Since the rise of the infamous Kardashian clan, nearly every member of this royal family-esque establishment has branched out to expand their horizons into fields such as makeup, beauty, and fashion. However, none have arguably done so as quickly as Kylie Jenner, half-sister to the likes of Kim and Kortney Kardashian.
The Independent have defined the title of “self-made” billionaire as someone who has succeeded in life unaided, with Forbes magazine bestowing this title upon 21 year-old Jenner. But just how accurate is this?
Surely the Kardashian fan base and prosperity have contributed immensely into the speedy success of Kylie Cosmetics – Jenner’s beauty brand – which is now worth around $900,000, despite only being founded in November 2015, but if we take into consideration the business ventures of other already famous figures, very rarely do they achieve success to the same extent as Jenner. Pharrell Williams’ “Qream with a Q” liquer toppled two years after it had been launched, and Kanye West’s Pastelle fashion line crumbled to nothing in 2009 – to name just a couple of examples. Consequently, prior famousness may not directly correlate with the speedy success of a figure’s attempt to branch out.
But she may not have done this all on her own. Kris, the matriarch of the Kardashian family, aids Jenner with PR, as well as having a role in all of her children’s businesses, and Kylie also frequently collaborates with her siblings in many of her beauty ranges. Apart from this, her team is pretty small, with an estimated 5 employees. Undoubtedly, the knowledge and experience of Kris Jenner may contend the view that Jenner has reached success “unaided”, as the Kardashian brand serving as almost a royal family in the US, with the influence of each member being international.
Growing a business through Social Media
Above all, Kylie instead argues that Instagram and similar social media websites were the most significant tools in growing her business. Indeed, over the years, social media sites such as Instagram have adapted their platforms for businesses to be able to promote themselves. Now there are over 25 million businesses with profiles on Instagram, allowing companies to tag posts of products with prices and links to a website to order from, and the ability to interact with potential customers in the comments sections on posts, or by using the Instagram stories feature. For Jenner, this has enabled her to successfully use her 128 million followers and the sought-after “blue tick” of verification, to preview new product launches, or to post photos of models wearing the latest releases.
Regardless of the supposed influence of Jenner’s family members, Kylie Cosmetics sells its products across all 50 states, with international shipping of products from kyliecosmetics.com, resulting in reaching $307 million in sales in the first year alone. The huge number of sales is undoubtedly down to Jenner’s over 200 million followers across various social media websites enthusing about and sharing her products with friends and relatives.
Therefore, far from scorning the achievements of Kylie Jenner, we should be celebrating them. Jenner was been able to achieve outstanding business success faster than the likes of Mark Zuckerburg, and her use of family members’ expertise should be viewed as an intelligent decision rather than an easy route. Moreover, the fact that several of her siblings’ own businesses have flopped demonstrates that Kylie’s own ability and use of her online influence has allowed her to become the youngest self-made billionaire, rather than Kris Jenner being the one pulling the strings.