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Inspiration October 5, 2016
“If you are going to be a blogger, be a blogger. Don’t be a half-ass blogger or don’t be a blogger at all,” Lauryn Evarts boldly proclaims on the second episode of The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Podcast. While the statement was meant to be taken as advice, it also accurately describes the blogger behind The Skinny Confidential, a successful lifestyle blog focused brought to you by Lauryn. She is not a “half-ass” doer. Lauryn is an all-in, dedicated, “I am doing this” kind of woman.
The result of her insane work ethic? After working two jobs while launching The Skinny Confidential, Lauryn Evarts has become an internet phenomenon. With over 335,000 followers on Instagram alone, The Skinny Confidential as a blog has become more of a brand than a personal website. Since launching the blog, Lauryn has also launched the TSC Bombshell Body Guide, a workout plan that creates an interactive community of women seeking to be healthy, written a book “The Skinny Confidential: A Babe’s Sexy, Sassy Fitness and Lifestyle Guide,” started a podcast with her fiancé, runs a blog curating business, Blog-Doo with fellow blogger Erica Stolman and launched a complimentary The Skinny Confidential app.
This doesn’t make Lauryn Evarts a blogger. This makes Lauryn Evarts a brand connoisseur, an expert businesswoman and one of the #WomenThatDo.
ENTITY chatted with this elegant, do-it-all-in-heels woman to get the skinny from the female lifestyle expert.
Entity: What do you identify with most – being a blogger or a businesswoman?
Lauryn Evarts: Almost always I would say both. I love creating content, connecting with readers and sharing my life and opinions. But the business side is very important and helps the growth of The Skinny Confidential. I believe in doubling down on your strengths and recruiting key team members to help with the areas that aren’t your strengths. As soon as I realized there was a need for strict structure, I took major action to create a strategic future by design.
Entity: When did it really sink in that The Skinny Confidential was a venture you would be able to pursue full-time?
LE: From the beginning I knew where I wanted to take The Skinny Confidential as a brand. I was busting my ass, working as a bartender and teaching barre classes for the first two years of blogging. After two years, I realized it was time to go full time when I was dealing with brands, writing a book … and just dreading my other jobs. HA!
Entity: Who is your blogging and business mentor?
LE: My mentor on a personal level is my friend, Steve. As far as business is concerned, I pull info and inspiration from everywhere. I read a ton of books, articles, other blogs and listen to podcasts daily. It’s important to be constantly learning. Right now I’m loving Gary Vee & Mike Cernovich. As much as learning from other people’s experiences is important, it’s also highly effective to stay in your own lane.
Entity: You have a really interactive quality to your blog. You interact with your readers, respond to every comment and are constantly chatting on social media with them. How do you think this has helped The Skinny Confidential grow to what it has become?
LE: The Skinny Confidential is more than just a platform to me; it’s a community. The readers not only consume content when they come to the blog, they contribute to the conversation. No surprise but I’m constantly taking their recommendations, asking for opinions and including them in brand. The Skinny Confidential readers are a HUGE part of my life. I just asked them to help me choose wedding invitations! The platform would most definitely not be the same without the community of readers.
The Skinny Confidential is more than just a platform to me, it’s a community.
ENTITY: Turning off work and social media – what does that look like for you? How do you turn your mind off to just rest?
LE: Ugh, it’s difficult to turn it all off … but also essential to success. Everyone needs some chill out time every once in awhile. On a day off, you can find me spooning Pixy & Boone, my chihuahuas and binge watching Netflix (loving “Narcos” lately). Ideally I would also sneak in a TSC Bombshell Body Guide workout. Taking a social media break is always nice too. A tip would be to schedule when your day ends – it actually is in my calendar when my day is DONE.
ENTITY: Since you travel so much, how does travelling and blogging work at the same time?
LE: Traveling is great for blogging, as long as you’re willing to spend some time each day documenting the experience. That’s why I love Snapchat so much. It makes it so much easier to bring readers along on every journey! MOVEMENT is key to keep your audience engaged.
Movement is key to keep your audience engaged.
ENTITY: How has your experience been starting a podcast?
LE: It’s been such a fun journey! The podcast has taught me that sometimes you just have to launch. Pull the trigger, stop talking about it and take action.
ENTITY: How do you determine what you keep private and what you share online? Is there anything you won’t share?
LE: This is tricky. I try to keep things private that involve other people. Sometimes I’ll keep things private for a short period of time, until it feels right to share. For example, when Michael & I got engaged we kept it quiet until we were ready to announce it on the blog.
ENTITY: What was it like creating the TSC Bombshell Body Guide?
LE: TSC Bombshell Body Guide has been so much fun to create! I love sharing exclusive content for die hard TSC readers. I just launched The Skinny Confidential 7 DAY MEAL PLAN, which readers can do with me to prep for my wedding. Basically I wrote down what I ate for a month straight.
ENTITY: What advice do you have for young women that want to start their own thing – be it a beauty blog, clothing store or design agency?
LE: Be patient and consistent. Building a following takes time. Create beautiful imagery. Just put your head down and chip away, every single day. Eventually, if you stay true to yourself, constantly try to improve your content and provide value to readers, the loyal following will come to you.
Just put your head down and chip away, every single day.
Lauryn Evarts does not slow down, she only speeds up – and she takes her readers along for the ride. For health, beauty, fitness, business and how to hustle, The Skinny Confidential is a girl’s go-to guide.
