I come from a rather traditional Middle Eastern family where blogging isn't necessarily seen as a serious career move. This was probably my biggest obstacle, having that support. Before I decided to embark on my journey, I knew I had to take my mom along with me. She was naturally asking questions like, 'what happened to being a doctor and pre-med?' and I told her, ' just come along with me and I'll show you.'

I was a science major at DePaul University at the time, so I'm learning about the molecular genetics of retroviral diseases, and creating concepts for my next photoshoot or collaboration on the side. There's a science behind everything humans do, so while my classroom lessons didn't directly translate to the fashion industry, I did gain necessary skills for running a business.

I learned how to understand other people's way of thinking, for one. I started reading books about how money is such a mindset. If you're so focused on the money, you'll never be satisfied but if you're doing what you love to do, you're going to grow an expertise in that and everything will fall into place. I researched bloggers like We Wear What and Chiara Ferragni.

I educated myself and my family on how to take your life and finances into your own hands. I listened to a lot of interviews with Steve Jobs and he says that the most important thing is to have a lot of passion for what you're doing. Then, as soon as I graduated, I turned Simply Jules into an LLC.

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