Emily At Work
Can you tell us about one of your favourite brands and why you love them?
Palace for the jokes captions they have for items on their web store. For example:
“WAXIMUM ECHO TECH FLEECE HOOD”
- IF YOU THINK YOU ARE FLOSSING
- BUY A BRAND NEW WHITE PALACE JUMPER
- GO FOR A CURRY IN IT
- AND SEE HOW WORRIED YOU ARE
- ABOUT STAINING IT
They are so true to form & personality lead in all they do – it’s like having a friend rather than liking a brand which is powerful.
What are your top 3 pieces of advice for small businesses trying to cultivate a large following and community on social media?
- Build in phases. 0-5K followers takes different tactics than it does to get 5-10K, and beyond 10K you have to own what you’re saying, especially if your engagement rate is above industry standard, as a lot of people are listening & value your content.
- Who are you talking to? Own what your chat is & your world. Find a few content themes & be consistent. Also, where is your audience? Twitter? Reddit? Instagram? And even more, where are they going to be in 2 years?
- Algorithm. Bro, it’s different every damn day, and users are taking detoxes and becoming private more than ever… You have to audit the land, see where your people are, then and create content accordingly.
You’ve developed a number of brands that are iconic among the London-female-entrepreneur scene. What’s your biggest learning from these achievements to date?
Build conversations and content with a real purpose, intellectual substance, that can be acted on. In some geographies (e.g. central London) & ways, we’re post-inspiration & awareness of building women in business. We KNOW we have to do it, so now it’s time to use our energy to get to work rather than create another fluffy quote.
Emily After Hours
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Try and learn how to do a backwards kickover. That would be so sick to have muscle memory for as an adult. Otherwise, you’re doing good kid!
Do you have any health, beauty or wellness rituals that keep you feeling nourished?
Wine & chips 🙂
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
“I am not here to explain black culture to people” – not direct advice to me, but a mentor/employer/friend of mine Sharmadean said it once and I was like – wow, imagine having to always explain your existence to most of society & people you meet. Google is your friend, learn yourself.
What outfits and styles make you feel the best day to day?
Cool, cosy, coordinated, comedic. Mainly London brands, smart colours, and good shapes.
I like the idea that what you wear is an extension of your personality. I like that my friends can be like “Oh, that top reminds me of Emily” which I think is a nice feature to have in life. Or as my friend Dan texted me before seeing him once, “So, what pair of loud trousers do you have on this time?”.
So for me, I buy a few pieces and COMMIT to them. I even have items that are so recognisable my mates have a relationship with them too. Like, necklaces (as seen on my website chapps.online) and my earrings. I have three earrings spelling ‘E’ ’A’ ’R’ on my ear. I wanted this for about 5 years, and 3 years ago I found the ideal hoops size & font from Spanish Jewelry Designer Glenda Lopez. My friends say they’re a perfect representation of me 🙂
Brands you’ll catch me copping when the bank account is looking healthy are, Shrimps, Ashley Williams, and whatever the Matches or Good Hood Sales are saying. Then everything else is mainly bits nicked from boys I’ve seen, friends, and parents and clothes I’ve designed myself.
What’s your favourite quote to live by?
“Least resistance to fun” – perhaps someone said it to me, I might have made it up.
How do you keep on top of updates in your personal areas of interest? Any podcasts, newsletters, instagram accounts, sites or events you follow?
On YouTube:
I love Vox, especially their Earworm series, also love Nardwuar’s interviews.
On Instagram:
Insta accounts that are molto bene include @samutaro & @diet_prada, then @bikinibottom.news for fiction news from Sponge Bob’s home – that pourus boy in my homie!
