We waited so long to hire anybody. I think we were just couldn't even believe that we had started

a company. It still felt like, well, this is our hobby. This is what we are doing on the side or something.

And then we were like, no, we have a company. We have to actually hire people. And the second we did that,

we were able to take things to the next level.

Hi, everyone. It's Alex York. I'm here with Tessa Barton, the founder of Tessa. Thank you so much

for joining me today. Thank you so much for having me. So I'm so excited to talk about your

burgeoning career. You have gone from like hardcore photography in your background to then

building an app to continuing on your journey of being a

fashion content creator. There are so many facets to what you do today. How do you describe what your

career is? Oh gosh. I hate that question. No, I actually like it as I get older. But I am really the

creative director of Tessa and really try to create a place that gives creators

tools, inspiration, ways to work and connect with brands.

That's really like the forefront of what I do every single day.

But on top of that, I also, you know, still work with brands as a creator myself. I like to keep a pulse on what's happening in the industry, how I can best serve creators

and make a tool that, not just a tool that's helpful for them, but like a space that feels

safe to come and learn and create. And that's the bulk of what I do. I still love to take

photos too and do all that stuff for brands as well.

Yeah, it's super exciting.

You're in such a kind of combination of creative fields right now.

Did you ever expect to be a founder of something, especially like a tech platform, essentially?

Definitely.

I never would have said tech.

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