Kenzie Elizabeth on building a friend of mine from YouTuber to lifestyle brand founder

Called with a podcast on Beste Media House guestmore than 44 million YouTube views, and a dedicated online community of over 600,000 followers across platforms including Instagram And TikTok, Kenzie Elizabeth is a real force to be reckoned with. She’s only 28 and has been creating content for over a decade.

But at the height of her career, Elizabeth takes a new direction. As she continues to share content with her loyal audience, she is also building something more lasting: a brand that goes beyond her own name. She launched in 2023 Friend of mine with its first product, a Recipe Diary. Since then, the line has grown rapidly, even debuting on the site of her dream store, Anthropologie.

I recently sat down with Elizabeth to talk about what it takes to build a brand separate from her personal brand – and what it means to create a business that goes beyond social media.

From YouTuber to Design Influencer

Unlike many influencers who appear seemingly overnight, Elizabeth’s journey began long before the word “creator” was even part of the cultural lexicon. “I started watching YouTube in high school. It’s funny because growing up I actually hated YouTube. My older cousins ​​would always watch it instead of paying attention to me! But once I started watching creators like DulceCandy87I fell in love with the community. I had a pretty tumultuous childhood, so YouTube became an escape,” she tells me.

In high school she produced her own content: vlogs, broadcasts and glimpses into everyday life. “Some of my first videos were like my 16th birthday vlog. I was just a kid sharing my life, and I’ve stuck with it ever since.”

Her slow and steady rise has been a defining part of her appeal. “I love sharing my life and the community I’ve built. I’ve always grown slowly and steadily – never viral, never the biggest – but that has given me a very stable career.”

Unlike many headline-grabbing creators, Elizabeth has built her success on relatability and consistency. She is not the influencer being spotted Page six who she is dating; she’s the one the viewers feel like they grew up with.

Launch of Friend of Mine

The idea for Friend of Mine arose during Kenzie’s upbringing, who grew up in a family of housewives and interior design enthusiasts. “I always knew exactly what Friend of Mine would be. That was in the spring of 2023. The first product was the Recipe Journal, and from there we added Dinner Cards, Nightcap Cards, Recipe Folders and more.”

While many influencers and podcasters dabble in merch, Elizabeth wanted to build something meaningful: a true lifestyle brand rooted in her passions. “My mother is an interior designer, my grandmother is a seamstress, and my aunt is also in the interior design industry, so I grew up with it. My mother and grandmother had a bedding and curtains business, so I was always designing houses. After college, I started getting more involved in housekeeping: organizing dinner parties, gardening, embroidery – it all happened naturally. During COVID-19, I joked that I became a bread-winning housewife.”

After returning to Dallas from Los Angeles, Elizabeth purchased her first home and began to focus her content more on homemaking and entertainment. “I love building something beyond myself. As I got older, my work became less about my personal life and more about my interests: creating products that help people find peace and community the way I have.”

Today, the brand offers a curated mix of entertaining essentials – from journals and conversation cards to embroidery kits, overalls (ideal for the garden) and digital downloads. It’s a cohesive extension of Elizabeth’s world: accessible, fun, and imbued with a Nancy Meyers-inspired charm.

Her hard work paid off when Anthropologie stopped by, or rather, commented. “I post a lot of Anthropologie content and one day a buyer commented on a TikTok saying she loved it Friend of mine. I replied that it was my dream to be sold there, and it turned out that she was a real buyer! We had an order within two weeks. When I got the email I literally cried.”

Never one to sit still, Elizabeth has since channeled her creativity into her next passion project, Mahjong. She calls herself a ‘serial hobbyist’ and recently launched the first of Friend of Mine Mahjong matsdesigned to make game night feel like an aesthetic experience. There are two mats available: a classic toile and Dollyinspired by her sweet chicken.

Combining her love of design, connection and a good challenge, the launch marks a new expansion of the way Elizabeth transforms her favorite pastimes into thoughtfully designed pieces created to connect and inspire.

What’s next

The maker has absolutely no plans to slow down. “I’ve always wanted to build something beyond just being an influencer.” She sees Friend Of Mine as a full-fledged lifestyle brand. “Everything you touch in your home, from what you wear to what you host. We’re expanding our community, planning more events and launching with more major retailers.”

From her teenage days on YouTube to creating products that bring people together, Kenzie Elizabeth has proven she is more than just an influencer; she is a brand builder, trendsetter and friend to many.