Rising Stars: Meet Jordan Blackwell

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jordan Blackwell. 

Hi Jordan, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Lil Miss JB Style, like most blogs in the 2000s, started as a creative outlet on Tumblr. Yes, I was a Tumblr girl. At the time I was sharing my OOTDs really not thinking much of it. But the more I shared with people that I was an engineer by day and the shock I received because people assumed I was in the fashion industry, the more I realized the direction I wanted Lil Miss JB Style go. So, I created www.lilmissjbstyle.com in 2015 to share outfit inspiration, shopping tips and help break stereotypes around women in engineering. Since then, it’s grown to be a lifestyle brand that shares all things from style, travel, to interior decor and creating content for lifestyle brands to use for marketing their products! 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No road is ever smooth, especially paving your way in the influencer space. Like most early influencers the main struggle was always balancing a 9-5 with the blog. I always feared my co-workers would stumble upon my website and I’d be asked to stop by my job. Once I got over that fear the real challenges have been staying consistent, adapting to the changing landscape, and making an income. Being a one-woman team, it’s hard to create content consistently for each platform. With so many social apps moving to video it’s become even harder. A lot of people don’t realize it takes more time from conception, filming, and editing to make a video than snap a picture. Without consistent content, it’s hard to grow your community. And big brands often overlook micro-influencers because they want to partner with influencers that have larger followings. So, when I do find brands open to partnering many want to offer products instead of payment. It can be really discouraging. A lot of companies know influencer save them money on content creation because traditional ads require entire teams for a photo or video shoot. If you’ve ever tried to get the perfect selfie, you know it’s more than just good lighting and looking cute to get a good photo let alone a video. So, it’s crazy that even though influencers are recognized as professionals, many companies still want you to be the model, photographer/videographer, editor, copywriter, and marketer for free. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Lil Miss JB Style is committed to providing lifestyle content that helps women build their self-confidence and embrace themselves through style. The content I create shares tips that encourages my community to shop smarter, to pick things that make them feel amazing both inside and out. My specialty is pear-shaped bodies since that’s my body shape and sharing tons of ways to restyle pieces to get the most out of them. I also create content around natural hair, battling acne, staying in shape, and traveling the world. I’m most proud of all the women who’ve DMed me over the years sharing how I’ve inspired them. Whether it was to dress more colorfully, start a new hobby, finally book that trip, just knowing I’ve helped these women learn to love and trust themselves has truly been an amazing experience! I’m also very proud to have worked with so many amazing brands like Pinterest, Coach, Clinique, Bissel, and more. What truly sets me apart is that I always see the opportunities. I can find ways to wear pieces that some women would overlook because they thought it wasn’t “made” for their bodies. I never take myself too seriously and am very encouraging which helps my community open themselves up to seeing all the possibilities that they actually have. 

What were you like growing up?
While I was always an imaginative, goofy child, I was also very determined. I loved to play make-believe, running around my house an all fours pretending I was a wolf or Pegasus. Even hanging with my friends, we would create act as mythical creatures, create dances, or come up with plays. I even wrote poetry that was published in nationwide competition and eventually published in a book. As much as I loved to play, I also took joy in accomplishing things too. Getting my homework done at school so I wouldn’t have to take it home or spending time at the gym improving my jumper for the next basketball season. I’ve always had a lot of interests and made time to explore them all. It’s the open-mindedness that I know helps me to adapt in the influencer landscape and truly engage my community! 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lilmissjbstyle.com
• Instagram: lilmissjbstyle
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1qLHgrHSfNNYdN4vMu9_HA
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTdqVekAM/

Image Credits
Jordan Blackwell