Emel Gloss of Austria began to share with the world her love of fashion in 2013 when she started an Instagram account.
She began with posting pictures that depicted her love of fashion and beauty accessories. She quickly became a notable account on the platform, and today she has more than 380,000 followers.
In 2019, Gloss took the leap of faith she had always dreamed about and launched her first fashion line. Life was coming together for the successful businesswoman, who has always been driven by determination and a strong willingness to succeed.
Then, early in 2020, the world was hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. Folks from all walks of life were scrambling to make sense of it all and businesses all over the globe were struggling to stay afloat.
Thankfully for Gloss, she was in an industry that was not negatively affected by the pandemic. With more people at home with more time to be online, Gloss was getting more visibility.
“Covid-19 has generally only positively impacted by business and my job as an influencer,” she said. “My online business was strengthened by the pandemic.”
But the experience of the pandemic gave pause to Gloss, who realized that anything can change at a moment’s notice. She wants others to know that it’s imperative to stay strong and move forward, even through the ups and downs of being a business owner and a social media influencer.
Other advice Gloss would give to future entrepreneurs is to not get lax in taking care of all business affairs. She said some of the qualities that she has in her personal life carry over to her professional life, such as being extremely organized.
“My community has been very attentive so they may have already identified this quality about me, but I am a bit obsessive regarding cleanliness and organization. Everything has its place, and everything needs to be clean. It’s a blessing and a curse,” she joked.
On a serious note, Gloss is dedicated to helping others achieve their goals. For those aspiring entrepreneurs, she offers the follow advice:
“It’s essential to keep going and to maintain faith in yourself, especially when things aren’t going as good as you had planned or hoped,” she said. “Keep your eyes on the prize and motivate yourself daily. Take things one step at a time. When you are just starting, you will have to face some hurdles that you hadn’t thought of or expected. Keep on learning and keep on growing.”