About the Company

Fueled by Natalie's passion for conscious consumption, Sustainably Chic empowers individuals to cultivate wardrobes that reflect their values. The blog has become a premier resource for sustainable fashion enthusiasts, offering a wealth of informative content. Whether you're seeking to understand the core principles of sustainable fashion or discover brands that prioritize ethical practices, Sustainably Chic serves as your one-stop shop.

Beyond women's fashion, Natalie recognizes the multifaceted nature of fashion's influence. She tackles a diverse range of topics on Sustainably Chic, including men's and children's clothing, eco-friendly home decor, and green beauty products. This comprehensive approach underscores Natalie's belief in addressing all aspects of a sustainable lifestyle. Furthermore, the blog emphasizes the abundance of eco-conscious alternatives available, illuminating these options to its audience and empowering them to make informed choices.

Sustainably Chic's success is undeniable, boasting a loyal readership of over 60,000 visitors and a monthly revenue of $6,000. These numbers solidify the platform's position as a leading voice in sustainable fashion. Natalie's unwavering dedication to promoting conscious consumption and highlighting sustainable alternatives reflects her profound commitment to positive change within the fashion industry. Ultimately, Sustainably Chic empowers individuals to make a difference by viewing fashion as a force for environmental and social good.

Idea Behind Company

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With a rich background in fashion, Natalie's journey into sustainable fashion began during her college years in 2007. Despite her early exposure to the industry, it was her discovery of sustainability towards the end of her studies that ignited her passion. Frustrated by the fashion industry's wasteful practices and unethical treatment of workers, Natalie found renewed excitement in the prospect of applying sustainable principles to fashion. However, she found it challenging to find a community or platform dedicated to sustainable fashion, which inspired her to create her own.

In 2013, Natalie was working at a bridal and formal wear shop, nurturing her dream of making a meaningful impact in sustainable fashion. Conversations with her supportive boss about her aspirations led her to realize the need for a platform to discuss and showcase sustainable fashion brands. Despite the lack of existing resources and communities dedicated to sustainability in fashion, Natalie saw an opportunity to fill this gap by creating an online platform. Thus, Sustainably Chic was born out of Natalie's desire to foster a community and share her passion for ethical and sustainable fashion practices.

Initially unaware of the potential for monetization through blogging, Natalie started Sustainably Chic as a passion project, offering content for free. However, as her platform gained traction and brands began expressing interest in collaborations, Natalie recognized the opportunity to turn her passion into a sustainable business. Transitioning from unpaid to paid collaborations allowed Sustainably Chic to evolve from a hobby to a full-time job, enabling Natalie to dedicate herself fully to her mission of promoting ethical and sustainable fashion choices.

Creating the Company

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Natalie prioritized a practical approach when launching Sustainably Chic. She secured a domain name and chose Squarespace as a user-friendly and affordable blogging platform. Recognizing the value of brand protection, she trademarked "Sustainably Chic" and obtained a business license through legalzoom.com, although this came with a significant upfront cost of around $1,200.

High-quality visuals are crucial for showcasing sustainable fashion. Natalie strategically invested under $2,000 in essential photography equipment such as a DSLR camera, lenses, and a tripod. Utilizing her existing knowledge of Adobe software, she streamlined post-processing and ensured consistent visuals throughout her content. In a competitive market, particularly in 2014 when sustainable fashion was less mainstream, creating a distinct brand identity was essential for Sustainably Chic. Natalie strived to make sustainability both trendy and relatable, a process that involved ongoing refinement over time.

Natalie's success hinged on a selective approach to partnerships and collaborations. She prioritized aligning with brands that mirrored her values and philosophy, ensuring authenticity and trust within her niche. The ability to decline opportunities became a valuable tool, allowing Natalie to preserve the integrity of her platform and ensure that all collaborations resonated with her audience.

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Launching the Business

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Launching Sustainably Chic was a relatively straightforward process for Natalie, thanks to the low start-up costs and minimal bureaucratic hurdles associated with creating a blog. From the moment she established the website, Natalie dived headfirst into her venture, prioritizing action over perfecting the aesthetic details initially. Despite recognizing the need to refine the overall look and feel of her platform, she was eager to test the viability of her idea. One of her earliest initiatives involved reaching out to sustainable brands via Instagram to gauge their interest in being featured on Sustainably Chic, a move that yielded positive responses and bolstered her content pool from the outset.

The rapid growth of Sustainably Chic in its initial stages came as a surprise to Natalie, who witnessed her follower count soar to 10,000 within the first year of operation. With a steady stream of content ideas at her disposal, Natalie attributed the blog's swift ascent to a combination of a compelling concept and fortuitous timing. However, she acknowledges the importance of diversifying her strategies, recognizing the pitfalls of over-reliance on any single platform or channel. Reflecting on her early experiences, Natalie identifies a key lesson in the necessity of balancing efforts between social media engagement and search engine optimization (SEO) to ensure long-term sustainability and growth for her blog.

Building a loyal audience for Sustainably Chic has relied heavily on consistency, Natalie acknowledges. While she admits to occasional dips in posting frequency, particularly when chasing trends, she prioritizes delivering regular content that aligns with her blog's aesthetic and brand. This consistency includes offering glimpses into her personal life, even when it doesn't directly relate to sustainable fashion. Candid snapshots showcasing her experiences as a mother resonate well with her audience, fostering a sense of connection and engagement.

On social media, Natalie focuses on evocative posts that spark reactions or offer thought-provoking insights. These posts often incorporate statistics or responses she's received regarding her work in sustainable fashion, leading to significant shares and increased visibility. However, despite the value of social media engagement, Natalie emphasizes her blog as the primary content hub. Listicles featuring multiple sustainable brands have proven particularly effective. These listicles not only engage readers but also bolster the blog's SEO by incorporating relevant keywords. This strategic approach attracts a steady stream of organic traffic, each visitor a potential customer and subscriber for Sustainably Chic.

Earnings

Sustainably Chic has reached new heights in profitability this year, Natalie reflects. With a dedicated manager handling partnerships and payments, Natalie has secured collaborations with over 400 brands while steadily attracting a loyal audience – her website now boasts over 60,000 monthly visitors. This financial success stems from strategic integration of affiliate links within her posts, generating an additional $3,000 monthly, complemented by $1,000 in monthly earnings from her partnership with Mediavine. When negotiating brand collaborations, Natalie commands rates starting at $200 and scaling up to $1,000 depending on the project's scope and content requirements.

Looking towards the future, Natalie envisions a period of significant growth and innovation for Sustainably Chic. Her ambitious goal involves crafting hundreds of new blog posts in the coming year, drawing inspiration from internal search keyword data and valuable audience feedback. Maintaining her position as a leading authority in sustainable fashion remains a core focus – Natalie aspires to be the go-to resource for both eco-conscious consumers and brands alike. However, she acknowledges the limitations of operating solo and harbors aspirations to expand her team's capacity to tackle a wider range of fashion industry issues. While this transformative growth is anticipated around 2022, Natalie's unwavering passion for driving positive change and fostering environmental responsibility within fashion continues to be her driving force.