Presented by Sara Smith
TikTok, the platform known for its wide array of short and entertaining videos, even boasts content on the art of rug making. Among the rug-making enthusiasts on TikTok, SIMJI has emerged as a shining star, captivating an audience of 6.7 million followers, amassing over 180 million likes, and achieving remarkable view counts of over 70 million for a single post.
SIMJI’s TikTok journey began when her plans to travel the world came to an abrupt halt due to the pandemic. She was now stranded in a foreign country, though she had initially set out to create travel-related content and hopefully earn money along the way.
With her travel plans dashed, she embarked on a search for new avenues. It was during this exploration of social media that she stumbled upon a thriving trend—rug making.
She comments: “I saw a rug with such a unique shape and design, and I was right away intrigued. All of the creators at that time were either doing tutorials on how to make rugs or selling their rugs and rug making supplies. I then thought, ‘Well what are people going to watch after their tutorials and sales videos?’”
Recognizing an untapped opportunity, inspiration struck. In her own words, she explains: “I right away realized that was the gap I was going to fill—a space where I could captivate and entertain my audience through rug-making content, rather than solely focusing on selling to my audience.”
In essence, her approach was to create content that was inherently entertaining and would organically attract viewers, rather than content created with the intention of selling something.
Armed with a plan, SIMJI invested $3,000, the total sum of her savings at the time, in purchasing rug making supplies in bulk and made a commitment to create a rug every day until she reached the milestone of one million followers.
She dedicated over 16-hour days to the craft, persevering through uncertainties and doubts, holding her breath until success was achieved.
Throughout this journey, she encountered various challenges, with burnout being a significant obstacle. Reflecting on her experience, SIMJI shares, “To overcome this hurdle, I took a step back and reminded myself of my purpose and passion for what I do. I firmly believe that loving what I do and finding joy in the process is essential.”
She made a personal commitment to recalibrate and make necessary changes if ever she ceased to find joy in her work. This mindset shift became instrumental in maintaining her enthusiasm and navigating challenges with resilience.
SIMJI also embraced a mindset of “dreaming as if failure didn’t exist,” enabling her to overcome doubts and fears that could otherwise limit her potential.
After a few months of persistent effort, SIMJI’s hard work began to yield results as she surpassed other popular rugmakers on TikTok. With each video gaining more traction, it wasn’t long before she reached the coveted milestone of one million followers.
Collaborating with social media stars such as FaZe Rug, Angry Reactions, Angelo, and even iconic Chicago Bulls mascot Benny The Bull, SIMJI not only dominated her niche but made a significant impact across social media platforms.
Her success quickly caught the attention of renowned companies including Netflix, Marvel, Warner Bros, and Call of Duty, leading to partnerships in creating rugs featuring their logos and characters. Her TikTok account alone amassed nearly 7 million followers, while her combined social media presence reached a staggering 13 million followers and garnered billions of views.
Her work became so widely recognized that she received invitations to attend multiple red-carpet events, standing alongside Hollywood and social media’s biggest stars. SIMJI’s work has recently been exhibited and showcased at the Honda x NTWRK interactive space at DesignerCon where an estimated 65,000 attendees visited.
Today, SIMJI continues to be the most followed rug making content creator, with plans to collaborate with other creators and partner with top brands to produce the most captivating and entertaining content possible.