Meet Chanel Tyler: The Creator Redefining Beauty & Business

With a career that spans executive roles at YouTube/Google, Estée Lauder Companies, and a commerce tech startup, Chanel has long been at the intersection of beauty, content, and commerce. She launched the Beauty vertical at YouTube, executive-produced Beauty Fest, and worked with industry icons like Jackie Aina, Patrick Starrr, Allyiah’s Face, and Mai Pham, shaping the digital beauty landscape in the process.

In August 2024, she took the leap into full-time content creation, turning her passion into a powerhouse business. In just two years, she’s driven $2M in GMV with Collective Voice, proving that creators are not just influencers, they’re entrepreneurs. A proud Spelman grad (Economics) with an MBA from Columbia Business School, Chanel brings both strategic expertise and creative vision to everything she does.

Born and raised in Chicago but a New Yorker at heart, Chanel is a skincare enthusiast, fashion deal-hunter, and devoted foodie. When she’s not creating, she’s raising the next generation of influencers, her little lady, who already knows how to strike a pose (especially in pink).

In this feature, we take a closer look at Chanel’s journey, how she built her brand, what drives her success, and what’s next for this beauty and business mogul.

Can you share a bit about your journey as a creator? What inspired you to start?

I never set out to be a creator, it was sort of something that naturally found me even though it took years of finding the courage to actually do it. I was inspired to start because I just finished healing from a bad bout with acne which forced me to learn a ton about skincare ingredients, product formulation and the best skincare brands for acne prone skin. I was encouraged to share that knowledge as there may be other women like me who also suffered from acne and wanted to know which products to buy to have glowing, healthy skin and that built what is now known as “The Glow Community”.

What challenges have you faced as a woman in the creator space, and how have you overcome them?

In the  beginning and even now many of my challenges have been centered on fair pay for partnerships. I found myself having to continuously discount my rates to work with brands and sometimes receiving offers that just didn’t value what I felt I brought to the table. I feel recognizing your worth is so pertinent and the only time it should be compromised is for something that offers you as the creator value as well.

Women’s History Month is about celebrating impact, who are the women who have inspired you most in your career?

Everything started with my Mom, she’s the original influencer for me, she’s brilliant, fabulous and stylish, extremely fit and helps so many women focus on their health, the woman is such a bright light in any room. There have also been so many creators that paved the way as well, a special mention of Felicia (@thisthatbeauty) who was blogging about skincare for Black women when this content area was a huge whitespace – she paved the way for creators like me to follow behind. My close group of girlfriends who have been there every step of the way, showing up as the best support system through all the career and life phases while also thriving in their own careers. Lastly, my mom community, this group of women inspire me daily, navigating motherhood and demanding careers with amazing grace. 

How do you use your platform to uplift and empower women?

My platform is literally all about the empowerment of women, women come to join a community that is positive, uplifting, engaging, informative and fun! Women stay for the glow up, the things that bring joy and that inner to outer glow. I focus on providing content that serves their needs across beauty / skin, fashion, travel, family, food and more recently fitness. From a skincare standpoint my goal is that every woman that follows me is armed with the knowledge she needs to feel her very best, most beautiful and most confident when she is makeup free.

What’s a piece of advice you’d give to women looking to break into content creation or entrepreneurship?

Build your platform around the things you love and it will never feel like work! Bet on yourself because there’s no better bet than you.

Are there any causes or initiatives that are particularly close to your heart? How do you integrate them into your content?

Disabilities, I have an invisible disability that was a struggle for me to accept for years and during those years of acceptance it shrunk me. Also, because it’s invisible, people aren’t always aware even though a lot of everyday / ordinary things can be a big challenge for me. I want more disabled creators to feel heard and I want the people who are a part of their communities that also have challenges and disabilities to feel seen. This is a walk of life that isn’t always made to feel included and there remain so many accessibility challenges that deserve more attention. 

Women’s representation in media and digital spaces is constantly evolving. How do you hope to see it grow in the future?

I hope that women everywhere feel they have the opportunity to have their stories heard and to take up as much space as they possibly can. I hope we continue to see inclusion within the industry and more creators find the type of success they strive for.

How has being part of a community of women (online or offline) influenced your growth as a creator?

The women in my digital community have pushed me beyond my imaginable boundaries, they have helped me envision and realize more for myself every single day. Being a creator is a fairly limitless career in terms of the potential, you just have to push yourself to believe you can achieve the things you set out to do but your community, the women who follow you, who believe in you, who show up for you, who support you, who advocate for you, who want to see you win, my growth comes from them, my motivation comes from them, my will to take up more space comes from them. My community is absolutely the thing I am most grateful for, the online one and offline one, they both play a major role in my life and my growth mindset.

If you could be remembered for one impact you made as a creator, what would it be?

Simple, that I helped women GLOW 🌟