Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Steele.
Ashley, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
After my husband and I got married in 2014, I decided to start a wedding design and styling agency. I loved the process of planning our own wedding, specifically the design and the fashion behind my wedding gown and bridesmaids dresses, and wanted to share that expertise with future brides and grooms. After designing and styling weddings for two years, I decided to transition my focus to my true passion, fashion. I was constantly being asked where my outfit was from, upcoming trends to pay attention to, or where the best boutiques were to shop, so I started to share that with my followers. My blog quickly transformed into a place for me to share fashion, fitness, home, and travel tips. With a large percentage of my follower base in Boston, I have been working with local businesses and retailers to help them promote their brand and services. While there are a ton of influencers in this space, what sets me apart is my creativity and unique style which enable me to create content that will not only encompass the brand’s identity but will promote the brand in an influential light to my followers. Aside from A Styled Affair, I am a Global Director at Topcoder, a leading crowdsourcing agency. As an executive in the technology space, my day job is very demanding. However, I am able to balance my career with my blog because the energy put toward my blog is driven solely from passion and enjoyment. So every spare second I am spending on it, I know it’s what I want to be doing in that moment. While juggling the two can be very difficult and exhausting, I know I am feeding my inherent need to be creative but also impactful in the technology and blog space.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Blogging is not for the faint of heart. It is a serious time commitment and super competitive and can feel really defeating at times. The blogging space has grown astronomically in the last couple of years which makes it really hard to stay relevant and to grow. It’s easy to compare myself to other bloggers and influencers, some new and some that have been doing this for years, and think “what am I doing wrong” but the second you start comparing, you will never feel what you’re doing is enough. What keeps me going is reminding myself that I am doing this because it is a creative outlet for me and I enjoy sharing it. As long as I stay true to myself and represent the true me, the rest will follow. And if they don’t, that’s okay. The followers I have decided to follow me on this journey because what I put out there resonates with them. Instead of focusing on numbers, I try to focus on the quality of my engagement.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about A Styled Affair – what should we know?
As the owner and creator of A Styled Affair, I heavily focus on style. In the past year, I have also introduced fitness and home decor into my content and have seen a lot of interest from my follower base in both. I have had a lot of my friends say to me that of all of the influencers they follow, I have one of the truest representations of me in real life. I’m not playing a part or changing the real me to be more relatable and I am proud of that. What also sets me apart is my creativity and unique style which enable me to create content that will not only encompass the brand’s identity but will promote the brand in an influential light to my followers. I am usually one step ahead of the trends and love introducing what’s coming next to my followers.
Aside from A Styled Affair, as Global Director at Topcoder, I am the only female executive at my company. I have been a leader in the technology space for the past five years and have really taken my business acumen and learnings to establish my blog and A Styled Affair. Without the two combined, I don’t know that I would be as successful in either.
Do you feel like there was something about the experiences you had growing up that played an outsized role in setting you up for success later in life?
From age 5 to 13, I was a competitive figure skater. I competed all over the country, advanced to New England Regionals, and trained under three coaches, including Olympic Gold medalist Oksana Baiul’s coach. I trained 6 days a week and was partially homeschooled in middle school, so I could train. Growing up with a rigorous training schedule in a competitive sport definitely gave me my drive and independence. I have always been self-motivated and I think that has gotten me to where I am today.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.astyledaffair.com
- Email: astyledaffair@gmail.com
- Instagram: @astyledaffair
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/astyledaffair
Image Credit:
Nicollette Petersen, Nicole Baas
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