Keep your eye on that Michelle Phan--but you might have missed something, like I did.

Happy Friday Breukeleners. After a particularly stressful day in the office, I  enjoyed kicking up my feet and reading The Brothers Karamazov, which provides at least 2-3 good chuckles per page. You've just gotta love that Fyodor Pavlovitch.

After I realized that even this delightful tome is not enough to relax me after my harrowing work day, I decided to check out Michelle Phan's page on YouTube. For those of you readers who are not a member of Michelle's fan base demographic--which largely consists of females ranging in age from their preteens to mid-thirities--Phan is a YouTube makeup guru who created one of the top most subscribed and viewed channels on the video-sharing platform. As a byproduct of her ever-increasing brand appeal and clearly demonstrated ability to connect with youthful consumers, Michelle was also offered a position as a video spokesperson for luxury makeup line Lancome and gained the clout to spearhead a few entrepreneurial pursuits. The last I had heard Michelle maintains two bi-coastal business bases in LA and just across the river in NYC and jets from one to the other ever few weeks--something which boggles my mind.

Yet despite my knowledge of her business activities and sphere of influence, it somehow did not occur to me that by this time Michelle is a 26 year old millionaire. I thought about why I had failed to compute this, but then I realized that Michelle's most lucrative commodity is not the eyeliner she sold for Lancome or even the upcoming cosmetic line she recently launched. The most valuable product Michelle sells is herself.

Whether it's the cellphone captured shots of her riding the NYC subway like common folk on her way to work, or her video confessions of her love for ramen noodles, Michelle manages to maintain her girl-next-door appeal. She somehow makes herself incredibly relatable to viewers, despite the fact that she doesn't hide her business drive (and the necessity for a stockpile of under-eye concealer to "look fresh and perky" despite her lack of sleep). For lessons in creating an indelible brand without even realizing it at the outset and then maintaining its down-to-earth character despite meteoric success, look to Michelle Phan.