How Kim Kardashian Earned Her Billions!
The reality TV star turned international mogul, Kim Kardashian West, became a household name in 2007 with the premiere of Keeping up with the Kardashians. A couple of clothing lines, makeup products, and a few reality shows later, Kim Kardashian West has been declared a billionaire by Forbes just this year!
Humble beginnings!
Prior to the premiere of Keeping up with the Kardashians, Kardashian was born in Los Angeles, California on October 21st, 1980. Her dad, Robert Kardashian, defended O. J. Simpson in 1994. She also went to a Roman Catholic all-girls school growing up.
She eventually got her first taste of the spotlight when she started to get spotted by the paparazzi with socialite friend, Paris Hilton. After working as a stylist for the singer Brandy, Kardashian began a relationship with Brandy’s brother, Ray J. This relationship will lead to the sex tape, Kim Kardashian: Superstar, being leaked in 2007.
Reality show start!
While the sex tape leaked without Kim Kardashian’s consent, her and her family defiantly made the most of the situation and used the media buzz to promote their show Keeping up with the Kardashians.
The show was a hit among viewers and has spawned multiple spin-off reality shows. The show had 20 seasons and went on from 2007 to 2021. In April, the Kardashian-Jenner clan announced that they will have a new show on Hulu after signing a multi-year deal with the streaming service last year.
Building her empire!
With the success of her TV shows, Kim Kardashian West used her newfound fame and money to venture into different projects. She released the song ‘Jam (Turn It Up)’ in 2010, produced a fragrance line, wrote a few books, made cameos in TV shows and movies, released a mobile game, and made appearances on numerous magazine covers.
According to Business Insider, by 2018 the reality star was charging $720,000 per Instagram post. Despite her busy schedule, Kardashian, and her sisters were able to still keep focus on their family’s clothing boutique, ‘Dash’.
Creating KKW Beauty and Skims!
After the success of Kylie Jenner’s Kylie Cosmetics, Kim Kardashian West followed her sister’s footsteps and created her own makeup brand, KKW Beauty and eventually her own fragrance line, KKW Fragrance. Which was a smart business move because her first launch at KKW Beauty sold out completely in 2 hours.
According to Forbes, she eventually sold 20% of KKW Beauty for $200 million to Coty, a cosmetic company. This deal would value the brand at $1 billion, which has made Kim Kardashian West a billionaire.
Kardashian eventually launched Skims, a shape wear line, in 2019. The line has been a success during quarantine as more customers look for cozy clothing to wear inside.
In summary:
Lots of things can and have been said about Kim Kardashian West, but one of them has always been that she is an incredible businesswoman. From reality television, to a singing career, Kardashian’s makeup brand, KKW beauty, has made her billionaire. As Kim Kardashian told Interview Magazine in 2017, “You can say a lot of things about me, but you cannot say I don’t work hard.”
