Elise Armitage is the writer behind What The Fab, travel, fashion, and lifestyle blog based in San Francisco and founded in 2012. On What The Fab, Elise shares inspiration with a pinch of zest, served with a side of real talk. She is a firm believer that you can be of both substance and style. At the beginning of 2019, Elise left her corporate job at Google to chase her dreams: being an entrepreneur and helping women find fabulous in the everyday.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

My background is in Communications, Branding, and Events.

What inspired you to start your business?

Both my parents are entrepreneurs, so I knew from a young age that I wanted to have my own business someday. I just wasn’t sure what that was until I started my blog in 2012 and saw potential in it as a business, and influencer marketing started to grow into a legitimate industry. 

Where is your business based?

San Francisco.

How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?

I started my blog for fun, but I always treated it as a business from the beginning since it was tied to my personal brand. Over the years, I set up more processes and systems (like invoicing and an editorial calendar) and hired help for different aspects of it (such a web development team and campaign manager). 

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?

Social media is such a huge part of my business. It’s helped me build a community and continues to drive traffic to my website.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

Leaving my former job at Google to run my blog full time was a difficult decision and something I’d been working towards for years. When it finally came time to make the leap I was terrified, but I pushed myself and took things one day at a time, and was able to successfully launch my business full time

How do you stay focused?

I use a combination of the Ivy Lee method, time batching, and blocking off time on my calendar in order to manage my time and stay hyper-focused. I eliminate any distractions by closing my inbox and turning my phone on airplane mode, and I only focus on one task at a time rather than trying to multitask.

How do you differentiate your business from the competition?

I think a lot of fashion and travel bloggers can elicit a feeling of envy from their readers. I strive to keep my content inspirational but also approachable, and it makes me so happy when readers reach out to me and share that they find my posts to be relatable and useful.

What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?

Pinterest is huge for me and I think a lot of people overlook it. Think of it as a search engine, rather than a social media platform. Being engaged on Pinterest and sharing useful content drives a ton of traffic to my website.

What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?

Consistency is key. Don’t get frustrated if you don’t see immediate results. It took me 6.5 years of blogging nights and weekends until I was able to turn my blog into a full-time business. If you’re doing something you’re passionate about, that will help you stay motivated and focused.

What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?

App: Headspace. Getting in a 15-minute meditation helps keep me centered.

Blog: The Skinny Confidential. She’s my go-to resource for skincare advice.

Book: Big Magic. I love Elizabeth Gilbert’s take on creativity. 

What's your favorite business tool or resource? Why?

I love Asana and Slack. I use Asana for my editorial calendar as well as tracking deadlines for sponsored campaigns. Slack has been so helpful for cutting down on emails and organizing information with my team.

Who is your business role model? Why?

I really admire Lauryn Evarts from The Skinny Confidential and the business and brands she’s built. Her branding is so on-point and easily identifiable—when a TSC post pops up on your feed, you know just by looking at it that it’s hers.

How do you balance work and life?

I can definitely lean towards being a workaholic. When I used to work at Google and run my blog, I had zero work-life balance—I just worked all the time. When I left my corporate job, I promised myself that I would try my best to stop working nights and weekends and to have a better balance. Sometimes I do still need to work on weekends for photoshoots, but for the most part, I’ve been able to keep that promise to myself. Whenever I feel guilty for not working, I try to remind myself that taking time for other things besides work is important for my mental health, and allows me to come back to work feeling refreshed and focused.

What’s your favorite way to decompress?

Reading a good book with a glass of wine in a bubble bath.

What do you have planned for the next six months?

We’re currently in such a strange time with Covid-19, so unfortunately I’ve had to cancel a ton of travel plans. Instead, I’m focused on creating useful lifestyle content for my readers that can help add bright spots to their day while we navigate this new normal. 

How can our readers connect with you?

They can find me on Instagram @wtfab and over on my blog, www.w-t-fab.com!