Never Underestimate Where Building Community May Take You
How one decision in 2006 ended up unfolding to a career change and life-long fulfillment.
When I started sharing things online in 2006, I had absolutely no master plan.
wit & whimsy was born out of a very simple instinct: I loved shopping, discovering new brands, styling outfits and sharing what I found. Back then, blogging wasn’t a career path. There were no content calendars, monetization strategies or five-year plans. It was just me, my laptop and a genuine excitement about recommending things I truly loved.
What people don’t always see is how much learning happened behind the scenes.
I largely taught myself everything - how to build a website, how to write for an audience, how to take better photos, how to edit, how to understand analytics.
Over the years, I’ve had to constantly adapt as platforms changed, algorithms shifted and engagement ebbed and flowed. There were seasons where it felt like I was shouting into the void, showing up day after day when no one was reading, clicking or commenting. And still, I kept going.
Because I believed in what I was building - even when the results weren’t immediate. And I just really enjoyed it.
Slowly…something bigger began to take shape: a community.
You guys showed up. You commented. You emailed me. You trusted my recommendations. You shared my work with your circles.
And over time, it stopped being about what I was sharing and started becoming about who I was sharing it with.
That trust changed everything.
As the years went on, wit & whimsy grew into something far beyond shopping recommendations. It became a place where we talked about life, growth, travel, style evolutions and the little rituals that make everyday feel more special.
I learned how to pivot as my interests evolved and as yours did too. I stopped trying to fit into whatever was trending and leaned into what felt true to me.
And then something unexpected happened.
By simply sharing my love of Paris - the cafés, the neighborhoods, the hotels, the way the city feels - I ended up adding an entirely new industry to my CV. What started as personal travel diaries and tips slowly turned into people asking for advice. Then itineraries. Then introductions. Then full trip planning.
In 2019, that curiosity and trust turned into En Route to Rêverie. I never set out to work in travel. But by following what genuinely lit me up and sharing it openly, I built a business that changed my life in ways I never could have imagined.
That still humbles me.
From sharing outfits in my bedroom to scouting luxury hotels across Europe, my journey has been anything but linear. It’s been built on learning new skills, taking risks, pivoting when something stopped working and staying consistent even when growth felt slow.
But the throughline has always been people. You. This community. The conversations, the DMs, the emails, the stories you share back with me.
Building something meaningful takes time. It takes patience (not my strongest trait!!) It takes showing up when no one’s clapping yet.
I certainly didn’t know in 2006 that my side hobby would become my career, or that it would lead me to running two businesses, getting to write every day, allow me to meet so many inspiring people and helping people create unforgettable travel experiences.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: never underestimate where building community may take you.
Sometimes the thing you start “just for fun” becomes the foundation for everything that follows. Sometimes the audience you grow becomes your greatest support system. Sometimes the path reveals itself only once you’re already walking it.
And I’m so grateful I kept walking.
Whether you come here for shopping edits, life musings or behind-the-scenes of building a business, thank you for being part of this corner of the internet. You are the reason this story keeps evolving and I can’t wait to see where it leads next.
With gratitude,
Meghan
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I absolutely loved this post. It's an amazing 20-year compilating in hustle, resilience and mostly, believing and honouring yourself. What you created is just sublime. Congratulations!