Do You Want Just More? RSVP Here for a Panel with our Hawaii Posse

GUESS WHAT? the gang's getting back together!

Last month thanks to the creative brains at Richer Poorer we headed to Honolulu on a entrepreneur adventure with five other amazing founders: Jen Gotch, founder and CCO of Bando, Bobby Kim, co-founder of The Hundreds and JENNIFER, Jeni Britton Bauer, founder and CCO of Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams, Iva Pawling, co-founder and CEO of Richer Poorer, and Ellen Bennett, founder and CEO of Hedley and Bennett.

And now we're bringing everything we learned in Hawaii back home. (Like the idea of entrepreneurs sharing assets). Full details below. 

Our Founder and Editorial Director are joining the "Just More" panel, hosted by Richer Poorer, on what it really, truly (we're gonna dish all the details and regret it in the morning) means to be the founder of a business. The late nights. The juicy stuff. Yes, there will be some cocktails too. 

ALL DETAILS BELOW 

WHEN: Monday, April 17th, 2017 

WHERE: Hedley & Bennett HQ

3864 S. Santa Fe Avenue 

Vernon, CA 90058

Map it here. Don't stress. There is ample street parking. 

TIME: 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

Join us for cocktails and convo starting at 6:30pm. Panel will begin at 7:00, last 45-minutes, and then we will open up to audience Q&A. Bring your questions! Feel free to stick around after to say hi, meet the speakers, and soak in the boss vibes. 

ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS RSVP BELOW. 

Why Diversity and Representation Matter in Business and Media

photo credit: Sidney Copeland

Gigi Gorgeous looked into the Create & Cultivate crowd this past Saturday in Atlanta and said excitedly, "There is so much diversity under this tent!" The audience cheered, acknowledging the importance of representation at the conference.

The six women on stage, Gigi, Jodie Patterson, Nicolette Mason, Daniela Ramirez, Maya Penn, and Mattie James were gathered to discuss the importance of diversity and representation in business and media. Nicolette put it simply, "People deserve to see themselves in the media."

Here are some of the other important takeaways. 

ON NOT PUTTING OURSELVES IN BOXES

Jodie Paterson, co-founder of (recently sold) DooBop and mother of a trans son, Penelope, told the crowd, “We have to be able to choose all of the things that we are, not just one. We have to let our whole selves out." 

"I never thought working for a fashion magazine was ever in the realm of possibility for me," said blogger and writer Nicolette Mason. "I had the education and the background, but there was no one who looked like me. No one I could look to as an example," she shared. "When Vogue Italia reached out to me and asked if I would be a contributor and a year from that point Marie Claire asked me to come in as a columnist and I penned a column for five years-- it was so amazing and surreal to know that my voice did have the potential and ability to be part of the mainstream." 

ON HOW TO OVERCOME STEREOTYPES

Maddie James, moderator and the blogger behind Mattieologie kept it simple, but succinct “Stories kill stereotypes,” she said. The more we share, the more the outliers become part of the cultural narrative. 

This was echoed by Jodie who said, "I see diversity as a domino effect. Diversity is some of us taking the first steps and putting ourselves out there and then asking and demanding it from all. If it's stunted in one area, it's stunted in all areas. People see and feel their way through change, not just statistics. It’s our job to tell stories. It’s also the media’s job to let the story happen."

"It’s our job to tell stories. It’s also the media’s job to let the story happen."

Tweet this.

Gigi agreed. "Being a transgender woman I know the hardships that the people in my community go through," she shared. "I think it's important to get my story out there for the world to see. We saw this with Caitlyn Jenner and Laverne Cox-- they're huge media icons but they made transgender a household topic and that's really powerful. It changes people's perspective." 

"When you start sharing stories," said Jodie, "people are able to see and feel their way through change, rather than statistically analyze change. 

ON THE MEDIA'S ROLE IN RESHAPING THE NARRATIVE 

Maya Penn, CEO of Maya's Ideas, and the youngest (16) on the stage told the crowd, “I think the media needs to start stepping up. They need to say we need more diversity.” 

Nicolette added, "It's the job of content creators and media creators to reflect our real world." 

Maya said no one should feel like an odd one out. "We need diverse voices to show that representation matters. In non-traditional fields like STEM and science."

“I think the media needs to start stepping up. They need to say we need more diversity.” 

Tweet this. 

"My third child is trans and we did a video with Cosmo and it received 9 millions views," said Jodie. "It's the media's job to allow the story to unfold. I read this quote that everything is copy, meaning if you slip and fall on a banana, people laugh at you. If you slip and fall on a banana, and then you tell people, you own the laughter because that's your story." 

"There have been baby steps along the way," explained Nicolette, "but there is so much more room to include diverse voices."  

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Meet 8 Young Entrepreneurs That Are Bootstrapping Their Businesses

Jessica Hamel, FROST’D. Photo by: Josh Vertucci

“Every entrepreneur has the same struggles. It's so hard, but so rewarding and addicting. I don't care anymore that I don't have a life. People are so inspired by it. They see the headway you are making even when you’re not feeling particularly successful. “

-Kaitlin Mogentale, Pulp Pantry

When I set out to interview female entrepreneurs ‘following their passion,’ I thought it would be a fun way to release some creative steam on a topic I am both passionate about and emotionally connected to. However, over the past few months, it quickly transformed into a kind of therapy for me. As an entrepreneur, I’ve always loved to hear the stories of the journeys of successful entrepreneurs. But, to be honest, a lot of the time they left me a bit disheartened. You see, being an entrepreneur is lonely. You’re constantly in a state of up and down and there aren’t many people who understand what you’re feeling. The entrepreneur stories you often hear are so often far from the trenches you are in. That is, unless you surround yourself with other entrepreneurs who are in the new business trenches -- just like you.

Over the past few months, I had the opportunity to listen to the stories (and commiserate with) a handful of amazing female entrepreneurs who have followed their passion and created, and importantly, mostly bootstrapped, their own businesses. I’ve learned a lot during these interviews, but there are a few quotes that keep coming to mind as I wind through my own entrepreneurial journey.

Ginna Ellis, Boulder Acusport. Photo by: Josh Vertucci

“I'm not just following my passion blindly. I've put the work in. At the end of the day, I was just taking this big leap and hoping to God that it would work out.”

-Ginna Ellis, Boulder AcuSport

It’s the classic curse of social media. Every entrepreneur looks like they’re without a care in the world, but here’s the truth: following your passion isn’t glamorous and sometimes it can be downright ugly. The most important thing to remember is that no one is an overnight success. In fact, I believe, the notion of an ‘overnight success’ is a complete myth. ‘Following your passion’ means having the passion to work hard in hopes that something will come out of it. It could be one year, but it could also very well be ten years.

"‘Following your passion’ could be one year, but it could also very well be ten years."

Tweet this. 

Shauna Lott, The Long I Pie Shop. Photo by Josh Vertucci

“That's where the tears come. When you own your own business, you are working with your own money and your own debt.”

-Shauna Lott, The Long I Pie Shop

As an entrepreneur, particularly one who is self-funding their business, you have the weight of the world on your shoulders. It’s always good to realize and remember it’s not easy for anyone, but we’re entrepreneurs and we love a good challenge. Right? There were so many moments during these interviews that the women were completely open and honest about their struggles. However, I found that you have to find things that balance out those points of difficulty to survive. Some top tips: find help with certain aspects of the business you are just not good at, focus on what reignites your passion time and time again when things get rough, but most important, hustle through and have faith something amazing is just around the corner.

Jainee Dial, Lindsey Elliott & Gina Peters, Wylder Goods. Photo by: Josh Vertucc

“If we can’t cultivate those values of self-care and mindfulness in ourselves, how can we possibly weave that into our business and the people who will eventually become a part of our community. It’s imperative that we walk our talk. Presence is not easy.”

-Jainee Dial, Wylder Goods

Time and time again, self-care was brought up by the featured females. It’s one of the most essential tools for an entrepreneur, as well as one of the most neglected. There is always something to be done and, most of the time, if you’re not doing it, it’s not being done. It’s incredibly hard to step away, but so important to realize that when you do step away you’re able bring a lot more back to the table. For me, ultra-running has always been how I decompress. On the trail is where some of my best ideas are created for the business. You need to step away, to be fully there.

Kaitlin Mogentale, Pulp Pantry. Photo by: Josh Vertucci

"I read once that if you have 1,000 true fans, that's all you need to survive as an artist."

-Kaitlin Mogentale, Pulp Pantry

This quote from Kaitlin Mogentale really struck a chord with me. Getting a bit more personal here, quickly after starting FROST’D., and after countless coffee chat with mentors, I got swept up in this notion that I needed to grow my business as quickly as possible if I had any chance at success. To do that, though, it would’ve meant sucking a lot of what I envisioned for the company right out and that’s exactly what began to happen. After a bit of reflection, I realized I needed to let go of this immense dream a little bit, to focus on the present and create the company that I was passionate about.

Kaitlin Mogentale, Pulp Pantry. Photo by: Josh Vertucci

"Follow your gut. One thing I learned through this process is that I was always second guessing myself. If your heart is saying one thing, just go and do it. Don’t put effort somewhere else.”

-Ashlae Warner, Oh, Ladycakes!

Don’t waste your time. If you have an idea or a passion you want to turn into something more, do it. The idea of FROST’D. haunted me for years. I knew I would never be satisfied if I didn’t give it a try. So, do it. Don’t be afraid of failure, because saying you tried is success enough.

Read the rest of each interview at http://www.followyourpassionproject.com/ and stay tuned as we release two more parts over the next few weeks.

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