Five years ago, Ella Catliff’s mother was reading an article about the blogging industry’s early stars like fellow Brit Susie Lau, and suggested her daughter get in on the fun. "I was about to start interning in Paris at the time, so it made sense," she says of starting her blog, which she appropriately called La Petite Anglaise.

Fast-forward five years, and Ella’s side project has become a full-blown career. She continued blogging while studying fashion history and theory at the prestigious Central Saint Martins in London, developing a devoted audience with her personal style posts and lifestyle tips. She’s since worked with major brands including Louis Vuitton, Mulberry, and Kate Spade New York, and was named a finalist for Fashion Monitor Journalism’s Fashion Blogger of the Year award in 2013. Seriously impressive if you ask us!

Featured in our May issue, Ella dishes on what it’s like to work on her site full time and her absolute must-haves for spring. Check out her top tips for starting your own blog below!

  1. Decide what your blog is going to be about. This sounds silly as obviously the answer is fashion, but will you be focusing on your personal journey in fashion, your style, fashion news, fashion commentary, gossip, business, celebrity. There are a lot of different angles!

  2. Define and develop your unique selling point. There are millions of fashion blogs out there, why should people read yours in particular?

  3. Write about brands, designers, stores, and topics that you genuinely feel passionate about.

  4. Don’t expect overnight success.

  5. Be prepared to work hard and sacrifice other things you might do in your personal time, especially if you are studying or already doing a full time job.

  6. Enjoy it!