A Beautiful Mess pivoted from physical retail to online content monetization

Evidence

Given the longevity of their internet careers, it shouldn’t be too surprising that A Beautiful Mess emerged not purely from an attempt to become famous on the internet but from an endeavor to promote the vintage clothing store owned by the sisters. In 2009, Larson opened a small boutique in Springfield, Missouri, named Red Velvet. (Her initial capital to open this store came from success in the scrapbooking community with a line of mass-marketed scrapbooking accessories.) By 2010, her blog had garnered wide success, and her sister, Chapman, had moved from Los Angeles to work with her. The two acquired a fully stocked vintage store in Springfield to expand their business. The blog itself, around this time, focused on themes related to their store, like the styling of vintage clothing and recipes for baked goods Chapman sold in the store’s dining area. Over time, the sisters began to realize that the idea of a storefront in a city like Springfield is not particularly profitable and moved their business almost entirely to creating online content. They purchased several houses in town, including one that they converted into office space for their growing staff, and began building infrastructure for internet-based clothing sales and houses to renovate for blog content. — Grant Bollmer, Katherine Guinness, The Influencer Factory, 144

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the book’s core thesis: influencer careers grow out of pre-existing businesses, giving the self a corporate infrastructure. Relevant to applying the four-infrastructure model to a real creator.