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Before Instagram became a thing, Amber Venz Box saw a gap in the market for content creators and brands earning commissions from recommendations online. So, she created LTK (formerly rewardStyle) – an online platform designed to do just that. Now hundreds of thousands of creators, 8,000 brands and 40m shoppers use it, driving nearly £4bn in revenue each year. Here, as part of our Women Who Win series, Venz Box tells Penny Goldstone how she revolutionised online shopping – and built a successful business from the ground up.
“Over the years our mission has
remained the same: to make creators as
economically successful as possible”
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Take us back to the beginning of your business. How did LTK come about?
on monetising influence and protecting her time
Amber
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I originally studied engineering and worked in that industry for three years, so I launched my business later on in life. At 26, I left my job in France and came to London to study jewellery design. That was almost 10 years ago. I basically used my studies to start working on my business plan. Every time I had a school project, I would design pieces that would be part of my future collection. But I didn’t have a lot of experience in business; I had no idea what a small business was, how to hire, or how to be a manager. I had no connections whatsoever in London – nor in fashion or design.
Take me back to the beginning of your business.
Photographer: Sarah Treacher
Venz Box
“I have worked on all sides of the fashion industry, from manufacturing and wholesale to styling, PR, salesgirl and buyer. In 2010 I started a jewellery website but quickly realised that bloggers made no money. Offline, I earned a commission when people bought the things I recommended, but, online, that model did not exist.
“In 2011, my [then-boyfriend, now-husband] Baxter and I launched LTK so that me and my friends could make money online as fashion bloggers. This was a time before blogging was an understood term and before Instagram had become mainstream.
“We taught a couple of brands that were selling online that we could send them traffic and sales. Then, we taught my friends that they could add shopping links to their inspirational photos and make money. A few months in, we hit $100,000 (£77,000) in sales and I was thrilled.
“LTK launched as a B2B platform to modernise the retail-sales model and bring it online. We quickly expanded to Europe and added a new line of revenue for our creators – what we call collaborations. Then, in 2017, we launched the LTK shopping app: a focused shopping experience for a creator’s community to shop. Over the years our mission has remained the same: to make creators as economically successful as possible. Now, creators have collectively earned more than $3bn (£2.2bn) on the LTK platform. We’ve also helped to create 1,100 LTK millionaires – people who have made more than a million dollars through LTK alone.”
“Our mission. Making digital lifestyle creators as economically successful as possible is the lens through which we make every decision – whether it is an investment decision, product roadmap, or small choices that can make a difference to creators. We make decisions based on long-term outcomes for our clients, and that is unique.”
What is one thing you’d never compromise on in business?
“Hiring has been a lifelong challenge. We have grown to about 800 people on the LTK team globally and I have learned through experience that you are only as good as your team. You can have a vision and communicate it clearly, but if you don’t have a team in place that can execute it, it is just an idea.”
What has been your biggest challenge to date?
“I wish we was better at this as a couple, but there have been very few times in our history where we have had success and then had the time to celebrate; there is such momentum in the growth of LTK, and such high constant demand, that there is always a very visible next mountain to immediately climb.
“That said, I have really enjoyed getting to share my success with my local community and family. I love to host people, invest in our school and town, and I am highly fulfilled by helping people and creating opportunity. Being able to create a company that operates with excellence as a moda operandi has given me leadership skills to apply civically, as I work to improve people’s lives around me.”
How do you celebrate success?
“I have two answers: starting a business and having four children.”
What is the bravest thing you’ve ever done?
“Saying yes when I should have said no. There was a time in my life when I was overcommitted professionally and personally, and the cost to my mental and physical health was tremendous. I now know to protect my time with vigour.”
What is the biggest mistake you’ve made?
“Growing up, I was taught that getting married was the most important ‘achievement’ for girls in the first 20-30 years of their life. This imposes unnecessary pressure that [can] result in bad and rushed decisions for many women. I wish we could learn that developing our best selves is more important, then finding a spouse will be a more natural, successful process.”
What would you want to change for women?
“For me, it’s calendaring the things that I want and need to do personally, then making trades with my time. For example, if I need to work over the weekend, I will find time to ‘trade’ so I can also make time for myself and my family. I have a long-term view on my personal and professional life, and that allows me to bend where I need to, but also be fair to both sides of myself.”
How can you achieve the perfect work/life balance?
“I have learned through experience that
you are only as good as your team”
“Delegate. If someone can do something 80% as well as you, let them do it. There was a time in our business when I struggled to delegate and once I did, we were able to move quickly and create more opportunities for our clients. I am someone who strives for 100% all of the time – but not every job needs to be done with such enthusiasm, so I’ve learned that letting go a little bit lets me enjoy more.”
What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
“Closing a $300m (£232m) fundraising round was a hugely validating moment – for me as a founder, for my work over more than a decade, and for the industry I had worked to establish for creators like me.”
What has been your proudest moment?
“Love your neighbour as yourself. When you can do this, life is lighter, more joyful and free. Acknowledging everyone you encounter, being interested in them, understanding their circumstances and giving empathy. I feel my best when I am helping other people; when I care for them as I would want someone to care for me.”
What is your mantra?
“I love handbags and if I had to choose one to use all of the time, it would be my black Hermès ‘Sellier Kelly’ bag. I keep coming back to my rhinestone Chanel bow-adorned belt, too – it’s delicate and feminine and really elevates any look. I typically wear it as a belt but I have also worn it as a necklace with a beautiful Self-Portrait dress, and it was stunning.”
What is your most treasured fashion item?
“I love to stay at The London Edition hotel – the scent here is addictive, and the architecture of the common spaces is stunning. I love how close it is to some of my favourite stores, like Selfridges, too. Dinner at
Sessions Art Club is a must (make sure you book a month in advance): the food is delicious, I love the décor, and the art exhibitions on display are not to be missed. Plus, it’s a scenic walk from our London HQ, via Clerkenwell’s design district. If I extend my visit over the weekend, I head to the Tate Modern, then hit Borough Market for its seasonal produce, coffee and buzz – Camille is a new restaurant there that I can’t wait to try.”
What are your favourite London haunts?
“I feel my best when I am helping other
people; when I care for them as I would
want someone to care for me”
“I have worked on all sides of the fashion industry, from manufacturing and wholesale to styling, PR, salesgirl and buyer. In 2010 I started a jewellery website but quickly realised that bloggers made no money. Offline, I earned a commission when people bought the things I recommended, but, online, that model did not exist.
“In 2011, my [then-boyfriend, now-husband] Baxter and I launched LTK so that me and my friends could make money online as fashion bloggers. This was a time before blogging was an understood term and before Instagram had become mainstream.
“We taught a couple of brands that were selling online that we could send them traffic and sales. Then, we taught my friends that they could add shopping links to their inspirational photos and make money. A few months in, we hit $100,000 (£77,000) in sales and I was thrilled.
“LTK launched as a B2B platform to modernise the retail-sales model and bring it online. We quickly expanded to Europe and added a new line of revenue for our creators – what we call collaborations. Then, in 2017, we launched the LTK shopping app: a focused shopping experience for a creator’s community to shop. Over the years our mission has remained the same: to make creators as economically successful as possible. Now, creators have collectively earned more than $3bn (£2.2bn) on the LTK platform. We’ve also helped to create 1,100 LTK millionaires – people who have made more than a million dollars through LTK alone.”
Take us back to the beginning of your business. How did LTK
come about?
“Our mission. Making digital lifestyle creators as economically successful as possible is the lens through which we make every decision – whether it is an investment decision, product roadmap, or small choices that can make a difference to creators. We make decisions based on long-term outcomes for our clients, and that is unique.”
What is one thing you’d never compromise on in business?
“Hiring has been a lifelong challenge. We have grown to about 800 people on the LTK team globally and I have learned through experience that you are only as good as your team. You can have a vision and communicate it clearly, but if you don’t have a team in place that can execute it, it is just an idea.”
What has been your biggest challenge to date?
“I wish we was better at this as a couple, but there have been very few times in our history where we have had success and then had the time to celebrate; there is such momentum in the growth of LTK, and such high constant demand, that there is always a very visible next mountain to immediately climb.
“That said, I have really enjoyed getting to share my success with my local community and family. I love to host people, invest in our school and town, and I am highly fulfilled by helping people and creating opportunity. Being able to create a company that operates with excellence as a moda operandi has given me leadership skills to apply civically, as I work to improve people’s lives around me.”
How do you celebrate success?
“I have two answers: starting a business and having four children.”
What is the bravest thing you’ve ever done?
“Saying yes when I should have said no. There was a time in my life when I was overcommitted professionally and personally, and the cost to my mental and physical health was tremendous. I now know to protect my time with vigour.”
What is the biggest mistake you’ve made?
“Growing up, I was taught that getting married was the most important ‘achievement’ for girls in the first 20-30 years of their life. This imposes unnecessary pressure that [can] result in bad and rushed decisions for many women. I wish we could learn that developing our best selves is more important, then finding a spouse will be a more natural, successful process.”
What would you want to change for women?
“Over the years our mission
has remained the same: to
make creators as economically
successful as possible”
“Saying yes when I should have said no. There was a time in my life when I was overcommitted professionally and personally, and the cost to my mental and physical health was tremendous. I now know to protect my time with vigour.”
What is the biggest mistake you’ve made?
“Growing up, I was taught that getting married was the most important ‘achievement’ for girls in the first 20-30 years of their life. This imposes unnecessary pressure that [can] result in bad and rushed decisions for many women. I wish we could learn that developing our best selves is more important, then finding a spouse will be a more natural, successful process.”
What would you want to change for women?
“Closing a $300m (£232m) fundraising round was a hugely validating moment – for me as a founder, for my work over more than a decade, and for the industry I had worked to establish for creators like me.”
What has been your proudest moment?
“I have learned through
experience that you are only as good as your team”
“Closing a $300m (£232m) fundraising round was a hugely validating moment – for me as a founder, for my work over more than a decade, and for the industry I had worked to establish for creators like me.”
What has been your proudest moment?
“Love your neighbour as yourself. When you can do this, life is lighter, more joyful and free. Acknowledging everyone you encounter, being interested in them, understanding their circumstances and giving empathy. I feel my best when I am helping other people; when I care for them as I would want someone to care for me.”
What is your mantra?
Hair stylist: Cherilyn Farris
Make-up artist: Hailey Hoff