Krysia Hepatica is the mother of two fantastic human beings who make her smile everyday. She has tried to give up blogging and social media and be satisfied with one 9 to 5 job, but it seems she is an incurable goal digger. After going back to school for her M.A. in Public Relations, and founding a non-profit, she decided to curate her passions for fashion, beauty, travel, and well-being into a blog. She realized this was the path to living her best life and wants you to live yours as well by being diligent with self love. Her blog, Luxe Odette shows you how giving to yourself first is important so you can give back to others, and is filled with ideas on how you can live luxe everyday.
What motivated and inspired you to start your own business?
It’s been a long time in coming. People have been telling me for years I should start my own business, but I have resisted! Instead I went to grad school and earned my M.A. in Public Relations and after graduation took a few marketing jobs that didn’t really suit me. I finally just realized I can’t help but blog and love the creativity blogging and social media let me tap into with my authentic voice. This is my 4th blog and I am committed to have it evolve with me.
Tell us about your business.
My business is really about nurturing ourselves, extending self-love. I encourage readers to “Do something Luxe everyday” because I firmly believe you can’t give to others if you don’t give to yourself first. The energy we put into world has a direct correlation to our internal dialogue and what we are attracting to us. By making small choices every day we can live our best life.
Are you currently running any promos/contests/giveaways that you would like our readers to know about?
Yes, actually I am and I’m really excited about it! I have teamed up with my friend and fellow MSU alumna, Melissa Boudreau from It Fits Bar for a giveaway. We will be giving away my ‘When is Savasana?’ tank top, a Lole fitness bag, and a box of It Fits Bars to one lucky winner. The details are on my Instagram: @luxeodette.
List awards/certifications/accomplishments.
My greatest accomplishment is being a mother to two wonderful teenagers who I am so proud of. I also have a Master’s Degree in Public Relations from the Michigan State University.
Where is your business based?
Ann Arbor, Michigan.
What were the first few steps you took to get your business up and running?
I actually went about it backwards. I was inspired to design some graphic tank tops and mugs. My boss at my day job said I could sell them in the store, which was an awesome opportunity and I managed to sell out of all sizes. Mind you, it was in February, in Michigan, where people don’t wear tank tops. So I knew I definitely had a market for my products! However, my online Etsy sales were slow, so I knew I needed to increase my online presence – that is when I launched the blog.
But as I mentioned earlier, this blog has been on the back burner for far too long and it is really the backbone of what I want to create, a place to remind readers they are in control of their futures and choosing to make themselves feel luxurious everyday will help bring happiness to all areas of their lives.
What has been the most effective way of raising awareness of your business and getting new customers?
Wearing my tank tops have given me a lot of attention! Anytime I wear one, I get compliments – I need to get better at promoting myself to the people giving compliments! The second best way has been through Instagram, coming up with fun posts and OOTD grids has ignited interest.
What have been your biggest challenges so far?
- Coming up with my elevator pitch to the people who like my products!
- Increasing my blog traffic.
How did you overcome these challenges?
Still working on it! Every second of downtime I have is dedicated to doing at least one thing to grow my brand. Whether it’s pitching an idea to a third-party website to increase my backlinks, looking for new affiliate programs, updating my content calendar with ideas of future blog and Instagram posts… I am always hustling.
How do you keep motivated through difficult times?
I remind myself that it takes time to grow something new, but the only way to succeed is to stay with it.
How do you distinguish yourself from your competitors?
I certainly am inspired by my competitors, but I do not try to copy them because I am not them and imitating them will not lead me to succeed.
“Being your authentic self is the only way to differentiate yourself from others and will be the key for you to succeed.”
What is the best advice you have received recently?
“Don’t wait for the “perfect” time, just go after what you want and know sometimes you’ll win and sometimes you’ll learn. Both outcomes will help you achieve your goals.”
If you realize you need to modify your brand voice or tactics later, then do it, but don’t let it stop you from trying something. I have been teaching myself how to use a DSLR camera, InDesign, Photoshop, customize a WordPress site again, monetize it, and organically grow my Instagram, etc. If I decided to wait until I had all of the answers before I launched, I wouldn’t have anything and we wouldn’t be chatting right now.
What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs?
What inspires me is a quote from Diane von Furstenberg, “I never knew what I wanted to do, but I knew the kind of woman I wanted to be.“
Get really clear about what you want and then just go for it. The hardest part is figuring out on what you want. This is such a common problem and so many of my friends struggle with this and have asked me for advice. Because of this, I wrote a blog post on some simple tactics you can use to find your passion. But once you figure it out, the rest is easy, you work to make it happen and don’t give up until you succeed.
What are your favorite business tools/resources and why?
I have found Lynda.com to be a great resource in helping me learn the basics of the Adobe Creative Suite and of course, Google! There are so many little problems I have run into with trying to set up Adsense or edit something in InDesign and have found the answer to by Googling it.
What is a good article or book you have read recently?
As I mentioned, every second I have of downtime I use to grow my business. Even when I am stuck in a car or plane! Instead of watching movies or listening to music – I download podcasts on entrepreneurship, business, and finance. I found a great one called The Influencer Podcast by Julie Solomon that is really inspiring.
What are you currently learning about for your business or looking for help with?
I am currently working on increasing my backlinks for my blog and am interested in guest post blogging opportunities to help with my blog traffic.
What are your goals for the next few months and how are you striving to achieve them?
My goals are to have over 1K real followers on Instagram and have my blog generating an income by December 31st. My plan is to keep on doing what I am doing! My blog is only 2 months old and my Instagram is 9 months old, but I have only really dialed in an Instagram strategy I am finding to be effective last month.
What social media outlets do you use? List them below.
Instagram @luxeodette
Facebook @LuxeOdette
Twitter @krysiahepatica
Pinterest @luxeodette
Blog www.luxeodette.com