Here’s What I’d Do Differently If I Launched TCF Today
When I started The Curvy Fashionista back in 2008, I didn’t know I was building a brand that would become a destination for plus size fashion, a platform for representation, and, let’s be honest—a full-on crash course in entrepreneurship. I just knew I had something to say and wanted to share it.
But now, after more than 16 years in this space, I can’t help but think about what I’d do differently if I were launching The Curvy Fashionista today. Not because I regret the path I took, every twist, pivot, and lesson brought me here, but because I know better now. And knowing better means I can help the next wave of creators, publishers, and dreamers do better too.
So, if I were starting TCF all over again in 2025, here’s exactly what I’d change.
1. I’d Launch With My Membership Community From Day One
When TCF started, I was writing to my audience, not with them. It took me years (and two starts-and-stops) to realize that my membership community—the one I’m now relaunching for the third and final time—should have been the heartbeat from day one.
Back then, I thought building the site and posting content was enough. But a thriving community isn’t just “nice to have”… it’s the foundation. If I’d baked that into the DNA of TCF early on, structured spaces for connection, members-only perks, meetups, and real-time conversations, we would have scaled faster, connected deeper, and skipped a lot of those lonely “shouting into the void” days.
2. I’d Start a Newsletter Immediately
If I could go back in time, that email signup form would have been live the second I hit publish on my first blog post. And not only would I start it immediately—I would prioritize it and take it seriously.
Back when Feedburner was hot, then Mailchimp, then Flodesk, and now Beehiiv, I went through so many platform shifts that a lot of data, information, and email flow was lost in the shuffle. That’s years of connection and insights I can’t get back.
Now that we send emails directly from our site, it feels good to be focused and fully aware of just how important and instrumental a newsletter is, not only in today’s social media climate but also in the era of AI. Especially as media publishers face shrinking pageviews, an engaged email list is more than a marketing tool… it’s a lifeline.
3. I’d Take a Media Class (Or Find the Right Resources Sooner)
When I started, I didn’t fully understand the business of digital media. I knew how to write, I knew fashion, I knew my audience. But ad sales? SEO? Pitch decks? Negotiations? That was a whole other language.
It wasn’t until I went through the BOMESI Accelerator that the full scope of what I had built really hit me. That experience opened my eyes to the entire business of media, how content, revenue, operations, and audience growth all fit together and it plugged me into an ecosystem of resources, mentors, and peers I didn’t even know existed or that I desperately needed.
If I had tapped into that kind of knowledge and support sooner, I would have made smarter moves earlier, grown faster, and saved myself a whole lot of trial-and-error learning.
4. I’d Refresh My Business Knowledge and Apply It to TCF
Back in the early aughts, blogging was the wild wild west. It wasn’t seen as a “real” profession. People thought it was a hobby at best, a fad at worst. There were no roadmaps, no influencer marketing playbooks, no “How to Be a Digital Publisher” courses.
Today, there are classes, courses, and even college degrees dedicated to digital media and content creation. Back then? So much of it was pure on-the-job training with quite a lot of trial, error, and Google searches at 2 a.m.
I had a business background before The Curvy Fashionista, but industries evolve. The skills that worked in my retail and marketing days didn’t fully translate (for me) to running a digital brand. If I had intentionally sharpened those skills early, tapping into mentors, up-to-date strategies, and the kind of structured learning that’s available now, I could have avoided some expensive and exhausting lessons.
5. I’d Go to Therapy Sooner
In 2015, I hit a wall. I had a breakdown and finally realized I was battling depression. That’s when I started therapy, and thank God for Dr. April Wells from Wells of Wholeness, who helped me get my mind right. Through our work together, I learned a few of the tools I desperately needed and began leaning into unpacking issues and trauma, both the ones I knew about and the ones I didn’t.
Those tools became a lifeline years later, in 2022, when I faced a personal devastation that could have knocked me out completely. But between therapy and journaling, I found my way through. I committed to doing the shadow work, sitting with the uncomfortable truths, and slowly, deliberately, healing.
Entrepreneurship will pull every unhealed thing you’ve got to the surface, how you handle conflict, how you view money, how you set boundaries, how you treat yourself. I didn’t realize how much unaddressed trauma was influencing my business decisions until much later. Therapy, earlier, would have helped me show up for my brand, my team, and my community with more clarity and compassion from the start.
6. I’d Learn How to Take Care of Me
In the early days of TCF, I worked Sunday to Saturday, no breaks, no boundaries, and absolutely no time for myself. I poured everything into the brand and left nothing for me. I became a little like Smeagol from Lord of the Rings, clutching my “precious” business so tightly that I completely neglected myself in the process.
It wasn’t until 2023 that I truly woke up to how much I had been ignoring my own needs. I started small—taking supplements, going for walks, venturing outside, even taking pole dancing classes—reintroducing myself to joy and movement. And in doing so, I realized that taking care of myself isn’t a distraction from my business—it’s the very thing that keeps it alive.
If I’d had that mindset in 2008, my growth, and my peace would have looked a whole lot different.
7. I’d Embrace My Path and Walk in It Sooner
I didn’t take the influencer lane and in the early years, that was a challenge. It made me stay in my head, constantly looking for ways to fit in, wondering if I was “doing it right,” instead of recognizing that my lane was different. My lane was media publishing, and that was more than enough.
If I had embraced that sooner, I would have shown up on social without the stress of how pretty my feed looked, how many likes I got, or how many followers I had. I would have stood confidently in my purpose and path, whatever it was meant to be, without chasing a mold that wasn’t mine.
Coupled with therapy, that clarity would have allowed me to show up for myself and The Curvy Fashionista earlier, with less comparison and more conviction.
Voices From the OG Blogging World
I’m not the only one who’s had a long road of lessons in digital media. I reached out to some of my fellow OG bloggers—women who built their platforms in the early days of blogging (before 2015) about what they would do differently if they launched today.
Here is what they had to say:
Alison Gary – Wardrobe Oxygen
“Once I started making real money, I wish I had set up an LLC and bookkeeping. I had an Excel spreadsheet that tracked revenue and broke it down by category, but it was primarily for personal use and it made tax time complicated. I ended up each year owing so much taxes and constantly just trying to catch up from the previous year.
The best money I have spent on my blogging business has been on a bookkeeper and CPA who specializes in blogging businesses and helped me set up my LegalZoom LLC into a C-Corp and set me up right as a business.”
Susan Blakely – Une Femme
“If I were to launch my blog/brand today (as a business venture), I would be more strategic. First, I’d want to be clear about my goals and vision for the business, and about the POV I’m bringing to the table. What makes it unique?
Since I don’t have a background in business or marketing, I’d probably take some time to educate myself about: small business practices (e.g. budgeting, planning, revenue streams), marketing and best branding practices, my target audience & niche, other blogs/websites in my niche, technical aspects (hosting, email, analytics, tech support).
If I had the resources early on, I’d also consider hiring a blogging business consultant, who could offer an objective view of what’s working or not, and strategies for growth.”
The truth is, I wouldn’t change the journey—it made me who I am, and it made The Curvy Fashionista what it is today. But if sharing these lessons means one creator can avoid a few of my mistakes and find their footing sooner, then it’s worth sharing a bit more about this journey.
Because launching today? I’d still bet on me. I’d just bet smarter- this time with my community by my side from the start.
Now I want to hear from you: Whether you’re a influencer, business owner, or creative, what would you do differently if you launched your brand today?
