How I Became a Successful Entrepreneur

My Story…

I don’t think I’ve ever written a post detailing my career story and how I became a blogger/YouTuber/entrepreneur. I’m excited! (Don’t worry, I’ll give you the Cliffs Notes, not the full novel.) Before I dive in, QVC compensated me for this post… in an effort to share more about their Dream, Dare, Do movement. Their mission is to help women supporting women. It’s such a simple concept, and yet one that definitely needs to be reinforced.

[clickToTweet tweet=”One of the keys to being an entrepreneur is passion. If you love what you do, you won’t quit. ~Erin xo” quote=”One of the keys to being an entrepreneur is passion. If you love what you do, you won’t quit. ~Erin xo”]

There are SO many successful, female entrepreneurs, building businesses on QVC. Here are some of my favorite products by these inspiring women!

2004 Democratic National Convention w/ Dan Rather

Entrepreneurial Spirit

From the time I was little girl, I had an entrepreneurial spirit. I once made $20 with a lemonade stand, charging only 25 cents per lemonade.  Unbeknownst to my mother, I also hosted a garage sale, selling off some of her favorite treasures from the house! I was always dreaming up businesses, and ways to make money.

While I was a producer at WCBS-TV in New York City (above), I started a media consulting business, training magazine editors and business owners, to maximize their TV appearances.

Marriage & Move to Texas

After I got married and moved to Texas, I went around interviewing at the local TV stations, but my heart just wasn’t in it anymore.

My husband asked me what I would do for free. My response was simple, I wanted to help women look pretty. I started Busbee Style soon afterwards.

San Antonio Living TV Show

Magazine Shoot I Styled 

Early Busbee Style

In the beginning, my website was more like a business card. It was a place to advertise my services, explain how the personal styling process works, and also share more about my background.

To generate revenue, I turned to my traditional media roots… magazines and TV.  At one point, I was doing a weekly style segment on our local lifestyle TV show. I contributed to several print and online publications. I also styled dozens of photo shoots (see above) and fashion shows.

After several years, I was ready for something different.

Experimental Phase

As an entrepreneur, you are always coming up with new ways to try and grow your business. About 3 years into Busbee Style, I got involved with product development.

I invented, “Pocket Pops” (above) an accessory that customizes young girls’ jeans, and I also designed a go-to sheath dress that you could wear multiple ways.

Both of these ventures were unsuccessful. But, as any entrepreneur would tell you, when one door closes, another opens.
The failure freed me to truly focus on my website and YouTube channel, which helped me grow tremendously… and find more fiscal success!

Speaking of fiscal success, did you know, Jamie Kern Lima, the founder of It Cosmetics, build “It” into a 1.2 billion dollar business? She’s amazing.
My favorite It Cosmetics products are below.

Reward Style Conference | This Gorgeous Crew is all Over 40!

Discovering RewardStyle

The key to building my business online was getting accepted by RewardStyle. It took six months, a little begging… and a referral from a wonderful friend, Heather Anderson, but I finally got in!

RewardStyle enables bloggers to monetize their websites through affiliate links. Everytime someone clicks on your affiliate link and makes a purchase, you make a small percentage. Transitioning my business online was quite humbling at first, but I quickly realized the potential.

This business model has allowed me to work with some of my all-time favorite brands and businesses like QVC!

From Left, Heather Anderson, Cathy Williamson, Tanya Foster, me, and Samantha Stewart

First NYFW with Samantha Stewart, Style of Sam… and Heather Anderson, So Heather

Women Supporting Women

Through my blog and YouTube channel, not only have I been able to help hundreds of thousands of women with their personal style, I’ve also promoted dozens of womens’ businesses.  Additionally, I have met some of the most incredible women along the way.

There is NO way I could have built my business without the help and support of other women, especially this blogger crew above. We have gone on trips together, shared resources, collaborated together. Being a blogger and youtuber can be quite lonely. I truly cherish these moments when I get to network and brainstorm with inspiring and accomplished women.

Key Takeaways

There are SO many invaluable lessons I’ve learned. If I were to offer one piece of advice to someone starting out it would be… learn as much as you can on someone else’s dime. Making money through a blog or YouTube channel takes a long time.

You could start out by offering to help a blogger you admire for a small amount of money, while keeping your day job. That way you can really assess whether it’s something you want to do. You will also fine tune your skills and niche. The competition is getting tougher so having a different point of view, or area of expertise is very helpful.

Remember, I was a journalist, then a stylist. Through BusbeeStyle, I am using ALL of those skills I learned as a TV journalist (writing, reporting, editing, etc.) AND, all of the expertise I gleaned while working as a stylist. Again…I firmly believe that you have to have a unique voice to share, or something educational to offer readers and viewers.

I make sure that every blog and video has takeaways…

Are you an entrepreneur? What advice do you have that you think would help other women? Please comment and let us know below.

BusbeeStyle Today

Fast forward FOUR years into my blogging and YouTube career, I’ve made it into the TOP 200 with RewardStyle for my 3rd year in a row. YouTube named me one of their “Women to Watch” here. I’ve been featured on major brands’ Instagram pages and websites. And, I’m regularly collaborating with some of the most amazing brands, including QVC!

I DO think it’s important to mention that this isn’t an easy gig, nor do I think it’s for everyone, but for me…it’s an honor and privilege. I absolutely LOVE what I do!

QVC

I hope you will help me support other female entrepreneurs.  Some of my favorite brands created by women at QVC are below.

Also, just wanted to mention that in honor of International Women’s Day, QVC and participating vendors will donate a minimum of $250,000 to benefit Nest, a global, nonprofit committed to the social and economic advancement of women. Nest focuses on female artisans who might not have the resources they need to succeed. How amazing! You can find out more about the initiative here.

Please let me know if you have any questions… just comment below. Don’t forget to subscribe to my exclusive newsletter.
Thank you SO much for stopping by!