Home Startup & Entrepreneurship Kate McKibbin, 2010 Anthill 30under30 Winner

Kate McKibbin, 2010 Anthill 30under30 Winner

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What is 30under30?

30under30 is an Anthill initiative that was launched in early 2008 to encourage and promote entrepreneurship among young Australians. Each year, we invite our readers to nominate young Australian entrepreneurs deserving of recognition for their outstanding entrepreneurial endeavours. More.

Kate McKibbin, VIC (b. 1982)

Name: Kate McKibbin
Age: 28 (Born: March 1982)
Gender: Female
State: VIC

Three years ago, Kate McKibbin was the online editor for Shop Til You Drop magazine. Part of her job was to research websites that sold fabulous fashion items and shipped to Australia. Over time, as the numbers of such site grew exponentially, McKibbin got the blessing from her editors to start a website of her own dedicated to online fashion shopping.

The result was DropDeadGorgeousDaily.com (ddgdaily.com for short), which McKibbin says is the first magazine website dedicated to fashion products available online for the Australian market.

McKibbin ran up credit cards and took out loans to launch a business she describes as “stylish, cheeky and with an almost unhealthy online shopping habit.”

She leaves out one key description: a big hit. Ddgdaily.com went from an idea to a full-time job in less than nine month (“and I had a mortgage,” she says). Within a year, the site had 15,000 newsletter subscribers. Today, ddgdaily.com has expanded to four successful websites (“and I have a much bigger mortgage”).

McKibbin, not unexpectedly, lists her greatest sales achievement as getting a front-row spot at New York Fashion Week — twice. “I’ve also scoured oodles of publicity purely due to my gift of gab.”

Naturally, McKibbin has a keen and enthusiastic eye for fashion trends. But she wouldn’t be where she is today without a fearless ability to take a leap. When she first started ddgdaily.com, she didn’t know the first thing about building a website. She Googled and taught herself. When the time required to run the site reached critical mass, she quit her regular job and took out a loan.

“And when I needed to build up my profile, I entered this competition,” she says. “Like Nike, I just do it.”

When the world’s economy tanked, she restructured the site so it leaned less on ad revenue. The business now includes affiliate products, sales-specific emails, web coaching and special events.

Asked to suggest a 30under30 award category, McKibbin offers Young Fashionista Award. She notes that ddgdaily.com’s Facebook site is the website’s BFF. She name-drops several sites that have featured her business (fashionista.com and Instyle.com.au among them).

“And if that still doesn’t convince you,” she says, “you’re welcome to come and check out my wardrobe.”

Kate McKibbin’s words to live by:
“I like to keep all my money where I can see it — hanging in my closet.”
— Carrie Bradshaw, “Sex and the City”

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To check out the full list of Anthill’s 30under30 winners, click here.