Create & Cultivate 100: Entrepreneur: Brit Morin
THE MILLENNIAL'S MARTHA.
THE MILLENNIAL'S MARTHA.
She might not have a show with Snoop Dogg, but Brit Morin, the founder and CEO of Brit + CO, has become the Martha Stewart for Millennials. In 2011 when she launched the Brit + Co platform, she wanted to work, but she also wanted to create. Now with an engaged community of over 130 million user, the media platform produces hundreds of pieces of content every month to grow up with their rapidly growing base.
Brit started in tech, first at Apple, which transitioned to a job a Google. But the more she found herself staring at a screen she looked deeper into her own soul. She wanted to create. That she did.
“I don’t think women brag about themselves enough,” Morin told us at last year's Create & Cultivate SXSW. That’s a habit we should all embrace more."
It's why she put her name in the company title. "I want people know I'm real about this. I'm a real person. When you Tweet me, I'm gonna Tweet you back. When you Instagram I'm gonna Instagram you back. It's not a brand just trying to be a brand."
But boy, has she built a brand. And one to brag about at that.
More from Brit below.
You really brought DIY digital. Why’d you go down that path and why was it important to you?
When I was first considering the type of company I wanted to start, I was doing a lot of DIYs for my upcoming wedding. At the same time, Pinterest was gaining popularity and I noticed that my friends who were pinning projects were also the ones saying, “I don’t know how you’re making all of these things, I’m not creative.” I realized there’s a gap between the creative confidence we have as kids as compared to what we have as adults, and I wanted to help bridge that. While younger generations are deeply immersed in the digital, they also crave experiences and want to “do”. I wanted to create a company that connects digital and analog, and acts as a 360 degree creative brand for women.
What have you found to be some of the hardest parts of entrepreneurship?
Learning to not take things personally is the biggest lesson I have learned. This can be particularly difficult when you attach your name and face to your company like I have. Initially it’s something I really struggled with, but I’ve learned to focus on the positive and take each failure as a learning. By focusing on our mission of inspiring and empowering women via creativity, I’m able to keep growing Brit + Co, even through the chaos.
How do you deal with feeling of imposter syndrome... How did I get to this table or in this meeting?
Imposter syndrome is something that women in particular really struggle with. Steve Jobs once said, “Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you and you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use.” I started Brit + Co at 25 years old and I’m still learning every day, but I try not to get caught up in the fact that I am a young leader and focus on the fact that I have a fresh perspective.
"I am a young leader and I have a fresh perspective."
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We both have audiences that we encourage to go and create their own. Sometimes that means they are creating a competitive product. Can we talk about that and what it means to support other women and support female business owners?
I’m a big believer of the idea that “empowered women empower women.” At Brit + Co our entire mission is focused around helping our audience live their best lives. In addition to empowering our audience, we support and are supported by so many amazing women. For example, Mila Kunis is an advisor to Brit + Co, and our #CreateGood event hosted speakers like Allison Williams and Randi Zuckerberg. I also personally try to pay it forward by providing advice and support to as many women as possible. There is power in numbers and if we work together, we can achieve so much more.
There is power in numbers and if we work together, we can achieve so much more.
SF tech space is notoriously male-dominated. Do you see yourself as a woman in tech? You’re in that world, in SF… have you ever felt like you were treated differently as a woman?
I see myself as a person in tech, but I would like to be recognized more for my success in business than my gender. I’ve definitely faced challenges as a woman in the industry but I think that’s mostly because venture capital is so male-dominated, and many investors fundamentally don’t understand and can’t relate to the company I am building. In instances like these, I try to focus on something all investors can understand, which is data. Figures like revenue growth, audience expansion, and increased engagement are universal.
When you find yourself come up against a roadblock or a bump in the road, how do you find new roads?
I come up against roadblocks every day, so my mantra is just to keep moving. We’re lucky to be at a point where we have a ton of inbound interest and no shortage of opportunities, but I think it’s important to create your own path, not just go down the road you are led. I try to stay informed on what’s happening outside of the Brit + Co bubble and to continue to keep my vision for the company fresh and inspired.
What would you call your superpower?
This is unconventional, but I’d have to say switching gears! I have literally gone from talking about entertaining tips on the Today Show to IPOs on Fox Business, and from meetings on the creative concept around our next immersive, experiential event, to our strategy around growing the engineering team. And of course, there’s the ultimate switch of CEO to mom as soon as I get home everyday. With so few free hours, I have no time to waste!
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20 Amazing Mic Drops from C&C Keynotes
How about that #MondayMotivation.
Photo credit: Smith House Photography
We're still riding the wave of Create & Cultivate SXSW and sharing 20 of our favorite moments from last week's popup featuring keynotes: Brit Morin, Brooklyn Decker and Whitney Casey, Hannah Hart and Mamrie Hart, and Kristen Bell.
Enjoy and pass on to a friend who needs a boost!
"I put my name in it because I want people know I'm real about this. I'm a real person. When you Tweet me, I'm gonna Tweet you back. When you Instagram I'm gonna Instagram you back. It's not a brand just trying to be a brand." Brit Morin on incorporating herself into the company.
“I don’t think women brag about themselves enough.” Brit Morin on being a powerful woman in charge.
“Cooperation over domination is going to be the cure.” Kristen Bell on what will move the business needle forward.
"Cooperation over domination is going to be the cure."
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Photo credit: Smith House Photography
“Investors want to invest in people.” Brooklyn Decker on being yourself in meetings and believing in yourself.
“To know your differentiators you have to know the marketplace. Do you research.” Whitney Casey on how to enter VC meetings.
“Be incredibly well-researched on the market that you’re entering. Understand it so well and it will help you prepare for any meeting.” Brooklyn Decker on how to enter VC meetings.
“If I were a young woman right now I would learn how to code.” Whitney Casey on how we change the male-dominated tech world.
Photo credit: Smith House Photography
“Beyoncé, she’s our user, she’s our girl.” Brooklyn Decker on her Finery dream user.
"Good ideas spread, they're the best infections." Kristen Bell
"We want to work, but we also want to create." Brit Morin on the impetus of Brit+Co.
"You can kick down the door but you better be ready to fight when you get in there." Mamrie Hart on breaking down barriers (and kicking down doors above).
"You can kick down the door but you better be ready to fight when you get in there."
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"If you try to please your audience you're not being your authentic self." Marie Hart.
"When I would start to cry I would run to the bathroom to study it." Mamrie Hart on being an 8-year-old asking for an agent.
"We're literally two girls with the last name Hart who started our YouTube channels in the exact same month drinking and making puns and we literally still don't feel competitive. So, there's enough room for everyone." Mamrie Hart on female competition and how she, Hannah, and third "Holy Trinity" member Grace Helbig really do support each other offline.
"We focus so much on being pitted against each other, but we don't think about the social construct that has put us in the pit. That's the thing we should get together and try and change." Hannah Hart on women supporting women.
"It's intention into action. If you're intention is to get a lot of views and be famous, you can study all the strategies and compromise your values, but it might not work. So wouldn't it be better to make something you're proud of?" Hannah Hart of content creators breaking into the crowded space of social.
"Ask for what you want." Mamrie Hart. Keeping it simple and smart.
"This year especially, I just want to be around strong women. And I really want to focus on me and my girls going for it as hard as we can right now. I'm 33 and I really want to hit it hard right now. People are like, 'This is when you freeze your eggs,' and I'm like, 'No, this is when I get a frozen margarita with my bitches.' I feel like women right now need to come together." Mamrie Hart on the "Pussy Posse 2017" bracelets she gave to her friends.
"In this 'climate' I'm worried that we're so focused on protecting our individual 'I's' that we're not listening to other people's 'we's.'' Hannah Hart on the need to be inclusive.
"I believe our give back is the reason we are so successful." Kristen Bell on why she believes in This Bar Saves Lives and why she thinks social responsibility is the move.
Have other favorite moments from the day? Share below!
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