EP63: Influencer Marketing with Marie Denee

Lean the F*ck Out | Fempreneurs | Women Entrepreneurs | Female Business Owners

Our first episode of Season 3 features female entrepreneur Marie Denee, creator of The Curvy Fashionista, a respected voice in the plus size fashion arena. Marie shares her entrepreneurial journey and growing The Curvy Fashionista into the powerhouse it is today. We dive into influencer marketing, building a brand, driving website traffic, social media marketing, editorial calendars, business systems and so much more!

Episode Highlights:

• Marie shares her entrepreneurial journey and how she started The Curvy Fashionista
• Learning as you go as an entrepreneur (Google becomes your best friend)
• How social media tools can work for us, rather than against us
• Know your audience and find out what they really need
• Scaling up tips:
• • Have a really fleshed out editorial calendar (especially important when you have a team)
  • Need a good marketing plan and goal list.
  • Need Standard Operating Procedures - document every process that happens in the brand.
  • You may have to fire yourself from certain roles.
  • Best, most useful thing you need for your business: A roadmap for systems at the heart of your brand.
• Other tips:
• • Learn how to advocate for yourself.
  • Face the fears you have a lot sooner.
  • Navigate cultural and gender norms. Practice. Speak on your ideas. Learn how to have those tough conversations early.
  • Get to know financial planning.

Marie Denee

Marie Denee, creator of “The Curvy Fashionista”, is an established and respected voice in the plus size fashion arena. With over eleven years of experience, Marie has made it her mission to continuously show women that they can be Curvy, Confident, and Chic.

In 2008, enter The Curvy Fashionista. While cutting her teeth in retail, Marie realized that when it came to great stylish clothing for plus size women, their options were limited. Armed with MBA in Marketing, fashion experience, and a passion for empowering women of every shape and size, Marie launched the popular blog which today attracts over 400,000 visitors and averages 750k pageviews. Through The Curvy Fashionista, Marie showcases wardrobe and style options from the industry’s top fashion brands, as well as shares news and events for curvy women in a world where fashion for this community is often overlooked.

In 2015, Marie founded The Curvy Fashionista Style Expo in Atlanta, which drew over 400 women to shop their favorite plus size brands, socialize and sit in on panels led by some of the industry’s leading experts. This year’s highly anticipated event was held on July 28th & 29th, 2017 with even more participating brands such as Ashley Stewart, Lane Bryant, Chevrolet, and MVP Collections, and attracted over 500 attendees.

Sought after for her fashion and styling advice for the curvy fashion forward woman, Marie has been featured in Lucky Magazine, Glamour Magazine, Black Enterprise Magazine, Marie Claire Italia, The London Times, The Wall Street Journal, Madame Noire, Shape Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, and more. She has also worked with some of the top retailers and brands in the industry including Nordstrom, Chevrolet, Marina Rinaldi, Beyond the Rack, Ashley Stewart, and others through hosting, consulting, and strategic partnerships.

In addition to being a popular fashion blogger, Marie Denee is a freelance fashion writer whose work has been featured in Styleblazer, Plus Model Magazine, USA Today, the Huffington Post, and Ebony.com, to name a few.

Follow Marie at:

http://www.mariedenee.com

http://thecurvyfashionista.com

Download the FREE Lean the F*ck Out Launch Kit

If you are thinking about starting a business or side hustle, check out our Lean the F*ck Out Launch Kit. The kit gives you tools and inspiration to start thinking like a fempreneur and start designing the life you want! You’ll receive a guided meditation to help you figure out your vision, a budget worksheet to see what you need financially to make a go of it, daily practices including printable worksheets and daily affirmations to help you keep your head up when your confidence is waning. Again, it’s free and it’s available at leanthef-ckout.com/launchkit.

Music: Sunshine by The Icicles