Julia Marcum (Chris Loves Julia) — Building a Durable Creator Business

In this episode of More to Say, host Amber Venz Box sits down with Julia Marcum, the creator behind the beloved design platform Chris Loves Julia. Julia opens up about her journey from launching a personal blog in 2009 to becoming a leading home design creator, LTK powerhouse, and successful product collaborator. From her early days DIYing a basement apartment to developing signature lines with brands like Loloi and Pottery Barn, Julia shares her path to building an enduring, values-driven brand. Julia and Amber talk about the evolving creator economy, the power of consistency, and how creators can grow a loyal, lasting audience. Whether you're an aspiring creator, a home design enthusiast, or building a business of your own, Julia's story is filled with practical insight, warmth, and wisdom. WE DISCUSS: (00:24): Starting her blog and creating content from scratch, how Julia began Chris Loves Julia in 2009 during a transitional life moment and used it to stay connected and creatively fulfilled (10:20): Turning a passion into a career, the moment Julia joined LTK and a premium ad network, grew her revenue from $11K to $250K, and brought her husband Chris into the business full-time (14:28): Expanding across platforms, how Julia grew beyond her blog to Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and more—and her strategy for repurposing content to stretch impact (18:20): Posting 40+ times a week on LTK, how Julia makes LTK her second-largest platform and why consistency has been key to growth and audience trust (19:20): Building an engaged community, how Julia trains her audience to find her in different places and why she prioritizes deep connections over declarations (22:52): Humanizing your content, why creators should show their faces, share the process, and be radically authentic to build real trust (26:47): Collaborating with top home brands, how tagging, linking, and affiliate revenue paved the way to Julia’s major partnerships and product lines with brands like Leloi (32:25): Prioritizing long-term growth over viral moments, how Julia balances audience nurturing with growth and why she resists chasing short-term attention (41:26): Scaling a business with your spouse, how Julia and Chris divide roles, manage a 10-person team, and create space for vision and creative direction (52:47): Creating a home you love, Julia’s advice on what to start, stop, and continue to make your home reflect who you are—without overthinking it 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 Julia’s LTK: https://www.shopltk.com/explore/chrislovesjulia Follow Julia on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chrislovesjulia/?hl=en Connect with Julia on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-marcum-3632a669 Follow Julia on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@chrislovesjulia?lang=en Subscribe to Kate on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@chrislovesjulia