We were lucky to catch up with Chellie Carlson recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Chellie, thanks for joining us today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?
Determination, consistency, belief in yourself, and aligned action.
Chellie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am a Fashion Industry expert with over 20 years in the intimate apparel and women’s clothing industry.
After 18 years in the intimate apparel industry, I left to launch my Personal Brand and Wardrobe Styling business two weeks before the pandemic hit. I challenged myself to find new ways to work with clients and integrate my services into their lifestyles. I developed my signature service: The Method. I have since grown my business, client book, and team exponentially. I work with high-level individuals to elevate their wardrobes and unlock their true style potential to show up feeling good and looking better. My passion is to empower my clients to tap into their style as a tool for personal and professional growth.
I specialize in an in-depth styling approach starting from the “fit foundation”. The fit starts with the foundation, and I incorporate my extensive experience with intimates to lay down the perfect foundations for a perfectly tailored fit to elevate your wardrobe. The Method solidifies this and lays the groundwork for us to work together Seasonally or through The Membership program.
By guiding high-level individuals in unlocking their true style potential, I elevate their wardrobe so that they show up feeling their best and looking better.
Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.
After 18 years in the intimate apparel business, I left in February of 2020 to start Chellie Carlson Style. I had been styling clients as a side hustle for 5 years already, and by the time I decided to terminate with my employer mutually, I was making more doing that than at my 9-5. It was 2 weeks before Covid hit and best believe, I was not prepared for the world to come to a halt while founding my business. I never lost hope or stopped believing in myself though. I knew that this was my path and what I was made to be doing with my life. By the end of the year, I was booking out, by mid-2021, I had hired my first intern, and by May 2022, I had hired my first full-time employee. I now have a team of 5 – 3 interns, 1 employee, and me.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
Social media is so hard. Showing up for myself and my followers daily is the hardest part of my career. Having to put yourself online in your most glam, but also most vulnerable moments is terrifying and working through it is something I’m taking steps toward every day.
With social media, consistency is key. While I do not have the largest following, my followers are loyal to me and my content. I show up every day and post up to 6 times a week, keeping my content consistent, high level, and on brand. It’s about sharing everything from the exclusive to the mundane, but also touching that sweet middle ground where you’re not selling out your “secret sauce”. It’s different for everyone and there is no cheat sheet for building an audience because it’s about connecting with the people who follow you and curating your content to support your target audience.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.chelliecarlson.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/chelliecarlson
- Facebook: Facebook.com/chelliecarlson
- Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/chelliecarlson
- Other: tiktok.com/chelliecarlson
Image Credits
Ali Stone