Olive & June Founder Sarah Gibson Tuttle's Number One Concern

Sarah Gibson Tuttle, founder of Vogue-and-celeb-approved nail salon Olive & June, worked in finance for a decade before quitting Wall Street and setting on her sights on something a bit more hands-on. A self-professed mani/pedi obsessee— she considers her initial career “bootcamp,” having come across mentors and bosses who taught her how to interact in business, and how to treat a client’s time and space. 

“Everyone assumes that I’m a nitty gritty numbers person, I’m not,” she says laughing. “I just hired a CFO, but I grew up within finance, and I couldn’t be doing this without that training. No grad school could have done that.” 

The first Olive & June opened in 2013, appealing to a predominantly female clientele looking for a warmer, more community-based nail salon. “One of our clients likes to say we’re the Cheers of manicures,” she says. “I wanted to get into a career that enhanced lives, and nails are one of the least expensive ways to change your look, especially in the beauty business.” 

In the beginning, Sarah admits to being nervous about opening a brick-and-mortar. “They are the hardest to make profitable, but there will never be a machine that does your nails." She was terrified but also so confident in the idea, feeling, "so clearly that this was a hole in the market. I had that blind entrepreneurial spirit.”

"I had that blind entrepreneurial spirit." 

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Founded on the idea that a manicure should be “downright lovely,” Olive & June was designed by the team behind at TenOverSix, and quickly attracted customers looking for something beyond the typical nail experience. Something a little brighter, boutique-ier, with non-toxic polishes and creams, the salons are both a getaway oasis and somewhere you can pop-in, get a quick mani and head to a meeting. The salons keep your preferences on file— round, square, favorite colors, and just how you like your cuticles.

There are currently three Olive & June locations, flagship Beverly Hills, Pasadena which opened almost two years after the first, and the latest of the bunch, Santa Monica, which opened about a month ago. The response has been overwhelming and tremendous. “I feel incredibly grateful,” she says, “that the Westside has embraced us so fully.” 

Sarah is currently looking to open a fourth salon, scouting possible locations on a weekly basis. “I really want to have Olive & June in every neighborhood that it makes sense,” Sarah says, “but I am extremely cautious about fast and wide we extend our footprint.” 

"I am extremely cautious about fast and wide we extend our footprint."

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Studio City, Manhattan Beach, and Orange County are on the radar, but she insists that Olive & June is a “slow and steady company.” Explaining that, “Every time we open a space we want the time to make it perfect. Because we are both a people business and we give service to people, it’s extremely important that every location can stand on its own.”

The next spot has to be the right spot.

There have been incredible opportunities to open in New York and Austin, but Sarah knew the team wasn’t there. “I was certain that as an organization we were not ready to support a New York location.” She admits the offer was “devastating” to turn down, but creating a strong foundation is more important to the business than expanding. 

“I try and get into a least one salon every day,” she says. “It’s very important to me to communicate with the managers and the manicurists, and make sure that the people who work for Olive & June feel a part of the community as well.” That means connecting with the manicurists and management team, connecting with customers, sometimes going to two locations in a day. “It is extremely important to me that everyone that we hire is placed in a position of success.” 

She calls this her “number one concern,” refusing to put anyone in a position where the client’s aren’t there. “Manicurist receive commission,” she says, “so I don’t want to open where they can’t be busy.” Currently there are approximately 80 people working for the company. 

Beyond expanding locations and taking care of the team, Olive & June is looking toward the future on other fronts— product development and continuing to partner with brands that make sense. 

Though her now-husband thought that she “might be a little crazy,” for following her instinct, Sarah knows that there are certain things the digital world will never take away: breaking bread, for one, and nails. “Hands-on is so important. We become these women’s therapists, their friends, the ones they turn to in the midst of a divorce.” 

In short: A manicure has never been about the polish-- that's just the beautiful bonus, and something that Olive & June understands from top coat, down. 

Be sure to check out Sarah speak on panel at Create & Cultivate DTLA this May 7th. 

Images courtesy of Olive & June. 

Arianna Schioldager is Create & Cultivate's editorial director. You can find her on IG @ariannawrotethis and more about her at www.ariannawrotethis.com

Pushing Boundaries with Andy Torres of StyleScrapbook

For 7 years Andy Torres has been dominating the international blogosphere. And it’s not based on luck.

In 2008, Andy made the leap to move from Mexico, where she was born and raised, to Amsterdam to start an entire new life in the hopes of becoming a Fashion Editor. After many magazines denied her, she transformed rejection into fuel to start StyleScrapbook and the rest is history. 

Andy’s story is one of going beyond one’s boundaries, making it work despite language barriers, and starting off from scratch. So to catch up with Andy before she takes the stage at Create & Cultivate DTLA this May, we picked her brain a little on how she was able to overcome her challenges in a whole new country and becoming an international blog powerhouse with StyleScrapbook.

Can you tell us about your background and what got you into blogging? 

I was an Interior Design student in Mexico but I have always dreamt about studying Fashion and Music. On my 4th semester I decided to move to Amsterdam and pursue that. My best friend was living in Amsterdam which made everything so much easier as he was extremely supportive. After 2 years of living in Amsterdam, I took a couple of courses in Fashion Styling and my main goal was to become a fashion editor. I really wanted to go into styling and work for one of the Dutch fashion magazines, even if I had to start from the bottom. 

I have always been very driven and hardworking, so I was ready to work hard to get my foot in the industry. I applied to every magazine I could think of and they all said no because I didn't speak Dutch. I was extremely disappointed but I had moved here all the way from Mexico. I wasn’t going to let that stop me, so I started StyleScrapbook. I started itnot because I thought people were going to follow it (I had no idea that was possible), but to use it as a platform to exercise my writing and hopefully one day use it as a CV to send to magazines. 

When the blog started to get some traction and receive comments and followers, I had no idea where these people were finding me. It all grew so organically and fast, it’s almost like a blur now. 

I feel so lucky to have started so long ago. I’ve always been fascinated that what started as a side project since I couldn't get a job in the industry, gained me an even bigger spot that I could have ever imagined . Always follow your gut feeling, that’s what I keep telling myself.

Following your gut to make the move from Mexico to Amsterdam proved to be very successful for your blogging career. What would you say to anyone who is not sure about moving? But thinks it might be lucrative for their career?

I moved to Amsterdam 2 years before I started my blog, so in reality, the connection between the blog and Amsterdam had very little to do with each other. I wanted to study Fashion Design and my plan all along was to study at the Amsterdam Fashion Institute. I think moving to a different country is a huge risk, but I always had a good gut feeling about it. 

The key is to just listen to your gut and have a good plan set in place. I am not the type of girl that wakes up in the morning to do crazy spontaneous things, but I have always taken risks and try to stay very positive about the outcome. It's also comes down to having a good support system of friends and family around you to be there pushing you through and motivating you. The beauty of everything is that it doesn't have to work the first time and you can always try again.

The beauty of everything is that it doesn't have to work the first time and you can always try again.

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How do you build relationships in a foreign country? 

That is sometimes is the hardest part. You need to try to get out of your comfort zone and be social, meet up with people and network, but it sounds easier said than done. For me moving from a Latin country to a Nordic country was a huge culture shock, because cultures and personalities couldn't be any more different. It took me a while to get used to it but in the end. It’s been a huge learning experience for me as it has helped me improve some areas about my character that I always wanted to work on.

Via Style Scrapbook

What was the biggest challenge you faced moving to Amsterdam? How did you learn to adapt?

I think the biggest challenge was getting used to the weather. It sounds simple but I come from Mexico, from a state where we pretty much get perfect weather all year round (Think of LA weather). Amsterdam has a very similar climate to London and it rains most of the time. It was extremely difficult to get used to grey days one after the other for months, and it took me quite a few years to get used to it. My escape route has always been that I get to travel so much, so I don't have to deal with it as much as I used to.

How has your style evolved over the years?

I have always been very true to my personal taste and I go for what I love to wear as opposed to just following trends. A few years ago I used to be a lot more feminine in my style, meaning you would probably catch me wearing skirts, dresses, florals and so on. The past few years have been a lot different, and recently I have been trying to explore mixing androgynous with a bit of a sexy touch. I believe in keeping it classy and I have never been the girl that dresses super sexy. That’s not my jam, however, I have been very drawn to lace and things that are a little more risky. 

The blogosphere is highly competitive. What do you do to distinguish yourself from the rest and how to do stay ahead of the curb?

I was in very early in the game (almost 9 years ago), before this whole fashion blogging boom exploded, so I have learned to evolve with the industry but most importantly, keep true to myself. I think that has attracted my readers from the beginning because they know I am a true voice. They feel like they can trust what I say and I have always tried to keep a close relationship with them by answering messages, emails and what not. Also, I think that starting my blog in Amsterdam as a Mexican girl made me have a strong global reach from the beginning. 

Keep a close relationship with your readers  by answering messages, emails and always engaging. 

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In what ways would you like the blogging industry to evolve? 

I'm very interested to see how much more traditional media (magazines, television etc) and bloggers can work closer together, and more specifically, how we can bridge the different industries in a way that neither side has to compromise their own ways of working, nor what makes them successful. There are huge opportunities that bloggers and magazines can collaborate on, and I know we will start to see some of the true potential and direction our industries will collaborate on over the coming years.

What’s your social platform of choice? 

Ironically enough (and I say ironically because I was resisting it from the beginning), I love using Snapchat! Instagram has become so curated and I love seeing peoples real personalities shine through Snapchat. There you can really be yourself, so you get to connect with people in a more personal level. Still one of the platforms that I use the most as well is Facebook, as I get the most reach and where I have the most following (1.7 million), so Facebook has always been a very powerful tool for me.

Forget Shattered Ceilings, These Co-Founders Want You Above the Glass

If Heather Serden and Danielle Yadegar, co-founders of Above the Glass, were to poll 1,000 women, these are the top five questions they'd ask: 

WHAT IS YOUR MAIN SOURCE OF MOTIVATION?

WHAT DOES SUCCESS LOOK LIKE TO YOU?

WHO IS YOUR BUSINESS ROLE-MODEL?

WHICH BUSINESSES DO YOU WISH EXISTED OUT THERE?

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SEE FROM ABOVE THE GLASS?

Recently launched, Above the Glass is setting out to empower and mobilize young women and female founders by removing the fear around the financial and business aspects of a startup. While the class of 2017 at top business schools reported record numbers of female enrollees, there are not enough resources for women who are not afforded similar opportunities. But that's exactly what we can expect from Above the Glass: business resources and downloads, interviews with women paving the way, and career advancement advice. 

We checked in with the partners ahead of Create & Cultivate DTLA where they will be joining us as mentors. 

We talk about understanding the who of your brand, but also the why. What’s your why?

We started Above the Glass to fill what we saw as a huge void in the market – a lack of formal business training amongst creative female professionals. We knew from time spent with private clients what types of questions these women were asking, and what services and information they were looking for. 

The real turning point came when Heather experienced sexism at work. She was working in tech, which is notoriously a boys club, and honestly didn’t realize discrimination in the work place was still an issue. We think that as women get older, get married and have families, that a lot of the dynamics change, and we often get stereotyped to be on the “mommy track,” or taken less seriously as we climb the corporate ladder. She knew she could go start a business with the tools she had, but so many other women didn’t have the background or the knowledge to take that leap - so we started Above the Glass to give that opportunity to all women.

And why is now the right time to launch?

There is so much inspiration out there right now for female entrepreneurs. It is a really great time for female empowerment, and women are stepping up to help other women. Women have the ideas, and are inspired to take that next step – often they just don’t know how to do it. We think that Above the Glass can give them the information and the resources that enable them to execute on their ideas.

What is Above the Glass doing to close the gender gap? 

Women are under-represented in business school and in leadership positions in corporate America. We are definitely as smart as men, but the numbers show we don’t have the same formal business training. By creating Above the Glass, we provide women with access to information and tools that can empower them to start businesses. This equal access to information and resources to take that leap can allow us all to be our own boss, regardless of gender. 

"We are definitely as smart as men, but the numbers show we don’t have the same formal business training."

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April 12th is Equal Pay Day. A year from now what do you hope has been achieved?  

Starting a business isn’t necessarily about making money overnight, it’s about building a future. We hope everyone has the opportunity to start their own business, if that is what they really want to do. Being your own boss means you have a say in what you get paid, or the success of the business dictates it, not someone else.

What women do you admire?

We admire all women who have built and scaled businesses, despite the challenges they faced. We also admire the women who have taken the time out of their busy schedules to give us their feedback and advice. Kindness has made the greatest impact on us – we will always aspire to be like the kind women who have been so generous with us.

Who is your dream interview? What would you want to know? 

Our dream interview would be Alexa Von Tobel. She started her company, Learnvest, to help women manage their personal finances, and turned it into this incredible investment platform - she transformed an entire male-dominated industry. She was young, hungry, and just got it done. Being an entrepreneur is so hard - an emotional roller coaster - and we would want to know all of the challenges she faced and how she got through them. We would want to know everything about her journey.

What are some skills you want to help women in business hone?

Women are often intimidated by a lot of the numbers and abstract concepts in business. We think that by just talking about it more, and breaking some of these topics down into simpler terms, we can make all of it approachable. Whether it is the financial side of starting a business, the legal side, or just the ability to discuss business in casual conversation, we think the best thing we can do for women is to make it more familiar.

Do you ever feel the pressure to perform both genders in the workplace?

When you start a business, you are every role and every gender. It can be hard, as a woman, to negotiate deals that are in your best favor. Men would push harder for the lower prices on contract services, and higher fees for their own services, but women can come off as “bitchy” or “high maintenance.” At Above the Glass, we just try to continue to do what is in the best interest of our business, despite the traditional gender roles others may want us to play. 

"When you start a business, you are every role and every gender."

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How do you think women are taking up space differently than they were a decade ago? Both at work and at home? 

We think women are starting to see some creative options on how to have both a family and a career. Statistically speaking, the rate of female entrepreneurship is growing 1.5X faster than male entrepreneurship – and the types of businesses that women are starting tend to be smaller, lifestyle businesses. There are fewer boundaries between work and life, and if you can create a business for yourself, then you control your own hours. A tradeoff of in having your own business is that you never officially turn off. If there is a work emergency, you are responsible for it, not matter what the hour is!

What does ‘Having it All’ mean to you, respectively, and how do you think this differs from your mother’s generation?  

These days, so much about having it all is about timing. You can have it all, but not necessarily all at once. Our parents’ generation focused on having a family early and fitting a career into that family life, no matter what sacrifices they had to make. These days, people are so focused on a career that they often wait until later in life, once they are successful, to have children. For some people that timing works out better, but we don’t think it has to be that way. We can still have families and careers simultaneously, we just need to be aware that there are trade-offs. If you are scaling your business with an infant at home, you may not be able to spend as much time with your baby as you want. If you want to be a full-time mom, you are going to have to wait to scale your business.

These days we know we have more options, in terms of timing, for how to have it all. 

Answer Heather and Danielle's questions in the comments below to give us more insight! 

Get to Know the Colorful Creative World of Oh Joy

"Oh Joy! is a community as much as it is a brand."

NAME: JOY CHO

CURRENT CITY: LOS ANGELES  

HOW YOU KNOW HER: CREATIVE DIRECTOR AND BLOGGER AT OH JOY

STARTED BLOGGING: 2005

SOCIAL PLATFORM OF CHOICE: INSTAGRAM

Over a decade ago Joy Cho had just moved from New York to Philadelphia with her fiancé, now husband. She began blogging as a place to store inspiration during the transition. Oh Joy! was full of color and patterns, attracting the eyes of both designer and enthusiasts, but, there was no silver bullet success. In the beginning it served as a great marketing tool for her client-based design business, but it was a few years until she felt confident that the site found its world wide web sea legs. 

A lot has changed in the last ten years-- geographically, she's now LA-based with two kids, and she wears multiple business hats, all of which inform the other: graphic designer, blogger, and entrepreneur offering specialty services in portfolio development and brand brainstorming. She's also published three books, worked with hundreds of brands, and continues to inspire creatives around the world. NBD. 

How does she do it? We chatted with the lifestyle maven to find out. 

Describe to us the ah-ha moment of when you knew your blog wasn't just a creative outlet anymore and started to evolve into a brand? 

Within 6-12 months of starting my blog, it began to serve as an incredible marketing tool for my then client-based design business. But I didn’t really feel like the blog itself was anything that could stand on its own until a few years later. When Time Magazine featured Oh Joy! as one of the top websites in the “Design 100” issue in 2008, I really felt like it might be more legit. It was truly an honor. Getting that kind of recognition really made me realize that more than just a handful of people were reading it.

How has your business strategy shifted from when you first started your blog in 2005 to today?

When I first started my blog, it was very much just a place for me to keep all my inspiration and design work in one place (Pinterest didn’t exist yet!). Once my readership grew, I was able to create a design business from people who read my blog that then turned into design clients. I made it a goal to work with and design for brands that I love, like Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, and eventually, Target. Now, we’re able to focus on mostly Oh Joy! projects and I have more flexibility to really choose the work I love most to move forward with. I think your business strategies grow with you as your business grows and evolves.

"Your business strategies grow with you as your business grows and evolves."

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You have made the best of such an amazing collaborations with Target and Urban Outfitters. What piece of advice would you give someone who is looking to collaborate with big brands?

My biggest advice for anyone is to keep putting yourself out there and show work that you want to be making (even if no one is hiring you to do that work yet). I think the biggest misconception is that these things fall into my lap, and that’s not true. 90% of the bigger projects I’ve worked on were from me reaching out and pitching my work and ideas to a brand.

When you work with larger clients and companies, it can be really exciting because you get to reach a bigger audience. I started my business and career working with boutique companies—who I love and continue to enjoy working with. So larger companies just provide a nice change and a wider customer base to interact with. Another tip is to just do your thing and be true to your style. It's easy to try and change your style in the hopes that a certain customer or client will come your way. But every brand—whether big or small—is looking for you to be uniquely you and will hire you for that reason. 

The Oh Joy! brand has thrived off of collaboration, yet there are many other brands that refrain from collaborating to keep their brand linear. What would you say to those brands that have yet to introduce collaborations in their strategy? 

Collaborations aren’t for everyone. For me, I want to design so many different things that licensing collaborations make the most sense because I can partner with a retailer who already is an expert at producing and selling certain items, and by working together we can create Oh Joy! items that fit well with their customers. For me, collaborations are a great way to expand your audience and partner with someone who has a different expertise other than your own. And together, you can make something new and wonderful.

"Collaborations aren’t for everyone."

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The design world is very crowded, and yet Oh Joy! manages to stay ahead of the pack when it comes to branding and product. What strategies have you implemented to make sure the competition doesn't catch up to you?

The Oh Joy! brand is all about adding happiness and inspiration to your everyday life. It's colorful, fun, and happy. But what I’ve realized most recently is that in order to succeed, you need to know who you (and your brand) are and stay true to your gut. I don’t really think about competition because we are all just trying to make it and do our thing. I just think about what I and what my team at Oh Joy! can do to keep providing amazing ideas, wonderful products, and ideas and images to inspire people and add a bit of joy to their day.

Let’s talk about trends outside of the design world. 2014 was disruption, the word was everywhere. 2015 was innovation. And now culture and community are the new hot button words. How are you working to build community?

Being an online brand, building community with our readers is so important. We work hard to make certain our readers and fans are heard and answered. Oh Joy! is a community as much as it is a brand. For me, this job wouldn’t nearly be as fun without all the amazing people I get to connect with both in real life and virtually. I attempt to inspire them with a small slice of Oh Joy but they also inspire me by sharing moments from their lives with us as well. 

Finally, what is your social platform of choice?

Instagram!  It allows me to mix various parts of my life and my brand.  And community there is more intimate and immediate than any other social media right now. But I’m also really getting into Periscope right now, too. I love the conversations that can happen there and the interactivity of it.

Never Make It Perfect: Laurel & Wolf CEO Breaks Down How to Launch

LAUREL & WOLF IS THE FUTURE OF DESIGN. 

At least if Leura Fine, CEO and Founder of the interior design company that offers its services online only, has a say.  

An innovator in the online design space, Laurel & Wolf has developed a platform and software to allow for easy communication between a client and a designer, from anywhere. The entire service takes place in the digital world, and has opened the industry of interior design to people who never thought they could afford such services. 

We put 30 minutes on the clock with the busy entrepreneur to pick her brain on everything from bootstrapping your business to the future of tech. 

IN THE BEGINNING YOU MAKE IT WORK & GET IT DONE, NO EXCUSES

In January 2014 Leura began concentrating full-time on Laurel & Wolf. The first version of the site was up that month. 

"I was the algorithm" she says about the company's beta site, a very bare-bones version of what exists today. Instead of spending 100k on a website build out, she paid a local LA-based developer 5k to build out eight pages with no backend. "I started spreading the word through friends and friends of family, putting it out on social media, saying, 'Hey who is looking for interior design services that only cost 300 dollars?'"

She had about 1,500 people signup over the course of six weeks. The first iteration of Laurel & Wolf took users through a "style quiz,"-- that had no outcome. What Leura was testing was the public's interest. The BIG question: Would people be willing to pay for an interior design service online? 

"It was many, many long nights, of me staying up, calculating and emailing people their style quiz results. If you had this many As and this many Bs, you were 'Contemporary Eclectic.' It was terrible to demo, but between the MVP and servicing actual paying clients, we validated that not only there was a demand for the market, but what it would be like to acquire customers."

By the time they were ready raise money the company (which was two people at that point) also had a good, working idea of what the basic functions of the platform needed to do.  

[define it: Minimum Viable Product (MVP): In product development, the minimum viable product (MVP) is a product which has just enough features to gather validated learning about the product and its continued development.] 

By June 2014, just six months later, they had launched the site. 

WHEN RAISING MONEY, YOUR RESPONSIBILITY AS FOUNDER IS TO CONTROL THE PROCESS

The interior design world provides a service that typically 1 percent of the population can afford. People like venture capitalists and those with money to invest in the business. In the beginning, there was a little pushback-- angel investors who didn't understand the service, but what Leura had was proof: the basic function of what the service needed to provide. With that proof she had the confidence to control her fundraising. The goal of Laurel & Wolf's seed round was $500k. They hit $650k in a month and a half. 

[define it: Seed Round: The initial capital used to start a business. Seed capital often comes from the company founders' personal assets or from friends and family. The amount of money is usually relatively small because the business is still in the idea or conceptual stage.]

"I received this advice early on and tell every founder I meet who is fundraising the same thing," Fine explains. "You as the founder, your job is to control the fundraising process."

"You as the founder, your job is to control the fundraising process."

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She was resolute, telling potential investors: "'This is the amount we’re raising, this is the day we’re closing, you’re either in or you’re out.'" And she got it done that way. "I couldn't continue to chase people in circles, it was crazy towns. I had to build a business." 

In both Series A and Series B she took a similar approach. She was strategic and thoughtful, meeting with VCs when it made sense and getting to know them. When it came time to raise, it was go time. She took meetings, had term sheets by the end of those meetings, and then made decisions very quickly. 

[define it: Series A: Series A is usually the first level of fundraising where VCs get involved. The name refers to the class of preferred stock sold to investors in exchange for their investment. Usually in this round you will see the company's first valuation.]

Another part of controlling the process she says, is taking all of the multifaceted variables into account. "There are questions," she explains, "that you need to ask yourself when you talk about why you're raising money. Are you raising money to accelerate growth? Could you build this business without raising money? Do you know what your business model is? Do you know the metrics that you’re trying to hit?"

That's your job as founder: to have a business model and monetization strategy in place from day one.  

Your job as founder is to have a business model and monetization strategy in place, from day one.

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TAKE A SERVICE ONLY AVAILABLE TO 1% AND DEMOCRATIZE IT

It's a simple, but brilliant idea-- take a service that only a small percentage of households can afford, and open it up to more people. More people=more work=more revenue. 

"You’re talking about taking a small pool of people in the U.S. who could afford to hire interior designers. We’ve opened up the market to 30% of the U.S." 

This represents enormous opportunity for growing a consumer base, while offering designers the ability to extend the arm of their business. It's simple supply and demand, where both parties benefit. People get spaces they loves; interior designers get to do the work they love. 

"Design is more of a science than I think people realize," Fine says. "You don't have to be in a space to make it impactful. As long as you have good assets in place— whether that’s photos, video, and obviously dimensions, then you have the opportunity and ability to design just as well as if you were in person. And most importantly, make an impact in someone's life." 

CHICKEN OR EGG? DOESN'T MATTER, JUST LAUNCH

"I’ve been meeting with a lot of female founders," Fine says, "and I’ve had the same conversation the last three meetings. They tell me they want to wait to launch until they feel that they’re ready."

There is however, no such thing as ready. Sometimes the founders don't want too many eyeballs on an unfinished product. Sometimes they are worried about letting down a customer or not being able to deliver. 

But, Fine notes, "When you’re building a company from the ground-up there is always the chicken and the egg. You have to go for it. You have to put it out there and see what it does." 

"When you’re building a company from the ground-up, you have to go for it. You have to put it out there and see what it does."

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In the beginning Laurel & Wolf was far from perfect, but that didn't matter. "The last thing you want to do as a tech company is go out and build the entire working product from A to Z," says Fine. "You really have no idea what it needs to do and what it's going to look like."

Adding, "There is no such thing as perfect." 

THE FUTURE IS MAN & MACHINE, WORKING TOGETHER

"Our software," she says, "represents the best combination of humans and technology working together to really transform people’s lives. Our clients get to live a better way through the spaces that they spend time in." 

At the end of the day, she realizes that all the product recommendation and algorithms can’t predict how someone will feel in their space. But that’s where the designer comes in.

“A designer,” says Fine, “really understands, beyond the aesthetics of the space, the aesthetics of the person."

Arianna Schioldager is Create & Cultivate's editorial director. You can find her on IG @ariannawrotethis and more about her at www.ariannawrotethis.com

The Bright and Colorful World of Content Queen Bri Emery

It's been said that "Good clothes open all doors," and perhaps no one knows this to be true more than the entrepreneur who has merged business and fashion. Like Bri Emery, the LA-based art director and creative director behind the lifestyle blog and design studio, Design Love Fest (where she hosts regular workshops for creatives). Launched in 2009, out of an obsession with type and images, Bri has lent her creativity to countless brand campaigns and brings her knack for bright colors and composition to life on her popular Instagram feed. 

The color and style maven has found a way to present herself, define her brand, and stand out in a crowded design space. So stop, look, listen, and see what doors open when you do. And be sure to join Bri on panel May 7th at #CreateCultivateDTLA as she outlines her journey to the top. 

INSTAGRAM: @designlovefest

EARLIEST INTERNET MEMORY: Lots of AOL chat boxes and my terrible guessshopr29 screenname!

BREAKTHROUGH MOMENT IN YOUR CAREER: When I quit my full-time job and took a leap of faith that this blogging world would work out for me!

YOU'VE BEEN GRANTED A 2-WEEK, ALL EXPENSES PAID VACATION. YOU GO: Just Google “natural baths in Turkey”—it’s unreal.

YOUR DREAM LADY BOSS TO RING UP FOR BIZ ADVICE: Tina Fey.

CREATIVE PROJECTS YOU LIKE TO TACKLE: Product collaborations.

"Why are we working so hard if we can’t pause for a second and be proud of our efforts!?"

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WORDS OF ADVICE FOR FELLOW CREATIVE HUSTLERS:  When you are a hustler, I think it’s easy to forget to enjoy your successes. I know for me, I will finish a big project and immediately start thinking about what’s next. Why are we working so hard if we can’t pause for a second and be proud of our efforts!? We should all do that more often.

Photos by Calvin Lim, @killacalshoots 

The original version of this post appeared on August 15, 2015

Roundtable: 5 Career Women Talk 'Having It All'

March is women’s history month, and there are currently more female-owned businesses than ever before in the American workforce. "Having it all" was one of the first empowering messages that helped redefine the role of woman, but for some this cornucopia of to-dos and sea change in the workplace has complicated work-life balance.

Is it possible? Is it a myth? What is about gender roles that we can’t seem to stop talking about?

In anticipation of #CreateCultivateSXSW, we checked in with some of our panelists to find out what having it all means to the modern working woman, especially when “normal working hours can sometimes become all of the hours.” 

LET'S START WITH THE BASICS. WHAT DOES 'HAVING IT ALL' MEAN TO YOU?

Silvie Snow-Thomas, Director of Strategy, Elle Communications : 'Having it all' suggests that we can get everything in both our personal and our professional lives that we think we want at the exact time we want it.  What women have been striving for, for generations, is having the same range of opportunities to choose from as men – if a man stays late at the office for example, does he face the same pressure of getting home to his spouse or kids as he would if were a woman? 

Julie Hays Geer, Director of Partnerships, Laurel & Wolf: In terms of what it's "supposed to mean," I see it, for a woman, as being able to have a career and family simultaneously. 

Bianca Caampued, Co-Founder, Small Girls PR : 'Having it all' is being being happy with everything that you have going on in your life - both personally and professionally. When someone asks you how your day was, your answer is always, "Today was the best day ever." 

Sarah Kunst, Founder, PRODAY: It means choosing a life you want to live on your own terms. I ignore other people's definitions of 'it all' and the timelines or "how it's supposed to look" that others might want me to adopt. 'Having it all' means being happy with my life and how I fill my time day to day. If I can do that, I'm winning. 

HAS THE IDEA SHIFTED AS YOU'VE GOTTEN OLDER? FROM EARLY TWENTIES-NOW?

Gabby Etrog-Cohen, SVP PR & Brand Strategy SoulCycle: In my early twenties, 'having it all' was a great job, a sick handbag, good hair, a decent body and a boyfriend. It's funny, I don't think about having it all now.

Silvie:  As I’ve gotten older, the balance I crave has shifted toward striving for a combination of great friendships, quality time with my partner, enlightening adventures and figuring out how to excel in my career. Oh, and sleep.

Julie: My view has shifted as I've gotten older, and my perspective now is to be able to have what makes you happy - whether that's a job and family, a freelance lifestyle, or the ability to travel frequently. 

Silvie: I think an important distinction for all women is to separate the idea of 'having it all' from "having it all at the same time." 

"Separate the idea of ‘having it all' from 'having it all at the same time.’" 

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DO YOU THINK YOUR "ALL" IS SIMILAR OR DIFFERENT, TO SAY, YOUR MOTHER'S GENERATION? WHY?

Gabby: My mother worked two jobs-- she ran central intake at an inpatient mental institution and had a private psychotherapy practice at night, and was an incredible mother. So she was juggling just as many balls as I am BUT, when she was home, she was home. No emailing, no conference calls...there is a different sense of connectivity, of always-on-culture that exists today that never existed for our parents.

Silvie: My mother’s generation of women who came of age just before and after Title 9 and Title 7 of the Civil Rights Act, and they faced much more overt discrimination and blatant sexism than we younger women do.

Julie: The opportunities for women are greater now. Perhaps it's all relative, but with more opportunity there's more "all" to have. Which makes having it that much harder. 

"With more opportunity there's more 'all' to have. Which makes having it that much harder."

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Bianca: I think that having it "all" used to involve starting and supporting a family, but you can have it all without that; it depends on what your priorities are in life.

Silvie: Another thing to consider: in our mothers’ generation, there were rarely female bosses. This new(er) paradigm has begun to change things, but I think we’re all still striving for more of this storied work-life balance, and as women we still are working to end discrimination, however subtle it may be, in hiring and advancement.

Gabby: I am definitely less present with my children, sadly, then my mother was with me and I have to try really hard to disconnect when I am home. 

Sarah: My "all" is personal. It's not going to look the same as another woman's now or in the past or future. It shouldn't. When 'having it all' means "having all that someone else wants you to have," you're failing. 

DO YOU EVER FEEL THE PRESSURE OF PERFORMING BOTH GENDER ROLES SIMULTANEOUSLY?

Silvie: Overall I think the societal pressure now imposed on women (and men) to work longer hours and be essentially on-call all of the time in professional jobs, while still ensuring the quality of work is exceptional, has made work life more stressful on women whether they work in a mixed gender environment or work in a female-run firm. The way of our world is for everyone, especially if you work in client services, to work harder and to ask for more.

Julie: I didn't come from a household of gender role norms, so this isn't a mindset I grew up within. My dad ironed, both parents were home on different nights to cook dinner for the kids. I started my career in a predominantly female industry with great female role models. I recognize the issues at hand for our society, but in my day to day life I luckily don't feel this pressure. 

Bianca: By cultural definitions I guess the answer is yes, but I can be pretty androgynous in style and I think that translates to personality. I don't usually think about things falling into gender role categories - it's just a role. Societal constructs have labeled certain actions or personality traits as skewing male or female, but I'm just doing things that need to get done or based on my intuitive reaction.

Gabby: I don't really think about gender roles. I am constantly striving to be a good person. Not a good woman. 

"I am constantly striving to be a good person. Not a good woman."

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ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THE TIME-MACHO CONCEPT? HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT IT? WHAT DO YOU THINK NEEDS TO CHANGE IN THE AMERICAN WORKPLACE FOR WOMEN?

Silvie: I am. I believe the term was coined by Anne-Marie Slaughter, who went from an academic job at Princeton to the State Department as Under Secretary for Policy for Hillary Clinton. I agree with Slaughter that the intense competition to demonstrate one’s professional value by working longer hours, having more “face time,” doing more travel, etc. is wearing professional workers down physically and mentally just as stagnant wages and on-demand scheduling is harming lower income workers.

Sarah: Some women want to be a slave to their job and some men want way more free time. The problem is finding a job and work culture that fits what you want out of life and if you do choose to work the 80+ hour workweek, making sure that you're actually producing valuable work and not just amping up face time.

Gabby: I fall prey to that as well. But the truth is, it's OK to go home, take time for yourself and then go back to work, versus staying at the office until midnight without a break. As a mother, I have learned to be incredibly resourceful with my time. I make every single minute count. I just don't have the luxury to waste time. So if I am getting a manicure, I am on a conference call at the same time.

Bianca: Boundaries are extremely important and time in the workplace isn't everything. Time in life, however, is everything. All we really have is time, and it's precious and should be protected, not racked up as a currency for worth in the workplace.

"Time is precious and should be protected, not racked up as a currency for worth in the workplace."

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Sarah: We need room for much more broad roles in society and work than "men love working and women want time off to see their families." We need to allow everyone to be their real selves at work and have the roles and flexibility that allow for more than one kind of job or worker. 

Silvie: I think a lot of my friends in the same age bracket have been working like this since we were in our early 20s. In the U.S. the number of salaried workers clocking 50 or more house per week has grown steadily since the 1970s when 9-5, 40-hour work weeks were the norm.

Bianca: I don't believe that putting in more time or all-nighters in the workplace means more value.

Silvie: The technology we have today allows for a great flexibility, but the flip side of that is "normal working hours" can sometimes become all of the hours. Here’s one thing I’ve learned slash have been forced to understand: sleep is crucial to clear thinking, and to keeping your passion and energy levels high.

Bianca: The most important thing is trying to manage time so you're not putting in all of those additional hours at work, yet are still maintaining productivity, while allowing space for your personal needs.

IS WORK-LIFE BALANCE A REALITY OR MYTH IN OUR ON-DEMANDS WORK ECONOMY?

Julie: I like to think of it more as needing to have a separation between the two vs. a balance.

Silvie: I wonder often, is there a way we can change the mindset in this fast-paced economy and always-connected life to concentrate first and foremost on people’s long-term health and to ensure continued creativity? Can we measure productivity and product quality differently to ensure continued success but also to ensure peace of mind? 

Julie: When you spend 5 out of 7 days each week at a job, that's not balance.

Bianca: I often say it doesn't exist, from my own personal experience, but there is a part of me that has hope it is real.

Julie: Striving to not always bring your work home with you, or taking time to shut down and live your life without checking your email on the weekends, that separation can be a reality.

Gabby: There is no such thing as work-life balance. At least, I don't think so. There is integration. Some days I bring my kids to work. Some days I have conference calls from home. Some days I am failing as a mom, some days I am failing at work and some days I am failing at everything! But, then there are those days when you think, damn, I can actually do this. 

Sarah: For those not in poverty, work-life balance is more about the choices we make and relentlessly pursuing the life and lifestyle we want. Balance doesn't mean a 9-5 job for most of us, it means having the space to be human.

"Balance doesn't mean a 9-5 job for most of us, it means having the space to be human."

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Arianna Schioldager is Create & Cultivate's editorial director. You can find her on IG @ariannawrotethis and more about her at www.ariannawrotethis.com

'Fast & Casual' sweetgreen Is Creating a Sustainable Culture

VP of Brand, Farryn Weiner. 

Building healthier communities isn't the type of lofty goal you’d expect out of a “fast food” company. But that's exactly what sweetgreen, the healthy fast casual company started in 2007, is all about. They are committed to changing the way people think about food and having a positive impact on the food system.

The company has five core values, something that VP of Marketing & Brand, Farryn Weiner calls her “North Star.” From keeping it real to making an impact, it’s how they cultivate culture and a work environment that requires all team members to take leadership roles.

Collaborating on a salad with Kendrick Lamar-- they’ve done it. Organizing run meetups via Twitter. Yep. They’re on it. They have education programs and music festivals, like the upcoming sweetlife festival taking place this May. With headliners like Blondie, Grimes, and Flume, the company is building on the universality of food and music.  Or as Farryn says, “music and food have an uncanny way of sparking connections, and that’s really what we’re all about.” There is no idea too big or too small to be brought to their table.

We checked in with Farryn to find out how and why she got involved with sweetgreen (it involves taking a literal “leap”), what the “sweetlife” means to her, and the three questions she always asks herself before joining a company.

Can you tell us a little about yourself, how you came to work for sweetgreen, and how its office culture is different than what you’ve experienced in the past?

I met the sweetgreen founders skydiving in Utah and immediately got to know them and the brand. I was drawn to the idea of passion x purpose, obsessed with the mission, and knew I could tell a great story and help make the world a better place by coming to work here. For me, there are three key questions I ask myself before joining any organization:

• Are there leaders I can learn from?

• Is there a compelling story to tell?

• Is the company solving a problem and therefore, positioned for growth?

sweetgreen provided a resounding yes to all these questions. We’re really in a position to change the way people think about food. We can make healthy eating accessible and help people understand the food system — that’s a huge opportunity, and a huge responsibility.

In terms of culture, everyone at sweetgreen is a leader, and great things are expected of every single person. We’re a growing company but for us, growth is about our higher-order principles and ensuring we can build the kind of company we can be proud of. We think more about our people pipeline than our real estate pipeline. If we don’t have access to the right supply network or people, we will alter our pace of growth to solve those problems so we can execute the right way and be true to our mission. In other words, we think about how to multiply talent and cultivate leaders, and that drives our growth. Growth isn’t about a number, it’s more qualitative and development-focused.

sweetgreen is founded on five core values. Can you talk a bit about making decisions that last longer than you, and why this is a important business model?

Jon, Nic, and Nate developed our five core values in the early days of sweetgreen, and we live by them to this day. Every decision we make, from hiring and real estate to community and food prep, goes through the filter of the core values, and they’re a gut-check to make sure we’re doing the right thing and building an impact brand. We have a perspective and we stand for something — that’s what today’s consumers are looking for, and it’s how we’ve always operated.

Thinking sustainably is one of these core values, and it’s about making decisions that will benefit the company and the community for the long haul. We’re inspiring healthier communities, and thinking sustainably is a big part of that. We take a holistic view of health that includes everything from healthy eating to fitness to education and building community. We connect the dots, we focus on the root cause, and we solve real problems that have a real impact.

What lessons have you learned from working with sweetgreen?

Always have a north star, and rally your teams around it. Having our core values is so intrinsic to our success as a brand. They drive our focus and execution, which builds momentum and fosters growth and development. It’s so simple, yet so powerful.

"Always have a north star, and rally your teams around it."

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How important is collaboration when it comes to creativity within the office?

Collaboration is at the core of what we do — we operate very cross-functionally and non-linearly. This year, we restructured the organization around our key imperatives; every single person at every level has a leadership obligation to drive the business. We’re always testing and learning to understand how to make the sweetgreen experience more seamless and inspiring for team members and customers alike. We have a strong respect of the brand and its mission, and there’s partnership across functions and levels — we’re all here to build a great company and change the way people think about food. 

How does sweetgreen choose its collaborations? What goes on in those meetings?

We look for partners that combine style and substance — we’ve collaborated on salads with Dan Barber and Kendrick Lamar because they’ve given us an opportunity to talk about nutrition in a fun way that transcends impact and is authentic to who we are and what we stand for.

People hear fast food and healthy is not top of mind— or on their mind at all. How are you working to change that thinking?

The rise of fast food compromised nutrition for convenience, so “healthy” and “fast” were mutually exclusive for a while. But we’re part of a movement to make healthy eating more mainstream — it’s what today’s consumers crave and demand from food businesses. People are busy, but they want to eat well and be healthy; we’re making that possible.

Along those lines, “sustainable” and “fast” are not always synonymous. How does sweetgreen mitigate being a “fast” food company playing the slow, long, sustainable game?

It’s all about the supply network you build, and we’ve worked hard to build a strong one. We do things differently, and we don’t take the easy route — it’s not easy to source sustainably, but we’re committed to doing so and supporting local food economies.

What does “living the sweet life” mean to you?

For me, there is no “work life balance” — I believe in finding a life you love, inclusive of friends, career, travel, etc. I’ve always wanted to work in an entrepreneurial environment, see the world and apply the lessons I learned around the globe to my career to help me tell better stories for the brand I work on. My sweetlife is a world where all these things coexist, and I bring a lot of energy to all of it.

You’ve written about doing “better than your best,” how do you bring this attitude into sweetgreen’s culture and messaging?

At sweetgreen, how we strive for excellence in everything we do, from sourcing to healthy recipes to leadership. We bring energy to our work to build momentum and work toward our mission. To that end, I’m constantly challenging people around me to do more and better than they think they can. And as the team is moving a million miles an hour on a handful of very different projects, I push the team to be very proud of everything we do, from an email to the sweetlife festival announcement. We have a lean team, so there’s a lot of accountability - we all own our domains, if we don’t take the best care of our channels, who will? We like to say that we “only do dope” — if it’s less than dope, it won’t go out the door.

"We like to say that we 'only do dope' — if it’s less than dope, it won’t go out the door."

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How much fun is it to work at sweetgreen? (Because it seems really fun.)

To be able to wake up and do what you love is one thing, to be able to wake up and do what you love and make a difference is that much sweeter. We’re part of a movement to change the way people think about food and make the world a better place, and that’s a really exciting and fun position to be in.

Arianna Schioldager is Create & Cultivate's editorial director. You can find her on IG @ariannawrotethis and more about her at www.ariannawrotethis.com

This Blogger's Curves Once Took Center Stage, But She's Shifting the Spotlight

MORE THAN HER BODY.

It's something that most, if not all, women can relate to. 

When Tanesha Awasthi started her eponymous blog (formerly Girl with Curves) in 2011, she paved the way for plus-sized fashion bloggers. But this year, she's rebranding, stepping out from behind the body label as just herself-- a woman with brains, gusto, a champion for the body positive and female empowerment movements, mom (to 2-year-old son and English bulldog), digital influencer, and so much more. Her body may have carved out a place for her in the blogging world, but it's her other more compelling attributes that have staying power.  

Below, find out more about Tanesha, how she feels about Barbie's three new body iterations, and why it was time to say goodbye to Girl with Curves. 

When you started your blog what was the motivation? Was there a moment where you thought— OK, I’m underrepresented, I’m going to be that girl. 

I started the blog as a creative outlet and never imagined in a million years it would turn into a business. When my husband suggested I should start one, I had no idea people were sharing their personal style online, and even thought it was kind of ridiculous! But after posting a few pictures, I got an overwhelming response from women of all ages explaining how inspired they were seeing someone they could relate to. From that moment on, I knew I had something special to offer and I ran with it. I enjoy knowing I'm helping women feel better about themselves on some level. The work is rewarding because it's changing lives and creating change.

Mattel announced three new Barbie body types in January— Tall, Petite, and Curvy. How did that make you feel?

I think it's great that such an iconic doll is becoming more inclusive of body types, especially when Barbie is the first doll most of us pick up, play with and emulate as adolescents. Showing different body types, races and hair colors is definitely a step in the right direction to helping girls love themselves as they are vs. wanting to look like one form of beauty we see in a traditional Barbie doll.

That said, I also think it's important for us to learn to value more than our appearance, by valuing who we are, what we do and what we stand for vs. what we look like.

You left a job in tech— an industry that is known for being sexist and male-dominated, for a job in fashion— an industry that is likewise known for not being inclusive. Is a thick skin part of your work-DNA at this point? 

I was always the youngest person at any corporate job I ever had, and I'm the type of person that gives everything I do 110%, regardless of if it's my passion or not- I aim to excel and do my best, regardless, and I encountered some pretty harsh criticism being young and not having much experience, as well as being a "bigger girl" throughout my life. But I think the thick skin really came from realizing I was in fact plus size according to the fashion industry, which isn't something I really acknowledged about myself when I first entered the world of blogging. 

How do you navigate the “haters?” The hard moments? 

Shockingly, I don't get many negative comments, but when I do I practice the kill 'em with kindness ideology and I educate. I think most internet trolls are hiding behind their own issues and projecting them onto others. Sometimes people just need a good, intellectual response to set them straight and 9 out of 10 times it works and I get a respectful response in return.

Was there a point you ever felt like giving up? How did you stay motivated?

It was definitely hard staying motivated to blog while pregnant, unknowing if my audience liked or disliked me sharing such a personal part of my life. But as time went on, I realized my blog is about me, and alI I can do is be myself and share what I'm going through in life at any given time. The brand had to grow with me, or not at all.

"The brand had to grow with me, or not at all."

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What do you think is the most important part of your messaging?

My mission is to show women they can look and feel amazing, regardless of size. I also enjoy breaking the size barrier between straight and plus size fashion, working with brands on both sides of the playing field, being able to wear both ranges at times.

Do you ever feel pressure to be a consistent role model for other plus-sized women? And females in general?

Not at all, I'm honored and flattered to be a role model. I love sharing the knowledge I have of fashion and beauty and my journey to self-acceptance. I think my message resonates well with women of all sizes because we all want to change things about ourselves and we all struggle with self-esteem and confidence at some point. My goal is to impact the lives of all women, regardless of size, race or age. There's a lot of work to be done!

"My goal is to impact the lives of all women, regardless of size, race or age." 

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You’ve always put yourself front and center, but you have rebranded as Tanesha Awasthi. Why is now the right time?

My brand has grown to cover so much more than plus size fashion and when the blog recently turned 5, it was weighing on me quite heavily that the name didn't make sense anymore, so I made the decision to change it to my own name vs. being known as a phrase that only describes my body. 

How are you evolving as a business woman? 

I've learned a lot about business in the past 5 years since starting the blog. I worked in tech since I was in high school, but I started a jewelry business in college and a social network for adolescent girls after graduating, which never panned out because I didn't follow through. I've always been an idea person but never truly put my all into any of my own ideas because it was a lot of work- it wasn't as easy as getting a paycheck from someone else. 

The blog started as a hobby and organically grew into a business, so I didn't consciously decide to try to make it into a business, which I think is the reason I stuck with it. It's also a venture my husband is involved in as my business partner, and he keeps me sane and reassured on the days I want to take a break and disappear from the world of social media. 

When it was just me fighting to stay afloat with deadlines and consistent content, it was much harder to create clear goals and grow the business. Now that he's involved, we're building a team and creating real goals I can actually be excited about!

Arianna Schioldager is Create & Cultivate's editorial director. You can find her on IG @ariannawrotethis and more about her at www.ariannawrotethis.com

9-9 with Vibe Tribe Creative Co-Founders

Vibe Tribe Creative Co-Founders Hilary Schlesinger and Lindsey Cavanaugh live in different cities. It's good morning skyline for Hilary who is Chicago-based, and hello mountain majesty for Lindsey, who works out of Boulder, Colorado. But a thousand miles (give or take a few) doesn't keep these two partners and best friends from staying in sync. Something they attribute to their similar outlook when it comes to fundamental values and non-negotiables. Foremost, they both agree that "communication is everything." They also both believe in a healthy/work life balance. For Lindsey this is about treating "yourself right so you can continue to be a driving force, not a drained one."

For Hilary, the notion of hard work shifted after creating the company. "I used to think," she says, "that hard work was measured by a mix of time and energy, as well as the eventual outcome-how successful I was at executing the task at hand. However, I have come to pair this grit, shall we say, with a deeper sense of purpose. It’s not just about getting something done, it’s about having heart and passion for whatever it is you’re doing."

They worked with Giuliana Rancic and Catt Sadler and have the goal of making "your brand rad." 

We checked in with the Co-Founders to find out how they spend their days, how they stay on track and dig into the meat of their work, and what advice they have for entrepreneurial women starting out. 

7:30-8:30AM: Our cute alarm clocks (DOGGIES!) wake us up bright and early to get our days started, warm cuddles and all. Both of us frequent our local dog parks (and coffee shops, duh.) to tire our babes out, and breathe in fresh morning air as we transition out of sleepiness and into go-getter mode. 

9:00-10:00AM: Virtual date! We like to jump into our work day by connecting with one another. This entails anything from reviewing what each of us had for dinner the night before to random ideas that might have popped into our brains in the middle of the night. This time is all about tuning in and setting intentions for the day. We review what’s on our plate, update our shared status document, and divide and conquer across initiatives! We also utilize this time to look out for opportunities to unplug… if we don’t have anything pressing to get done, we’re all about maintaining a healthy balance of work and play!

10:30AM-12:00PM: Our late mornings are usually geared towards inbox maintenance. We’ll respond to new inquiries, client emails, and send a bunch of “next steps” love notes out to keep the momentum flowing across projects. This is sort of like an extension of our internal touch base, but all about connecting with our tribe members. 

12:30-1:00PM: Lunch and more dog walks! Probably a coffee refill if we’re being honest.

1:30-3:30: Though we are constantly in communication with each other throughout the day, our afternoons are when we really dive into the meat of our work on an individual basis. For example, we might each be working on different site designs or Lindsey might be editing photo galleries, while Hilary is drafting new proposals. We’ll touch base here and there, but definitely allow ourselves to get a little lost in our creative energies and rhythms. This is usually when we have epic breakthrough moments… of course while jamming out to our favorite beats. Do we still g-chat during this time? You betcha. Our topics range from “LISTEN TO THIS SONG ASAP,” to “What would the Titanic have been like if people had cell phones?” Our minds are always on. 

"What would the Titanic have been like if people had cell phones?” 

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4:00-5:00PM: After a few hours of grooving on our own, we end our day much the same way we started--grounding back to our connection as partners! This is usually the point where we share our progress on different initiatives and provide internal feedback. We’ll also evaluate how we’re tracking against what we set out to do that day and figure out if it’s time to sign off for the night, or if we should refill our mugs and keep going!

5:30-6:30 After we sign off, you can likely find Hilary on her yoga mat and Lindsey at the grocery store petting avocados. 

9:43pm: A few times a week we will both catch each other on g-chat during odd hours. It's that mutual, “I SEE YOU.” and we laugh. It’s in these moments we feel fortunate to love what we do so much that getting creative at night is something we truly enjoy.  

VIBE TRIBE SIX TIPS FOR ENTREPRENEURIAL WOMEN

1. Listen. To your gut. To your heart. Your ideas and inspirations.
2. Secure. Your domain and social handles as soon as you have a name. A solid support system.
3. Create. Business cards, right away. A lifelong relationship with your local barista who will know you to show up at all hours. A frequent flyer account. Trust. 
4. Invest. In building your website! Things that contribute to your sanity in stressful situations. A bomb planner. Workshops. A solid dry shampoo. Your time in something that is completely unassociated with work. 
5. Let go of: Perfectionism. People and things that waste your time!
6. Imagine. What would happen if you abandoned fear? Where you'll be in 5 years? How amazing it will feel to release your message, something you truly believe in, out into the masses. 

This Business Owner Put 50k Miles on Her Car In One Year

DO WHAT YOU KNOW. IT'S SOMETHING WE HEAR A LOT IN THE BUSINESS WORLD.

For Gorjana Reidel, founder of Gorjana, an LA-based jewelry line, it's a strategy that worked. "Creating," she says, "is in her blood."

Reidel moved around a lot as a child. From Serbia to Canada and finally, the United States for her freshman year of high school, her family was always on the move. So when she launched her eponymous jewelry line in 2004, with her now husband, the two hit the road-- literally putting 50k miles on her car, securing their first 100 stores. The goal was to create and sell beautiful pieces like she saw in luxury department stores, but at much more affordable and approachable price. 

It wasn't so much a strategy, she says but, "the only way we knew how to do something." Which might have something to do with why Gorjana was the top-selling jewelry line on Shopbop for seven years. We checked in with the designer to ask about why she's not the biggest fan of technology and how passing on a piece of jewelry is sharing a part of yourself. 

You’ve said that you make pieces that reflect who you are. So, give us a little background. Who are you and what were you doing before launching Gorjana?

I spend most of my childhood moving around; I lived in Serbia and Canada before moving to the U.S. my freshman year of high school.   Living in Serbia I was really close to my grandmothers and spent most of my childhood watching them create and then learning to create too. Whether it was learning how to knit and making sweaters for my Barbie dolls or making my first bracelet out of buttons and string, creating was in my blood. After high school I attended Arizona State University and moved to Southern California after graduating.  I was then faced with the harsh reality of getting my first job.  Quickly realizing that sitting at a desk was not for me; I started working at Neiman Marcus.  I worked in the jewelry department for most of my time there and fell in love with jewelry.  I was eager to learn more and I left to go work for a local designer.  Although the pieces she made were so beautiful, they were well outside of my price range.  I realized that I wanted to create pieces that were every bit as amazing but were much more approachable.  I decided to start my own collection 12 years and ago and the rest is history.

In terms of launching, door-to-door is not a business strategy you hear about all that often anymore. But in the first year of your business you put 50k miles on your car to secure your first 100 stores. Can you tell us a bit about that approach and why doing things in person still matters (even in this digi-age?) 

I would not really call that a strategy ☺ It was more of a way to survive and the only way we knew how to do something - just hit the pavement and go for it. Being able to go and visit all our stores was so invaluable.  I was able to see different parts of our country and experience what they have to offer.  It really helped me understand our customer and build more meaningful relationships with them.  Having direct contact with the stores was also a great way to get feedback about the product first-hand and be able to evolve the collection based on it.  The best part, however, was all the amazing food I got to eat along the way.  I am a huge foodie and our road trips consisted of some amazing food spots.

Although technology has helped up in so many ways, it has also created a distance that I don’t really care for.  I am such a face-to-face person, even now I much prefer meet someone in-person than talk to them over email.

But speaking to digital- you were the top-selling jewelry brand on ShopBop for 7 years. What were some of your strategies to stay on the top of your game? 

It has always been about the product.  We focus so much on quality and making sure the design aesthetic stays true to the brand.  Our pieces have that timeless quality and I think the reason people love it is because they know they are making a wise purchase.  It is an investment in a piece that you will keep going back to and wanting to wear and most likely never take off.

Can you walk us through your creative process? 

It usually starts from an inspiration I get, it can be from a magazine, someone I see walking down the street, or beautiful curtains I happen to pass (that has happened).  The collection will evolve form there and the designs usually just flow out.  That’s actually how I know if it is going to be good or not.  There are times when I get stuck and I have learned to move on and revisit an idea later, or just let it go.

What is a piece of jewelry you never take off?

So this always changes because I go in waves.  Sometimes I will pick one or a few items and those will be my go-tos for a few months and then I will fall in love with a new beautiful piece and never take that piece off.  Lately it has been my Olympia shimmer studs and my power gemstone bracelet in rose quartz.

Is there a piece of jewelry you’ve lost that you still think about?

Fortunately no, I am pretty good at keeping track of special pieces because I know I would be so upset if I lost one.

Why do you think “passing down” jewelry has become such a tradition?

Jewelry is so personal and I feel like it starts to become a part of you and carry your energy as you wear it.  So passing a piece on to someone is like a sharing a piece of yourself.

If you had to pass down— or rather pass on some business savvy to women looking to launch their own business, what would you say?

My biggest piece of advice is to believe in yourself and be patient.  You have to believe in yourself and try to block the negative energy.  You are the only one that is in control of your vision and dream and don’t let anyone take away from that.  The second part is something it took me awhile to master, BE PATIENT!!!!  There are very very very few over night successes.  It takes a long time and a lot of work to achieve your goals.  Be patient and enjoy the journey!

What’s next for Gorjana? 

We will pursue our goal of making sure every girl has a Taner Bar necklace:) We are also looking to expand and open a flagship store.  We want a place where people can come and learn more about the brand and fall in love with the product.

Sarah Kunst Is Part of the 4%, But She's Changing That

In an op-ed for Fortune last month, Sarah Kunst, founder of Proday, referenced a report published by Digital Undivided called Project Diane. The report found that just 4% of female-led startups are run by black women, and that those companies pull in about .01% (an average of 36K) of funding typically raised by a successful startup. She wasn't surprised by the findings, but she wasn't impressed either. 

And while Project Diane calls that 4% "the real unicorns of tech," Sarah is no mythical creature. She's astute and purposeful in her own efforts and her leading work to bridge the digital divide. 

We checked in with Sarah pre-SXSW where she will be joining us on panel: How to Launch Your Business, Create Community, and Stay Relevant in the Modern Marketplace. 

The stories we hear about women in tech, and WOC in tech are usually upsetting due to the lack of diversity and frustration of fundraising. But let’s talk about the positive to start. What are some surprising conversations you’ve had about Proday? 

The best thing about building Proday.co into an app that connects pro athletes with their fans for workouts has been the support from the sports community. The doors that have been opened and the help I've gotten from top athletes and agents has been beyond my wildest dreams. I'm so grateful for it. 

What’s the most surprising backlash you’ve experienced?

Many tech investors have gotten jaded or burnt and they are afraid to believe that someone can finally break through in a crowded market that's seen a lot of failure. Much like many investors weren't hot on Facebook a decade ago because Myspace seemed unstoppable and Friendster had failed, I sometimes talk to investors who think that fitness and apps are hard markets and that because no one has won the entire thing yet, no one will. It's fun to prove them wrong. 

Where do you see your work changing what you’ve called the “broken dynamic” of venture funding? Can you talk a little bit about the stats in the Project Diane report?

My work is building a billion dollar company in the sports, fitness and content space. That I do that as a black female founder may make me an outlier in an overwhelmingly white male tech world, but it doesn't change my mission or discourage me. It's kind of cool to beat the odds and know that my success will only help pave the way for more like me. 

Businesses with diverse leadership teams are proven to do better in the marketplace, and yet parity is still rare at high-level jobs. Why do you think it is so hard to break this mold?

People who run the most successful funds and countries in the world aren't dumb and they aren't incapable of changing things when they put their minds to it. They are though, not incentivized to make these much needed changes. When you see top execs fired for not having diversity in their teams you will see a change. Releasing diversity data from top companies in tech is a start, but there needs to be accountability and action for these execs to take the truth to heart and start building diverse companies that will deliver better returns. 

"When you see top execs fired for not having diversity in their teams you will see a change."

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Why is it important for you to invest in other women?

I invest my time, money and expertise into things that will make me money. When I was a venture capital investor that meant focusing on founders who I knew would be successful. Clearly, female and minority founders will be successful so I've invested in a diverse group of founders as an investor and advisor and I know that I will see huge returns on those bets. 

Piggybacking on that, you’re female and black in an industry known for blatant sexism. How does the idea of intersectionality influence your work?

Well, if I tried to split the parts of me that are black from the parts of me that are female, I'd literally die because humans aren't capable of separating their race from their gender any more than you can put ingredients in a smoothie back into their separate, pre-blended form. Intersectionality doesn't 'influence' my life, it is my life. It's all of our lives. We all are the sum of our experiences and bringing that whole self, all our parts, into our work is vital to innovation. 

In what ways do you think it is a key component of building a strong movement? 

If we ask people to silo themselves - to not like a certain kind of music or dress a certain way or be a certain thing because we assume that their resume or race precludes them from certain interests or traits, we're being close-minded and shallow. Close-minded and shallow people rarely change the world for the better. Be open minded and don't be afraid to go deep. Don't assume to know where someone else 'intersects' and what drives them. Ask. If we remind ourselves that everyone we meet has intersects that we'd never expect, it's a lot easier to remain open to the new ideas and innovation they bring. To think that we're a sum of our demographic qualifiers devalues all of us. 

"To think that we're a sum of our demographic qualifiers devalues all of us." 

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Be sure to check out Sarah on panel at #CreateCultivateSXSW.

Arianna Schioldager is Create & Cultivate's editorial director. You can find her on IG @ariannawrotethis and more about her at www.ariannawrotethis.com

Founder of Career Contessa on the Non-Reality of Dream Jobs

While on the hunt for her "dream" job, Lauren McGoodwin became a career junkie, obsessed with finding her place in the working world. She tried on the idea of numerous careers, from event producer to teacher, before realizing that she didn't believe in a dream career. 

With this clarity, and loads of experience behind her, she left her job at Hulu to work on her brainchild, Career Contessa. Launched in 2013, it is an online platform dedicated to career and business advice for women, sharing inspiration, information, and direction-- the likes of which she's sharing with us.  

You can never have too many honest conversations about the real work, 

Did you have a dream career when you were young?

When I was a kid, I had many dream careers— I wanted to be everything from an interior designer to a dermatologist. In college, I decided to pursue a degree in education with the idea that I wanted to become a teacher. Somewhere around my junior year, I suddenly realized becoming a teacher wasn’t my dream. Instead I wanted to pursue a more “business-focused career.” I laugh looking back on that now because I really had no idea what that meant— or how to get started—I think mostly I just knew deep down a traditional 9-to-5 job wasn’t for me.

Was there a point when you realized just because it’s a dream doesn’t mean it’s always fun? And how did you handle that disconnect?

After stepping away from the teacher track, I asked myself what my “dream job” would be if I could pick anything. For me, event marketing sounded dynamic and exciting. I remember thinking: “How could it not be amazing?” 

I worked very hard to find a summer internship—in fact, that was my first real introduction to job-hunting, networking, etc. Ultimately it worked, and I wound up at an event stadium in Portland, Oregon. Initially, I felt on top of the world. I got cool bragging rights with my friends because I spent all summer at concerts, and I could hook them up with free tickets. But behind the scenes, I was shocked to find I was bored.

"Behind the scenes, I was shocked to find I was bored."

During the internship, I had this moment where I realized that everything I’d tried so far, I’d hated. That was terrifying. I handled the disconnect by going back to school on a mission to participate in everything and anything the Career Center hosted, whatever it took to find my way. I was like a career junkie. I went to workshops, information sessions, career fairs, etc. to figure out what career I should pursue— and how to land it. 

It was a period of experimentation, but letting go of the idea that there was one “right answer” ultimately saved me from myself. Actually, it was around this time that I realized I didn’t believe in the idea of a “dream job,” and I still don’t. Careers are so fluid these days, if you don’t leave yourself open to evolving, you’ll wind up unhappy—even if you’re sitting in the most gorgeous corner office or traveling the world and eating delicious meals on your per diem. 

Same goes for moments of fear. What’s your advice for taking risk?

The majority of my life I’ve been very risk-averse, honestly. But running a start-up, suddenly fear and the unknown becomes just part of the day job. 

For me, the secret is preparation. That might be writing something out, talking to a friend, or just giving myself plenty of time to think before I jump. I planned for over a year before I left my full-time job at Hulu to launch Career Contessa. I talked to other entrepreneurs, created a business plan, mapped out my expenses, etc. It was still scary to leave my stable career, but I felt more excited than anything because I’d spent the time to let the idea noodle. At some point, you’ve prepared so much, it just feels like you can’t turn back. 

"I want to prove my fear wrong.  Let your fear inspire you." 

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For the times when you can’t really prepare, I say “fake it till you make it.” I’m an introvert so public speaking makes my nerves go crazy. But I’m also competitive as hell so when I host a workshop or panel, I let the fear push me forward. It’s like competing with myself—I want to prove my fear wrong.  Let your fear inspire you.

Can you take us through the evolution of Career Contessa? Where is started and where it is today?

Career Contessa actually started as the project for my master’s thesis. After college I’d found myself struggling in yet another job, I was shocked by that because I’d been so proactive throughout college. After all those hours in the Career Center, I still felt poorly equipped. Even after I went back for my masters, I couldn’t let go of that frustration —so I decided to use it. 

We’re so lucky that there are so many different types of jobs and companies out there, but all those options can feel paralyzing. It’s no longer simple to answer “What do you want to do when you grow up?” you know? 

Career Contessa was my alternative approach to answering that question. In 2013, I started the site—although it was more like a blog really at that point. Back then, we only had our Contessa profiles, which are these great interviews with successful, professional women. I’d hoped that by reading about the career paths of successful women, our audience would find inspiration and direction for their own careers.  

Almost immediately, those profiles sparked endless dialogues and debates. Our readers sent us questions about informational interviews, networking, personal branding, etc. They needed so much more help than those profiles could provide. That’s when I started to realize that Career Contessa had the potential to be much more than a passion project or a weekly interview series. 

In 2014, I left Hulu to focus on building Career Contessa into a full-fledged site. 

I’ve always believed in trusting your audience—ultimately, they’ll make the right decisions for you. In 2015, we sent out a series of surveys, asking our readers what they wanted from us, what they loved about Career Contessa, what they hated. We realized they wanted two things: sophisticated advice and a direct connection to women like them who’d successfully advanced their careers. That’s what guided us to where we are now. 

Everything from there went really quickly. We hired a Managing Editor to shape our content and shift it towards the kind of smart advice our readers wanted. Then we launched our first paid service, Hire An Expert, which lets readers work 1:1 with a trusted career “mentor” of sorts, without the commitment of pricy coaching packages. 

As we evolve, we always try to stay close to our audience, and we know that a one-size-fits-all approach won’t work for them. Our goal is to continue the conversation as we go.

What parts of your professional history and personality did you leverage when starting Career Contessa?

All of it! I was a Recruiter at Hulu so I was very familiar with how the hiring process worked on both sides. I also leveraged many of my professional relationships to help me recruit career experts, launch a College Tour with corporate sponsors, and hire our first employees at Career Contessa.

My personality is also a big part of Career Contessa. I’m very ambitious, which helped me get out of a dead-end job and into my gig at Hulu. It also helped me leave there to start my own company. And although I’m an introvert, I love meeting new people and hearing their stories. This makes me a natural networker, which is really key to growing a company.

Was there a woman you looked up to that helped shape your career?

There have been many! From mentors to sponsors to colleagues, I’m constantly shaped by the hard-working women around me! The women that I’m particularly shaped by are women leaders. I’m trying to build a company and lead a team at the same time. Of course I want to be “good” at both so I look up to women that are successfully doing this like Alexa Von Tobel of LearnVest, Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook, and many of our own Contessas.

The culture of women in the workplace is shifting. It not every woman for herself, but rather, you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours. Why do you think this shift toward empowerment is vital?

One of my favorites quotes is, “When women support each other, amazing things happen.” This is 110% true and I think women are catching on that supporting each other and rooting for another woman’s success won’t dampen your chances of succeeding.  I also think this shift is vital because empowered women help empower others and they serve as role models for everyone coming after them. 

"Rooting for another woman’s success won’t dampen your chances of succeeding."

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What does it mean to be a Career Contessa?

It means realizing that your job can and should be an integral part of your life. It’s part of what makes you feel fulfilled and, ultimately, happy and sane. A Career Contessa knows that thinking proactively about her professional growth is both necessary and empowering. She’s daring and she takes constant risks. She also makes mistakes—sometimes huge ones—but she knows how to evolve from them and she has a sense of humor about it. Honestly, she’s the sort of woman who’s way too smart for cheesy, traditional career advice or gross life coach retreats. but she’ll read all day about careers and professional growth when the information is clever and valuable. That’s who we’re trying to reach.

What about those WTF career moments? Where you think, I have no idea what I’m doing. How do you work through those?

Easy. I find other women to talk to. I’m not the first woman to launch and build a business and I wont be the last. Yes, we have Google to help but nothing replaces a great conversation with another women. The energy, momentum, and direction I get from a career conversation with another women is really vital to moving me out of me WTF freak out moment.

"The energy, momentum, and direction I get from a career conversation with another women is really vital to moving me out of me WTF freak out moment."

What’s next for you in 2016? 

2016 is going to be a big year for growth for Career Contessa and me. At Career Contessa we are focused on building our brand awareness and Hire An Expert service. We’re also focused on more engagement opportunities like our monthly webinars, college tour, and other workshops.  Navigating your career is tough— and pretty much never ending—but we’re doing our best to make it fun and personal.

Photos courtesy of Joe + Kathrina. 

Mara Ferreira of M Loves M Could Have Been Your Lawyer

Relatable. It's not something all too often associated with fashion bloggers who rub elbows and create collabs with luxury designers. But when Mara Ferreira created her blog M Loves M in 2009, that was one her goals. That, and finding a creative outlet to connect with her then long-distance boyfriend, now husband, while studying for the LSAT. In the process however, Mara found that blogging was more her bag than legalese. 

But even though she may have skipped out on the Bar, she's definitely set the bar for bloggers higher. 

We caught up with Mara pre #CreateCultivateDTLA to find out memorable lessons, weighing the pros and cons of big changes, and why following your heart is always a risk worth taking. 

What were some of the most memorable lessons for you when you started off as a blogger? What’s the one lesson you still keep in your back pocket today?

I learned to not be afraid of starting something new. It can be scary at first, especially when you don't know what you're doing, but the challenge is so rewarding. One lesson I keep in my back pocket today is always be nice and easy to work with when working with brands. If you're difficult they won't want to work with you, and they'll also tell their other friends in the industry! I've heard some awful stories which prove it's always better to be kind!

Who do you think you would be today if it wasn’t for your blog? What would you be doing?

It's so hard to say! I think I might still be in law, working as a lawyer and wishing that I had pursued my other passions and interests. Working at the law firm really inspired me to have a creative outlet, though. If it wasn't blogging I know it probably would have been something else. 

You went from studying law to becoming a marketing professional. What would you say to anyone that wants to make a switch in their career after they’ve gone to school for a certain profession?

I think it's important to really weigh the pros and the cons. I'm a big list maker and that helps me when I'm making a decision. But at the end of the day, you really have to follow your heart. I knew that I was headed in the direction of a career that wouldn't make me happy. If I hadn't taken that risk to leave, I wouldn't have discovered what I truly loved. Even worse, I probably would have had a lot of regrets.

"At the end of the day, you really have to follow your heart."

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How do you find a balance in being a full time blogger and having a 9-5 job?

Finding balance is so tricky! I was working all day and then coming home to work on my blog at night, often until 2 or 3 am. Weekends revolved around the the blog with shooting outfits, recipes, and trying to constantly stay ahead. It was extremely exhausting, as you can imagine. Try doing that for 6 years and you definitely need to rethink some things. Now, I have a lot more flexibility by being able to work on my own schedule. My bedtime has gotten a lot more regular, which is a good thing!

If you were to start your blog today, in the midst of all the competition, would you take a different angle? Where would you focus your attention?

There is a lot of competition now and while some people say you need to have a specific angle, I think if you just stay true to yourself and write about what you love, the readers will notice. I've seen several bloggers who have started within the past few years and they've been able to be incredibly successful by just being themselves. I think it's important to not try to be like everyone else or write about what you think you need to. I've always loved cooking and baking, and that's been a part of my site since the very beginning. The posts aren't the most popular, and they don't get the most comments, but it's something I enjoy and love sharing with my readers. When I do get those emails from readers saying they tried something I shared it makes me so happy and reminds me how important it is to follow my intuition. 

What do you hope to be doing in five years’ time?

In 5 years I'd still love to be working on my site but working on a book or creating a product line would be a dream! Matthew and I will probably move in the next few years so I'm sure we'll be doing more home projects and DIYs.

What do you hope to get out of Create & Cultivate DTLA?

I hope to meet some readers and make new friends! The blogging community has been an incredible source of inspiration and comfort these past 6 1/2 years and I'm also learning new things and being challenged in a different way. Hopefully I can help out some new bloggers that are just starting out, or looking to take their blog to the next level.

What advice do you have for women who ARE starting right now? 

Do it! There's no time like the present. Also, don't worry about making it perfect. You have time! Start small and write about different things until you find your niche or passion. I know a lot of new bloggers feel this pressure to label their site before they even start, but don't! You might start wanting to write about fashion and then realize you're more passionate about beauty and hair! 

Photos courtesy of Mara Ferreira. 

Small but Mighty PR Duo Is Transforming Marketing & Advertising

Small Girls: Bianca Caampued, left; Mallory Blair, right. Photo credit: Scott Furkay. 

Small-bodied, big brained, big city. 

When Bianca Caampued and Mallory Blair launched Small Girls PR in 2010, the duo decided that part of their "sauce" would be working with friends.  As the agency of record for GE and Panasonic, we'd say they've made some friends in high places. But while some of their clients are corporate, their strategy is anything but. From the gate they tossed pre-packaged ideas out of the window from their office in Brooklyn, successfully proving that a PR "stunt" can actually shift into a sustainable business strategy; they are one of the most successful boutique PR firms in New York. 

They don't issue press releases or BCC hundreds of people at a time. Their messaging is crafted, creative, and gets people buzzing. In a 2011 blog post celebrating their first year, Mallory wrote, "Small Girls PR is a happy accident balancing carefully on the precipice of fear & hard work. What I’m saying, Dear Internet, is that I am a fraud. Maybe a diligent one, but a fraud nonetheless."

At this point, we beg to differ. 

We checked in with the small but mighty duo to get the low down on their SG game. 

Can you tell us a little about your backgrounds and why PR was the right move for your careers?

Bianca: I started out working in promotions and advertising at Lucky Magazine out of college and I really loved the creative activations that were being done for advertisers. I eventually ended up doing in-house "PR" at a thrift store where I did it the way that made sense to me - inviting my friends who were bloggers and downtown 'cool kids' (what I guess you would call "influencers" now) to the store to create content for and around the store's socials. I ran the Tumblr, Twitter, and Facebook, produced lookbooks and shoots for the special things that came into the store, threw events, and even occasionally pitched an outlet if a writer's interests were in line with the brand and it caught my eye. 

Mallory: Bianca and I met right when I was graduating college, while still working long hours at a small, four-person brand consultancy whose clients were tech giants like Apple. When I saw what Bianca was doing, I thought it could make sense to merge surfacing trends in technology with creative campaigns. That's how we built Small Girls PR in the beginning - taking all of the ways she was playing with new media & events at the store plus the positioning & trend-jacking I'd gleaned from the consultancy. We leveraged our mutual blogger networks as talent, tapped our friends as tastemakers before the word "Influencer" was a thing, and called it the new PR. 

Bianca: I still run the team that handles these kinds of projects at SGPR, though we now have 3 entire hubs dedicated to press strategy and media relations as well. Even when it comes to more "traditional" comms work, we use the same spirit of creativity and personalization.

Small girls. Big business. What does that mean, respectively, to each of you? 

Mallory: To quote me quoting a tumblr meme quoting Shakespeare, "Though she may be but little, she is fierce."

Bianca: It literally means we are small girls (5'0" and 5'3") and we're capable of doing big business.

"To quote me quoting a tumblr meme quoting Shakespeare, 'Though she may be but little, she is fierce.'"

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You’ve worked with brands like Google and GE, both at SXSW. What is it about a startup, and yours in particular that you think is compelling to larger corporate brands? 

Mallory: We're neophiles so we're always thinking about what's next, testing out new platforms, and meeting up with rising bloggers. Our entire team is in the same tech-savvy, marketer-aware audience that brands are trying to reach by participating in things like SXSW or launching a web series on a VR platform or creating an Instagram treasure hunt (all things we've been hired to execute and do PR for).

You both put yourself front and center for certain campaigns. Why do you think it’s important for bigger companies to brand themselves in relation to people? Are corporations people too? 

Mallory: This has gone so far that brands are now dipping into the uncanny valley, using 'bae' and 'fleek' more than 'discount code' and 'click to purchase'. I love brands playing into this weird twitter apocalypse and hope it never ends. [insert hands praying emoji]

This will be your 3rd year at SXSW, what is it about the festival that’s so exciting and appealing to such a wide audience?

Bianca: This is actually my 7th year at SXSW and Mallory's 8th! Prior to starting Small Girls, I helped Tumblr with their first SXSW event in 2009. I was also a regular attendee of the music portion of the festival for a while. Since then, Small Girls has produced SXSW events for clients ranging from Google to GE to The Dutch Consulate.I think that the most exciting and appealing thing about SXSW is the fact that it brings so many people across tech, music, and film together in one place. You can meet new people who are also working on interesting, creative things and spend time with them in a way that jumpstarts a friendship or even a business partnership. Hopping from panel to activation to party (to after party to the hotel lobby) gives you the opportunity to get to know people quickly & outside of just what they do for a living. 

Piggybacking on that, how do you get a brand to stand out when there are so many onsite activation points?

Bianca: This is such a tough question because there is so much noise in the space. Producing an activation in 2016 is not like what it was throwing a party in 2010. You can't just book a venue, slap an open bar on the invite, and get a DJ to get people excited; brand participation is saturated so it's crucial to give guests something to interact with, learn about, or experience for the first time- something they won't want to miss. All of this means partnering with the right brands or talent that can help draw attention to the experience and knowing the corners of the Internet where the people who would genuinely be interested in the project you're working on are hanging out. 

Mallory: Last year, we spent months in advance strategizing the amplification of GE's BBQ Research Center (debuting a 12-foot tall intelligent brisket smoker). We thought through every part of the experience from a media standpoint as well as the kind of content we could generate that would actually compel people to share or cover, whether data visualization of barbecue or tweeting gifs to attendees of their brainwaves reacting to brisket flavors (tracked via an EEG headgear set!). It was one of the most talked about SXSW events, with spots on ABC News, NPR, Fast Company & Nightline, earning over 1 billion media impressions. 

What’s the most exciting part of your job? 

Bianca: Making charts. 💹

Mallory: Making those charts go up and to the right. #TEAM

What are you most excited for at SXSW 2016? 

Bianca: Our client KnowMe is doing a keynote & event with the founder Andrew Jarecki and JJ Abrams (who is an investor). I love Star Wars and am a very active user on KnowMe outside of doing their PR, so I can't wait to work with them down there! 

Do you really believe that there is no such thing as “bad press?”

Mallory: Kill this myth! The wrong messaging can be damaging (even if merely by being confusing). That said, when there is "bad press" the fun is the coming up with a game plan to overcome the challenge.

"The wrong messaging can be damaging."

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If disruption was the buzz word in 2014. And Innovation was 2015. What’s the word for 2016?

Mallory: Downround

Bianca: Spiritual (sub words - The Force & CrystalMagic)

What one song sums up your current office vibe? 

Mallory: RAC made a track for people to play with down at Deloitte Digital's Interplay lab at SXSW (a concert-meets-mad lab space with indie musicians). We've been playing the track on repeat as we work on the project. :)

Arianna Schioldager is Create & Cultivate's editorial director. You can find her on IG @ariannawrotethis and more about her at www.ariannawrotethis.com

 

Arnelle Lozada of The BeautifuLife Is Getting Rid of Fluff

Arnelle Lozada is an LA/SF based Content Producer & Marketing Professional who specializes in producing compelling visuals and branded content. Having worked with brands like Urban Decay, Hudson Jeans, Pendleton, and Go Pro, both as a Content Producer and as a blogger, she created This BeautifulLife, her blog dedicated to travel, tech, and (good) taste dedicated to millennial women looking to change the world. Because she's not just blogging about fashion. In fact, what she wants is to tell beautiful stories that steer clear of fluff. Thought-provoking is her forté. 

Her work with Humanity Unified, an organization dedicated to helping communities to rise out of poverty through education, food security projects, and economic opportunities, is one way she's doing just that.  She also runs ExperiencExperiment, an ongoing project that curates unique experiences for high-visibility influencers.

We checked in with Arnelle to find out how she juggles such a crazy schedule and what "social good" really means to her. 

How did you get started? If we were to peak into your professional background what would we find? 

I dabbled into a bit of everything before I really found my place. I worked in Product Development and Design in the corporate fashion industry for a while, it lost its luster rather quickly. I worked in Post Production in the entertainment/television industry for a while after that, it lost its luster even quicker. I loved and appreciated aspects of both industries but wanted something else for myself, so I went for the fusion of the two: content production in the fashion industry. That led to content production with a number of reputable brands. I then birthed my blog early last year, and the rest is history. My blogging, content production, and storytelling are where my truest passions lie. 

You’re involved in multiple projects. Can you tell us a bit about wearing many hats and how one platform has let you to the other?

I'm learning a ton about time management, prioritizing, and ridding of all the "fluff" work that tends to drain your time, energy, and resources. I feel like you can definitely be involved in multiple projects so long as you're passionate about them all, so none of them fall to the wayside or get shelved. My blogging and professional Content Production often go hand in hand; I think that's the angle I take with pretty much all of my projects. Not only do I sincerely enjoy blogging and writing, but I have a serious passion for photography and cinematography, and that comes through in both my blog and my content work. Often times my Content Production has allowed me to build relationships with big brands who then like to work with me as a blogger because they see that I enjoy being in front of the camera and talking about products just as much as I love being behind the camera and shooting them. Concurrently, my blogging also catches the attention of businesses who need more branding and compelling visuals to support their sites and social media, so they reach out to me as a Content Producer as well. I feel so blessed because think I have the best of both worlds. And then both led me to the lovely people at Humanity Unified when they needed a shooter to produce content for their site, and that marked the beginning of a very personally fulfilling relationship.  

When you are creating content, who are you thinking about? Who is The Beautiful Life girl? 

I'm thinking about the strong millennial women with big dreams and ambitions, who want to impact the world. They're stylish and beautiful, but that's not all there is to them. They've got brains, they've got substance, and they've got big hearts. Definitely confident, a little geeky, and a little awkward - but striving to become completely comfortable in their amazing, awkward skin at the same time. Just like me. :)

What lessons have you learned while traveling? Can  you tell us about a travel moment that changed your relationship to work?

Mark Twain said it best, "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on those accounts. Broad, wholesome, and charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime." I literally can't say it any better! Traveling fills the void in the human spirit, and as much as it reminds me of my belief in personal/individual purpose and the gravity that that notion carries, it also reminds me that the universe and the world are so boundless, and I feel so small in the depths of it all. It's humbling. We are small, but very important parts, of something bigger than all of us ... that's the feeling that traveling instills in me. 

"Bloggers need one another to stay relevant."

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Your work with Humanity Unified is inspiring. Why was it important to you to add humanitarian to the scope of your work? 

I've always wanted to do it, I've always known it would be the most personally fulfilling type of work for me. Giving, giving back, spreading love and joy - I feel like these are things we are programmed to do as human beings, and we are here to be each other's support systems. Sadly, we often tear one another down, but that's because life's hardships reprogram us to be defensive and bitter to protect ourselves. But I wholeheartedly believe that at the core of it all we are wired for love, for compassion, for affection, and for connection. It's how we thrive. In my opinion, humanitarian work brings about all of these things in abundance. 

You work in a highly competitive sphere. How do you feel about “competing" with other women? What do you think of the idea that “girls compete, women empower?” 

I don't feel like I'm in competition with other women at all, for a number of reasons. One, everybody has their own unique style of storytelling, just as I do. Different people will connect with you no matter what your style, and there's a listener for every type of storyteller. Two, I've always felt that women should support and empower one another (this answers the second question), because I firmly believe our biggest contribution in this life will always be what we've done for others, not what we've done for ourselves. And three, bloggers need one another to stay relevant. It's because of the bloggers that have done amazing things and garnered massive followings that the rest of us even have a shot at something like this. Five years ago there was no such thing as "influencer" marketing, and the only people who had real influence in pop culture were celebrities. This day and age, so many people are self-made, and it's a beautiful thing. You can start a blog about almost anything and someone will find it, read it, and enjoy it, even if it's only 10 people. But if you're blogging for the right reasons and your blog is suited to fulfilling your purpose in this life, it won't matter how many readers you have, only how deeply you impact the ones you do have.  

"We are small, but very important parts, of something bigger than all of us."

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Where would you like to see your work go from here? What’s happening in 2016?

A new destination every month, new human connections to be made, new stories to be told. All while fully supporting the brands who want to support me on this journey. 

What does working for the social good mean to you? 

It means working to positively impact and inspire those who are directly (and indirectly) affected by you. It means working for the greater good, and for a purpose that is beneficial to the world and to mankind.  

Meet the Mentor: Style Me Grasie Is Conquering Multiple Verticals

Bios are boring. Or so says Grasie Mercedes, actress and lifestyle blogger on her site Style Me Grasie. But in reality, her life is anything but. Hailing from NYC and currently residing in LA (a transition she describes as exciting, new, and awe-inspiring), Grasie has a blend of girl-next-door charm and I'll-never-be-that-cool confidence. With a background producing for MTV-- something that keeps her grounded and respectful while on set (i.e. she shows up on time), Grasie has transitioned her career in a way most of us dream of.  

And she's going to be sharing her know-how as a mentor with Create & Cultivate LA on May 7th.

Get to know Grasie below and find out she thinks you should never have a Plan B. 

From creating your own content for your blog, styling, and acting, how do you manage to find the time to do it all?

Styling is what got me into blogging in the first place. I wanted an outlet for creative inspiration, then I found out about personal style blogs and OOTDs and started working in that direction. It was at that time, I named my blog Style Me Grasie and started getting a following. I'm also a TV Host/Style Expert and last year, was the first time that all three of my careers (acting, hosting and blogging) got really, really busy. It was tough to do all three and still have time for my husband and my life, so while I will still host a fashion segment from time to time, I'm solely focused on acting and the blog. It's hard to cut back on things in your life where you're succeeding, but at some point you need to focus on what you love the most. For me, that's acting and blogging. Luckily, I'm an extremely organized, Type A person, so I'm able to do both and give 100% to both! I do believe you can "do it all" and "go for it all" but I also think it's important to accept when you are stretched too thin and then go from there. 

You’ve mentioned that there’s a theory that it’s nearly impossible to be a working actor, but you’re killing the game. How have you been able to make it work?

Ha! Yes, making a substantial living as an actor is like winning the lottery. I have done okay for myself especially in the commercial acting world but I'm far from where I want to be. Acting is the hardest profession in the world and the reason there are so many "failed actors" is because most people give up. It NEVER happens overnight. You have to LOVE acting and be passionate about it and never have a plan B. You can have other things going on, in fact, I encourage that, but you can never give up. Most actors have to wait tables or bartend in between bookings, and I realized pretty early on that wasn't not for me. It made me not like people (let's be honest, when you're sober, drunk people are no fun) and it made me desperate at auditions. I wanted to book work so badly, and that energy is terrible for an audition. So, my love of acting and wanting to survive was a huge motivation to turn my blog into a business. Now, my blog is my main source of income and acting money is icing on the cake. In the past year, I've booked 4 national commercials and done of few indie films and in the past, a few day roles on TV shows, but my dream is to star in my own television series that I write and produce. I'm working on a web series now with another actress/writer that I'm really excited about! I will always act and my blog is the perfect day job the supplement my dream. 

You used to be behind the camera, and now you’re in front of it. Can you tell us about the moment where you realized that you needed to make that transition?

I went to NYU for Broadcast Journalism and wanted to be a news reporter. Right out of college, I worked at ABC World News and hated it. It was the overnight shift, everyone I worked with was nuts, and the news was/is so depressing! So, I quit and started working as a PA at MTV, which is where I interned in college. This grew into a career as an Associate Producer, then Post Producer and Segment Producer. But the whole time, I wanted to act. I had done plays in high school and in college but never thought I could actually go for it. I think a part of me thought I couldn't do that to my mom.

I'm first generation American; both my parents were born in Dominican Republic. I was the first in our family to go to college and felt this pressure "to have a real job." A pressure I totally put on myself because I have the most supportive mom in the world who loves everything I do. So when I was 25 (after three years producing at MTV) I told my mom I wanted to move to LA to be an actress. She told me I should go for it and I did! For the first three years in LA I was just figuring stuff out...it was my first time away from NYC/home and everything about LA was very exciting. Around 28 is when I really got serious, got into class and really started going for it. Knowing what it's like behind the camera always helps me on set. It's amazing how many actors don't respect all the work producers and crews have to go through to make a show, film or commercial happen. I know what it's like to work 16 hour days on the other side, so as an actor I make sure to always be on time, always say thank you, and always pay attention and listen to direction. You'd be surprised how many people don't do those simple things.

What are the ways that your acting career and blogging have intersected with one another to help each other grow and succeed?

More and more producers are interested in an actor's following. It's not like you'll book a job based solely on that, but if two actors are neck and neck for a job and one has 100k followers and one has 10k followers, they will probably go with the 100k actor. So having a following is definitely a good thing for acting. Acting or just being comfortable in front of the camera has helped me book brand collaborations and campaigns, which is great for the blog. A lot of bloggers are shy or not comfortable with video so I definitely have an advantage there and video collaborations are my fav! 

How does personal style influence how you feel as a business woman?

My personal style is why I'm a business woman. I think it's important for entrepreneurs to stay true to themselves above all...that's what people will relate to and what will make you successful. With both style and business, I think the same principles are true: do what feels great to you no matter what the trends are, love what you wear/do and have fun with your style/work. 

"My personal style is why I'm a business woman."

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Do you have a “power outfit” that gives you the confidence to work a room?

I'm most comfortable in jeans, a great top, heels, red lipstick, and hair pulled back. That's when I feel the most confident, powerful and sexy. That's my go-to for a big audition, business meeting or night out with the girls. 

What’s next for you this year?

This year is off to a great start and I'm excited for the rest of it! In acting world, I've booked two commercials this month and hope to book more. I'm acting/writing/producing a web series and working with a new talent rep who I love. In the blog world, I'm working with a new manager who I love, growing my brand, collaborating with some of my favorite designers and doing more video content. In my personal world, I hope to start a family with my husband within the next year or so. There's a lot happening in 2016! 

Enter the Now: The Dreamiest Bohemian Spa Destination in All of LA

Affordable luxury. It's not something Angelenos know that much about. That us, until now. Or rather, The Now. The luxury-walk-ins-welcome-spa that opened last year in West Hollywood, is all about that balance. After detecting a gap between high-end spas that cost a premium and Eastern foot spas that skimp on luxe, Erica Malbon and Gara Post looked for a way to unify those elements. 

Drawing inspo from the Coqui Coqui hotel in Tulum, Mexico, The Now offers the luxury spa experience at a (very) affordable price. Massages start at just $35 (just about the cost of two pressed juices), and guests can choose from a variety of add-ons. The first location attracted ladies like Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid, and the cofounders announced (today!) that a second location will be opening soon in Santa Monica. 

They're out to relax LA, one neighborhood at a time. 

We caught up with Erica and Gara to see how they spend their day, what advice they have for aspiring female entrepreneurs, and why touch is so important. 

Gara: 

5:30 am: Wake up and drink a large glass of room temperature water with lemon. Then meditate for 20 minutes. This is my daily ritual.

8 am: Get my kids ready for school. 

9 am: Go to Pilates or hot yoga at Core Power yoga - the works outs are so hard, but so effective.

10 am: Arrive at The Now and meet up with Erica to work on getting the boutique ready for the day.

Erica: 

12 pm: By noon we’re starving so we’ll run across the street to Erewhon for juices and salads. They have the best food!

1 pm: Meet with the team to review new ideas for products we want to sell at the boutique.

2 pm: In the afternoon we’ll have massage therapists come by for interviews with us and Amber, our massage therapist ambassador

Gara:

4:30 pm: Head home to get dinner ready for the kids and family. Creating balance between work and family is really important to Erica and me. 

8 pm: Back to work, usually with a glass of wine.

What made you decide to get into the health spa business? 

We both come from a design background, so we didn’t necessarily think that we would end up launching a massage boutique. That said, we are both really passionate about self-care and self-love. We really liked the idea of an affordable massage in a luxury environment, which is where our design background comes in. We want to give people the opportunity to connect with themselves and recharge on a regular basis. Since we’re both hard workers and entrepreneurs, it was a natural jump for us even if we didn’t have background that aligned in an obvious way. 

What are your respective backgrounds?

Gara: I have a jewelry line called Gara Danielle that I’ve been designing for 18 years (which is why I’m always wearing at least 15 rings and 10 bracelets!). I still work on it every day and am currently brainstorming a potential special collection for The Now. Stay tuned!

Erica: I worked in marketing and design with my husband on fashion and style brands. I had actually just designed my own line of luxury travel accessories, but I put that on hold to work on The Now. You never know how it will resurface though!

How do you scale a business and keep your massages starting at such a great price point?

We work with amazing massage therapists who love having a regular but flexible job they can come to. So it ends up being a win win for everyone!

A lot of establishments in LA run on the premise of exclusivity. But you’re offering an experience with very inclusive prices and still attracting an A-List clientele. What’s the secret? 

We have a couple beliefs that we always go back to. One of which is that we believe in the power of touch. It’s healing in a way that nothing else is and it really should be part of everyone’s regular routine. With that being part of our foundation, how could we ever create a place that is exclusive? Everyone deserves to feel great. That’s why our hashtag is #MassagesForAll. We think people, A-list or not, are attracted to The Now because our view comes from an honest place. Also, we’ve designed the space in a way that feels like a luxurious vacation. And who doesn’t want to go on a great vacation?

"We believe in the power of touch." 

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What is your best advice for aspiring female entrepreneurs?  

Gara: Work hard.

Erica: Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. Yes, it’s scary, but that means you’re doing something exciting and new. 

Gara: And be kind. To yourself and others. 

To book online or via The Now App visit www.thenowmassage.com

The Now, 7611 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036, 323-746-5525,

photo credit: Tessa Neustdt

ITK: Meet 7 Boss Female Staffers on Capitol Hill

Sure, you know Hill. She rocks a badass power suit, she's running for POTUS, and can hold her own on a stage. But do you the other women on the Hill? Capitol, that is. Women who are making moves and breaking barriers, ceilings, and deal will the quiet sexism that still exists there? These are behind-the-scenes-females who wield a fair amount of power and work to drive their party's message. We're highlighting seven female staffers who . 

Kat Skiles is the digital director and senior advisor to Democratic Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. Prior to joining Pelois's office in 2014, she was Press Secretary & Director of Online Strategy for the Democratic Caucus of the U.S. House of Representatives, where she developed comprehensive outreach plans for Members of Congress that utilized the power of digital and traditional engagement strategies.  

Alexis Covey-Brandt serves as the floor director for returning House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) According to Politico she keeps a low profile outside of the Capitol, but is one of "the most recognizable and trusted aides for Democratic lawmakers during frenzied floor votes, at meetings of House leaders and in the behind-the-scenes machinations that determine which bills, large and small, make it to the floor."

Sharon Soderstrom is one of nine Republican female chiefs of staff in the Senate and is the top aide to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Reema Dodin serves as Floor Director to the Assistant Democratic Leader, Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL), where she runs the whip operation for the Senate Democratic leadership team. As Floor Director, she runs the whip operation for the Senate Democratic leadership team, and advises on Senate Floor strategy for the caucus.

Rebecca Tallent currently serves as Assistant to the Speaker for Policy, focusing on Judiciary and Homeland Security issues, specifically immigration reform.  She came to the Speaker’s office from the Bipartisan Policy Center where she served as the Director of Immigration policy and prior to her work at the BPC, served as Senator John McCain’s Chief of Staff. 

Kelly Ward serves as Executive Director for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). Prior to serving as Executive Director, Kelly was the DCCC’s Political Director in 2012, where she oversaw the incumbent protection program and the Committee’s redistricting efforts, and the Regional Political Director for Incumbent Protection in 2010, working with more than 50 incumbent Members on their re-election efforts. 

Jo-Marie St. Martin Green serves as General Counsel and Chief of Legislative Operations for the Speaker.  She oversees all aspects of procedure for the House, the Republican Conference, and committees. She advises Boehner on filing lawsuits, like the one opposing President Obama's health care law. She's his ethics officer. And she's one of his top advisers.

Meet the Boss of the Floral Business: Bess Wyrick of Celadon and Celery

Serial entrepreneur Bess Wyrick is not only our MF BOSS Senior Event Producer at Create & Cultivate, she also runs Celadon & Celery Events, her fourth business venture which has been successful and profitable since 2008. This doesn't come as a surprise to us at C & C (did you see the florals and stages in Dallas?). Bess' work ethic is imbued with a Millennial spirit, the kind that's convinced it's possible to be an effective part of something bigger. The kind that believes we can create our own change and be disruptive in our own niches. So that's what she's done-- created the change herself (and it's blooming beautiful). 

Basically for Bess, the world is her Oleander. 

Tell us a little bit about your background, and how you found yourself in the floral and events business.

During college I spent some time working on the catering side of events and always loved when the events we worked on had the budgets to hire florists. I thought they were magicians!  So after college I spent some time freelancing as a florist with a slew of the best San Francisco Event Designers. I started out on the production floral side which meant early morning flower market runs, long hours of processing flowers, cleaning buckets and vases, cleaning out the cooler, and then sweeping. My god I was always sweeping since florists make a huge mess. It didn't take long before I was picking up all the insider tricks. Before long I was designing weekly flowers accounts, working on weddings, and being hired as a freelance designer. 

Plants, nature, soil it all made sense to me and working with it every day was second nature at that point.

What has been the biggest discovery you’ve made about yourself as a small-business owner?

You have to have more than passion to keep you motivated and driven. I have found that the crew you hire is the key to success. I am only as good as the team around me and I am better with a team that works independently, creatively, and passionately. As a creative I am always finding new ways to encourage and inspire my team to work harder but smarter. Luckily we are surrounded by beauty all the time so I have to remind them to not take advantage of it!

"Work harder but smarter." 

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What was your biggest fear in launching your own business?

Running out of MONEY! This is my third business and unlike my last two I was launching without a business partner, in a new city, and I was still green! It was 2008 and I had just landed in NYC before the economy tanked and before too long my job, housing, and the life I had built was pulled out from under me. So I took my skill set, got a part time retail flower job and started hustling. I also took a studio in the NYC flower market where I converted it into a live/work loft and started to make the dream happen. 

I never ran out of money because I did three things that I think were critical to my success:

1. Freelance, if I did not have my own gig, I was working for someone else.

2. I lived and breathed flowers, marketing, networking. I was ruthless when it came to promoting myself and the brand I was building.

3. I was the first company to ever offer Flower Workshops on sites like Groupon and Living Social. They were a huge success and sold out every time I did an offer. They became so huge I started doing them in other markets: LA, Miami, Dallas.

By year two I was already becoming a nationwide brand name that people recognized. While that type of marketing had its downfalls it propelled the business to get through the years where wedding and event budgets were scare.

People see pretty. But behind the scenes is a lot of tough work and labor. What are some other elements people would find surprising about event and floral production?

I started my business on the ethos of buying only local flowers, which means grown and shipped in the US only.  In 2007 this was a very hard thing to do and meant I had to find these farmers myself. I would spend hours and days driving around to meet farmers and understand what they grew and what their capabilities were. It set my business apart in NY since the market was used to importing from Holland or Asia. Having spent four years of my life as a marijuana farmer I knew how important it was to find flower farmers who took the time to grow seasonal and sustainably. It is what my brand is all about!

In addition, the physical labor that goes into creating flowers for events is hard on the body, very time consuming, and tedious. Florists work long hours, in extreme conditions and it is a constant balance of heavy lifting and stretching to reach large installations. But it's a high to work long days and then step back and see the beauty you've created. I am addicted to that feeling; it is why I keep at it.

There’s a time frame when you’re working with flowers that’s a little… scary. How do you make sure things happen in crunch time?

Ahh, yes this is a secret language between the flowers, the environment, and the style of the event. The way flowers look at an event are leaps and bounds above how they look when I receive them. Most people would be surprised to know that I often get flowers five days before an event so I can work on changing their shape, opening them up, or allowing them to bloom so they are at their peak on event day. I am not a nervous person so this process is more like a dance between me and the flowers.

During Create & Cultivate Dallas I got all the soft flowers on Tuesday (ed note: the event was on Saturday) and spent the time to process them, heat them up so they would open, then stabilize them in a cooler when they were perfect. It is an art but comes with all those years I worked production and stuck it out in rooms with heaters and trucks with coolers!

What are the long term goals for Celedon and Celery?

The beauty about being in the event world is that you can be as transformative as a space. CC has become a resource to so many other florists on large floral build outs, destinations flower planning, and sourcing flowers in regions. I continue to see it be a design house that consults with agency on larger activations, and brand ideation. We are more than florists here at CC and that is why it has been so successful in so many markets. We are creatives, designers, producers, and most of all collaborators, and I hope to see it become a staple platform for  future visual artists to come.