Startup Fortune, July 3, 2020: It sounds like a story we’ve heard a dozen times before. A beautiful woman meets unexpected fame and capitalizes on it by creating a strong Instagram following. And while this is part of Ashley Liz Cooper’s story, it’s nowhere near the most impactful, ambitious, or interesting chapter.
Who are you, what have you done, and what are you doing? Tell us your story and what makes you unique.
It all started with a clothing line, Coachella, and Paris Hilton. And it could have ended there too, but I’ve always had big dreams and a shoot-for-the-stars kind of vision. I initially starred opposite of Paris Hilton in VICELAND’s Hollywood Love Story, and on the back of that went viral in a video segment about “Who Paid for Your Coachella Ticket?”. I paid for my own ticket. My clothing line, The Liz XX, was doing well, so I was able to pay my own way in.
What businesses have you run before, and how did they help you get to where you are now? What type of business do you currently run?
My two biggest ventures were born out of the desire to solve problems, rather than simply catering to what consumers wanted. My podcast “For a Good Time Listen” came about after I noticed an increase of sex in pop culture, but a lack of education around it. I created a platform for creators, creatives, doctors, sex experts, pornstars, and influencers, to discuss the dynamics of sex, relationship issues, exploration, solutions to problems, sex positivity, and feminism. I also created an app called “Vibez: the app”. It focuses on cannabis strains and your moods and emotions. As the prevalence of cannabis increases, education and awareness around it is struggling to keep up. The app analyzes your emotions and then determines which cannabis strain will suit you best.
What keeps you running when times get tough?
My vision for the future. I want to keep pushing for ways to solve problems, and I want to keep innovating and creating.
What’s your secret to scaling a business?
Innovation and growth is an integral part of keeping your business relevant. Analyzing trends and finding gaps in the market will allow you to find unique ideas and be one of the first to execute on it.
The Unexpected Turns of Ashley Cooper
It sounds like a story we’ve heard a dozen times before. Beautiful woman meets unexpected fame and capitalizes on it by creating a strong Instagram following. And while this is part of Ashley Liz Cooper’s story, it’s nowhere near the most impactful, ambitious, or interesting chapter.
It all started with a clothing line, Coachella, and Paris Hilton. And it could have ended there too, but Ashley has always had big dreams and a shoot-for-the-stars kind of vision. She initially starred opposite Paris Hilton in VICELAND’s Hollywood Love Story, and on the back of that went viral in a video segment about “Who Paid for Your Coachella Ticket?”. So, who paid for it? She did, of course. Thanks to her clothing line, The Liz XX, Ashley was able to pay her own way. This independence and ambition has always been at the forefront of what she does, and it continues to come through in her work.
A viral video and clothing line simply isn’t enough for a badass boss babe who wants to make a real difference. So Ashley set her sights on solving the problems she saw arising. Her two biggest ventures were born out of the desire to solve these problems, rather than simply cater to what consumer’s want. The result of this was her podcast, “For a Good Time Listen”. Before her podcast, she noticed an increase of sex in pop culture, but the education around sex wasn’t moving with this. She realized that this needed to change, so she created a platform to ask the uncomfortable questions. Her guests include creators, creatives, doctors, sex experts, pornstars, influencers, and many other people who have interesting stories to share. They discuss the dynamics of sex, relationship issues, exploration, solutions to problems, sex positivity, and feminism.
The carefully curated insta pictures and serious model poses might give off an air of unyielding confidence and certainty, but there’s also a friendly, open, and genuine characteristic to Ashley’s demeanour. Perhaps this is most accurately reflected in yet another one of her ventures: her app, titled “Vibez: the app”. It takes a completely unexpected direction, by focusing on cannabis strains and your moods and emotions. As the prevalence of cannabis increases, the education and awareness around it is struggling to keep up. Ashley’s app analyzes your emotions and then determines which cannabis strain will suit you best.
She’s come a long way from her Hilton days, and who knows what problem she’ll be tackling next. To follow Ashley’s story and see what she gets up to next, you can follow her on Instagram at @ashleylizcooper.
