Interview with Kiara Blanchette of Pur Opulence: Business, Branding & Everything Inbetween
“ In my experience, the best way to overcome discrimination is to prove them wrong.”
Kiara Blanchette
Entrepreneur, Author, Blogger
Kiara Blanchette is a 19-year old entrepreneurial powerhouse, with two books, a digital-media company and a blog under her belt. Completing her first business plan at age 13, the Montreal-based businesswoman has always had an entrepreneurial spirit. In this interview, I pick Kiara's brain about business, discrimination in the workforce, advice for other businesswomen, and more.
1. What made you want to become an entrepreneur? What millennial women in the work force have inspired you?
I've wanted to be an entrepreneur since I was about 6 years old. My parents owned a company together and I remember seeing letterhead and business cards on my dad's desk and I was so fascinated by that. I used to sell things and extort adults for money as a kid and I kind of always had that entrepreneurial spirit. I learned how to format a business plan at 10 years old and completed my first professional business plan at 13, it was a Canadian version of the subscription e-commerce model which was still relatively new at the time and had been spearheaded by Birchbox, founded by Hayley Barna and Katia Beauchamp. I was definitely inspired by those young women who had struck gold and made something big.
2. As a minority (ethnic and/or gender) in the business world, what obstacles have you had to overcome?
I think that there's an important conversation to be had about women and POC women in the business world. With my website, I try to highlight women of all ethnic backgrounds and I definitely would like to feature more women of color. Personally, I often get dismissed as a "teenage girl" which is at once accurate and very unfair. It's hard to be taken seriously because millennial and Gen Z women and girls are generalized to be emotional, immature or preoccupied which is unfortunate.
3. What advice would you give to other women who are interested in entering the business world, yet are afraid of the discrimination and sexism that is sure to come?
My advice to young women looking to make their way in the industry would be to imagine that you are where you want to be. Be unapologetic. Send that cold email, but first impressions are important. From day one, imagine you are the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. How would she word that email? In my experience, the best way to overcome discrimination is to prove them wrong.
This is What Makes Us Girls
by Kiara Blanchette
4. What is one piece of business advice that you wish you would’ve realized and applied to your career sooner?
I still have so much to learn, but I wish someone had told me that friendships are more important than formal business relationships. I have gained much from the real friendships I've created than those dry network connections I've made. Those are people who support me and my business through and through. They read my website and my books and share my articles because it's so much more than a business transaction.
5. What’s one way that women can get a head start on building their own brand or business?
As I've said before, I'm a big fan of the cold email. A professional LinkedIn profile is also essential. A little industry tip is that most large companies follow email formats for example: firstname_lastname@company.com. If you know a company's email format, you can reach specific people rather than having your request or pitch lost in a general info mailbox.
6. Where do you see yourself in five years?
In 5 years...I'll be 21. It's so hard because 4 months ago, Pur Opulence wasn't a company and now we have tens of thousands of views and I've gotten to interview some of my idols. What will the next month or year look like? Only time will tell, but I'm definitely excited for what's to come.
Follow Kiara on Instagram @kiarablanchette and visit her site: puropulence.com