Do you find like that would the family would take a pause?
[00:29:50] Like if it was, you know, if you were to go like nationwide with this brand
[00:29:52] or kind of get some big deals with it?
[00:29:55] Maybe, but you know, the more that you scale a brand,
[00:29:59] you can hopefully hire people that also, you know, can take over.
[00:30:03] I think for me, I love, you know, doing my own thing and I love working
[00:30:10] and I love this career that I have.
[00:30:12] But I think, you know, I do really want to be a mother.
[00:30:15] So I think if it came to that point, that's the path I would choose.
[00:30:21] Yeah.
[00:30:22] And I met your mother speaking of mothers.
[00:30:24] Yes.
[00:30:25] What was her, you know, being an older generation, what was her understanding
[00:30:30] of like your career path and, you know, did she have concerns about that?
[00:30:34] And what's her thoughts on it now?
[00:30:37] I think, you know, she definitely had some concerns and honestly, rightfully so,
[00:30:42] right? Social media career is so incredibly new in general
[00:30:46] and it's still growing and evolving every single day.
[00:30:50] So again, rightfully so that she had her inhibitions about it.
[00:30:54] But she's always been very supportive.
[00:30:57] And I think also, you know, I didn't just
[00:31:01] drop out of college and just say, I'm going for it.
[00:31:03] I kind of did both and then kind of saw how it was going.
[00:31:07] And then when it became, you know, stable and lucrative, that's when I decided
[00:31:10] to take the plunge. So I think because I progressed into it slowly,
[00:31:15] it made her feel a lot more comfortable.
[00:31:17] And did you have like once you got out of college, did you have like
[00:31:20] were you in the field that you went to school for?
[00:31:24] I started so when it was quarantine, I was in, I believe, my junior year of college.
[00:31:30] So by the time senior year was around,
[00:31:34] it had gotten to the point where I felt comfortable just diving into it as soon
[00:31:38] as I graduated. Yeah.
[00:31:40] And with your college education, do you do you still have student loans
[00:31:44] and all that stuff that year?
[00:31:46] Thankfully not. No.
[00:31:47] Yeah, I got some good scholarships and I went to a state school
[00:31:52] and my parents were so kind enough to definitely help me out as well.
[00:31:57] That thankfully, like I'm all set there.
[00:31:59] Yeah, that's really good.
[00:32:01] I know a lot of people probably kind of get stuck in those student loans
[00:32:03] and can't pursue something just because they have that over their head.
[00:32:07] Yeah, I think I think again, it was really the timing that I started at all
[00:32:12] was really beneficial for me because I have a lot of friends who are saying,
[00:32:15] you know, I want to start content creation, but I know it's a huge time
[00:32:19] commitment and I'm also working a nine to five.
[00:32:22] So I'm grateful enough to not have had to struggle with that
[00:32:26] because I think it's a bit more manageable doing content creation
[00:32:29] while you're in university versus a nine to five job.
[00:32:32] Right.
[00:32:33] Do you have any friends that kind of have senior trajectory
[00:32:37] and said, hey, can you help me?
[00:32:39] Like, I'd like to do the same thing and that you've kind of coached them
[00:32:43] and they've had some success with it.
[00:32:46] Maybe a little.
[00:32:47] I would say my closest friends, they all have their own careers
[00:32:51] that they're really passionate about.
[00:32:53] I definitely would say a lot of people come to me online
[00:32:55] for my community who ask for a little bit of guidance or tips.
[00:32:58] But I would say my close circle of friends aren't influencers
[00:33:02] or aren't super interested in the field.
[00:33:05] And is that would you ever consider doing something like that?
[00:33:08] Like some kind of because I do see content creators sometimes give
[00:33:12] advice on their channel of like, do these three things,
[00:33:16] you know, if you're looking to have a real takeoff.
[00:33:20] Do you see yourself doing anything like that or even like consulting in that area?
[00:33:24] It's definitely something that Jason and I have considered
[00:33:26] even as a business opportunity because I know a lot of content creators
[00:33:31] go down that path where they start selling guidebooks and courses.
[00:33:36] I would say maybe in the future, but I'm still so passionate about
[00:33:40] you know, fashion as opposed to scaling or social media growth.
[00:33:45] Yeah. Are there any influencers that you follow that you are like big fans of?
[00:33:51] Oh, yeah, definitely.
[00:33:53] Jenim, she's a creator that I definitely look up to
[00:33:56] because I feel like we kind of follow or I feel like I'm following
[00:34:00] in her footsteps a little bit her trajectory of, you know,
[00:34:03] she was in fashion, she worked her ass off.
[00:34:06] She started her clothing brand and then she started raising a family
[00:34:09] and she's living a bit more of a low key life.
[00:34:12] Like that's something, you know, that I aspire towards.
[00:34:14] And definitely other creators that for one, Delaney Childs is somebody
[00:34:19] that I've looked up to for a while and I recently met her at an event
[00:34:24] and you know, it's like little moments like that that are just so crazy to me.
[00:34:30] You know, somebody that I've looked up to for so long
[00:34:32] and then getting to meet them.
[00:34:33] And yeah, there's been a lot of experiences like that.
[00:34:36] Did she aware of your channel?
[00:34:38] Yeah, she followed me back.
[00:34:40] I think at some point we were mutuals, but it was so funny
[00:34:43] because like I'm just like, oh, another content creator in my head.
[00:34:46] I'm like, wow, like look at that person.
[00:34:48] Like I admire them so much.
[00:34:49] So a lot of really cool moments for sure.
[00:34:55] And you guys, I know you're Massachusetts residents.
[00:34:58] Do you guys currently out there?
[00:35:00] Do you rent the own a home?
[00:35:02] Yes, to get married.
[00:35:03] Are you going to buy what's here?
[00:35:05] Currently we rent.
[00:35:07] I would love to have a house.
[00:35:09] It's just this market right now doesn't really make sense.
[00:35:13] And I think the timing as well with the investment of rain
[00:35:16] and the wedding coming up, it just doesn't really make sense for us.
[00:35:20] But we're hoping, you know, depending on how the brand goes,
[00:35:23] maybe even exploring, you know, building a house of our own or something.
[00:35:27] So definitely in the foreseeable future, just not quite yet.
[00:35:31] Yeah, I know, Jan, who you met a little bit earlier, he's very into fashion.
[00:35:35] I'm not sure if he told you so he might be pitching you some ideas.
[00:35:39] That'll be great.
[00:35:40] Yeah, he I know he has a fashion brand himself.
[00:35:43] I'm not sure if he pushes it, but he's just he wants to go to like
[00:35:46] the New York shows and that kind of thing.
[00:35:48] But he's been very into it.
[00:35:51] So 10 year what's your five 10 year goal?
[00:35:55] Wow, five 10 year goal.
[00:35:57] Again, I'm going to reiterate myself here.
[00:35:59] Hopefully I have a family.
[00:36:00] Yeah, that's really what I want.
[00:36:01] I mean, I don't know.
[00:36:04] I feel like, you know, I'm still young and, you know,
[00:36:06] my career is still taking off.
[00:36:08] But I feel like, you know, everything that I've done so far
[00:36:13] and this is a personal me problem, everything that I've done so far,
[00:36:17] I don't feel like I'll get as much fulfillment as I would with a family.
[00:36:23] Yeah, like there's there's so many blessings on this path that I'm in.
[00:36:27] But I think, yeah, true fulfillment for me will be starting a family.
[00:36:30] Yeah, speaking of fulfillment, what are some things that I like
[00:36:35] that you're doing currently or it's just like this is so fulfilling?
[00:36:38] Like I love this aspect of again, the community is a huge one.
[00:36:46] I think another thing too is learning something new.
[00:36:50] Right. So of course, when I started
[00:36:52] Concentration, that was completely new to me.
[00:36:54] But you know, you do it for three years,
[00:36:55] you kind of feel like you got somewhat the hang of it.
[00:36:58] It's just refreshing to find something new that's challenging.
[00:37:02] And so with rain, that's definitely been a huge challenge.
[00:37:05] So working on that, creating the designs, you know,
[00:37:09] learning more about the technical side of it that's been really fulfilling.
[00:37:12] And then another huge component is working with my best friend,
[00:37:16] working with my fiance like that's been.
[00:37:18] Though you met Jane for a second.
[00:37:20] Her too. She's also great.
[00:37:23] Yeah, I think it's just working with your partner
[00:37:27] also has a lot of challenges.
[00:37:29] And I think that's also just so exciting and so fulfilling.
[00:37:33] So and when you say designing like these concepts,
[00:37:36] are you the sketching them out?
[00:37:37] You're trying really? Yes.
[00:37:39] How's your drawing skills?
[00:37:40] I was an art geek in high school.
[00:37:43] So there's that very cool.
[00:37:45] And this like what is this called this design here?
[00:37:48] So this is not ours.
[00:37:50] The dress is this is not ours, but this is called a Bolero.
[00:37:53] And we're releasing a mock neck Bolero for our first launch,
[00:37:57] but not in the knit fabric.
[00:37:58] I appreciate you guys stopping by and kind of chatting.
[00:38:02] Is there anything else that you want to like maybe mention
[00:38:04] to the audience to do a plug on your social media?
[00:38:07] What's coming up?
[00:38:08] I guess what's coming up is honestly just, you know, the rain launch.
[00:38:12] We're hoping for early to mid April.
[00:38:15] So right before the wedding.
[00:38:16] So that'll be kind of a crazy month.
[00:38:19] But if you're interested, join the email list.
[00:38:23] That's where we give a lot of sneak peeks
[00:38:25] and a lot of behind the scenes.
[00:38:27] And we really dive into the whole process
[00:38:30] because, you know, social media is an amazing tool of communication.
[00:38:34] But especially if you're a short form creator like myself,
[00:38:37] you know, there's only so much you can really dive into for 15 to 30 seconds.
[00:38:42] So the email list is a great place if you want to see a whole deep dive.
[00:38:46] Cool. And last question here.
[00:38:49] Is rain going to be a women's only fashion line or will there be men's stuff?
[00:38:53] I mean, anyone can wear it.
[00:38:54] But I would say it's definitely men's fashion is definitely something on the radar.
[00:39:02] But there's just so much that I want to explore with, you know, women's fashion first.
[00:39:07] Yeah, I only say that just because like fashion for me is like I like fashion,
[00:39:12] but it's hard to find things that I like.
[00:39:15] Yeah. And I usually just like simple things, you know, very simple palette.
[00:39:19] And, you know, so I like the idea of like you buy four things
[00:39:22] and you can just like have endless.
[00:39:24] Yeah, combinations and switch them up.
[00:39:26] I've heard that a lot actually, like a lot of men, you know, say like,
[00:39:30] I feel like this would work even better for me.
[00:39:32] So whenever I walk into like department stores and things like that,
[00:39:35] I find like the women's clothes are just have such a better design to them
[00:39:39] than men's clothes and the men's clothes.
[00:39:41] It's like an afterthought for sure.
[00:39:43] Yeah. So don't forget us.
[00:39:46] I won't. For sure. It's on the radar. Awesome.
[00:39:49] All right. Well, thank you for tuning in.
[00:39:50] Hopefully this has been educational and thank you again for stopping by.
[00:39:53] Thank you for having us.