Stylist Live 2017 - The festival of inspiration

Stylist - it's that weekly magazine that's always handed outside the station. You either grab it as quick as you can or wave "no thanks" because you're in a rush or you simply don't know what the magazine is at all. Personally, I love the Stylist mag and I have been reading them for years! It's basically a magazine, edited by Lisa Smosarki, which is packed with beauty, fashion, society, entrepreneurialism, travel and inspiration from women around the world. It's the go-to mag for women who want to know about Prada's new feather-trimmed sandals but also want updates on how women's roles in society are developing at home and abroad, in just one read. A woman's role in society is changing and there is a rise in "She-E-O's"  but we are still far from being equals to our male counterparts. I thank Stylist for forming a community for us women to share our ideas, provide empowerment for us readers and encourage us weekly to be the best version of ourselves. In short - if you're a feminist who's into fashion, Stylist is for you.

So now you know just how passionate I am about this magazine, you can see why I just had to go to Stylist Live. It's like being immersed into the magazine itself for a whole day! (lol) The event was marketed as "The Festival of Inspiration" and that is exactly what it was. Although I only attended on the Sunday, it was a 3 day festival full of inspirational talks, boutique stalls, a catwalk show, pampering sessions, drinks, food, beauty & fashion stalls etc etc. There was A LOT going on and the energy was buzzing all day!

Ok, so now it's time for me to share some of my highlights of the day with you!

Coping with internet fame: Social Media

This was the first talk we attended and it was really eye-opening to see both the successes and dangers associated with using social media to speak up. Nimco Ali (social activist) and Bella Younger (comedian) have widely different professions but still face a lot of the same struggles with being 'internet famous'. There were a few key points mentioned that I think applies to everyone - whether you are an active user of social media or not, so here is a brief summary of what I took away.

- Social media isn't real life. What you see on your Instagram isn't necessarily representative of a users life and someone else's feed shouldn't be a guide to how you should live your life. No matter how lavish someones feed looks, no matter how often they have travelled and have taken photos at some rooftop bar with their boo, they are probably still facing problems even though they don't publish it on social media. Not everyone has time to take photos from the gram everyday and set a theme for their Instagram feed so you shouldn't have to feel like you need to conform to these imaginary social media rules. There is this aura where young people are aspiring to be 'Instagram Famous' but really, if Instagram one day had a Wall-Street type crash and all your likes and followers reset to 0 - what would your identity be then?

- Social media used the right way can act as a powerful platform for change in society. Nimco Ali for example has gained over 17k Twitter followers after speaking up about gender-based violence, especially for FGM in her home country, Somalia. A topic that often goes unspoken (or unknown) of in countries that can provide assistance like the UK and USA, is now becoming a topic that is helping places like Somalia overcome these barriers and leading to a faster progression for women's rights. It shows the power the Twitter world can have - the power of a # campaign can bring the world together in times of tragedies and natural disasters and for that reason, social media is amazing.- Be responsible for what you upload on social media. If you're not comfortable with anyone and everyone viewing your uploads then do not have your account on public. Those careless tweets or those insta's from that boozy weekend may not be appealing to your future employer but more importantly, you're inviting unnecessary critical judgement which can have a negative impact on your mental health. It might sound a bit dramatic, but it's true. There are even studies proving that depression rates among young girls especially has risen because they feel they need to live up to a certain level of likability leading to low self-esteem and even bullying both online or offline. It's important to be kind and not to use social media as an excuse to become a keyboard-warrior and also, remember that you still have the most amazing gift of LIFE even if you don't reach your desired level of likes.

- We are inevitably reaching a lifestyle that is becoming more and more digitalised. I think we all need to remind ourselves that although our online and offline worlds aren't mutually exclusive, we should take measures to make sure our online content is appropriate and to just be a nice person in general - it really isn't that hard!! The internet has reached almost all corners of the world so without a doubt there is going to be a clash of opinions in some way but that's why we need to listen more and respect the variety of opinions instead of forcing an opinion upon everyone. Social media is there for us to be creative - so many opportunities and careers have risen purely due to the internet and social media. Let's use it as a platform to initiate change and not one to create the new "social status". Definitely feel like my first year quants lecturer for inserting a random artistic pic of no relevance right here...but it's just here to refresh your mind because the above topic became slightly too deep - credit to the Google stand for this!

We spent a lot of time checking out all the stalls. As you can see below, there were soooo many to see and it was really inspiring to talk to some of these business owners to hear their story of how they started and to see how how far they have come!

Diet Coke - Creators Collective Competition

This competition was for those with innovative business ideas to compete for a chance to win a £20,000 bursary to go towards making their dream business come to life! As you can see from the photo above, the judges panel included some amazing entrepreneurs - including Mike Soutar (one of the interviewers on The Apprentice and the founder of the Shortlist mag) and Lisa Smorsarki herself! All the candidates presented such great pitches and I wish them all the best of luck for their future!

Then it was time for a pink drink...

How to launch an app and really make money from it

This was probably my favourite talk of the day and it was really motivating to listen to Michelle Kennedy - founder of the Peanut app for mothers - and learn about her journey to create one of the most successful swiping apps. As the tech world is taking over, it was empowering to hear about a woman succeeding in an industry where woman are often seen as 'not being technical enough'.

Michelle created the app Peanut to connect mothers with similar interests to help form a positive community where they feel less isolated and are able to help each other tackle the issues motherhood presents.

Michelle recognised a gap in the market for mothers. There was Tinder for singles, LinkedIn for working professionals, but there was nothing for the super-moms.

Here are a few pointers that Michelle shared with us for those that are thinking about launching their own app:

- Have a Plan B.

So many people want to start an app because all they can see is the ££ they can make from it. With an increase in the number of people wanting to create an app also means a lot of competition to stand out from the crowd which may include a lot of failing on the way. Make sure you have a Plan B in place in case things don't go the way you planned. If you have rent to pay and food to put on the table, it's best to think about how you will provide that during the development stage. Maybe start it off as a side hustle?

- Save.

This leads on from the above point, a lot of investment is needed for you to build the app the way you want it to be. From finding the right developers, to designers and for the intense research and planning you should be doing beforehand - it's going to cost you a lot of time and money!

- Have a vision.

What are your long term goals? What are your short term goals that will get you there? How are you going to measure your success? The answers to all these questions will depend upon the nature of you app and it is definitely worth having a notebook to jot down all these ideas - it will make it easier for you to keep your goals in sight but also a really effective way to measure your progression.

- Be flexible.

Nothing rarely goes to plan the way we first imagine things to go and the same goes with app building. Remember that you are building the app for others and not yourself. It's so important to take on feedback and constructive criticism so you can customise your app to your target market. This will involve a lot of tweaking along the way and even after your app has launched! The market is never static and so you must always remember to take a dynamic approach and be ready to adapt to the situation.

- Be selfish with your time.

With anything you want to succeed in, you will need to invest a lot of time into it. In Michelle's case, she was a new mother building a new app from scratch so understandably, her social life had to be cut down. Likewise, don't feel guilty for saying no to social events in order to make your dreams come true! Although it's important to take breaks, it's important to invest as much time as you can into something you want to see through!

- Don't feel awkward to ask people out for a coffee.

Success is a combination of what you know and who you know so never underestimate the power of networking! Don't feel embarrassed if you want to get in touch with someone who could potentially become a big part of your business' success. The worst that can happen is that they say no! 

Stylist Catwalk

We ended this day by attending the catwalk session which just wanted me to log onto ASOS and buy everything!

Overall, it was an amazing day out and I will definitely make sure I go again next year - I'm sure it will be even bigger and better. I would definitely urge you guys to read the Stylist and consider attending Stylist Live 2018! I know this was a superrrr long post but if you're reading this, well done for making it this far! I hope you enjoyed this read and I'll see you on the next post!

Kavita K xo

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