When Chriselle Lim launched her YouTube channel in 2008 the word vlogger didn’t even exist. Now, she has 750K subscribers. Combine that with her 1 million+ followers on Instagram and you have a recipe for influence. But beyond curated imagery and designer dresses, Lim pulls back the filter to share the real, raw, and candid version of her life as a mom of two running three businesses. Yes, that’s right, three! Lim oversees The Chriselle Factor, Cinc Studios, and her new venture, Bümo, which is bringing childcare to the workplace for millennial parents.
And all of this is on top of her brand collaborations (she just launched her own Barbie) and travel (she sits front row at all the big designer shows during fashion week) as an influencer. That’s a serious work ethic. Read on to hear all about how Lim gets it done, her journey to success, and when she has to put on the breaks to prevent burn out.
CREATE & CULTIVATE: When you started The Chriselle Factor, did you expect it to develop into the expansive lifestyle network that it has become? What are you most proud of as it has grown?
CHRISELLE LIM: No, I didn’t. When I first started it was purely for fun. I was just documenting my outfits as a creative outlet while I was in college.
You've mentioned that you started off your career intending to be on the business side of fashion. What motivated you to start creating your own content? And how do you feel about being on the front end now?
I never thought I would be in front of the camera. I always loved the making of and being behind the scenes. I started my blog initially to document my styling projects and the work that goes on behind that but when I uploaded my first YouTube video and blog post that featured me in it and see the excitement from the audience—I knew there was something there. I felt very uncomfortable in the beginning (especially on video) but the more I did it the more comfortable I got.
You started creating YouTube content in 2008—which, needless to say, was a very different time—now, there is so much competition. How have you remained unique and true to your voice over the years? How has your channel and content changed over the years? How do you cut through the noise and maintain a unique POV in a saturated space?
Yes! YouTube is where I started and it’s still one of the core focuses of my businesses. To be honest it has been challenging. YouTube definitely favors newness so being an ‘OG’ definitely has its downsides at times too. I started with fashion and beauty tutorials but after having kids I realized that my audience wanted to see more than something perfect and pretty. They wanted realness. I think everyone was craving authenticity on social media since so much of what they saw was curated and filtered. That’s why we decided to start my series Catchin Up With Chris where they see my real life—the chaos at home trying to juggle being a mother of two while maintaining my business. It was a side they’ve never seen of me and they appreciated it.
You just have to remember that your audience is just like you—they grow up and your content has to grow with them. Just because you started with one thing doesn’t mean you have to continue to only do that one thing. It’s okay to change grow and evolve. Not everyone will like it but as long as you remain true to yourself and where you are at in life that’s all that matters. There a lot of noise out there and sometimes how you cut through the noise is just shutting off and not watching what others are doing but doing what feels right for you.
“Don’t expect to get paid in the beginning. In fact, you are going to have to invest your own time and money.”
You have millions of followers across social media, YouTube, and your blog, The Chriselle Factor. What advice do you have for newcomers? Be honest, how hard is it really? What do they need to do to break out?
It’s hard and you have to put in the work but I started out at a different time where it was hard in a different way. One thing that still remains true—no matter what point in time you are starting off—is that you need to treat it as a serious business in order for you to really break out. Put in the work. Great content takes time to create.
Don’t treat it as a hobby but really go in and figure out a plan of how you are going to stand out—create a content schedule and stick to it. Whether it be on Instagram, YouTube, blog, etc. if you want to work with some of these brands how are you going to show love? Don’t expect to get paid in the beginning. In fact, you are going to have to invest your own time and money. If you don’t know how to edit, hire someone who knows how to edit so your content stands out.
Don’t worry about getting millions of followers but focus on content and serving the small audience you have. Find a focus, a unique point of difference, and you will find a niche audience. More than ever people are looking to work with micro-influencers who have a dedicated and unique POV. Focus on content and your voice and message.
Beyond the filter of Instagram, you're a mom of two—you have your hands full and you're very honest about that with your followers. What do you wish people knew about your job? What are some of the biggest misconceptions?
Something else I wish people knew about my job is that the burn out is real. I’ve seen it happen with my peers and myself. Because my job is so much about my life, I’m constantly working and constantly ‘on.’ When you are constantly creating content around everything it can easily mess up your mental health. You need space and time for yourself. I experienced this even more after becoming a mom. I was serving my kids first then my audience, then my team, then after a while you become numb to your own needs and wants. It’s a real thing and I’m seeing burn out happen so much. It’s important that a creator knows about this before jumping in.
Now you just launched a Barbie that you designed, bringing some inclusivity to a much-needed space. What are your hopes for this collaboration? What change do you hope it brings? And how do you hope it inspires the next generation? How important was this project to you as a mom?
Being able to design my own Barbie was a pivotal moment for me in my career. It brought me back to my purpose and the reason being behind what I do—to inspire the next generation and provide opportunities that never existed when I was a kid. Growing up in a predominantly all caucasian community I was always aware that I didn’t look like my peers. I hid behind pounds of makeup and spent a ton of my hard-earned money on cool clothes so I could fit in.
I grew up looking up to women that didn’t look like me and it had me wondering why I looked like me. How come I couldn’t have round eyes and lighter hair— I couldn’t understand. Especially at a young age, kids are looking to identify and to be able to say ‘me too... if she can do it then I can do it too.’ I hope that through my Barbie it will allow the little girls and boys to dream and allow them to look at themselves and know that they can be successful and achieve what they want. I hope that this brings more awareness and conversations around inclusion. As a mother of two little girls, this is everything—for them to look at these Barbies and know that they are represented and be proud of who they are.
When you hit a bump or hurdle in your career, how do you #FindNewRoads + switch gears to find success?
To disconnect and get re-inspired. So much of what we do comes from a creative place, you have to give yourself room to breathe so you can get re-inspired. I usually detox from social media for a few days so I can go find some inspiration elsewhere. Also talking helps. I talk to my team a lot. We are always constantly bouncing ideas off of each other. It can get lonely sometimes so having a person or a group you can get creative with is important.
You share a lot of your personal life through your many channels. How do you decide where to draw boundaries? What to share and what not to share?
As a new mom, I’m still learning every day—I’m not perfect. I can proudly say with my own self I don’t really have boundaries as I’m an open book and I think that’s why my followers appreciate my realness and rawness—and they continue to trust and follow me. But when it comes to my family that’s a different situation.
Now that Chloé ( my oldest) is getting older she has opinions and ideas. A lot of the time she does not want to be on camera and I just have to respect that. She did not choose to be in front of the camera as that is my profession and not hers. I’m still having fun with Colette as she is an infant but I’m sure there will be a point in time where I have to draw the boundary and the line for Colette as well. I want them to feel fully respected by their choices. Even as young as they are. Kids are way smarter than we think.
With success comes opportunity, but that also means your schedule is packed. What keeps you inspired and motivated to keep going even on your most challenging days?
People assume that the more success you have the fewer challenges you have when in fact it’s quite the opposite. The busier you get it becomes even more important to prioritize yourself. I wake up at 4:30 AM to have ‘me’ time. I do a 5 AM work out class and have a few minutes to myself before the kids wake up at seven. It’s the most important time for me as it’s the only time I get to myself where I don’t have to worry about anything else but me. Once the kids wake up it’s go, go, go, go, go. So the only way I can keep inspired and motivated, especially on those challenging days, is to spend time with myself and give the self-love and appreciation it needs and deserves.
What advice do you have for other entrepreneurs? How can they achieve the same success you've experienced?
My advice to other entrepreneurs is to be patient and pace yourself—it’s a marathon and not a sprint. You don’t want to go hard and burn out. You want to slowly build something sustainable and something that can scale over time. Think through a strategy and a goal instead of just waking up and hoping that something will happen. Everything that has happened to me happened because it was a part of my bigger plan. Think big picture and know where you want to go with this but immediately scale back and ask yourself what can I do now?
So many of us hope and dream of big success but big success doesn’t happen by just thinking and dreaming. A lot of it happens because of the execution of small things. I’m also a big believer in hiring better than yourself. Find people that are better than you and have them help you. It’s okay to know that you are not great at everything.
You just launched Bümo—what can you tell us about this new project? Why did you launch it? And what can we expect to see from this new business?
Bümo is a company that brings childcare to the workplace for millennial parents. I launched Bümo because when I had two kids I had to go back to work right away, and I literally cried all the time. I had so much guilt as an entrepreneur, as a mom, as a partner. Everything made me feel guilty. I then realized that childcare options are so limited and it really doesn’t have to be that way. We will be opening our first space in the Westfield century city in the Spring of 2020 right next to Bloomingdales on the second floor! We are so excited as we believe that the millennial parents are all about working hard but also being a present parent.
What is the #1 book you always recommend?
Outliers and The Tipping Point, both by Malcolm Gladwell.
Photographer: Jenna Peffley
Hair: Styled by OGXpert & Celebrity Hairstylist Jillian Halouska
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