I travel the world and write for a living: Here's how I set up my business after an internship at Vogue magazine

Natasha Colyer, Alumna, Founder of Seen in the City and Mash Vision, Writer, Travel & Lifestyle Editor, and Freelance Marketing Consultant.

FOCUS ON WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY, WORK HARD AND YOUR CAREER WILL TAKE OFF.

When I was at East Sussex College, I studied four A-Levels; English Language, Psychology, Communications & Culture and History. I had always had a fascination with words and the influence they can have on people, so these subjects tied everything together really nicely.

I knew I wanted to be a writer, so I needed to broaden my knowledge not only of how we put words onto a page, but also how they are received, and the way media can influence people. That’s why I chose Communications and Culture, alongside Psychology, so I could understand both language and behaviour.

Looking back, East Sussex College was a big step up from secondary school, and in many ways it pushed me out of my comfort zone in the best possible way. It challenged me to meet new people, take on new subjects, and apply myself in areas I hadn’t explored before.

The teachers I had, particularly in English, really helped me to achieve my potential. They encouraged me to think in new ways and expand my skills, rather than stay within what felt familiar or comfortable.

Ever since I can remember, writing has been a passion of mine. I was always writing stories and even won my first writing competition when I was nine years old. That passion only grew stronger during college.

While studying, I applied for a few internships in London and secured my first one at a magazine, which I attended on Wednesdays alongside my college studies. The internship alongside my studies really complemented each other. I could apply the skills I was learning at college to the magazine work, and vice versa.

Once I finished college, I applied to university, but then I was offered work experience at Vogue, so I decided not to follow the traditional A-Level to Uni path, and took a leap to do the internship instead.

While at Vogue, and inspired by my previous internship, I had the opportunity to attend a whole host of events, restaurant launches and fashion shows in London, and my love of the city was born. I decided to start my own website to capture my thoughts, feelings and excitement about the city, and Seen in the City was born.

At the time, many people were starting blogs, but I wanted to turn mine into something more like a business and a guide, rather than just writing about my own experiences. I knew that, further down the line, I would love to have my own team, and a magazine felt like the natural progression of that ambition.

I taught myself how to build a website, starting with Adobe Muse (which was horribly difficult to use!) before moving over to WordPress. Alongside this, I took a part-time marketing job so I could learn the technical side of running a website, where I was introduced to SEO and how to grow visibility on Google.

After two years of doing this part-time, Seen in the City was growing rapidly, and I found it increasingly difficult to juggle both roles. Around this time, my boyfriend (now husband), who was also working in marketing, came on board, and we decided to run it together full-time.

Since launching Seen in the City, I’ve had the chance to travel to 32 countries, send writers around the globe, attend London Fashion Week shows, speak at events, and cover restaurant launches and so much more. It’s a real privilege to call this my job.

My career has evolved quite organically. Writing, photography, travel and business are all essential parts of running a magazine, so these were skills I developed over time rather than something I set out with from the beginning.

As the business grew, skills like photography and broader business knowledge became more important, and I realised how much I enjoyed them. Soon, companies began approaching me after seeing my photography work or written content, asking if I could do work for them.

That naturally led to the creation of my second business, Mash Vision, which, again, I run with my husband. This gave me another creative outlet and income stream, as well as the opportunity to work with incredible brands, from The Caribbean tourism board to top London security firms, luxury chauffeur companies and more.

I always have real imposter syndrome, so it still feels surreal when opportunities like working with major brands and publications such as Vogue, The Telegraph and ASOS come along. But when they do, and I receive excellent feedback, there’s no feeling like it.

Working for myself means I don’t often get external validation, so those moments are incredibly valuable. They allow me to grow, push myself, and continue learning.

Running two businesses is not without its challenges. There are new ones every day. One of the biggest has been time management - it often feels like there are never enough hours in the day.

Another ongoing challenge is keeping up with constant industry change, from the evolution of social media to the rise of AI. I am constantly teaching myself, staying on top of digital marketing trends, and finding new ways to evolve.

It can be demanding, but I still wouldn’t choose to do anything else.

One of the most rewarding parts of my work is leading a team of freelancers from around the world. I love hearing about their backgrounds, how they got into the industry, and their perspectives on their work.

I believe strongly in giving people creative freedom. While I provide briefs, I prefer to see how writers interpret them and bring their own voice to a story, rather than being too prescriptive.

Working across different cultures is also incredibly enriching. It’s fascinating to see how people’s backgrounds influence their storytelling, and it’s important to approach that with sensitivity, particularly when working on international destinations or themes.

Travel has also played a huge role in shaping both my creativity and my outlook on life. While it may sound cliché, I truly believe that travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.

Travelling - especially solo for work - has pushed me far outside my comfort zone and allowed me to meet people from all over the world. I love learning about new cultures, rituals and traditions, and seeing how differently people live.

It also brings perspective. Visiting places where you see poverty, in contrast to life back home, creates a deep sense of gratitude. It reminds you to put things into perspective and not stress over things that, in the bigger picture, don’t really matter.

If I could go back and give my college-age self one piece of advice, it would be to stop worrying so much about the future, because everything will work out.

It’s easy to compare yourself to others and feel pressure about the path you “should” take, but in reality, everyone ends up on completely different journeys - and none of them are right or wrong.

I spent so much time worrying about university, courses, and what everyone else was doing, but I needn’t have. I focused on what made me happy, worked hard, and my career took off.

If you’re interested in writing, media, or starting your own business, then focus on what you want to achieve and actively seek out how to get there.

Speak to people, don’t be afraid to put yourself out there, and take every opportunity you can. It can feel daunting, but you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take - and the worst you can hear is no.

Never stop learning, keep growing, and take time to understand both your strengths and areas to improve.

I’m always happy to chat or offer advice. Just drop me an email: natasha@seeninthecity.co.uk