Quotes from Michelle Phan

I always had that yearning, that hunger, to one day be independent and be my own person and build my own world. The most fulfilling thing is to live a life where you have freedom.

Most people think of me as a makeup guru, but might be surprised to know I'm also a trained artist and a huge comic book fan.

My mother would work 14 hours, and she'd come home, and she'd just get right into cooking... she wanted to make sure my brother, my sister and I had food in our bellies.

Robust activity on one site is so much better than halfhearted activity on multiple sites.

When you read about the real history of where feminism comes from, it came from a very political point of view. I don't believe in bringing any politics to an idea like feminism. I love the idea that women should be celebrated, but I also believe men should be, too. We need both - yin and yang.

As a young girl, I loved having stories read to me. There is something magical about narration and voiceovers. Recording a voiceover is an art form in itself.

When I smell pho, I just automatically think of my mom. All these nostalgic feelings and memories come rushing through my head.

Flipboard is really fun because it's like a digital magazine that lets you curate your favorite things and follow your favorite people. I do Instagram but not Vine. I love Vine, but I don't have time to browse through it. So when I'm on YouTube, I'll look up the 'best of Vine' compilations.

Your YouTube channel is your show. I think it's a wonderful platform for anyone who wants to have stronger creative control over their content, their message, their vision and their branding.

As my YouTube following grew, I was soon earning as much from advertising revenue as from waiting tables, so I quit my job. My boss thought I was crazy, which just made me more determined. In 2012, four years and 200 videos later, my channel was so successful that Google offered me $1 million to create 20 hours of content.

Every day is different. I am constantly creating, whether that be for my own YouTube channel and social networks or my businesses like FAWN (For all Women's Network) - a women's lifestyle network on YouTube that I founded/produce; em michelle phan (my cosmetics line with L'Oreal); or Ipsy (a beauty sampling service I co-founded in 2011).

I listen to a lot of Tibetan music before I sleep. I'll just type in 'Tibetan meditation music' on YouTube, and within 15 minutes, it knocks me out. I sleep like a baby.

You know how it is in L.A. At times, it's a dog-eat-dog world. There's a lot of sharks. I think with YouTube, we're anti that. We're anti-competitive. We're all about collaborating and supporting.

If you go on my Instagram, you're not going to see the same content you'll see on my YouTube. Instagram has become the new magazine. It's much more editorial and about perfect moments that are captured. Snapchats are funny, real moments that you want to share. On YouTube, it's more structured, more storytelling.

As one of the first creators on YouTube, I've been fortunate to sit in the front row, witnessing the remarkable evolution of digital media. The experiences and knowledge I've been afforded are invaluable, and I'm excited to take that skill set, together with Endemol Beyond, to build a reliable, reputable business.

Eight years ago, if I wanted to do a YouTube video, I broke out my camera and filmed everything myself and learned how to edit and kind of become a one-woman studio. But we're living in an era now, thanks to ICON, where any creator who is online, they can create in their own space.

Don't trust everyone, especially if they say, 'Trust me.'

Social media is an ever-changing world. You want to be ready if a certain platform becomes red-hot, and you don't want someone else taking your company name as his or her handle. That does happen!

So many of my friends have 200,000 subscribers, and they make around five to six K a month, which is completely cool.

Makeup is no different than clothes and accessories - it's embellishments for your face. And it also gives you creative freedom. You get to have that moment in front the mirror every morning and give yourself self-love. You're making yourself up beautiful, which is essentially self-love.

I'm motivated by my love to share and teach. I love sharing things that inspire me, and I love connecting with people. Being a part of a community is in the millennial DNA.

I am passionate about finding undiscovered and talented artists. I want to help those artists get to the next level and provide existing artists with a new way to reach fans. I wanted to partner with the Cutting Edge Group because they share my vision and have a proven track record in innovation in the music business.

Ipsy's goal has always been to create a community that inspires women around the world to express their own unique beauty.

Platforms - they come and go, but storytelling is forever.