When Claudia Chee walks into her local Costco, she’s not just shopping—she’s creating content. She selects a cardigan, props her phone on a shelf, hits record and models the item, showcasing the price, brand and fit. Later that day, after adding some quick edits and a trending audio, she posts her latest Costco fashion find to her social media page.
However, Chee didn’t always know she wanted to be an influencer. After graduating from UC Davis, Chee worked at Google and the Santa Clara County Fire Department. However, she felt unfulfilled by the monotony of these jobs, so she decided to drop everything and open her own yoga studio, Chee Yoga.
“After I worked at Google, I’d done everything I was supposed to do, but I was never satisfied,” Chee said. “I was making money for a billion dollar company that I wasn’t very passionate about. I always thought I had to do a nine-to-five, because my parents did finance and engineering, two very structured jobs. To me, that sounds like handcuffs.”
During the pandemic, Chee was unable to continue yoga coaching, so she opened Claudia’s Music Studio, teaching piano to students from six to 70 years old. In her free time, she visited her local Costco, a habit she picked up while working at the fire department to wait out the traffic after work. After frequent chats with the staff there, she developed the idea for Costco Claudia – a social media account showcasing her Costco finds.
“When I first started Costco Claudia, it was about raising awareness for clothing that was a hidden gem at Costco,” Chee said. “I feel like I’ve accomplished that now — whenever I post a video, that clothing piece sells out. Now, I realize that I started [my page] to build a community. I still talk to my followers like they’re my friends and respond to all their messages. I want to be viewed as somebody that’s conscientious, compassionate, thoughtful and caring.“
Over the course of two years, Chee’s Instagram account has grown to over 210K followers. Her growing online influence attracted the attention of major news outlets, and in February 2024, CNBC reached out to Chee for a finance-oriented article about her lifestyle. Then in June 2024, CNBC ran a video feature about her apartment and entrepreneurial success through both social media and her piano studio. She was even highlighted in a New York Times article featuring notable 33 year old millennials.
“It’s one thing to make American news,” Chee said. “My parents didn’t care much until my articles started to appear in Chinese news. People were sending these pieces to my parents, asking ‘Is that your daughter?’ When it started coming from my aunts and uncles in Hong Kong, they really started to see my success.”
As the vice president and homecoming representative in high school, Chee had always embraced leadership, but she never expected that to extend to social media. The recognition she received from her followers and parents encouraged her to see Costco Claudia as more than just a hobby. With this change in perspective, she reconsidered the goals and values she wanted to showcase through social media.
“We as humans are constantly changing and evolving,” Chee said. “What my values were two years ago are different from today. You can’t just be stagnant. You want to be growing with what you do. Even now I’m still trying to prioritize my own values, like being mission driven. I want to make sure I’m always living my values and that they’re aligned with my goals. That comes first — building a brand versus building likes and follows.”
What started off as a social media account for Chee to share Costco clothing finds has grown into a vibrant community. Chee values the opportunities she’s earned through running her own businesses: the flexibility to shape her career around her values, the ability to build a community and the freedom to embrace being herself.
“There’s not a single path to success,” Chee said. “I turned my hobbies into my job, so I don’t really feel like I’m working. This has always been my dream, and I think many people really aspire for a life like this. I love owning my own business, having so much freedom in what I do and having people celebrating and loving me for who I am.”