• Celebrity
    • Daniel Kaluuya Digital Cover
    • Digital Cover Method Man
    • Digital Cover Zazie
    • Celebrity News
    • ‘Yes, Girl!’ Podcast
    • Entertainment
    • Black Celeb Couples
    • Celebrity Moms
    • Red Carpet
    • If Not For My Girls
  • Fashion
    • ESSENCE Fashion House 2022
    • Fashion News
    • Street Style
    • Accessories
    • Fashion Week
  • Beauty
    • Black Beauty Awards 2022
    • ESSENCE Hair Awards 2022
    • AVEENO Skin Health Startup Accelerator
    • Beauty News
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
  • Hair
    • Hair News
    • Natural
    • Relaxed
    • Transitioning
    • Weave
    • 4C
  • Love
    • Love & Sex News
    • The Solve Podcast
    • Weddings
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
  • Lifestyle
    • ESSENCE Gift Guide 2022
    • ESSENCE + smartwater Live Well Challenge
    • Build Your Legacy 2022
    • Dream & Plan with Confidence Prudential
    • AMEX Platinum Travel
    • Homecoming Season 2022
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • Black History Month
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Money & Career
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Black Travel Guide
  • News
    • Paint The Polls Black
    • Sponsors Recognition Page 2022
    • Latest News
    • Raise Your Voice
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Video
  • Festival
    • 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2022 Fest Videos
  • Events
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2022 Girls United Summit
    • 2022 ESSENCE Fashion House
    • 2022 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2022 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
    • 2022 Homecoming Season
    • Wellness House
    • She Got Now
    • Dear Black Men
    • I Am Speaking
    • Power Tools
  • Studios
  • Girls United
Skip to content
SUBSCRIBE
  • MAGAZINE
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Celebrity
    • Daniel Kaluuya Digital Cover
    • Digital Cover Method Man
    • Digital Cover Zazie
    • Celebrity News
    • ‘Yes, Girl!’ Podcast
    • Entertainment
      • Paint The Polls Black
    • Black Celeb Couples
    • Celebrity Moms
    • Red Carpet
    • If Not For My Girls
  • Fashion
    • ESSENCE Fashion House 2022
    • Fashion News
    • Street Style
    • Accessories
    • Fashion Week
  • Beauty
    • Black Beauty Awards 2022
    • ESSENCE Hair Awards 2022
    • AVEENO Skin Health Startup Accelerator
    • Beauty News
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
  • Hair
    • Hair News
    • Natural
    • Relaxed
    • Transitioning
    • Weave
    • 4C
  • Love
    • Love & Sex News
    • The Solve Podcast
    • Weddings
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
  • Lifestyle
    • ESSENCE Gift Guide 2022
    • ESSENCE + smartwater Live Well Challenge
    • Build Your Legacy 2022
    • Dream & Plan with Confidence Prudential
    • AMEX Platinum Travel
    • Homecoming Season 2022
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • Black History Month
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Money & Career
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Black Travel Guide
  • News
    • Paint The Polls Black
    • Sponsors Recognition Page 2022
    • Latest News
    • Raise Your Voice
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Video
  • Festival
    • 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2022 Fest Videos
  • Events
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2022 Girls United Summit
    • 2022 ESSENCE Fashion House
    • 2022 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2022 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
    • 2022 Homecoming Season
    • Wellness House
    • She Got Now
    • Dear Black Men
    • I Am Speaking
    • Power Tools
  • Studios
  • Girls United
Home · News

Fashion Q&A: Kathryn Finney

The Budget Fashionista turned FOCUS100 founder talks to ESSENCE.com about her new venture and staying on the pulse of the tech industry.
Fashion Q&A: Kathryn Finney
By Celia L. Smith · Updated October 28, 2020

You may know Kathryn Finney as The Budget Fashionista, but this year she’s kicking off a new tech-focused company digitalundivided with a symposium called FOCUS100, which connects women of color in the tech industry. Here, she talks to ESSENCE.com about her new venture and how she stays on the pulse of this ever-changing industry.




ESSENCE.COM: Why did you choose to start this particular business?

KATHRYN FINNEY: Women of color in particular consume social and Internet technologies at rates often higher than their male counterparts. It was as if it was okay for us to consume tech, but not create it.

The idea that we can consume, but not create, technology bugged me for several years and it was at the BlogHer business conference, where I was a mentor, that I actually turned that bug into action. Inspired by the conference, which helps women-led companies in a variety of fields build their businesses, I developed digitalundivided and the FOCUS100 conference.

ESSENCE.COM: What has been the most challenging and most rewarding part about starting digitalundivided?

FINNEY: The most challenging and the most rewarding part has been to expand the definition of a “tech company”/”start-up” that serves the needs of one particular group.

ESSENCE.COM: You initially started out with your own fashion site. Could you tell us some of your favorites to keep up with the latest in fashion?

FINNEY: The Budget Fashionista, The New York Times, Stylish Curves, ASOS, Refinery29.

ESSENCE.COM: Which online retailers would you recommend for the best shopping experience and selections?

FINNEY: This one is a hard one for me, but I would say ASOS — which is a website that was started in the UK but now is global. ASOS has a strong plus-size section called “Curves,” and it is one of the few online stores that offer fashion-forward styles for plus-size women.

ESSENCE.COM: Which fashion apps can you not live without?

FINNEY: I do love UberSocial as it allows me to tweet photos of some of my top finds.

ESSENCE.COM: How do you keep abreast of what’s new and fresh online?

FINNEY: I read a lot. I mostly read news magazines and sites like the Atlantic, New York Times, New York Magazine and the Economist. I’m also a new fan of Reddit.

ESSENCE.COM: What was the most important thing you learned when starting your business that you can share with budding entrepreneurs?

FINNEY: Be yourself. It is so much easier to maintain your success if you are yourself. Also know what you stand for and stick by it, even if that means saying “no” to seemingly great opportunities.

COMPANY INFORMATION
  • Our Company
  • Customer Service
  • Essence Ventures
  • Change Your Address
  • Contact Us
  • Job Opportunities
  • Internships
  • Media Kit
  • tag
SUBSCRIBE
  • Newsletters
  • Give a Gift of ESSENCE
  • Magazine Tablet Edition
FOLLOW US
MORE ON ESSENCE
  • Home
  • Love
  • Celebrity
  • Beauty
  • Hair
  • Fashion
  • ESSENCE festival

ESSENCE.com is part of ESSENCE Communications, Inc.

Essence may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.

©2023 ESSENCE Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Essence.com Advertising Terms

Get The ESSENCE Newsletter and
Special Offers delivered to your inbox

By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Get The ESSENCE Magazine
by subscribing below
subscribe now