We talk about career shifts a lot at Create & Cultivate because there’s nothing more inspiring than seeing someone push their doubts and fears aside to embark on a completely new path, oftentimes without any previous experience or education. Shay Mitchell is one of those people. While she launched her career as the character Emily Fields on the hit show Pretty Little Liars (or as Peach on season one of Netflix’s new hit show You), that might not be where many of you reading this found out about her. Why? Thanks to Mitchell’s entrepreneurial mindset, she recognized the opportunity on YouTube very early on.
Five years into filming the show, Mitchell started creating videos for her channel across beauty, fashion, fitness, food, and travel. She has now amassed over four million subscribers on the platform—and almost 27 million followers on Instagram—and the popularity of her travel series, SHAYCATION led to the formation of her sell-out travel accessories line, BÉIS. Since it’s 2018 launch, the brand has seen more than 200% growth and is on track to deliver more than $20 million in profitable revenue. Oh, and did we mention that Mitchell recently became a mom too? Yep, she really is a pivot pioneer.
Read on to hear how Mitchell successfully switched lanes from actor to vlogger to entrepreneur and why she believes self-doubt is totally normal.
CREATE & CULTIVATE: Your career launched playing Emily Fields in the television series Pretty Little Liars but it continues to span across so much more than entertainment—your YouTube channel documents fashion, hair, and makeup tips, your favorite food recipes, travels, fitness routines and now your journey as a new mom. How did you make the pivot from actor to creative director and more? What advice do you have for people reading this who want to make a similar pivot in their career but don't know where to start or fear the leap?
SHAY MITCHELL: I’m a super passionate person, and I love to have my hands in as many projects as possible. At the time that I joined YouTube, I was five years into filming Pretty Little Liars and found myself itching to flex my own creative muscle. I was constantly surrounded by super fun, artistic and smart people, and thought it would be fulfilling to create original content with my friends and colleagues. My travel series, SHAYCATION, on YouTube, and my lifelong passion for travel, gave me real-life experience and inspiration for my travel accessories line, BÉIS. I purchased a lot of luggage and travel items over the years, and always felt that I was compromising for either form or function, and would doodle ideas for luggage and accessories that had both all the time.
When the opportunity popped-up for me to start my own brand, I literally jumped at it. To be perfectly honest, I am not one that likes really likes to give advice because I feel like what works for me might not work for others and vice versa. That said, as cheesy as it might sound I would say the principles that I try to live by are to follow my heart, vision, and intuition. If you take no risks, where will you be in three years? Probably still unhappy and stuck. Vulnerability is one of life’s greatest givers of lessons. It’s also okay to fail, so long as you use it as an opportunity for growth and not shutting down.
You launched your travel accessories company BÉIS! and the success has been phenomenal—congrats! What has been the biggest lesson you've learned through launching and expanding your business? What advice do you have for women with small businesses hoping to grow or change their businesses and achieve your success?
It was actually just a little over a year ago that we launched BÉIS! and again, I don’t really like to give advice but would say that authenticity in approach and execution are penultimate. I do things because I feel like I understand there is an opportunity or because I really believe in what I’m doing and think I can do a better job of what is already available. I don't think it is ever smart to do something exclusively for money or clout. You should do it because you really care about what you’re setting out to achieve.
“If you take no risks, where will you be in three years? Probably still unhappy and stuck.”
When you hit a bump or hurdle in your career, how do you #FindNewRoads + switch gears to find success?
First and foremost, I never view things as failures. If I make a decision and it doesn’t succeed then I feel it’s a learning curve and lesson from which to learn. Finding new paths and switching gears can be challenging, but if we’ve exhausted the roads we are on then the best thing to do is to find another way to forge ahead.
You always seem so bold and self-assured. Where do you think this confidence stems from? What advice do you have for people who are feeling self-doubt and want to have more courage?
That’s so nice to hear, though I will be the first one to admit, as most humans do, that I have self-doubt often. I doubt myself all the time, and I think that is totally normal. No one is ever really sure of themselves 100% of the time. As humans, we have to question ourselves because we care. To me, this is similar as to when people ask me if I'm nervous before an audition. Of course, I’m nervous! If I'm not nervous then it concerns me more because deep down I feel like it means I don’t care that much and that I probably shouldn’t be there in the first place. My “advice” (aye yi yi) would be to embrace the self-doubt. Questioning yourself is an important part of growing as a person and growing a brand—making sure you’re doing the right thing—its also a way to keep your intuition in check.
You've achieved phenomenal success but that didn't come without hard work and determination. What does it take to be successful today? What personality traits do you need in this competitive environment? Why?
The first word that comes to mind is tenacity. Being dedicated. Seeing things through—even when things seem impossible or difficult. Maintaining a positive outlook. Having a strong team and community to depend on.
What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced during your business and how did you turn it into an opportunity?
I think one of the biggest challenges we faced was during launch when we sold out of six months of supply, of most products, almost immediately. We had invested so much in marketing and brand building and then didn’t have any product to sell. Some would say it’s a good problem to have, and yes, it was great to have early success but the team and I saw the opportunity cost in lost sales and frustrated consumers.
To turn it into an opportunity we decided to be very transparent with consumers and told them what was happening, which in some ways we feel resulted in a more emotional connection with our audience. Being out of stock also created pent up demand and a sense of scarcity which has proven to be a super-strong sales lever for us. We translated that into a strategy for some of our more seasonal and limited-edition styles: “get it while it lasts” if you will.
You have an incredibly busy schedule juggling multiple businesses, acting, and family—What are your productivity hacks to get it all done? What apps or is there a hack you use every day to help keep you organized and on track?
Truthfully, no hacks or apps, just a really steady head and have taken great care to surround myself with passionate people that are experts at what they do to support me along the way. My team is small but mighty, and they can always be counted on to keep me organized and on track.
“Questioning yourself is an important part of growing as a person and growing a brand.”
What is your 2020 vision? What is in store for Shay Mitchell this year? Why?
Nothing radically different, just more, more more! It’s the nature of my personality and the beast.
What is the #1 book you always recommend and why?
The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. It’s an amazing read, pertinent to almost everyone and riddled with pertinent lessons we should take to heart.
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