Aimee Smale started her fashion brand Odd Muse four years ago, and it is now a $20 million business.On TikTok, she said she was overwhelmed by how much it has grown and felt out of her depth. The response has helped Smale decide what to do and where to take her business next.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Aimee Smale, 27, the founder of Odd Muse, who lives in London. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

At 27, I own a multimillion-dollar fashion brand, Odd Muse, and seem to be living the dream. But the reality is that it's been a really stressful time lately, and I've come close to quitting.

Turning to TikTok to share my feelings was probably one of the best things I've ever done.

I spent 10 minutes deliberating before I decided to upload a video of me sobbing about how overwhelmed I was. But I'm so glad I did. More than 2 million people watched it, and the response was amazing.

I started Odd Muse at 22 years old. I was earning £20,000 ($26,000) a year at ASOS, and I thought I would give it a shot on my own. I had no expectations other than it would be nice to match my wage.

I was putting everything I had into every single day. I wasn't sleeping. I would pack orders in the evening and design all day.

Everything happened so fast. I made over $100,000 in three months. I remember thinking, "how on Earth have I done this?" Now, it's so much bigger.

When companies scale quite quickly, one thing could go majorly viral, and then suddenly, you're chasing stock, and everyone wants your product.

It all caught up with me. I felt like I was not experienced enough for it. I can design amazing dresses, and I'm very good at socials. But the actual back work to a business — the numbers, the spreadsheets, the staffing — that is what you don't sign up for.

The bigger the company, the bigger the problems. It's my baby, but I started to think I should sell my company because maybe I'm not the best person for the job.

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I'm realizing that I want to design the product, but maybe that's all I want to do.

I feel like I'm in a constant battle because it's literally all I ever wanted in life. When I started the brand, I couldn't imagine being able to sell £1 million a year.

Aimee Smale started her fashion brand Odd Muse four years ago.



Courtesy of Aimee Smale

This year, we are above target with £15 million in sales, and we are pacing extremely well toward £20 million. Next year, the target is £50 million.

I'm still considering whether I want to do that and whether I want to put that expectation on myself. Some room to breathe would be great.

I never expected the company to grow to what it is. We are really leading a change in how younger women shop. So many people say we convince them to stop buying fast fashion.

I want to see how far we can take this. But I don't want it to be at the expense of myself and my personal life.

On TikTok, I've always been honest with the Odd Muse community. I wanted to kick the transparency up a notch. I said I'm ready to hire a CEO and share the responsibility of Odd Muse because I recognize that it's grown bigger than me.

The most amazing part was Steven Bartlett (an entrepreneur and investor on the BBC One show Dragons' Den) reaching out and offering me advice. It really validated my feelings because he's felt the same way and has been through it tenfold.

He said he'd help me find a CEO, which made me feel so much lighter. I really needed something to put me back on my A-game. It's really nice to experience such a level of kindness because I know how precious my time is. I can only imagine how precious his time is.

It's a sign that I'm going to be fine. I've got more of a skip in my step, and I'm very hopeful that I'll get through Christmas and that next year will be amazing.

I wasn't sure whether to post the video, but I'm so glad I did. TikTok is the weirdest and most wonderful place.