When it comes to business growth goals, Camille Styles is one of my role models. I’m sure many of you, like myself, are loyal followers of Camille’s — and for good reason! I am constantly inspired by her website (CamilleStyles.com) that covers a wide range of topics and is always so well done. From her gorgeous photos to her relevant advice on real life topics, Camille and her team continuously nail it with on brand content that speaks to their followers. What started as Camille’s personal blog has exploded into a lifestyle brand — she is an official style and entertaining expert for Target, and partners with the best of the best brands out there.
Outside of her business, Camille is also a great friend and always so kind — I love getting to see her whenever she makes the trip to Houston from Austin! For this Talk Shop interview we caught up about staying true to yourself when growing a brand and how to grow successfully. Read on below for Camille’s words of wisdom and inspiration!
It’s so fun getting a chance to catch up with you and hear the ins and outs about how you grew such an amazing company! You started Camille Styles as a blog almost a decade ago and now you have a team of full-time and part-time employees creating gorgeous content with amazing brand partners. Tell us a little about how you initially took your blog from a creative outlet to a full-fledged business and brand.
CS: In my early twenties, I had launched my own event planning company, and found myself looking for a creative outlet where I could explore my own aesthetic and approach to entertaining and cooking. My site, Camille Styles, really came about as a side creative outlet where I could write and dive into all the topics that I love. As the site has grown over the past 9+ years, we’ve broadened the scope to cover all types of lifestyle topics including fashion, beauty, and design, all through the lens of showing readers how to live their happiest, healthiest lives. I believe that when you’re working to grow any kind of business, it’s important to be consistent, stay true to your vision, be really dedicated to what you’re pursuing – and it will pay off.
We really admire how much original content you publish and we know how much work that takes! What does your daily routine typically look like? Any tips or tools for staying on task and not letting things slip through the cracks?
CS: One of my favorite parts of my job is that every day is different! Some days I’m at my desk plowing through my inbox, meeting with my team, scheduling calls with our brand partners, and writing blog posts. Other days I’m in the kitchen testing recipes and shooting videos all day. The one consistency is that I’m always collaborating with my team and the amazing freelancers we get to work with, which I really love.
I meet with my team every Monday and we always plan content 6 weeks out. We leave spots open for more spontaneous posts here and there, but since we produce original photo and video content for the site, a lot of advance planning is usually required.
Your team recently moved into the gorgeous CS Bungalow in downtown Austin. We’re obsessed! Were you working out of your house up until the move? Tell us about the new space and how it affects your productivity, work life, etc!
CS: We spent all of last year renovating a 100-year-old bungalow in downtown Austin. We searched for the right space for almost 2 years, and finally stumbled upon our dilapidated house that had plenty of charm, but needed a complete gut renovation – check out the “before” photos here. The process was intense, but also ridiculously fun and such an incredible bonding experience for our team as we made plans for our dream space together. Here are the after pics. I’m now so thankful that we spent all those years working out of my house and waited until the right space came along, and we had grown enough as a company for it to make sense. Our workspace is full of light, and we have a big open kitchen where we produce all of our food and video shoots. I love heading to the office every morning!
As the face of a brand, it can be hard to let go and delegate. Do you have any tips for how to best delegate tasks to grow a business?
CS: If you want to grow a business, you really have no choice but to hire great people and then let them work towards their strengths! I have an immense amount of trust and confidence in every person on our team. I try to hire people who are smarter and better at their roles than me so that I can help them catch the vision and challenges we face, and then let them use their unique approach to run with it. It’s also really important to remember that everyone makes mistakes, and to treat both myself and our team members with grace and understanding.
The blogger world has changed so much in the past decade. How do you think it will continue to evolve in the next 5-10 years?
CS: The rise in social media has changed our society in so many ways, with one of the biggest being that we are exposed to what everyone else is doing all the time. The upside of this is that it provides endless inspiration… the downside is that it can be really tempting to try to replicate what someone else is doing successfully. I know it’s kind of a cliché, but I love the quote about always being a first-rate version of yourself, not a second-rate version of somebody else. Think about what you love, what you feel passionate about, what excites you –basically, that think you’d be doing and talking and thinking about if you weren’t getting paid for it – then figure out how to do that thing better and differently than anyone else. You are the only person that can do YOU, and that’s why your authentic personal brand is your greatest asset
You’ve mentioned that cooking is a creative outlet for you and you have so much beautiful food content on your website. What is your go-to recipe right now for easy family night dinner?
CS: My cooking is very inspired by the seasons, so right now I’m all about the cozy, warming foods – bring on the slow cooker recipes! Right now I’m loving this Thai Chicken Soup that’s healthy and hearty and my kids love it, too. I always make a double batch and freeze half of it for a busy weeknight later.
We love that you talk about serious topics – like health, finance, and career – in addition to lifestyle and the pretty things in life. It’s so important that women have resources for this type of advice in addition to beauty and style recommendations. There’s also been this movement to show the reality of day to day on social instead of showing everything through rose colored glasses. How do you find the balance between talking about the important issues while still being an inspirational, happy and beautiful outlet?
CS: It’s so important to us to have a continued conversation around the topics that are on our readers’ minds – both the happy and the more difficult subjects. That said, we always try to find a way to view topics through a lens of hope and positivity – and empowering our readers to be agents of change for the issues that weigh heavily on their hearts. Instead of just exposing a difficult truth, we want to encourage our readers to be the change they want to see in the world, and to realize that they have the ability to live each and every day in a purposeful way.
Favorite part about running a business from Austin?
CS: I feel so lucky to live in my favorite city! The culture here is inclusive and supportive – the vast majority of people have chosen to live here because they love the laid-back lifestyle – and there’s a sense that they want to see others succeed. I’m also constantly blown away by the creativity and innovation that’s coming out of Austin, and it’s inspiring to be surrounded by businesses and people who are truly changing the world.
You’ve accomplished so much. What’s next for Camille Styles?? Any big goals or plans coming up in the next year?
CS: I’m actually not big on setting long-term goals, because it’s important to me to stay open and nimble to the new and unexpected opportunities that appear in my path. I think it’s really key to keep your eyes and heart open, because life will really throw great opportunities at you when you’re least expecting it! I do know that I want to continue working with my incredible team and show up at a job every day that inspires and challenges me, with endless possibility for creating new things. I also want to create content that truly helps our audience live life with intention and be happier and healthier every day. I’m excited to see how our pursuit of that continues to evolve.
Now for a few fun questions…
What is your morning routine?
It starts early! Coffee, workout, then make breakfast for my husband and our two kids, Phoebe and Henry — usually oatmeal or scrambled eggs with avocado. Once I’m at my desk, every work day is different! Some days I’m plowing through my inbox, meeting with my team, scheduling calls with our brand partners, and writing blog posts. Other days I’m in the kitchen testing recipes and shooting videos all day. The one consistency is that I’m always collaborating with my team and the amazing freelancers we get to work with, which I really love.
Beauty products you swear by:
CS: Where do I begin? I am truly a beauty product junkie and love discovering great new finds. A few faves:
1. Vintner’s Daughter Active Botanical Serum – so nourishing and keeps my skin looking glowy
2. Anastasia Brow Wiz – fills in my brows to make them look naturally full
3. Buxom Lip Polish in Bunny – the perfect peachy nude
Favorite restaurants in Austin?
CS: Elizabeth Street Café: almond croissants and lemongrass tofu banh mi
Launderette: burrata with figs, charred octopus
Uchiko: salmon sashimi with kale and asian pear
Bufalina: all the pizzas and whatever grilled or roasted veggies are in season
Fall Fashion Trend You Are Most Excited About:
CS: Sneakers with everything.
Your Personality in 3 Words:
CS: Balanced, optimistic, and focused.
What an amazing woman! Loved this interview – really well done!
Rebecca | Peppermint Dolly
She is so inspiring! Glad you enjoyed the interview!