Jul 20, 20204 min read

Welcome to My Blog!

Updated: Nov 22, 2020

Whew. Finally I can check this off my endless to do list: START A BLOG.

I cannot tell you how long I've been meaning to do this. Writing has been my creative outlet ever since I learned how to form sentences (shoutout to my elementary school teachers). It’s a type of therapeutic, self care I’ve neglected in the past few years because, you know, *insert invalid excuse here* (This is a whole other blog post, so we’ll dive into the workaholic side of me later).

Anyway, I figured I should start off with a little introduction. Here’s the basics about me:

My name is Kirsten and I am 22 years old (well 22 and 3/4 but who’s counting?). I am a lover of all things chocolate (major sweet tooth here), iced coffee from literally anywhere, spending quality time with people, and absolutely love to travel. As for schooling, I graduated in May of 2019 with my B.S. in Human Development and Family Studies (pretty much psychology with a concentration in human services) and I currently work full time as a social worker. I thank God for blessing me with an empathetic heart and passion for serving others—I am so grateful for the field I get to work in.

I played D2 soccer in college, had a part time job, and attended an accelerated class schedule so I could graduate a year early—but somehow I still found myself with too much free time (Ahhhh. The birth of my workaholic self). I’ve always been the one to function best with a full schedule so I’d squeeze in just about every activity I could—shopping being my absolute favorite. Let’s talk about that...

I’ve loved shopping ever since I was allowed to handle my own money. In elementary school, my grandparents would take my brother and I to Dollar General and give us both a five dollar bill. He would always save the entire thing (way to make me look bad Michael!) while I would be ECSTATIC to spend it—I’m talking down to every penny. Knock off Barbie doll? Check. Candy ringpop? Got it. 100 pack of glitter unicorn stickers? Absolutely had to have that. Being able to get so many things for cheap was an absolute adrenaline rush to me—little did I know I’d make a business out of it...

Fast forward to middle school and you’d find me in the Hollister clearance section just about every weekend (Extra 50% off the sale price was my JAM). Oh, and add outlet malls and discount stores into the mix—I was there all the time always on the hunt for a good deal. Like, a really good one. I’m talking a 75% off retail value plus an additional 50% off type of deal. I developed an eye (and patience) for finding things I wanted for prices I could afford on my babysitting budget. My biggest flex to my friends would always be “paid $4 for this shirt from American Eagle” (lol it still is to be honest). Super annoying, I know, but I was blinded by my infatuation with finding the best bargains.

Come college, I began to realize my deal hunting “skills” were in fact skills. The patience and desire I had to search through every single rack—that didn’t come easy to others. Not to mention I’d look through every. single. size. (you never know if someone decides to put back a small dress in the large section...) Because of this I often found amazing items at even better prices—they just didn’t fit.

But that’s when I started to think: why am I passing up Tory Burch shoes just because they’re too small? I could sell those things and make like, $75... Eh, oh well.

I always shoved those types of thoughts in the back of my head. Too risky, didn’t want to spend the money, self-doubt, etc. flooded my logic.

I changed my mind on January 3rd, 2018.

I can’t really remember why (I should have wrote it down) but I am guessing it had something to do with my extra Christmas money. I started to purchase the items I found and didn’t want so I could sell them to others who did (and I could make a profit of course). Let’s just say I had absolutely no idea what I was doing or how to do it... But somehow, I learned fast and was immediately hooked.

...and now we’re here. With 2 1/2 years since I launched Shop Kirsten, I’ve sold 4,000+ items across multiple platforms, created my own website, built a social media following of over 23,000 and became an official LLC. I’ve diversified my business to operate on a multi-faceted scale, incorporating elements such as wholesale, graphic design, branding, packaging, social media, and more. To say it’s merely a side hustle just isn’t true anymore—I’ve worked my butt off for countless hours (and will continue to!) to create what Shop Kirsten is today.

What started out as an idea I had in my college dorm room blossomed into something I would have never imagined I could have built all by myself. Believe it or not, the hardest part was starting. Taking that initial leap of faith not knowing what the heck to expect... it isn’t easy.

But everything since then has been an uphill battle. Sure, I’ve made MANY mistakes (and will continue to make them) but I’ve learned so, so much. You don’t know it all and you never will, but it’s so important to adapt and become the best version of yourself.

I promise it will pay off in your personal life and your business.

Anyway, I know that was super long (shoutout to you if you made it to the end lol) but I wanted to give some background on myself before I dive into this whole blog thing. I’m super excited to start writing about just about everything and anything (business, life, mental health, how to’s, my favorite Amazon finds, you name it). Make sure to join my email list down below to be the first to know about new posts and exclusive sales!

To the people who have supported me and my small business, thank you. You guys don’t understand how much it means to me. Seriously, even a simple share on social media makes my day.

Thanks for stopping by, until next time friends!