Cassey Ho, a renowned pilates and fitness instructor, made her mark in the fitness industry with the launch of her Blogilates YouTube channel in 2009. With a staggering nine million subscribers and the establishment of two eight-figure fitness brands, Ho's journey is a testament to her entrepreneurial prowess.
In a TikTok post, Ho shares her experience as an entrepreneur working in a toxic environment: "Four years ago, the toxicity in our office became so unbearable that I was scared to walk into my office."
"No one tells you that the most painful thing about being an entrepreneur isn't that you'll work 100 hours a week and can't pay yourself because you need to keep the business alive or that your family will tell you that you'll never be successful following your dreams, or that big co-operations will steal your designs and you can't do anything because you can't afford to fight them. The hardest part about building a business is finding the right people to do it with," Ho added.
This month though, the CEO has been singing a different tune. Ho's fitness fashion brand POPFLEX Active was recognised by singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. The purchase from the internationally recognised pop star was a milestone for the Swiftie, who has been a fan of the country singer for more than a decade.
In response to the Swift purchase, Ho posted a TikTok video telling her followers she was "dying."
Promoting her new album in a short video posted on her YouTube channel, Swift was spotted wearing the $60 POPFLEX Active Pirouette Skort in lilac.
"I wish I had screamed or jumped. I was numb," Ho told Business Insider. "That was my reaction. I couldn't move, couldn't think. Nonfunctional."
@blogilates CANT MOVE CANT THINK DYING 😭😭😭😭😭😭 How is that my @POPFLEX Active pirouette skort on TAYLOR SWIFT!?!?!? 💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀 I LOVE YOU SO MUCH TAYLOR!!!! You made my wildest dream come true! 💜💜💜💜💜💜#taylorswift #thetorturedpoetsdepartment #fashiondesigner
♬ original sound - cassey
Moreover, fans of both Swift and POPFLEX Active took to social media to inform Ho that the singer-songwriter may also reference the skirt in one of her tracks on "The Tortured Poets Department."
One TikTok user, Kate, wrote: "Can we please revel in the fact that she mentions the lilac skirt on the album."
In her song "Imgonnagetyouback", Swift sings: "Lilac short skirt, the one that fits me like skin."
"Our entire team has been living in this Taylor dream since Friday. It's just been so cool," Ho said.
"People assume I must have sent the skort to her, but absolutely not," the founder explained, noting: "I have no contact with Taylor. I don't know her address, nothing."
While Ho can't confirm how Swift got her hands on the skort, the founder said that the singer-songwriter may have seen one of her promotional videos on social media.
"I think she was Tay-lurking," Ho said.
According to the POPFLEX Active founder, the lilac shade of the Pirouette Skort sold out just minutes after Swift posted the YouTube Skorts video.
The fitness brand has also received 7,000 sales of the skorts in preorders.
"The Taylor Effect is like nothing else in the entire world. It's insane," Ho explained. "We had our biggest sales day of the year and our second biggest sales day ever. This is also the first time we've taken preorders. We normally don't do that, but people want the original."
