The Moms

Chriselle Lim

Founder of The Chriselle FactorLos Angeles, CAStory by Lauri LevenfeldPhotography by Karen Rosalie

Following suit with her team member Lauren Fong and our last mom-to-be, Chriselle Lim of The Chriselle Factor has made pregnancy look chic and amazing. She shares her latest styles today on Style Me Pretty; while we get the juicy behind- the-scenes talk on how Chriselle quickly grew her blogging business to incredible heights and why her positive, authentic spirit and her attention to high quality has led her to become one of the most loved and valued fashion bloggers.

 

My name is Chriselle Lim. I am a stylist, editor, and the founder of The Chriselle Factor. There were a lot of growing pains and ups and downs as I started to pave my own path as an entrepreneur. I started my blog/ channel four years ago as a creative outlet for me to share my passions around fashion. As things started to take off,  I realized quite quickly that I could make a business out of what I was creating. And although I have always felt I was more creative than business oriented, over the past few years this has changed as I continually learn needed skills to grow my business.

There are so many moving factors in running an online business-  building my audience, content development, monetization, networking, marketing & pr, managing finances, and of course team building. Needless to say there were many sleepless nights! Since high school I always knew I wanted to be in the fashion industry, but never did I know I was going to be in the digital space. Digital media is a relatively new space and I feel so lucky I was in the right place at the right time to take advantage of social media while pursuing my passion for fashion. 

I am in an industry that embraces women, so I have never faced any challenges being a woman.  However the biggest hurdle for me was crossing over from the fashion industry to the digital space. I came from the editorial world where everything was highly produced- photoshoots, hair & makeup, runway shows, etc. I quickly learned that the digital audience was quite different. Although they appreciated the glitz & the glam, that is not what they wanted to see. My audience wanted to see things that were authentic, real, and unproduced. Initially I was conflicted because I have always believed in quality over quantity,  and so, I went back & forth on what type of content I wanted to produce. It took me a while to find my online voice, but now that I have- I can proudly say that it’s authentic to who I am, but curated and editorialized at the same time. We found a good middle ground. The online audience wants to know what I do on a day-to-day basis- what I eat, what I do on my time off, how I look without hair and makeup done, about my family…. the real me.

My advice for anyone looking to get into the business is be yourself. I know it sounds so obvious and  simple, but with social media it is important to find your own voice and to stick with it!! When I first started in this business there were not as many people doing what I do, but now there are thousands. In order to stand out, you have to think outside of the box and think of interesting ways to collaborate with other content creators. Collaborations are key to growing your audience.

My biggest accomplishment up to date is becoming a mom. Of course there are so many amazing projects and partnerships I am incredibly proud of,  but becoming a mom is my biggest job yet.  The fact that I have been able to build a business where I can do what I love to do and take some time off when needed, still travel the world, and raise a child…I feel completely blessed!

Pregnancy has brought a lot of positive changes into my life, and although I haven’t necessarily figured out the perfect work/life balance yet (is there such a thing??), I’ve been able to prioritize and put things into perspective.  Before my pregnancy, my business consumed my entire life (luckily, I married a very patient and understanding man). But as of lately, I have found myself prioritizing my relationship and quality time with my family a lot more…

..Yes it comes with a bit of sacrifice, but I have come to a conclusion that you CAN have it all…but not all at once! There is a season for sowing and there is a season for reaping. I still work every day (and am just as equally obsessed with what I do),  but I have learned to “shut off” when the time is right. I have gotten more organized and more diligent with my work during my pregnancy. Pre-planning is key, and I am so thankful I have an amazing team that helps me stay this track.

My business has already started to change since I got pregnant. Pregnancy has given me the opportunity to expand on different topics and issues, which instantly opened up the lifestyle category for us. We’ve been covering more topics on health, fitness, and food than ever. And since my audience has been with me since I was single and fresh out of college, then through marriage, and now becoming a mom…it’s almost as if they’ve been through all of my BIG life changes.  Of course when the baby arrives I will have to adjust my working schedule a bit, but I look forward to these adjustments and the ability to fall back on a team that supports me.

I’ve been spending some time with dear friend & journalist Lisa Ling, and she’s given me a lot of great “working mom” advice. At first I was incredibly nervous and scared that my business would slow down once I had my baby, but after talking to Lisa she has given me so much hope and encouragement.

Yes, in the beginning I am going to take some time off, but once I get back to work mode I plan on being even more committed than I ever was. When you’re at work…be at work, and when you are at home…be with your kids (being on instagram at home doesn’t count!). Being committed and present at whatever you do is key. A successful career at the end of the day is doing what you love! Now that doesn’t mean that you love every menial daily task, and that doesn’t mean that you don’t have bad days, but it’s the bigger picture that really inspires you to keep moving and to keep growing. At the end of the day I’m doing all of this for my family.

I am most excited about EVERYTHING in becoming a mom! Being able to watch our baby grow and develop as she gets older, and of course–I’m not going to lie–dressing her up will be one of my greatest joys!

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