Cecilia is a full-time student, but not your typical. Mature beyond her years and generally in sky-high heels, you can’t overlook a gal like Cecilia. Instead of house parties, top ramen and late nights cramming and studying, Cecilia is out there talking, networking, and proving herself to be a young professional and thought leader in fashion and beyond. Although her schoolmates may not know it, Cecilia started a style blog two years ago called ‘Love, Portland’ where she documented the happenings of a 20-something year old living in the up-and-coming city. Her blog brought attention to her from near and far-from local Portland businesses to global fashion sites and retailers who wanted her help in promoting their business. With a love for fashion and design, you can also find her at many of the fashion events in town or chatting it up with owners and salespeople at various boutiques in Portland. What’s new at this boutique, who carries what line, and when this or that fashion show is happening … Cecilia knows. Currently she is a marketing, PR & events intern for CRAVE Portland ). Part of her job includes Interviewing, blogging, and tweeting exclusive tidbits about female entrepreneurs and local businesses. She finds this refreshing and insightful, to be able to meet and talk to people who come from all walks of life, but have all found success in doing what they’re passionate about. For Cecilia, she wants to find success in fashion, but more importantly in client relations. She realizes that the ability to network and establish relationships with influential people, whether online or in-person, is an invaluable trait she’s developed that all started with a simple blog site she created for fun, and can get her to where she wants to be. Keep an eye out for this young thought leader. You can find her at Calculated Fashion.
What are you working on right now?
My biggest project right now is to build my website and to get the right people involved. I have a lot of great plans for it and want to dedicate more time and focus on making it a success.
3 Trends that excite you?
1. Portable information: More and more people are utilizing their cellphones and handhelds to get information. I’d love to find ways for more people to get involved and interactive with my site while on-the-go.
2. Work for Trade/Bartering: An exchange of services not only allows for collaborations and partnerships that didn’t exist before, it is also resourceful, money-saving, and helps grow your business through professional and expert referrals.
3. Power of Bloggers: People are actually finding I can offer something worthwhile, and are hearing me out. I want to take advantage of this and take my blogging to the next level. Providing quality, reliable, and exclusive information to readers while offering businesses an opportunity to get involved and reach out to their customers.
How do you bring ideas to life?
I simply talk about it. I feel a lot of times it doesn’t take just one person to make an idea come to life. Several, many people are involved. If you don’t get an idea out of your head, how will someone know to help or provide you with resources to further your idea? You tell one person and if it’s a good enough idea it’ll spread like wildfire and reach someone who can help you do something about it. It’s worked for me time and time again.
How have you used social media to build your own brand and reputation?
Social media has helped with my reputation as a young thought leader and fashion enthusiast in many ways. Without the interaction and exchange of information from others, I wouldn’t have any idea on what I could offer others that would be relevant and entertaining, really. First off, with my blog I’m able to share my ideas and unique opinion. Those who find it relevant in their own lives will continue to come back. With Twitter, I’m able to reinforce those ideas and give readers a way to keep up with me in real-time. I can also exchange dialogue with them and connect with other bloggers and social media gurus who are way ahead of me. Also, the use of fashion forums and other networking sites allow me to get more people to view my blog and see what I have to say as well as aids me in finding more inspiration and more ideas to share. I’m currently taking the proper steps to build up my brand and I can’t wait to share it with everyone. It’ll be a mind blasting website with many new features a blog can’t offer and you will soon have more ways to interact with me!
What are your plans after college?
I want to continue to use social media as a platform for my success after college. I’m not restricting myself to any particular field or profession, although I do enjoy fashion very much and do hope that I can remain in that industry. As long as I can handle client relations and social media, I think I have what it takes to help a company grow and make it more visible to its customers. Never before had I realized personality and personableness could play such an important role in one’s success and could actually further their career as well as help a company succeed.
Connect
Email: ceciliadoan at gmail.com
Calculated Fashion Blog
CRAVE Portland
Mario Schulzke is the Founder of ideamensch, which he started a decade ago to learn from entrepreneurs and give them a platform for their ideas.