Name: Ms. Rajshree Sawant

• Born: 30 Oct 1991
• Marital Status: Single
• Family: My family consists of 6 members. Father: Ravindra Sawant Mother: Brother Rahul Sawant  Sister Raveena Sawant, my loving Granny and wonderful Puppy (KAI which means “ZEN” as in a peaceful state of mind) 
• Height: 5 Feet 6 Inches
• Citizenship: Indian
• Languages Known: Hindi, English, Marathi, French ( beginners Course)
• School: Mary Immaculate Girls High School, Mumbai
• Qualification: MSc in Marketing from the University of Surrey, UK
• Location: Mumbai
• Blog Owner: www.thechicsterdiaries.com

Social Handles

• Instagram |  Facebook  |  Twitter   |  Blog  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube

Childhood

OI: Where did you grow up?  

RS: I was born and brought up in Mumbai, India.

OI:  What were your best / worst subjects in school?

RS: Hmmm …Well my best and worst subject then and still are, Bio- the best subject .. I am fascinated with Biology and do enjoy watching documentaries a lot and worst is Math. I mean for me Math has no reasoning to it like Bio but it is just the application of formulas.

OI:  What was your favorite game?

RS: Favorite game? …..I never thought about it, well I am not an outdoor person so to answer this Chess and Carom. Also, my friends and I do enjoy playing UNO, Charades, Pictionary, Monopoly & Phase10 every now and then. 

OI:  What’s your most embarrassing childhood memory?

RS: hahaha…this you shouldn’t be asking. Well as a child I would go to the salon with my Dad and was fascinated by the pumps that they would spray your hair with, so when I found the same thing at my home I used it and cut my hair. When my Granny saw me she just freaked out as to what I have done to my hair.

OI:  What were you like as a kid?

RS: I was very mischievous. In most of our family get-together, my mom shares my notorious childhood stories. As per her, compared to me my siblings were angels. 

OI:  What was your favorite toy?

RS: I don’t have any favorite toys. My brother and I would play with everything and being the elder sister I always had veto power and I surely did use it a lot.

OI:  Whom do you love more: your parents, kids, siblings, yourself?

RS: Dogs actually have no comparison in this section, it surely is one of the most unadulterated forms of love there is. I would definitely pick my puppy Kai for this question. 

 

General

OI:  What advice would you give your younger self?

RS: Learn to have patience because this is a skill you have to master later.

OI:  What do you do to keep yourself presentable? One makeup thing you can’t step out without? Do you actually feel any pressure to look presentable always?

RS: Everything has its own perks, being a blogger doesn’t mean that you stop living your life. I feel the way you carry yourself is more important even if you are not dressed as per the occasion or not wearing a full face of makeup. On my regular days, I like wearing concealer, lipstick, and mascara with confidence as an ultimate ornament. I strongly believe Beauty is a mental state of mind, if you are confident and feel that you are beautiful then you are beautiful!

OI:  What is your go-to outfit?

RS: Without a doubt Jeggings and top as I don’t even need to think about it twice. Jeggings and a baggy top is my go-to outfit. 

OI: When you go out, do people recognize you?  DO you get used to being a celebrity / famous?

RS: Bloggers don’t have so many barriers, it’s always good to hear that oh yeah you are doing a great job or I love your content, though it is from known or unknown people. The fact that I am creating a difference is more important to me. And yes definitely now people do recognize me.

OI:  What have you learned about yourself since you became famous?

RS: I used to think of myself as an extrovert in college but when I started making videos, my first, second, and even third video were all crap, mainly because whenever I would face the camera I became anxious. However, eventually, I overcame this fear and now I think I am doing much better than before.

OI:  If you weren’t famous, what would you be up to right now?

RS: I would have definitely joined a digital marketing agency. I have always been a marketing person so much so that I have even done my Masters in marketing,

OI:  How would someone get your special attention?

RS: By being themselves, no barriers, no pretentiousness. I think I can read people well so when I come across people that are pretending to say or be something that they are not, I quickly lose interest. 

OI:  What do you like doing in your spare time?

RS: Giving time to family and friends. Watching movies, watching documentaries, reading books/novels.

OI:  One thing you can’t live without?

RS: My family is my strength.

OI:  What’s the weirdest thing a fan has ever done for you?

RS: Well, nothing weird but rather the sweetest thing would be was when my first fan came up to me and asked me if I can I take a picture with you. All I could think was wow I am actually Influencing people and maybe doing something right along the way. So at that point, I was quite happy. 

What’s Your Favourite

OI:  what is your favorite movie?

RS: Well I don’t have any favorite movie but I have a favorite genre. I like psychological thrillers, Shutter Island & Inception being some of my favorites. 

OI:  What sports do you enjoy watching?

RS: Football and that too because of Cristiano Ronaldo. Besides that, I am not into watching sports.

OI:  What sports do you enjoy playing?

RS: I am not an outdoor person, so I enjoy chess, carom, UNO, etc 

OI:  What is your favorite song?

RS: Its Silhouette by Aquilo. It is one of those songs which you can enjoy while on a long drive preferably when it’s raining. It’s an amazing song.

OI:  What is your favorite place to eat?

RS: Awww….its quite hard to pick up such things ……but yeah its a little pub named “Woodside”  in Andheri and mainly because of all the memories my friends and I have created there. 

OI:  What are your favorite Foods?

RS: Lebanese and Indian street food. A nice falafel wrap with hummus and tahini is my favorite.

OI:  The gift you hate/love most?

RS: I hate clothes as gifts and love fragrances…… I love Paco Rabanne One Million. 

OI:  Your favorite YouTuber?

RS: Well Tati Westbrock, is my extremely favorite she is an American YouTuber.

OI:  What is your favorite color?

RS: I have so many like in clothes I like black, in lipsticks I like nude shades and many more.

Funny side of Me

OI:   Would you date a fan?

RS: No, I enjoy being Single.

OI:  Scariest dream?

RS: I have a height phobia, so falling off from somewhere.

OI:  What would you change your name to?

RS: Shree

OI:  Who is the messiest person you know?

RS: It’s me …like there are times like Monday to Friday, I am the most organized person and on Saturday Sunday I am a complete mess and sometimes it’s complete vice-versa.

OI:  What would be your superpower?

RS: I wish everyone in the world just spoke the truth …nooooo…..that’s a wish not a superpower…..wait …wait ..wait…so If I had a superpower …hmm …I would like to read minds. Yes, I would like to read minds.

OI:  What pet do you love to have?

RS: Always a puppy.

OI:  What would be a good theme song for your life?

RS: Single Lady

OI:  Which fictional character would be the most exciting to meet in real life?

RS: Minions. They are super adorable.

OI:  What is the best /worst purchase you’ve ever made?

RS: Best purchase: All Skincare products and worst purchase: All those clothes which I bought thinking I will wear them when I lose weight.

OI:  What’s a body part that you wouldn’t mind losing?

RS: Few extra Kgs

OI:  what’s your biggest screw up in the kitchen?

RS: Messy platform and chopping veggies.

OI:  What is the worst commercial you have recently seen?

RS: All fairness ads. I seriously don’t support it.

OI:  What’s the most useless talent you have?

RS: I have a talent to not give up on people. But that’s useless as it sometimes does cost me a lot of energy. 

OI:  One thing you are obsessed about?

RS: Beauty purchases in general.

OI:  What’s the weirdest question you’ve been asked?

RS: You asked me, “ Your worst childhood memory“, that was the most embarrassing one.

OI:  Are you a bathroom singer?

RS: No.

Your Perception of life

OI:  If you could ask a sage any question that you want to know the answer to, what would you ask?

RS: How to control anger? I can be quiet short-tempered at times. 

OI:  What things in your life would you give up instantly if it got you to an even better place than you are now?

RS: Anger.

OI:  On what do you spend the most: clothes, accessories, perfumes, innerwear or anything else?

RS: Clothes and Accessories.

OI:  What do you do when not working?

RS: Spending time with my family and friends.

OI:  Do you believe in love at first sight?

RS: There can be a spark at first sight but not love. I think love takes time.

OI:  Which life would you prefer for your children: Stardom / simple one.

RS: The “simple one”.

OI:  Give yourself 5 adjectives.

RS: Extrovert, Fun-loving, Empathic, Sarcastic, and Passionate.

OI:  What makes you smile and what scares you the most?

RS: Smile: Someone with a good sense of humor. Scares: Not being good at managing anger, like I shut down when angry.

OI:  What is your greatest strength and weakness?

RS: Strength: Family. Weakness: Friends.

General Professional

OI: For the people who don’t know about you, can you tell us a little about yourself and your blog?

RS: So my blog started 5 years ago. I started out of true passion. I started my blog mainly because of the product reviews that I was interested in but couldn’t find online and gradually it turned out to be even bigger than expected. I actually consider myself lucky that I found my true passion so early and that I can pursue my dreams.

OI:  Is being a YouTuber your profession?

RS: Along with Blogging & Vlogging I work with my Dad as well, he is into real estate development and I work with him.

OI:   Every website has a story behind it. What was yours? What was the motivation behind starting this blog?

RS: I always wanted genuine reviews, since I didn’t found them online so I just thought of writing it…. and that’s how it all began.

OI:  Who has been your inspiration?  What inspired you to shoot the videos?

RS: My dad. Without a doubt, he is a self-made man, like when he came to Bombay nothing was passed onto him but he did everything on his own. Most importantly, he is successful because he loves what he does and I wanted to live by that example. 

OI:  Which were the biggest challenges that you had to overcome when you started off?

RS: Its convincing people to see the same thing that you see in yourself. 

OI:  Fashion and lifestyle are a rather cluttered segment. What is the one thing that gives you an edge over your competitors?

RS: Well that’s my genuine work, there is nothing on my website which is fake, I write everything to the best of my knowledge.

OI: How you categorize your channel? What is your primary category: Fashion, Travel?

RS: It’s a lifestyle blog, it covers a bit of everything under one umbrella.

OI:  How many viewers you have on your blog?

RS: Till now I have received 4 lac plus.

OI:  Are you concern about followers/views?

RS: Actually I do my work genuinely. I write my heart out and people love me for the content and that’s why I don’t fear losing followers. 

OI:  When and on which topic you wrote your first blog?

RS: Well it was the 1st of November 2014, and I still remember it was on the comparison between FAB BAG and Envy box.

OI:  What were the responses like?

RS: 200 views. And for a newbie, it was actually a great number.

OI:  How you edit your videos and photos?

RS: For photos, I use the app itself like Instagram.  Honestly, it depends from campaign to campaign, if I have a photographer then they edit it and give it to me and for videos its Imovie.

OI:  How you find photographers and videographers? Are they always paid or collaborate?

RS: Always paid. 

OI:  How do your day and week look like?

RS: I am more of a late bloomer, I wake up at 9 – 9:30 am. After all the necessary morning stuff I pen down my ideas I am much fresher in the morning so I do most of the writing work in the morning followed by breakfast …shoots ….and then dinner. On the days I am going to my dad’s office, shoots are replaced by the office.

OI:  Who are your audiences?

RS: Women of age group 18-34 years.

OI:  Brands first, or audiences first?

RS: Definitely the audience. It’s because of them, I am who I am today. 

OI:  What projects are you currently working on?

RS: Since the time I have started my youtube channel I have been focussing on it more.

OI:  Where do you see yourself in 5 years? What are your plans for the same?

RS: Hopefully I will continue with my passion as it gives me a sense of fulfillment.

Bloggers / Youtubers

OI:  Do you ever get stuck when writing a blog/script? What do you do then?

RS: Yes. I go on a break. 

OI:  How and when did you start taking your blog/ youtube channel seriously?

RS: I started because of my passion so I was serious since the beginning.

OI:  Do you promote your blog /channel? What promotional techniques work best for you and why?

RS: I promote it on social media, no other techniques.

OI:  What influencer marketing holds for bloggers / YouTubers?

RS: One hit method is the giveaway posts where we (influencers) ask audiences to tag their friends and this helps in getting a wider audience base.

OI:  How do you maintain editorial objectivity with the influx of brand briefs?

RS: I stick to my integrity. Say, for example, if the brand asks me to write that my product is good then I write that its good but for a specific skin type not for all skin types. So I always try to do justice to my audience and the brand as well.

OI:  How you approach brands?

RS: Through Instagram or PR managers.

OI:  How long you took to get brands to contact you?

RS: Six months.

OI:  What was the first brand that contacted you? Does that deal turn out? Was that a paid deal/barter deal?

RS: It was a barter deal and it was for Kama Ayurveda.

 

Youtube / Blogging Business

OI:  Is it true that youtube stars/bloggers are paid well and youtube/blogging is a lucrative business platform?

RS: Yes but it actually takes a lot of passion and patience as well to get started and to continue. 

OI:  How did you build your community?

RS: On the basis of the trust factor.

OI:  Current Team size, Are you hiring?

RS: I have few writers, photographers are mainly freelancers. But yes I do have writers with me. I also have a silent partner. .

OI:  Do you read and reply to all your comments?

RS: I try to do most of the time.

OI:  A blogger or an influencer – what do you call yourself?

RS: Blogger.

OI:  Weirdest brand brief/request ever?

RS: Compare XYZ product to XYZ, nothing weirder than this.

OI:  One thing you are proud of related to your work?

RS: Honesty.

OI:  What are your plans to attract people who are not yet your audience?

RS: I am just trying to be interactive and post regularly. 

OI:  From ideation to execution please take us through the process of creating one video/ blog/photo post? How do you stay relevant and relatable?

RS: Topic research, I choose the rare topic so that you can get the maximum chance of readership than I research about the subject I jot down all the points so that I do not space out then comes filming and editing part.

OI:  How do you monetize your blog? Do you work with brands often?

RS: Yeah I do work with brands often. I monetize my brand deals.

OI:  How do you negotiate your commercial collaborations?

RS: Sometimes I do it myself and sometimes the PR agencies do it for me.

OI:  What are the alternate monetization methods you would suggest to upcoming bloggers?

RS: I would rather say don’t start with the intention of getting n=money, if you are genuinely passionate about it then go for it. Because it’s not a profession that is going to give you money soon or even a fixed income as a matter of fact. It takes too much time and passion.

OI:  How do you plan to take it to the next level?

RS: The next level is why I started my Youtube channel, I want to grow my Vlog reach and want to reach maximum people.

OI:  Your mission statement?

RS: To publicize honest reviews.

OI:  One instance/experience that made it all worthwhile?

RS: It is all the moments when your fans recognize you. Like once I was at an event and a makeup artist came to me and said, “Hey, you are from The Chicster Diaries right?” and she hugged me and I was so pleased and amazed.

OI:  What is the next step?

RS: Growing my youtube channel.

 

Blogger / Youtuber to A Businessperson

 

OI:  Any plans for any venture regarding entrepreneurship? Which line you wanna start?

RS: I haven’t given it a thought as of yet, Right now I just wanna focus on my blog and youtube channel. Maybe in the future, I might think about it. But yes no plans as of now.

OI:  Does your family support your business? Are they supporting from starting? How they are involved/ encourage you?

RS: I am lucky that my family has always been supportive in all phases of my blog and yes they are supporting me since the beginning. My mom is my loudest cheerleader.

 

Final Question

OI: If you get a chance to start your life all over again, what would you do, and Why?

RS: I will live my life exactly the same way I have lived because it makes me who I am today. No regrets, no grudges. 

Follow Rajshree Sawant 

Instagram |  Facebook  |  Twitter   |  Blog  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube

-Story Covered By: Saloni