Eltoria is the alter ego of Simone Partner and, as an influencer, Simone is not an ‘IT girl’ or someone who has a famous dad. She had a very different starting point and is a law graduate from the University of Reading, where she gained a 2:1 degree.

In the last year of studying law, Simone’s course included one non-law module and she opted for

‘entrepreneurship’ and for her assessment started the Eltoria UK fashion and lifestyle blog based on her interests. At the time she was working at the organic skincare firm Lush. She enjoyed the module, which was evidenced in her results – a first-class grade. After university she pursued a career in law and her first job was in a big commercial firm, which she didn’t enjoy, so she tried a smaller legal firm.

However, in both firms she discovered that law was not a career in which she felt she could work for the rest of her life. Having continued with the blog and subsequently winning many awards, Simone realised that it could be a career option. The awards allowed Simone to take some time off and focus on the blog to see if it could work.

Today Simone has generated an impressive following on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. She is not the average fashion blogger: she’s intelligent, her content is well written, with great depth and analysis. Having been at university, she has had typical student jobs in retail stores and understands the challenges faced by those who are working and studying. This may be one of the reasons that she is popular with university students – she understands their situation.

In terms of a typical week, Simone records five to six videos and sometimes works for 12 hours a day to complete the content for a brand contract. There is a lot of work that takes place behind the scenes.

Having created the brand, her website showcases the social media services provided:

• Social media support

• Sponsored blog posts

• YouTube partnerships

• Ambassador campaigns Questions • What do you think about micro-influencers like Eltoria?
• Did you realise serious lifestyle bloggers could be working 50 or 60 hours a week?