Reena’s journey into personal styling is one of passion, transformation, and courage. After spending over 16 years in the IT industry, she made the bold decision to pivot her career at the age of 36, pursuing a path she had long been passionate about—fashion and personal styling. From advising friends and family on outfits to building her own business, Reena’s love for helping others find their confidence through style has been at the heart of her success. Today, she balances her personal styling career with a virtual assistant business, specialising in supporting personal stylists, alongside a travel business, embracing the variety and excitement that comes with being self-employed.
Q: Hi Reena, thanks for sitting down with me, am looking forward to hearing about your journey and learning more about you, and how your life has changed since leaving your corporate career. What did you do before becoming a stylist?
A: I was working in IT for over 16 years after my degree in Business & IT – I loved my time in my career; it taught me so much but, I was falling out of love and it was time for a change!
Q: It’s amazing how your career in IT gave you so much valuable experience, but I completely understand that feeling when something no longer sparks joy. It takes a lot of courage to recognise when it’s time for a change, and it’s inspiring that you took the leap into something you’re truly passionate about! What age were you when you decided to become a stylist?
A: I was 36 when I decided to make the switch to becoming a personal stylist. Fashion had always been a passion of mine, ever since I started working at Next at 19, but it took some time before I decided to follow my heart and turn it into a career!
Q: That’s such a great story! It’s amazing how your passion for fashion was always there, even from a young age. Sometimes it takes time to align with what truly excites us, but making the leap at 36 shows that it’s never too late to follow your heart. Why did you feel personal styling was the job for you?
A: I’ve always loved helping people! During my IT career, I was constantly assisting others with their tech challenges. After working at Next, I found myself regularly shopping with friends and my sisters, offering outfit advice—which I truly enjoyed! It felt natural to combine my passion for fashion with my desire to help others.
Q: It’s so wonderful that your love for helping others has always been a core part of who you are! It’s great how you found a way to combine that with your passion for styling. How does your personal styling business fit into your life?
A: Personal styling fits seamlessly into my life alongside my virtual assistant and travel businesses. I truly enjoy the diversity that comes with being self-employed. It’s rewarding to support and help other personal stylists grow their businesses through my virtual assistant work, adding another layer of fulfillment to the work I do.
Q: That sounds like a fantastic way to balance your passions and skills! It’s great how you’ve integrated personal styling with your other ventures and find fulfillment in supporting fellow stylists. The variety must keep things exciting and dynamic. What’s the best thing about being a personal stylist?
A: The most rewarding part is witnessing the transformation and seeing the smile on my clients’ faces. It’s incredible to watch their journey from the beginning to the end, as they grow in confidence and become visibly happier. That sense of achievement is truly priceless!
Q: That sounds absolutely wonderful! There’s nothing like seeing the positive impact you can have on someone’s confidence and happiness. It must be incredibly fulfilling to be a part of their transformation journey and celebrate their growth. So, what’s been the greatest challenge in your styling career so far?
A: The biggest challenge was putting myself out there. Before becoming a personal stylist, I barely used social media (just Facebook for posting a few pictures) and didn’t attend networking events. Marketing myself was a steep learning curve at first, but I’ve grown to really enjoy it and have learned so much over the past four years!
Q: It’s impressive how you’ve embraced the challenge and turned it into a strength! Navigating social media and networking can be dauting, especially when starting out, but it’s great to hear you ’ve found your stride and gained so much from the experience. More of a personal question: how would you describe your own style?
A: Ohh since working for myself, I feel my style has evolved a lot. I love my style to be comfortable, practical and chic at the same time, and I love items that are unique!
Q: It sounds like you’ve found a great balance that truly represents your personality and lifestyle. Moving onto our community, you are part of our stylist community, What do you enjoy the most about this?
A: I love being part of the community where we all share similar goals and support one another. I love the support and being able to ask questions in the FB community when I get stuck, there is always someone in there who can help! Also having the monthly mentoring sessions with Janine & Victoria, has been great in keeping me accountable and on track.
Q: It’s wonderful to hear how much you value the community and the support you get from the mentoring sessions. It sounds like having a network of like-minded people and accountability has been really beneficial for you! Now moving onto training, if you have completed any training courses with The Image Consulting Company, how did you find the training?
A: I have completed the Online Colour Analysis course, Body Shape Analysis and more recently the Advanced Colour Masterclass all with Emmeline. Emmeline has a wealth of knowledge and explain things really well and easy to understand, I have also just started the 3-month business mastermind with Emmeline and had so many lightbulb moments already and we are only in week 2!
Q: That’s fantastic to hear! It sounds like The Image Consulting Company has provided you with some invaluable insights and knowledge across the different courses and the mastermind. It’s great that you’re already having those lightbulb moments in just the second week—such a positive start! What advice would you give someone who was considering personal styling as a job?
A: If you have that passion to help people and really enjoy it, I wouldn’t think about it too much, just get started and truly believe in yourself; you can do it!
Q: Absolutely! Passion and belief in yourself are powerful drivers. Taking that first step can be the hardest part, but once you start, your enthusiasm and dedication will guide you. Just go for it and trust that your passion will carry you through! What do you know now that you wish you knew at the beginning of your journey?
A: You don’t need to have everything perfectly in place—like branding, website, or logo—before you start. If you’re ready to begin, just start with social media and build on the other aspects of your business as you go. Don’t let the details hold you back; sometimes, taking imperfect action can lead to growth and progress.
Q: Absolutely, starting with what you have and focusing on one step at a time is often the best approach. It’s more important to get going and adapt as you learn, rather than waiting for everything to be perfect. Imperfections can be part of the process and help you evolve along the way. For the last question, what does the future hold for you?
A: I am really looking forward to refining my services and introducing more passive income products to those who aren’t fully ready to commit with the full styling packages. I would also love to grow my VA business by supporting more personal stylists and in the future have my very own team and agency!
That sounds like an exciting plan! Refining your services and adding passive income products is a great way to reach a broader audience. Growing your VA business to support more personal stylists and eventually building your own team and agency is a fantastic goal. It’s clear you’re setting yourself up for continued growth and success. Best of luck with all your ventures!
To connect with Reena, you can follow her on Instagram here @mystylebuddy
