10 Glaring Contract Red Flags You're Not Paying Attention To

Photo: Smith House Photography

Unless you’re a lawyer, navigating a contract is a veritable minefield. Reading the fine print can be daunting, to say the least, especially for content creators who are hustling for every dollar. That’s why we tapped Christopher Dischino, a lawyer who specializes in business law, intellectual property, and corporate transactions, to break down some of the most common mistakes for us.

“Drafting contracts for freelancers often requires a delicate balance of terms, which both protect you and your intellectual property but are not overly onerous to your client,” Dischino tells Create & Cultivate. “When we discuss creating standard form contracts for many of our freelance clients, we discuss not only how they operate but who they are doing business with.”

While it’s important to note that everyone’s particular business operations are unique, below are ten of the most important items Dischino takes into consideration when drafting contracts for freelancers.

Business or Personal

“In order to insulate yourself from personal liability, consider forming a small business corporation or limited liability company and signing all contracts in your company’s name as opposed to individually. Operating through a company may have tax benefits, asset protection benefits, and adds a flair of professionalism to your business.”

Work for Hire

“If you are being hired to create a project or product, it is important to understand who owns it upon completion. Specifically, you should discuss with your client the extent of ownership by both parties upon completion. The U.S. Copyright Act provides that, as an independent contractor, copyright to the work product you create belongs to the creator of the work, unless otherwise agreed in writing. While most clients will expect ownership to be transferred, pay particular attention to any references to “Work for Hire.” If your client expects to receive ownership of the work product, make sure that it is expressly conditioned on payment in full.”

Indemnification Clauses

“Liability is always a concern when completing a project or product for a client. Whenever you see an indemnification clause, read it carefully. Many agreements state that if the work product created infringes on the intellectual property rights of a third party, the party creating the work remains liable for any damages. Likewise, a freelancer should make sure they are indemnified by their client and held harmless if the client utilizes the work in a way, which creates liability due to their own negligence or willful misconduct.”

Choice of Law and Venue

“Almost all contracts will have a clause that establishes where legal proceedings take place, should a dispute arise, and the law that governs the dispute. Make sure that the contract is not governed by laws that you and your lawyer are unfamiliar with and doesn’t require you to show up to court in a faraway land, especially if the dispute is over non-payment.”

Payment Method and Schedule

“Payment terms are often the elephant in the room when negotiating a contract. All too often, individuals or companies neglect to set a payment and deliverable schedule which leads to controversies as time goes on. Moreover, always consider requesting an initial deposit to bill against. Many contracts now require clients to sign a credit card authorization.”

Force Majeure

“Force majeure, which means superior force in French, is often an important red flag to be attentive of when drafting a contract. A force majeure or “unavoidable circumstance” prevents one or both parties from fulfilling their obligations under the contract. In practice, most force majeure clauses do not excuse a party's non-performance entirely, but only suspend it for the duration of the event. For example, a freelance photographer who setups for a beach photoshoot only to find himself in middle of a hurricane, would benefit from a force majeure clause that excuses his non-performance of the contract due to a circumstance beyond his control.”

Expenses

“Who covers the expenses of creating a work and when will they be paid? It is important to differentiate between payment for your services or work and the added expenses that were necessary for the completion of a project or product. From the beginning, establish if hard costs are included within your fee (and if so, consider a larger upfront deposit) or if costs are up and above your fee (if this is the case, establish what costs must be approved or which are pre-approved). Finally, make sure to define if the expenses will be paid upfront or if you will be paying out-of-pocket and requesting reimbursement.”

Scope of Work 

“When do you start and where do you finish? Often times, projects are taken on or products begin with no true direction or trajectory. This lack of organization and parameters may lead to situations where a client continues to request work beyond the scope of what was originally contemplated. It is important to set parameters regarding the project or product so that you comply with what is requested, but also so that you are properly compensated for your work. The more specific and objective the scope, the better.”

Revisions, Drafts and Changes

“Just as important as the scope of your work is the amount of times you will go back to the drawing board, make changes, edits and revisions. For the sake of compensation (and your sanity), it is important to agree upon the amount of changes a client is able to request prior to the start of your work and the rates (whether a flat fee or hourly) at which additional work is billed.”

Termination Clauses

“It is important to set out the exact reasons or basis for which your agreement can be terminated. Termination clauses should not only consist of the client’s basis to terminate you but also considerations for when you need to terminate your client. It’s especially important to make sure that your client cannot terminate you for any reason or no reason without compensating you in full for the work you completed.”

About the Expert: Christopher Dischino leads Dischino & Company, a Miami-based law firm that provides legal advice and strategic consulting for the modern business, the entrepreneur, the free-thinker and those looking for something outside the box. With a knack for the creative and an entrepreneurial attitude, Christopher specializes in business law, intellectual property, and corporate transactions, assisting private clients and corporate entities to establish and expand their businesses domestically and abroad.

DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in this article has been prepared for informational purposes only and are not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for, tax, legal or accounting advice.

This story was originally published on April 10, 2016, and has since been updated.

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Ask an Expert: How to Unite a Remote Team During the COVID-19 Crisis as a Small Business Owner

We’ve been spending a lot of time at Create & Cultivate HQ discussing how we can best show up for and support our community during this uncertain time. Community is at our core, and connecting with others through one-of-a-kind experiences is what we love to do. While the world has changed, our mission has not. We’re committed to helping women create and cultivate the career of their dreams, which is why we’re proud to announce our new Ask an Expert series. We’re hosting discussions with experts, mentors, and influencers daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST on Instagram Live to cure your craving for community and bring you the expert advice you’ve come to know and love from C&C. Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the latest schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out!

Photo: Courtesy of Sonja Rasula

Small businesses everywhere are stepping up and doing their part to help flatten the curve, canceling events, shuttering offices, and implementing work-from-home policies in order to help contain the alarmingly rapid spread of the coronavirus. Of course, by now (read: week two of #WFHlife) we all know that the transition between working from the office to working from the home office (a.k.a. the dining table, the couch, or even the bed) is easier said than done.

For helpful tips on how to unite a remote team while working from home during the COVID-19 outbreak, we tapped none other than small business owner and serial entrepreneur Sonja Rasula, the founder of Unique Markets and The Unique Space, for the latest installment of our Instagram Live series, Ask an Expert. Read on for Rasula’s tried-and-true tips for boosting morale as well as productivity while managing a WFH team. If you missed the conversation, you can watch it in full here, and be sure to tune into our next Ask an Expert conversation on Instagram Live.

How can I unite my remote team digitally and keep them inspired?

“The first thing that you have to do is implement structure. If you have daily meetings or check-ins, those still need to happen. Now more than ever, it’s important to check-in and have face-to-face meetings through Zoom, Face Time, and Google Hangouts to stay connected.

The socializing aspect of work is so important. If you use Slack as a communication tool, create a channel called ‘The Break Room’ or ‘The Water Cooler’ for your team to share stupid memes to share photos of their desk as a way to create a social human connection beyond work. Because it’s not all about work.”

How should I adapt my leadership style to help my team feel positive and optimistic?

“Being positive and optimistic yourself is really important. You set the bar. Even if you are freaking the eff out on the inside, you need to be as cool, calm, and collected as you can for your team.

That said, full transparency is important. Once in a while, letting your team see how you’re feeling is really important because they need to know you are not a robot, you are a human being.”

My business is really hurting financially right now and I’m struggling to see the silver lining. How can I thrive as a founder and keep the lights on?

“Figure out your digital presence. There are no excuses now, it’s all about your digital footprint, so start that podcast, send that newsletter, start that blog. Utilize the free technology that’s available (social media, blogs, etc.) to expand your digital footprint.

We’re all at home, we’re trying to make shit work with what we have, and we are not superhuman. We can only do what we can do, and then you have to let go. Try your hardest, but recognize that now, potentially, might not be the time. Just relax, pause, reevaluate, and think about business differently.”

About the Expert: In 2008 Sonja Rasula self-funded her first business, Unique Markets, by risking her entire 401k retirement savings. Thankfully it worked! Her innovative, modern pop-up marketplaces have taken place around the country including Los Angeles, San Francisco, N.Y.C., and Austin! Nike, Airbnb, Madewell, and Adobe are some of the many brands to tap into Sonja’s entrepreneurial mindset and creative consulting. She was named “1 of 30 Women Entrepreneurs Changing the World” by fashion mogul Eileen Fisher, and Los Angeles Magazine awarded her 1 of 10 of L.A.'s Most Inspiring Women in their annual issue about women in Los Angeles.   

Tune in daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST, for new installments of Ask an Expert. 

Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out. See you there!

Ask an Expert: How to Get Buzz-Worthy Press Right Now, According to a Publicist

We’ve been spending a lot of time at Create & Cultivate HQ discussing how we can best show up for and support our community during this uncertain time. Community is at our core, and connecting with others through one-of-a-kind experiences is what we love to do. While the world has changed, our mission has not. We’re committed to helping women create and cultivate the career of their dreams, which is why we’re proud to announce our new Ask an Expert series. We’re hosting live discussions with experts, mentors, and influencers daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST on Instagram Live to cure your craving for community and bring you the expert advice you’ve come to know and love from C&C. Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the latest schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out!

Photo: Courtesy of Heather DeSantis

There is a huge opportunity for entrepreneurs and small business owners to show up, share their message, and be a source of positivity right now. With the COVID-19 crisis impacting communities, businesses, and people across the country and the world, there’s a great need for positive news. So, how do you make your message really matter in a time that feels so dark to fill that void?

In this installment of our wildly popular Instagram Live series, Ask an Expert, we tapped Heather DeSantis, a media expert and the CEO of Publicity for Good, to answer all your burning publicity questions in the wake of the coronavirus crisis. Read on for DeSantis’ tried-and-true R.I.C.H. formula for getting buzz-worthy press and creating content that resonates right now, and be sure to tune into our next Ask an Expert conversation on Instagram Live.

R: Reflect on who you are as an entrepreneur and a person.

“Ask yourself, Who are you as an entrepreneur? What key things have you gone through to become the entrepreneur you are today? What things have you gone through that you can share? What can you teach to others? How can you be of service? Use these answers to make a list of the core topics that you want to talk about in the media.”

I: Investigate.

“Figure out how to bridge the gap between what you want to talk about and what’s going on in the world right now to make your pitch relevant to the media.

Step 1: Go to Google and type in a topic that’s relevant to your business; a topic that you’re an expert in.

Step 2: Go through the results in the “News” section. Sift through the first three pages of results for inspiration on how to pitch yourself to media outlets.

Step 3: Search for your competitors via Google to see where they’ve been featured and start reaching out to those media outlets to get featured by those publications, networks, etc.

As a business owner, it’s really important to make your message relevant to what’s going on in the world. Search what’s trending in the media so that your content solves a problem and serves what people are interested in today.”

C: Connect with the media.

“First and foremost, post on your own social media channels. Go to your Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter and create a call to action post to let people know you want to get your message out there.

Then, authentically connect with members of the media before you pitch them. Engage with their content and create relationships and friendships with them. When you do reach out to them with a pitch, be sure to follow up three days later. Ask them how you can help and always come from a place of service.

If you want to pitch local/regional press, start watching the morning news to see what the flow of the show is, and then call the morning producer. You can go to Google and type in “news tips” to search for the direct email address of the producer and reach out.”

H: Help & hunt.

“Help. It’s all about service. You’re filling the need of the media, so come from a place of service. The media needs content to inspire people to keep them motivated and learn how to adjust during these times. Ask, What are you working on and how can I help?

Hunt. Show up every day and pitch yourself to the media.”

About the Expert: Heather DeSantis is the SHE-O of Publicity For Good and a Forbes 30 Under 30 nominee. Heather is the leading female millennial publicist of her generation with a fresh take on life which translates to a disruptive approach to PR, as evident with her choosing to run her agency nomadically from an Airstream. Together with her fiancé, she goes around the U.S. spreading the word about the unique way and mechanism PFG does PR. 

Tune in daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST, for new installments of Ask an Expert. 

Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out. See you there!

Ask an Expert: How to Adjust Your Business Strategy During the Coronavirus Crisis, According to a Business Coach

We’ve been spending a lot of time at Create & Cultivate HQ discussing how we can best show up for and support our community during this uncertain time. Community is at our core, and connecting with others through one-of-a-kind experiences is what we love to do. While the world has changed, our mission has not. We’re committed to helping women create and cultivate the career of their dreams, which is why we’re proud to announce our new Ask an Expert series. We’re hosting discussions with experts, mentors, and influencers daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST on Instagram Live to cure your craving for community and bring you the expert advice you’ve come to know and love from C&C. Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the latest schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out!

Photo: Courtesy of Gretchen Jones

In times of crisis, businesses are put to the test—supply chains are disrupted and profit margins are compromised. And the COVID-19 crisis is certainly no exception. As our founder and CEO Jaclyn Johnson says, a company’s success comes down to how it pivots and responds during times of great uncertainty. However, as one of today’s Ask an Expert pros reminded us, “Now is the time to be swift, not reactive."

For some #realtalk on how to pivot a business, manage expectations, and lead with purpose during a crisis, we tapped Gretchen Jones, a strategic business advisor (she advises our CEO), for a special installment of our wildly popular Instagram Live series, Ask an Expert. Read on for three things you should know about adjusting your business strategy right now. If you missed the conversation, you can watch it in full here, and be sure to tune into our next Ask an Expert conversation on Instagram Live.

1. I want to be proactive during this time of quarantine—what can I do to reach my business growth goals and hit the ground running when things go back to normal?

“Achieving business goals right now is theoretical. More than thinking about growth, work on managing a healthy relationship with your business, not the potential capabilities ahead of you. Look at this slowdown as an opportunity to rise to the occasion, and look at initiatives that you’ve wanted to dive into but haven’t had the time to until now.“

2. I’m a small business owner and I don’t know how much longer I can afford to pay our staff while we’re closed during this time of quarantine. What advice can you share?

“Being a good boss sometimes means that moving through the pain [and going through with layoffs] is doing what is right for your community because you acted with integrity. You holding onto your staff because you’re afraid of laying them off in the future is going to complicate they’re ability to gain access to unemployment benefits. Take care of them now so that they will want to come back and work for you.”

3. How can I be a better, more supportive leader for my team, especially now that we’re all working remotely?

“The first thing is communication. Lead with humanity first in all communication. And, set goals. Real goal setting is about making sure your team knows that they have purpose and value and make sure that the expectations are really clear. Set benchmarks or KPIs (key performance indicators) so that you have really thoughtful ways of checking in with your team. Most importantly, hold yourself accountable by being better and more communicative with your staff.”

About the Expert: Gretchen Jones is a strategic business advisor and public speaker, as well as an award-winning design director, ambassador for sustainability, and NLP practitioner. She works with entrepreneurs and companies to develop future-minded, visionary approaches to ourselves and our work. Her methodology brings a directional, mindful lens of reflection to processes and belief systems, inside and outside of our businesses.

Gretchen has generously offered Create & Cultivators a special discount. Use the code gJLOVESC&C for 33% off Critical Conversations for the next three months. The code expires June 1st and can be up to three times.

Tune in daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST, for new installments of Ask an Expert. 

Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out. See you there!

6 Things You Can Do to Support Small Businesses Right Now During the Coronavirus Crisis

Photo: Smith House Photography

Small businesses need our help more than ever right now. The coronavirus crisis is seriously impacting restaurants, fitness studios, salons, and brick-and-mortar shops across the country. To find out what we can do right now to support them, we tapped money expert and financial advisor Kristin O'Keeffe Merrick, a financial advisor at O'Keeffe Financial Partners, for our Ask an Expert Instagram Live series.

“Small businesses are the backbone of our country, and we need to support them the best we can,” the money expert and financial advisor reminded us during her Ask an Expert segment on our Instagram Live feed. Of course, we here at Create & Cultivate couldn’t agree more, so we’re sharing Merrick’s top tips for how to support small businesses during this challenging and unpredictable time.

Here are six things you can do right now—without leaving your couch—to support local small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic if you’re able to.

1. Order delivery, takeout, or even a gift card from your favorite local restaurants.

“Make sure you’re tipping when you go in for takeout. Servers aren’t serving people in restaurants right now so be sure to tip if you can to help support them.”

2. Shop your local brick-and-mortar small businesses online.

“Think ahead to some events you need to shop for (weddings, bridal showers, baby showers, Mother’s Day) and shop your local small businesses online.”

3. Stream fitness classes from your fave local studios online.

“If the instructors you love are giving free classes, consider sending them a tip ($20 via Venmo or Cash App), since they’re probably not getting paid for that service.”

4. Call up your local salons and buy gift cards for your next treatments.

“Think ahead to your next hair appointment, your next manicure or pedicure, etc., and consider buying a gift card now.”

5. Use your voice to help spread the word about local businesses that could use the extra love.

“Help your local community for free by posting about your favorite local businesses on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc.”

6. Pay your people.

“If you’re still getting a reg paycheck, pay your housekeeper, pay your dog walker, pay anyone who helps you with childcare.”

For more expert advice on how to navigate the COVID-19 crisis, tune in daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST, for new installments of our Instagram Live series, Ask an Expert.

Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out. See you there!

Up next: 7 Things a Financial Expert Wants You to Do to Prepare for COVID-19

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Ask an Expert: 5 Things a Lawyer Wants You to Know About Force Majeure Clauses and COVID-19

We’ve been spending a lot of time at Create & Cultivate HQ discussing how we can best show up for and support our community during this uncertain time. Community is at our core, and connecting with others through one-of-a-kind experiences is what we love to do. While the world has changed, our mission has not. We’re committed to helping women create and cultivate the career of their dreams, which is why we’re proud to announce our new Ask an Expert series. We’re hosting discussions with experts, mentors, and influencers daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST on Instagram Live to cure your craving for community and bring you the expert advice you’ve come to know and love from C&C. Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the latest schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out!

Photo: Courtesy of Jamie Lieberman

Not to state the obvious, but talking to a lawyer can be intimidating. Between tracking down the right lawyer, budgeting for a consultation, and knowing which questions you need to ask, seeking out legal counsel can be daunting for a lot of small business owners. With that in mind—and given these unprecedented times—we asked an attorney to answer all your burning questions about force majeure contract clauses in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this installment of our Instagram Live series, Ask an Expert, we tapped Jamie Lieberman, a seasoned attorney and the founder of Hashtag Legal, to discuss everything you need to know about force majeure clauses right now. Read on for five things you should know about getting out of a contract due to unforeseeable circumstances. If you missed the conversation, you can watch it in full here, and be sure to tune into our next Ask an Expert conversation on Instagram Live.

1. First things first, what is a force majeure clause anyway?

“It is a clause that’s written into many contracts that allows a contract to be canceled or postponed due to impossibility performance, which can be caused by things like natural disasters, strikes/riots, or ‘acts of God.’ Things that make it impossible for people to perform their obligations.”

2. What exactly is considered an act of God by a force majeure clause?

“Usually, an act of God includes natural disasters; hurricanes, floods, tornadoes. Illness is not always in the definition of force majeure. If you have a contract that you’re not sure about, you check whether or not there’s a force majeure clause in it and how it’s defined. Some contracts allow for cancellation and some just allow for postponement.”

3. What if I don’t have a force majeure clause in my contract?

“There are a number of ways you can be protected whether or not you have force majeure in your contract. If the purpose of the contracts is frustrated, meaning there’s no way for you to do it, you can be protected by the doctrine of impossibility or impracticability. If you can’t perform your contract, have that conversation with your client and see what you can do to postpone. Have a negotiation, have a conversation.”

4. What can I do if someone is trying to get out of a contract and I don't have a lawyer?

“Have the difficult conversations—don’t avoid them. Start negotiating and try to make new agreements so that you can move forward and both parties are protected. The worst thing you can do is avoid having these conversations.”

5. Do I need a contract?

“If there is anything of value being exchanged, whether it’s money, goods, or services, having a contract is a best practice. Contracts are meant to protect both parties—they’re not designed to favor one party or the other. And if you have everything in writing, you know what will happen in the event of something like the COVID-19 outbreak.”

About the Expert: Jamie Lieberman, owner and founder of Hashtag Legal has been a practicing lawyer for nearly 15 years. As an experienced entrepreneur, Jamie understands the unique needs of business owners at different stages in their organization’s growth. She has a deep commitment to making legal accessible and regularly speaks about legal matters, the art of negotiation and entrepreneurial topics at events such as Alt Summit, Podcast Movement, and FinCon and as an expert source for media like Digiday and Forbes. You can also catch her as a co-host on The FearLess Business Podcast.

Tune in daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST, for new installments of Ask an Expert.

Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out. See you there!

6 Tips for Creating a Productive Work-From-Home Environment

Photo: Polina Zimmerman for Pexels

Working from home. It sounds great in theory, but it actually takes a lot of discipline to establish a routine that makes working from home productive and fulfilling. Given that many companies are currently implementing work from home policies to help flatten the curve and prevent the spread of COVID-19, I feel compelled to share my tried-and-true tips for creating a productive work-from-home environment.

As someone who’s been freelancing and working from home for the past five years, I’ve gone through all of the ups and downs WFH life can present—from feeling lonely and needing to talk to someone to needing to get out of the house and take a break (while practicing social distancing, of course). Scroll on for my tips on how to create a dedicated work space, set office hours, eliminate distracts, and more.

Create a Dedicated Work Space

Find a place in your home that you can dedicate to work. This will be different for everyone, and while I highly encourage having a desk, a dining room table or breakfast bar are great substitutes.

I don’t recommend your workspace be on your couch or on anything where you can recline. While I love being on my laptop and having my feet up on my couch, I am never as productive as I am when sitting upright.

When choosing a space for work in your home, try to find an area that has the following:

• Natural light

• Quiet

• Minimal household distractions (dirty dishes in the sink, children’s toys on the floor, etc.)

Find a space that you can check-in for work and check-out for everything you’d typically do while at home.

Set Office Hours

As a freelancer, it’s incredibly important to have office hours. Not only to manage client expectations but to give yourself structure.

Setting office hours should empower you to develop a routine for yourself like you typically would if you had a 9-to-5 office job. You’d wake up in the morning, enjoy your morning cup of coffee, maybe squeeze in a yoga class before you get dressed, and head to work. The same should be taken into consideration when you work from home.

Freelance life is supposed to allow you to do all of the things you want to do with your time. Don’t let it create an opposite effect where you convince yourself to always be on and working just because you’re able to do it from the freedom of your own home.

Eliminate Distractions

It’s so important to eliminate any distractions from your home that would take you away from getting work done. For me, I need my home to be clean - period. If the home isn’t tidy, I’m not focused.

Other distractions I try to eliminate are:

• Mindless social media scrolling. There’s a difference between taking time to engage on social media to benefit your business and spending 20 minutes scrolling through videos of pigs taking a bath. Cut the scroll!

• Noise. If noise distracts you (or a lack thereof), plug in your noise-canceling headphones or put on some white noise to help you regain focus.

• Pets. I have two dogs who can be very needy for attention. They sleep for most of the day, but every now and then they have a tendency for loudly playing with each other while I’m on client calls. When that happens, or if I think it could happen, I put them in their beds in our master bedroom and shut the door. It’s never for long and it helps calm them down - and helps prevent me from having to apologize to a client for the squeaky toy noises in the background.

If you find yourself being distracted by a common theme throughout your days, find a way to eliminate that distraction so you can stay focused and do your best work.

Get Out of Your PJs

We all have days where we want to stay in our PJs, but it’s important to get out of the jammies and into something that says, “my day has started.”

Most of the time I will change out of PJs and into activewear or comfortable denim. I’ll wash my face, brush my teeth and hair, put on some CC cream and deodorant, and then get to work. It’s a small effort that makes a big difference.

Talk To Someone

One of the biggest things I didn’t realize about working from home is just how lonely it can be.

You are by yourself all day and unless you have clients who love phone calls, most of your correspondence will primarily be done through email. It’s important to talk to someone; anyone. Make time to pick up the phone and call a relative or an old friend. Schedule calls with people in your network so you don’t lose your conversation skills.

I realized a change in myself probably around my second or third year of freelancing, where I would struggle with conversation because I just wasn’t having any. I’d either talk too long or too fast, have difficulty forming sentences, and just felt awkward. This is not me.

Now I talk to everyone.

I am not shy when it comes to conversation and make an effort to have a casual chat with just about anybody I come into contact with throughout the day. That’s people I pass by when I’m walking the dogs, the barista at Alfred’s, Anthony who does my nails at Olive & June, Mary who delivers our mail… AN-Y-BOD-Y.

Get Out of the House

How many of you working from home and reading this typically don’t leave your house during the workweek? 🙋 I get it.

Your home is your office and your office is your home, but it’s still important to get out of the house every once in a while. Keep yourself active and engaged with things happening in your community so you can get out of your PJs, talk to somebody, and enjoy those office hours! (You like what I did there?)

It’s important to get outside and break away from work so you can actually stay engaged in work.

When I spend hours on my computer without any breaks my mind becomes fatigued, and I become less productive. So I’ll take the dogs for a longer walk, do a workout class on my balcony, or take my laptop to the coffee shop down the road and just take in a bit of new scenery to help adjust my internal boss mode.

So if you’re feeling uninspired or having trouble getting anything done, give yourself a break and get out.

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

This story was originally published on March 5, 2019, and has since been updated.

Ask an Expert: Here Are 7 Things a Financial Expert Says to Do to Prepare for COVID-19

We’ve been spending a lot of time at Create & Cultivate HQ discussing how we can best show up for and support our community during this uncertain time. Community is at our core, and connecting with others through one-of-a-kind experiences is what we love to do. While the world has changed, our mission has not. We’re committed to helping women create and cultivate the career of their dreams, which is why we’re proud to announce our new Ask an Expert series. Starting today, we will be hosting discussions with experts, mentors, and influencers daily at 9 am,12 pm, and 3 pm PST on Instagram Live to cure your craving for community and bring you the expert advice you’ve come to know and love from C&C. Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the latest schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out!

Photo: Courtesy of Kristin O'Keeffe Merrick

Needless to say, the coronavirus outbreak has financially impacted businesses both large and small and employees and employers alike. With the OECD cutting global economic growth projections in half, the JPMorgan Global Manufacturing Purchasing Manager’s Index (PMI) falling to its lowest level since 2009, and U.S. stocks having their worst day since the 1987 stock market crash, it’s safe to say money anxiety is at an all-time high.

To help assuage our financial fears, we tapped money expert and financial advisor Kristin O'Keeffe Merrick, a financial advisor at O'Keeffe Financial Partners,  for the first-ever installment of our Instagram Live series, Ask an Expert. She answered all our burning money questions in the wake of the coronavirus, including, how to cut unnecessary spending from your budget and how to fund your small business after you've maxed out all your credit cards.

Read on for seven things you can do right now to feel financially stable, and be sure to tune into our next Ask an Expert conversation with Jamie Lieberman, attorney and founder of Hashtag Legal, on force majeure and if you can get out of a contract due to unforeseeable circumstances, tomorrow at 9 am PST on Instagram Live. Trust us, you won’t want to miss it!

1. Take stock of your subscription services.

“If you haven’t used your Hulu subscription by day four of self-isolating, you probably don’t need it. If you’re in a cash crunch, consider canceling or putting subscriptions you’re not using right now on hold."

2. File your taxes.

“If you’re worried about a cash crunch and you might be in line to get a refund, file your taxes early. If you’re a freelancer or an entrepreneur, you might need some liquidity right now, so think about filing now to get that refund.”

3. Make an IRA contribution.

“If you have a high risk tolerance for investing, put your IRA money to work.” (Note: If you’re a first-time investor, you should seek out professional advice before taking action here.)

4. Pay off debt.

“If you’re still getting a regular paycheck, use this as an opportunity to pay off some debt and put some money into an emergency fund.”

5. Start a savings account.

“One of the silver linings is that we’re not going out and spending money on drinks/dinner/coffee. Consider moving the money that you’d normally be spending to live and enjoy your life to a savings account or an emergency fund.”

6. Create a budget.

“Think about your fixed and variable costs. Fixed costs are things that won’t go away no matter what: your rent, car insurance, utilities, mortgage, etc. To look at your variable costs, pull up you bank and/or credit card statements for the last three months, and look at how you’re spending your money. Think about where your money goes and why you can’t save money; think about all the things you can lower and ways to allocate ways to save money.”

7. Read books that can help you get more financially savvy.

“If you’re looking to get more financially savvy, there’s no better time. One of the few money books I love is You Are a Badass at Making Money. Don’t overwhelm yourself with info, but use this time to get familiar with financial terms or investment terms.”

About the Expert: Kristin O’Keeffe Merrick is a money expert and financial advisor at her family-run firm, O'Keeffe Financial Partners, based in Fairfield, NJ. Kristin has over 19 years of investment experience, having spent the first part of her career as currency trader, and serving most recently as Vice President at Morgan Stanley. She has contributed to Forbes, CNBC,NY Magazine, Girlboss, Hey Mama, My Domaine, and Coveteur. She is a frequent guest on the Today Show, the NBC Nightly News and Yahoo Finance. Kristin was also recently named as 2020 Badass 50 by InStyle Magazine.

Tune in daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST, for new installments of Ask an Expert.

Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out. See you there!

"I Maxed Out All of My Credit Cards and Lived Off Savings"—Now She's Built a $100M Company

You asked for more content around business finances, so we’re delivering. Welcome to Money Matters where we give you an inside look at the pocketbooks of CEOs and entrepreneurs. In this series, you’ll learn what successful women in business spend on office spaces and employee salaries, how they knew it was time to hire someone to manage their finances, and their best advice for talking about money.

“I took a risk and bet on myself. That’s the hardest part. If you don’t bet on yourself, who else ever will?”

—Gail Becker, CEO of CAULIPOWER

Money: like religion and politics, it’s off the table but if there’s one thing we need to talk about more, it’s money, especially as women. Why? Because more women than ever before are starting their own businesses and they’re growing at twice the speed. In fact, a new report found that 42% of all firms are female-owned and women started 1,817 businesses a day in the past year. Despite that, women-owned businesses still struggle to get crucial financing so we need to ditch the taboo and open up a public dialogue to better understand how to raise it, manage it, and grow it. 

Someone who is boycotting that ban is the founder, and CEO of CAULIPOWER, Gail Becker. Since 2017, Becker has built a $100m company and completely disrupted the food industry to become the #1 better-for-you pizza in the U.S. At our recent LA2020 conference, Becker had some no-filter money advice, especially around the topic of raising it. Having taken on two rounds of investment for CAULIPOWER, she knows each entrepreneur must make the right choice for them.  “Just because you can raise more money, doesn’t mean that you should” she told the audience. “It’s not a symbol of how successful you are… or will be.”

Becker also decided against a friends and family round for her startup. “It made me nervous to play with my friends’ and family’s money,” she explained. “I waited as long as I could before seeking outside funding. I used all of my own money initially and maxed out all my credit cards.” There are different ways to fund your business and, ultimately,  it needs to come down to what you feel most comfortable with and what your business needs are,” she explained. “I took a risk and bet on myself,“ she said. “That’s the hardest part. If you don’t bet on yourself, who else ever will?”

So, we tapped the powerhouse founder and CEO to share more of her money lessons, mistakes she’s made, and advice for small business owners. Read on and grab a pen, you’ll want to write these down.

On bootstrapping the company in the beginning…

When I first started CAULIPOWER, my goal actually wasn’t to make money. My dad, who was an entrepreneur and a Holocaust survivor, had recently passed away, and it made me recognize the fragility of life.  I had been working my way up the proverbial ladder of corporate America, and then decided that I really didn’t like the view.  I wanted to do something more meaningful with my life and I realized that I needed to make a change. That, along with my frustration in what I was seeing in the freezer aisle, created an ‘aha' moment that inspired me to launch CAULIPOWER.

My dad had left me with a small amount of money, and I knew the best way to honor his memory was to follow in his entrepreneurial footsteps.  I knew how hard my father worked for every dollar he made, so I spent each one cautiously. I also put in a fair amount of my own money and lived off my savings. On a personal note, it was an interesting transition for me. I was coming from a comfortable job in corporate America with a comfortable salary, and I was used to a certain lifestyle.

When I started CAULIPOWER, I said goodbye to that life and paid attention to every dollar that I was spending, both personally and for the company. I downgraded my lifestyle significantly, saying goodbye to any shopping (outside of the grocery store) and vacations, and even sold most of my former wardrobe such as purses and shoes online. Even that wasn’t enough to sustain the launch of CAULIPOWER, so I maxed out all of my credit cards and tapped into more of my savings.

While this was the right decision for me, everyone has to choose the route that makes sense for them. For me, this was the only way I could bring my vision to life. I was nervous to take money from friends or family, but that doesn’t mean that’s the wrong choice for others. In hindsight, I have several friends and family who now wish I would have asked. At the time, I just followed my gut and made a choice about how I could make things work without negatively impacting others.

On raising money twice since then…

I raised money for a few reasons. First, the frozen food industry is an extremely cash-intensive business. You have to make the product before you can sell it, and there’s a pretty quick need for money given cash flow. When it comes to raising money, timing is incredibly important. I learned quickly that you should try and build the business as much as possible before you raise money. Why? The smaller your business is, the more of the company you will have to give away when you raise money in exchange for equity. Ideally, it’s best to try and hold off until you’ve made some actual sales.

Having said that, one of the worst things you can do is starve a business from cash. Cash is like fuel. We need it to make our products, to pay for promotions, to hire staff, and to market the brand. The timing of it all is a delicate balance between raising too much money, forcing you to give away more of the company when it is of the least value and starving the business, stunting its growth and first-to-market advantage.

“Just because you can raise more money, doesn’t mean that you should. It’s not a symbol of how successful you are or will be.”

On the most surprising part of the venture capital process…

I was surprised at how personal the process became. It would be easy for someone to interpret reactions as a reflection of the quality of one’s idea. If a VC didn’t want to invest in CAULIPOWER or wanted to wait for more data, I questioned myself. What did that say about my idea? The reverse was also true. When you find a partner that believes in you and is prepared to invest money into your business,  it can be an incredible confidence boost. It’s a moment when you finally think, maybe this idea is not so crazy after all?!

One of the biggest mistakes that some people make during the fundraising process, is the instinctual desire to take money from the first person that offers it. You should always try to take ‘“smart” money—money from people who know more about the industry, category, and process of building a company than you do. What’s most important is to take money from people who will work hard for you and your idea.

Another part of the fundraising process that surprised me was how similar it was to, well, dating?! Remember, they’re not just interviewing you; you’re interviewing them too! You have to ask yourself ‘who do you want to be in the trenches with you for the long-term? Who will be there for you when the times and decisions get tough—because they will! Who shares your vision?

On the most common mistakes people make when raising money…

Raising too much. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. The ability to raise large amounts is not an indicator of the success of your business, rather it’s an indicator that a lot of people will be counting on you and you better deliver.  It’s important to raise what you need, which should be enough to hold you over for a while, but not forever. From there, you can build the company to something bigger, then raise more money when it becomes more valuable. My first round of funding was $2M.  

“One of the worst things you can do is starve a business from cash—cash is like fuel. ”

On the three crucial elements, every pitch deck should include…

First, you need to show the potential of the company or the white space. Why is this the right business at this time? What hole are you filling that currently doesn’t exist? Another crucial element is the data. You should try and show as much data as you can, even if you have to buy some of it. Show the real performance of your product if it's currently in stores, or use other competitive data to give a sense of how it might do. If it’s not already in the market, you need to prove why you believe it would do well, and this is best accomplished by definitive proof points. Show them that you have done your homework and that you don’t expect anyone to just take your word for it.

Finally, you need to show your passion. Most investors are not just investing in the business; they’re investing in YOU, the entrepreneur. If you're not passionate—and confident—about your own idea, then it really doesn't matter how good of a business plan you have.

On how much she paid herself in the beginning…

I didn't pay myself in the beginning. I lived off of my savings from about May 2016 to September 2017. Once I got VC funding, they made me take a salary and I’ve had the same one ever since. For comparison purposes, it is less than 1/5th of what I used to make when I worked in the corporate world… but I couldn't be happier.

On her first hire…

My first hire was someone who helped me fill out the deluge of paperwork I was facing from the retailers, brokers, and distributors. I realized all the time I was spending with paperwork was a huge opportunity cost and that my time would be better spent in other areas of the business. 

On the first big expense as a business owner…

The first order I placed to make the first product.

On when she hired an accountant…

One of the best things about the economy we live in is that you can hire contractors to help you with just about anything. Thanks to some referrals, Google, and some other people I had met in the industry, I came across an agency that performed CFO duties for-hire for small companies. As soon as I got my first order, I knew I had to hire them. 

I strongly believe that the most important thing to know as a first-time entrepreneur is to know what you don’t know and then hire around it. Many entrepreneurs mistakenly believe that they somehow need to know all aspects of their business. Nothing could be further from the truth. Know what you know and then hire experts to fill in the gaps.

“Know what you know and then hire experts to fill in the gaps. ”

On the most important area for business owners to focus their financial energy…

Put it into making the best product or service you possibly can. At the end of the day, you can have everything else figured out, but if you don’t have a product that people want, nothing else matters.  

On why women should talk about money and business more…

When I was in my first marriage and at my old job, I’m embarrassed to admit that there was a lot I didn’t know about my own finances. I wasn’t financially illiterate, but I never made it a priority to become informed. When I got divorced, the need to become financially literate hit me in the face. I remember thinking, “I will never do that again.”

On having a financial mentor…

I did have some incredible people in the industry (and outside of it) that I looked up to, asked lots of questions of and with whom I’ve stayed connected. I never really had a financial mentor, but then again that wasn’t the primary reason why I started CAULIPOWER. My initial goal wasn’t to make lots of money; it was simply to help people have access to better options. If that’s why you start your business though, then that’s fantastic and finding a financial mentor might be the right choice for you. Now that I am running a business and am responsible for other people, the financial decisions I take on have tremendous importance.

On the money mistakes she’s made and learned from along the way…

I think it all depends on whether you’re new to your industry or if you have a background in it. If I had any sort of experience in the frozen food space prior to launching CAULIPOWER, I probably could have made some different decisions. Since that wasn’t the case, I placed a lot of trust in other people. I trusted that they knew more than I did and there’s a fair amount of trust that I probably placed blindly. In some cases, that ended up having a high price tag associated with it.

“If you’re not passionate—and confident—about your own idea, then it really doesn’t matter how good of a business plan you have. ”

On her best money advice for new entrepreneurs…

You don’t have to know all of the answers. You just have to know enough to hire the people who do. Just because you may not be a financial wizard, it doesn’t mean you shouldn't go into business. Just surround yourself with the right people who can teach you…and ask lots of questions. Daily.

I don’t equate money and happiness. The experience of launching and building CAULIPOWER showed me that one of the reasons I was so hesitant to leave my stable career is that I thought I had a great life. There was this inherent fear that if I lost all of those trappings that I had grown accustomed to, I wouldn’t be happy.

Today people who know me often hear me say “half as rich, but twice as happy” and no sentiment could be truer.  Now, I realize that those things didn’t matter at all and the chance to build CAULIPOWER, take a bet on myself and help other people along the way has been the greatest professional joy of my life. I hope these words help to realize the same in you.

To learn more about CAULIPOWER and try their delicious pizzas, visit eatcaulipower.com.

Meet the Co-Founders Disrupting the $532-Billion Beauty Industry With a High-Performance Plant-Based Skincare Brand

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

Valued at $532 billion and counting, the beauty industry is on an upward trajectory that doesn’t appear to be letting up anytime soon. Despite the break-neck speed that’s driving the market forward, there’s one skincare brand that’s doing things differently—Furtuna Skin.

Built on a platform of radical transparency, Furtuna Skin is disrupting the industry by creating high-performance, plant-based products that are made with sustainably sourced ingredients—and their approach is paying off. The brand has already developed a cult-like following, including celebrity estheticians like Gina Marie and Shani Darden, to name-drop just a few high-profile Furtuna Skin devotees.

Ahead, Furtuna Skin’s co-founders, Agatha Relota Luczo and Kim Walls, break down how they built a high-performance, plant-based skincare brand from scratch, including why they didn’t write a business plan and what made them decide to go the self-funded route.

CREATE & CULTIVATE: Take us back to the beginning. How did you both meet and what was the lightbulb moment for Furtuna Skin?

AGATHA RELOTA LUCZO: We met first while working on creating organic, natural topical health remedies for our children (which is now our Bambini Furtuna brand). The more time we spent together, the more ideas we had for unique and powerful skincare products for adults. The plants on my family farm in Sicily were so powerful, so potent, that it became abundantly clear to us pretty immediately that we could create something special with these plants. Something groundbreaking that could redefine the very meaning of “clean beauty” by combining ancient wisdom with modern science using high potency organic plants to give beauty lovers high-performance results that they deserve from clean products—something we both struggled to find.

We’re both fiercely driven women who are passionately committed to achieving the best outcomes. We had unique areas of expertise that allowed each of us to bring something to the table that the other couldn’t. And we liked each other. A lot. There wasn’t much of a conversation about whether or not we were going to create Furtuna Skin. It happened because it couldn't not happen. In a way, Furtuna Skin willed itself to live through us. The brand took us both by the heart and that was that. We were off.  

C&C: Did you write a business plan?

KIM WALLS: We had an aligned five-year vision for the brand within a few weeks of deciding we were doing it. With that, we created a product roadmap and began investigating the time and costs that would be associated with bringing those products to life. Our approach was the very definition of a product-driven company. From there, we created a financial model based on our strategy and assumptions. We still use that model today… updating it as we learn. We didn't write a traditional business plan but we agreed on targets to hit and milestones to measure our performance. The bottom line for us has always been that we wanted to create products that would be truly transformational.

C&C: How did you come up with the name Furtuna Skin?

AGATHA RELOTA LUCZO: It was important to us to keep the name “Furtuna” as part of our estate’s name where we forage our ingredients. My husband’s grandparents lived on the farm in Sicily before they moved to the United States. They used to say “Bona Furtuna!” to him with great love and excitement when they would say goodbye to each other. Bona Furtuna means “good luck or good fortune” in Sicilian. His Nona Rose was the inspiration for the farm’s name—La Furtuna Estate. The word “Fortune” is “Fortuna” in Italian, but in Sicilia, it is Furtuna. Our name honors our family, the powerful medicinal heritage of the land, and the great people who are there now and who came before us.

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

KIM WALLS: All of the standard business pieces like domain, trademarks, social channels. We did all of those things but we didn’t let the logistics distract us from the more complex and challenging work of creating transformational products. We’ve seen too many people get caught up in the logistical details of it all and forget to think big. They shoot themselves in the foot by spending too much time on things that don’t matter unless you actually have a business. That said, intellectual property is important. We invested in locking down our trademarks in all critical markets because we knew that we wanted to create the opportunity for people around the world to experience the seemingly magical power of wildly potent ingredients.

C&C: What research did you do for the brand beforehand?

KIM WALLS: When it came to the plants and the performance of those plants to deliver unparalleled skincare results, we went all-in on research from day one. We knew that what we were setting out to do was incredibly complex, hadn’t been done before in the industry, and that there would be a great many challenges to overcome in the process. We surround ourselves with experts—like Mimmo who is the PhD botanist and biologist on the farm—to help answer the many questions we needed to answer, and to help figure out what additional questions we should be asking. We worked with pharmaceutical experts, ultrasound equipment experts, biochemists, nutritionists, and clinicians with extensive knowledge and niche expertise in a great many areas of science. 

We spent almost all of our time in the early days researching and thinking about the details that would bring our full vision to life. We began with plants growing from the earth to transform them into skincare ingredients, which we then turned into skincare formulas… while also working on the fonts, textures, colors, coatings, materials, brand stories, and overall feel of Furtuna Skin. There was an enormous amount of research. We would each do big bursts of work in our respective areas of expertise and then come back together to share and refine our concepts by truly listening to each other’s thoughts,  perspectives, and feedback… and then do it again. And again. And again. 

We relied on Slack, Dropbox and Google Drive for a long time, and then moved onto programs that would allow for more complicated data associations like the Gantt charts in Asana and the cross-indexing of data and imagery that you can create in programs like Swivvel and Airtable. When you’re starting out though, there’s nothing better than a good old fashioned phone call to work through it all together.

“We approach our partnership like a marriage. Fundamentally, we care about each other and respect each other. When you and your partner want the same BIG things, then the little things don’t matter as much.”

— Agatha Relota Luczo, Founder & Chief Creative Officer, Furtuna Skin

C&C: How did you find the manufacturer/production facility that you use What advice do you have for other founders looking for a trustworthy manufacturer?

KIM WALLS: It is an absolutely monumental task to find the right labs, fillers, testers, designers, teammates, partners, agencies, sources of materials, and more, then to conduct them in alignment so they work together like an experienced orchestra. The difficulty of this process cannot be underestimated. There is no right answer to “who’s right for everyone.” The trick is to truly understand your needs, and then find partners who are excited to fulfill those needs. 

In our case, we needed partners who had world-class track records in creating innovative skincare formulas using new organic ingredients and new processes. We needed people who had the right kind of experience—from pharmaceutical to nutraceutical—who were such deeply entrenched experts that they were comfortable in the space of experimentation and who were willing to dedicate countless hours to bringing together myriad unknowns to create finished skincare products that hit new levels in clean beauty and that would deliver on the results that they promised, from brightening the skin all over to instantly lifting and plumping fine lines around the lip and eye area.

C&C: Did you self-fund the company? Did you do a friends and family round? Or did you raise seed money or initial investment money?

AGATHA RELOTA LUCZO: We’re self-funded. We’ve both been involved in VC-, PE-, and F&F-backed businesses in the past, but we wanted to get Furtuna Skin off the ground ourselves because we wanted to ensure that we would have the time and space needed to develop the highest quality, most effective skincare ingredients from our organic estate in Sicily. For many years, we were working with a complex matrix of unknowns that, because we weren't being pushed for time in the early days, have now resulted in groundbreaking products that we are proud and honored to see empowering our clientele with a deep sense of transformational beauty.

C&C: How much did you pay yourself, and how did you know what to pay yourself?

KIM WALLS: Every situation is different, and there’s no one right way to go about determining when and how much to pay yourself. BUT, you must pay yourself. Even if the number is small, the mental effect is huge. For most people, it is a psychological fact that if they aren’t being paid with at least some cash, they will not give their greatest effort despite best intentions.

La Furtuna Estate in Sicily

C&C: How big is your team now, and what has the hiring process been like? Did you have any hiring experience? What advice can you share?

KIM WALLS: Not including us, our current team is nine people. We both have hiring experience from previous work. We created an organizational chart and have stayed pretty true to that chart so far. Putting in the time upfront to understand which skillsets we needed to find to create and market groundbreaking products helped us think through the roles we need to bring our dream to life. For any given position, we collaborate with internal team members to develop a job description and then begin the search. It is very important to us that we hire to a role, but we do also shape and reshape roles around the people we hire. In the early days, growing a team is like building a jigsaw puzzle, you might not know where one piece fits until another is in place. We want our people to be set up for success, and sometimes that means being flexible about the role each person plays in the company. When starting our company, it was critically important for us to hire people who thrive in a fast-paced environment where things can change quickly, and any team member might need to wear multiple hats. Because we outline the job descriptions and start with an understanding of how people will fit into our world both in the immediate term and the long term, we hire with the future in mind. Equally important to our peoples’ skill sets, we hire for energy. If the “vibe” isn’t there, then we keep searching regardless of the list of accomplishments a person may bring to the table.

We recently learned that the ideal number of people to interview any candidate is four. Data supports that if four team members think someone is a good fit for the role, then the candidate is more likely to be successful in that role. Once we had four people in the company, we started following that rule of thumb. The last bit of advice here is that you probably don’t need to bother checking the references that a candidate provides to you unless it is an extremely junior hire. Leverage your network of friends or even strangers to talk with people that have worked with your candidate before. That’s how you can learn the most about your candidate, and whether or not that person's particular quirks are going to be complimentary with your team… or not.

C&C: As co-founders, how have you developed a good working relationship? What tips can you give to other business partners trying to make it work?

AGATHA RELOTA LUCZO: We approach our partnership like a marriage. We’ve both been happily married for a long time, so we have practice doing this. Fundamentally, we care about each other and respect each other. We let each lead in the areas we’ve entrusted to each other. (I lead the creative function, and Kim leads the executive function.) Our partnership is part of what makes the work feel good and the journey worth taking. Tips for others would be to say the hard things. Be honest with yourself and your partner. Be willing to give in and to see when you are wrong. Make the big decisions together by taking time upfront to thoroughly talk through your perspectives. If your roles are clearly defined in the beginning and you butt heads about something, then if it isn’t your lead role, give in. Let it go, and do it because you remember that you entrusted this person with the responsibility to lead where they are leading and that you share a common vision and goal. When you and your partner want the same BIG things, then the little things don’t matter as much.

“In the early days, growing a team is like building a jigsaw puzzle, you might not know where one piece fits until another is in place.”

— Kim Walls, Co-Founder & CEO, Furtuna Skin

C&C: Did you hire an accountant? Who helped you with the financial decisions and set up?

KIM WALLS: Oh yes. Business is business. We had a freelance bookkeeper and accountant very shortly after we started spending money. As is true with most things in life, we knew that if our foundation wasn’t strong, we wouldn’t be able to focus our attention on what matters most to us—creating beautifully clean and effective, high-performance skincare that brings a deep sense of transformational beauty into the lives of our clientele.

C&C: What has been the biggest learning curve during the process of establishing a business?

KIM WALLS: It is SO hard to wait sometimes. Most skincare products take anywhere from six months to a year to create and get to market. In our case, we start with people on the land who are wild foraging many of our ingredients. The extra time it takes to forage and then turn those plants into skincare ingredients, then test them for quality, purity, and effectiveness before we can even begin to use them to make skincare products can feel like forever by comparison to how most products are made in our industry. After we had our first finished formula, we were so excited to share it with people that we rushed to order some components (caps for our bottles) that we didn’t truly love. In the end, we scrapped those and made our own custom caps that we do truly love. In that haste, we created a lot of complexity for ourselves that we probably shouldn’t have. The old saying, “patience is a virtue,” is one that we need to remind ourselves of constantly.

C&C: How did you get retailers to start stocking your product? Were you told “no?” What advice can you share?

AGATHA RELOTA LUCZO: We launched on our own site and with our friend and partner Shani Darden, an esthetician who we respect immensely for her extensive knowledge, integrity, and the results she brings to her clientele. Retailers are calling us now, so you’ll start seeing us more and more in 2020.

When it comes to choosing retail partners, it is all about fit and sell-through. Sometimes it takes a long time to make retail happen, but if the fit is there, the product is great and you can drive customers to their stores to buy your products, then magic can happen. Most fundamentally, most retailers care about two things: a) will you drive traffic into their store, and b) will enough of the customers they already have want your products to make it worth their shelf space. Most retailers have metrics that they adhere to—like $10K per week in sales of any brand, for example. Find out what their metrics are and prove that they will sell enough of your product for them to exceed their metrics. With that, you’ll probably get the chance to partner with the retailers you want.

C&C: Do you have a business coach or mentor? How has this person helped? Would you recommend one?

AGATHA RELOTA LUCZO: We are unbelievably lucky to have one of the most successful businessman in history (literally) on our board, so when he talks we listen. We always seek outside advice to check our big assumptions. Mentors have been pivotal to the success that each of us have experienced in our lives. Most of the time, it isn’t a planned relationship. People who love to mentor get as much out of that relationship as the mentee because they love to teach and share their knowledge. If you want a great mentor, be someone who is worth mentoring. Come with great questions, show progress, listen, and act accordingly, tell your mentor how you have benefitted through their advice by sharing specific progress with them. They will probably get as much joy from your success as you do. Sharing progress that is partially attributable to your mentor will remind them of the value they are getting out of the relationship and make them want to give you more.

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

KIM WALLS: We both knew a lot about marketing when we started, but marketing changes at light speed. It is important to both of us to stay relevant in our knowledge and to bring rockstars onto our team who focus exclusively on the most current forms of marketing at any given time. For example, we partnered with Shadow PR, an outstanding agency, and have leaned on their expertise and relationships. We also have relationships of our own from working in the beauty industry for decades. We work with celebrity estheticians like Gina Marie and Shani Darden, who have been incredible. They use our products in their facials on their amazing clients, and we’re also lucky to have the support of VIP friends like Jamie Greenberg and Lauren Roxburgh who share their love for the benefits of our products with their clientele too. 

On the question of marketing spend as a percent of revenue, the rule of thumb in our industry is to spend about 15% of revenue on marketing to scale. These days, the average percentage is increasing. In the early days, the vast majority of cash in a consumer brand is spent on marketing because you probably don’t have much (or any) revenue to speak of, so your spend probably can’t be considered as a  percent of revenue. The best advice we could give is to create reasonable goals for your business and then figure out what it is going to take to hit those goals and how much it will cost to do the things you think you need to do to hit the goals. Measure. Repeat. Measure. Repeat.

“If you want a great mentor, be someone who is worth mentoring. Come with great questions, show progress, listen, and act accordingly, tell your mentor how you have benefitted through their advice by sharing specific progress with them.”

— Agatha Relota Luczo, Founder & Chief Creative Officer, Furtuna Skin

C&C: What is one thing you didn’t do in the setup process, that ended up being crucial to the business and would advise others to do asap?

KIM WALLS: We have started other businesses in the past, and we learned a lot of things the hard way, so we were in a more informed position this time around. We've made fewer mistakes, thankfully! From experience in our prior lives, we’d share that you must get comfortable with the basics of finance, at the very least, or you will definitely hurt yourself. Too many entrepreneurs underestimate the importance of nailing these essentials. If you don’t already, then learn to truly understand your balance sheet, P&L statement, and cash flow…. and maybe, more importantly, learn to understand the business drivers that most influence the outcomes represented by those basic documents for your endeavor.

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

KIM WALLS: Don’t get decision paralysis, and recognize that progress takes lots of different forms. There’s no one right way to accomplish what you want to accomplish. Recognize that it might be insanely hard to do what you want to do and accept the challenge in full light. When you get stuck (which you will) move forward no matter what. Look hard in the mirror when you make a mistake and set up a specific process so you don’t make the same mistake twice.

C&C: Anything else to add?

AGATHA RELOTA LUCZO: Yes! We need more and more women out there living up to their full potential and exceeding their self-imposed personal limits. Go hard at your dream, and keep going. When one dream doesn’t pan out, pick a new one. Enjoy your feeling of purpose and drive hard.

Our friends at Furtuna Skin were nice enough to share a giveaway with Create & Cultivate readers!

One lucky reader will receive a year’s supply of Furtuna Skin products. Simply fill out the form below to enter to win. *U.S. residents only.* The winner will be chosen randomly and contacted via email. Good luck!

Giveaway now closed, thank you for entering! We will email the winners directly.

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We Talked to 4 Biz Owners About How They're Tackling COVID-19

As a small business, we here at Create & Cultivate understand how much the COVID-19 outbreak is impacting companies across the globe.

By shuttering offices, disrupting supply chains, canceling events, and clearing out public spaces like malls, restaurants, and gyms, the coronavirus’ impact on companies—particularly startups that don’t have the resources of Fortune 500 companies—is significant. However, as our founder and CEO Jaclyn Johnson says, a company’s success comes down to how it pivots and responds during times of great uncertainty.

Of course, we know that you, our Create & Cultivate audience of entrepreneurs and founders, are also grappling with this right now, so we reached out to some of the savviest business owners we know to find out how they’re handling the news, responding as a company, and, most importantly, pivoting their businesses in response. Scroll on to read how four founders are confronting the coronavirus crisis head-on.

Dianna Cohen, Founder & CEO, Crown Affair

How are you handling the news as a founder? Is your team working from home? How have you pivoted to that schedule? 

The wellbeing of our team and customers is the most important thing to us. Our brand was built on the concept of the ritual—all the things you do to take care of yourself and make you feel whole. Whether that’s journaling, stretching, or brushing your hair before bed, we’re all about taking those extra few minutes to reset and recharge. During this time of uncertainty and unrest, we're letting our community know it's key to time for themselves and their friends and family that might need support and care as well.

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

We're monitoring the guidance of the CDC and health officials, so we're currently remote and will keep our scheduled meetings and touch bases, but do them via video or phone. Tools like Asana and Slack have been helpful for daily stand-ups to make sure as a new business (we're six weeks old!) we're staying on track and actively communicating. Because we're a digital-first company that sells products online, we've been able to continue connecting with our customers and growing the business. When the news first hit, we were mindful to order into inventory that wouldn't impact supply chain for our customers, and internally communicate updated daily goals and KPIs given there are global updates daily. 

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

1. Have honest conversations with your team and community, we're in this together.

2. Your senior leadership team should plan into a mindful monthly spend to make sure you're preparing for any potential changes in supply chain or any area of the business that might be a meaningful part of your overhead.

3. See this as an opportunity to evaluate your strengths as a business and focus on clever, new ways you can still bring that to your audience.

Madison Ruggieri, Co-Founder, Onekind

 
How are you handling the news as a founder? How have you responded as a company? Is your team working from home?

As a founder, we’re really trying to carry on business as usual. We’re an online retailer and a very small team in a large office space, so, as of now, we’re still working from our office but thinking ahead in case that needs to change with a moment’s notice. Luckily, most of what we do can happen remotely if need be.

We fulfill all orders from our office, but if we were working with a 3PL for fulfillment, I’d be concerned that they might be shutting down temporarily. For brands who do rely on a 3PL, that would significantly impact their ability to continue processing orders. 

How have the announcements impacted your business operations and financials? 

Right now, we’re most concerned about the financial impact COVID-19 is having on those who are out of work because of it and whether it’s affecting our customers.  We’re very aware that this could have an impact on people’s spending habits and that’s something that definitely worries me as a small business owner.

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

My advice to small business owners is to stay as calm as possible, stay informed, and try to plan a few steps ahead. If your business model allows for the ability to focus on digital sales/work, put your energy there. Most importantly, take care of your own health and the health and well-being of your team. Also, remember there’s a whole community of entrepreneurs dealing with the same issues right now, so let’s support each other in any way we can as we all get through this together.

Sonja Rasula, Founder & CEO, Unique Markets

How are you handling the news as a founder? Is your team working from home? How have you pivoted to that schedule?  

As a founder, I'm in emergency-mode, which means I went from being in shock and assessing the situation, to now doing all I can to ensure my employees have jobs and income over the next few months. Every day this week has brought new information and bad news, but as a leader and founder, it's my job to now push emotions aside and turn this situation into an opportunity, to be responsible for my team and put on a happy face. As a company, we are working from home. But to be honest, it's not that different because I offer weekly "work from home" days already, which means we're all used to communicating via Slack or video already. One good thing! :)

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

My business is events based. We create amazing, community-based IRL pop-up markets that feature hundreds of small business owners and designers. Because we had to cancel our spring markets, I'm literally dealing with zero income for the next 3-4 months. In my past life, I designed and launched Fortune 500 websites and integrated e-commerce, so creating an online store as another revenue stream for us is the most obvious answer, but that takes a huge amount of resources and roles we don't currently have. While it's now something I'm looking at for 2021, we're going to do a few smaller, more manageable things over the next few months: 

• We've released online tickets to our summer markets already and are asking our community to purchase them and spread the word, which will provide some income and cash flow.

• We're going to hold a series of live online workshops over the next two months, some free and some paid. 

• We're going to launch a weekly newsletter filled with stories of inspirational small business owners, design news, videos, and more.

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

My advice is twofold: First, take this time to pause. Seriously allow yourself to pause and evaluate what you are currently doing, what makes you happy, how you can improve. As entrepreneurs, we rarely get time to stop and breathe, so see this as an opportunity! 

And then, second, get shit done! As the world slows to a halt, take advantage and use this time to redesign your website, take new product photography, work on your brand bible or style guide, watch YouTube or Skillshare to take a class and improve your skills (so many small business owners don't know graphic design programs like Illustrator, which could help them save so much money and have more creative control). Onward and upward!

*Also, I understand how daunting and downright depressing this is—I've ugly-cried too many times to count this week. But if you own a company that sells stuff online, you're already doing better than me, so cheer up a bit! And keep this in mind: You are a superhero, someone so strong and confident and passionate that you walked away from a 9-5 and regular paycheck to do your own thing! It's the harder choice. It's the lonlier choice. It's the challenging choice. You've made it this far, you've overcome too much to let a freaking global pandemic get you down. KEEP GOING. 

Lauren Kleban, Founder & CEO, LEKFIT

How are you handling the news as a founder? How have you responded as a company?

We are taking the news day by day and not panicking. We have always taken extreme measures to maintain a clean studio space. We are a digital band first, and in a time like this, we take pride in knowing we can accommodate our customers as they are dealing with closures and quarantines. We maintain business as usual and believe that consistency is key for both our team and customers. The LEKFIT brand has consistently been a safe space both in-studio and online. We have taken major strides to provide a space for relief and our job is to remain calm for our customers.

How have the announcements impacted your business operations and financials? 

We have not been impacted at this point, and hope that remains to be the case. We are slightly concerned this will delay the final week's construction of our flagship, set to open in April, but we will keep our pop-up doors open until we move.

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

Don't panic, and make decisions that are most beneficial for your team and customers. The best thing we can do is listen to the authorities, work together, and be kind.

For up-to-date information on the COVID-19 outbreak, we recommend referring to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the World Health Organization.

Up next: We Scrubbed the Internet for the Best Advice for Startup Founders During the COVID-19 Pandemic

We Scrubbed the Internet for the Best Advice for Startup Founders During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Photo: Smith House Photo

The COVID-19 outbreak is impacting communities—canceling events, shuttering offices, and suspending classes—around the globe. Of course, the focus is (and should be!) on preventing the spread of the disease, but the economic effects of the outbreak are impossible to ignore as companies large and small adapt to the ever-changing circumstances of the crisis.

In the last few weeks, the OECD cut global economic growth projections in half, the JPMorgan Global Manufacturing Purchasing Manager’s Index (PMI) fell to its lowest level since 2009, and U.S. stocks had their worst day since the 1987 stock market crash. Needless to say, supply chain disruptions, facility closures, and staffing deficits can put extra strain on startups.

Here are three things that startup founders can do now to adapt to the ever-changing circumstances, according to the Harvard Business Review.

Set up business tracking and forecasting.

Fluctuations are inevitable in the midst of a crisis. "Put in place rapid-reporting cycles so that you can understand how your business is being affected, where mitigation is required, and how quickly operations are recovering," notes Harvard Business Review. "A crisis doesn’t imply immunity from performance management, and sooner or later markets will judge which companies managed the challenge most effectively.”

Plan for remote work.

With the CDC recommending social distancing and zero-tolerance sick policies to prevent the spread of COVID-19, planning for remote work is essential. “Be clear on your policies—where they apply, how they will work, and when they will be reviewed,” advises Harvard Business Review for the best results.

Microsoft, Google, and Cisco Webex are among a number of tech companies providing free remote working tools during the coronavirus outbreak. Additionally, Slack’s Guide to Working Remotely, Gitlab’s Guide to Remote Work, and Google are all great resources for setting up a successful remote work strategy.

Be a part of the broader solution.

“As a corporate citizen, you should support others in your supply chain, industry, community, and local government,” notes Harvard Business Review. “Consider how your business can contribute, be it in health care, communications, food, or some other domain. Focus on the intersection between acute social needs and your specific capabilities—in other words, live your purpose.”

Head over to Harvard Business Review for more advice on how to lead your business through the coronavirus crisis.

For up-to-date information on the COVID-19 outbreak, we recommend referring to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the World Health Organization.

This Founder Walked Away From a Steady Wall Street Job to Bootstrap a Clean Beauty Brand

You asked for more content around business finances, so we’re delivering. Welcome to Money Matters where we give you an inside look at the pocketbooks of CEOs and entrepreneurs. In this series, you’ll learn what successful women in business spend on office spaces and employee salaries, how they knew it was time to hire someone to manage their finances, and their best advice for talking about money.

Photo: Courtesy of Cocokind

Leaving a steady job and switching lanes isn’t easy.

Just ask Priscilla Tsai, who was climbing the Wall Street corporate ladder when she decided to shift gears and launch Cocokind, a clean, conscious, sustainable skincare brand. "The first years were tough,” the founder and CEO tells Create & Cultivate. “I was only 25, considered successful in my career, and about to leave it all behind to start a company in an industry that I had very little experience in."

Disappointed by the lack of transparency in the beauty industry and sparked by her own struggles with hormonal acne, Tsai felt compelled to ditch her high-paying job in finance to launch an accessible clean-skincare company. Of course, it’s safe to say that Tsai’s risk has more than paid off—Cocokind is now stocked in every Whole Foods store in the U.S.—but all that success didn’t come without hard work and determination.

In this installment of Money Matters, Tsai shares the nitty-gritty financial details behind what it really takes to get a business off the ground.

CREATE & CULTIVATE: You walked away from a career on Wall Street before bootstrapping your business. What led you to leave a steady paycheck and switch lanes from finance to beauty?

PRISCILLA TSAI: I always knew I wanted to start my own company. My mom is an entrepreneur and watching her career progress definitely inspired me. Separately, my hormonal acne was my biggest insecurity, and I hated the harsh medications and pills that my dermatologist prescribed me. They kept my skin technically clear, but they also totally stripped it of moisture and gave me digestion issues. Ultimately, I decided to explore more holistic remedies for my skin and body, and when I’d created something that worked and that I was proud of, I knew I needed to share it. As a consumer, I was also disappointed at the lack of clean ingredients and transparency in the beauty industry, and I felt compelled to offer a better, more accessible option.

Can you explain what those founding years were like financially?

The first years were tough. I was only 25, considered successful in my career, and about to leave it all behind to start a company in an industry that I had very little experience in. I hustled in every way possible. I made full batches of products by myself. I created our first labels on Photoshop instead of hiring a designer.

I think many founders think that they need a ton of capital to start a company. Obviously, capital is important, but for me, time was almost as important as money. It took a lot of time for me to get Cocokind’s formulas to meet my standards, and it took a lot of energy and persistence to get our products into brick and mortar stores. I went door to door to Whole Foods’ in northern California to demo my products to the regional buyers, which led to building great relationships with them. Today, Whole Foods is one of our biggest retailers—we’re actually stocked in every single store in the United States.

“Knowledge is power. Knowing as much as you can about your financial situation is essential to feeling financially empowered and independent.”

Talk us through your bootstrapping process. How did you self-fund your business? Would you recommend that route to other entrepreneurs?

I really just tried to take things one step at a time, but I also worked quickly once I had a product concept and samples. I started going door to door to get my product out there and to start bringing in revenue as quickly as possible. Finding retail partners like Whole Foods helped me get Cocokind off the ground pretty immediately.

These days, it’s much more common to raise than to bootstrap and I think that either strategy can be effective. It’s really just about what the founder wants and which approach makes more sense for their work style and personality. I personally loved bootstrapping, but I definitely don’t think it’s for everyone.

How did you know the brand was ready to scale and introduce new products?

At Cocokind, we’ve always been big on social media because it makes it easy to build relationships with customers and hear their opinions and feedback. We’re able to use this feedback to decide what our community and what the market, in general, wants.

In the beginning especially, we funded new products by starting with really small batches—that way, we were never taking huge risks with inventory. On top of that, I thought it’d be better to sell out of a product and have a waitlist than it would be to overproduce a product and potentially run the risk of not selling enough of it.

I guess my main point here is that entrepreneurs should always recognize that their product will most likely change to improve, so over-investing in early iterations can be a bad idea.

“I hustled in every way possible. I made full batches of products by myself. I created our first labels on Photoshop instead of hiring a designer.

”

-Priscilla Tsai, CEO and founder of Cocokind

What was your first big expense as a business owner?

Either insurance or inventory!

How did you decide what to pay yourself?

I didn’t! I didn’t pay myself for the first two years of my business, but I was lucky enough to be able to live off of savings during that time.

How did you decide what to pay employees?

Research. I always want my employees to be paid fairly but as competitively as possible.

What are your top three largest expenses every month?

Payroll, inventory, and rent for our office and warehouse.

How much do you spend on office space?

We’ve always tried to spend 4% of our sales or less on rent. We did recently just relocate to a larger office space so we can continue to grow our staff.

How much are you saving? When did you start being able to save some of your income?

It varies. Saving has always been important to me, even more so when I had a regular job, before starting Cocokind. When I was in college, my parents helped me with my tuition and living expenses as long as I sent them an itemized list of all of my expenses every month. That experience helped me learn how to budget and it also taught me that when you know your numbers, you save more.

“Cash is everything. No matter how much profit your company is bringing in, you need to adhere to a tight cash flow model.”

What apps or software are you using for finances?

I actually just use Excel to track all of my expenses. I don’t have a financial advisor at this time.

Do you wish you’d done anything differently in your financial journey as a business owner?

Nope! I’m really proud of Cocokind and how far we’ve come, and I think we’ve always been responsible with capital.

Why should we all be talking about money?

I think everyone should talk about money. Knowledge is power. Knowing as much as you can about your financial situation is essential to feeling financially empowered and independent.

Do you have a financial mentor?

I don’t. But my parents did and do a great job of teaching me strong values when it comes to my finances and how I think about them, and I’m grateful for that.

What is your best piece of financial advice for new entrepreneurs?

Again, knowledge is power! Knowing your numbers and staying on top of them is crucially important to starting and running a sustainable business.

What is the biggest money lesson you've learned since starting Cocokind?

Cash is everything. No matter how much profit your company is bringing in, you need to adhere to a tight cash flow model. It’s something I’m still learning and always trying to improve upon.

Up next: How the Olive & June Founder Created a Sell-Out Polish Line While Being Scrappy

From Scratch: How This Founder Turned Her Passion for Fashion Into Financial Success

Written by Jackie Sedley.

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

Photo: Courtesy of Printfresh

The world of fashion is ever-changing. Just ask Amy Voloshin, the creative director and co-founder of Printfresh; she has been immersed in the world of style and design since early childhood. After studying textiles and fine arts in college, Voloshin took her knowledge of design and her eye for aesthetics and turned it into a stylish and über-successful textile company.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was Voloshin’s design company. While she makes it look easy, putting out fashionable accessories, cozy sleepwear, and beautiful stationery is hard work but Voloshin has mastered the art of leadership through years of experience in her field.

Thankfully, Voloshin let us pick her brain and learn more about how her company came to fruition, what she’s learned along the way, and how important it is to keep up with the constant shifts in the world of business.

CREATE & CULTIVATE: Did you write a business plan?

AMY VOLOSHIN: I’m a planner so I always write a business plan for my new ventures. It helps me think through a lot of the details that I’ll need to tackle to get going. I think it’s important to jot down the basic outline of what you are selling, how and where it will be sold, who will be on your team and what roles you will need to fill in your first year. If you self-fund like I’ve done,  it’s really just whatever will be helpful to you and to those helping. I also use the business plan as a place to store a lot of research—I love researching, so it’s a great place to collect ideas and thoughts on how other companies are executing similar businesses. 

How did you come up with the name? What was the process like?

Our name came from our first business, Printfresh Studio. That business is all about designing prints for the fashion industry.  As that business matured and everyone kept asking us “Where can we buy your prints?” we always had to shrug and tell people we don’t know or couldn’t tell them due to the non-disclosure agreements we signed.  So when we decided to take the plunge and start our brand, we brought the name along. When we started out we thought we could put crazy prints on everything but instead decided to stay focused around our love of textiles - hence all the sumptuous velvet journals.  Now that we are expanding into pajamas, I’m really excited to use more prints in our collections.

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

Getting the name sorted out was really the first part since so much of the branding and design can’t begin until that is set. In this day and age of social media, having a good handle is important for social marketing.  Getting the domain is important too, but with the new suffixes that are out there now, there’s more flexibility than there used to be when everything was only .com. Trademark is something we worked on as well, but that can wait till you get things into the market. Definitely get your website up and a fun splash page and start collecting emails. You never know when things will change with social media, but email has been a really consistent place for us to get information to our customers about new products and sales.

What research did you do for the brand beforehand? Why would you recommend it?

I’m what my business partner would describe as ‘an exhaustive researcher,’  which is funny since he worked in clinical pharmaceutical research before teaming up with me. I sometimes research something to a point that might be inadvisable! But, there is so much product out there and so many companies, so it’s important to find ways to stand out in a positive way. It’s important to answer some questions—is someone out there already doing what I want to do? Is what I’m going to do providing something different and exciting that doesn’t exist already at a good price? It’s also important to know when to stop researching. With all the online resources out there it can be easy to research too much and delay the fun parts like designing.

“I’ve learned that listening to the expertise of others can help you avoid making costly mistakes and can also help open doors that may otherwise have taken forever to get open. ”

How did you find the manufacturer/production facility that you use? Did you have any bad experiences?

Being alumni of Urban Outfitters and calling Philadelphia home, we are blessed with a great network to tap into.  We had a lot of friends that were able to make connections to some fantastic factories in India and China. There are so many factories out there but it’s important to find ones that have experience making the type of product we are looking to develop, and that their ethics in terms of labor and environmental concerns are the same as our own. I travel to India and spend a lot of time meeting new partners, working in factories, and ensuring that the partnerships are the right ones. For example, we were able to find a factory for our pajamas that do so many great things environmentally, like use solar power and recycle gray water for use in their garden.  

Did you self-fund the company? Did you raise seed money or initial investment money? What would you recommend?

We self-funded the company and had some help from our family. We’ve always self-funded our ventures—I like the freedom of being able to find our own way. It’s something I’m open to in the future, but I wanted to develop the company independently and experiment. If we pursue investment money in the future, it would probably be to invest in advertising and marketing to help expand the brand and become more known in the US market.   

How much did you pay yourself? How did you know what to pay yourself?

Haha, yeah, that’s a tough one. In my first business, I started, it took about six months to be able to pay myself a small income. We’ve reinvested all of the money that we are making back into the company. Fortunately, we have some real estate ventures that help us live modestly while the business grows a bit bigger. It’s one of those things where it’s just a moment in time and hopefully, through working really hard we will see a return in a few years on our investment of time, energy, and money. 

How big is your team now? What has the hiring process like?

Printfresh is a small team of five and we all work across some of the other companies we operate (like the fashion line Voloshin). We’ve been hiring for over a decade for Printfresh Studio, so I feel like I’ve learned a lot along the way.  One book that helped me figure out how to hire better is The Who Method by Geoff and Randy Smart—it really helped us set up our hiring process and we use that methodology all the time. It’s helpful to have a set way of interviewing for the team to follow.

For a start-up especially, hiring those who have skill sets I don’t have has been important. Also, hiring for work ethic and the ability to finish projects independently has been critical for our start-up. When hiring, I like to spend a really long time getting to know applicants—typically, I’ll meet with them for 1-2 hours and really try to understand why they are leaving their current job, why this company is the right place for them, do our values synch up. I want to make sure that we will work well together since we will be spending so much time together. 

Photo: Courtesy of Printfresh

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

We’ve been using QuickBooks for 13 years and have had our accountant for almost the same length of time.  When we first started, we used the accountant that my grandmother, and then my father, used in their businesses. Then, we got to the point where we needed someone who could come in and review the P&L with us on a quarterly basis. This has helped us really understand the numbers and trends in a way that allows us to make changes as necessary.

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

With this business, the greatest learning curve has been really learning to listen to our customers. We have never had the opportunity to work with consumers directly and seeing how people interact with our products and the reactions they have has been really informative. Really understanding why the consumer likes certain items has helped us continue to develop new and innovative products (like our upcoming mindfulness morning rituals and night time reflections guided journals).

How did you get retailers to start stocking your product? Were you told no? How did you handle that rejection?

I decided to take the plunge and signed us up for the National Stationery Show two years ago. We built an amazing booth with the help of our friend Luren and showed up at the show to try and get as many customers as possible. We printed a ton of tote bags and gave them away at the show and it got everyone talking about it. We picked up 30 stores at that show.  But more importantly, we met our real-life fairy godmother, Tara Riceberg, who has this amazing store in L.A. called TWEAK and she introduced us to Karen Alweil, who is now our wholesale sales rep. She’s gotten us into over 300 stores over the last few years. Rejection, though, is a daily constant for anyone in our business. As we go after bigger retailers, we just need to remember that ‘no’ usually just means ‘not now.’

“We’ve always self-funded our ventures—I like the freedom of being able to find our own way.”

Do you have a business coach or mentor? How has this person helped?

We have had some sort of mentor from the very early stages of starting our business. I’ve learned that listening to the expertise of others can help you avoid making costly mistakes and can also help open doors that may otherwise have taken forever to get open. Early on we used SCORE, which is a national organization with chapters all over the country. We have also used the SBDC (Small Business Development Center) at the University of Pennsylvania with a lot of success. Over the last few years we have been working with our mentor Steve Smolinsky—he has years of experience and a great perspective that helps us avoid obstacles before we even see them.

I was also able to find mentors through doing the Philadelphia Fashion Incubator, which connected me to some amazing industry veterans who have been very instrumental in helping me navigate areas of the business that I lack experience in. I highly recommend having a mentor—it’s amazing to have a life-line to reach out to during some of the challenges that arise when running a small business. There’s lots of information on the web, but not all of it’s perfect or right for your business. Having great mentors with real-life experience and who know you personally can really help you find solutions that you may have not arrived at otherwise.  

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

We are definitely still learning! Marketing has changed so much in the last couple of years and I think all businesses are challenged by keeping up with the changing technology and the way it’s being used.  Printfresh Studio is so B2B (business to business) that we never had to market to the consumer. But we are slowly starting to figure it out. We spend a lot of time on getting great photos of our products and try to stay in touch with blogs and people who share our interests. Sending small gifts to people who you want to use your product and have a platform to share them on has been working as well. 

What is one thing you didn’t do in the setup process, that ended up being crucial to the business and would advise others to do ASAP?

If you are sure you have a great product, then getting it out to the media is important. Whether you find the time to do it yourself or you hire a great PR company (like Push the Envelope PR), it’s something that needs to happen ASAP.  We only recently focused our energy on it and are kicking ourselves for not doing it earlier. We didn’t really know how to go about finding the right PR company and didn’t know what to look for.  

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

My top tips would be to: write a business plan, read as many books as you can about the industry you’re getting into, figure out how you’ll be different, and get yourself in an incubator or something similar as soon as possible to start growing your network. 

View the new Printfresh collection at printfresh.com and throughout the U.S. in specialty boutiques. 

Photo: Courtesy of Printfresh

Money Matters: "Make a Profit So You Have the Space to Experiment and Make Mistakes."

You asked for more content around business finances, so we’re delivering. Welcome to Money Matters where we give you an inside look at the pocketbooks of CEOs and entrepreneurs. In this series, you’ll learn what successful women in business spend on office spaces and employee salaries, how they knew it was time to hire someone to manage their finances, and their best advice for talking about money.

Photo: Courtesy of Keep Cup

When Abigail Forsyth launched her reusable coffee cup 10 years ago in a bid to eradicate disposable single-use cups, she had no idea it would become the global brand it is today. Now, KeepCup has sold over 12 million reusable cups, is used in over 65 countries and their customers have diverted an estimated 8 billion disposable cups from landfill each year—not to mention she’s kickstarted the global movement to eradicate disposable coffee cups. Forsyth is a leader in the global movement to inspire reduce and reuse, with a passion to reduce the use of single-use items. 

But her career didn’t start off this way. Forsyth actually had a successful career as a lawyer before joining forces with her brother to launch Bluebag cafe. This is where her awareness around single-use coffee cups was heightened and soon after, KeepCup was born. But despite the global growth, Forsyth has managed to stay completely self-funded without taking any outside investment (which she recommends to fellow entrepreneurs, too.

Read on to hear her money advice, mistakes, and financial lessons learned along the way. You’ll want to write these down.

On why she self-funded the business…

We had a small loan, some grants from the City of Melbourne and Design Victoria, cash flow from our café business Bluebag, and presales off of the KeepCup product prototype. Yes, I would recommend other entrepreneurs to self-fund their businesses. We are fortunate enough to sustain our business and grow without taking on outside investment, which means we have been able to remain nimble, iterative and independent. You need to make money to stay in business, so be wary that outside funding can compromise your ability to have a vision beyond shareholder value.

On how much she pays herself…

We are a certified B Corporation which means that, as a business, we have to meet certain standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability and balance profit and purpose.  In line with this, my earnings are capped at 10x the lowest-paid employee.

On how much to pay employees…

We have looked at payscale, similar job descriptions, and have occasionally worked with recruiters to determine appropriate living wages for all our employees. Last year, we recruited a people and culture manager, and took the time to benchmark salaries and review our remuneration structure. Things can change as the business grows, and you have a mix of old and new employees, so we had to revisit our structures and processes.

“You need to make money to stay in business, so be wary that outside funding can compromise your ability to have a vision beyond shareholder value.”

On the most important area for business owners to focus their financial energy…

Right now, all businesses must focus on carbon neutrality: decarbonizing and dematerializing their operations, use their business to make a positive contribution. There’s no business on a dead planet.

Focus your financial energy in places that align with your company’s mission. At KeepCup, our mission is to inspire the world to reduce and reuse, and we’re committed to championing the cause for a more sustainable future. In everything we do, we adopt sustainable business practices from manufacturing to our office space, all the way down to the actual product. 

We’re really focused on adopting and setting best practices in sustainable product design and business, even if this means it is at an additional cost to our business. For example, we donate 1% of global revenue to environmental causes and are a certified B Corporation, as we are committed to driving the transition to the circular economy and promoting reduced consumption, reuse and repair. 

On the first big expense as a business owner…

Our first big expenses were committing to tooling and the endless road of website development.

On how much they spend on office space…

Too much! We have just spent a year refitting our HQ in Melbourne, Australia to make it consistent with our company values and vision for a more sustainable future. It is a very well insulated solar-powered building with plenty of natural light and green space.  Most of the furniture is second hand, and is beautiful, but does not use new resources.

“Build your business from the ground up on purpose beyond profit.”

On when she was able to start saving income…

The savings wax and wane depending on where we are at with things like product development, website updates, and premises etc. I like to have something set aside for opportunities or issues that might come up.  As well as committing to providing 1% of our revenue to environmental causes, we are committed to being carbon neutral by 2025.  We will see where that journey takes us. I’m also really interested in rehabilitating the natural landscape, particularly in Australia. We have just donated $100,000 for bushfire relief and commit 1% of our revenue, as opposed to profit, to environmental causes.

On setting up the business financials…

When we set up our accounting system I made a lot of noise about how it was overcooked for the simplicity of the business 10 years ago, and that decision has held us in good stead. We always had an external accountant, and our internal accountant was one of our first hires. There is a story about me paying the invoices and throwing them into a tomato box as a filing system, which may or may not be true!

On the tools, she uses to stay on top of the business financials…

In my view, the most valuable tool is a great finance team, and a great set of reports to check the ongoing health of the business. In terms of software, we use Microsoft Navision and Power BI.

On what she wishes she’d done anything differently financially…

I wish we had created a better structure at the outset in partnership with my brother. When we started the business, we were young singles—priorities shifted as the business grew. We also progressed in our personal lives, started families and our individual priorities shifted. Separating business ownership from your role in the business at the beginning is really important. 

“Make a profit so you have the space to experiment and make mistakes.”

On why she thinks women should talk about money and business more…

Women should absolutely talk about money and business more.  I feel a real sense of responsibility to do right by people and the planet, but it’s really important to acknowledge and talk about the fact that this has not been at the cost of financial success. It creates the space for change. 

It’s been really important to me as a woman, to be commercially successful and financially independent, this gives me a voice to talk about the values I believe in and press for change.

On having financial mentors…

No. I don’t have a financial mentor, but I think business owners may very well need one depending on their circumstances. There is an endless parade of people who will line up to tell you what to do and how to do it, and whilst relying on expertise is very important, it’s equally important also ask whose interests they serve.  No one will care about or think about your business more than you.

On the money mistakes she’s made along the way…

Throughout our 10 years in business, the biggest lessons I’ve learned have been around understanding margin, understanding the cost impact of waste, balance sheets, and profit and loss and having the right insurance. I would not say these are mistakes, I would say it has been a journey in deepening my understanding and balancing the internal needs of the business with the external environment in which we operate.

On her best money advice for new entrepreneurs…

Build your business from the ground up on purpose beyond profit. I truly believe businesses ought to serve a purpose that is of benefit to people and the planet. Businesses must serve the communities in which they operate, respect the natural resources (which in my view belongs to everyone), respect their employees and protect the natural world.

If you aren’t in business to dematerialize and decarbonize the economy, you are in the wrong business.  I think the world is hopefully waking up to the futility of balanced books on a dead planet. We are all in this together.

On the hardest money lessons she’s learned…

Make a profit so you have the space to experiment and make mistakes.  

Angela Fink Looked Fear in the Face to Follow Her Intuition—She Hasn't Looked Back

You know the feeling. It starts as a soft whisper, calling you from deep within. You push it to the side and it pauses for a moment until eventually, your spirit turns up the volume dial and the noise is too hard to ignore anymore. This is your intuition talking. You can only push her aside for so long before she makes herself known and you are forced to confront her call.

Angela Fink clearly recalls this calling a few years ago. “I was driving in the car with my husband, and I said I'm ready to start something for myself,” Fink recalls. “I was working as a stylist and felt boxed in by a few of my then clients. I knew that I needed a space where I could create without restrictions and then the next day I started a blog called The Fashion Sight.” 

Fink is so glad she looked fear in the face to follow her intuition because, today, she is pursuing her passion for a living collaborating with her husband, Kelly Bolton to create editorial-style imagery for her 116K plus followers. Last year they launched their branding, creative, and content consultancy We Are Dumont where they help other brands bring their stories to life. And if that wasn’t enough to keep her busy, Fink is also a mom to her daughter, Lola and an ambassador for No More Plastic. 

In honor of International Women’s Day, we partnered with our friends at PAIGE to put the spotlight on five incredible women who are marching to the beat of their own drum and walking it forward with an outstretched hand bringing the rest of us along for the ride.

So, read on to hear more about Fink’s many creative pursuits, how she uses clothing to step into her power, and her advice so you can too.

CREATE & CULTIVATE: You launched your own creative agency last year—What is it all about?

ANGELA FINK: Dumont is about working with people, brands, and designers to create something special for them. Each project is catered to that brand. We do everything from branding to creative direction, strategy, and full-service production. 

We are different because of our point of view. You come to us because of who we are and what we can produce. Our work speaks for itself. I wasn't scared. I had been a stylist and creative director in the past, and it felt like a natural progression for me. 

You are an ambassador for No More Plastic. When did you join this movement?

I joined last summer. My family and I travel a lot; we mostly drive to remote locations that are visually out of this world. We would find trash littered everywhere, plastics sitting in the most beautiful sand dune you have ever seen, and that's when I said no more plastics and reached out on how I could help make a difference. 

My daughter has started at a plastic-free school, and we limit our plastic intake in our own home. 

Going plastic-free is a huge undertaking in a world where so many things we purchase, including food and necessities are covered in it—How have you navigated that path?

Going plastic-free is a huge undertaking—it’s everywhere. I try my best to be aware of what I purchase and what comes into our home. A few small changes I made were replacing plastic vegetable bags with reusable ones and swapping zip locks with silicone versions.

What does International Women’s Day mean to you?

International Women's day should be every day. We should honor friends, mothers, grandmas, daughters every day for how special we are and what we create in this world.

You seem so bold and self-assured—what advice do you have for others who want to summon that courage too?

Practice kind self-talk. We all are so hard on ourselves. Give yourself a break. We are all doing the best we can—reminding myself of that makes the pressure melt away and I can become my best self. 

How we appear on the outside can impact how we feel on the inside. As a fashion icon, we look to you for style advice so, what do you wear to feel confident?

Finding what works best on your body and what feels right is the two tells for an empowering wardrobe. I found myself buying into trends, but it wasn’t right. Through much trial and error, I went towards pieces that made me feel confident and secure. It's about testing out what you feel good in. 

How does clothing make you feel self-assured and ready to take on the world? Why?

My clothing is apart of me—it shows people around me how I feel about myself. If I feel confident, I dress like it; when I feel daring, I take unexpected pieces and mix them if I'm having an off day and don't feel like myself I find pieces that make me feel strong, empowered and confident. 

How do you shake off the fear and doubt to pursue your innovation/dream?

Wow, this is hard. I am not going to say I don't have fear or I seamlessly go through life. I battle with this. That monkey mind creeps in and it creeps in often. I know where I want to go is not where I am currently, and in order to get there, I need to put my boots on and walk through the mud as my mom would say. It works, one step in front of the other and then before you know it you are through it to the other side. 

What’s a piece of advice you’d give to women starting out in your field?

Listen to podcasts, read books, speak to other women in your field. Don’t do it alone. Build a team, grab coffee with someone you admire. I learn every day from my friends. 

What is the hardest decision you’ve ever had to make professionally?

Asking for what I am worth. Wow, oh wow, this took me a while to get down but you are worth it so ask for it! 

What traits do you need to succeed as an entrepreneur or founder in the competitive start-up environment?

Write down exactly where you want to go and who you are—follow it, read it often and don't veer too much from it. 

The filtered world of social media often hides a lot of the hard work and hustle behind-the-scenes—What’s a lesson we can all learn from your mistake/s?

Don't overthink things. 

What does it take to be the first and pioneer a new space? 

Radical passion. 

You can’t be it if you can’t see it. Why are representation and visibility so important to you? 

Social media is such a powerful tool. It's a space where we can be ourselves and share it with the world. When I first started shooting editorial style shoots with my husband, we would travel to remote places. I was nervous about how it would be received, but the more I did it, the more I felt like I was showing who I truly am. This space is about who you are and who you want to be, it's a visual timeline of growth and change, and there is real beauty in that. 

Seeing people pave the way can give us the confidence to do it too. Name someone who walked it forward and inspired you to step up too?

My sister Jillian Dempsey. She showed me to think outside the box and never give up on your path. 

Click here to learn more about the other fearless women who are walking it forward this International Women’s Day.

Management 101: How to Prepare Your Team for Change in 2020

Keeping up with competition and new marketing avenues means that you need to change things frequently. Sometimes you can just make minor tweaks, but other times you have to implement a major process change.

Unfortunately, only about 26% of transformation initiatives succeed. What can you do to make your business one of the places that change sticks? It all has to do with how you prepare for a change, implement it, and overcome resistance.

Photo: Courtesy of Create & Cultivate

Preparing for a Major Change

If you’re in the position to determine what changes need to be made, the best advice is to include employees in the problem-solving process as much as possible. The more involved they are, the more likely they are to embrace and implement the new processes. 

For instance, if customers frequently complain about turnaround time, you might create a new process designed to make things more efficient with the input of your staff who can give you an accurate look at what holds up their work. Or, perhaps you need to update a creative workflow to improve quality.

Once it’s time to communicate the change, think about who has the right skills to lead the initiative. Key change management skills include critical thinking, analysis, excellent communication skills, the ability to train people, and a deft touch with diplomacy.

Perhaps the right person is you! Or, it may be another leader in your organization or even a group of employees. The key is to know who will be most effective in leading the charge and to make sure they understand their responsibilities.

Research shows that one of the most common reasons for failure is that a plan is managed too top-down, with upper levels of leadership determining every detail of how change should happen. Experts say that success starts with focusing on every individual.

Implementing Change

The day has come—the change is ready to roll out. Congratulations! There are several steps to successfully introduce a new business process. 

One key is to start small if you can. Is it possible to roll out the new initiative to a small group within your company that’s excited to try it? If so, the benefits that the group gets from the innovation may help prove its usefulness to more resistant staff members.

Whether you start large or small, it’s vital to communicate, communicate, communicate! Explain the problem the company was having and how the process modification will make a difference. Help your employees see the vision behind the change. More importantly, realize that all changes – even good ones – include some kind of loss to those involved. Even if the loss is simply that they were the fastest on the team and they might not be anymore, it could be a big deal to that individual. If you acknowledge and talk about those losses openly, it can help people overcome their fears and resistance. Ensure that productivity will likely fall while the team grows accustomed to the new change, and management is anticipating that.

Finally, if possible, walk through the implementation of the adjustment step by step, including a presentation of the intended changes and the timeline, so that employees do not feel caught off guard during any of the process. This will help people change their habits little by little, instead of having to throw everything out and start over. Also, people may have less opposition to small changes compared to large ones.

Overcoming Resistance

Handling resistance is a part of every change, especially significant ones. The good news is that if you do this well, you may build your team into a stronger unit than it was before. 

The first step to overcoming concerns is to provide adequate training. Remember that a significant change won’t necessarily “take” on the first overview. You’ll need to train it, remind them, and possibly train it again. Remember that you’re trying to overcome ingrained habits—it takes time and patience.

Secondly, be sure to listen to and address concerns. You can create problem-solving teams to deal with bumps in the road that come up. Get employees to encourage each other to use the new process. Many times people respond better when they hear from a peer rather than a boss. Specifically, according to the Edleman Trust Barometer in 2017, trust in work peers is over 60% while trust in executives is below 38%. Plus, studies show that peer credibility is a key reason messages are heard or ignored. 

Rewards or incentives tied to the new process may help as well. Be careful to define these clearly, because once people begin to get something extra it’s hard to take it away. You want to plainly say if the rewards are only available for the first month of the new process, for instance.

Finally, show everyone the positive results as they start to come in so that employees can see the fruits of their labors and fully understand why the change was made for the better. Continue to communicate about the process, concerns, and any problems that crop up. Over time, people will see the benefits and the new process will become much more second nature. 

Protecting Your Business During the Change Process

Change isn’t just tough on your employees, it can be tough on your systems and software also. You need to make sure you are protected in case something goes wrong and you experience an interruption in your business.

One thing to do is to make sure you have a complete backup of all your data before the change goes live. You may want to make backups more frequently as the new process takes hold as well, just to be sure that you have what you need if something happens. 

Consider getting business income insurance to cover you if you have an interruption in your operations. This coverage can help you with income, relocation expenses if needed, payroll, and more. Hopefully, nothing will go wrong, but it pays to be prepared.

Finally, you might consider slowing down your content production while the change takes hold. It’s a helpful way to reduce your responsibilities so that you can focus on the new process and training your employees to follow through. 

Change Is Good—If It Sticks

The key to all change management strategies is that you want your new business process to stick. When you follow the steps outlined above, you’ll have a far better chance of that happening.

Managing change is scary, even for a business owner, but going through the process can make you a better manager. A team that does something challenging together is more cohesive as well.

You don’t have to be afraid of change. It’s a necessary part of being in business, and with these tips, you can navigate change management successfully.

About the Author

Jori Hamilton is a feminist writer from the Pacific Northwest who enjoys discussing social justice, empowerment, and how to improve the workplace. You can find more of her work in her portfolio here.

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I Left a Steady Paycheck at Estée Lauder to Start My Own Clean Beauty Brand

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

Saie founder, Laney Crowell founded her beauty brand after years in the beauty and wellness industry.

Photo: Courtesy of Saie Beauty

Everybody has a different definition of success. For Saie founder Laney Crowell, it’s not about reaching the top—she did that already and turned back around. No, for Crowell it’s about integrity and putting something out into the world that she believes in (and contributes to the betterment of others).

After realizing that her job at one of the biggest beauty companies in the world, Estee Lauder didn’t fulfill her, Crowell quit and embarked on a personal quest to figure out what was missing. It was during that time that she discovered the lack of clean beauty brands that positioned their ethics and quality with the same degree of emphasis as style—so she decided to fill the whitespace herself.

After finding support from her online blogging community, Crowell began building a beauty brand founded on the values of transparency. All of Saie’s products use ethically-sourced ingredients, are free from toxic chemicals, with packaging and branding that aligns with a luxury brand.

Ahead, Crowell with long-time friend and Saie’s Creative Director, Geri Hirsch give us a peek inside their world of clean beauty, the importance of having brainstorming sessions, creating a strong team, and playing off of your strengths.

We Relied On Our Gut Over a Business Plan

LANEY CROWELL: “I didn’t write a business plan per se. I worked really hard on my pitch deck (it took months) and then our CFO did projections and modeling.” 

GERI: “I’ve always been the type of person who acts on their gut. In all of my businesses, that’s what is my guiding light. I did see Laney’s investor deck, but really what swayed me was that I’m very, very familiar with the clean beauty landscape and I knew there was an opportunity.”

Our Community Helped to Inform the Brand Name

LANEY: “The name Saie came about through the lengthy conversations I had with our branding agency in the really early days of building the brand. We kept going back to the first conversation I had with my community where they were saying what they wanted out of a clean beauty brand. We put the ie on Say to make it more feminine and french to represent the je ne saie quoi look. We wanted it to be unique and fun, and timeless, and when we created Saie we knew it was the one.”

GERI: “Besides the sound of the word, what I liked about the name is how beautiful it looks written. It looks classic but elevated.”

“Starting a business is really intense—it can be a bit isolating—so find the people that matter to you and that you trust.”

We Went in With a Clear Vision to Understand Our Saie Woman

GERI: “Laney and I talked a lot about who the Saie woman is. Laney had some thoughts about it and could speak to the emotion, but didn’t have any of the visuals. So I spent weeks really focused on defining this woman. She’s strong, smart, creative, minimalist, on the go, thoughtful and mindful. I pulled tons of imagery to tell this story. Those initial boards I created are the same ones we go back to now when we’re producing photo and video shoots. It’s also really important to have a consistent team so you can have a clear vision. I worked on pulling together the dream team for our shoots, everyone from the photographer to the stylist to the hair and makeup.”

I Hired the Experts Right From the Start

LANEY: “The most immediate things I did with my lawyer. He helped me register for the company, incorporate, etc. It’s my least favorite part of building a company, but super important. I also worked with my accountant to open our business bank account and get all those ducks in a row. I used my accountant until we graduated to working with a bigger agency—QuickBooks is a must.”

“Our product developer Sarah already knew all of the labs that she wanted us to work with. That part was pretty seamless for us and we never could have done it without her! Because of her relationships, we’re able to work with labs that are usually reserved for the luxury giants.

“Our team now consists of myself and Geri, Sarah our head of product development, Tina our CFO, Hanna who is in charge of the supply chain, operations and sustainability, Cece who is our all hands on deck assistant coordinator, and many, many agencies.”

I Did the Research to Understand Our Market

GERI: “I’ve basically been conducting research about all things wellness for years now. From Leaftv’s content, the wellness boxes we created, my blog’s clean beauty content, all of the conversations I’ve been having with my followers over DM. I see it as a form of high-level consumer research you could never pay for.” 

LANEY: “I think research is really important. I came to the table with a lot through my website because I get sent so, so many products. I knew the landscape. And honestly, the clean market while fragmented is pretty small. Also, it’s important to note that I come from big beauty and so does our product developer and CFO. So we have a lot of experience in the space!”

I Self-Funded Before Raising Money

LANEY: “I actually sold some stock that I had from Estée Lauder to start the company—it was $32,000. I used that money to start our branding which needed to be done before I could fundraise (it’s a tricky chicken and the egg situation). I then used that branding to create my investor deck and raise our seed round. We haven’t paid ourselves yet—soon hopefully!”

Photo: Courtesy of Saie Beauty

Fundraising Was My Biggest Learning Curve

LANEY: “Wow, where to begin. For me, it was probably fundraising. I had never done it before so I had to teach myself what all the terms meant, what the process was and I started from square one in terms of contacts. Fundraising is definitely not for the faint of heart.”

We Launched as DTC But Retail Was Always Part of the Strategy

LANEY: “We always knew that we would be primarily direct-to-consumer, so we didn’t have a lot of retail conversations. Goop was the first retailer we spoke with and they immediately said that they wanted to carry Saie. We are online and in all of their retail locations. That was a special moment when we got that call since they were really our first (and only) choice.”

GERI: “I’m lucky in that I have a handful of very successful friends (like Lauren Gores) who I was able to talk to about retail. One of my pieces of advice for new brands is to ask around, make calls, get references. You can learn a lot from other people’s experiences and usually, people are more than willing to share.”

“Just start! Getting going is the hardest part but if you never try, you’ll never know.”

Marketing Was the Biggest Part of Our Launch Strategy

LANEY: “My background is in marketing and content so I had a lot of thoughts on what I wanted our launch to look like. Since we’re primarily direct-to-consumer our marketing is a huge, if not the biggest, part of our strategy. Our PR agency is also amazing and did a great job of getting the initial press, which is really difficult for new brands.”

GERI: “I’ve been blogging and creating content since 2005—really that is marketing. It’s all about telling a story through visuals, which I have a lot of experience in. And on top of that, I know a lot of people in the industry so we were able to send it to hundreds of influential people to help create buzz.”

Starting a Business Is Intense So My Support Network Was Crucial

LANEY: “Find the people that matter to you and that you trust. Starting a business is really intense, and it can be a bit isolating. You don’t have time to update friends and family on things because they change and move so fast, but you still need the support. I have a core group on speed dial who knew the in’s and out’s as I was raising money, and going towards launch. Their support was critical.”

I Realized Early On That Comfort Equals Productivity

LANEY: “Get a comfortable place to work. It feels like an annoying thing to spend money on, but if you’re comfortable and have space you are so much more effective and productive.”

Don’t Hesitate, Just Start

GERI: “I’ve started a handful of business now and my advice is simple: start. Getting going is the hardest part but if you never try, you’ll never know.”

To discover more about this new clean beauty brand, visit saiehello.com.

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5 Solutions to Common Solopreneur Struggles

Photo: Godisable Jacob from Pexels

If you’re self-employed, you know how rewarding it can be to work for yourself: You get to do the work you love, take on clients you enjoy working with, and set your own schedule. But, of course, there are also challenges to solopreneurship. We reached out to our Create & Cultivate Facebook community to find out some of our members’ biggest difficulties in working for themselves. Read on to discover a few solutions to the challenges of running a one-woman show.

1. I MISS HAVING COWORKERS

Striking out on your own can be a scary process, especially without the support of HR, accounting, and marketing departments to back you up. “The weight of every decision seems 10x because I don’t have anyone to talk through the pros and cons with,” says Farah D., who owns a vegan bakery. “Trying to be good at everything all at once is a big struggle.”

Thanks to the internet, it’s easier than ever to be a solopreneur who works alone but doesn’t have to feel alone. Facebook groups and online communities (like our Create & Cultivate group!) offer a free place to bounce ideas around, ask for advice, and even build personal and professional relationships with other talented entrepreneurs. You can also consider working a day or two a week from a coworking space (many allow drop-ins and offer off-hours memberships at discounted rates).

But it’s not just a matter of existing in these spaces—you have to be an active member who’s open to meeting new people and starting conversations, even when it’s uncomfortable. By putting yourself out there both IRL and on social, you’ll likely meet like-minded freelancers and solopreneurs who can be a valuable asset to your business.

2. I DON’T KNOW HOW TO PLAN FOR TAXES

Jucel M., a designer and illustrator, says her biggest self-employment struggle is budgeting for freelancer taxes. “I can invoice and keep track of my transactions, but [I need help] on how to translate that into filing my taxes.”

No doubt, taxes are a surprisingly large part of freelance life—especially those pesky quarterly payments. But there are simple online programs like TurboTax that can help. They help you file with confidence with one-on-one expert help and they also do a wide search for industry-specific deductions that others might miss. They also offer several online tools to help manage your taxes throughout the year such as their tax bracket calculator, self-employed expense estimator, and handy documents checklist so you are prepared come tax time.

3. I CAN’T STOP WORKING

Entrepreneurs are known to hustle. But how do you know when it’s time to call it a night? “My biggest struggle is turning myself off from ‘work mode,’” says Sierra M., a digital strategist. “If I’m just hanging out, I figure I can work on some aspect of my business—why not? So I don’t really let myself relax.”

Sound familiar? It can be hard to turn your “work brain” off and chill out when you’re the only one keeping your business running. But in the name of wellness, it’s important to truly shut down every once in a while. We’re not saying you have to enact a rigid 9-to-5 schedule (although that works for some people!), but you can start with “I’m not going to open my laptop on Saturdays” and go from there. Remember that because you are your own boss, nobody is looking out for your health but yourself—take care of your body and mind! And if that doesn’t convince you, know that studies show work-life balance increases productivity and creativity, so you’re really doing yourself a favor by powering down for a bit.

4. I’M NOT SURE IF IT’S TIME TO OUTSOURCE WORK

Deciding when to bring on help can be one of the most stressful parts of running a business. “Growing beyond being a solopreneur is a big topic of conversation within my community,” says Kristen P., brand stylist & creative director. “When is the right time? What is the right first hire? Etc.”

Hire too early, and you’re likely wasting money on a salary for someone you don’t need. But hire too late, and you face a mountain of work you can’t accomplish to your own standards. So when is the golden window of time for hiring? Experts say you should only hire someone when you’re regularly turning down work, you’ve found a new revenue stream (and an addition to your team would make you money), or you don’t have time to focus on important business aspects like customer service or accounting.

If you’re not ready for full-time employees, try hiring a contractor for a single project and see how it goes. You’ll learn how to manage and delegate, your project will move forward, and you’ll get a glimpse into what it’ll be like to make your first hire.

5. I DON’T KNOW HOW TO SHOW MY VALUE

You’ve built a business from the ground up. You’ve tackled finances. Your clients are happy. But how do you create an effective marketing strategy to keep revenue coming in? “My primary struggle is coming up with the best ways to show potential clients the value of what I provide,” says Brandi H., creative director.

To create a marketing plan, write down what you specialize in and who your dream clients might be. This will help hone your marketing strategy to bring in the type of business you’re vying for. Next, get started on the actual content—perhaps this is a blog, an elevator pitch, or a killer portfolio site. Your content will depend on your line of work.

Lastly, find the right space to share your work far and wide. This may be through writing for a publication, sharing your portfolio on career sites or in Facebook groups, being a guest on a podcast, speaking at an event, sending cold emails, or investing in a booth at a conference. Do your due diligence to find out which would be most profitable for your business and go forth confidently like the savvy solopreneur you are.

This post was originally published on January, 8, 2019, and has since been updated.

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The Truth Serum: 3 Experts on How to Source Trustworthy Skincare Advice in a Click-Bait World

This post is in partnership with RoC Skincare.

Dr. Anna Guanche (left) and Lauryn Evarts Bosstick (right) sat down with C&C founder Jaclyn Johnson at our San Francisco Conference to discuss sourcing trustworthy skincare advice online. Photo: Courtesy of Create & Cultivate

How many of you have tried to Google answers around skincare and anti-aging without success? It can be incredibly confusing and overwhelming to find out what works and what doesn’t. Believe it or not, 3.6 million searches were carried out for phrases related to “anti-aging” over the past 12 months. There is just so much information out there!

Well, RoC Skincare—a brand that was born in Paris in the 1950s and is still here today with game-changing retinol formulas that are clinically proven to treat aging skin and help minimize the appearance of concerns like fine lines, wrinkles and dark circles—wants to help you sort through that clutter. At our San Francisco conference, we sat down with some educated women to find out what people are really looking for, what they’re actually finding, and why they keep searching. 

Our founder, Jaclyn Johnson, chatted with Dr. Anna Guanche, affectionately known as “Dr. Beauty,” and Lauryn Evarts-Bosstick, creator of The Skinny Confidential podcast and franchise, about how to source trustworthy skincare advice. The conversation was just as informative as it was hilarious, so be sure to listen in on the podcast below. Then keep reading for some of the most memorable quotes from the interview.

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Rapid-fire questions:

My favorite anti-aging hack is…

Lauryn: “A facial massage—it tightens the skin.”

Dr. Guanche: “Using retinol every single night.”

The weirdest home remedy for skin I’ve tried is…

Lauryn: “Ordering olive oil from room service to remove makeup.”

Dr. Guanche: “A bird poop facial. The geishas used to use this. It has enzymes in it to exfoliate your skin.”

Lauryn Evarts Bosstick:

“I think people do have a lot of these questions that they’re embarrassed to ask, so they ask Google… I’m trying to create a space where we can talk about taboo topics.”

—Lauryn Evarts-Bosstick, Founder, The Skinny Confidential

On the craziest topics discussed on her podcast:

“I put myself in the audience’s position. I want to know the nitty-gritty. I want to hear from different walks of life.”

“I think people do have a lot of these questions that they are embarrassed to ask, so they ask Google. I’ve always been an over-sharer, so I feel really comfortable to talk about these taboo subjects. I’m trying to create a space where we can talk about them.“

“I feel like we’ve talked about everything… I feel like there isn’t anything we haven't talked about (on The Skinny Confidential).”

On peer-to-peer beauty recommendations:

“I’m really, really specific and strategic with who I choose to work with. I’ve left a lot on the table because it wasn’t the right fit.”

“I try to use the product for at least a month, sometimes I give it to my husband because he’s really into being dewy right now—he thinks it’s his thing—but I basically manipulated him into it.”

“It needs to be something that keeps showing up in my life… I’m really careful about what I promote. I also like to have a product that I keep going back to and something I know the audience will actually use. “

On finding the right products:

“I sit and watch the French girls. I like to observe and see what they’re doing differently. I feel like Americans have a ‘more is more’ approach. I try to watch and observe and see what other people are doing and then implement it into my routine and then see if it works.”

“I’m really inspired by other countries. I like to observe and see what they’re doing differently—it's a lot of oil, retinol, and facial massage.”

On the rise of skincare:

“People are starting to understand that prevention is key. We’re in a day and age in 2019 where a lot of women don’t want to look like someone else. Everyone wants to be the best version of themselves and self-care is that, investing in the best version of yourself.”

On general skincare advice:

“I am batshit crazy about the sun. I have driving gloves in my car, sunscreen on my hands, chest, and ankles. I am wild with the sun. When I get out of my car to walk to 7/11 I have a giant hat on.”

Dr. Anna Guanche:

“Manage stress, meditate, wear your sunscreen.”

Dr. Anna Guanche, Celebrity Dermatologist

On skin aging:

“You reduce your elastic production over time, your collagen is decreased in your dermis and you start to see your skin no longer compensates the damage done to it over time. Your skin can no longer compensate for the skin damage that has happened to you since you were born.”

On common anti-aging questions:

“Does anything really work?”

“Why is this happening to me?”  

“What active ingredients do reverse aging?”

On the benefits of retinol:

“Retinol is a vitamin A derivative and is naturally found. It helps remove old, dull skin cells and reduces pigmentation and the appearance of fine lines/wrinkles. Because of the retinoid reaction, your skin will adjust so start every other night and slowly build up if needed.”

On dark circles:

“I love the RoC Retinol Correxion Eye Cream. It has clinically proven results and helps with dark circles. You can see improvements in 4 weeks and at 12 weeks, fines lines are visibly reduced by 50%—equates to eyes looking 10 years younger.”

On anti-aging:

“You can drink plenty of water, don’t stress out, get lots of sleep, sleep on your back, low-salt diet, wash every single drop of makeup off every night—good skin takes discipline.”

“There is no shame in being beautiful and wanting to be beautiful—putting your best foot forward. Self-care and self-love at a younger age is a great thing to do—actively doing something to overcome those insecurities.”

On general skincare advice:

“Manage stress, meditate, wear your sunscreen.”

“Wash your face completely at night.”

“I try to sleep at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning. You need to have a routine and you need to have discipline.”

“A lot of time we take great care of our face but we forget to take care of our neck and hands and chest.”

C&C Founder and CEO, Jaclyn Johnson in conversation with celebrity dermatologist, Dr. Anna Guanche and Lauryn Evarts-Bosstick of The Skinny Confidential for the RoC Skincare panel at the San Francisco Conference.

For more information on RoC SKincare visit, rocskincare.com.