Running a Seven Figure Business While Pregnant

For the last 10 years of my career, I worked in corporate America, specifically within the entertainment industry, focused on integrated marketing for consumer brands and media entities. I started straight out of college as a marketing coordinator, and within five years, I’d been promoted to a director-level position. It was a very fun and fast-paced career that had me on a plane every 3-4 days for brand campaigns at big events like Fashion Week, The Grammys, Coachella, SuperBowl, essentially every tentpole entertainment event. 

However, while successful on paper, I wasn’t very passionate about my work and I felt this inner pull telling me that this is not what I’m meant to do forever. The problem was, I had no clue what I wanted to do. The only thing I was sure of was that I wanted to do more meaningful work, so I started to go on my own personal journey of exploring what I want the rest of my life to look like. That ultimately led me to my own “Eat, Pray, Love” journey around Europe, investing in a life coach, and reigniting a dream I’d written in my journal while in high school to create a platform that empowers others to realize and actualize their full potential. I, of course, didn’t know that it would take the form it has today, but I knew that I would hate to wonder “what if” ten years from now if I didn’t at least give myself permission to explore what it could be.

Within this long journey from where I was to where I am, I've learned so many wonderful things that can help anyone who is stuck in a rut looking to live their dream life or a spark that they are so desperately missing. These are a few tips and tricks I learned along the way.

Set Boundaries

This is no easy task and is something that takes time to learn. First, start with clearly defining what your boundaries are with work, friends, family, and your partner. When you are clear on your boundaries with others it helps you to realize when someone is overstepping, or when you might feel uncomfortable. Put together a plan of action on how you will handle the situation so you're more prepared for when it happens.

Ask for Help

As an entrepreneur, I know firsthand how ambitious, independent, and optimistic we are. However, when situations arise where we need to ask for help, we seem to struggle. There are far more benefits when asking for help versus not asking for help. Knowing that someone else would take the time to help you out is a great feeling. In a way, it helps rejuvenate us. Asking for help also allows us to potentially grow our network and gain new perspectives, which could even lead to new opportunities! 

The same rules apply to your personal and love life. As entrepreneurs, we are often wearing many hats in our businesses. We are marketing, HR, admin, support, etc. It can be exhausting, and you may be doing an awesome job in your business, but your household duties may have suffered the consequences. It’s okay to hire help. It’s also okay to lean on friends and family for support. They know you best and can give you sound advice or a pick me up when you need it. 

Enjoy the Little Moments

If you told me five years ago that I would be living in Paris, married, with a baby on the way I would’ve laughed! What really helps me put things in perspective is remembering how much the life I’m living now felt so out of reach years ago. 

Instead of worrying about the future, I look around me and soak in everything I’ve accomplished and how far I’ve come in my journey. Enjoy moments during pregnancy with your spouse. Enjoy the moments getting ready for your little one. Don’t forget to give yourself grace, you’re raising a human!

Position Your Business to Scale

Running a seven-figure business while pregnant is A LOT. Make sure your product suite is built to scale around your lifestyle. The luxury of being a business owner is the ability to change up the structure. Thankfully for me, I’m in a place in my business where I can hire help. Having people on my team who are passionate, knowledgeable, and help bring new ideas to the table is so important. You can’t grow a business with longevity without help!

Get Organized

I can’t stress enough how important being organized is. It doesn’t only help with staying on top of tasks, but also helps ease anxiety and make me feel more confident in my plans for the day, week, and month. Having a to-do list is old-fashioned but there’s nothing better than being able to mark a task complete or being able to scratch it off your list. Being able to map out my day and visually see the tasks that need to get done really helps me put everything in perspective. It helps me understand if my timelines are realistic or not. Maybe I need to extend one project, or maybe I can shorten the timeline for another.

If this past year has taught us all anything, it’s that we can’t always perfectly plan for what’s ahead. What works year one of your business, may not work at all year two. You also might be working in a different time zone or in a different environment than you're used to. Adaptation is the key. At the start of the pandemic, my sales completely tanked and it felt like nothing was working in my business. 

I had two options: go and get a job or get serious about adjusting to circumstances that are out of my control by doing things that are in my control. I revamped my programs, messaging, and adapted my business model to what became the new normal. Doing so took my business from $100K in sales to $1M in sales in less than one year. I’ve seen my clients scale their businesses, and it’s not easy, but it’s definitely possible and it’s definitely worth it. You’ll never know what you can achieve if you don’t try!

About the Author: Natanya Bravo was a powerhouse working for Fortune 500 brands as VP of marketing for 10 years. Flying back and forth from NYC to LA, while leading a large team. This was everything Natanya worked so hard for! But, for some reason, Natanya felt unfulfilled. One night out at dinner her friend asked her, “What’s something you always wanted to do but was too afraid to say out loud?” and Natanya answered, “Move to Paris”. She came up with excuse after excuse, and then finally moved to Paris alone. Upon arriving, she wrote down her goals and what she wanted to accomplish. She now lives in her dream city, with her fiancé, is currently pregnant, and runs her very own seven-figure business abroad.

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How My Experience as an Investor Prepared Me to Be a Founder

It’s difficult to think of anything in my life that has required a wider or more dynamic skill set than founding and running a company. Unlike the way founding is sometimes described in pop culture and media, you can’t just have great ideas for products and services. You have to be capable of building a healthy company culture, understand how markets evolve, and anticipate what consumers will want in the future. Personally, the last year and a half have honed a higher tolerance for uncertainty, an irrepressible curiosity about our market and users, and the ability to communicate exactly what the company is trying to achieve to inspire all of our people. 

While there’s nothing quite like running a start-up, I’m grateful that I had an opportunity to work at a venture capital firm before taking the helm of my company Meet Cute. Because VCs work directly with founders every day, they need to be capable of seeing the world from a founder’s perspective, which means identifying gaps in the market, crafting the right narratives about promising companies and ideas, gathering a lot of information from disparate sources, and making informed decisions in the face of incredible uncertainty. Due diligence is the central task for VCs, but they also have to be willing to take risks on the companies they believe in. 

Investors and founders are on the same team. The best partnerships are often described as a marriage. That analogy rings true especially because of the ups and downs of founding over the years, which requires an intense trust in the people you work with that they will be there when you need it. Aligning on the direction of the company, personnel, and emerging market opportunities is critical. Ahead, I’m sharing some of the many lessons I learned as an investor that have also served me well as a founder.

Lesson #1: It all starts with curiosity.

Successful VCs are always on the lookout for companies that capture and hold their interest and users’ trust. Founders should want to work with investors who have thoughtful questions about their products and services, understand their industry, think differently, and believe in the founding team. It isn’t just a matter of cutting a check and hoping for a quick return. In turn, VCs should add value by thinking creatively about what the market will look like in the future and advising the company. I learned from shadowing partners at USV that the best VCs were also the best listeners, and think of VC as a service industry. 

This starts with genuine curiosity about what a company does and what impact it could have on the world with the right guidance and resources. The average holding period for VC investors is eight years. This is a reminder that investors need to be mission-aligned as they will work with companies over the long term and are investing in the sustainable success of their portfolio companies. 

VCs and founders should establish open lines of communication right at the outset. I’ve never been afraid to ask questions or contact experts who know more than I do about a subject, and these skills served me well as an investor and a CEO. 

When I was at the VC firm, the best way to learn about early-stage companies was to work directly with them on forecasting, marketing strategy, fundraising, and other issues and consult with experts outside of the company to bring new perspectives to the table. The same collaborative mentality is an essential part of the culture at Meet Cute today. If we need to talk to an expert about something specific, we are not shy about asking and learning. Time and time again, smart people in the industry who we look up to make time for those who are genuinely curious. 

Lesson #2: Make the best decision possible with incomplete information.

Early-stage investing offers unique benefits, such as the ability to identify innovative companies before other investors, help steer those companies in a positive direction, and ultimately secure more growth over time for taking on a much larger risk. These are all reasons why it’s no surprise that early-stage VC investments have surged over the past decade from $14 billion in 2011 to just over $47 billion in 2019. Early-stage investing is on pace to set a record this year. The first quarter alone saw greater deal value than the entire year in 2011.  

Early-stage investing also comes with quite a few obstacles, and a lack of information is one of the biggest. Early-stage investors don’t have as much data about a company’s growth, operational efficiency, etc., so many of their decisions are based on pattern recognition and intuition. The founders of early-stage companies face similar constraints. There’s no playbook for what many of these companies are doing, so we have to be comfortable making decisions with limited information. Just as investors need to accept the fact that they will sometimes make the wrong call, founders should be willing to fail. If everything is going too smoothly, you should ask yourself if you’re scaling ambitiously enough. 

All of that said, founders and VCs should be as fastidious as possible in their research. Due diligence as a core focus means putting in the time to learn and develop opinions and perspectives. But due diligence always has to be placed in the context of the realistic constraints you face, especially in building something completely new, and knowing what level of risk you’re willing to tolerate. 

Lesson #3: Always tell your story

A company’s story is integral to its identity, and it serves as one of the most effective ways to reach your audience and let them trust our brand, galvanize employees around a common message, and attract the best investors. As an investor, I frequently told stories about innovative companies to convince my colleagues that we should back them, often in the form of an investment memo or a short and sweet presentation in a team meeting. I also helped start-ups craft their stories when they launched fundraising rounds or needed to prepare for board updates. Storytelling is the most powerful tool we have as humans and we know that the emotions of a story are remembered far better than facts.  

Moreover, I’ve realized how sharing your story internally is vital to improving morale and helping employees rally around a consistent set of values and objectives. Gallup reports that only 27 percent of employees strongly believe in their company’s values, while less than half say they strongly agree that they understand what the company stands for or what sets it apart. By telling the company story and vision often and consistently, the team can rally around what they’re working toward and why it matters. 

Reflecting on the last year, there is a significant overlap between my experiences as an investor and a founder. By making a conscious effort to understand how my experiences tie into and bolster one another, I hope that I can show where founders and the VC firms that support them can build stronger relationships and thereby more unique and impactful products in the world. 

About the author: Naomi Shah is the founder and CEO of Meet Cute, a venture-backed media company that has produced over 300 original light-hearted romantic comedies in podcast form. The company celebrates human connection and the full spectrum of love with the core mission of having every person feel like they are reflected in Meet Cute stories. Since its inception in February 2020, the podcast has had over two million listens across over 150 countries and has been featured in the top 10 of Fiction on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. 

Before starting Meet Cute, she was a member of the investment team at Union Square Ventures, a technology venture capital firm in New York, where she spent most of her time talking to companies in the consumer and well-being space. Prior to that, she was a macro equities trader at Goldman Sachs and studied mechanical engineering and human biology at Stanford University.

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3 Beginner-Friendly Tips to Take Product Photos at Home

Whether you’re a budding photographer hoping to hone your skills from the comfort of your own home, or a busy solopreneur in need of some killer imagery for your marketing strategy, your product photography skills have to start somewhere. 

Generally speaking, learning how to perfect the art of product photography isn’t necessarily the easiest or most affordable task. Between the many educational resources available at your fingertips credit card, and the endless list of tools you may or may not need, learning how to take product photos that engage and sell can feel…overwhelming, to say the least. 

Today, we’re sharing 3 key tips to help you learn how to take product photos right at home! Because if we’re honest, good product photography is good product photography - with the right set of skills and strategy, you’ll be able to achieve stunning photos without the addition of a brand new studio or fancy tools and props. 

(Think of those as nice-to-haves, but not have-to-haves, okay?)

#1 Pick your at-home shoot location with space and light as your determining factors

Space and light are the two most important factors of any successful product photoshoot. You don’t necessarily need a large, spacious area for your product shoot, but make sure you have a clearly-defined tabletop, nook, corner or small area (5’x5’ preferably) of your home that offers you adequate space for your set.

Ideally, the space you choose will offer plenty of natural light, and large windows. You’ll want to face your photography set up towards the window, so the sunlight hits your products while you’re shooting. This method is the easiest and most cost-effective method (thanks, sun), but it does come with a couple of limitations: a more rushed shoot schedule, and potentially the necessity of spreading your shoot out over multiple days, so you can achieve the same lighting. 

That said, we understand that not every home has *perfect* product photography lighting. If that’s the case, we recommend trying to shoot in your backyard, or in a closed, safe community area. 

Shooting outdoors (in a safe space, of course) is almost always a good idea. Direct, outdoor sunlight can help you achieve stunning product photos and unmatched vibrancy. As an example, here are three photos we shot outside, in direct sunlight!

Now, if you don’t have access to adequate natural lighting or a flexible shooting schedule, we recommend adding strobe lights to your arsenal.

Not only will strobe lights help you to achieve the lighting you need from anywhere in your home, but they’ll also allow you to shoot on your own schedule, without worrying about rushing through your shoot in order to chase the sun. We’ve included an example of product photography shot with strobe lights by our friend @dianewithonen, below!

Master the art of creative product photography with Diane Villadsen

We also included a shot by our dear friends @helenkoker

#2 Create your go-to product photography toolkit

There are a few tools and items that every product photographer needs in their kit. These items, while fairly inexpensive, will allow you to shoot many kinds of product photography with versatility and ease!

Things to add to your product photography toolkit:

• A table - a table can serve as a great flat surface, while keeping your products and props away from the floor. Try to aim for 3’x 4’ or larger!

• Backdrops - seamless paper, painted plywood, fabric and foam board will go a long way in your product photography journey.

  • We personally love and live by _______ seamless paper. Click here to shop!

  • For fabrics, we recommend having velvet, satin and linen on hand. Those three fabrics will get you through a multitude of shoots and seasons, and can also be draped and used as beautiful backdrops. 

• A backdrop stand - a good backdrop stand is essential in allowing you to swap out backdrops quickly and easily. If you don’t have a backdrop stand (nor the space to store one), you can always tape your backdrop paper to a wall!

• A reflector - You’ll want to use a whiteboard to bounce light from one light source, to the other. For product photography, you can use a small whiteboard from any local art supply store.

• A few key blocks and props - With the right combination of props and pieces, you’ll be able to achieve practically anything. Do your best to collect some key props and objects that you can mix and use across multiple shoots and projects!

  • For smaller products like jewelry, we recommend The Teensy Collection. 

  • For medium-sized products like candles or skincare, we recommend our Classic Collection. 

  • For larger, freestanding pieces that can also function as furniture, we recommend our Moodelier Home Collection.

• Eye-catching florals - flowers are always a good idea. Whether you choose to use fresh or artificial flowers (or both), they tend to pair best with, well, everything.

  • Read our floral styling tips for photography here! 

  • Additionally, we recommend having a good floral frog handy. This will allow you to stand your flowers up or place them precariously without worrying about them drooping, falling over, or needing to be taped. 

• Glassware and miscellaneous objects - Homeware items like dishes, glassware, vases and paper goods can translate beautifully on camera. We love shopping from Coming Soon New York, Hay Design and Poketo, but if you’re working with a limited budget, don’t be afraid to thrift. You can find some gorgeous vintage pieces that way!

• A manicure - Both for self care, and also in case you end up needing to serve as the hand model for your own shoot! You can also ask a friend, roommate or partner to stand in for you - just make sure whoever it is has gotten a manicure ahead of time, so you don’t have to apply heavy edits in post-production.

If you have a newer iPhone (12 or 13, ideally), you might not necessarily need to invest in an all new camera when you’re just getting started. Your iPhone will serve to take beautiful product photos. So, save up the cash to buy a camera when the time is right!

By styling things well with adequate lighting, props and pieces, you’ll be able to cut down on the amount of post-production editing. Take the time to accumulate the tools and props you need to build a solid photography foundation, and you’ll be a pro in no time. 

Pssst! We also put together a larger 2022 Set Styling Tips + Tools Guide. Click here to access it.

#3 Build out your shot list and design your set ahead of time 

We can’t stress the importance of coming to your shoot with a plan and designed set enough. Your shot list and set design go hand in hand - your shot list will help you to better understand what kind of set you need for your shoot, and a pre-planned set will allow you to feel more creatively free on the day of your shoot. 

So, the more you plan, the better! Just remember to always leave yourself room (and grace) for some of those inevitable accidents you might encounter. You never know - some of our favorite projects and shoots were perfected by an unexpected twist or two.

3 steps to help you design your first set:

1. First, ask yourself a question: what are you shooting? Depending on the type of product and the overall vibe of the brand or shoot, you’ll want to decide on the tone and feeling of the shoot and project. Are you going for ethereal? Funky? Vibrant? Muted? 
   
   From there, you’ll be able to determine which props, pieces and tools might be needed for the shoot and set. 

1. When designing a set, you’ll want to make sure your product is always the focal point of the picture. So, plan your shot list and set with a product-first mindset, but don’t be afraid to play with colors that compliment or contrast to make your product stand out!

1. Once you’ve prepped your set, make sure to put together a shot list so that you’re prepared to batch all of your shots in one session. In your shot list, you’ll want to make note of what kinds of shots you’ll take, and include any reference photos, mockups or inspo you find! Your shot list can be built out on something as simple as a Google doc. 

Speaking of reference photos, mockups are always helpful in creating the set of your dreams. Your mockup can be as rudimentary as a simple hand sketch, or it could include inspiration and reference photos you find on Pinterest. If you’re a photoshop pro, you could even photoshop your mockup image so you have a well-defined starting point for the day of your shoot. 

#4 Okay fine, we’ve got a bonus tip 

You know, we love a good BTS. Whether BTS footage is shared via still photography or short-form video, it can be a great way to show the before, during and after of your product photography shoots! 

So, our bonus tip? While you shoot, make sure to grab some BTS footage to share on social media, or via upcoming blogs. Your audience will thank you later. 

Your at-home product photos just became a Mood. 

Not quite ready to take our word for it? Allow us to recommend two incredible photography resources made by creators, for businesses and brands of all shapes and sizes.

Learn how to create a visual proposal, and define your shoot’s creative direction with Teresa Freitas.

Master the art of creative product photography with Diane Villadsen

Creating Hero image for brands with Color Collective

5 Takeaways from This Founder's Path to Building a Rosé Empire

Rose Gold Rosé is the third evolution of my career. What I have learned over the course of my career is that passion trumps skill (well most skills, anyway). If you do not have passion for the business you are creating, what is going to push you to the next level? What is going to make you feel better when you miss your son’s football game? Your drive will persevere the challenges you will undoubtedly face as an entrepreneur. But it is ok! Everyday is about learning, developing your passion and earning the title of “expert.” 

You don't have to be an expert but you have to have the passion to become an expert. What started as a rosé to enjoy with my friends has turned into a lifestyle brand with distribution in fourteen states with over 11,000 cases sold and more coming this winter into the first quarter of next year. Throughout my path, I have been lucky enough to be inspired by so many female founders and the below are key takeaways from my experience and path to becoming a rosé boss. 

#1 Passion is a Skill Set

For me, the challenge of an industry I had zero background in — along with no experience in business or ever having been an entrepreneur — was a major mountain in front of me I had to scale. And I did it one step at a time. There was no map, no help, just figuring it all out as I went. There was no other choice — to figure out how to sell this wine or fail. I read everything I could get my hands on about how to start a small business, I have listened to tons of podcasts of female entrepreneurs over the course of the last three years, I have reached out to as many people that I could that were willing to try to give me advice or direction.

At the end of the day, it’s up to you to get it done. The lesson here is — you don’t have to do what your degree (or degrees) hanging on the wall says. You can reinvent yourself as many times as you want. It’s never too late to start over or start anew. I was a family nurse practitioner. Then I was a stay-at-home mom. Now I own my own business. It’s wild but you can do it if you really want to and have the passion to do so. 

#2 Surround Yourself with People Who Are Experts 

When I started Rose Gold, I knew what I wanted to create and knew how I could fill a void in the market space. What I didn’t know is how to buy grapes or how to produce a product with shelf appeal. Within the first few months, I surrounded myself with the industry’s best of the best. Together, we built a plan to create a classic dry Provence rosé with a beautiful pale pink in color with aromas of rich, fresh fruits, followed by hints of white flowers and minerals. When approaching the experts, be honest. I walked in with my hands in the air asking for help. What I have learned is that people are attracted to passion. The group we pulled together saw my passion and my drive to build a lifestyle brand centered around spending time with the ones you love and enjoying experiences. Also, take every networking meeting/coffee/phone call, because you never know what connections you’ll make or what small tidbit of information you could takeaway.

#3 Let The Answer “No” Be Your Driving Force 

Don’t be scared of the answer “no,” but rather let it be your driving force. Over the years, I have received valuable feedback and a ton of “no’s.” When I first started, I made a promise to myself to remain authentic in the process of building my brand. With every no, it has further contributed to staying the course. It is easy to get bogged down and discouraged when you are turned away from an opportunity that you thought could work - only use this as motivation to push past it and keep putting yourself out there. Don’t let that one “no” make you think everyone in that office/organization/industry feels the same way. You could easily receive a “no” from one person in the same place, and the next person you talk to says “yes.” Just keep pushing, do not limit yourself, and you’ll find someone to resonate with you. 

#4 Time is Your Most Precious Resource 

As a mother of three and building a business, I have come to realize that my time and schedule commitments are precious. It takes alot to raise a family and build a brand. A mentor once told me, it is ok if you do not get everything done in a day and strive for significance over success. I realized that if I was careful with my time and boundaries I could be significant in my day and then weeks. In order to be present with my kids in the morning, I now wake up an hour earlier. This is my most productive time. 

As a mother of three and starting my business from the ground up, I have come to realize that my time, schedule, and commitments are incredibly valuable. Building a brand and raising a family are not that different, as both require a lot of time, energy, and nurturing in order to be successful. To pass down some wisdom from a mentor, not everything needs to get done in a day and it’s ok to strive for significance over success. This helped me realize that if I’m more mindful with my time and boundaries, I can be more significant in my days, which carries into weeks, and into months. 

When it comes to time, sometimes it requires you and your goals to meet each other half-way. My personal example of this is waking up an hour earlier each day, which allows myself to be present with my kids in the morning. Oddly enough, this has now become my most productive time of the day. This just goes to show that every day is a constant reminder of how precious your time is.

#5 How to Become The Expert 

Building something worthwhile is a marathon, not a sprint. It won’t happen overnight and no one is going to hand you your big break. Just keep going every day and push forward — even on the days you want to throw in the towel, remember you are one-step closer to your goals. When I started Rose Gold, I talked to everyone and read everything. I was not an expert in wine, but more so an expert in what I knew I wanted to build. Don’t forget it takes time. Your empire will not come overnight, but rather soak in every opportunity to further your growth to expert level. I carry around a notepad in my purse and if anyone sparks an idea, it goes down on paper. I now have a collection of over a dozen notebooks all around my house. Write it down, learn your craft and the expert title will follow. 

About the author: Born and raised Texan Casey Barber is a lover of all things food and beverage-related. Falling in love with the South of France on a trip in 2004, Casey founded Rose Gold in 2017, with her first bottles launching to the consumer market in 2018.Casey is a single mother to three children – Sam (13) Charlie (11) and Gigi (9). Outside her love for rosé, Casey’s interests include culinary experiences, travel and tennis. 

4 Important Things to Consider Before Starting a Social Impact Brand

Starting a Social Impact Brand is incredibly exciting and extremely satisfying. It is a great way to educate consumers about important social issues, while also serving as a solution to the problem through your service. Neococo was founded on a mission to create job opportunities for women refugees resettling in the United States. Our for-profit model allows us to continue hiring more women, and our forward integration plan promises the opportunity for growth within our team. Our vision is to create a place where women feel empowered at every level. From creating our designs, to hand embroidering each piece, to the purchase and styling of our products, we believe that the power of the “Neococo woman” is part of every stitch.

#1 Impact First

As a Social Enterprise, impact always comes first. Obviously! As an entrepreneur, you must be able to wear many hats. Sometimes you must be ready to act as a risk-taker, problem solver, or an innovator, all while keeping the mission in your mind even when making hard decisions. We want our products to serve as messengers on refugee rights and the feminine experience, and for the artwork to drive conversations around these issues. Sales of our products not only create equitable job opportunities for the women on our team, they also inspire our consumers to shop consciously so that every dollar spent has meaning. We are delighted to be even just a small (but growing) part of a shifting market culture, where conversations on sustainability and wage equality have driven companies to keep production local and scale; thus increasing more job opportunities and economic growth.

#2 Collaborate (Reach Out Globally)

Merging your efforts with external partners and organizations that align with your mission is a great way to accelerate your impact and drive momentum. Nonprofits especially, are always working on a grassroots level and their involvement on and off the field helps strengthen advocacy voices. Collaborations also create dynamic and cross industry teams forward towards a common goal, ultimately driving even more growth and innovation. For example, our collaboration with the International Rescue Committee during World Refugee Day was a great way for our Neococo team to give back to current refugees. This was especially meaningful because it gave a chance for our current team members to give back directly to those who are currently going through the experience of passing through resettlement camps from around the world. Additionally, partnerships with Influencers and other brands increase brand awareness and foster sustainable growth.

#3 Rally People Around You

When it comes to the modality of social impact, it is truly the work and support of the people around you that matters the most. An entrepreneur can have the ideas and the leadership to rally the team forward, but if there is no community alongside to help make it a reality, there is no scalable impact. A strong community of people who share your vision can help build long term prosperity. To scale successfully and produce consistent results requires a coordinated and cooperative effort from multiple people.

#4 Create Your Own Roadmap For Success 

My favorite part about being a business owner is developing our own company culture. Companies with traditional workplace cultures are often bureaucratic and working in such an environment means structured communication, central authority and decision-making leaving little scope for growth. At Neococo we believe that goals can be met with a flexible work schedule. Investing in our team and encouraging a collaborative work environment ensures success based on the “triple bottom line” (people, planet and profit), and serves both our team (the people benefiting socially) and customers (the people buying). Achieving a healthy work/life balance is an attainable goal in which your team and businesses alike will see rewards. When your team is  balanced and happy, they are more productive, take fewer sick days, and are more likely to stay in their jobs. This is especially important when it comes to creating long term job opportunities for populations at risk. 

We believe that womankind radiates beauty and strength. Through hand embroidery, the women of Neococo are able to re-energize the timeless craft and honor the art of the female form. A purchase at Neococo is a gesture of feminine unity — contributing to equity, financial freedom, and hope for refugee women.

About the Author: I started my career in as a Fashion Stylist right out of college and worked my way up as an Independent Costume Designer for films and advertising. It was the most enjoyable experience working in India, where textile design and access to cottage industries allowed me to totally immerse myself in the process. With over 10 years of work experience, I moved to New York and studied Fashion at Parsons, The New School. After graduating I continued to work as a Fashion Stylist. I also found purpose through volunteering my weekends with local refugee groups. As I developed meaningful relationships with the women, I learned about some of the biggest challenges facing refugees including secure housing, adjusting to a different culture, finding a job, surviving on food stamps, and learning a foreign language. This led me to start Neococo in the Fall of 2017.

Featured image: Color Joy Stock

How My Experience as an Investor Prepared Me to Be a Founder

Photo: Courtesy of Naomi Shah

It’s difficult to think of anything in my life that has required a wider or more dynamic skill set than founding and running a company. Unlike the way founding is sometimes described in pop culture and media, you can’t just have great ideas for products and services. You have to be capable of building a healthy company culture, understand how markets evolve, and anticipate what consumers will want in the future. Personally, the last year and a half have honed a higher tolerance for uncertainty, an irrepressible curiosity about our market and users, and the ability to communicate exactly what the company is trying to achieve to inspire all of our people. 

While there’s nothing quite like running a start-up, I’m grateful that I had an opportunity to work at a venture capital firm before taking the helm of my company Meet Cute. Because VCs work directly with founders every day, they need to be capable of seeing the world from a founder’s perspective, which means identifying gaps in the market, crafting the right narratives about promising companies and ideas, gathering a lot of information from disparate sources, and making informed decisions in the face of incredible uncertainty. Due diligence is the central task for VCs, but they also have to be willing to take risks on the companies they believe in. 

Investors and founders are on the same team. The best partnerships are often described as a marriage. That analogy rings true especially because of the ups and downs of founding over the years, which requires an intense trust in the people you work with that they will be there when you need it. Aligning on the direction of the company, personnel, and emerging market opportunities is critical. Ahead, I’m sharing some of the many lessons I learned as an investor that have also served me well as a founder.

Lesson #1: It all starts with curiosity.

Successful VCs are always on the lookout for companies that capture and hold their interest and users’ trust. Founders should want to work with investors who have thoughtful questions about their products and services, understand their industry, think differently, and believe in the founding team. It isn’t just a matter of cutting a check and hoping for a quick return. In turn, VCs should add value by thinking creatively about what the market will look like in the future and advising the company. I learned from shadowing partners at USV that the best VCs were also the best listeners, and think of VC as a service industry. 

This starts with genuine curiosity about what a company does and what impact it could have on the world with the right guidance and resources. The average holding period for VC investors is eight years. This is a reminder that investors need to be mission-aligned as they will work with companies over the long term and are investing in the sustainable success of their portfolio companies. 

VCs and founders should establish open lines of communication right at the outset. I’ve never been afraid to ask questions or contact experts who know more than I do about a subject, and these skills served me well as an investor and a CEO. 

When I was at the VC firm, the best way to learn about early-stage companies was to work directly with them on forecasting, marketing strategy, fundraising, and other issues and consult with experts outside of the company to bring new perspectives to the table. The same collaborative mentality is an essential part of the culture at Meet Cute today. If we need to talk to an expert about something specific, we are not shy about asking and learning. Time and time again, smart people in the industry who we look up to make time for those who are genuinely curious. 

Lesson #2: Make the best decision possible with incomplete information.

Early-stage investing offers unique benefits, such as the ability to identify innovative companies before other investors, help steer those companies in a positive direction, and ultimately secure more growth over time for taking on a much larger risk. These are all reasons why it’s no surprise that early-stage VC investments have surged over the past decade from $14 billion in 2011 to just over $47 billion in 2019. Early-stage investing is on pace to set a record this year. The first quarter alone saw greater deal value than the entire year in 2011.  

Early-stage investing also comes with quite a few obstacles, and a lack of information is one of the biggest. Early-stage investors don’t have as much data about a company’s growth, operational efficiency, etc., so many of their decisions are based on pattern recognition and intuition. The founders of early-stage companies face similar constraints. There’s no playbook for what many of these companies are doing, so we have to be comfortable making decisions with limited information. Just as investors need to accept the fact that they will sometimes make the wrong call, founders should be willing to fail. If everything is going too smoothly, you should ask yourself if you’re scaling ambitiously enough. 

All of that said, founders and VCs should be as fastidious as possible in their research. Due diligence as a core focus means putting in the time to learn and develop opinions and perspectives. But due diligence always has to be placed in the context of the realistic constraints you face, especially in building something completely new, and knowing what level of risk you’re willing to tolerate. 

Lesson #3: Always tell your story

A company’s story is integral to its identity, and it serves as one of the most effective ways to reach your audience and let them trust our brand, galvanize employees around a common message, and attract the best investors. As an investor, I frequently told stories about innovative companies to convince my colleagues that we should back them, often in the form of an investment memo or a short and sweet presentation in a team meeting. I also helped start-ups craft their stories when they launched fundraising rounds or needed to prepare for board updates. Storytelling is the most powerful tool we have as humans and we know that the emotions of a story are remembered far better than facts.  

Moreover, I’ve realized how sharing your story internally is vital to improving morale and helping employees rally around a consistent set of values and objectives. Gallup reports that only 27 percent of employees strongly believe in their company’s values, while less than half say they strongly agree that they understand what the company stands for or what sets it apart. By telling the company story and vision often and consistently, the team can rally around what they’re working toward and why it matters. 

Reflecting on the last year, there is a significant overlap between my experiences as an investor and a founder. By making a conscious effort to understand how my experiences tie into and bolster one another, I hope that I can show where founders and the VC firms that support them can build stronger relationships and thereby more unique and impactful products in the world. 

Photo: Courtesy of Naomi Shah

About the author: Naomi Shah is the founder and CEO of Meet Cute, a venture-backed media company that has produced over 300 original light-hearted romantic comedies in podcast form. The company celebrates human connection and the full spectrum of love with the core mission of having every person feel like they are reflected in Meet Cute stories. Since its inception in February 2020, the podcast has had over two million listens across over 150 countries and has been featured in the top 10 of Fiction on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. 

Before starting Meet Cute, she was a member of the investment team at Union Square Ventures, a technology venture capital firm in New York, where she spent most of her time talking to companies in the consumer and well-being space. Prior to that, she was a macro equities trader at Goldman Sachs and studied mechanical engineering and human biology at Stanford University.

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"After I Lost My Business and Went Bankrupt, I Thought My Professional Life Was Over"

Photo: ColorJoy Stock

Several years ago, my fitness brand encountered some serious challenges, which all could seem rather unremarkable for those not deeply in the trenches and drama—Breaking News: Small Business Closes!—but over the past year, many people have asked for my advice on how I pivoted quickly, kept my chin up, and returned with confidence, celebrating what I can uniquely offer this world.

For the most part, I’d say I’m pretty resilient and I’ve bounced forward quickly. Maybe it’s because I’m not risk-averse and I don’t like to do anything small. I can assure you that it looks a lot more elegant than it was, and is. There are days I feel like a rockstar and some days that I question my worth. But one constant is I’ve learned that failing is not only inevitable in some capacity, but it also creates progress. I believe failure creates knowledge. Knowledge creates vision. Vision creates change. And change is what we need.

As you read my perspective it’s important to know where I’m coming from: As a life-long athlete and a huge believer in fate, I’m a shameless optimist. Forward, for me, is the only direction I go. The rotator cuff injury that forced me into retirement as a D-1 SEC cheerleader led me to rehab my shoulder through pilates, which led to creating my own fitness method, Cardio-Cheer-Sculpting. When a bad real estate transaction and a seven-year-long lawsuit (that ultimately ended my company) led me to believe that there was a better way to expand my fitness business online in 2015. 

Due to the pandemic, many businesses were turned on their heads overnight, forcing many to learn the art of adaptation immediately, or else. It saddens me to watch so many small businesses scramble to go online so fast. My digital transformation didn’t come from a pandemic and wasn’t forced to happen in the blink of an eye. For years I wanted to find a way to bring my method to the masses without opening an army of brick-and-mortar studios, dealing with complex operations and the risk of even greater fixed costs. I wanted to use my energy, sweat, and unique talents in a different way. 

There was a time in 2017 to 2018, after I lost my business and went bankrupt, that I thought my professional life was over. Every day I would wake up and recite my mantra: Laur, just keep going. Be in the moment, even if it’s an awful dumpster fire moment. Be flexible. Keep moving forward. I could have easily broken down but I chose not to. Okay, so I did once on the kitchen floor, but who’s counting? 

Here are my top tips on how to pivot your career. 

1. Identify Your Vision 

What is your passion? What are you fighting for? Purpose crushes obstacles. You want a career that you can wake up to every day and be passionate about. A career that involves doing things that you would choose to do even if you weren’t being paid to do it. Be clear on what you want you’re trying to manifest. Don’t put mixed messages out into the universe, as it will only attract confusion into your life. 

2. Be Optimistic 

You have to literally be your own cheerleader. You cannot have a positive life with a negative mind, nor can you achieve your goals if you don’t believe in yourself. Believing in yourself and what you can achieve is imperative to move forward in life. Believe to achieve. When you combine the power of positivity with the power of visualization, you’ll set yourself up to win. 

3. Connect With and Lean on Your Network 

Surround yourself with the people in your life who help you realize your true potential, even when you may not see it yourself. 

4. Keep Evolving 

You have to be forward-focused. We live in a really fast-moving world. 2021 is like the flash, right? You can never assume that just because you did it one way that you can just rinse and repeat. You have to keep moving, changing, learning, and never ever be predictable. 

5. Focus on Staying Healthy and Strong 

Your mind and spirit are just as important as your body. Keep your spirit alive. People will try and break you down. Do not make yourself small for anyone and do not allow others to break your spirit. 

6. Embrace Uncertainty 

Lean into it and grow with it. You don’t have to have all the answers right now. Everything is temporary. My lowest days set me up for the most growth. They broke me down and ultimately really fired me up.  

7. Get Excited 

Shake the Etch A Sketch! Big things are happening, the sky is the limit, nothing is impossible, and there’s nothing like a clean slate.

“You want a career that you can wake up to every day and be passionate about. A career that involves doing things that you would choose to do even if you weren’t being paid to do it.”

—Lauren Boggi, Founder of Studio LB

About the author: Lauren Boggi is a fitness expert, celebrity trainer, innovator, founder of Studio LB, and the creator of Cardio-Cheer Sculpting, which combines cheer choreography and cheer conditioning. A 15-year industry vet, certified pilates instructor, and mom-of-one, Lauren has gained notoriety nationwide, appearing on shows like the Kris Jenner show, The Doctors, and in publications such as The New York Times, People, Vogue, Shape, Fitness Magazine, and Forbes. Seen as a thought-leader within the industry, Lauren’s energy, authenticity, and ability to drive user experience and foster human connections have helped her create a passionate and dedicated community worldwide.

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How 11 Honoré Design Director Danielle Williams-Eke Is Making the Fashion Industry Size-Inclusive

Photo: Courtesy of Danielle Williams-Eke

Early on, I never really thought of designing plus-size clothing. Truthfully, nine years into my career with a bachelor’s and master’s in fashion, I still felt that my future was to design straight-size clothing. I always wanted to design high-end contemporary womenswear.  Traditional education teaches about the “fashion greats” including Coco Chanel, Christian Dior, Cristóbal Balenciaga, and more. I fell in love with them and fashion.  I recently looked back through my 2009 graduation portfolio and it struck me that all the assignments included tall, slim figures, perfectly following the "nine head rule" with six-foot-tall, size-two women. Not a curve in sight. This wasn't by choice; this was how I was required to design to make the grade. The curriculum was void of any trace of plus-size fashion. One could only take this to mean that plus-size women weren't welcome in the fashion industry.  

Since I am a plus-sized woman, essentially, I wasn't welcome in the fashion industry.  Imagine loving and working in an industry that refused to acknowledge you. This forced many plus-size women, like me, to seek out the brands that recognized our existence. It was like a scavenger hunt. When I occasionally discovered a new brand that got it, there was a great feeling of being seen and served. I remember that feeling back in 2004 when I found Torrid for the first time while shopping for my sweet 16 outfit. While a few other plus-size lines popped up in the well-known chains, I didn't see this recognition in luxury fashion. Plus-size women weren't on runways. Designer and contemporary brands didn't produce their clothing above a size 12 or 14. 

“Since I am a plus-sized woman, essentially, I wasn’t welcome in the fashion industry.  ”

Then, in 2018, I discovered 11 Honoré and I knew this was something different. The brand offers plus-size high-end fashion, which was something I never thought was possible. It was around this time that I also attended The Curvy Con for the first time during New York Fashion Week. This was also the Fashion Week that Kellie Brown launched #FatAtFashionWeek. In her words, "We are here, we work in this industry, we get it, we are leaders and consumers." I felt that! I felt the shift in the atmosphere at NYFW that year. The runway was getting more inclusive. It was building on the great year before when I had the opportunity to sit in on the Christian Siriano show watching Precious Lee, Marquitta Pring, and Candice Huffine slay the runway one after the other. Things were happening!

Fast forward to November 2019. After a year of stalking the 11 Honoré career site, a colleague reached out to me. The company was ready to start their in-house brand and they wanted me to design it! The collection I never imagined would exist was the collection I would have the opportunity to create. I was playing a part in a brand that was moving the industry forward. I was in the company of legacy brands like Carolina Herrera, DVF, and Dior, who were finally moving toward inclusivity but also a part of this new wave of designers, like Henning and Baacal, whose brands were founded on inclusivity. The scavenger hunt was getting easier for this African American designer from humble beginnings. 

“The fashion industry has to acknowledge the blatant prejudice that exists towards those who don’t fit the ideal beauty standards related to size and body shapes of all women.”

While there is more work to be done to normalize varying body types and shapes as well as amplifying the voices of Black people and people of color, we are moving in the right direction. I'm honored to be a part of the ride. My hope is that inclusivity and diversity become the standard. 

For me, this starts with fashion education. In the same way that America has to take a good look at how we teach and talk about the history of racism in America, the fashion industry has to acknowledge the blatant prejudice that exists towards those who don't fit the ideal beauty standards related to size and body shapes of all women, particularly those of different races and ethnicities. Only after we acknowledge those faults can the industry move forward and truly reflect its consumers.

About the Author: Danielle Williams-Eke is the design director of luxury size-inclusive e-tailer 11 Honoré’s private label line, The 11 Honoré Collection. As design director, Williams-Eke spearheads the design team and production of the private label, a collection that blends modern minimalism with power dressing. The designer is quickly making a name for herself in the fashion industry as a balanced voice and leader in size inclusivity. Prior to her role at 11 Honoré, the Los Angeles-based designer oversaw the design team at Torrid. For the last decade, Williams-Eke has specialized in designing extended sizes and pioneering patterns, fits, and silhouettes for the plus-size consumer. Understanding the power of clothing is instrumental to the designer, who is influenced by classic Americana style that eludes a hint of sex appeal. “I design for a lifestyle. Women are multifaceted and when I create a collection, I keep that in mind. I’m designing clothes for moments in the 11 Honoré woman’s life.”

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How the Founder of Loeffler Randall Opened Her First Retail Store During the Pandemic

Photo: Courtesy of Loeffler Randall

In January of 2020, my husband and business partner, Brian, and I realized a dream we’d had for nearly 16 years: we signed a lease on our very first retail store for our brand, Loeffler Randall. We chose Soho because that neighborhood has been home to our office for over a decade. It’s also where we had our first date; at Raoul’s Restaurant, complete with a visit to the tarot card reader upstairs.

Brian and I started our company in 2004 in our garden apartment in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. Long before we had children, we hoisted long whiteboards along the walls of our apartment where we plotted and planned the company we would create. I felt so much pressure to have my designs work, for this to be a success, that I couldn’t sleep at night. Bob, our life coach, asked us a question, “Even if you fail, do you think it might still be worth it? That you will learn something? That you will have created something that you are proud of? Isn’t there freedom in that? In knowing that even if you fail, it will be a success.” 

We channeled this same wisdom when we, up against many unforeseen challenges and delays, decided to stay the course and open our first Loeffler Randall retail store in NYC in February 2021. Here’s how. 

1. Accept What You Cannot Control    

In the middle of March 2020, the reality of COVID hit. Soon the full brunt of the pandemic’s impact smacked into our business. Our store, nearly completed, stood empty, its walls half smoothed with plaster and with shelves laying bare. 

March and April were cold and damp. I tried to take my three kids on long, windy walks on the beach in Long Island each day to get some energy out. Brian stayed home, enduring the bankruptcies of four of our important wholesale accounts. At home, I threw myself into sewing masks for front-line workers, with the message “Thank you, hero” embroidered inside. Without discussing it, Brian and I divided and conquered. I taught myself how to bake bread and busied myself feeding the kids, working on creative projects, and designing new, pandemic appropriate products like slippers.

2. Commit Yourself Completely 

Even after all these years, with all our company’s triumphs and steady growth, signing our first retail lease felt just as scary as first starting our line. Many of our friends and advisors told us to get out of our retail lease at all costs. Another suggested that someday, after a vaccine was developed, the city and our business might return to a new version of normal. Would we start then to plan the future? Or would we plan for it now? We choose to proceed. To commit to completion and see our vision through.

When we pressed pause on the store construction in March of 2020, we were 75% complete. Many months later, when we were able to resume, we dove right back in, selecting light fixtures, having reusable totes made from the fabric scraps from our development process. We were ready to open our doors in February, one of New York’s coldest and snowiest months. Was anyone shopping? It didn’t matter, we committed to this project, to that date, and we did all in our power to make it the best and most successful we possibly could. 

Unable to host a typical store opening party, we made cardboard tubes with masks, sanitizer, and photos of the new shop to send out. Instead of press previews, I held Zoom meetings with reporters, showing them the wall of pleated styles on my laptop. It worked, with the support of our friends and community, in the media, social media, and beyond, people were excited. The word was out, and customers did in fact start walking through the door. 

Photo: Courtesy of Loeffler Randall

3. Focus on the Positive 

After a year of bad news, our store opening was the beacon of hope and positivity my team and I needed. A reporter asked us over Zoom how we would know the store had been a success. And the answer came to me that for me, no matter what happened, it already was a success, because it exceeded my expectations for a physical representation of the brand. It felt warm and welcoming, just the way I wanted it to feel. And it continues to inspire me and my team creatively. 

In designing the space back in early 2020, my team and I collaborated with my friend Poonam Khanna, the interior designer and architect who designed our office. Zoe, on my team, pulled together the things we love and are inspired by: the tiles and earthy textures from our recent trip to Marrakech, pleated fabrics referencing our collection. Poonam set down slabs of terrazzo, hunks of pale oak wood, textured plaster, and rich pink velvet onto the floor of my showroom to see how it all worked together. We stood back and smiled—this was our brand coming to life in 360 degrees. To have us finally open our doors, and invite our community into the first Loeffler Randall retail space a full 14 months after signing the lease, 12 of which were consumed by the pandemic, was a proud, full-circle moment. The beginning of something new, something hopeful.  

The NYC I know and love began to emerge again like the bright bulbs on the flowering trees on our block. And shoppers crowd down Prince Street and into our shop, especially on bright, sunny days.

4. Know It’s All About the People  

This weekend, Lucy, from our sales and merchandising team got married at the Boat House in Prospect Park in Brooklyn. The bridesmaids all wore Loeffler Randall pleated bow heels. As the sun set behind the chuppah overlooking the lake, I smiled seeing my beloved co-workers: Jessica who has helped build our company for over 10 years, Lissa who started as an intern so many years ago, and Miranda, our retail store manager, dashing into the ceremony just in time from a full shift at our store. We had just had our highest-grossing day at our boutique. 

Even though the pandemic still rages, there is hope in the vaccine and hope for a small business like ours, more happy occasions on the horizon, and many more weddings to celebrate in Loeffler Randall heels.

About the Author: Jessie Randall created Loeffler Randall in 2004 out of her garden apartment in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn with her husband, Brian. Fifteen years and three children later, they are still doing what they love, making distinctive products in small, considered batches with attention to every detail. Since 2004, they have expanded from shoes, adding handbags, ready-to-wear & accessories to their collection. Creativity is at the heart of what they do, they are always thinking about new designs they can offer to their customers from their signature point of view.

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Why This Founder Wants You to Adopt a "Profit First" Mentality

Photo: Courtesy of Caroll Lee

Being a small business owner means always being flexible, able to pivot quickly, and willing to veer from the plan as needed. The COVID-19 pandemic certainly put those skills to the test this year, and my team at Provenance Meals was able to step up to the task and propel us forward. 

Before founding Provenance Meals, I was a certified holistic health coach in Brooklyn. I encouraged my clients to follow a simple elimination diet replacing processed and packaged foods with wholesome ingredients, and their overall health, vitality, and energy levels dramatically improved. But finding the ongoing time, motivation, and know-how to cook healthy meals at home—and sustain these life-changing benefits—was a challenge for most everyone I worked with, and I knew I could help. After finding this clear gap in the market, I launched Provenance Meals in 2012, making it easy for time-pressed humans to achieve their wellness goals, nourish their bodies, and replenish their spirits with 100% gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free meals designed by wellness experts, and made from scratch with thoughtfully sourced, local ingredients.   

Launching Provenance Meals was not my first entrepreneurial venture—I invested my heart, soul, and just about all of my savings into a small gourmet market in 2016 that sold semi-prepared, organic meals to busy New Yorkers. Shortly after opening, my business partner decided that to back out of our business deal and sue for all of the money she had invested. It was an incredibly stressful time, and I went into a great deal of debt to buy her out, but I appreciate that the experience taught me valuable lessons that would help propel me to launch Provenance Meals.  

The biggest lesson I learned was to maintain a healthy cash reserve to stay afloat through unforeseen challenges. Since then, I have followed the “profit first” mentality, setting aside money for a small profit and taxes from our sales, and only then allowing myself to spend what was leftover to operate. I didn’t know anything about raising money or wooing investors when I opened my first business. As the daughter of immigrants, I was taught that to get ahead, you must work hard, spend frugally, and save money. Now I also know that you need to start with a business model and unit economics that work from the get-go, and you will be that much more prepared for emergencies in the future. 

This system is how I’ve been able to bootstrap Provenance Meals without relying on investor life support. We have been profitable since launch, with $0 raised until this year's community-driven campaign on Republic, our first-ever fundraising effort (at 742% of the minimum goal), which allows for angel investors and Provenance Meals' longtime community members to buy a stake in the company. Since our nationwide launch this spring, we’ve seen revenue increase 78% month over month. 

For small businesses looking to expand their brands during a time of uncertainty, here are some additional pieces of advice that have served me well over the years: 

React quickly and assertively in the short term.

But be aware of longer-term consequences. Right when COVID-19 hit New York City in the spring of 2020, we realized quickly we needed to pivot to meet our community’s changing needs (as many New Yorkers fled to second homes). We expanded our local courier zones in New York to include Connecticut, Westchester, and Long Island in order to follow our clients, and have seen demand soar in these regions. This led us to begin shipping nationwide and expand our offering to include new products. Because we’re now in a position to reach a larger audience and garner higher total revenue, we’re able to lower prices to make our products more accessible—our Daily Essentials program now starts at $52/day (originally $68).

Double down on your values.

Don’t be wishy-washy when it comes to why you do what you do. Your mission statement, your company’s core values, and your voice are your “North stars” in making business decisions. The more authentic you are about why you’re doing what you’re doing, the more you’ll love your business and the more you’ll attract customers. I see so many starting founders comparing themselves with other entrepreneurs. Truthfully, we’re all figuring it out as we go along! Stick to what makes your business uniquely your own and you’ll find success in your field. 

Celebrate your strengths.

A perfect company, strategy, or plan doesn’t exist, but what does exist is my own confidence in the future, which I pass on to my team. I like to think my perpetual optimism helps show everyone how bright the future can be and inspires my team to share the dream with me. That’s one of my strengths as a leader. What are yours? Celebrate your strengths and use them to your and your team’s advantage.

Balance is key.

As the founder, in many ways, you are the business. When you take care of yourself, you’re also taking care of your business. Having two young children when I first started Provenance, I had no choice but to prioritize my family. The process was a stressful juggling act at the time, but in retrospect, forced me to be fully present in my home life and separate my work life. Over the years, I’ve learned strategies to cope with the stress and holding the responsibility of my business and my staff’s livelihoods on my shoulders, with practicing presence and meditation at the top of the list.

Give back where you can.

The coronavirus pandemic has exposed a lot of problems that already existed in the food industry, including the tremendous amount of food waste, the working conditions of farm and factory workers, the tenuous nature of the hospitality industry, how the way we grow and eat food affects global climate change, how representation matters, and the amount of food insecurity that exists in the United States. As Provenance Meals grew, we knew that we wanted to prioritize giving back to our community. We forged a nonprofit partnership with Kiss the Ground, underscoring our mission to support independent farmers and further provide widespread access to nutrient-dense ingredients. 

Founding and running my own business is a dream come true. I have so much pride in what my team and I have built, and feel like we’re only just getting started. Especially in challenging times such as these, I rely on our spirit and determination to further our mission to improve the health and lives of others through the power of (delicious) food as medicine.

About the Author: Caroll Lee launched Provenance Meals to make it easy for modern, time-pressed people to achieve their wellness goals, nourish their bodies, and replenish their spirits. Caroll believes nutrition is the bedrock for feeling good, performing well, and living a longer, happier life. She launched the meal program in 2012, and in eight successful years, Provenance Meals has amassed a dedicated community, including noteworthy fans like Naomi Watts, Taryn Toomey, and Rachel Brosnahan. The nourishing, anti-inflammatory food offerings are all 100% gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free, and composed of organic, local ingredients.

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5 Tips for Taking Care of Yourself Without Sacrificing Your Business' Success

Photo: Christina Jones Photography

This time last year, I was sitting at a desk, in a corporate job that I thought was “the job.” In reality, I was working myself into the ground for someone else’s bottom line. My health was at an all-time low—both mentally and physically. I was exhausted and needed a change. That’s when I decided to take my side hustle full-time. 

In our fast-paced, highly competitive world, being “stressed out” is one of the most common feelings. As an entrepreneur, it’s easy to let stress become part of our daily routine. But I’m here to tell you, it doesn’t have to be that way. It’s time to stop accepting the high-stress lifestyle as “just the way it is.” You do not need to work 24/7, and push, drive and grind until you break. It is possible to build a successful business with balance and wellness at the core. 

Often, I see entrepreneurs fall into chronic stress because they believe that hustling until you can’t hustle anymore is the only way to succeed. I was one of them. As a young entrepreneur, I personally experienced burnout, and the long nights lying awake with thoughts about all of the different ways that I could grow my business swirling around in my head. Eventually, at age 22, I was left with a chronic illness. My body gave me a “force quit” and taught me a lesson that has become part of my life’s work to share.

Today, I run my new business with an autoimmune disease and a new mantra: Stress is inevitable, but it is not uncontrollable. 

Learning to manage stress has been an essential part of my success in business. And I can promise you this: running a business with self-care in mind is a lot more fun (and more productive!) than operating from a place of burnout.

So, to the busy, stressed-out, and overworked entrepreneur reading this, here are my top five tips for taking care of yourself without sacrificing your business success.

1. Don’t Sacrifice Your Routine

When you know you have a busy day ahead, it’s easy to skip journaling, working out, or even eating breakfast, and head to the computer first thing. It’s also easy to keep working after 5 pm because you’re determined to cross things off your to-do list before calling it a day. Having both a set morning and evening routine gives you a sense of control in stressful times. Doing so can set the tone for your entire day and can help you transition into an evening mode that allows you to be present for friends and family, and for yourself!  Even if you’re not a “routine person,” try starting off your day without your phone and do something just for you. 

2. Delegate and Outsource

Outsource the things that drain your energy or take you out of your creative flow. Things that suck up your time are not worth it. Bringing in backup may make your margins tighter at first, but as all good CEOs know, investing in a team that helps you expand and grow will return the cost in more ways than just revenue. With less stress, you can focus on innovation in your business, as opposed to worrying about smaller day-to-day tasks. When you’re feeling sick or close to burnout, don’t be afraid to lean even more on your team. That’s what they are there for! Your business and your team can manage a day, a week, or even a month without you if you’ve trained them well. 

3. Treat Yourself

Whether it’s a full spa day or diffusing your favorite essential oils, be intentional about doing things that bring you joy. The entrepreneur life can be lonely, so try calling a friend or family member once a day. It’s amazing how much a good friend can lift your spirits. My favorite stress-reliever is ending my day with a warm bath with Epsom salts, baking soda, and a few drops of lavender essential oil, which releases stress and toxins and makes my home feel like a spa.

4. Get Moving

I try to get some form of exercise every day. It may seem obvious, but it’s a game-changer. Exercise works wonders for releasing stress and clearing your head on a busy day. When you’re feeling overwhelmed, step away from your desk for a quick walk around the block or a 5-minute ab workout. Every evening, I clean up my desk, shut down my computer, and go for a walk to clear my head and disconnect. This helps me to be more present in my post-work hours and improves my sleep at night. No more lying awake thinking about business.

5. Meditate 

Om’s the word! Meditation, whether in the form of yoga, prayer, journaling, or traditional meditation, helps to reprogram your body from a stressful fight-or-flight mode to peaceful alignment. Meditate on what you’re grateful for, or on what you have already accomplished, and let your mind wander away from the stress. I also love doing the 5-5-5 breathing exercise (breath in for 5 seconds, hold for 5, out for 5, hold for 5, repeat) when I find myself holding my breath and working in overdrive. 

When you’re feeling stressed, overwhelmed, and run down, the best thing you can do is to take a step back and assess the whole picture. Your mental and physical health has to take priority in order for your business to have sustainability and long-term success.  Taking care of yourself is not selfish; and it doesn’t have to be expensive, time-consuming, or a “chore!” But the alternative—neglecting your wellness now—can stop you in your tracks, throw off all of your productivity and forward motion, and make it so much harder to get it back. Trust me on this one. So shut your laptop, go draw yourself a bath, go on a walk, or unwind and watch a movie with your people. Your work can wait; and when you readdress it, you’ll be more focused and more efficient as a result. You not only deserve it...you need it. 

Remember: stress is inevitable, but not uncontrollable! Integrating balance, wellness, and self-care into your life today will make you a healthier, more productive, and more successful entrepreneur in the long run.  After all, life’s a marathon... not a sprint.

“S

tress is inevitable, but not uncontrollable!”

—Gracie Thomas, Founder of Gracie Thomas Consulting

About the Author: Gracie Thomas is a marketing and brand consultant and the founder of Gracie Thomas Consulting. The GT Brand helps female health and wellness professionals scale their business through brand strategy and design and marketing consulting. Ever since her diagnosis with an autoimmune disease and Lyme disease, she stands to help female entrepreneurs build successful companies while keeping their own wellness in mind.

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This story was originally published on September 24, 2020, and has since been updated.

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Why Being Laid Off Turned Out to Be the Very Best Thing for These Founders

Photo: Courtesy of The Hive

We don’t know that anyone really wants to be fired from a job, no matter how unfulfilling it might be. What we know for sure is that our career plans never included layoffs while we were having babies for the first time but what felt, at the time, mildly catastrophic, turned out to be for the very best. 

We both met in the fall of 2017 shortly after welcoming our first children. Kristin had a daughter, Stella, and I had a son named Finn, and together, we bonded over this new chapter of our lives. We had no idea what we were doing (spoiler alert: we still don’t) and quickly bonded over the terror we felt becoming new moms. This new world felt unexpectedly scary, very overwhelming, and if we’re being honest, lonely, so it felt reassuring and comforting to have someone to lean on in such a similar phase of life. We’d meet up a few times a week for walks or drinks, and compare notes on feeding and nap schedules, growth charts, diapers, and eventually, our professional futures.

Kristin had been laid off from her role with a prestigious spinning brand while pregnant and knew that staying home full time with her daughter wasn’t part of her long-term plan. She hadn’t figured out the next step when we met but her entrepreneurial spirit was running wild with ideas and working for herself in some capacity was the dream. As for me, I headed back to a role in public relations that I loved after an (unpaid) four-month maternity leave. Like so many moms before me, I headed back to my desk so conflicted: feeling empowered by bringing home a paycheck but guilty for leaving my child in someone else’s care. Regardless of those feelings, I buckled down and got to work, despite my boss hiring someone for my exact role while I was on leave. I shook my insecurity off, showed up every day to prove myself, but despite my best efforts, it wasn’t enough for my boss, who fired me for “poor performance” exactly two months after returning to work.

Even now, three years later, I shudder remembering that feeling of inadequacy. On top of not fitting back into my pre-pregnancy clothes, losing my hair from a huge postpartum shed, and struggling to juggle pumping and working and being a great mom and wife and daughter, I was also unemployed. It sucked.

“Looking back, our respective job losses were stepping stones into a different and more satisfying career path, and for that, we’ll forever be grateful.”

I quickly jumped back in the saddle and began freelancing for clients in need of PR, and would still frequently meet up with Kristin and our kids. At this stage, our children were older and much squigglier than their newborn selves, so our usual go-to spots around our hometown of Hoboken, NJ, became impossible for us to visit. It felt like the town we loved so much had overnight become a place where we didn’t quite fit in. We were either at a spot meant for kids that didn’t fulfill our needs or at a coffee shop or restaurant that wasn’t accommodating to young children.

“I wish there was somewhere for us that would also be engaging for our kids,” Kristin said one day. I remember agreeing (while struggling to contain my baby, Finn, and sip my coffee), and suddenly, both our wheels were turning. We couldn’t stop thinking about this place: a shop that was designed for adults with great retail products, awesome food and drinks, and a place for children that would allow for their caregiver to take a break. It sounded too good to be true, but as we began looking into this business model, we found tremendous inspiration across the world. These cafes existed and were wildly popular internationally, from what we could tell from reviews. We fantasized about a space like this in Hoboken, New Jersey and started with a Pinterest board, which gave way to a business plan, and us cold-calling the owners of businesses we admire so we could ask them questions about their own experiences.

As we progressed in our planning, we kept coming back to one question, which helped quell our fears about opening a new business: If someone else opened this exact business tomorrow, how would we feel? And our answer was always the same: We’d be devastated. There was forever a worry that we wouldn’t make it, of course. Having had no experience in the coffee industry, there was the risk that we wouldn’t know enough to be successful, but there’s Google, there are the peers who become allies, there are other business owners who want to help you when you don’t know the answer. Failure isn’t an option when you put in the work and have people supporting you along the way. 

We filed official paperwork to launch our LLC, sunk our savings into a joint account, secured a small business loan, and signed a lease on our space, months before anyone knew about COVID-19. The pandemic delayed our opening and, if we’re being honest, terrified us into thinking no one would ever give us a chance, but six months after opening, our shop is alive and well. The Hive officially opened in November 2020, almost exactly one year after we first signed our lease. It’s exactly what we dreamed it would be: a welcoming place for adults to get great coffee and food, a place to discover new brands and cool products, and a safe space for their littles to play. We opened in the midst of a global pandemic and have altered our model slightly by removing the majority of our seating and rather than allowing anyone to play in the designated playspace, we’ve introduced private reservations to allow us control over volume and to sanitize everything between each booking. Despite the challenges and delays we faced, we’re immensely proud to say that we’ve been profitable every month since opening our doors.

Looking back, our respective job losses were stepping stones into a different and more satisfying career path, and for that, we’ll forever be grateful. In fact, having the security of a job and a paycheck likely would have been more than enough of a reason for us not to take the leap into pursuing our dream. We may never forget that feeling of being told our jobs were eliminated (because let’s be serious, being fired sucks!), but the road we’ve paved so far is brighter, friendlier, and a whole lot more fulfilling and for that, we’ll forever be grateful for losing our jobs.

About the Founders: Before launching The Hive, Catherine Willhoit spent fourteen years working in public relations, specializing in the beauty industry, working for large companies like Dermalogica and IT Cosmetics, along with small, indie brands, to tell their stories and spread consumer awareness. After having her first son in 2017, she began reevaluating what mattered in her career and very slowly made the transition from PR into the coffee and retail space. The Hive is her first brick-and-mortar business and when she’s not at the shop, you can find Catherine outside whenever possible, taking hikes with her kids, long walks with her dog, or taking day trips to one of New Jersey’s many beautiful beaches. Catherine currently lives in Jersey City with her husband, Kevin, their sons, Finley and Miles, and their rescue pup, Egan.

Having spent over a decade working in retail merchandising for brands like Abercrombie & Fitch, Victoria’s Secret, and SoulCycle, The Hive is very much a fusion of Kristin Karotkin’s professional and creative passions. Her happy place has always been in the kitchen baking and playing hostess for family and friends, with a fondness for celebrating moments, both big and small. Having grown up in New York and going to Cornell for her undergraduate degree and NYU for her MBA, Kristin spent her summers growing up at the Jersey Shore with her family and currently lives in Hoboken, NJ with her husband, Sam, and two kids, Stella and Harry. 

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"For Years, I Struggled With Mom Guilt"—These 3 Things Helped Me Pursue My Passion Guilt-Free

“You can be a mother and have a successful career or business, but you have to let go of perfectionism.”

—Tanya Dalton, Productivity Expert, Bestselling Author, and Speaker

The perfect mom always picks her kids up from school. The perfect mom always bakes homemade cookies for the class bake sale. The perfect mom never misses her kid’s game.

Chances are you’ve said a version of one of these sentences to yourself at one time or another. Perhaps it’s a regular occurrence, plaguing your thoughts with intense feelings of guilt with every move you make.

I have been there. In fact, at my breaking point, I found myself turning around in circles in my kitchen, unsure of where to begin on my mile-long to-do list—a to-do list that I believed would make me into a failure of a mother if I did not check off every single box. Needless to say, overwhelmed and guilt-ridden, I crumbled to my kitchen floor. It was in that moment I realized there had to be a better way. I realized I loved my children more than anything, but I would not be of any value to them if I was unhappy. 

I had to remind myself that going after my own passions did not make me a terrible mother. And I am here to tell you it doesn’t make you one either.

In reflecting back on the day I sat on my kitchen floor 10 years ago, there are three major shifts I made in my life that changed the way I think forever. By doing so, I was finally able to relinquish the hefty side helping of guilt and shame that came with my favorite role in life: mother to my two children. Learning to finally let go of those feelings, and give myself the freedom to pursue other roles in my life—like business owner and CEO—has made me an even more present mother. 

You can be a mother and have a successful career or business, but you have to let go of perfectionism. Perfection is the monster I’ve grappled with my entire life, and no matter what, I have always lost. Perfect does not exist, and the sooner you realize it, the sooner you can get out there living your life. In fact, I challenge you to stop using the word “perfect” in your life. Yes, things can be “ideal,” but if you are waiting around for perfection, then I hope you’re ready to wait for quite a long time.

Here are the three steps I took to get to where I am today. I hope by sharing these, many of you will decide it is time to do the work and kick “mom guilt” to the curb for good. Because you only have one life to live and it's yours.

#1: I uncovered the limiting beliefs I had that were holding me back.

We all have limiting beliefs that hold us back. Some common ones I hear are: “I will never be a morning person. I just cannot start my day early like some people.” Or maybe it’s something like: “I’m so bad with numbers, so there is no way I can handle the finances for my business.” Okay, now just add on being a mother to those statements and you can see how these beliefs really just begin carrying on a life of their own…

“I will never be a morning person. I just cannot start my day early like some people...and maybe if I actually could I would have time to pack lunch for my kids every day like a good mom should.”

See where I am going with this? Out of nowhere, we made up a rule in our own head that does not even exist in the real world! As I like to say, we have to stop telling ourselves these old stories.

If you are having trouble uncovering what your limiting beliefs are, allow me to share the “fifth why” exercise, something I use with both the women I coach, as well as my own kids!

The first step is to focus on the areas of your life that feel challenging right now—there is no wrong answer here. Don’t think, just write your thoughts down. Start by looking at the painful parts of your past—the things you regret or perhaps feel remorse for not doing. Where are the places where shame blooms and grows, the parts of your past you don’t want to repeat?

As a next step, you’re going to start the fifth why exercise, and yes, it is as easy as it sounds. Like any three-year-old you’ve been around recently, it really is as simple as asking yourself “why” until you uncover the true meaning behind your limiting belief. As an example, let’s say you wrote down “I am afraid to start my own business.” The next question would be, you guessed it: Why? From there, I find it is usually right around the fifth why that you get to the true root feeling, such as, “I am afraid to fail.” “I am afraid my family will go broke.”

After doing this exercise, I think you will find that your limiting beliefs aren’t as scary as you think they are when you put them down on paper and get them out of your head. Only when you acknowledge that they exist can you actively make choices to disrupt those patterns and make strides in the direction you really want to move. After all, the first step to overcoming our limiting beliefs is to first recognize what they even are!

#2: I got really clear on my core values so that setting boundaries and saying “no” became easy.

What you value in life needs to be the North Star of your business or career. Every single move you make in your career should be in alignment with your guiding values.

Once you get clear on your values, it is amazing how much easier the word “no” becomes, a word that used to trigger that feeling of guilt inside of me, which is the theme of this article. 

For example, one of my core values is family, which is a deciding factor in each and every business decision my husband and I make for our company. If I am invited to speak at an event that conflicts with a family event or doesn’t really resonate with the message I am trying to bring to the world, then the answer really becomes crystal clear: No.  

#3: I permanently removed the idea of “balance” from my life because balance is bogus.

Here’s a secret many productivity experts won’t tell you: balance does not exist. Trying to achieve balance will inevitably lead to you feeling like a failure. It is all about achieving harmony and leaning into what I like to call “counterbalance.” There is never going to be a time in your life where you can perfectly balance all of the important roles you carry. Remember, we are avoiding the word “perfect” because it too does not exist. 

Instead, I encourage you to lean into your different priorities when the time comes. If I have a huge launch to prepare for at work, then I make a point to tell my family that mom is going to be focused on work for the week. But that doesn’t mean the following week won’t look completely different. There are weeks where my entire focus is college trips with my son or volleyball games for my daughter. In fact, last week I went on a much-needed vacation with my family and did not turn my phone off of airplane mode for 10 glorious days. Why? Because the priority I was leaning into for those 10 full days was my family. Nothing else.

If I had “balanced” then my kids would have risked waking up to mom sitting at the breakfast table, beautiful beach scenery and fresh air be damned, clutching her cell phone and furiously typing, wasting away the precious moments we have left before my son goes off to college and begins his future.

Balance is bull. Let’s achieve harmony together. I know we can. 

About the author: Tanya Dalton is a nationally recognized productivity expert, best-selling author, and speaker. Tanya serves as a growth strategist for female leaders in the corporate and entrepreneurial sectors. Her 12-month mentorship program, The Intentional CEO, helps entrepreneurs grow thriving businesses and thriving personal lives. Tanya is also the founder and CEO of inkWELL Press Productivity Co., a company that provides tools that work as catalysts to help women do less while achieving maximum success.

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How I Launched an Online Business During Covid-19 While Pregnant

Photo: Courtesy of Liz McVoy

While safely huddled under a thick cozy blanket in my home office, smackdab in the middle of the stay-at-home orders, I hit the figurative launch button on my online video and marketing business. Oh, and I was 37 weeks pregnant with baby number two.

Yep, due in a matter of weeks and launching a business in the middle of a pandemic. No big deal right? 

Some backstory: A few years ago while on a walk with my hubby, I started to dream about what life might look like if I could work less, be more present with my family and yet somehow have a greater impact. At the time, I was taking on intermittent video and web design projects with a small number of corporate clients, but I’d hoped 2020 would be my year to grow my side hustle into a full-time job. And then COVID hit.

I’d love to say that I had this brilliant business plan from the get-go, but in reality, I just listened and responded to the needs I was seeing. Businesses were moving online as fast as they could and people were relying on video and social media now more than ever, but something seemed to be missing. I saw a gap. I saw incredible women business owners trying to scale to that next milestone and coming up short. I knew that adding video and storytelling to their marketing strategy was the answer. 

That’s when I realized I could leverage my 10+ years of experience working as a video producer, designer, and storyteller to help other women build premium brands through video, branding, and marketing. It was the perfect opportunity to combine my passions and skills. 

Long story (that should be told over a bottle of wine) short, I launched an online course to teach entrepreneurs how to create great video content for their business in April, I had my son in May, and then I began coaching other women in July.

Talk about a whirlwind of a few months. 

Thinking back, what began as a desire to have more freedom and flexibility quickly morphed into something else, something much bigger and more meaningful. Not only do I get to support my family but I have the joy of coaching other powerful, kind, amazing female entrepreneurs on their video, branding, and marketing. And I’m not just coaching these women on visibility strategies or the how-to aspects of video, but we’re tackling what it means to lead with authenticity and a posterity of service. I’ve watched my clients go from overwhelmed and insecure to boldly showing up as the leaders that they are and making positive waves along the way.

I used to discount myself thinking that my background and skills were too broad to ever lead to a successful corporate career. I loved video editing, storytelling, and design but I never identified as that super creative person who could come up with groundbreaking ideas. Rather, every personality and career test pointed me to relationship-driven work like teaching, managing and basically being the person to build everyone else up.

But now those “soft skills” are the heart of my business. I took my technical knowledge and industry experience and created a business that helps other women thrive and I wouldn't change it for the world.

If you are a mom or mom-to-be looking for another way to support your family or get unstuck from a dead-end 9-5, here is my advice to you.

1. Start before you’re ready.

Take the risk. It’s amazing how many reasons and excuses you’ll come up with if you’re waiting for the perfect time or opportunity. Becoming an entrepreneur is scary and it is not for the faint of heart. But you just have to start. Every success story has a starting point, don’t compare your day 5 to someone else’s year 5. 

2. Connect with a community.

When I had my daughter, people said it takes a village. They were right and the same thing can be said of entrepreneurship. Find your core people, support them with all you’ve got, and lean on them too. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, celebrate the wins, and journey through life together. You’ll get farther together than on your own. Leave competitiveness and ego at the door. 

3. Have faith and focus.

There will be hard days. There will be days when you are like, “Holy smokes, I can’t do this.” There will be days when you cry to anyone who will listen that you made a mistake. You have to have faith and focus on what you can control.  There’s so much power in hope. Entrepreneurship is a lot of work. It’s both super hard and super rewarding. Stay focused on those needle-moving tasks and trust the rest to work out how it should.

But beyond any of the advice above you have to believe in yourself. You have to remember, you are worthy of the big, amazing, beautiful life you’ve been dreaming of. Dream big and dream often.

About the author: Liz McVoy founded her creative marketing agency to help entrepreneurs and brands have greater visibility and impact in their field. Her mission is to help entrepreneurs build premium brands through video, branding, and marketing so they can position themselves as the authority, tell stories that convert, and scale their income to gain financial freedom. Liz is a west-coast native living in Grand Rapids, Michigan with her husband and two kids. For more tips, training, inspiration, and resources, sign up for her newsletter on www.lizmcvoy.com and follow her on Instagram @lizmcvoycreative.

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My Nana's Battle With Cancer Inspired Me to Help Women "Glow Through What They Go Through"

Photo: Courtesy of Ashleigh Cortes

When my grandmother was battling cancer, we’d often visit her with beauty products squirreled away from the spa she owned. She hated the hospital-grade products because, as a spa owner herself, she always knew what she wanted and what made her look and feel her best. When we lost her to cancer when I was 21 years old, I found myself down and empty. 

While grieving my nana’s death, I would often ask my mom to visit me to walk on the lakefront together to feel some connection and peace. During one of our walks along Lake Michigan, we joked about my nana’s proclivity for spa products when she was battling cancer. I reminisced with my mom on the memories of collecting items from the spa and bringing them to my grandmother to help her feel a sense of beauty and comfort. She would always say, “When you look good, you feel good.” 

It was my nana’s passion for making women feel beautiful at her spa, so I was grateful I could bring her some items that would do the same for her during this difficult time. After my grandmother passed, we had to close the spa. It was absolutely heartbreaking and felt like a whole new loss. I thought about ways to carry on her legacy, to honor her, and to help other beautiful women who were battling cancer.

I will never forget when my grandmother was checking in on the spa after not being able to visit for quite some time. We walked into her spa and were stopped by a security guard. My grandmother looked so different from her treatment that even her own employees did not recognize her. I felt so many emotions in that moment. I felt sad and embarrassed, but most of all, I felt angry. I felt angry because I felt powerless, and I believed my grandmother did too. Nauseous from chemotherapy, mentally exhausted and barely unrecognizable, my grandmother found herself having to prove who she was because cancer had taken that from her.

It was that memory that fueled me. I wanted to make sure any woman battling cancer would not have to feel what my grandmother felt, and that’s how The Stay Beautiful Foundation was born. I started searching for clean beauty products that were safe for women undergoing cancer treatment, and from there, I began boxing up products and giving them to family and friends who had been diagnosed. Fast forward to today, we have a community of beautiful women across the globe to whom we deliver clean beauty products as a way to helping them feel beautiful inside and out.

While The Stay Beautiful Foundation started with a personal mission to give back, it’s also been an incredible crash course in building an organization. We supply hundreds of boxes each month to women, completely free, and rely on donations and brand partnerships to fill our boxes with clean beauty and wellness goodies. We’re a logistics company–shipping has been one of our biggest expenses and challenges since we began. Sadly, there is never a shortage of women requesting boxes, so as we have grown, the challenge I have faced is partnering with brands who can help us help these women.

My work on The Stay Beautiful Foundation became an anchor for me in my grief and sense of loss. And I am not alone. So many women begin businesses and organizations after a personal experience just like mine. It can be challenging to channel the sadness into productivity and action. While there is no sure way to find the rainbow, here are some ways to help you find clarity and silver linings along the way.

1. Work on yourself first, your business second. 

In order to be successful, you need to set yourself up for success. Take the time to level up and focus on you. You are the foundation to your dream, and without a solid foundation, you’ll never be able to build. After losing my grandmother, I had to work on myself in order to move onwards and upwards. It took therapy, meditation, and prayer to help me find a path forward. In the words of my therapist, “You can not secure the bag, without securing your internal bag first.” In other words, no external circumstances will make you feel whole, that happens from within.

2. Comparison is the thief of joy.

Now more than ever, social media is part of our daily lives. We are constantly scrolling just to see what someone is doing with their life. We may not be fully aware that we’re doing it, but we are constantly comparing ourselves and our situation to others. At times, I even found myself comparing my career to my partner’s, which is a recipe for disaster. In order to appreciate your path to finding your purpose, you must relinquish the urge to compare. Comparisons are for apples and oranges, not your life.

3. Eliminate all fears.

My parents used to have a magnet on the fridge when I was little that read, “If you knew you could not fail what would you attempt to do?” It took me months after starting The Stay Beautiful Foundation to actually deliver our first beauty box. I was so scared of what people would think or how they would judge me. Feel the fear and do it anyway! Start the business or apply for that job, sis!

4. Celebrate the small wins.

It’s important to not always focus on the negative. Appreciate every milestone along the way, especially after experiencing loss. Give yourself grace and celebrate those small victories to help get you through tough moments, even when things feel unbearable. 

5. Rest when needed.

Whatever stage you are in after experiencing loss, remember rest is essential for recovery. I live by this saying and so does Lebron James who mentions he gets 8-10 hours of sleep and even naps throughout the day to maintain homeostasis within his mind and body. So if Lebron James can squeeze in a cat nap, so can you.

There is no blueprint on how to turn a loss into a win. From my experience, I learned there’s no fast track to healing or finding your passion.  My advice to anyone who is searching for their Northstar is to look within themselves and recognize it is already inside of you. You just have to start to do the self-work!

About the author: Ashleigh Cortes is the founder of The Stay Beautiful Foundation, a nonprofit organization that delivers free boxes of clean beauty and skincare products to women undergoing cancer treatment. Ashleigh was inspired by her grandmother, a Black Chicago entrepreneur in the beauty space who passed from cancer. Ashleigh saw firsthand the effects of cancer on a woman's self-esteem. Since her grandmother's passing, she has made it her mission to help these women “glow through what they go through,” providing them with an exciting, fun, unboxing experience of clean beauty products for them to enjoy.

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How I Designed My Small Business to Make a Big Social Impact

“Even the smallest—but mightiest—business can move the needle.”

—Sailaja Joshi, Founder of Mango & Marigold Press

Six years ago, I was pregnant with my first child, and, being a huge book lover, I was planning a library-themed baby shower. I envisioned filling my daughter’s bookshelf with beautiful books that celebrated our shared Indian culture and heritage. So imagine the deflation I felt when I realized that books that had people who looked like my daughter (and myself) on the cover didn’t exist—and what I did find was inappropriate for a child or, even worse, culturally insensitive.

Motherhood opened up my eyes. It opened up something inside of me that made me realize that I refused to live in a world where my daughter could not be her true, authentic self. While I’d grown up a voracious reader myself, the idea of raising my daughter in a world where she couldn’t envision herself as the hero in the books she read wasn’t acceptable to me. 

So I took matters into my own hands and started a publishing company. 

I’m not an author (yet). I don’t have a publishing background. But I saw something wrong with the world and I wanted to change it. A lot of people might dismiss the importance that children’s books have on the state of the world, but I’d strongly disagree. Kids are born open-minded. By creating a more diverse landscape of literature, we open up the world for them, encourage wonder and awe, and show children that diversity is the nature of humanity, not an initiative. 

Having an impact on the characters and stories portrayed in children’s literature is the opportunity to change a generation. I count myself and the authors and partners that we work with at Mango & Marigold Press among the many artists and activists who have worked to make diversity an asset. But it’s not an easy road. 

Mango & Marigold Press is a small, independent publisher in a land of behemoths–and beyond that, many might look at it as a minuscule drop in the bucket in the work that needs to be done around race and gender equity. This is a common feeling for entrepreneurs building mission-based business: the feeling that the impact we make, though it feels important, isn’t good enough. It can be discouraging and may result in us shelving our dreams for a better world with the belief that the difference we are making will never be enough.

But if you can move past those feelings, even the smallest (but mightiest) business can move the needle. Mango & Marigold just celebrated its sixth anniversary and announced its twentieth book—incidentally, the first picture book series featuring South Asian characters. Our #1001DiverseBooks initiative, which donates copies of our books to literacy nonprofits to help diversify their bookshelves, has donated more than 3,000 books. A few guiding principles have helped me make my way through the nay-saying and the self-doubt, to a place where I know that the work we do is making a true difference.

Don’t let perfection get in the way of progress. 

When I started Mango and Marigold Press (then Bharat Babies) I had $1,000, a rough business plan, a script for a book, and a vision. I’m SO glad I went and made our first book in six months and didn’t wait to do things “right” because, honestly, if I had, I’d still be trying to perfect that first book. 

Don’t be afraid to ask, then ask again. 

I have learned the art of asking lots and lots of questions and then asking the same questions twice. I realized that many folks (not all) are willing to share their lessons learned and there is such a gift in learning from other’s mistakes. 

When you open a door, bring others through. 

I am a massive believer in this. When I get a grant, I make sure to share the application with another small publisher and share out what types of information I gave that helped me to “get” the award. I share connections, names, contacts. I bring people with me on my journey of success because this is the only way we will break down systematic barriers. 

Yes, you can. Everyone will tell you that you can’t, but I’m telling you: Yes, you can. 

A mentor once told me that even if my company fails, its books would still be out in the world, and would touch so many people. Hearing that, early on in my journey, gave me the audacity to start and the strength to continue, book by book. If you’re starting a business, particularly one with a social impact mission, find your cheerleader. Find the person who will tell you that you can, that it’s possible, that there’s good to be had in the work you are doing. They will carry you through the difficult times of starting a business and the moments where you doubt whether your work is worthwhile.

Literacy is power, and breaking down the structural barriers that limit access to books and literature for communities of color is essential. We stand at a unique moment in history for an Indian American woman like me: the first female, Indian American vice president. That is a big moment for an entrepreneur with a mission to demonstrate that diversity is natural–not an initiative. 

But beyond a big moment like this is the day-to-day triumph. I’ve seen many kids delight in the fact that the character on the cover of their book looks just like them. I’ve worked with several authors who have expressed relief when I encourage them to inject their culture back into their stories after receiving rounds of notes from traditional publishers saying otherwise. Those smaller moments are the ones that keep me going.

About the author: Sailaja Joshi is the founder of Mango & Marigold Press, an award-winning independent publishing house that shares the sweet and savory stories of the South Asian experience. Mango & Marigold just announced its twentieth diverse book and has donated more than 3,000 books to literacy nonprofits as part of its #1001DiverseBooks campaign.

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Why I Became an Entrepreneur Even Though Starting a Business Was Never My Dream

“My entrepreneurial story wouldn’t be complete (or have even started) without my greatest hero, my mom.”

—Jenn Chung, Founder of Embody

Stories about entrepreneurs usually begin with a free-spirited child or having an executive mindset from the start. The entrepreneurial journey usually starts with a lemonade stand on the corner or selling baseball cards to classmates. Yeah, that wasn’t me. In fact, I wanted nothing more than to lead a “normal” life. I wasn’t ambitious or a natural-born leader. I was a shy kid and a rebellious teen. Starting a business was never my dream. But the more I was exposed to sharp and successful business people, the more my entrepreneurial spirit evolved. My entrepreneurial story wouldn’t be complete (or have even started) without my greatest hero, my mom. I come from an immigrant family. I was born in Vietnam and the family moved to Minnesota when I was one. My mom was the breadwinner of the family and always worked multiple jobs to support us.

My earliest memory of seeing her work was when I was about four years old. She was a waitress at a Chinese restaurant in Rochester, Minnesota. I was so impressed that she was able to carry a platter full of dishes on her shoulders. While my mom worked, the owner would let me sit behind the counter and my mother would sneak chicken wings to me during her break. As a little girl, that brought me so much joy. My mother was very business savvy and owned several businesses before she started a skincare company in 2007, Forever Beaumore. By then she was a single mom with three kids (soon to be four) and she realized she needed to create her own opportunities in life. Her independence and resilience instilled the beginnings of an entrepreneurial spirit in me. 

In Vietnamese culture, holistic medicine and nutrition are intertwined with skincare. My mom taught me from a young age that healthy habits were a necessary part of taking care of my skin and my body. I started taking her advice seriously in my teens after I developed cystic acne, and I watched my skin clear up and begin to heal. Millennials are chronically stressed, overtired, and influenced by the filtered skin they see on social media. I realized I was passionate about sharing what I had learned about nutrition and holistic wellness with my peers for better skin and health. 

That’s easier said than done, though. The skincare market is saturated with products all promising to do the same thing: unclog pores, get rid of acne, fade scarring, and prevent aging. As a consumer, I felt overwhelmed, exhausted, and financially drained by the options. Knowing that creams could only do so much and skincare at its core starts from within, I set out to find a modern way to introduce my peers to the Eastern practices of food and nutrition as medicine to improve their beauty from within. I wanted to demystify skincare, create effortless products that work, and make beauty approachable and attainable for everyone. 

I’m lucky to be following in the footsteps of so many bad*ss female entrepreneurs who have paved the way for founders like myself. Their example inspired me to be a confident businesswoman who celebrates and encourages others. My hope for female founders like me? To one day eliminate the “female” in “female entrepreneur” and finally be seen as equal with our male counterparts. Until then, I’m proudly owning the title of female entrepreneur!

If you’re thinking about entrepreneurship yourself, here’s my advice. Use Google! It’s such a powerful tool and you can quite literally learn how to run a business online. Support other female entrepreneurs. There’s a worldwide network of incredible female entrepreneurs, tap into their wealth of knowledge to get yourself started. Consider your motives. There’s a lot of pressure in today’s society to “be your own boss” (think Etsy shops, direct sales, side hustles), but it’s important to pursue what fulfills you, not what you think others think should fulfill you. 

Entrepreneurship is not for everyone, and that’s 100% okay! You don’t have to be the big boss to be fulfilled by your job. You don’t have to monetize your hobbies or passions, either. If you like the idea of starting a business but aren’t ready to start your own, try finding an entrepreneur who shares a similar vision or goal that you can work alongside. You never know, it could be a great opportunity. 

Here are my final words of advice: take it slow when it comes to decision making. Yes, sometimes quick thinking is necessary. But making thoughtful decisions will ultimately provide better results (aka save you time and money). Create a step-by-step plan for your business and be aware that none of it will go according to the plan. The most important thing is to keep an open mind, be flexible, and ask for help when you need it. Oh, and don’t be afraid to break the rules.

About the author: Jenn Chung the founder of Embody. Jenn worked her way up through her family cosmetics company, Forever Beaumore, from packing boxes at age 15 to stepping in as president at age 24. Seeing first-hand how successful her family’s beauty supplements were in the Vietnamese market, Jenn was inspired to create a brand for women just like her and bring eastern beauty remedies to a modern western audience in a fun, palatable way.

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Why This CEO Encourages Her Team to Sleep In

Photo: Vlada Karpovich from Pexels

Restless days and sleepless nights are no laughing matter. Three years ago, you could count me among the 68% of Americans who say they have difficulty sleeping. I was working as an economist with the World Bank, and, thanks to an increasingly demanding travel schedule, I was suffering from chronic insomnia. I’d be suffering for months at a time before I could get a handle on my sleep schedule. I was burning out, fast, and I knew that something needed to change. 

Getting real rest—the kind of rest where you wake up feeling refreshed rather than exhausted—is crucial to living a full and healthy life. In my search for a natural sleep solution, I finally tried a weighted blanket, and everything changed.

Weighted blankets work by delivering deep touch pressure (the act of applying even pressure all over the body), which is scientifically proven to reduce stress and anxiety, and promote calm. I had finally found the natural solution that I’d been searching for, but I found that in all of the weighted blanket products on the market, something critical—design, quality, sustainability, or breathability—had been compromised. So, I did what any entrepreneurially-inclined person would do: I set out to make a new one! 

“Our culture is shifting away from wearing career burnout as a badge and embracing the fact that taking time to rest is beneficial to all aspects of our lives.”

I founded my company Bearaby with the mission to destigmatize sleep, make naps guilt-free, and champion rest as a non-negotiable part of a healthy lifestyle. When you make space for employees to incorporate the practices that help them feel refreshed and focused, there is a direct benefit to the quality of their work. I encourage employees to operate on the sleep schedule that allows them to be their most rested. Some people are early birds and some are night owls, so why force anyone to conform to a schedule that might not be best for their overall well-being? That’s why I’ve implemented core working hours from 10 am to 1 pm each day. Outside of that window, employees can make their own schedules. It gives our night owls the option to sleep in if they prefer, and our early risers a bit of a break in the afternoon to exercise, meditate, or even nap! And I’d encourage other leaders to adopt similar policies.

We’ve seen clear benefits from our company work style, and we’ve found that napping and flexibility have positively contributed to our success as a brand. We understand that self-care looks different for everyone, and we’ve found that a flexible work schedule that allows personal practices to be seamlessly incorporated into the workday helps us to stay balanced and creative as a team. Making sleep a priority can have immeasurable benefits for your organization. By meeting the unique needs of your staff, and being mindful of their physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing, you can foster a positive environment where individuals can truly thrive. 

Before the pandemic, the connection between stress and anxiety and sleep health was already well documented. But now, one year in, the impact of mental health on sleep is more visible than ever. The pandemic has taken an enormous toll on our physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing, and uncertainty and fear have become constant companions for most people. In our busy, demanding, and increasingly complex world, we must prioritize relaxation and rest for both personal and professional wellbeing. Our culture is shifting away from wearing career burnout as a badge and embracing the fact that taking time to rest is beneficial to all aspects of our lives. It’s not just about our personal health—restful practices are key to producing better work, and increasing productivity. That’s why my modern workplace solution is the comeback of the power nap. 

“It’s not just about our personal health—restful practices are key to producing better work, and increasing productivity.”

With our increasingly flexible schedules and working from home as the new normal, people are discovering the health benefits of taking an afternoon nap during the day. Some of the world's top health experts have praised the power nap as a way to boost productivity and efficiency in the workspace. Napping can be widely restorative and help to improve alertness, performance, creativity, and memory function. 

As an entrepreneur and founder, I believe it’s important to let employees take the breaks they need for their own mental health and well-being. A beautiful community of nap-vocates is also flourishing alongside us. We’re delighted to see a shift in the negative stigma around napping. Instead, it’s becoming a shareable trend, with people proudly showcasing their self-care regimen on their social feeds.

I hope that by building a company that prioritizes individual health and the health of the planet, we’re one step closer to a calmer and more collected world. 

"I believe it’s important to let employees take the breaks they need for their own mental health and well-being."

—Kathrin Hamm, Founder and CEO, Bearaby

About the author: Kathrin Hamm is the founder and CEO of Bearaby, an award-winning weighted blanket company on a mission to free the world of sweaty, plastic-filled weighted blankets. Named one of Entrepreneur’s Powerful Women of 2020, Kathrin’s approach to simple and sustainable self-care without compromise has woken up a tired industry. She aims to destigmatize sleep, make naps guilt-free, and champion rest as a crucial part of a healthy lifestyle. 

It was Kathrin’s personal sleep struggle that inspired her to launch a game-changing product with the brand’s flagship Napper in 2018. During a robust career as an economist with the World Bank, her on-the-road lifestyle began to take a toll on her sleep, leading to chronic insomnia issues. Through the science of deep touch pressure, she was able to sleep better, naturally and without medication. When she couldn’t find a weighted blanket that was breathable, stylish, or sustainable, she knew she had to set out to create one. 

Since then, Bearaby’s signature knitted blankets have garnered a devout fan following and international notoriety, winning both The Red Dot Design Award and Fast Company’s Innovation by Design Award in 2020. The company was also selected as the Sleep Foundation’s top pick for best weighted blanket of 2021.

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"Starting a Company Wasn’t Something I Ever Thought About Seriously"—Then a Miscarriage Changed Everything

Photo: Courtesy of Alexandra Glass

To say that 2020 has been a tough year would be the understatement of the century. This year has brought the world to its knees, and my life is no exception. This is a story of how I picked myself back up. How I channeled my energy into starting a business after journeying down a rocky path to motherhood. But mostly, how I reawakened the lion inside me, which is as fierce as ever.  

My tough 2020 started on January 2nd, just months before the pandemic began. To ring in the New Year, we had friends coming to visit us from Spain. My husband and I excused ourselves from playing tour guides for a routine check-up with our OB-GYN. That visit would be, what we thought, our first listen to our baby’s heartbeat. It never occurred to me that something could go wrong, or that life might deviate from the plan.  

Truth is, I was one of those people that fell into the “a miscarriage could never happen to me” category. Sure, they told me that it happens to one in four women when trying to get pregnant, but that wasn’t the news I was expecting to hear on January 2nd. It’s hard not to put on the rose-colored glasses when you’ve got the excitement of becoming a mom on the horizon. And it’s because of those glasses that the words spoken by my OB-GYN that day brought me to my knees. 

I tried to toughen up. I tried to swallow that heart-breaking pill. But getting over it wasn’t that simple. I couldn’t get out of bed. I felt empty inside. Like I had failed at becoming a mom. Like I had failed at my duty as a wife. My entire life I’ve had this mantra that I can accomplish anything I set my mind to. But this was the first time that everything felt completely out of my control. 

I called friends and family for support. Instead, what I heard was, “You’re so young, you’ve got time.” And, “I have a friend who had it worse.” And then, of course, “You just started trying, this happens to everyone.” It’s as if I was asking permission to be sad, and all I got back was a move-on response blanketed in empty consolation words. I’d never felt more alone in my life. 

Photo: Courtesy of Pass the Salt

When women suffer a loss like this, the healing period doesn’t boil down to a single moment in time. It takes weeks to recover physically, months to process emotionally, and even longer to overcome mentally. 

After a few months of dealing with mild depression, my husband encouraged me to talk to a professional. I realized that I was looking for support in all the wrong places. On top of that, I had a mountain of residual emotions from old childhood trauma resurfacing that I never really dealt with. Emotions have a sneaky way of bubbling their way back up, whether you’re ready to process them or not. And in hindsight, talking to a therapist was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. 

I started getting acupuncture a couple times a week, taking vitamins daily, meeting with a fertility specialist, tracking my ovulation cycle, getting blood work done, and cutting back on the coffee and alcohol. I knew that staying in bed wasn’t going to fix my fertility issues. What I needed was motivation, a distraction, something to lift my spirit again. That’s when I started to flesh out my idea for a business. 

Starting a company wasn’t something that I ever really thought about seriously. But in all honesty, I had no interest in returning to the corporate life grind. 

Before the world went on lockdown, I took a solo trip to Oaxaca, Mexico (if you haven’t visited, add it to your bucket list immediately!). That trip was a major turning point for me. It’s one thing to put your idea on paper, but it’s a whole other thing to start building it alone, in a foreign country, while putting your own dollars on the line. 

The best part was getting the chance to connect with the community. I’d wander through the markets, falling in love with the hand-stitched Otomi coasters that took hours and hours to make, speaking with the local merchants and sourcing products, while soaking up every drop of knowledge from the Oaxacan mezcaleros. 

Photos: Courtesy of Pass the Salt

As the daughter of a Colombian immigrant, I’ve always had the belief that I can figure anything out. In fact, it was entrepreneur and author Marie Forleo who said it best: “everything is figureoutable.” I took those words to heart. I spent hours listening to podcasts, downloading audible books, and going down the Google rabbit hole. After many trials (and plenty of errors), I took my savings and an investment from my husband, and was finally ready to introduce Pass the Salt to the world. 

I wanted to create something that simplified the art of hosting while capturing cultural traditions and giving people an excuse to gather with friends—something that felt particularly crucial this year. And Pass the Salt—an at-home hosting experience filled with cocktails mixers, tablescape additions sourced from my travels, and personalized entertainment recommendations—really achieves that. 

What I’ve learned from starting a company is when you take a leap of faith, it’s not always going to be a smooth landing. But putting your energy toward something that you’re passionate about, something that motivates you, even in the face of failure, is what makes the leap worth taking. 

When the second miscarriage came, it really dawned on me that fertility might be more of a journey than I’d hoped for. But this time around, I felt more equipped to handle it. This time, I gave myself space to heal. This time, I had a reason to get out of bed. 

Motherhood will come when it’s meant to come, but right now, I’m focusing on sowing the seeds of my brand like it’s my child—watering it, nurturing it, watching it grow.

About the author: Born in Puerto Rico and raised in Orlando, Florida, Alexandra Glass always dreamed of traveling the world. And when she met her now-husband, Jesse, and moved to Barcelona, Spain in 2017, those dreams became her reality. Two years, twenty countries, and three wine certifications in the bag (WSET 2, WSET 3, and CSW), her unrelenting wanderlust and love for wine and the backstories behind the labels turned out to be a recipe for something great: a female-owned company that champions other inspiring women, sprinkled in with a few of her favorite things. Cooking, entertaining, cocktails, conversation, and pieces that tell a story—or what Alex likes to refer to as, stuff with soul. That’s the magic that is Pass the Salt.

Alexandra has generously extended a 25% discount at Pass the Salt for Create and Cultivate readers. Enter the promo code CCIWD25 at checkout. This is a one-time code, one per person, for 25% off site-wide, there is no expiration date to the promotion.

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This Social Entrepreneur's Career Pivot Is Proof That Pursuing Your Passion Can Be Life-Changing

“Most people thought I was crazy to leave my job for a career they deemed uncertain.”

—Jamila Trimuel, Mentor, Social Entrepreneur, and Philanthropist

Going to work every day should feel like waking up on a Saturday morning. In fact, It should barely feel like work at all. Most people go to work dreading the tasks ahead of them, and I understand because I was the same way. It wasn't until I decided that I wanted a career with more flexibility that I knew I needed to make a change. I remembered when one of my college professors said, "Choose your career based on what you would do for free." At first, it sounded crazy—little did I know he was onto something.

I had a promising career working for one of the country's top hospitals, managing the cancer service line's strategic planning process.  While working for the hospital, I made sure I designated my free time to mentor young Black girls growing up in the Southside of Chicago. I knew that I had a different advantage than other children because I did not lose my father to gun violence or have a mother on drugs. Girls that grew up in these conditions are often overlooked and deemed capable of raising themselves when that is an outrageous task to put on any child, let alone our Black children. 

One Saturday, one of my mentees brought me her résumé and explained she was having a hard time finding a job. After reviewing her resume, I became extremely frustrated because one of her bullet points listed, "Looking for a job." No one thought to tell her this was inappropriate, and I was so overwhelmed because I knew so many other girls were overlooked and made simple mistakes just like this. I realized I needed to change, and my calling wasn't in healthcare. It was in education. 

My passion became my purpose. I started Ladies of Virtue in 2011 to assist young girls who were neglected and passed up because of the ridiculous stereotype that they need less nurturing or support than other children. 

Most people thought I was crazy to leave my job in healthcare for a career they deemed uncertain. Mostly because I applied to a program that only accepted 2% of their applicants. Clearly, it was not their purpose to see because six months later, I received an offer in the two-year residency program. 

Staying in my purpose was not easy in the slightest bit. In what was supposed to be the most extraordinary part of my life, I experienced some of the most devastating losses bringing me to the lowest points of my life. In a chain reaction of events, I lost my mother-in-law to cancer. A few months later, I found out I was pregnant, but I lost the baby to a rare condition after five months. Due to all of the stress, I turned to eating and gained weight at an exponential rate, putting my health at risk once again. 

Everything in me wanted to quit, and I had good reason too, but I knew that it isn't what happens to you in life; it's how you respond to it that matters. Living my purpose meant I had to take care of more than just the girls I was mentoring. My mental and physical health needed to be a priority, as well. If I didn't change my lifestyle, I wouldn't be a healthy vessel for the girls in Ladies of Virtue. Ultimately, bettering my health directly reflected in the girls that I mentored. If  I was good, so were they. 

Throughout my journey of living my purpose, it became more than just mentoring. Ladies of Virtue became a small role in a master plan to better the lives of so many children. There are so many alumni of Ladies of Virtue that would have never ended up in a Ph.D. program like Deidra. Seeing these girls succeed gives me joy, the joy that you feel when you wake up on a Saturday morning. I no longer have the feeling of anticipation that comes with wondering about the future because I love exactly where I am now, living in my purpose. 

About the author: As a mentor, social entrepreneur, and philanthropist, Jamila Trimuel has over ten years of experience in strategic planning and community engagement for nonprofit organizations. Jamila is a Broad Residency alum, a highly competitive leadership program that places participants in high-level managerial positions to help transform our public school systems. Jamila was recognized as Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s Humanitarian Award winner in 2012. She was also recognized as a Change Agent and invited to the United State of Women Summit hosted by the White House in 2016. In 2017, she was recognized by Chicago Scholars for their 35 under 35 Award and received Rush University’s Hidden Figures Award. 

Jamila was one of the 100 community leaders from Chicago (500 in total around the world) invited to attend the inaugural Obama Foundation Summit in 2017. She also won the Coaches Award at the 2018 Social Venture Partners (SVP) Fast Pitch competition for Chicagoland nonprofits. Jamila also presented her Tedx Talk in 2018 entitled, "Make Today Your Saturday. Live a Fulfilled Life of Purpose." Furthermore, in 2018, Jamila was honored alongside Jesse Jackson Sr. with the "Giving a Hand Out to Give a Hand Up" Mentoring Award by the Calahan Foundation. In 2019, Jamila was honored with the Leading Lady Community Award by the Daisie Foundation.

Jamila has a bachelor of science in community health from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a Master of Science in Health Systems Management from Rush University. She also holds a Masters of Education in Educational Leadership from The Broad Center for Management of School Systems. In addition to the Broad Residency, Jamila graduated from several prestigious leadership programs including the Schweitzer Fellowship and the IMPACT Leadership Development Program founded by the Chicago Urban League and University of Chicago. She is also a Kellogg Executive Scholar from Northwestern University. In addition, she is a Licensed Minister at New Life Covenant – Southeast under the leadership of Pastor John F. Hannah. Jamila resides in the South Loop community with her husband, Damien.

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