Katie Austin and Christen Harper Share Their Best Advice for Building a Brand and Making It Your Own

The three-time SI Swimsuit models are 2022 co-Rookies of the Year and BFFs.

Katie Austin and Christen Harper.

Alberto Tamargo/Getty Images.

Katie Austin and Christen Harper returned for their third year with SI Swimsuit and shared some inspiring insights on success during launch week festivities at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino - Hollywood, Fla.

The 2022 co-Rookies of the Year, who also co-won the Swim Search in ’21, gathered to celebrate the launch of the 2023 magazine and answered the question, “What advice would you give to someone on starting your own brand?”

Find your voice

“Find your voice, and that can take years,” the fitness influencer says. “Just start. It doesn’t matter if it’s not perfect. Just start because you’re gonna evolve so much and learn so much.”

Let go of perfectionism

Harper, who stars in the docuseries Women of the League, agrees. She adds that taking the first step is the hardest and no launch is ever going to be perfect.

“You want to look back on your old stuff and cringe, kind of. I think that’s the most important thing—you want to see that evolution through your time,” the 30-year-old shares. “I look back on the old stuff I used to post it and I’m like, ‘What was I thinking?’ But in those times, at least I was putting myself out there. I can see the growth over the years. Every step of the way, you’re getting a little bit better. So just go for it. Put yourself out there, that’s all you got to do.”

Katie Austin and Christen Harper.

Alberto Tamargo/Getty Images

Ask for help

Austin, 29, is the founder of the Katie Austin App, a fitness and healthy living platform with tons of workout videos, recipes and lifestyle advice. She admits that when she first started her brand and began to grow slowly, she tried to do everything on her own. 

“It’s O.K. to ask for help. I was filming, editing my videos, I put the mic on myself, I did customer service,” she explains. “You can’t grow a brand unless you have help. Outsource what you are weak at because you can’t be strong at everything.”

Avoid Burn Out

Harper, who is constantly advocating for body positivity and self-love on her platform, says that similar advice is something she could have used early on in her own career. The swimwear line designer now knows that “spreading yourself too thin” actually makes you “lose out.”

Harper got engaged to Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff last July and Austin’s fiancé, Lane Armstrong, proposed in April, so both women are in the midst of the stressful wedding planning process. 

Katie Austin and Christen Harper.

Charley Gallay/Getty Images

“At the end of the day, it’s the one time in your life you are going to have all the people you both love in one place and that is so special,” Harper says. “[Remembering] that keeps me grounded and settled and like ‘[whatever] happens, happens.’”

They both agree on the fact that the little details aren’t nearly as important as the people you surround yourself with on your big day.

“It’s all about the love you create and how great you feel,” Austin adds.

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