6 Tips for Being Productive Under Pressure

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Maybe you’ve been feeling it lately. That overwhelmed feeling you get when your to-do list is long but your worry list is longer? There’s a lot on your plate right now. There are scary, uncontrollable things happening in the world, maybe in your personal life and yet time doesn’t stop for your business. I feel you. Some days the last thing you want to do is answer emails or join video calls. One of the worst feelings is a big agenda and no motivation to work on it. 

I work a 9-to-5 job and have created a multi-six-figure online business. Needless to say, my checklist each day can get pretty long, and more than that, juggling both mentally can sometimes be a challenge. But, over the years, I’ve learned that, even though I might not be able to control every stressor that comes my way, whether it’s in my personal or professional life, there are ways I can stay productive even when pressure mounts or stress takes over, and you can implement them as well. 

1. Put Your Blinders On 

I like to call it shiny object syndrome. It’s when we get distracted with the latest and greatest and lose sight of the task or goal at hand. This is a productivity killer. To prevent this, set plans, lots of them. Have daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, and five-year goals written out and share them with someone who can help hold you accountable (team, partner, a coach/mentor, etc.) and put them somewhere where you can see them often. Whenever you are going through your task list ask yourself if it supports your top three long-term goals, if not put on your blinders and keep moving. Clearly set goals also help prevent decision fatigue which is super important in preventing burnout. 

2. Add It to the Calendar

Put it in the schedule, always. Whether it’s following up on an email, calling a team member, or an important meeting, add everything to a calendar. Keeping all your to-do’s in one place will help you feel less scattered and less distracted. When we don’t have a clear way to organize our time it can create extra noise. Instead of focusing on one task at a time, we are nervous that we are forgetting something. 

3. Work With Your Energy

Prioritization is key. This means I align my tasks with my energy levels so I can’t procrastinate. For difficult items that require a lot of brainpower or for the "I don’t really want to do tasks," I move to my high energy times. For me, I do the most difficult tasks in the morning to create a free-ing feeling for the rest of the day. By the end of the day, most people have made so many decisions that your brain is exhausted. You don't want to leave difficult tasks for this time as the quality will be poor or you simply won't do them- creating a cycle of broken self-promises!

4. Focus on Feeling, Not Just Doing

How do I want to feel today? Do you ever ask yourself that? Instead of running through your to-do list first thing in the morning, ask yourself how you want to feel that day. It shouldn’t be the same each day. One day it may be “productive” or “energized” but it may be “calm” or “sleepy” another. Claim those feelings and let yourself feel them. Doing this allows you to accept the “slow” days, appreciate them, and not beat yourself up if you don’t have the most productive day. Here’s the secret, productivity doesn’t always mean work, often it means taking care of yourself. 

5. Start the Clock

Set a timer. The toughest part of anything is getting started. Set a two-minute timer and just start. For me it’s writing content, I have to tell myself that if after two minutes I don’t want to work on that anymore I can stop. It’s your easy way out, no shame, no guilt. But chances are, once you start it will get you into a FLOW state and you can then create for hours. It’s like the Pringles effect; once you start you can’t stop. Turn off ALL distractions (once you get distracted it takes your brain nine minutes to get back on track) phone in another room, not other tabs open, and get in your flow.

6. Automate as Much as Possible

Work and non-work related. Less time on tasks that suck up your energy means more time on tasks that fill you up. This may mean investing in systems for invoicing, tech work, or posting to social or something like meal delivery that takes one more thing off your plate. 

Entrepreneurship is challenging. There will be unbelievable pressure and stressors that will take their toll on you if you let them. But, they don’t have to cripple you or stop you in your tracks. I hope that these tips can help you move through the challenges and allow your business to keep growing through it all. And remember to have some fun—the pressure we feel is often the pressure we put on ourselves. Chances are, entrepreneurship isn't the first time you've faced this type of pressure. But it is your opportunity to take it off!

“Instead of running through your to-do list first thing in the morning, ask yourself how you want to feel that day.”

——Cara Barone, Business Coach and Strategist

About the Author: Cara Barone is a brand consultant by day and a business coach and strategist by night. She juggles a corporate 9-to-5 job with her thriving online business and helps others do the same. She helps high-performing corporate women and coaches gain confidence and clients, without sacrificing their corporate salary, sanity, and health.

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3 Strategies to Help You Answer One of the Hardest (and Most Common) Interview Questions

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Let’s be honest, even if you practice and come in prepared, job interviews are stressful. Don’t worry, you’re not alone in feeling this way—92% of employed Americans feel stressed out about job interviews. With that in mind, some questions can be more difficult to answer than others. By far, one of the hardest and most common interview questions people stress over is how to talk about their weaknesses in a job interview. This is such a difficult question to answer because there’s an art to it.

You don’t want to say the wrong thing to make yourself look bad, but you also don’t want to come off as though you think you’re perfect and have no weak points. It’s all about balance and showing how a weakness can work in your favor or educate you going forward. It sounds a little weird to think of weaknesses working in your favor, but believe it or not, when you phrase weak points correctly, this is often the case.

Here are three strategies to help you answer one of the most common interview questions: “What’s your biggest weakness?”

Make a list of your strengths and weaknesses ahead of time.

First and foremost it’s important to be prepared. If you don’t, you’ll likely stumble and just say the first answer that comes to mind. This answer might not be as eloquent as you’d like. To ensure this doesn’t happen, prepare in advance and come up with a list of your strengths and weaknesses. Strengths tend to be easier to come up with, but weaknesses can be more difficult because it’s common to want to hide a weakness in an interview. No one likes to acknowledge weak points.

Some examples of weaknesses might include:

• A desire to please, which results in taking on too many projects at once.

• Looking at achievements objectively to gain the required confidence in a new role.

• Software proficiency. You can always talk about wanting to learn more about specific software.

• Area of the job. It’s perfectly acceptable to note that you’re very interested in a particular area of a job, however, you don’t have as much experience with it so you’ll need to learn more through hands-on experience.

Don’t be ashamed about having a weakness.

Everyone has at least one area where they can improve so it’s important that you don’t get down on yourself when you’re exploring your weaknesses. Exploring your weak spots can be a great opportunity for growth. By taking note of areas of improvement, you can use this to your advantage, take on some continuing education, and learn what you need in order to develop a well-rounded understanding of your industry and/or role.

Additionally, self-awareness is a huge asset and is considered to be a big strength. While you may be weak in one area, acknowledging this and showing your own self-awareness will help highlight your strength and value as a candidate.

Share what you’ve learned from it or how you’re working to improve a weak point.

Wondering how to answer “what’s your biggest weaknesses?” in a job interview? It’s all about framing your weakness in the right way and spinning it into something positive. Everyone is human, so recruiters and hiring managers expect that each and every person will have at least one weak area. It’s just about acknowledging yours and showing how you can actually use your weakness to your benefit. It might sound crazy, but your weakness could really be a blessing in disguise.

Perhaps your weakness is self-confidence. If this is the case, try phrasing it like this:

“In the past, one of my weak points has been self-confidence, however upon writing my résumé and looking at my achievements on paper, I’ve been able to build that confidence to help me move forward in my career in a more confident manner.”

This shows that you’ve put in the effort to work on yourself, put effort into your résumé, and analyzed what you’ve accomplished at work to evaluate progress and hold yourself accountable. These are all very beneficial traits in a candidate.

If one of your weaknesses is taking on too much at once, try acknowledging it like this:

“One of my biggest weaknesses is the desire to please people. I don’t like saying no to a project or responsibility, however, I’ve noticed that when I take on too much, I’m not able to reach my full potential on every project. Realizing this has helped me prioritize and only take on projects within my bandwidth so that I can be sure to put the best quality forward in every project I execute.”

Ultimately, showing how something helped you grow or change for the better will always work in your favor.

People always ask me how to answer “What’s your biggest weakness?” in a job interview—it’s one of the most common interview questions, after all—and the truth is that the answer will differ from person to person. As long as you prepare and show what you’ve learned or how you’re working to improve your weak area(s), you’ll answer the question well and show potential employers how your self-awareness adds to your value as a candidate.

About the Author: Michele Lando is a certified professional résumé writer, personal branding expert, and founder of Write Styles. She has a passion for helping others present the best version of themselves both on paper and in person, and works to polish individuals' application package and personal style. Aiming to help create a perfect personal branding package, Write Styles provides resources to enhance your résumé, professional appearance, and boost your confidence. Michele strives to help others gain the confidence to put their best foot forward in a personal and professional light.

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This story was originally published on July 24, 2019, and has since been updated.

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Guess What? Your Dream Job Exists Right Now

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As I was networking and meeting with mentors, I kept getting asked the same question over and over again: what’s your dream job? And over and over again, I was stumped because the thing is, I don’t have a dream job. I’m lucky enough to know what I’m interested in but that doesn’t mean I have a singular career in mind. But I learned quickly, that’s totally OK. There are so many expectations about landing your dream job, but here are the most common myths that, we promise, you can totally let go.

1. You need to know what your “dream job” is.

When people did ask me what my dream job was, I found an easy solution was just to tell people, “I’ll do anything,” but as one woman reminded me, that answer can seem unfocused and uninspired. Instead, I learned to tell people I want to work with a creative and curious team that’s passionate about how digital media can enhance storytelling. It’s not a normal “dream job,” but it’s a clearer picture of what I want to do, and it’s that kind of vision that will help lead me to a dream job in the future.

2. Your dream job exists right now.

As technology continues to change and companies’ needs grow and adapt, it’s important to remember your eventual dream job may not exist yet! And that’s totally OK. It would have been impossible 10 years ago to tell YouTube star Justine Ezarik that in the future, her dream job would consist of making video content for a website that at that time wasn’t even around.

As you weave through your first few jobs, make sure to keep your eyes and ears open for new opportunities. This might even mean listening to your passions and creating your own dream job. Janet Mock said, “I’ve always said that authenticity is the first pathway to any kind of success. To me, it’s my yellow brick road. Only by living my truth have I been able to achieve any kind of semblance of the dream.”

3. Even if you land your dream job, you won’t be able to make enough money.

I’m sure we’ve all had that one person in our lives that has something negative to say when we tell them our dream job. And a lot of times that negative thing happens to revolve around money. (As a journalism student, this happens to me far too often, and trust me, there’s not enough side-eye in the world for those people.)

Brit Morin, the founder of Brit + Co., knows this all too well. When she was looking to switch careers, she knew she was interested in the creative arts industry. But instead of getting immediately discouraged by a typically difficult field, she did research and found out she could conceivably make money going after what she wanted (turns out the creative arts industry is a $34 billion market!).

Morin shows it’s worth really researching and looking into your dream job because often what you find may surprise you. There’s more than meets the eye, and if you’re willing to put in the hustle, you can probably find a way to do what you love and make it work.

The original version of this article appeared on Levo written by Madison Feller.

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This story was originally published on April 1, 2017, and has since been updated.  

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Be Prepared—6 Tough Interview Questions (and How to Answer Them)

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So you've landed an interview—congratulations! Standing out in a sea of resumes is no easy feat, but the hiring process is far from over.

Now it's time to knock your interviewer's socks off. If you really want to wow, you’ve got to do your homework and be as prepared as possible. You’ve picked out the perfect outfit, researched all there is to know about the company, and printed your resume, but you can’t stop there. What will really get you hired is your stellar answers to the interviewer’s questions—not that super cute blazer (sorry!). We’re here to help and make sure you don’t go into the interview blind!

While the process can be long and nerve-wracking—these are questions that potentially alter your future after all—there are some difficult interview questions you can bet on being asked. Read on, practice, and go crush that interview!

1. Tell me about yourself. 

This is a little like the "What do you do?" question that can be so stressful. It's asking you to sum yourself up in a succinct but engaging way. You want to grab your interviewer's attention without delving into your life story. 

What the interviewer really wants to know is a little about your personality, but also what about you will add to this particular company. Do not have a scripted response. This should be tailored for each interview and you should talk about where you are professionally. 

DO talk about why you got into your particular field and how it relates to your background. What it is about your line of work and experience that is specifically "you." When and where you adopted your dog is cute, but save it for after you get hired. 

2. What is your biggest weakness?

I'm a workaholic. A perfectionist. Type A. I never give up, to a fault. None of these answers the question. Using this question as an opportunity to #humblebrag is not the way to go. Instead, they show that your biggest weakness is an inability to address where you're lacking and you come off cocky. Everyone has weaknesses, including the person sitting across the table from you, and self-awareness is a good trait.

3. What would your previous employer say about you?

This question needs to be answered based on how you left your last company. If you were fired, and you've still listed that position on your resume, don't try to hide it. Instead, use this question as an opportunity to explain where you went wrong and what you learned. 

If you left your last job on good terms and your former boss is willing to be a reference, this is a great way to back up what you say. 

If you had an exit interview, you can pull directly from that conversation, and is a reason to ask for an exit interview if your employer doesn't offer one upfront. However, a resume doesn't have to include every job you've ever had. 

That said, be prepared for this one: 

4. Are there any jobs you've omitted from your resume?

This is a particularly tough one. If you've left a job off your employment history there are usually two reasons: it was a short, contract position (90 days or less) that didn't add anything but a few extra lines to your resume, or you left on really bridges burned, bad blood, terms.

There are certain jobs we take that are fillers or contract jobs that give us the ability to pay our rent, or brush up on skills (a great point to highlight). Feel free to mention jobs that you took as "in-betweeners." Even if it's a job that you think is beneath you and your skills, tell your potential employer about it. The willingness to work while you're "not working" highlights an ethic to stay on the grind even if you aren't employed full time. 

If there really is bad blood between you and a former employer, and an interviewer point-blank asks you this question, you don't want to start a new work relationship off by lying. You can talk about what happened in more vague terms without mentioning the name of the company. As scary as it can be, this is a great opportunity to show your humanity, own your failures, and end on a high note by explaining what you learned. 

5. What are these gaps in your employment history?

This piggybacks on question #4. Sometimes gaps are omissions and sometimes they are simply times when you were unemployed. If there are gaps, be prepared to explain what you were doing during this time. 

If you don't have an answer because you used your fun-employment time as just that, let this be a lesson: Don't sit and wait for the job to come to you. The harder you hustle the greater the reward. There's a good chance that if the job comes down to you and someone who took a class or another job during their unemployment, you're probably not getting that position. 

The hustle never sleeps or stops—even if you're not getting paid. You are responsible for your future, no one else. 

6. Is there anything you want to ask me?

If you say, "No, I think I've got it," be prepared to kiss that job goodbye. You just spent 30 minutes with the person in charge of hiring you and if you don't have any questions, you haven't done your research. Show that you are willing to go the extra mile (hell, block) for the company. These questions should NOT be about salary, benefits like vacation days, or how long you have to wait for your first performance review and promotion. Climb the ladder sure, but wait until you get hired to take a step up the rung. 

Look into clients they've worked with, their greatest successes, and figure out a question or two that shows that your battery is fully charged up for them i.e. not questions that show you're only looking out for you. These are questions that show you are also willing to go outside of your job "description" and get involved in multiple verticals. 

Good luck and be your best-prepared self. This is your year if you want it.

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This post was originally published on January 20, 2016, and has since been updated.

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The Simple Trick That Helped Me Double My Income in a Month

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I’ve always felt chronically underpaid. With a master’s degree in history and a passion for social media marketing, I applied for 347 jobs in a single year before I got my first “real” job (yes, I kept a list)—working four part-time jobs at once during that time—and my first-ever salary clocked in at a whopping $30,000. I thought I’d struck gold, and I foolishly believed that my salary was going to be enough to pay for rent in Nashville, living expenses, insurance, my phone bill, building a savings, and the massive chunk of student debt I had after earning two degrees. 

After my dream job turned out to be a nightmare, however, I started to get desperate. I took a part-time paid internship at a publishing company hoping to turn it into a full-time position and—surprisingly—it worked. A month later, the owner of the company pulled me into his office and asked me if I wanted a job taking over as the director of marketing.

Obviously, I said yes. I went from intern to leading a department overnight, and I happily accepted the $35,000 salary—completely unaware that it wasn’t anywhere near the industry standard—and clung to the promise of a raise within six months. Six months later, armed with countless spreadsheets and a report on everything I’d accomplished on behalf of the company, I walked into my boss’ office and asked for my promised raise. 

And he laughed at me. 

Even though I quit the job soon after, I’ll never forget that moment or the way it impacted my career (and more importantly, my salary growth) from that point on. Even though I knew I should negotiate, I found myself wavering in every conversation about money for years to follow. At my next job, when I discovered that my predecessor had been paid a whopping $25,000 more than I was, I accepted it—telling myself that they’d get me up there eventually—but after two years spent trying to prove myself worthy, I was told to “be grateful” for the amount I was given.

Eventually, I started believing that I would never break past $50,000. It was too much—too high to achieve—and despite ten years of experience, two director-level positions, speaking gigs, and a slew of clients who were obsessed with my work, that belief turned out to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. No matter what I did, no matter how many books or courses or life coaching sessions I took, the line didn’t budge. And my self-worth tanked.

I’d always believed that something was better than nothing, so I found myself accepting every opportunity that came my way. A freelance writing gig that barely paid above minimum wage? I’ll take it. A $3,000 class that promised to teach me how to build a successful online business? I’ll buy it. An unpaid speaking gig? I’ll do it. I wrote and published my first novel. I launched a podcast. I created digital products. I sold an online course. I hustled and created and pushed myself to do more, but no matter how much of myself I gave away I felt like I couldn’t get anything in return.

I barely made $10,000 during my first year of self-employment. 

Eventually, I knew something had to give. Work felt like I was attempting to lift a 500-pound weight, and—even though it wasn’t budging—I was constantly exhausted from the effort. Instead of letting myself continue to feel like a failure while half-heartedly juggling everything I’d built over the past several years, I made the difficult decision to let everything drop. I was grateful and privileged enough to have a partner who kept most of our finances afloat, so I maintained my core clients and said goodbye to maintaining my podcast, my writing, my social media platforms, my course, and more. I needed time to decide whether or not I even wanted to pick those things up again, or if I was ready to admit defeat.

Barely able to function, I remember telling my therapist that I was ready to give in, but that I wasn’t sure how I could survive a desk job. Over the last three years, I’d learned to love my independence and my ability to set my own schedule, and I was terrified that the only way I could be “successful” and hit that $50k mark was if I threw myself into a 60-80 hour a week corporate job that obliterated my free time...and my happiness.

“Forget the $50k thing, that’s a separate issue,” my therapist said. “What is your time worth? Not just the time you’re working, what is your free time worth?”

“Like, hourly?” I asked. 

She nodded. 

If I was honest, I didn’t spend a lot of time thinking about my hourly rate. I accepted whatever was offered because I was grateful for the work, and the idea of my free time having a dollar amount next to it didn’t sit well. Why would it have an hourly rate attached to it? It’s just the time I wasn’t working. It doesn’t have worth. 

Except it did. If my time had value—and even my free time had value—then that could change everything I did, and not just in my career. Later that day, I told my partner about the question and he asked if I had an answer. I laughed awkwardly and joked, “I don’t know. Seventy-five dollars an hour.”

It was more than double the amount that I was making as a freelancer, but it was a joke—it wasn’t real—so it felt safe to dream. It was just a post-therapy conversation, after all, not a quote for a potential client, so it didn’t mean anything...until I found myself watching a movie on Netflix that I didn’t even enjoy and wondered, “Is this worth $75 and hour?”

It shocked me when the answer was no.

Slowly but surely, I found myself asking that question more often than not. It shaped my decisions of how I spent my time, and I realized just how much time I was wasting on things that didn’t even bring me joy. It was like I was Marie Kondo-ing my free time, and—while sometimes the answer was a resounding yes, like when I took a much-needed break to play three hours of Animal Crossing on my Nintendo Switch—it changed the hobbies I engaged in, the people I talked to, and even my business. 

I started saying no to low-paying work. I ditched the mentality that something was better than nothing and started looking for clients who could afford to pay me more. I quoted higher than I ever had, and within a month I doubled my income. Eventually, I realized that I was earning the same amount of money working part-time that I made at my first full-time job. I was ecstatic, and I even started turning away work that no longer fit my goals. Because my time had value, because I had value, the decisions I was making as an individual and as an entrepreneur started to change.

Slowly but surely, I stopped undercutting myself at every turn. Over the next few months, my business exploded. I doubled a massive proposal to a new client at the last minute—fully expecting them to negotiate for a lower rate—and was stunned when they accepted it as is. I hired an assistant, plucked up the courage to fire a client who was mistreating me, and even walked away from my lowest paying gig.

In the end, I realized that feeling underpaid was just that: a feeling. I didn’t have a $50,000 upper limit. I was my upper limit. I was the one holding myself back, I was the one consistently accepting less, and I was the one who let my imposter syndrome talk me out of tens of thousands of dollars. It was only once I decided what I was worth—and owned it—that other people could see it too.

“I ditched the mentality that something was better than nothing and started looking for clients who could afford to pay me more.”

—Jandra Sutton, Founder of The Wildest Co

About the Author: Jandra Sutton is a writer, entrepreneur, and founder of The Wildest Co, a creative agency specializing in content creation, branding, and marketing for busy entrepreneurs and small business owners. She's also the host of The Wildest Podcast, a weekly personal development podcast in 10 minutes or less. You can follow her on Instagram @jandralee.

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Pro Tip: Networking Is About Giving

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Welcome to our series Pro Tip where we’ll be sharing expert advice on hot-button career issues that are a part of our day-to-day lives—issues like productivity, funding, budgeting, and being a good boss.

Today, we’re sharing tips on an often-misunderstood matter: Networking. Whether you’re self-employed or climbing the corporate ladder, we all feel the pressure to “network” our way to the top. But to become a networker who generates leads instead of a desk full of other people’s business cards takes one simple ethos…  

Networking Is About Giving

It isn’t about reaching out only when you want or need something or seeing how many people you can “connect” with on LinkedIn. Networking is about actively helping others and genuinely wanting to do it.

See, when you’re consistently networking and providing your skills and knowledge to other people, you’ll find you will rarely need to ask for help because the power of giving is infectious. People want to help people who help them and if the people you’re investing your time into aren’t sharing the love - then it’s time to find some new people.

Below are a few tried and true habits for being an active and giving networker.

How Can I Help?

Every time I connect with someone new the first question I like to ask is, “How can I help?” You’d be surprised how often it catches people off guard. “You want to help me?" Of course, I do!

When we offer to help we open a door, we make a friend and we learn something new. It’s also where the true connection begins because it creates the opportunity to make an impact on someone else. As the old cliché goes, by helping others we help ourselves.

Make Introductions

Sometimes, all it takes is meeting the right person to take a project to the next level. If you have a connection who’s looking for what someone in your network can provide, connect them. If you think two of your connections would be better simply by knowing each other, connect them. If you think an introduction could lead to some new business for someone in your network, CONNECT THEM. No matter what the reason, help others expand their networks by offering to make introductions for the people whose work you believe in.

Offer Your Time

Our most valuable asset is time, and when you offer it to others, it goes farther than any other networking tip I can give you—especially if you’re self-employed because you’re not only the sole representative of your business but you’re the sole proofreader, manager, marketer, designer, advisor, and everything else in between. Offer up your time to help review assets or be a sounding board to people who are in similar positions to you and build your community.

Stay Present

How many of us feel defeated every time we post something about our business on social media and NO ONE responds to it the way we imagined they would? Be the person who does. Stay present and actively engage with the things people in your network are sharing about their business and ideas. Share their content with your own audience.

Beyond social media, continue to be in people’s lives and follow up consistently. Share articles on topics you think would benefit them, set up a coffee meet-up with another person in your network, and keep practicing these techniques to help make yourself a consistently active and giving networker.

About the author: Audrey Adair is a seasoned freelance communications professional and founder of The Scope, a platform providing resources and community to freelancers and the self-employed. Connect with The Scope on Instagram and join their email list to receive your free resource, The Freelancer Starter Kit.

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This story was originally published on February 9, 2015, and has since been updaetd.

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A Millennial's Bucket List for Achieving Financial Freedom (Step 1: Start ASAP)

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If you’re a millennial who wants to achieve financial freedom sooner rather than later, there are several important money moves you should be making now. If you wait too long, you’ll spend your later years catching up rather than going on vacations, upgrading your house, or taking early retirement.

Ideally, you want to start making these money moves while you’re in your 20s and 30s, so you’ll be able to reap the benefits of your financial strategy for a maximum length of time. Here are the bucket-list items you should start checking off to set yourself up for financial freedom.

1. Create a budget.

A budget is essential. Make a list of all your income and expenditures, and add them up to see how you’re making out, monthly and annually. If you’re seeing a surplus, that’s great—but if not, you’ll need to tighten your budget by figuring out the amounts you need to make, save, and spend in order to make ends meet.

Even if it looks like you’re doing okay balancing your monthly budget, if there is room to scale down your spending, you should. Save a little extra and reroute that money into an investment.

2. Build an emergency fund.

One major car repair, injury, appliance replacement, or other big-ticket items can really set you back financially. Create an emergency fund against these possibilities and only dip into it when absolutely necessary. This way, you aren’t maxing out your credit cards or depleting your other funds if something unexpected pops up.

If you struggle with building up your fund, have extra money deducted from your paycheck so you’ll get a refund at tax time, then funnel that money into your emergency fund. And think of it this way: If you’re fortunate enough not to need your emergency fund, then you’ll be ahead of the game financially when your 50s arrive.

3. Set up a retirement fund.

Too many people wait to start saving for retirement until they reach middle age, which is way too late. Many millennials are tracking to follow suit, with two-thirds of them having saved nothing yet, despite the fact that they see retiring around age 61 as a reasonable goal.

Experts typically recommend that young adults should open an IRA or other retirement accounts,  and definitely should invest in their 401(k) accounts, especially when employers offer matching funds. In fact, many Americans, in general, are missing out on this financially smart benefit. A solid rule of thumb is to put about 15 percent of your pay annually into a 401(k).

4. Think big.

A savings account is a smart idea; however, it’s not going to yield a big return via interest nor ferry you to early retirement. But if you do have money saved, then you have the option to make significant and potentially lucrative investments.

For instance, you could buy a rental property. You can list your home on vacation rental sites, collect rent, pay your mortgage, stash away the remaining funds, and build some equity. Over time, you might even want to add a property or two to your portfolio.

Or start your own business. Got an idea, passion, or golden opportunity? Take an entrepreneurial leap! Many businesses can be launched right from home on a shoestring budget. Put a plan together, get the word out on social media, then attend trade shows and other networking events to promote yourself and build your company.

These two options or similar ones put your wallet to work, and can eventually position you for solid financial footing down the road.

5. Take a few investment risks.

Even if you're risk-averse, it’s not a bad idea to know how the world of investment works. Done right, it’s a venture that can be quite lucrative. Look into investing just a little at first, whether in stocks, bonds, commodities, real estate, your sister’s promising business, or another opportunity. Then watch your investment carefully to see if and when it pays off. If it doesn’t, look to shift into another type of investment.

6. Rethink your location.

If you’re living in an expensive city, consider a change of scenery. These younger years are a perfect time to try out new places, anyway. So why spend thousands a month on sky-high rent or property taxes? By moving to a more affordable city, you could save loads on rent and living expenses. For example, Omaha is a cheaper market than Los Angeles. Take your savings and put them to work toward your financial goals.

7. Watch your credit spending.

As millennials, we are firmly a part of the digital spending revolution, which is convenient but makes it easy to overspend. When you can’t pay off your credit card bill every month, you’re charging too much.

To avoid accumulating credit card debt, pay close attention to your spending, delete shopping apps off your phone (or at least keep yourself logged out), and track your receipts. If you’re already in debt, consider debt consolidation so you can get back on track. (And speaking of debt, if you’re still carrying student loans, look into loan forgiveness programs or refinancing.)

At this point in your life, you’re young enough that small moves can make a big difference to your financial future. While age 60 might sound far off, the passage of time can surprise you. If you’re looking to get on track toward fiscal stability, now is the time. Check off these bucket list items and watch your financial freedom begin to become a reality.

Written by Molly Barnes, Digital Nomad Life.

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This post was originally published on June 5, 2019, and has since been updated.

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This Little Trick Will Double Your Productivity ASAP

Photo: Smith House Photo

If you are an entrepreneur, you likely spend your time feeling like a cocktail of inspired and deflated, generative and stuck, or focused and scattered. Sound about right? You may be familiar with the reality that being busy is different than being productive, yes? You want to work smarter, not harder.

So, whether you work for yourself at home in your sweatpants or are part of a high-profile startup hustle (or both!), here is a great way to maximize your productivity and clarity. Time batching. It’s an über-simple technique that can change the way you work. It can help you get more done by helping prevent you from spending twenty minutes deciding what to focus on!

Here are four easy steps to set yourself up for success.

“Time batching is an uber simple technique that can change the way you work.”

1. Time Batch

Sit down with your week’s commitments, deadlines, tasks, and errands. Use small pieces of paper, and write only one task per paper. Write down everything you can think of. No task is too small. Include everything that you want and need to have happen in your workweek. Once you’ve gathered them, sort them into these three popular categories of work themes (or, make up your own!):

• Marketing & Managerial Mondays: This would include writing emails, scheduling meetings, all marketing and PR tasks, event planning, anything sales related, purchasing plane tickets, submitting applications to events and jobs, strategizing business development, continuing education, making phone calls, managing mailing lists, scheduling social media for the week, printing for the week, preping for clients and meetings.

• Word & Website Wednesdays: Write blog posts and all content for the week, update classes and events on website, write and send newsletter, draft/complete all writing commitments, graphic design for all materials, track last week’s web analytics, reading and research for clients and obligations, create content on all upcoming projects, branding tweaks, anything that involves writing!

• Financial & Follow-Up Fridays: Follow-up on all relationships, emails, projects, and events, tie up any loose ends before the weekend, send out thank-you cards, send invoices, accounting and book-keeping, track PayPal and bank accounts, log all tax-related expenses, pay quarterly estimated taxes, tally mileage from the week for deductions, manage investments and debt, pay credit card, deposit all checks.

2. Track It 

Now that you have three thematic piles of work tasks, automate and log them. Apps are a great way to keep track of your to-do lists, and have them with you and synced throughout all devices. Create the three main lists (M, W, F) and then fill in all tasks from your paper piles. Once you’ve logged everything, look at each item and set deadlines for those that have them. Also, some things are one-offs, while others happen weekly. Set the appropriate repeat settings for weekly tasks.

3. Schedule Time Blocks 

Schedule blocks of time to get your batches in. Most successful productivity experts agree that unless it’s on your calendar, it’s basically imaginary and it’s not happening! Ideally, find at least two to three-hour chunks when you can focus on one list. Some choose to batch every day, some prefer a few non-batch workdays. Your other days without time batching can be more organic, perhaps you take the day off, or you let your schedule be more fluid and muse-honoring.

4. Work It

When you sit down to start your batch session, review your list and pick the three most urgent and important tasks. Don’t get distracted by urgent things, important is the key word here. Begin with those. If you have a super-session and power through all three tasks, you can always revisit your list, or go do a handstand and call your mom. Regardless, the feeling of completing your focused three-task list will encourage continued focus wizardry on your next session.

Truth: A massive part of working with time batching is remembering something that is “off-topic” when you are in “batch mode” and adding it to the necessary list, instead of completely switching gears to blog your magical new matcha donut recipe when you should be updating spreadsheets. (Just make sure to post your matcha donut recipe, because that sounds delish.)

An original version of this article appeared Darling magazine, written by Abbi Miller.

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This story was originally published on April 22, 2018, and has since been updated.

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Together Forever? How to Choose the Right Business Partner

Photo: Smith House Photo

It’s said that two heads are better than one. Albeit usually true, sometimes it depends on which two heads. Having the right partner is the foundation for a successful business. However, finding that partner may be the hardest part of starting your business. 

There’s no better teacher than time and personal experience. There are, however, certain lessons we can learn from others who have lived through similar experiences. And so I offer the following.

Have Common Goals

In the most literal sense, this means you should both understand the goals of the business and what milestones the entity is trying to reach and at what points. On a deeper level, it is important to understand the bigger picture behind reaching those goals and what expectations each partner has for the future.

One partner may want fortune while the other wants fame, one may want to help the world, while the other wants notoriety. While having goals that are aligned makes it easier, it is also acceptable to have different goals so long as they complement each other. For example say one partner is not interested in the money only in helping the community, while the other feels that making a fortune is the ultimate goal, in making certain decisions regarding the direction of the business: prices, events to attend, clientele to cater to, and so forth, this may cause an issue.

This shouldn’t be a deal-breaker, however, if your goals are not aligned then the business itself cannot achieve those goals simultaneously. This should be a conversation prior to the commencement of the business. 

Have Respect for One Another

Respect is not only fundamental for how you treat each other but also for the success of your business. You should respect the person as a human and also as a professional. 

Respect achieves three main things: First, it makes your working environment pleasant and efficient. Next, if you truly respect your partner you likely also trust him or her. Lastly, your clients will trust and respect them as well.

The day you lose respect for your partner, the partnership and likely the business, will crumble. The respect should be mutual; your partner should appreciate what you bring to the team as well. Having mutual respect will go a long way when days get tough. 

“For better or worse partnerships are tested in the real world in ways that no amount of preparation can guarantee survival.”

Find Someone Who Complements Your Strengths and Weaknesses

More often than not finding a partner seems like it’s about the other person. However, the best way to find the perfect match is to do some introspection. Analyzing your strengths is usually the easier of the two tasks, and while important to know and value what you contribute to the team, it is equally, if not more important to know your weaknesses.

Finding someone who not only complements your weaknesses with their strengths but also knows how to properly handle your shortcomings is fundamental to a long-term partnership. Recognize your flaws and appreciate someone who can handle them. 

Know What You Value Most

Some value charisma, others honesty, and others willingness to take risks. Whatever, qualities you feel are going to contribute most to the success of your business and achieving your goals those are the qualities you should find in your partner. While ideally we find a partner that has it all, it’s slightly unrealistic, and so having certain priorities when making a decision can facilitate that process. 

Personality Matters

Yes, having an attractive, funny, and witty partner is a dream, however, this isn’t about finding a date. It’s about finding the perfect complement to boost your chances at success. And so in general, yes, you should enjoy their company. However, attributes of their personality regarding how they solve problems, how they deal with a crisis, what makes them happy or satisfied, and their attitude towards different situations is what matters when choosing your partner.

While these tips should be used as a guide or thoughts to keep in mind, there truly is no way to ensure that a partnership will succeed.  For better or worse partnerships are tested in the real world in ways that no amount of preparation can guarantee survival. But if you’re lucky enough to find that perfect partner, your business is sure to reap the benefits.

“Recognize your flaws and appreciate someone who can handle them.”

—Brenda Schamy, DiSchino & Schamy, PLLC

About the author: Brenda Schamy has a multi-faceted background in criminal defense, immigration, corporate counsel, and entertainment law. Due to her extensive entrepreneurial experience, Brenda is particularly skilled in business management, taking on the role of a forward-thinker who actively anticipates the needs, concerns, and opportunities of our corporate clients. Brenda excels at looking beyond the legal scope of business and works closely with our clients to actualize their goals.

Prior to founding Erickson & Schamy (now DiSchino & Schamy, PLLC), Brenda was a Miami Dade Public Defender. With over sixty trials taken to verdict, she is especially comfortable in a courtroom and is always ready to fight for her clients’ interests. Throughout her legal career, Brenda has also been heavily exposed to immigration, music, and the entertainment industry.

This story was originally published on April 8, 2019, and has since been updated.

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5 Tips to Have the Most Productive Day Ever

Photo: Andrea Piacquadio for Pexels

Time waits for no woman, but who says you’ve got the hours to hang around and wait for time? We’ve all got meetings to take, conference calls to make, places to be, and deals to close. But mastering the art of time management in order to cross everything off your to-do list every day is easier said than done.

In fact, studies show that business leaders waste an average of 21.8 hours a week. We repeat: A WEEK. Instead of getting consumed by the hours in the day, or the lack thereof, here are five ways to watch the clock and have your most productive day ever. Here’s how to make every minute count, from the time you wake up to the time you log off.

1. Pick a Realistic Time to Wake Up

You know your body and you know how much sleep you need to feel rested and ready to take on the day. And yet, we all tend to get a little overzealous when it comes to setting our alarms the night before. If I set my alarm an hour early, we rationalize, I will get a jump on my day.

Call it wishful thinking or good intentions, setting our alarms earlier than needed has the opposite effect than intended. When the early am hits, we hit snooze, falling in and out of that interrupted sleep until the moment we dash out of bed in a hurry. It’s a terrible way to start the day.

One, it makes us feel like we already missed our mark. That even though we didn’t need to wake up early, we should have. This mentality creeps into the rest of our day and doesn’t allow us to be our most productive or confident selves. When you start the day disappointed in yourself, it’s that much harder to recover.

Two, alarm-hitting snooze sleep is almost worse than no sleep at all. You’re groggy and multiple studies have shown that this kind of sleep inertia reduces productivity and focus.

So be realistic about what time you need to get up. Pretending you’re going to rise at 6 am is not useful when you could sleep until 7 am and wake up bright-eyed and ready to get after it.

“We’ve become so concerned with rapid-fire quick responses that our emails are lacking in quality.”

2. Turn Your Internet Off for 45 Minutes Each Morning

Scroll through your emails on your phone quickly to make sure there is no pressing emergency, but once your computer comes to life, switch the internet off.

Give yourself 45 minutes to respond to emails in a thoughtful and valuable manner. We’ve become so concerned with rapid-fire quick responses that our emails are lacking in quality. If you’re the type to email the way you text, this pause will prove productive.

Not only will you think through your answers with more clarity, but you won’t be distracted by other incoming messages, emails, or lose yourself to a Facebook news feed.

3. Time Batch It Out

Time batching is a simple way to approach the day that reduces clutter and increases focus. Group activities together (emails, phone calls, blogging—i.e. writing multiple posts at one time) and see how it improves your product.

By batching out the tasks in your day, you can see exactly where your hours (like your money) are going.  Productivity breeds productivity.

“If time was an app, it’d be Postmates. We use it without realizing how much we’re spending.”

4. Think About What “Time Well Spent” Means to You

If time was an app, it would be Postmates: We use it without realizing how much we’re spending.

You can’t purchase more time. Taking stock of your day and looking at how you spend your time will move you into the following days with confidence. If you’re really spending your time “well”—which is different for everyone—it’s infectious.

We don’t want to know how much time we’ve wasted scrolling social media for “research” or texting a colleague.

Watching the clock doesn’t have to be a negative. In fact, watching the clock can help you, professionally speaking. Keeping track of your time worked and just how much you’ve accomplished in a day can be helpful in assessing where you are losing valuable hours.

5. Stop Watching the Clock

OK. Disregard *for a second* what we said above. 

Time batching and keeping track of your hours is important, but only to a point. Within the time that you’ve allocated for yourself, don’t check the clock like a kid waiting for the lunch bell to ring.

Being productive is more important than checking to make sure you’re being productive. If you’re in the swing of it, by all means, keep rolling.

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This story was originally published on February 3, 2019, and has since been updated.

Up next: This Little Trick Will Double Your Productivity ASAP

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How to Network and Cultivate Relationships That Level Up Your Career

Photo: Create & Cultivate

The strength of your relationships is oftentimes the biggest indicator of your success because, the truth is, no one is successful alone. With a little reflection and strategy, you will find you have more resources available to you through your extended network than you ever imagined. The key to leveling up in your career is defining, building, and nurturing your community.

So how do you find your people and have these relationships constantly working for you? Here are some foundational elements to turn acquaintances into colleagues, and colleagues into your most trusted friends. The ultimate goal is to have people around you committed to ensuring you are consistently leveling up, and for you to have the opportunity to do the same for others.

Take Inventory of Your Relationships

The first step is to assess where your relationships currently are. Reflect on the strength of your network as related to your professional goals. What relationships do you need to build? Are there any you need to let go of that are holding you back? Don’t be afraid of asking for introductions to other people in your extended network.

By the way, if you are the smartest and most successful person in the room, you’re in the wrong room! Push yourself out of your comfort zone to get out to more events where you can level up into elevated circles of influence. It’s not sleazy or cheesy; it’s just a fact that greater access will guarantee greater success.

Get Clarity on Your Value Proposition

When you are trying to create, build and nurture relationships, your #1 focus should be on the value you provide to others. Once you have provided enough value to build a foundation of trust, only then should you begin asking for what you need. So, first things first, what do you provide that other people need? Is it something general, like positivity or kindness, or a special skill or knowledge? Can you make a helpful introduction for someone? Provide solutions for a problem they have? Make a personal recommendation on an inspiring book or life-changing vacation?

“Be yourself. Be vulnerable. Know your worth. ”

Make Meaningful Connections

There are a few keys to creating deeper connections. You will want to be genuinely interested in others and encourage people to talk about themselves. Any two people will have areas of similarity, whether it be a mutual favorite TV show or a favorite food; build on those and remain curious. Asking good, open-ended questions is a foundational element. You have something to learn from every person, so smile and give honest and authentic appreciation.

A sincere compliment goes a long way. The goal in this stage of connection is to deepen the conversation, create a bond, and leave with the other person thinking: I like that person. I enjoyed that brief interaction, and I’d be open to giving that person more of my time.

Ultimately, the best advice to create connections is the simplest: Be yourself. Be vulnerable. Know your worth. We are all drawn to authenticity. Your uniqueness is your greatest gift. So be true to yourself.


“If you are the smartest and most successful person in the room, you’re in the wrong room!”

Master Your CTA

This is where so many people get awkward and miss the mark, but there is no need for it to be that way. Without a call to action (CTA), your connection stalls. You will want to end every conversation with a CTA that is specific and measurable. Examples include: I’m going to message you tomorrow and get the name of the restaurant you recommended. Or, I’d love to know more about how you handle certain challenges in your job. Can I call your office next week and pick your brain?

You don’t want to be caught in that cycle of saying, “Let’s connect again soon.” This essentially means it’s not a priority for you. If this is a person who you want to build a relationship with, take the responsibility to be the one who provides the specific time frame and desired result of the next interaction.

Follow Up or Fail

Good follow-up alone will elevate you 90% above the average person. To solidify the connection, follow up when you said you would. Send a quick greeting within 24 hours. This is where the Power of 3 comes in: You need at least three different touchpoints to deepen a relationship. That means, for example, a follow-up email, a text message, and a coffee meeting.

Add them on LinkedIn and follow them on social media. It is now super easy to stay connected and remain engaged with other people’s lives. Use your DM’s to drop into people’s inboxes on a regular basis.

Ask for What You Need

You’ve now laid the foundation for a reciprocal relationship by identifying specific people who you want in your network. You’ve provided them immense value. You’ve followed up and stayed in contact. Now is the fun part—asking for something you need. It shouldn’t be that difficult once you have established trust. People generally love to help others. But they can’t offer assistance if they don’t know what you need.

Be specific, be grateful, and offer a “no pressure ask.” This means it’s okay if they say no. Not everyone will be helpful to you. Continue offering value, building your extended network, and being of service to others, and you will eventually get exactly what you need and more.

BONUS! Engaging Conversation Deepeners

How did you get started?


What do you enjoy the most?


What are the challenges of your work?


What do you love to do when you’re not working?

That’s amazing; tell me more.

About the author: After more than a decade producing events for high-profile and celebrity clients at powerhouse companies such as Creative Artists Agency and UCLA Anderson School of Management, Megan Accardo left her corporate career to help women navigate theirs. Prior to that, she earned her master’s degree in marital and family therapy (MFT) and ran her own counseling practice, implementing various programs and groups for women. Now, she is providing high-achieving women with the tools they need to reach a greater purpose and live a more impactful life. You can find her weekly on the Power Your Purpose podcast, at her dynamic workshops around Los Angeles, and inside her signature, one-on-one coaching program, From Stuck to Unstoppable. You can find her at @meganaccardo or meganaccardo.com.

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This story was originally published on October 15, 2019, and has since been updated.

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How to Land the Job You're Overqualified For

Photo: Christina Jones Photography

You have all of the qualifications and more, but you just can’t seem to land the job. Sound familiar? It’s harder to land a job that you’re overqualified for than you might think.

Employers want to hire an employee who is the right fit in every sense of the phrase. If an employer sees you as overqualified, their concern might be that the compensation won’t be enough to keep you in the role, or worse, that you’ll be bored in the role and won’t do well.

According to the Society for Human Resource Management, the result of poor job fit and employee turnover can cost an organization between 50 to 60% of the person’s annual salary. In other words, companies have to be extremely strategic when it comes to hiring, so if an interviewer or hiring manager has any inkling that you might not be the best candidate to fill the role, they will likely go with someone else.

Here are some tips for how to apply for a job you’re overqualified for—and get it!

TAILOR YOUR RÉSUMÉ TO THE JOB

Customize your résumé to meet the exact position you’re interested in. This is important when applying for any job, but when you’re overqualified for a position, it becomes even more crucial.

When you’re trying to customize your résumé to meet a job you’re overqualified for, the key is to highlight all of the skills and qualifications that the desired job description holds, and downplay unnecessary information that might deter someone from hiring you.

For example, if you held the title of client relationship manager and did everything from sales to client onboarding, to office management and administrative tasks, but you’re applying for an administrative assistant, you’ll want to highlight the office management and client-facing communication, and you’ll most likely want to downplay the sales aspects of your previous role.

Note: This does not mean that you should “dumb down” your résumé. It’s always great to highlight that you’re smart, strong, and capable, however when you’re applying for a job that you’re overqualified for, you need to highlight the requirements of the given job description and show your potential employer why you will be great and satisfied with the role. 

WORK THAT COVER LETTER

You can only customize a résumé so much. Your cover letter is where you can explain exactly why you want this specific position, and why you would be amazing at it. When you’re applying for a job that you’re overqualified for, use the cover letter to explain why you want to take on a role that may be beneath you.

This could be any reason, from caring deeply about a cause or wanting to work with this specific company, or even something more personal like relocation due to a family member. Whatever your reason is, use your cover letter to explain yourself and show the reader that you truly do want the position even if it might be a lower-level position that you’ve held in the past.

CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE

It’s easy to feel like you’re a shoo-in for the role if you have all of the qualifications and more, but try your best to look at it from the perspective of the hiring manager. Take note of the potential downfalls of hiring someone overqualified for the position, and aim to highlight why that won’t be a problem in your documents. Show all of the reasons why it would be beneficial to hire you and show the reader why you really want the job. Employers want to hire candidates who want to be there, and if you can show that through your résumé and cover letter, you will have a much better shot at securing the role.

Landing a job that you’re overqualified for is harder than you might expect, but if you can persuade your potential employer that you really want to take on the job and that you’re excited about it, the process will be much easier. Remember that it is a risk to hire an employee who is overqualified for a position, and show your potential employer why you’re worth that risk!

About the Author: A native San Franciscan, Michele Lando is a certified professional résumé writer and founder of writestylesonline.com. She has a passion for helping others present the best version of themselves, both on paper and in person, and works to polish an individual’s application package and personal style. Aiming to help create a perfect personal branding package, Write Styles presents tips to enhance your résumé, style, and boost your confidence.

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This story was originally published on May 17, 2018, and has since been updated.

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Stop Competing With Your Co-Workers, It's Not Healthy

Photo: Angelica Marie Photography for Create & Cultivate

A bout of healthy competition can be used to keep us on track and maintain our motivation, but how do we recognize when this feeling is no longer beneficial? We are all individuals with a unique skill set trying to advance in our careers, but when is competition no longer healthy? When our personal goals start to become greater than the goals of the company, or when our progress starts to be at the expense of a colleague, we have to reevaluate our motives us. What can we do when we start spelling TEAM with an “I?”

Below are four simple ways we can be better at using our competitive energy to benefit everyone on the team.

“I may excel at X, but I need to work on Y.”

As much as many type-A individuals may not like to admit it, we all have a set of weaknesses in addition to our strengths. Gasp! Jot down in your phone or notebook the skills you rock at and the tasks you could use an extra hand. Seek out a colleague who complements your skillset and work together on a project that requires both of your unique talents. It’s important to be honest with this task as the more truthful you are the more likely you will find a perfect match. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts!

“Where have you been all my life?” 

In addition to discovering a complementary skillset amongst our colleagues, it can also be helpful to find a match from a social perspective. The more we get to know our co-workers personally, the less “threatening” they are. Discover common interests by grabbing a latte together on break or a glass of rosé after work… you never know, you may just meet a new friend. When we become friendly with our colleagues, their success will often become our own. Find your partner in crime!

“#Squad”

Now that you and your previous nemesis have become friendly and have complemented each other on a recent work project, it’s time to unite together long term! Discover each other’s personal goals within the company and unite together on common long-term business goals. This unity doesn’t only have to be with one other colleague but can include an entire #squad. There truly is strength in numbers.

“Let's celebrate.”

When we accomplish a goal or finally submit a project we have been working on for months, celebrating is part of the journey! As much as it’s enjoyable to celebrate our own personal success, the party is so much better when we can share the moment with an entire team. Following your next submission with your #squad, plan a special night at your favorite restaurant and soak in all the success that has been accomplished together. No such thing as a party for one!  

About the Author: Blare June is a lifestyle blogger from Halifax, Nova Scotia. What makes Blare June's blog unique is that in addition to fashion she writes about mental illness, empowerment, and overall wellness. When Blare June isn't blogging, she is working as a physician specializing in psychiatry in Halifax. You can find Blare June on Instagram: @blarejune. 

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This story was originally published on April 12, 2016, and has since been updated.

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I’ve Been a Publicist for 15 Years—These Are My Top Tips for Getting Buzzworthy Press

Launching a business is one thing, but generating buzz around a business is another thing entirely. In fact, one of the most common questions we get from entrepreneurs, small business owners, and brand builders at both our digital and IRL events (and even on our social media channels!) is: How do I get buzzworthy press? So, to help answer that question, of course, we tapped our network of public relations pros.

Ahead, 17 publicists share their top tips for grabbing an editor’s attention. From writing a subject line that gets a response to securing an interview for their clients, the pros divulge their tried-and-true methods for crafting cold emails that stand out from the crowd, building relationships with media, and more. Scroll on for a masterclass in public relations (and grab a pen because, trust us, you’re going to want to take notes!).

Taylor Osumi

Account Supervisor at Autumn Communications

Experience: 9 years

The Tip: Do your homework! I know it sounds so cliché, but knowing not only what editors cover but how can mean the difference between an immediate pass or a potential story for a client. Make sure to skim topical news each morning and take the extra time to connect the dots and show why and HOW it can ladder back to your client in a meaningful way that audiences will care about. As a gut check, I always ask myself, “If I were skimming the online headlines and news, would this story angle I’m pitching or client news I’m sharing get me to pause and click to read further as a consumer?”  

Why It Works: Too often it may seem enticing to take the quick and easy route as a publicist, but it’s easy to forget that media are receiving hundreds of pitches a day on top of meeting their writing deadlines and fulfilling project tasks. I also always remind junior staff that media are people too—there is (really!) a person behind the email address who has passions and interests. Build a rapport with editors and make the effort to establish a true human connection with someone you pitch and interact with frequently—it truly goes the extra mile. Some of my favorite and strongest media relationships have been with people I’ve worked with digitally for YEARS, but have admittedly only met a few times in real life.  

Meghan Patke

President and CEO of Modern Currency PR

Experience: 16 years

The Tip: Be authentic.

Why It Works: I always try and encourage my team to step into the journalist’s shoes and ask yourself what you are trying to convey, and why this is a compelling story?

Practice active listening and reading; be informed of what’s out there and take your time.

If you can work your way back from the end goal, and feel confident that you have a timely and compelling “hook,” the rest just flows naturally. You never really need to force a good pitch or idea, and being authentic, well researched and read, and taking your time and enjoying the process of being a storyteller and brand-builder on behalf of your clients is a joyous process. I’m the daughter of academics and English professors, and love getting lost in the art of good writing and storytelling, and to take one’s time in crafting an idea, all in service of advocating for your clients, most of whom have truly remarkable and noteworthy stories to tell. A true privilege to be entrusted with such a responsibility, day in and day out.

Also, another good rule of thumb, quality oftentimes trumps quantity. No longer are we living in a day and age where a press release distributed over a wire service is as compelling or lands your story more visibility. Your goal is to be heard above the noise in this overly saturated market of news and content.

Oftentimes, you work tirelessly for months with one journalist and media outlet on one single long-form story that so beautifully captures the spirit of the client and experience—it’s so well worth it, and something I truly treasure. And as always, keep the long game in mind.

Kamari Guthrie

Founder and CEO of Kamari Chelsea

Experience: 16 years

The Tip: I tell my clients who are looking to get noticed, "Do something radically good." Millennials and Gen Z now make up billions in consumer spending, and they are most loyal to brands that are going beyond authenticity, and status quo charity. They're falling in love with brands that are leaning in and radically adjusting their strategy to do the right thing. For example, if a brand is the first to start including more diverse people in their ads and ethos (think Barbie or Calvin Klein's latest ads with Chika), or if a brand is treating its employees with fair pay, respect, equity, and inclusion (think Jose Andres paying his furloughed employees during the COVID pandemic), it is more likely to become buzzworthy than a brand that simply donates proceeds of a product one-time or occasionally does employee volunteer days. Think about how your brand can create a "blue ocean strategy" that sets them apart by doing something wildly impactful and good for their industry and society as a whole.

Why It Works: The number one reason this works is that Millennial and Gen Z buyers are the most socially conscious shoppers we've seen, and they want to hear more about brands that are doing the right thing. 93% of global consumers want to see more of the brands they use support worthy social and/or environmental issues. More and more, reporters look for opportunities to tell stories about brands that exemplify "radical good."

Sophie Weill 

Founder of Nude Nation

Experience: 11 years

The Tip: This might sound cliché, but the best tip for getting buzzworthy press is being discerning when it comes to who you represent and only taking on clients you are entirely aligned with and believe in. I'd also say that aside from having your finger on the pulse of what is relevant and understanding the mindset of the consumer, the second most important thing is really understanding the demographic of the outlet you are pitching and what type of content gets them the most traction. 

Why It Works: Only taking on clients you believe in wholeheartedly works because if you don't, that lack of authenticity will translate in every pitch, you won't be as creative and the editor will see right through ultimately resulting in lack of coverage. When it comes to deeply understanding the outlet and what does well for them this works because, at the end of the day, the outlet is looking for content that resonates with their community and is going to get them the most eyeballs. If your client can offer expertise, a product/service, a testimony or a story that will help the outlet achieve that, then it is more likely than not that they will be interested in running it.

Danielle Alvarez

Founder and CEO of The Bonita Project

Experience: 10 years

The Tip: My tip for getting buzzworthy press is a catchy email subject line and a short upfront, with bullet points that give the press some angle options on how to cover my client. Put your editorial shoes on and think what an editor would headline the story and what they'd want to cover—make their job easier.

Why It Works: I compete with so many other publicists to grasp an editor's attention, and while sometimes my emails get ignored, the ones that don't are because the subject line enticed them to open my email and I kept the upfront short. Sometimes we want to share too much but it can become an overwhelming read. Make it short, sweet, and use bullet points. It's easier to read and gets the pitch straight to the point.

Amanda Jacobs

SVP of AZIONE PR

Experience: 13 years 

The Tip: Craft a compelling story, and remember that media covers the news. 

Why It Works: A lot of markets are crowded, and for most consumer goods, something similar usually already exists out there so you need to have a strong story and brand narrative that separates your brand from what’s on the market. When pitching a new product or idea, I always ensure the story I’m telling highlights the key points of differentiation; why is this brand/product better than anything else the editor has heard of? I like to remind clients that "media covers the news” and if we don’t have news to talk about, how can we creatively craft a story that positions a brand to culturally relevant news? For example, I like to think about how we can lean into specific narratives or trends that we're seeing in the marketplace, and how our clients are driving those trends and tapping into the cultural zeitgeist.

Alysha Light

Founder of FLIGHT PR and co-founder of Joint PR

Experience: 15 years

The Tip: Share your expertise! Establishing yourself as a thought leader is PR gold. And what’s great about this is you don’t have to do this with every media outlet—even becoming a go-to with just a few in your industry can do wonders for your business and your brand.

Why It Works: Think about what it’s like for writers and journalists today, especially in light of the pandemic when many have seen their colleagues and teams cut or furloughed. They are literally pitched hundreds of times a day, with 99% of people just vying for their attention. You stand out from the crowd if you make it less about what you can get and more about what you can give, both to the writer and also to their readers. Be willing to share your expertise, unique insights, and point of view. 

Simona Rozhko 

Founder and CEO of evna media

Experience: 9 years

The Tip: Know who you're pitching editor-wise and have a solid understanding of the reader of the outlet you're pitching. It's not a one size fits all approach. There are different types of editors at every publication; features editors, deputy editors, associate editors, managing editors, directors, etc. Similarly, there are different demographics and lifestyle habits of readers at each outlet. While stories and angles can overlap sometimes, it's important for publicists to keep grooming their research and be diligent about the pitch angle they're sending to an editor and their respective outlet.

Why It Works: If you're not already close with the editor, they will feel a sense of thoughtfulness from you knowing what their lane is. The worst thing is getting pitched something that doesn't fall into their vertical or vein. The more you can relate your client, brand, or product to an editor and outlet's reader the more it makes sense for them to be featured. This works for evna media pitching strategies a lot. You should be pitching smarter, not harder. It's a two-way street though, editors need publicists just as much as publicists need editors. We run into responses like "kindly passing on this" too, but sometimes that offers an opportunity to brainstorm together where you can counter with a different angle or something that might make more sense for their editorial calendar for that moment. We are storytellers for our clients so there are always ideas pumping.

Christina Cattarini

Founder of CC PR

Experience: 12 years 

The Tip: Timing is key when it comes to securing buzz-worthy press. 

Why It Works: It’s important to constantly pay attention to the news cycle and know what’s happening in the world so you can find new and creative ways to not only work your client/brand into the narrative but also make them stand out.

Laila Dar

Founder of Rani Public Relations

Experience: Publicist for 6 years and an agency owner for 1 year

The Tip: Get straight to the point.

Why It Works: Editors have incredibly stressful jobs. Between juggling meetings, interviews, reading, researching, writing, and the day-to-day stresses of work-life, they’re also being flooded with pitches nonstop. If you were in that position, would you want to sit down and read a six-paragraph pitch about why XYZ brand is so amazing? Heck no! That's why you need to get straight to the point with your email pitch. Pinpoint exactly why your brand story or product is a good fit for that editor’s audience, then communicate that with a quick intro, concise bullet points, and links to your website/social channels. Don't forget to include an image that best represents your brand and the story you are trying to communicate. Before you send that pitch, ask yourself: Would an editor be able to skim through this email and immediately understand what my brand is all about? If the answer is yes, then you’ll be one step closer to buzzworthy press.

Nikole Flores

Head of PR at Little Voice PR (a.k.a LVPR)

Experience: 12 years

The Tip: My #1 tip for getting "buzzworthy press" would be leveraging something that is of the "moment" and/or culturally relevant. 

Why It Works: We live in a world where news travels and breaks faster than ever before, so unless you're pitching something disruptive, you need to be able to leverage the current news cycle and what's trending. In order to stay on top of that, you have to have a voracious appetite for reading all types of media and coming up with a strong storyline. A great founder story is something we find very valuable as a way to connect a brand with consumers.

BJ Coleman

President of Image Elevators, Inc.

Experience: 20 years

The Tip: My number one tip for getting buzzworthy press is understanding the art of persuasion.  

Why It Works: Your heading, subject line, and the first sentence in your announcement must be attention-grabbing and alluring! Persuasive communication is key to catching the eye of a reporter and convincing them their audience is best to receive your news item. Any true PR professional understands that persuasive communication can get you everything you need—it’s all in how it’s presented and how it’s said!

Ingrid Quiroz 

Owner and Publicist of dallasprmaven 

Experience: Publicist for 10 years and agency owner for 2 years

The Tip: My “BVT” Checklist 

Why It Works: I work with a diverse range of creatives and entrepreneurs, and sometimes they can get ahead of themselves and think they’re ready to get coverage. However, in order to create buzzworthy press, all moving parts need to be aligned. I basically go through a quick checklist that I call BVT (branding, voice, and time) before even considering their story or announcement media-worthy. Each brand/entrepreneur has to have their branding updated and ready, ensure the person who will be connecting with the media is prepared and energized to answer any press inquiries, and also, from a time perspective, they are available to take on these interviews once confirmed. Nothing is worse than pitching, getting interest, and my client isn’t available. 

Benjamin Almeter

Founder and Managing Director of Dispatch

Experience: 8 years

The Tip: Create a story worth telling.

Why It Works: Put yourself in the editor’s shoes. Their jobs revolve around uncovering news and telling stories people want to hear. How can you make your story compelling and more newsworthy? Is it a timely hook, identifying a new trend, doing something that hasn’t been done before?

When brainstorming initiatives, new launches, activations, etc with teams—we’re always thinking, “Ok, but what’s the story.” Building the story into the execution itself is a big step in guaranteeing a buzzworthy launch.

We also focus heavily on creating excitement around a story opportunity. If we can’t get the editor excited about the initiatives ourselves, we look to the influences of that editor—i.e., who are they following on Instagram? How can we get those people talking about what we’re up to? That way the editor isn’t just being told by a PR they should be paying attention, they’re stumbling upon the story opportunity themselves. 

Rachael Matican 

Founder of Rachael Matican Consulting 

Experience: 14 years 

The Tip: Put thought into who you’re reaching out to and why and be a publicist people want to work with

Why It Works: It’s important to know your client/brand and what you’re specifically pitching and to whom. Make sure you’re doing your homework and finding editors or journalists that will find your pitch relevant. Be informative without overloading, no one wants to read a novel on a new product launch or a generic press release. Tailor your emails to be specific to the outlets and editors you’re reaching out to. Editors get so many emails every day so make sure you’re sending something that makes sense to them. 

Also, this may seem obvious but get back to people quickly. Even if you don’t have an update or an answer right away, let the editor know you’ve received their email/request and that you’re working on it. And then actually get it done quickly. This doesn’t go unnoticed and they’ll remember your sense of urgency, even if it wasn’t that urgent. Be the publicist they want to work with and continue going to for their stories, photoshoots, etc. 

Lastly, I don’t believe in being overly formal. There is a time and place for everything, but I represent mainly fashion brands and I’m talking about clothing most of the day, there should be some fun with it.  I recommend sending emails in a tone that doesn't come across as impersonal or too formal. Seeing a stale subject line or a pitch about a product with no imagery is definitely off-putting. I’ve seen subject lines that look like an email blast, that is a quick way to have your email go unread. Emails to editors should be personalized, maybe you follow an editor on IG and saw they were on vacation recently, mention that. Or perhaps there was an article of theirs that you recently read and it resonated with you in some way, share that with them, especially if it has something to do with what you’re reaching out about.

Jessy Klein-Fofana 

Founder and CEO of LaRue PR

Experience: 23 years

The Tip: Share newsworthy, timely info. Info and insights that are relevant to what is happening in the world around you.

Why It Works: “New” is always compelling to the media as is “news.” Things that are definitively related to current events in the news, pop culture, business, are always compelling when pursuing press.

Jane Richards 

Founder of JSR Communications

Experience: 9 years

The Tip: Get to the point, quickly! Once you have thoughtfully researched a reporter's beat, lead with what makes you and your company unique—and always include a call to action. If you can share what sets you apart from competitors, you will stand out as an expert in your field, and somebody the reporter would benefit from connecting with. Since reporters receive upwards of 1,000 pitches each day and only have a few seconds to review your email, you need to pique their interest right off the bat. 

Why It Works: When you have only a few seconds of a reporter’s attention, succinctly share who you are, what you do that is novel, and why you have a valuable perspective to offer. Being respectful of their limited time is key for media relations. And remember, even if you don’t get an immediate reply, reporters keyword search through their inbox when they are sourcing for stories, so your pitch and call-to-action live on in their inbox and can rise to the top for future articles.

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13 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Accepting a Job Offer

Photo: Ekaterina Bolovtsova for Pexels

The New York Times published a piece titled "13 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Getting Married." And since a job is a marriage of sorts, we started thinking about 13 questions you should really ask yourself before accepting a job. We aren't talking first jobs, but career makers. The kind you stick with for the long-haul, through thick, through thin, through sickness and in health; marriage material kind of jobs. It's a mistake to accept a position with the intention of leaving.

In the same way that hiring mistakes can be very costly, the same can be said for accepting the wrong offer. If the position is not the right fit, you are going to end up on job boards and sending out résumés all over again. While landing a job is tough, accepting the wrong position can be detrimental to your career. We're thinking long distance, not sprints. 

1. Started from the bottom, now you’re where?

Is there room for growth? If for instance, you're starting as an assistant, is the company prone to promote from within? Before accepting, make sure there is a "here" to get to.

A good way to figure this out is to check out the following: 

2. What’s the turnover rate for employees?

With a little research, it's easy to find how long the oldest employee has been at the company. If the turnover rate is incredibly high, or the oldest employee has only been working there a year, consider why this might be the case. 

Are there employees who started in your current offered position? Where are they now?

3. Do you want your boss’s job?

This is a tricky question to answer.

Because sure, the idea of being the boss might seem illustriously tempting to you, but taking your boss’s job should not be the end goal. Excel at your position and work to be promoted, sure, but your takeover strategy shouldn't revolve around taking over someone else’s position. 

4. Are you willing to work weekends? Nights? Early AMs?

What kind of hours are you willing to clock? For most of us, the 40-hour workweek myth is just that. So think about how you're going to feel when you get an email from your boss on a Sunday. 

Do you need a position that has a clear clock-in and clock-out, or are you comfortable with stress-related rapid-fire texts from your boss on the weekend? (They happen. They're real.) Your heart needs to be in it, in order to win it. 

5. Could your boss double as a mentor?

Is your potential boss someone you admire and respect? At least from the outside. Unlike a relationship or marriage, it's impossible to predict how well you will work with someone—especially during crunch time or in high-stress, high-pressure situations, before you work with them. 

So do the research. What kind of reputation does your boss have? How do the current employees seem to feel about their jobs? When you went in for your interview, what did the office environment feel like? Was it sunshine and butterflies and rainbows or were there grumpy cat rainclouds above everyone’s desk?

Working well with someone who is "bossing" you is a major factor to consider. 

6.  Will you be challenged?

Forget a cushy job. At this point in your career, you should desire a position that grows your skills and expands your offerings as an employee—just in case you wind up having to divorce this position. 

If you know you'll be able to set goals to outperform yourself, you will not only make yourself invaluable to the company, but you'll also be making an investment in your future that will pay in dividends. 

7. Will you resent your salary in six months? 

It's very rare to be head-over-heels in love with your salary from the start, but around 40% of women report being unsatisfied with their current pay. It's one thing to accept a salary or wage that is below asking, it's another to accept a wage that is well beneath you. 

You'll end up angry, frustrated, and ultimately, less productive. 

8. Are there benefits? 

Health care costs add up, and they are something you should factor into your decision. Don't get blind-sighted by the salary without considering other costs you may incur on your own. 

Most companies that offer benefits do so after 90 days. Be sure to ask what the company policy is, and if they don't have benefits, check out our post on how to negotiate benefits. 

9. Is it corporate, startup, or freelance? And is the environment right for you?

You know you best. So when it comes to choosing the right office culture, think hard. The corporate job might pay more, but are you going to become frustrated and disillusioned when every idea you have has to be vetted by ten people up the ladder? Are you willing to commit to the kind of hours a startup requires? 

If you're accepting a freelance job make sure to set parameters before committing. Don't accept a job where the expectations are so high, you're primed for failure. 

10. What’s your commute?

The average U.S. worker commutes approximately 26 minutes to work each day. Could you imagine commuting more than that?

Here's the rub. Most employees are spending much more on commuting than they realize. From gas to maintenance, it's an important factor to consider in the long-run. 

A nasty commute can contribute to a nasty attitude. If you're spending over an hour in the car in the AM, you're not going to arrive at the office bright, cheery, and ready to put in work.

11. What are the potential problems?

As with any relationship, there will be issues. Outline what you think they will be—from long hours to travel complications to communication issues, and be honest with yourself if they are problems you can accept. 

Once you accept them, don't moan and groan when they crop up. 

12. Have you checked out Glassdoor?

With a database of millions of company reviews, CEO-approval ratings, and salary reports, you can do a bit of online shopping before you buy into the company. 

13. Is this your dream J-O-B?

By all means, what are you waiting for? Sign that offer letter and get ready for a lifetime of career happiness. (But also remember, that it's when the dream becomes a reality, the real work starts.)

Love this story? Pin the below graphic to your Pinterest board.

This story was originally published on April 4, 2016, and has since been updated.

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Ask a Confidence Coach—11 Tips to Take Your Career to the Next Level

Photo: Create & Cultivate

Show of hands: Who has heard the phrase “confidence is key” before? Are you with me on this? From elementary school murals to iPhone screensavers, this common phrase is plastered everywhere, and for good reason. I truly believe that confidence is key for many areas of your life, but if you’re like me, I only think about confidence in personal settings. My personality, looks, and sense of humor are all things that I easily see as areas needing confidence. But the one area I’ve always struggled feeling confident in? My career. And that’s where Heather Monahan comes in. 

Monahan is a best-selling author, keynote speaker, entrepreneur, and founder of Boss in Heels. Having successfully climbed the corporate ladder for nearly 20 years, Monahan’s book “Confidence Creator” illustrates the tough lessons she’s learned throughout her career that have helped her develop the self-assurance necessary for getting what she wanted in life. Below, Monahan shares 11 ways you can take your career to the next level by feeding your own. Here’s what she recommends.

Figure Out Where Your Passions and Talents Lie

When you are spending your time in your superpower you feel so confident. What I mean by that is if your talent is highlighted when you are interacting with others, but you are currently in a job where you only interact with spreadsheets on your computer, you need to change roles. Figuring out where your passions and talents are is critical to becoming your most confident self at work. This is the single most important thing you can do. When we speak about what we know and love, we are more confident.  Identify your superpower and spend your time there. 

Bring Your Confidence to Work (Even If You Have to Fake It Sometimes)

Confidence everywhere is important. Here is an example: I was hired by an association to give my keynote speech. On the conference call the week before the event, the new president was laying out expectations for me. This is what he said: “Heather, this is my first year as president and there is so much pressure on me to create a stellar event. If your speech is amazing then I am golden, if you blow it I fail. You cannot blow it.” I laughed in my head. I could hear how he was lacking confidence in his new role. Thankfully, I am very confident in my speaking abilities, and here is what I said: “Have no fear. I will nail this and you will look like a superstar. You can take that to the bank.”

He started laughing and thanked me for being so confident, it put him at ease. However, if I had said to him, “I am so sorry you are feeling this pressure. It sounds really hard. I can promise I will try my best,” (while a fair response) it would not have been the confident response my client needed in his moment of fear. Bringing confidence to work is the difference between existing and excelling. People want to work with people that are confident because it makes them feel comfortable.

Confront Your Misconceptions and Limiting Beliefs

This is the million-dollar question. Statistics show that women feel less confident than men beginning at age eight. What this says to me is the way we are raised—the self-limiting beliefs that are imposed on us through culture, society, media, and the “lanes” that are created for women—all impact our confidence. We are told to be a certain weight, look pretty, be kind and gentle, be smart but not too smart, and on and on. What I have learned over the last two decades is pretty much everything I was taught as a child needs to be re-examined now.

I was raised as the “social” one and my sister was the “smart” one. I walked through life carrying these labels with me and allowing myself to be limited as a result. Confronting these misconceptions and moving into my fear allowed me to create confidence in myself; however, it was pretty scary. Realizing that we create our own reality and we allow for or choose not to accept others’ opinions or limitations is incredibly empowering. For years, I had played small at work because I saw that it allowed others to feel more comfortable. When I would rise up or step into my power I would see others feel uncomfortable. 

Deciding to own my power has allowed me to take off in business and in my life. It starts with you and me deciding to live our lives by our own rules. Confidence is a choice. 

Make Goals and Stretch Yourself Every Day

There are so many things. Leverage LinkedIn. Everyone has a personal brand. Make the conscious decision to hold the pen when orchestrating your personal brand. If you don’t do this others will be writing the outline for your brand and deciding your story. LinkedIn is a fantastic place to showcase your highlight reel at work. This is where you want to list your accomplishments, accolades, and reviews. We live in a word-of-mouth society and the best words are the ones others share about us.

The next time someone says, “Great job!” convert that feedback in the moment and ask that person to write a review of your work on your LinkedIn wall. Get in the habit of doing this and watch the credibility and traction you create. Have a goal. Whether it is to make 10 sales calls today or to reach out to three new potential mentors, you need to have a big picture goal and vision of your future and you need to have micro-goals that you will accomplish each day. Surround yourself with people that are ahead of you, as they will help to stretch you beyond what you see as your current potential.

“Make the conscious decision to hold the pen when orchestrating your personal brand.”

Be Prepared to Step Into the Uncomfortable Sometimes

If you lack confidence, you will not pitch yourself for the job that doesn’t exist or for the promotion right in front of you. The first time I pitched myself for a vision I had, which was not an existing job, others said to me that it wouldn’t work and others had the same idea, but the company wouldn’t want to implement it. In that moment, if I lacked confidence, I would have accepted that answer and backed away. Thankfully, I was confident in my abilities at work and I called the president of the company, met with him face-to-face, and closed him on my idea. 

That idea more than doubled the company’s revenues during my tenure at the company. If you want to move up, you need to create confidence so you can step into the uncomfortable and move beyond what has always been. When you create confidence, you also allow yourself to innovate and see things others might not be able to see.  Confidence allows for creativity and authenticity which are key in getting ahead at work. 

“Faking it ‘till you make it will help you to get through difficult times, but it is never the long term answer.”

Confidence Is Earned

Confidence is such an interesting thing. I believe we are all born with the same baseline. However, we are immediately impacted by our surroundings and the individuals we are interacting with. There are so many people that I meet who have amazing parents, wealth, and health and create confidence immediately from their surroundings. What is interesting is those same people as adults when faced with losing their parents crumble. When your confidence comes from an external place it can’t be sustained.

I know this first hand. I had associated my confidence with my job title and my paycheck. The day I got fired, my confidence came crumbling down. The important thing to know is regardless of if you have confidence today or don’t, you can create it in any moment. The act of reading this article is creating confidence as you are accessing knowledge to better yourself. Confidence is not something that some are born with and some are not. Confidence is something that anyone can create and that can falter at different times in your life or different areas of your life.

Some may be confident in their personal life but not at work and some may be really confident in their workout but not when dating. Confidence is different at different times in your life and different situations, but through practice and discipline, you can become masterful in creating it and realizing your true potential.

The “Fake It ‘Till You Make It” Mantra Works… Until It Doesn’t

This mantra served me well in corporate America. Back in the day, I lacked confidence at work for many reasons. One of the big issues is because I had been told by many to dress a certain way, look a certain way, and change how I really am. The more you move away from the authentic you, the more you chip away at your confidence.

Over time, my confidence was dropping. When that happened, I began to allow others to treat me poorly at work. When I allowed for that, my confidence started spiraling. I still had a very high position in the company and would have to address employees and audiences often. In those moments, I would fake my confidence. I would take the stage or the mic and “pretend” I was ultra-confident. This worked and so many people believed it. The real fail is I didn’t believe it. Faking it till you make it will help you to get through difficult times, but it is never the long-term answer.  

Practice Gratitude and Visualization

Using affirmations daily works. As does:

• Writing notes on the bottom of your shoe, which is a great reminder to pick you up when your confidence dips. 

• Wearing your power color to work will allow you to feel your best.

• Putting yourself first and investing in you will build your confidence. 

• Deciding to no longer apologize and instead thank others will help you to feel stronger.

• Taking others off of the proverbial pedestal will allow you to feel on level ground with others which creates confidence. 

• Scents like lavender or anything that resonates with you can help when you are lacking confidence.

• Creating a confidence playlist and theme song will help you to ignite confidence before a big meeting. -Writing down three things you are grateful for each day will shift your mindset. 

• Practicing visualizing the life, promotion, meeting you want to happen will start things in motion and ready you for your dreams to manifest.”  

Clothing Can Be a Powerful Tool

For years, I would wear a navy blue pantsuit because I had listened to the prescriptive direction others had imposed on me. These days, I rock ripped jeans and bodysuits and I feel powerful. Being true to your style and what you feel great in will always help you to be more confident. Trying to follow what others tell you will work is a recipe for failure. You have the answers for you. You know what you like to wear and what you don’t like to wear. Show up as you and shine your light ripped jeans and all.  

Ditch the Fear and Do It Anyway

For years, I sat paralyzed by my fear. I would go to work in a toxic environment and cry at home at night because I felt stuck at the job that paid my bills. I was so fearful I would make excuses as to why I had to stay. I never thought, “Why don’t I leap and see what happens?” I now see fear as a green light that means GO! Not only go, but go faster. If I had leapt years ago, I would be so much further now. Done will always be better than perfect and failure only occurs if you quit. I am not a quitter. 

I have had countless failures since I was fired and re-invented myself as an entrepreneur but each failure leads me to a new place, a better place as long as I just keep going. Like anything, you can build your strength and conquer new levels of fear. Start small and take baby steps. Talk to a new person in line at Starbucks today. Then tomorrow use that experience to allow you to share your new idea at work with your boss. Keep amassing these small wins by confronting your fear, and before you know it, you will have momentum that will propel you to smash through fear. What’s the worst that can happen?

This story was originally published on July 15, 2019, and has since been published.

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8 Million Tons of Plastic End Up in Our Oceans Every Year—This Entrepreneur Is on a Mission to Change That

We know how daunting it can be to start a new business, especially if you’re disrupting an industry or creating an entirely new one. When there is no path to follow, the biggest question is, where do I start? There is so much to do, but before you get ahead of yourself, let’s start at the beginning. To kick-start the process, and ease some of those first-time founder nerves, we’re asking successful entrepreneurs to share their stories in our new series, From Scratch. But this isn’t your typical day in the life profile. We’re getting into the nitty-gritty details—from writing a business plan (or not) to sourcing manufacturers and how much they pay themselves—we’re not holding back.

Photo: Courtesy of Sarah Paiji Yoo

When Sarah Paiji Yoo became a new mom, she was shocked to learn the water she was using to make baby formula contained hundreds of pieces of microplastics. She discovered that most of our everyday products, from toothpaste and lotion to household cleaners, come packaged in plastic that, when discarded, finds its way into our waterways and oceans and leads to it showing up in our drinking water and food. “That’s when I decided to cut back on my own plastic consumption, but I quickly realized there were so few non-plastic choices as a consumer,” Yoo tells Create & Cultivate.

Yoo, who started her career in finance at McKinsey, Goldman Sachs, and Berkshire Partners before becoming a serial retail entrepreneur, decided she could have a positive impact on the environment if she built a business that offered everyday products in reusable packaging, which is how Blueland was born. Founded with the goal of ending single-use plastic, the brand pairs reusable glass bottles with revolutionary refill tablets of either hand or dish soap, household cleaner, or laundry detergent, eliminating the need for plastic spray bottles, refillable containers, and the like.

Ahead, the entrepreneur tells Create & Cultivate how she built Blueland from scratch, including why she didn’t write a business plan, how she knew VC funding was right for her company, and what the future holds for the brand post-COIVD.

Can you tell us a bit about your background and what you were doing professionally before launching Blueland?

I’ve been a serial retail entrepreneur for the past 10+ years. I started my journey in startups after I “dropped out” of Harvard Business School and founded Snapette, the largest mobile platform for local fashion shopping at the time, and was eventually sold to leading e-commerce platform Pricegrabber in 2013. I was then a founding partner at a startup studio LAUNCH and helped launch a range of brands including M.Gemi and Rockets of Awesome. Prior to jumping into start-ups, I built my career in finance at McKinsey, Goldman Sachs, and Berkshire Partners.

How did you come up with the name Blueland? What was the process like, how did you know it was the right name, and what are some of the things you considered during that process?

The name Blueland derives from the idea that our planet is all our collective home. We thought of it through the realization that we may rid all this single-use plastic from our houses, but it continues to exist for centuries on this planet, our collective home. It encompasses the notion that our home does not stop at our doorstep, or even the water’s edge, and embodies our hope to return the oceans to their natural, pristine state. We also wanted a name that was very simple and strong, easy to spell, and for which we could own the domain name. 

Did you write a business plan? If so, was it helpful, and if not, what did you use to guide your business instead?

I didn’t write a business plan. In fact, while I’ve launched several businesses in my career, I’m actually not exactly sure what a “business plan” is! My co-founder and I did lay out for ourselves the problem we wanted to solve (single-use plastic packaging), our mission, vision, and potential solutions. We weren’t attached to a single way or path of solving this problem and instead wanted to make sure we had the flexibility to change our plans based on testing, learning, and iterating.

What were the immediate things you had to take care of to set up the business? 

Secure the domain name, trademark, and social media handles and incorporate the business.

What research did you do for the brand beforehand, and why would you recommend it?

I scoured the internet for publicly available information related to sustainable consumer products and cleaning products. I spoke with over 50 different scientists, industry experts, and manufacturers. Starting a brand new business is really hard, so do your research and whatever you can to become an expert on the space and products. 

How did you find the manufacturers you work with? What advice can you share for fellow business owners on finding the right partners?

We had to be incredibly creative in finding a manufacturer since these products simply did not exist, and traditional cleaning product manufacturers do not have tablet-making capabilities. We spoke with over 50 different potential manufacturers, across a range of industries (even candy manufacturers) before finding the perfect set of partners. My biggest advice would be to make early strategic hires who can help you with the process. One of ours was our head of product development, who was formerly the director of formulation at Method. He’s been a critical part of finding the best manufacturers and developing the cleanest, effective formulas.

How did you fund Blueland? What were the challenges and what would you change? Would you recommend that route to other entrepreneurs?

My co-founder and I did bootstrap it for the first year of our work and self-funded our idea and product development. Eventually, we raised a $3 million seed round led by a VC firm. Venture capital is likely not the best type of funding for most businesses. Ultimately you need to understand what the expectations are with the form of funding that you are taking and if that matches how you want to build your business over time. VC investment often comes with expectations of high, fast growth, getting to a large valuation, and giving up some control in the form of board seats. 

How much did you decide to pay yourself, and how did you determine what to pay yourself?

We paid ourselves a fraction of what we were making in salary at our previous roles. For us, we wanted to be able to use as much of the capital to build the business.

How big is your team now, and what has the hiring process been like? 

Currently, we have 24 employees. Hiring has always been one of my highest priorities. Some weeks I still spend hours on LinkedIn looking for and reaching out to interesting talent, for both current open roles as well as roles that we may not be hiring for right at the moment. I’ve learned to start hiring early and be patient because it can take a long time to find the right person, but the right person is absolutely worth searching and waiting for.

Did you hire an accountant? Who helped you with the financial decisions and setup? 

I actually started my career in finance and management consulting. I really loved and valued my experiences at places like Goldman Sachs and McKinsey, as they helped me develop a strong foundational understanding of business and also enabled me to go deep in areas like accounting and finance, which I still lean on today. 

My advice would be for founders to really know their numbers. Always hire great talent in the fields you need help with, but when it comes to finances, make sure you know critical numbers like your costs and customer economics in detail.

What has been the biggest learning curve during the process of establishing your business?

I would say my biggest learning curve and takeaway has been don’t see problems, see opportunities. In all my past failures, I had to stop and realize there was little-to-no value in being stressed or upset, and a lot of value in learning from them and pushing myself to be better the next time around. 

How did you promote your company? How did you get people to know who you are and create buzz?

Marketing is incredibly important because it’s all about figuring out and delivering what matters most to consumers, and how to do it profitably and at scale. At the very start, we were focused purely on organic growth and wanted to focus on achieving product-market fit before investing in any paid marketing. Today, we are more active in running paid social ads, search ads as well as TV commercials. Social media has also become one of the most important marketing channels for us—we grew to almost 200K Instagram followers in just one year. It allows us to both reach new customers organically as well as engage with our existing customers every single day.

Do you have a business coach or mentor? How has this person helped, and would you recommend one? 

I feel very fortunate to have a range of people that I consider as both mentors and friends who I can turn to with my biggest business, career, and life questions. They include former bosses, current and former investors, and even a former professor. I’ve never asked someone formally, “Will you be my mentor?,” but rather these relationships have all developed organically out of close working relationships and genuine connections.

How has COVID-19 impacted your business operations and financials? What tactics and strategies have you put in place to pivot and ensure your business is successful through this period?

Demand for our cleaning products and hand soaps increased by over 300% within the first few months of COVID hitting the U.S. as effectively and frequently cleaning down surfaces and hands became a priority for many consumers. Many conventional brands were also sold out both online and in-stores, and many consumers were hesitant to venture into physical retailers and opted to shop online. We’ve continued to focus on how to make it increasingly convenient to purchase online, including our subscription offering, which we introduced during the pandemic. 

We’ve continued to see the elevated level of sales remain through today. For us, despite the pandemic, we’re finding that our environmental mission continues to resonate with and attract new consumers who are still cleaning and washing their hands at elevated levels. 

What short-term changes will be crucial to your business strategy long-term post-COVID-19 and what plans are you making for when we get back to “normal?” 

We believe we are well-positioned for long-term success beyond this pandemic as we continue to focus on building a strong foundation and fundamentals for the business that will continue to benefit us in a post-pandemic world. This includes our robust portfolio of effective but money-saving products, defensible innovation with over 40 patents pending, an authentic mission-driven brand with a large and engaged community, and a financially sustainable business model. We’ve also increased our focus on highlighting the efficacy of our products and showcasing the test results we have from third-party labs that show our products work extremely well. Previously, we were much more focused on our eco messaging, but believe that going forward, consumers will be equally interested in efficacy.

What advice can you share for small business owners, founders, and entrepreneurs who are also reeling in response to COVID-19?

Brands that can prove that they are providing an essential or desirable good/service, even during a pandemic, will emerge stronger. It’s also critical for brands to also make it increasingly convenient to purchase online and not focus energy purely on brick-and-mortar for the foreseeable future. 

For those who haven’t started a business (or are about to), what advice do you have?

Break down your big goals into small steps. For example, with Blueland, the initial goal to tackle creating cleaning tablets seemed massive. We needed an amazing chemist with relevant experience, we needed to find a manufacturer that could make dry tablets, we needed to find a way to package them in paper instead of plastic, etc. We started breaking the problem down into daily actions that we could take to keep moving forward towards our goal (i.e. we got on LinkedIn one night and literally messaged hundreds of chemists to see who would speak with us). You also really need to hold yourself accountable for the things you commit to doing each day. It ensures important steps are moving forward and at a good pace.

What is your number one piece of financial advice for any new business owner and why?

Shop around and sign up for a high-interest savings account. After raising funding, we had millions of dollars that were now in the bank and could be earning interest. We looked around for savings and money market accounts to find which banks offered the higher interest rates. The difference in annual income we could earn just from interest rates could support one to two full-time hires, so it definitely was an area worth spending time on and only took about 5-6 hours in total.

If you could go back to the beginning with the knowledge you have now, what advice would you give yourself and why?

I would tell myself to stay tenacious and relentlessly optimistic. It’s going to be a long, iterative path, and most of the time you’re not going to feel 100% ready, or 100% prepared, but there will be breakthroughs when you least expect it and you can’t let doubt thwart progress.

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The Answers to These Two Questions Might Make or Break Your Interview

Photo: Edmond Dantès for Pexels

Transition time in between jobs is common and isn’t necessarily bad, however, it is important to figure out how to handle time in between jobs so it benefits you and doesn’t reflect negatively on your career.

Whatever the reason is for your temporary unemployment, you’re not alone; there’s at least one person out there in the same or a similar position as you. People will often be understanding about temporary employment gaps as long as you explain yourself.

Having a break in employment is okay.

But be prepared for hiring managers and/or recruiters to ask you two questions…

Why do you have a break in employment?

What have you been doing/what did you do during this time?

The answers you provide to these two simple questions could make or break you in an interview. A recruiter for a nationally recognized company recently told me a story about a candidate the company interviewed. They initially thought she would be a great fit for the position because she had the qualifications, but she had a six-month gap in employment. The employment gap wasn’t the deal-breaker, however, her answer to the question about what she did during those six months was. She gave a very vague answer that she hung out and relaxed with friends. That doesn’t sound like a bad way to spend six months, but it also isn’t a good answer to give in an interview. The company ended up going with another candidate who seemed to be more motivated and goal-oriented.

If she had said something about how she wasn’t happy at her old position so she decided to take time to figure out what she really wanted from her career, things might have gone differently for her.

Perfect your elevator pitch.

Elevator pitches are often used for companies and brands, but having a personal elevator pitch is also important. If you do have a gap in employment, come up with an elevator pitch to explain your situation.

A good example of an elevator pitch is something like this:

“I always thought I wanted to be in [industry], but when I got the position I wanted it wasn’t the right fit for me. I did learn a lot about myself and decided to take some time off to figure out what I really want from my career. I did a lot of research, and I’m ready to take on new challenges with this role.”

An answer like this shows that you made a conscious decision to leave your job for your long-term benefit and have since taken steps to ensure you’re moving towards the right career path. This answer shows thought, confidence and ambition to reach your goal.

When you’re thinking about how to handle time in between jobs, answer the following questions…

Is there something you could do during this time that would benefit your career in any way?

Could you volunteer somewhere? 

Could you take a class?

Could you learn a new skill?

Is this downtime worth it to you?

The point of answering these questions is to put a value on your time and make it useful. Volunteering, taking classes, or taking up a hobby will not only help you make use of your time, but it will also help you give a good answer about your time off when asked in an interview.

Stay active. 

While you may not be working for profit, one of the most important things to do when you’re in between jobs is to stay active. Start volunteering for a local charity or at local businesses/community centers.

When you have a large employment gap and you’re looking for a job, the worst thing you could do is sit around. Staying active in your community will give you something to put on your résumé and it will help you network. You never know who you’ll meet and who will notice your work ethic. A recent government study found that volunteering is associated with 27% higher odds of employment.

Volunteering isn’t only about networking, but it gives you something current to put on your résumé. If the first thing someone sees is a large employment gap, your résumé may get overlooked simply because of the fact that there is nothing current on it. However, if you start volunteering, you can use that to fill in the time where you weren’t working. 

If you haven’t done anything in your transition time, come up with a good reason why.

If you have just been sitting around, you better come up with a good explanation for it, or you can kiss your chances of landing that great job goodbye.

An example of a good answer as to why you didn't do much during your transition time is this:

“While I learned a lot at my last job, it wasn’t the right fit for me, and it became draining. I made the decision to leave that position, take time for myself, recharge, and figure out my next career move. Over the last few months, I have really focused in on what I’m looking for in a job, and that is x, y, and z. Now that I’ve had the time to recharge, I’m ready to get back into the swing of things and follow my passion of ___.”

If you’re going to take time off, make it worth it and clearly explain your reasoning in an interview.

About the author: A native San Franciscan, Michele Lando is a certified professional résumé writer and founder of writestylesonline.com. She has a passion for helping others present the best version of themselves, both on paper and in person, and works to polish individuals' application package and personal style. Aiming to help create a perfect personal branding package, Write Styles presents tips to enhance your résumé, style, and boost your confidence.

This story was originally published on March 7, 2018, and has since been updated.

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Your Complete Checklist to Writing a Résumé From Scratch

Photo: ColorJoy Stock by Christina Jones Photography

Writing a résumé is hard, and it’s often something that’s not taught in school, so consider this your crash course in how to write a résumé that will land you the job.

Now, first things first. Before you start listing your qualifications, it’s important to know what you want to gain from your résumé. What are you going to use it for? Will you be applying to higher education programs, internships, or jobs? If you’re already in the workforce, do you want to stay on the same career path or do you want to transition into something different?

Your résumé will differ greatly depending on your answers to these questions, so it’s crucial to go through this exercise before getting started. Next, you’ll want to gather your information. So let’s get started.

Contact Information

When you’re figuring out what information to include on a résumé, start with the basics. You should always create a header with your contact information. Make sure you include the following:

• Phone number

• Email address

• Location (Just include your city and state; no need to write down your exact address.)

• Website if applicable (Note this is NOT your LinkedIn profile. If you’re using LinkedIn correctly, you will be easily searchable, so there’s no need to include the direct link on your résumé.)

Headlining Statement

A headlining statement is a crucial part of a résumé. It takes the place of what once was an “objective” but is much more effective. Think of a headlining statement as a snapshot of your career. It’s a quick two to three sentence maximum statement about who you are, what you do, and what value you bring as a candidate.

Skills Matrix

Putting your skills toward the top of the document immediately increases the effectiveness of your résumé. Recruiters look at a résumé for approximately six seconds. That means you have mere moments to show that you are qualified and demonstrate what you bring to the table. When you put your skills matrix towards the top, this shows the reader exactly what you have to offer and highlights that you are qualified for the position right off the bat.

The faster you can grab someone’s attention and persuade them you’re the right candidate for the position, the more likely you’ll be to get past the initial influx of applicants.

Employment Information

Depending on what stage you’re at in your career, you might not have traditional employment information. If you do have traditional work experience, gather your dates of employment, (month and year) job description, projects you worked on, and any additional information you can include like how many people you managed.

If you are in school or are just starting out in your career, you’ll want to include volunteer work and/or internship information. If you need to add even more relevant industry experience, include information about relevant school projects you worked on. This will help highlight your ability to work on a given project under constraints and will help highlight your relevant industry knowledge.

If you are listing class projects on your résumé, use the school name in place of the company name, and include something along the lines of “[Class Title] Project Manager,” “Student Project Manager,” or “[Class Title] Student” in place of a job title.

Specific Metrics and Achievements for Each Role

The key to a great résumé is highlighting exactly what you’ve achieved and what you can bring to a new role. This is not the place to include a general job description that can be used for anyone with that job title. Include specific information about what you did, how many people you worked with or managed, projects you worked on, and project results to ensure that your résumé immediately reflects your achievements and what you can bring to the table.

Anyone can say that they’re great at their job, but very few people can actually show it. When you’re noting your achievements, think about how you can quantify what you’ve done.

Education Information

Unless it is your highest level of education or you are in your first year of college, do not include information about your high school diploma. Similarly, there is no need to include GPA unless you’re currently in school and have a very high GPA (3.8 or above).

When it comes to listing education, start with the highest level of education at the top and list backward from there. For example:

PhD information
Master’s information
Bachelor’s information
High School information

Unless you are currently in school or are in a profession where your degree is a key factor, (i.e. medicine, law, etc.) your education should be listed at the bottom of your résumé. If you are in school or in one of the professions where your education is very important, your education will go towards the top under your skills list.

Certifications and Specialized Training

Including certifications and specialized training on your résumé make a huge difference in how impactful your document is. Even if you don’t have specific certifications but you’ve had internal training, taken an online course, or even just an online tutorial, include that on your résumé.

About the Author: Michele Lando is a certified professional résumé writer, personal branding expert, and founder of Write Styles. She has a passion for helping others present the best version of themselves both on paper and in person and works to polish individuals' application package and personal style. Aiming to help create a perfect personal branding package, Write Styles provides resources to enhance your résumé, professional appearance, and boost your confidence. Michele strives to help others gain the confidence to put their best foot forward in a personal and professional light.

This story was originally published on January 6, 2020, and has since been updated.

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This Is How Hustle Culture Can Destroy Your Business

Photo: ColorJoy Stock by Christina Jones Photography

There’s a scam out there that I’ve fallen for, and I’m not the only one. It has cost people their marriages and their businesses, it has cost them financially, emotionally, and mentally. It's brutal. And it may surprise you to hear that this scam? It’s the hustle culture.

As an entrepreneur, I know what it means to hit that mental fatigue point. When it happened to me, I didn’t want to ask for help. I didn’t think that’s what successful entrepreneurs do, and I didn’t want to appear weak. Unfortunately, it landed me in the hospital. You can say it won’t happen to you, but you need to know what to look out for and keep yourself in check because if it does happen, it can be incredibly hard to recover. 

If you want to avoid falling victim to hustle culture, here are a few things worth remembering.

1. Be Intentional About the Content You Post

As humans, when we are exhausted, we look for external stimulation. The use of social media has made it incredibly easy to find validation, but—unfortunately—It’s dangerous. We get this hit of dopamine when people are liking and commenting on our posts, and that leads to us wanting more. As a result, it creates this noise effect online where everybody is basically shouting to get space because they need to feel validated. If you do that for long enough, you just tend to burn yourself out because it's not humanly possible to create high-quality content every single day. 

You don't have to be posting every day on social media to be relevant, impactful, and helpful. Instead, focus on being intentional about the content you create—not just contributing to the noise in order to generate leads and customers. Ultimately, it’s about the quality of your followers, not the quantity. Just because you have a million followers doesn't mean you have a million buyers, and there are tons of broke influencers out there to prove it. 

2. Don’t Compete With Influencers Who Have a Huge Team Behind Them

There’s a good chance that if you come across someone who is constantly posting content, they’re not flying solo. In fact, they probably have a huge team of 30+ people behind them. There is absolutely no way for a solopreneur or even someone with a small team to ever start to compete with that much creative energy. 

Remember the influencers I mentioned before? You know the ones that have the followers, but nothing else to show for it? The real reason they're constantly creating content and building their audience is that they really aren't sure how to monetize it, or they are promoting products that really aren’t very good. Just focus on creating profitable content that has purpose and intention and you’ll end up on top. 

3. Be Mindful of the Law of Diminishing Returns

We are not built to work all the time, and we're not built to push all the time. It’s not healthy for us. When you hit a certain point where you want to just power through a task because in your mind, being busy means you’re worthy, you need to take a break. 

You see, the law of diminishing returns is that if you're constantly pushing, you’ll build momentum and see results at first. But when you peak? The quality of what you are putting out decreases. Eventually, you get to a certain point where your brain just shuts off and you start to actually do yourself a disservice and do yourself harm. When you’re tired—and when you hit that point of diminishing returns—you’re very vulnerable to making bad decisions. You’re likely to do things reactively and make short-term decisions for something that you're trying to build into a long-term business. 

A metaphor I like to use is that you can’t go to the gym and lift weights for 24 hours straight. You are going to injure yourself—but this is how people are approaching business and entrepreneurship. They're trying to keep going no matter how irrational it is to stay at the highest level of energy and capacity. It’s just not normal. And it's not humanly possible. Instead, think about the long game. Try to be less reactive, and focus on understanding why you're doing what you're doing.

4. Figure Out How to Make Your Business Model Easier

The moment when I figured out how to simplify my business and do less was when my business started to grow. When I was hustling my face off, didn't have a team, and ultimately landed in the hospital with burnout, my business wasn’t even benefitting from my hard work. I was trying to do everything myself, and I didn’t even stop long enough to even wonder, why am I doing this? Did I want my version of success to be in a hospital bed, tired all the time, feeling like I'm sacrificing my sanity, my relationships, and my health? 

After my burnout, I became obsessed with the most successful entrepreneurs, and I realized that the ones I admire most didn’t work all the time. They are laser-focused with their priorities and time. They stay in their genius zone, they stay in their lane, and they focus on the basics. Make a great product, innovate, constantly test it, and become customer-obsessed. They embrace failure and they embrace joy. They define their worth by their contribution to the world, their quality of life, and the relationships that they build. Because—if you want to be successful—you need to build your business to work for you, not against you. 

"If you want to be successful, you need to build your business to work for you, not against you."

—Sunny Lenarduzzi, Social Media Consultant and Business Growth Coach

About the author: Sunny Lenarduzzi is a social media consultant and business growth coach who has earned eight figures in the past four years teaching people how to elevate their brands using video marketing, Sunny’s YouTube channel has amassed over 27 million views and her expertise has been featured in outlets including Entrepreneur, Forbes, Fast Company and Inc—and she's incredibly passionate about sharing her message around entrepreneurship, generosity, and success with the world. She has enrolled over 8,000 clients from around the world into her online programs, YouTube for Bosses and The Authority Accelerator. Connect with her on Instagram @sunnylenarduzzi.

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