Jason Harris
Julia Jolie is a prominent luxury estate agent, a fashion and lifestyle influencer, author, and fashion designer who lives in Beverly Hills, California.
Born in Russia and raised in Germany most of her life, Julia beat the odds to rise to prominence against the backdrop of poverty, being raised by a single mum and adjusting to life in 5 countries, 7 cities, and 11 schools before turning 18.
Enchanted by Hollywood’s glare and glamour, Julia’s story changed when she immigrated to the US and started working in Real Estate in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles. However, it wasn’t a smooth sail for her as she encountered some bottlenecks, but Julia is not one who takes no for an answer – a trait she got from her mother.
Reminiscing on how she scaled through, Julia said: The beginnings were pretty rough, though. Like I mentioned in my book “How to be glamorous on a Budget,” you have to “fake it till you make it!” Selling luxurious homes means that you have to dress a certain way, get invited to the right parties, and meet “the right” people. I didn’t have the money for Gucci or Chanel back then; I didn’t know “the right” people. So I figured out how to “look” expensive, I sneaked into Red Carpet Events, Movie Premiers and made the connections I needed to get the ball rolling.”
Julia extols the bond of family above all. She slowed down with the birth of her daughter, which gave her the time to launch her fashion and Lifestyle Blog, www.JuliaJolie.com. This proved to be a masterstroke, as she combined passive income with nursing her baby.
Being successful in real estate with a blog and store as passive incomes would be just enough for most women. However, Julia Jolie is not most women. She is not resting on her laurels yet. She’s about to launch her new Skincare Line, “Malibu Organics,” a 100% all-natural skincare product. Additionally, Julia plans to expand her real estate portfolio for both herself and her clients.
StarCentral Magazine recently caught up with Julia to discuss her journey in the industry and here’s what went down:
Can you tell us more about yourself? How did you get started in your industry?
Hi! I’m Julia Jolie and I am a Luxury Real Estate Agent, a Fashion and Lifestyle Influencer, Author, and Fashion Designer in Beverly Hills, California. I love all things beautiful! Beautiful Homes, Fashion, and People.
I had a pretty crazy upbringing: I lived in 5 countries, 7 cities and went to 11 schools before I turned 18! I was born in Russia and raised in Germany most of my life tough. . I grew up pretty poor and always aspired to make It in this world and become successful. I was raised by a single mom and I guess I got my drive and the ambition to never take “no” for an answer from her.
Growing up, I was a pretty happy child. Germany is a very safe and stable country, the only problem is that it’s also a very bureaucratic country and everything is about “Rules.” I always liked to be different and do what I wanted to do and this is why I fell in love with the USA and immigrated to Los Angeles to pursue my dreams!
How did I get started? I started working in Real Estate in Beverly Hills, right after I moved to Los Angeles. I believe that LA has some of the most beautiful, most luxurious homes in the world! And who doesn’t want to sell to the rich and famous of Hollywood? The beginnings were pretty rough though. Like I mentioned in my book “How to be glamorous on a Budget”, you have to “fake it till you make it!” Selling luxurious homes means that you have to dress a certain way, get invited to the right parties, and meet “the right” people. I didn’t have the money for Gucci or Chanel back then, I didn’t know “the right” people. So I figured out how to “look” expensive, I sneaked into Red Carpet Events, Movie Premiers and made the connections I needed to get the ball rolling.
When I had my first child, I wanted to take a break and be with my daughter. I believe that Family is the most important thing in life, so I wanted to spend as much time with my daughter as possible. However, I couldn’t sit still for too long, so I decided to start my Fashion and Lifestyle Blog www.JuliaJolie.com. It became successful pretty fast so I launched my clothing brand www.JuliaJolieBeverlyHills.com. It was perfect because I could do all that from home and still be with my child. And I am so happy I did that!
Nowadays, I am also back in the Real Estate Business, but I have the blog and the store as passive income.
How did you develop an interest in real estate and what drove you to pursue that passion onto social media?
When I filmed my Youtube Series “How I made it in America,” I interviewed America’s Top Entrepreneurs. As an Immigrant, I was always fascinated with the question: what are the characteristics of people that succeed in America? Who wins? Who fails? What do they do? What do they invest in? What they all seem to have in common is that they are serial entrepreneurs. But what’s more interesting: They all made the REAL money by investing in Real Estate! Let’s look at Kylie Jenner for example, the youngest Billionaire in the world. She is not only a Reality TV star and business owner but also owns and invests in Real Estate. Why? Because Real Estate is the oldest and safest way to become wealthy. It creates passive income and it the best way to grow your money. Many people that I know invested in Real Estate and made 3000% return on their money over the last 30 years! I know that’s a long time, but think about it. They didn’t work for it. They just bought a house. So this is why I was always fascinated by Real Estate. Because it’s the key to REAL wealth!
And social media is my second passion in life because you can connect to such a broad audience all over the world from your computer. There is no need to pay a publicist anymore, anybody can become famous without investing a dime. You can play with your image, test out what works and what doesn’t and what your audience wants to see. Nobody can stop you! There are no boundaries anymore. If you want to become an Internet celebrity you can do it. No need for money, you only need to believe in yourself.
What do you like most about being an influencer?
I love connecting with my audience! We are really like a community that exchanges tips and we are there for each other. I believe that social media is the best way to keep in touch and make connections on a deeper level. I document my life 24/7 on Instagram stories, so sometimes I feel like my Instagram followers know me better than my real friends, even though we maybe never met in real life.
In what way has social media changed your life?
It created a career path for me where I can spend a lot of time with my family and still have a passive income. Between my blog and my social media channels, I was able to grow a big-enough audience to launch my own fashion and accessories brand that is going really well. Social Media is part of my daily life now and I love it! All the new friends that I made from all over the world… It’s incredible.
What are some of the difficulties of being in the industry?
As far as being a Real Estate Agent: There are so many realtors out there in the world and you have to stand out or you won’t make it. Many people give up. It’s hard to stay in that business because, to be honest, probably for the first year – you won’t make anything! So you need to have savings plus the mental challenges; you’ll get a “no” probably 100 times a day! So you have to be strong in your mind and still persevere despite the setbacks. Like the quote from Wolf of Wall Street which says: “97% of the people who quit too soon are employed by the 3% who never gave up!”
As far as being an influencer, it’s basically the same. The market is very saturated and you need to really niche down if you still want to become an influencer. Plus, Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube don’t make it that easy for us anymore. They are big now and want to make money themselves, meaning your posts are only visible to a handful of your followers. If you want to reach more people, then you have to pay for advertising. This is why I recommend that if you’re trying to grow now, you need to find a newer App that is not mainstream yet and gives you reach and exposure for free. Like TikTok at the moment.
How does your thought process differ when creating content for Instagram versus content for YouTube?
Instagram and Youtube are so different and require completely different content. Youtube Videos have to be at least 8 minutes long and well produced. Instagram Stories are very raw and unedited and I basically document my life through them. I film for Stories 24/7. The Instagram Grid requires well thought out pictures that have to be beautifully edited, or you can’t compete with other influencers. I recently fell in love with Instagram Reels, as it’s the best way to grow your Instagram following at the moment. They copied a lot from TikTok and with Reels, they actually still push out your content without you having to pay for advertising. Since the pandemic, I also started using TikTok. Wow! If you’re trying to grow a following, you should totally join before it’s too late. Even though I have a way smaller audience on there, the reach is incredible. I get about 12 Million views per month on my videos without paying one cent for advertising – It’s unheard of! You will never get that on Instagram, Facebook, or Youtube unless you have millions of followers or you advertise.
If someone is going to make your life into a movie, who would play you?
My absolute favorite of course: Reese Witherspoon! She is such a happy person, that’s what I love about her.
What are your future plans? Inside your career or out of it.
So many future plans! First of all, I am about to launch my new skincare Line “Malibu Organics”. It’s all 100% natural skincare products and I can’t wait for the world to try it. I also want to expand my real estate portfolio for both myself and my clients. There are so many beautiful homes to invest in Los Angeles and I want to find my clients the most exclusive and beautiful homes that this city has to offer. I am also working on some secret TV projects, which is so exciting! On a personal note, I just want to spend as much time as possible with my husband and my two kids.
Jason Harris
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