Jenee Naylor, famously known as HighLowLuxxe, has carved out a special place on the internet to create a space 'Where Luxury & Style are Attainable.' The intention: is to dispel the idea that great style and luxury experiences are out of reach. More importantly, she continues to showcase why Black women deserve luxury. Whether it's Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok, you can't help but love Jenee's charismatic glow paired with her undeniable style.

The St. Louis native has always been intrigued by the exploration of anything that would fill her cup in the most genuine ways. So much so that she has dedicated her brand to sharing her journey, passions, experiences, and struggles in hopes of inspiring others to do the same by trusting their intrinsic style.

BET chatted with the luxury maven to learn more about her journey from Store Director at Target to a full-time, Multi-Million dollar influencer, the story behind her handle, how she shows up authentically, and so much more!

BET: Tell us about young Jenee. What was she like?

Jenee Naylor: Young Jenee was honestly the exact same. I'm an only child. I grew up just keeping myself company. I drew as a kid. I used to draw clothes. I was in all the activities. I was a cheerleader. I took dance classes. I didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wanted to be everything. I just spent time with my mom, who was a single parent, so it was a great childhood. It was everything I needed it to be. I got to try all the things.

BET: You've spoken on social media about working at Target before becoming a full-time influencer. How did that journey from Target to blogging start? 

Jenee Naylor: I was actually recruited. I used to be a store manager at ALDO shoes, and one of my best customers was a store manager at Target. She would always come in and say, “You need to come to Target. You'd be great.” And I didn't wanna wear red and khaki every day. So I was like, “No, thank you.” But she persisted because there was so much opportunity for career growth. Eventually, I agreed to interview and see what this lady is talking about.  I got the job at Target, and it was hard. It was a lot harder than my previous job, but it taught me everything I needed to know. I was an assistant manager for three years. I got inspired and motivated to see what I could be at Target. How far could I take it? And anytime I would interview or get feedback, I would always ask myself, ‘What's the goal? What's the next position you want?’

I wanna be CEO. I'm going to do the best job until I get as high as I can. I was on that path to get my own store, which eventually I did. I opened one of the first flex format stores on the East Coast, which are the smaller Targets. It was the fourth one in the company. So that was a big deal and very exciting. 

Then, I got promoted to a bigger store, and that's when I found blogging. When Instagram started, I would post my outfits. Because obviously, I love clothes. My degree is in fashion merchandising, and I have always wanted to do something. I just didn't know how to do it. Retail seemed like the only option. Once I started Instagram and posted outfits every now and then, people would suggest I start a blog. When I looked into it, I felt I didn't have time to do that. I have a job; I don't think anyone cares what I wear.

I would challenge myself to see if I could grow my Instagram. If I can get 10,000 followers, I might start a blog. I posted every day for an entire summer and got 10,000 followers. That’s when I started the blog. I Googled how to start a blog, found Square Space, and made my first one; Jay Marie Styled It. But in my mind, I was gonna work at Target forever and become a CEO. I had big plans, and in my mind, I still didn't know how people made money blogging. It became a way to share my love of fashion and clothes.

BET: Wow, what a journey. How did you keep up with your corporate job while also producing on the blog?

Jenee Naylor: Scheduling. And honestly, that's why I'm so grateful for my time at Target because I became such a leader and a very strategic person. It taught me so much about strategy. Having my own store, I had 350 team members. I had to plan everything, and I had to plan months out.  I took all of that experience and applied it to this. I need a schedule. At Target, I worked 50 hours minimum a week and between 60-70 if it was a busy time of the year or the fourth quarter. I was off every Wednesday because that was my content day, and I was off every other weekend. Those were the days that I created content. And then, I would work on my blog when I came home every day. That's when I was building it. Once you start growing a following, it gets exciting and keeps me motivated. Having a schedule and a goal has helped me. I like having a challenge and wanted to lean into where this could go if I stayed committed to it. If I give myself structure, I'm pretty good at following through.

BET: You are the follow-through queen, honey. Walk us through when you knew it was time to become a full-time influencer.

Jenee Naylor: It was such an emotional time. I was interviewing for a really big opportunity. Target was starting to get into fashion and trying to make that a big thing. They created these roles where you were over fashion for a group of stores. As soon as I heard it, I knew I was perfect for it. Everyone knew I had my blog and a great store, and people knew I was fashionable. I wore my red and khaki well. My boss at the time asked if I was interested, and I said  ‘Absolutely!’ So, I went on this long journey of interviewing during the fourth quarter, the hardest time of the year. Once that's finished, I pass the interviews. They told me I would be out of the store as soon as the fourth quarter was over.

I got the position. All the while, I'm still blogging, but it's hard right now trying to keep up with this every Wednesday content creator thing. Then, the person that would be my boss popped up at my store one day and said they didn't know if I was ready and decided to pause the promotion. I felt like that was a sign. I was so committed to this place. And I have this other thing. I started thinking if I just worked half as hard on that, who knows what it could be? I made up my mind it was time to leave. I started saving money, and then I left in May.

BET:  But now you're the ultimate motivation for other people, which is inspiring. When it comes to your famous handle, 'HighLowLuxxe' (high low looks), what's the story behind that?

Jenee Naylor: It was Jay Marie Styled It. I remember going on a trip when I first started, and as I was meeting people, someone asked for my Instagram, and I just remember being so embarrassed to say it. It didn't represent me.

On the flight home, I told myself I gotta figure something out because that's not how I should feel.  I want to be proud of the name.  So, while on the plane, I wrote down a bunch of names. I was like, okay, what do we do? What do we share? What do I talk about the most? I wish I would've kept that paper cuz it was like 20 names and HighLowLuxxe was one of them. 

I just felt like that's what I do, no matter what. Even if it's outside of fashion, that's just what I do. It's what I've always done. I've always liked nice things. But I also always loved the TV shows about how to get the look for less or magazines with that kind of section. That's how the name came about.

BET: Can you share some of the ups and downs of being an influencer?

Jenee Naylor: At first, it was very lonely. I was used to having a leadership team. I had seven to nine leaders that owned different parts of the store, so I was always with them. 

That was something to get used to and learn how to make colleagues in this industry by finding people I could reach out to and FaceTime with or brainstorm with. At first, I couldn't just call my friends in the middle of the day. They were at work. There are no colleagues to bounce ideas off of. That was a big part of it.

I also try not to focus on negativity, so I challenge myself, especially on YouTube. Anytime I got a negative comment and felt compelled to respond, I had to respond to three positive comments. Because how is that fair to the people that are supporting me? And one of my quotes is, “Those aren’t my people.”

BET: Would you say that's the biggest lesson you've learned?

Jenee Naylor: I would say that's the biggest lesson, mainly because I think it keeps so many people from doing this job. That also has a lot to do with what we talked about as far as growing up. Many people ask me how I deal with friends or family members who don't support me, and I can't relate. I've never experienced that. So all I can relate to is random negativity on the internet. But I also have the disposition I have and the outlook I have because I've always been supported. 

Growing up, I did all the activities because my mom made me believe I could do anything. You wanna be a race car driver? Let's go buy a race car. You wanna play soccer? Let's get a soccer ball. You wanna play basketball? Let's get a basketball. I feel like the negativity holds a lot of people back. Your people will find you. The world is so big. There's a group of people out there that are looking for what you are sharing. You just gotta find them. And the people that don't like it aren't your people.

BET: You should write a book about that down the line. What advice do you give other black women looking to become influencers?

Jenee Naylor:  It's not about you. That is the number one thing. If you are not starting from a place of: How can I help? or how can I serve? this is not the job for you because I find those are the people that can't stay consistent. Those people get irritated when things aren't working out for them cause it's about them. Do you have that woman in mind that you're trying to help? Who is she? Cause I should be able to look at your content and figure that out. 

That drives me in every decision I make. It's so clear to me. I know my woman. Especially when you're thinking about content creation, every aspect of this job is to serve a community. So know who the community is.

Also, consistency. This is a long game. If you're trying to just look cute and make a quick buck, you can do that. However, I don't know how long you'll be able to do it. I think of the long term in everything I do. If I sign on to do something that doesn't align with the future, what's the point? Am I going to be proud of it in five years? Is this a brand I want to bring up again in two years? That's what I'm thinking about, or am I going to be embarrassed? I always think if I want this to be a part of my legacy? Is this a part of what we're trying to build? You should think about that from the very beginning. It'll help you stay aligned with the goal and who you're serving.

BET: One of the biggest questions around the business of influencers is rates and deals. How do you negotiate your deals?

Jenee Naylor: Well, I don't. My management does the negotiating. I am always so transparent with people that I was never good at this and never enjoyed it. This even goes back to the work aspect of every job. I hated asking for raises and was never as strong-willed and determined when I knew I deserved it. I never pitched myself. The first deal I got, they reached out to me. I didn't negotiate. I said yes immediately. After a few deals, I realized I just don't like negotiating. I felt I needed a manager. Once I was full-time, I would write pitching on my to-do list every day and then just push it to the next day and the next day, which would never happen. And then, when I was negotiating, it would make me so anxious that I couldn't even do anything else. I need to film a video, but I'm waiting for the brand to respond, and now I feel like I'm going to vomit, and my stomach is bubbling. So I'm questioning whether that was too much. Was that too low? That’s when I decided this is where I would rather put my money. I always tell people to put their money where they're not the best. If you're not good at editing videos, find an editor. I don't want to negotiate and pitch, so I pay my agency, and I'm happy to do that. I just want to come in as a talent and do my job amazingly.

BET: As someone who always has to be on, what brings you joy and fills you up?

Jenee Naylor: Honestly, this has been a priority this year: finding joy in the jobs. I've really focused on curating each platform to serve and do things that my audience wants to see, but also, how am I having fun? So I've shifted a lot of my content to the things I like to do. And my audience enjoys them. Repetitive content is not fun for me. I'm a creative person. Doing the same thing on every platform is not exciting to me. 

So for YouTube, it's going to be my little talk show. This is where I come on and talk about fashion for 15 or 20 minutes. Instagram is my art. That is where I can lean into the creativity of taking pictures because I love to do that, and I can edit them, and we can just play with colors, have themes, and do mood boards. TikTok is just where I can talk about or share random things. It's like Snapchat to me. It's like my stories. 

Every time I get on each platform, I know what I'm there to do. It's totally different and gives you a reason to be here with me because you get something totally different, and that has really kept me from having burnout. I used to have that a lot where I would be on a crazy high. I'd make 10 reels, film YouTube videos and just do all the things, and then it would be two weeks where I'm just like, I have nothing. I have no ideas left. I haven't been through that in a couple of months because I have fresh ideas every time I get on these platforms because they're also different.

BET: So what's next? What can we expect from HighLowLuxxe?

Jenee Naylor:  Well, this year has been about finding the joy in all these things. Again, elevating as we talk about high-end and low-end, I'm getting my face in those spaces because that's where we are not, and I want to be at the forefront of being able to share those types of things. If I share the new shoes from Versace, I want to be at the Versace show. I don't want to wait for Vogue to tell me what they showed at the show. I can then tell you what the trends are from the show. 

That's been a priority. I just started a membership because that was the other piece that was missing. Sharing is what I do naturally. I love sharing information. That comes from my background at Target. I loved teaching and training people. I just love sharing knowledge, but I’m also not passionate about having courses or just things that aren't as tangible.

I like the one-on-one aspect, but I also don't have the time for it. So I started a membership to provide that ongoing support. And again, it's fun for me to talk about this. Talking about shopping is fun for me. I love looking at strategy and figuring out the next platform, how to grow, and what's trending. I love to share that stuff, but I need to do it in a capacity. That's fun for me.

The article has been edited and condensed for clarity.