What inspired you to start your blog?

To be honest, I tried to start it a few times and each time was a different motivation. But, when I really really started it was because I was in a situation where I had to move back home to live with an aunt of mine and it was in a very small town. There wasn’t anything in the entertainment industry and [the blog] started as a way to pass time. I was supposed to be looking for a job but I knew I didn’t want to work in any of the places that were near where she lived so I basically started it as a way to pass time and as therapy while I was going through that really rough point in my life.

Given that you blog about the entertainment industry, what would you say separates you from the masses?

I think the main thing that separates mine – especially in the entertainment and gossip arena is the fact that my image is very out there. When I first started, a lot of bloggers weren’t putting their image out there so you would go to websites but you had no idea what the person who was writing this stuff looked like. I feel like the fact that I put my image out there, I’ve done videos and released pictures of myself, people feel like they can relate a little more because a lot of my audience looks like me. They’re around the same age and they like the same things I like so it’s almost like they’re coming to my site and seeing me as a friend in their head.

Did you find it difficult putting yourself out there like that?

Yes of course because even now, me moving to New York [to aid career progression], I’m more affected by it than anywhere else because I had a bigger fan base in New York more than anywhere else so when I got here, I could be going into Victoria Secrets to buy something and someone would say “you look like this girl, her name’s Necole”. People recognise me wherever I go so it’s kinda’ strange and hard to get used to. It’s a bit weird because it can become a security issue and I’m very used to going places and not having to look over my shoulder – I just like being on the low. So I can definitely see why people decide not to [share their image] because they can live their lives normally. It’s been hard for me.

How do you deal with negative criticism and constant scrutiny?

Well I always use Oprah as an example. What I do in my free time, which a lot of people don’t know, is I read interviews from people that I look up to and admire. I spend a lot of time reading old interviews from Oprah Winfrey and Will Smith and those types of people. What I did notice about Oprah is that in the early part of her career she was very caught up with what people had to say about her, the negative things that people had to say, it just really hurt her. There was a lot of criticism on everything from her weight to the way she looked, the guy she was dating and it wasn’t until she realised that all of the pain and destruction that was going on in her life was because she cared so much about what people thought of her. She stopped caring and that’s how she became the person she is today. When I first started I read everything – every negative thing people had to say about me. I got a lot of criticism because people thought I hung out with celebrities because they would see me in pictures with them which was never true. I got a lot of criticism because people were under the impression that I wanted to be a celebrity and that was never my intention. I was very hurt by it. One day I just stopped [looking for negative comments]. I’m just numb to it now. It takes a while. As long as you care about what people have to say about you, you’ll never reach your full potential.

Did you ever think that Necole Bitchie would get so big?

It’s funny because I remember at the end of 2008, I was asking this guy if he could help me because he had a lot of industry connects and he asked me “what’s your traffic?” and I said about 500,000 page reads a month and he said “well, when you get a million hits a week then come back and talk to me.” I was so offended and so hurt because I felt like first of all he didn’t believe in me and second of all, a million page reads a week was an impossible goal for him to give me. But six months later I reached that goal! I thought a million page reads a week was unheard of for me, so for me to go past that and I’m still growing is amazing. I never would have thought.

What’s been the highlight of your blogging career so far?

Appearing on 106 and Park [who have never featured a blogger before] because I’m very camera shy. That’s what’s been really holding me back to really go to the next level and be as big as I really can be because I freeze up around cameras and I always said I don’t want to do TV. When they asked me I couldn’t tell them no because I didn’t want to look like a slacker or someone who can’t or someone whose incapable. So when they asked me I told them yes even though I was scared out of my mind. I didn’t even promote it to my blog readers or talk about it on Twitter. I didn’t mention it until afterward because I was just that scared. I think one of my [other] highlights is when I got a private message from Prez Hilton on Twitter and he was basically saying keep up the good work, I’m proud of you. When I first started my blog, I looked at him as the Opera of blogging. I modeled my business strategy and the way that I branded myself after him because he was so successful and I was very intrigued by that. When I got the private message on Twitter, that meant the world to me because I didn’t even know he knew I existed like that.

Considering you’ve been doing this for quite some time now, what important lessons have you learnt along the way?

I learnt that your network is your net worth so you need to get out there and meet people. And not just that, you need to be nice to people and not burn bridges because you never know who you might need.

What’s the main misconception people have about Necole Bitchie that you’d like to clear up?

That I'm a rock star with this super poppin' life and a lot of celebrity friends. I'm actually quite boring!

Finally, where do you see Necole Bitchie in the future?

I would love to continue to expand my brand into clothing, beauty and things of that nature but I am also interested in branding who I am as a person outside of my online persona. I want to connect with my readers more on a personal level and inspire. I'm all for female empowerment and I hope to motivate others to take risks and go hard for what they want out of life. Will Smith once said to me "99% is the same as 0, if you are going to do 99%, stay home" and I will never forget that. I don't measure my success by the number of hits I get a month or how much money I make, I measure it by the number of people I can inspire every day. My story is proof that anything is possible.

You can read Necole's blog at www.necolebitchie.com and follow her on Twitter @NecoleBitchie