The Modern Entrepreneur

Swiss-Italian fashion influencer (with Russian origins), public speaker and entrepreneur, Xenia Tchoumi has had multiple opportunities to settle into a relatively safe and distinguished career – she was (and still is) a regular contributing writer for a number of Swiss business magazines, and she has hosted her own TV show about successful Italian business. She was even given the opportunity to work full-time for J.P. Morgan. However, despite her college degree in economics and her obvious interest in business and finance, she chose not to pursue a surely profitable career in investment banking. “I tried my way into finance a few times,” she says. “But then, I realized that while it was all very interesting and it taught me a lot, it wasn’t creative enough for me, and it wasn’t entrepreneurial enough. I wanted something more entrepreneurial and independent from old structures.”

Eventually, taking advantage of her previous freelance writing experience, she began blogging about fashion and lifestyle, which quickly garnered her a large online following. “I started thinking about luxury life and about art,” Tchoumi recalls. “To be fair, it wasn’t about me at all. And as soon as I started publishing on Facebook and on the website, it started growing exponentially.” Though not originally a heavy Instagram user, she soon realized that “people wanted to see more of me, of my clothing and style, and I thought, ‘Maybe, I should go on Instagram and show not just my lifestyle, not just stuff like architecture or interior design, but more of me.’ And that’s when the brands started approaching me, and that’s when it became more of a full-time job.” Tchoumi has since then worked as the digital ambassador of multiple high-end fashion and lifestyle brands, as well as collaborated with magazines such as ELLE, Vogue and Vanity Fair (“I transitioned from my previous career into a fully digital, entrepreneurial career”).

Public speaking came next. “The speaking came along because I felt like I was getting more and more followers from all over the world, and I had a voice, and I didn’t just want to speak about clothing or style or beauty. I had stuff to say. I was like, ‘Listen, I have a voice, and I need to use it.’ I get a lot of DMs and a lot of emails about, ‘How do you do this?’ ‘How do I start that?’ ‘What do you think about that motivation?’ and a lot of help requests,” she elaborates. “So I thought that the best way to channel that was to start speaking.” Now, Tchoumi boasts three motivational TEDx talks and a speech at the United Nations. She is aware of the influence that she, as a public figure with a large following, has on her fans and audience, and she purposefully tries to use her significant platform to advocate for self-improvement and personal empowerment – particularly when it comes to women, who self-proclaimed feminist Tchoumi seeks to uphold with her inspiring words. That said, her goal is to help everyone, to motivate her audience and to inspire them to gain confidence and pursue their goals. “Sometimes, just a few tiny pieces of advice to people can help change their mood and help them up. Even if just one person gets inspired, that’s really rewarding,” affirms Tchoumi whose newest dream is to work with startups. “I would like to become a sort of venture capitalist – but with my own image, with what I have to offer with my platform, with my reach, [and] also with my marketing skills. And I would like to take on board a few companies that I believe in and that I think are a fit for me, and that I think have potential, and start developing them with my own portfolio, and integrate Instagram, Facebook, fashion, beauty, and everything that is public speaking and motivation, so that the whole thing can just become a synergy.”

Writer: Monica Dias 

Photographer: Owen James Vincent 

Stylist: Keeley Dawson 

Hair & Makeup: John Christopher (using Bumble and bumble. & M•A•C Cosmetics) 

Videographer: Emily Rowland 

Editor: Eiko Watanabe 

Special thanks to Buckingham & Lloyds (@buckingham_lloyds - buckinghamandlloyds.com) & Stein’s Berlin (@steins.berlin - www.berlininkensington.stein-s.com) & EPK Media (@myepk & @epkmedia - epkmedia.com)