Today we’d like to introduce you to Kate Bronson and Chantelle Chandler.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Our friendship, it all began over ten years ago when we were both Assistant Buyers at Neiman Marcus. We crossed paths through a mutual friend, and the rest was history! We were so young… haha! We were basically fresh out of college and ready to take on both the fashion world and the social scene in Dallas!
As you can imagine, so much has changed since then!
We are both married. We are both mamas. And we have become the dearest of friends who always work to bring out the best in each other… even when it is hard. We have shared so many life events in this past decade that when the idea of this business venture came up, it just seemed to make sense to try it together!
We poured over name choices and ideas, and actually, in the middle of one of those “I can’t switch off my to-do list” kind of mama nights, the name “koko&chantelle” just came!! (this is why people sleep with notebooks by their bed!!) koko&chantelle is fun and whimsical and not too serious. But it is also catchy and charismatic and a smidge sophisticated without the air of pretention!… and perhaps a little cheesy, as well! In a nutshell… it’s totally us!
Has it been a smooth road?
Trying to stay relevant in a saturated market is so hard to do, especially at our age and stage of life, lol. The other part that has been challenging on our journey is the tech side of things. Neither of us is a tech expert… by a long shot!
Our best advice to a young woman starting out is to stay true to who you are and do not play the comparison game. You are unique. Celebrate that! AND work to make connections with others in your field! On the surface, some of the virtual relationships may appear somewhat shallow, but we have made some good friends that all work together to encourage and be supportive!
We are always taught that you cannot have it all, but with blogging… particularly with a partner… you can! Life is always a balance, but we have been able to be both mothers and work from home, too! We set our own hours. We make time when something is important to our families like a date night or a child’s school event. WE always joke that we are two half-brains making up one person! This has allowed us to work a FULL part-time job from home AND be a mom and wife. We love doing what we do, and we feel so blessed to be supported by our friends and followers! It makes it all such a joy!
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Koko&Chantelle – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
We are a blogging duo that has a heavy leaning towards fashion… with over 40 combined years of retail experience! But because we are also mamas, we include lots of lifestyle posts, as well… things that are relevant to our stage in our own families. We are also stylists, providing both virtual and in-person styling services in addition to blogging.
We are known for our #wishlistwednesday posts where we share items that we are loving, we have in our carts, or we already own… all of which we think our followers will love, too!
Our most proud point is that we only promote things we believe in! One of the greatest things in this Insta/virtual world is really being authentic. People can feel when you are not! We only share what we love!
Were there people and/or experiences you had in your childhood that you feel laid the foundation for your success?
It is a cliche, but fashion has always been a passion for both of us! From “best dressed” awards in school to retail jobs at an early age, we both have always had an eye for what will work… not only for ourselves but for those around us. We studied it in college. Our career has been in fashion. It is something that is a part of us in a way.
Contact Info:
- Website: kokoandchantelle.com
- Email: kokoandchantelle@gmail.com
- Instagram: @kokoandchantelle
- Facebook: facebook.com/kokoandchantelle
- Twitter: @koko_chantelle
- Other: pinterest.com/kokoandchantelle
Image Credit:
Our children are our photographers! 🙂 Chan has two girls, and I have two boys.
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