Exclusive: Influencer Turned CEO Sienna Mae Gomez Says It's 'Extremely Rewarding' to Run Her Own Business

At 20 years old, Sienna Mae Gomez is a total boss babe, especially since she's the CEO and head designer of her own swimsuit line, SIENNASWIM.

"It’s been extremely rewarding and surprising. When you start a business for something you love, the best you can hope for is that other people will love it, too. I can’t believe the way people have responded to the brand and I feel incredibly blessed to do this as my job," the star exclusively tells Morning Honey of her endeavor.

"It’s challenging — in a good way," she notes of her position. "I’ve always been more creative than technical, but as CEO, I’ve had to learn a lot about manufacturing and other parts of our operations, team building, and I guess you could say the 'less glamorous' side of business. As head designer, though, I get to use my creativity and make my dream suits. In short, it’s really fulfilling."

Since Gomez is in charge, she admits it's not that daunting since she's always had an outgoing personality and "been a leader."

"I have definitely been fearful that I might mess up, but quickly realized it’s just part of the process!" she confesses.

For as long as the model could remember, she's always loved swimwear, which is why it's even sweeter that she gets to live out her dream everyday.

"In high school, I started experimenting with sewing and trying to make my own suits. Then, shortly after, I started posting bikinis on social media and got really into trying different types and styles and sharing which ones I loved most. I sort of accidentally became an expert on swimwear, and the next logical thing when people were asking me for the best suit was to make my own. It’s full circle," she shares, adding that she "always thinks about how different colors and vibes could come together in a video," which is how she gets inspired for each collection.

Gomez is also all about making sure women are empowered when they wear her creations. "I think comfort and confidence go hand in hand. Fidgeting in pieces that don’t fit you right doesn’t exude confidence. We work really hard to ensure our fits are as flattering and functional as possible. We even developed our own sizing chart by working with fit models from sizes XS to 3XL because we didn’t feel like the standard was comprehensive enough. My hope is that when people wear our suits, they feel good in their own skin," she explains.

She adds, "I really love a classic string bikini. They’re s---, simple, and chic. My go-to right now is our TULUM top and bottom, especially in our new color ways which have a slight shimmer to them. I love that the thin straps and lower rise bottom really elongate the legs and torso for a super flattering look."

Gomez's first three collections quickly sold out, resulting in her popularity skyrocketing.

Since business is booming, she also launched SMOOTH by Sienna Swim in 2023, a razor that comes with five of the highest-quality stainless steel blades to make anyone feel beautiful and good about themselves.

Over the past few years, Gomez has quickly become one to follow on social media — something she doesn't take for granted.

"Honestly, it's surreal. I still can’t believe how sweet the messages are that I get from young women my age who want advice on everything from how to start a business, to online bullying, to healthy eating. I am really grateful to be someone they look up to," she says of being a role model.

"I think sometimes people want a quick-fix or a short cut, but if I’ve learned anything in the last few years, it’s that sometimes there is only the long way around. It’s maybe not as fun, s---, or exciting to tell people that the recipe for your success is hard work and a lot of effort, but I’d rather be honest than exciting," she continues.

Gomez admits she was "pigeon-holed as a body-positive content creator and labeled 'plus size' as a 5’3 curvy teenager" for a long time, resulting in her wanting to change the conversation about body positivity moving forward.

"I don’t think my body should represent any over-arching message because every body is different. I am doing my best each day to take good care of myself, body included, and the only thing I hope is that the way I take care of myself and prioritize my health inspires others to do the same for themselves," she explains.

"I am so grateful that so many girls can see themselves in me, especially because our feeds are often so full of girls who are unrealistic. At the same time though, I can’t really comprehend how I am considered 'body positive' for just living my life. I am disciplined with my workouts and diet but I also give my body grace when it’s tired. I think THAT is real body positivity. If anything, I hope I’m inspiring others to take care of themselves and feel good mentally and physically without having to think so much about their physical body. My hope is that we move away from having to constantly talk about accepting ourselves, and instead, just accept ourselves," she adds.

Gomez is "extremely" proud of how she's grown the company so quickly, and she's not slowing down anytime soon. "It truly has been a labor of love and to see how far we’ve come since the beginning is really encouraging," she shares. "I sometimes forget I’m only 20, but I think I’m still revealing all the dreams I have for myself. I can’t wait to see what God has in store for me."

"In five to 10 years, I would love to have a solid team of employees, have investors in the company and some major merchandising deals. I’d love to see what the brand could do with more resources on the administrative end so I can personally focus solely on creative. I am so excited for this brand to grow and see more and more girls in our suits and loving them. I also hope that our brand can be an example or inspiration for someone else," she notes, adding that she'd "love" to create her own activewear line at some point.

She concludes: "Being able to connect with people who want to see you succeed is really a gift. That said, it’s sometimes strange to think that millions of people see the video I record on my phone. It’s not like they’re all standing in front of me in a stadium or something, so there’s a certain degree of separation. But when I really think about it, it blows my mind."