We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Omaima Doghmi a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Omaima, thanks for joining us today. Do you wish you had started sooner?

Before we dive into this segment, I want to first start off by stating the following: There is a time and place for EVERYTHING!

Okay, let’s dive right in! YES, of course as I am reflecting about my creative career I wish I had embarked on this exciting journey sooner. The social media journey thus far has been fruitful, celebratory, and just plain amazing. It is so nice to be able to connect with folks from around the world because I decided to share my lifestyle and travels with them. This creative career has brought me so many humbling opportunities that I am super grateful for. However, here’s the thing – not until recently (literally the past 12 months) did I decide on what kind of content to create and what my niche will be. Before I embarked on this social media journey, I was in engineering school in Boston and was tampering around with a travel blog, formerly known as ‘Travel Bougie.’ I had no idea I would be filming YouTube vlogs for a Moroccan audience just a short 3 years later. I feel like every single event in life that I lived through equipped me with the necessary skills and resources to make the decision to start vlogging- and that is OKAY because you have to trust the process and just know that again, there is a time and place for everything.

Looking back, I would not change a single thing when I embarked on my creative career. I am super grateful that I made the decision to post on YouTube and Instagram after I secured my first job out of university as it allowed me to invest in my YouTube business and invest in myself as an influencer. Each vlog I create is now a forever memory that will live online, celebrating the past. It is truly amazing!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

For sure! My name is Omaima Doghmi and I am a YouTuber, Content Creator, and Influencer. I am based in the following cities: Scottsdale, Los Angeles, and Chicago. On YouTube, I create travel and lifestyle vlogs with my family that leave viewers motivated and happy (our energy is contagious)! On Instagram, I love sharing bits and pieces of my Moroccan culture. My content features traditional Moroccan clothing and traditions as well as ‘Day in the Life’ mini-vlogs. I work A LOT to ensure I am creating high quality content for my followers (who really are my virtual family) as my main goal is to leave every single viewer feeling a boost of energy and motivation. I am super proud of how much positivity my videos leave viewers with. Everyday, I receive messages and comments saying how happy people are after watching my vlogs – this brings me so much fulfillment and joy; it gives me the motivation to continue to CREATE and make vlogs!

Some more information about me: I studied Mechanical Engineering at Boston University. I have a passion for piloting drones and capturing content from up above and so, I fly drones for fun and feature the videos in my content creation. I also competed USAG Gymnastics for over 13 years and represented the state of Illinois in the Region V Championship in 2012. I just launched my white-label clothing brand Armoire D’Omaima which offers unlimited trendy, elegant, and chic outfits for a monthly subscription. Lastly, I was just casted for a reality TV show that will premiere on Netflix later this year/early 2024.

I love inserting myself in unfamiliar settings as this type of environment fosters growth. I am super excited to head into this year with lots of exciting opportunities so stay tuned!

Have you ever had to pivot?

When I was in university, I had a travel blog named ‘Travel Bougie.’ In this blog, I blogged about my travels and wrote about best places to visit, where to eat, what to see, etc. After I grew the blog to over 14,000 followers, I had a serious conversation with myself. I realized that the blog diverted my attention from engineering school to pure blogging. I was not ready for the commitment at the time. I made the difficult decision to stop blogging and focus on my studies. Looking back at this, it was the best decision I ever made because my focus in school enabled me to graduate, get a job in tech, and fund my now creative career with ease. Sometimes, taking a few steps backward will enable you to take 5 leaps forward. This statement is something I now live by because it is 100% valid.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Anyone with dedication and a consistency plan can become a content creator. I posted consistently on Instagram and YouTube and I saw growth, especially on Instagram. In under 1 year, I grew over 127,000 followers on Instagram and I think it was largely due to posting Reels. Instagram Reels is the fastest way to get discovered nowadays.

Some more advice: I know you probably heard this before, but seriously try to chime out all the negative thoughts. BE CRINGE. POST THE CRINGE. WHO CARES. You will find your niche and you have to go through all of these motions to find success. Chime out the negativity, try not to care about other people’s opinions, and keep posting consistently – I guarantee that you will find success.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.omaimadoghmi.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laladoghmi/?hl=en
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtwyUmW0wo-N_Y06xjgQuZA
• Other: Clothing Brand: https://www.armoiredomaima.com/