Today we’d like to introduce you to Yasmina Chalhoub.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Yasmina. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I started my blog as a side business to my corporate job in June 2016. It’s been my dream since college to pursue an MBA with an emphasis in marketing. I knew that my corporate role had prepped me for B2B marketing fields in demand generation, lead generation, field marketing and events, but the marketing field is so broad. I thought that if I could prove success in a different industry, in a B2C market, and with different marketing skill sets (content creation, SEO, PR partnerships, social media marketing, retail analytics, etc.) then that would make me a much more valuable MBA candidate for top schools and top companies. People start fashion/travel blogs for various reasons, whether it be their love for writing or desire to own a clothing line eventually, etc. But, I was always more fascinated with the business and strategy behind blogging, developing brand partnerships, and social media analytics and conversion. This is how my blog came to be! I did end up getting into the top marketing program in the country – Kellogg’s School of Management at Northwestern University, and will start in the fall, continuing my blog on the side! Currently Dress Well Travel Often (which I lovingly call DWTO for short) is mostly a style and travel blog. But, as I move to the Chicago area, I will transition into a breadth of lifestyle topics including home decor and life as a grad/MBA student in addition to my usual style and travel content.
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?
Life in social media is never a smooth road!! And juggling a side business while working a full-time corporate job, in addition to studying for the GMAT, writing admissions essays, and interviewing for grad school was at times more than my body could physically or emotionally handle. There were times, where I knew I had to take a step back from my blog in order to focus my attention elsewhere. Luckily, my readers and followers always give me a lot of grace and are super encouraging of the path I am on!
Please tell us about Dress Well Travel Often.
DWTO is a style and travel blog (main platforms being the blog itself at dresswelltraveloften.net as well as Instagram at @dresswelltraveloften_). I write it from the perspective of a young professional pursuing a graduate degree, who also likes to dress well, eat well, and have fun. My most popular posts on the blog are always my Work Wear Wednesdays where I write about different workplace topics and give my advice, as well as my travel diaries. Last summer, I did a 6 part series on Italy, and this year, I am currently working on a similar one after my 2.5 week trip to France! I write these travel posts as ‘diaries’ rather than ‘guides’ because everyone’s travel experience is unique. Some people may not have similar tastes/diet as me, they may not want to do touristy-type things, etc. But, the diary format allows me to discuss what happened on my trip, what I did day to day, what worked and what didn’t work and allows me to offer cultural tips for people that have not visited certain places before. In this way, they can discern for themselves what they’d like to see and plan for their own trips.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My mom had my baby sister when I was almost 10 years old. She was born on December 22. I remember my parents taking us to have a sleepover at my friend’s house during the delivery (best sleepover ever!). The next day, we got to visit our new baby sister at the hospital and then, we got to take her home on Christmas Eve! It was the best Christmas present ever.
Contact Info:
- Website: dresswelltraveloften.net
- Email: dresswelltraveloften@yahoo.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/dresswelltraveloften_
- Facebook: facebook.com/dresswelltraveloften
- Twitter: twitter.com/dwtoblog
- Other: pinterest.com/yasminachalhoub and www.liketoknow.it/dresswelltraveloften_
Image Credit:
Madison Katlin Photography
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