Molly Flynn, a recent graduate of Simmons College who has interned for Esquire and Cosmopolitan magazine and who now manages her own blog, Boss & Tonic, spoke to Northeastern’s Fashion and Retail Society on Wednesday night about her experiences as a Boston fashion blogger and her advice for students hoping to work in the fashion industry.
Currently Flynn works for an online boutique based in Boston working on their social media marketing, shooting lookbooks, and styling customers in store, however she is still actively seeking new opportunities. Right now her energy is divided between her day job, freelancing, writing and operating Boss and Tonic. Flynn created the blog, which intersperses interviews with successful women who work in the fashion industry (referred to by Flynn as “Bossladies”) with personal advice for living a successful and stylish life (a section referred to as “The Tonic”), after she graduated in May with a degree in marketing and communications.
“I wanted something to distinguish myself and a way to promote other women doing interesting things,” Flynn said. The blog has been a big success so far, and Flynn constantly has “Bossladies” reaching out to her for interviews and promotions.
“It’s been a really positive experience,” she said.
Recently, Flynn interviewed the Fashion and Entertainment Director at Hearst Magazines, Cosmopolitan’s parent company, in New York City. Not only did she get to do a great interview, which will be posted on her blog later this week, but Flynn also was invited to sit front row at a runway show and attend a presentation at New York Fashion Week – truly a fantastic opportunity.
“You can kind of create your own luck,” Flynn said of the experience, an appropriate statement considering the tagline she created for Boss & Tonic: “call the shots in your life.”
According to Flynn, creating one’s own luck is not something that just happens. Aspiring fashion bloggers have to go after what they want – specifically by attending networking events, making the most of an internship and generally working to find a place in the fashion community.
“Finding a unique niche is really important,” Flynn said.
When asked after the event what advice she had for aspiring fashion bloggers hoping to put themselves on the map, Flynn recommended reaching out to as many people as possible, and being persistent despite anxieties starting out.
“You need to be an advocate for yourself,” Flynn said, referring to the all-important networking process. “Don’t be afraid – you already have the no, go for the yes.”
You can enjoy what Flynn calls “your daily digital happy hour” by reading www.bossandtonic.com and by following Flynn on Twitter and Instagram at @bossandtonic.