When Sobia Shaikh entered the virtual space, she was not looking at her new blog as a business venture. In fact, according to her, it was designed to be an “anti-blog” because she wasn’t aiming to compete, monetarize, or impress people. Instead, Shaikhen and Stirred began as a tool that allowed Sobia to live her life online as she was living it in reality without any compromises. But as much as we enjoy Shaikh’s recipe for butter chicken and guide to Paris eateries, so do the brands that have since invested in her online presence. No matter what the intention was while starting, she has created one of the greatest anti-blogs ever and her list of collaborations with big brands has been increasing constantly over the period of time. Let’s get a little deeper with her journey until now with a cocktail in our hand, one that is always shaken and stirred with love.
After achieving an undergraduate degree in Advertising, she worked her way through an advertising agency for six years in her home country. Along with this, she was also an editorial, TV and runway model. Hence, the love for fashion! Modelling opened up a different world to her and she got reconnected with her love for fashion which was quite lost along the way. She then moved to San Francisco, unaware of what the future was holding for her. After moving to San Francisco, she worked briefly at an ad agency before becoming a full-time mom.
When her children were around nine and six years old, she established a handbag company called ISLY Handbags in 2011. With the exception of some help from an assistant, she pulled off everything on her own without any other source of help. Small businesses do not have a jolly time in the initial phase. Also, a lot of departments are to be taken care of and Sobia turned out to be a one-man army. Despite the many challenges of running a small company, she said that she loved her business – but eventually, she felt overworked and that took a toll on her mental as well as physical health.
When she shut down ISLY, she didn’t work for six months. Gradually, she started developing interest in her Instagram feed which later escalated towards starting a blog in September 2018. Enter: Shaikhen And Stirred. And the rest is history.
Check out Sobia A Shaikh’s Website: http://www.shaikhenandstirred.com and know about her perspectives on different topics.
To stay updated about Sobia A Shaikh, follow her on the social media platforms mentioned below with links:
Instagram: sobiashaikh
Facebook: Sobia A. Shaikh/Shaikhenandstirred
Twitter: sobia_a_shaikh
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