Seen in the City: Your Guide To London’s Fashion & Lifestyle Hotspots

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Looking for fashion & lifestyle hotspots in London and Brighton? Natasha Colyer's online magazin 'Seen in the City' helps you find the best places. Learn more:

Describe Seen in the City in 50 words or less.

Seen in the City is an online magazine focusing on fashion and lifestyle within the city. Offering a guide to the latest news, trends and places to eat and stay, they are the ultimate source for all London and Brighton have to offer and will soon be expanding around the UK.

How did you discover the need for your magazine? What’s the need you’re meeting?

I discovered the niche for my magazine as I wanted to find something that was as personal as a blog but as informative as a larger publication. With Seen in the City I hope to inform my readers yet still make it personal, engaging and exciting. There are a huge amount of blogs out there offering really specific, tailored content that readers engage with on a really intimate level which I love, but I knew that I wanted something bigger. This coupled with my love of larger fashion and lifestyle magazines such as Vogue and Harper’s Baazar of which I enjoy but always wish were that little more personal, left me knowing exactly what I wanted to create.

A second real eye-opener comes through where I live. Residing in London and Brighton, I am constantly surrounded by a wealth of new and exciting talent within the creative fields – from music, to fashion design, to art and writing but there are not enough platforms to cater for the new talent and give them a showcase for their work. With Seen in the City I want to create a hub for new talent to present themselves and for everyone else to go to discover something which isn’t available on the mainstream market. For example, I recently worked with different university students to present their work.

In what ways do you measure your success and how do you make sure you don’t lose track?

Measuring success can be done in so many different ways and it’s important not to lose sight of the small achievements as well as the large. From my first paycheck, to hitting my first 1,000 views in one day to securing a media partnership deal, I celebrate each one. The first time someone told me I inspired them to do what they love was a real success milestone for me – if I have inspired at least one person to achieve their dreams then that is something I’m truly proud of. Other success I am particularly proud of is sponsoring House of iKons fashion show which led to Seen in the City being taken all round the world to countries such as Dubai and LA.

The main way I numerically measure success is the views and engagement I receive and it’s so great to look back and see just how much interest has thrived and progressed over the months.

Seen in the City: Your Guide To London's Fashion & Lifestyle HotspotsWhat were the biggest challenges you faced building your startup?

The biggest challenge I found, was discovering there was so much more involved in creating an online magazine than I initially realised. This meant I had an awful lot to teach myself and to decide upon. From deciding where to host my startup, designing the site to exactly how I wanted it and creating plans such as for social media, content and marketing as well as trying to balance and prioritize all of these was mind boggling! Once it was launched, it was trying to get the word out there and publicize myself as much as possible. Now I find it building up a consistent audience and keeping fresh ideas always rolling in.

Founder Natasha Colyer

With ferocious competition and a booming trend to create online magazines: How do you make sure you don’t get lost in the shuffle?

I try not to focus too much on what everyone else is doing – it becomes too easy to compare, which sometimes have a negative impact, both on your mindset of your magazine and also in terms of ideas. If you spend all the time looking at everyone else’s businesses, it’s too easy to nab design cues and inspiration from them and not think up something completely fresh. I ensure I keep true to Seen in the City’s ethos of providing useful and interesting content which is injected with personality and am always open to new and fresh ideas and content, after all if you’re not adapting and changing you’re always staying the same which can soon get boring!

What was your most memorable moment so far?

There have been so many memorable moments in the past two years it is hard to pick one! The incredible feedback on the date of launch was probably the highlight for me, even though it was so long ago! Seeing something you have spent a good 12 months building, designing and dreaming about finally available for everyone to see and to have everyone so supportive, positive and excited about it was a really incredible feeling. That was also the start of the real journey and when I knew this was all that I wanted to do.

7 years from now: How did your startup change the world?

In seven years I want Seen in the City to not just be an online magazine, but a franchise all around Europe – I have so many ideas for this and can’t wait to get going! (Watch this space!) I hope for it to be a household name and the ultimate go-to for fashion and lifestyle with in the city, no matter where you live in the world.
I also want to have inspired as many people as I can that if they want something enough, with enough hard work, planning and support behind you, it is possible.

What advice would you give fellow founders for their startup?

Don’t give up. It is going to be hard and there are going to be times when you wish you had never started. Challenges and issues you never even thought of will arise and it will be stressful. But persevere. Never forget the true root of what you are trying to achieve and remember you are in the career path you are, due to your own choice and determination to succeed. Focus on the positive, don’t lose sight of yourself along the way and never take anything for granted. You can do it!

 

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