Chelsea Parke, Founder of Parke - A Gen Z Brand Built Around Community

In this episode of More to Say, host Amber Venz Box sits down with Chelsea Parke, founder of the beloved Gen Z cozies brand, Parke, to talk about the unconventional path she took from creative spirit to founder. Chelsea shares how she started Parke not as a creator, but as a person deeply passionate about connection and comfort and how that authenticity has fueled a brand that now sees 7+ hour pop-up lines and over $16M in annual sales. Chelsea shares how her approach to creator marketing is rooted in community and trust, the importance of meeting your community in real life and the strategy behind Parke’s exclusive product launches. She also gets personal, opening up about protecting her energy, staying present, and the underrated power of being kind. If you're an emerging founder, creator, or just someone chasing a passion, you'll want to hear this. WE DISCUSS: (04:05): Getting to know Chelsea and her journey to founding Parke. (10:02): How Chelsea’s college career inspired her creativity and ultimately the birth of Parke. (15:15): Building a community-driven brand - never running a paid ad for Parke. (16:51): How Parke became a social phenomenon among Gen Z and college campuses across the nation. (18:50): Chelsea weighs in on the balance of being a creator and founder. (23:15): Parke pop-up success: Behind the strategy resulting in 7 hour lines around the block. (28:30): Chelsea’s DTC strategy and importance of keeping Parke exclusive to its community. (34:00): Chelsea’s approach to creator marketing and the power of authentic relationships. (35:32): Break 1 - LTK Update (37:35): Future of the creator economy for emerging brands: Storytelling and building community are key to being successful. (38:40): Chelsea on scaling Parke to a $16M+ business. (44:35): Rapid fire questions - Chelsea shares tips and tools to be successful in business and personal life. LTK for Creators: https://creator.shopltk.com/apply/creator/home?utm_source=pr&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=mts LTK for Brands: https://company.shopltk.com/en-us/brands/apply?utm_source=pr&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=mts Learn more about More To Say: https://company.shopltk.com/more-to-say?utm_source=pr&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=mts Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-Dq7MW-K04X4mFz66offfe0F9YdPSYL1&utm_source=pr&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=mts Follow and Shop Amber's LTK: https://www.shopltk.com/explore/AmberVenzBox/collections/11ef176f7149a07bbc3a0242ac110013?utm_source=pr&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=mts Follow Amber on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ambervenzbox/?utm_source=pr&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=mts Connect with Amber on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ambervenzbox/?utm_source=pr&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=mts Follow and shop Chelsea’s LTK: https://www.shopltk.com/explore/chelseaparke Follow Chelsea on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chelseaparke/?hl=en Follow Chelsea on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chelseaparkee Shop Parke: https://parkeofficial.com/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAafYBfaEfcOyl-zcMDdQEEpDTV7qNgnyNRu82zebenYuCL81XITA3Sqan6xFsw_aem_BwBwpdeGsgzHWrSJvaU1oA