We were lucky to catch up with Christen Johnson recently and have shared our conversation below.
Christen, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
I believe I was born with it, honestly. I have been competitive ever since I was younger and always hated losing. I was always determined to prove myself and my competitor wrong. I never liked being underestimated and felt like I always had something to prove.
But as I got older, my resilience matured and slightly shifted. When I was called to start my blog in 2013 and then transition it into an actual styling business the following year, God already knew the types of challenges I would face. He knew that the industry I was going into wasn’t a traditional industry and that I would have no choice but to seek him and others for wisdom. This also increased my resilience. The more I received push back from a client or was overlooked for a job, the more I was encouraged to keep going. 10 years later, I’m still here and successfully running my personal styling business. Thanks to God and the resilience he planted inside of me.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
As I mentioned, my business started back in 2013 as a blog. It was the summer before my junior year in college and I wanted to create a digital space of my own. So, I felt led to start creating blog content around where I was shopping and what I was buying, some of the trends I was following and a few of the events I was attending. A year later, I quickly realized that I wanted to pursue styling as a career and began to build my portfolio and gain the necessary experience I felt I needed. I secured my first retail job and landed an internship to get my feet wet. Post graduation, I was blessed to work with companies like Trunk Club, Under Armour, Amazon and Rue La La. Each of these opportunities molded me, my skills and my business into what it is today.
10 years later and SCB Luxury Styling will officially be relaunching on Saturday, July 8th. I’m so excited for the new direction I’m moving into as a personal styling firm helping faith driven leaders command their God-given authority through faith and style. I’ll specifically be using my signature C.E.O method to show them how to use their personal style as a tool to unlock the abundant life they were called to live. I’ll not only be offering this luxury experience virtually but also in-person, which is exciting. I can’t wait to get back to shifting my clients mindset and transforming their lives with style.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
This is a hard one. I would have to say the top three qualities and skills that were the most impactful in my journey were my organizational skills, my business mindset and my willingness to take risks on myself even when I didn’t know the outcome.
In order to be a successful business owner, you have to be organized. In the beginning of your styling journey, you’re going to be doing everything on your own. So, it’s important you create systems to help you keep up with your clients, opportunities and your finances. I’m old school so I enjoy using excel and google docs to keep track of some of my expenses and social media content ideas. But when it comes to administrative tasks like email marketing, sending contracts and invoices and scheduling calls with clients, I outsource monthly subscription services to save me time and headache.
I’ve always known I wanted to own my own business but never really considered styling as a real career path until I landed my corporate job at Trunk Club. That experience showed me what the styling industry was all about and how I could successfully use my skills to do what I love while helping my clients achieve their personal style goals. It confirmed that there were actually people out there who were investing in the solution that I was providing and truly appreciated it. Most stylists don’t understand that styling is more than just dressing people. It’s truly about shifting your clients perspective and transforming their lives with style. But you can’t properly do that if you don’t know how to turn your passion into a profitable business.
My willingness to take risks on myself grew over time. I became more confident in myself and my abilities and I truly believed that I was called to prosper in the industry. And when you know that you’re called to do something, you have to understand that it won’t always be easy but it’ll definitely be worth it in the end.
If you’re early in your styling career, I always suggest trying out as many styling types that spark your interest to confirm which direction you’d like to go. I was an Editorial Styling for 3 years before landing in the Personal Styling space. But I’ve also tried wardrobe styling and e-commerce styling as well, which helped me to finalize my decision. It’s also okay to change your mind and pivot in a new direction if you feel led. Don’t feel like you have to conform to what everybody else is doing or what everybody thinks you do.
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
God has always been with me but I didn’t truly tap into him until I reached a plateau in my business. I was in a space where I was getting consistent clients and making money but I was giving myself too much credit and not giving God enough. Those clients eventually stopped and so did the money. He wanted me to remember that he was the one who called me to this industry and not my accolades and accomplishments. He was the one who got me this far and was sustaining me the entire time, whether I believed it or not. He humbled me really quick and I was led to revamp my business and move in a different direction. My mindset has also shifted a lot since experiencing full-time entrepreneurship, not once, not twice but 3 times. And although I felt like I was ready to take on my business full-time, I had a lot of growing up I had to do mentally and spiritually.
I say that to say, God has continuously guided me in the right direction, connected me to the right people and led me to the right opportunities that have molded me into the successful person that I am today. Although it didn’t always feel good while I was going through it, he always let me come out on top.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sophisticatedchicbrand.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scbluxurystyling/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sophisticatedchicbrand
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christen-johnson-980b2585/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsamINVYbkWAo-yqwf2I86Q
Image Credits
Photographer: Elena Felton of Belle Imagery Portraits
