The Budget Fashionista (TBF) was one of the first superstar blogs and became a sensation in the early 2000s, making Kathryn one of the first internet influencers. For many women, TBF was one of the first blogs they read, becoming a gateway into internet content. In this episode, Kathryn shares how she built and grew the company from a blog to a media empire. 

“Kathryn was such a pioneer and really one of the first, and to look at someone in that space who looked like me, who sounded like me, who was accomplished–it was really exciting.” 

At the beginning of the social media/blogging landscape, there were very few—to none—women and/or people of color. As a result, Kathryn’s presence became an important marker and influenced a whole generation of successful women entrepreneurs. 

“And (blogging) started to change the more money came into the space.”
Kathryn’s popular blog led to TV appearances and eventually a book deal. This success validated her for a while, and Kathryn felt like she was part of a community with other early bloggers. However, as blogging became more popular and easy with the advancement of blogging technology, the community began to fracture. 

 

Guests

Patrice Grell Yursik: https://about.me/afrobella

Darlene Gillard-Jones: https://www.darlenegillardjones.com/ 

Tobias Wright: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobiaswright/

Elisa Camahort Page: https://www.elisacp.com/

Nicholas Roman Lewis: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-roman-lewis-revolutionarydaydreams69569/

Kendra Bracken-Ferguson: http://kendrabracken-ferguson.com/

To hear more, visit kathrynfinney.substack.com