Nervous. Excited. Scared. Brave. Ambitious. Clueless. Pretty much sums up exactly how I was feeling the day I hit publish on my very first blog post. House of Leo Blog turns 5 years old today! I thought I would take today’s post back to the very place it all started. Took me awhile to get brave enough to shoot anywhere other than those front steps, but once I left those steps look where it took me. Today I’m sharing a little recap of the past 5 years, sharing how I’m feeling today about this passion that I turned into a career and giving you all the most heartfelt thank you for being on this journey with me.
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And there it is. The very first photo I posted on my very first blog post. The first photo I posted on Instagram introducing myself to the world as House of Leo Blog better known these days as HOLB. The girl in that photo truly had no idea where the next 5 years was going to take her. She was determined to build HOLB from the ground up. She was filled with drive, commitment and determination. A lot has changed but a lot hasn’t. That drive, commitment and determination embody exactly who I am today and why I still get to do what I’m doing 5 years later.
When I reminded my Mom that House of Leo Blog turns 5 this weekend she immediately said, “Wow that went fast!” Erik and I laughed because while many of who have been here from the beginning might think the same thing we feel like it’s been SO MUCH LONGER! There have been so many highlights and experiences over the past 5 years that are impossible to fully recap. But these opportunities never would have been presented to my family and I if it weren’t for the labor of love that I poured into HOLB.
Never have I worked so hard at something in my life. Sure it looks glamourous and those who do what I do for a living get a lot of perks but what you see from day to day is the finished work. You see the outcome of the content creation. What you don’t see are the late nights, weekends of shooting, working on vacations. You never get to turn it off. You don’t ever get time off. And the longer you stay with it doesn’t mean it gets easier. The opposite is actually true. It only gets harder. Probably why so many girls don’t make it. They underestimate what it really takes to do this full time.
The crazy thing is that I love it more now than before. I never resent the work that goes into it. I never resent the sacrifices I made and still make day to day to keep it going. I’ve learned so much these past 5 years. I think the key to my success has been to seize opportunity. I’ve branched out and built multiple platforms to bring in multiple streams of income. I didn’t stay with just fashion. By adding in other niches I’m been able to establish longstanding partnerships with other brands outside the fashion world. All of those things combined have brought HOLB to an all time high income wise.
And while I would never share what I make because that is personal I can tell you it 100% blows my mind and Erik’s mind that we got HOLB to where it is after starting from the ground up. It truly is remarkable and I couldn’t be more proud.
I remember the sickening fear I had 3 years ago when I left my 15 year insurance career to blog full time. The fear. The risk. Erik told me to go for it. If it wasn’t for him holding me in the kitchen while I cried my eyes out telling him I felt like I was at a crossroad and didn’t know what to do, I don’t know if I would be here today. It was him and it was always him who pushed me and never once doubted me.
From the day I told him I wanted to start a blog, to the day I said I want to do it full time, to the day I said let’s do Amazon Live — he was there by my side helping, supporting and guiding me. From learning to take my photos, to building me a studio and closet room, to now running my Amazon Live shows with me 3 times a week, he truly is the reason this brand is as strong as it is.
As a family, we’ve gotten to travel to Disney twice because of HOLB. We’ve gone to the LPGA tour. We’ve shot commercials and print ads. Sometimes I laugh because I wonder if Summer thinks this is normal. She really doesn’t know any difference. She was just 4 years old (pictured above in my 1st blog post) when I launched HOLB and she has essentially grown up in front of all of you.
While the work I do here has taken me away from her a lot it has also given me memories with her that I never would have had otherwise. I hope when she tells her kids about HOLB one day that she tells them the real lesson of it all. That HOLB stood for hard work. If you believe in something and work hard great things can happen. I hope that is the legacy this blog leaves her with.
And while House of Leo Blog turns 5 things in my industry look very different today than they did 5 years ago. Heck they look different than a year ago. Content is moving all into video now. Photos don’t perform nearly as well. New accounts are growing at a faster rate than before. Does it scare me? I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared. But if you have doubt or insecurity in this industry you’ll never, ever move forward.
I’m grateful that I am established as a brand, but I also know the exact kind of content creator I am. I know who HOLB is. I won’t succumb to what everyone else is doing. I’m still doing things my way while adding in new trends. I still love to story tell with pictures, and I still love to create content for brands (probably my favorite part of what I do).
I will never be the girl who just posts Amazon day in and day out. Sure my Reels have room for improvement, but I’ve incorporated them in. They’ll get better in time just as my photos did. The point here is that I’ll always create content that is inspiring, has depth to it and reflects who I am and what I love to do as a content creator. I’ll never be the biggest account out there and I’m absolutely fine with that. I have a solid business and it is moving at a great pace.
Will I still be here in 5 years? 100% yes. The need for daily fashion and lifestyle inspiration won’t go away. Many of you have grown with me, tried the trends out with me and I should hope we are still doing those things together as we approach 50! Influencer marketing is on the rise and the need for it will only grow stronger. I’m here for the long haul friends. I’m pulled in more directions now as my workload is heavier (hence I’m not as strict as I used to be about 3 blog posts a week), but I’m always here doing something. If I’m not in stories as consistently or I miss a Tuesday blog post that doesn’t mean I’m not here. I guess that’s how you know your brand is growing. You get stretched in many directions and that my friends is a good problem to have.
To my OG HOLB squad (you know who you are), THANK YOU for being here from the beginning. You’ve really seen the evolution of it all. You didn’t criticize me or judge me. You are the ones who have been supporting me this entire time and continue to push me to try new things! Whether you jumped aboard this train 5 years ago, 4 years ago or just this year I am forever grateful to you. I have personally connected with so many of you over the years and I truly look at you as my girl squad. You chose to come to HOLB for inspiration and that my friends is why I do what I do. So thank you from the bottom of my heart.
A huge thank you to the many, many brands I’ve had the opportunity to work with over the past 5 years. Being able to tell your brand story has truly been an honor. There have been so many pinch me moments and I’m so grateful you trusted me to create content for your brand.
And finally a thank you to my family. My Mom who does SO MUCH behind the scenes for HOLB and is now a regular on our Amazon Live segments, you are amazing. You might drive me crazy LOL, but I know how you invest yourself into the success of what I do. I always have hoped I make you proud! Erik, I think I dedicated an entire paragraph to you already. Love you man. And my darling Summer, always know that when you believe you can achieve anything your heart desires! House of Leo Blog turns 5! Wow you guys. That really is a milestone. xo
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Yay!!!! congratulations girlfriend!!! Such an amazing accomplishment and so proud of you. Way to go after your dreams and kick butt while you do it.
Tammy, my very dear niece. Congratulations on all you have achieved as you celebrate five years doing what you do so wonderfully, ably, creatively and with so much passion. All done with not only so much talent but also the love for what you are doing is so very evident. You were blessed with double whammy exceptional work ethic genes. I am so very proud of you dear Tammy. And we know how proud those “hovering” around you are. Their spirit is inspirational. So congratulations for five successful years and best of luck and good wishes as you continue your endeavor for the next five years and beyond…….
PS – One word sums it all up: “Gorgeous”.
Love from Aunt Jeanie