The 6 Key Pieces of Advice from Meghan Markle's Create & Cultivate Keynote
Treat yourself like you treat your BFF. And more gems.
It's been said that a woman who knows exactly what she wants is one of the most powerful creatures in the world. When Suits actress and The Tig founder Meghan Markle took to the Create & Cultivate stage on at our #createcultivateATL conference she gave attendees a glimpse at what that looks like.
Charming, intelligent, and unafraid to let her guard down, Meghan is the definition of the modern woman. In celebration of her big day, we're reliving our favorite moments and best pieces of advice the actress, editor, and activist shared with #CreateCultivateATL attendees.
1. "DON'T GIVE IT FIVE MINUTES IF YOU'RE NOT GONNA GIVE IT FIVE YEARS."
Passion was a hot topic at the conference all day. Meghan echoed this sentiment by telling the crowd that if they couldn't see themselves dedicating five years of their life to their endeavors, what was the point in even giving it five minutes?
"Five years sounds like a long time," she said, "but it's really not."
Time is precious. Focus your efforts on your passions and success is sure to come. "That's when you see your long-term goals payoff," she added.
photo credit: David Rosario.
2. "BLIND OUTREACH IS JUST LIKE AUDITIONING, IT'S A NUMBERS GAME."
Meghan started developing The Tig after receiving advice from The Coveteur co-founder Jake Rosenberg, to do a site herself. A company had approached her to essentially create MeganMarkle.com, but after giving herself a gut check she knew it didn't feel right. She wanted her site to be less about fashion and include more "think pieces and op-eds about empowerment."
But just because she's on a show, the actress said she still had to blind email people. "No one knew what The Tig was at the beginning," she said, "but I kept putting out outreach. At the time some people loved Suits and some people hadn't a clue what it was. It seems like I had more of an in, but it wasn't the case."
She told the audience about cold emailing Heidi Klum's assistant for an interview request. "I don't know Heidi Klum," Megan said, "but she said yes."
"We all do cold outreach."
photo credit: David Rosario
3. "STOCK EMAILS WITH TYPOS? FORGET IT."
Meghan is all about a personal touch, explaining that she still sends out handwritten thank you notes. "I can't tell you how few of them I get," she said, "but one hundred percent of the time, I end up remembering that person."
And even though she acknowledges typos happen, she says it's vital to make sure you're proofreading. It shows the recipient that you're paying attention and that you value their time.
4. "YOU DON'T HAVE TO PLAY DRESS UP TO BE A FEMINIST. YOU ARE A FEMINIST EXACTLY THE WAY YOU ARE."
After an audience member asked Meghan how she balances being a feminist with being feminine, Meghan answered that there is no difference. "They are not mutually exclusive," she shared. "You can be a woman who wants to look good and still stand up for the equality of women."
"You can be a woman who wants to look good and still stand up for the equality of women."
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You're allowed to be a feminist in whatever way that looks like to you.
5. "DON'T TRY TO WIN THE PART, JUST WIN THE ROOM."
Meghan shared that as a biracial actress she has heard 'no,' an endless number of times. "Because," she said, "I was going in for the ambiguous girl, the black girl, the white girl, even the sassy Latina girl-- even though I'm not Latina and I'm not even that sassy."
"It's very hard to not question something about yourself in those moments," she said of the endless parade of nos. "But at the end of the day it does not matter if you get that part or you get that dream job. It may see like it at the time, but if you make fans of the people who saw you in that room, that carries on so much longer than what that job might have become."
6. "IT'S ALL STILL EXCITING. BE GRATEFUL FOR THE LITTLE THINGS. THAT'S HOW YOU ENJOY IT."
Meghan told the audience that for five months she climbed into the back of her trunk after auditions because she couldn't afford to get the broken locks on her car fixed. "This epic day happened where the locks stopped opening with the key," she shared. "And the clicker wouldn't open the front doors. I couldn't afford to fix the doors and this was my girl, this is how I got from one audition to the other." So she would drive to auditions, park in the back of the lot, and once they were over, she'd wait until no one was paying attention and climb back into her car through the trunk.
Never in her dreams did Meghan think she'd be on a show that has run for six seasons, but in sharing real and humbling moments she's able to enjoy and stay grateful for the journey.
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3 Beauty Miracles Busy Women Swear By
Sometimes, beauty sleep just doesn’t cut it.
Let's get real, sometimes we wish we had a fairy godmother who can work miracles when we need to keep focused on the business tasks at hand.
Long hours on the clock and never-ending to-do lists can do major damage to our ideal sleep schedule and self-care routines. We're all looking for those key tips to keep us feeling confident while we focus on crushing that next work goal.
Beauty tips that work miracles were the talk of the table at our dinner with Mary Kay® in New York City. We gathered a few of our friends dominating the beauty game to celebrate the launch of Mary Kay's® TimeWise® Miracle Set 3DTM.
We're sharing some of our favorite timeless beauty tips from the evening below.
Samantha Black shared that no matter how she's feeling, "A pop of color is my beauty miracle. Wether you have on no makeup or very light makeup, a pop of color on your lip always makes your look complete."
Melissa Alatorre came through with the timeless reminder that, "Drinking a lot of water and eating healthy really translates to your skin. Those are my beauty miracles."
Sasha Colina left us in awe with her beauty miracle and we can't wait to try it out!
"If you're putting on mascara and it accidentally gets on your eye lid, wait until it's completely dry and then use a clean mascara brush and it will flake right off."
With The Musket Room's stunning ambiance, flawless table settings and beautiful guests the night was definitely one to remember. Check out more photos from the evening below.
Have any beauty miracles of your own? Share them with us in the comments!
Browse the complete Mary Kay's® TimeWise® Miracle Set 3DTM collection today.
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Why There’s No Expiration Date on Success
Jaclyn Johnson for SK-II
You don’t have to be an overnight success to be successful. It’s a mantra I repeat to myself often. It’s likely one you’ve heard before too. (The good ones tend to stick around.) And yet, we all feel the churn and burn, the need to sprint toward success to meet society’s artificial deadlines, and the constant need to outdo ourselves.
It’s something the women in the SK-II film, The Expiry Date understand. From birth, they feel the pressure to achieve certain things by a certain age. Degrees. Prizes. Marriage. Children. Promotions. That constant struggle for women to “have it all” on society’s timeline.
SK-II launched #INeverExpire, a global campaign that continues to raise awareness of the age-related pressures women face every day. The campaign encourages women to define their own destinies through challenging societal norms.
As the founder and CEO of Create & Cultivate, I’ve felt these pressures so many times. Become a badass boss lady with a meaningful company, meet someone, get married, buy a home with a white picket fence, have 2.5 kids plus a puppy...and all by the age of 30. Not only does that timeline put an insane amount of pressure on you, it’s also completely unrealistic! Needless to say, that was not the timeline for me. I love creating experiences that are unique and thoughtful, brainstorming purposeful content, and bringing together creative, entrepreneurial women for real conversations, so creating a company that would enable me to do just that was my focus in my twenties.
Saying “yes” to my career often meant saying “no” to my personal life – or at least meeting those marriage, children, home, pet, insert whatever-pressure-you’re-feeling-here milestones before turning an arbitrary age. Instead, I got married when it came around naturally and felt right to me, and if my husband and I expand our family, that will come when it feels right for us, too – not because it’s what we’re “supposed” to do at this age. And I’m nowhere near done with Create & Cultivate – this is just the beginning for us.
"You should never let others put an expiration date on you. #INeverExpire"
I’m creating my own timeline that allows me to have the life I dream of, for myself and on my own terms. But that’s what the idea of #INeverExpire is all about. You should never let others put an expiration date on you. More importantly, I would add, you should never put an expiration date on yourself.
When you look around it’s easy to play the compare and despair game – especially on social. But you’re more than the lists you’ve landed – or not landed – on, and you’re more than the house you have – or don’t have. The list goes on and on. You can have success at any age, and what success means to everyone is different. You alone are able to define your own timeline.
So tell me, what pressures have you felt to subscribe to society’s predetermined timelines and how do you rise above?
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C&C Classifieds: The Wright Consulting Co, BrandLinkDC & More!
Get your job hunt on.
We're breaking free! From our unsatisfying job that is. Looking for a fresh start, a clean slate or a bit bigger paycheck? Look no more girl. We've got a new batch of classifieds hot and ready for you down below. Dive into to these listings from across the country and get ready for your new gig.
P.S. We're hiring!
Check it out and see if you're ready to join the C&C fam!
Create + Cultivate - LA, CA
The Wright Consulting Co - Multi-City
Shake Shack- Multi-City
The Real Coconut - Santa Monica, CA
RE/DONE - LA, CA
WANT MORE? SEE OUR FULL LIST OF CLASSIFIEDS HERE!
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Working Wonder: Christina Topacio
Maintain the wonder with Christina Topacio.
Ever wonder what it’s like to take your blog and turn it into a business? Wonder no more. That’s exactly what Christina Topacio has done. The Working Wonder has been on a mission to create stories with purpose. “My mission,” she says, “is simple; connect communities and their stories to foundations that amplify them.”
Having been in the storytelling business for over ten years, she helps brands like Nike and Mattel with branding, customer acquisition, and strategy. She’s also the founder of Jig + Saw, which spent two years connecting thousands of women. What can we say? Christina is a bridge. A wonderful working bridge.
Read on to learn more about Christina, her biz, outlook on life, and why she says you need to “maintain the wonder.”
Let's start with the basics. What does the idea of Working Wonder mean to you?
Working wonder feels so grand, feels so other than. But, I’m going to own this moment and say Working Wonder means stepping into my power, she/they are stepping into their power to create action with impact within themselves, their communities, their lives. Not by some magic or spot of luck but rather through the work, the drive.
How has the work you do with businesses and business owners connecting them with their purpose made you feel wonderful?
It creates this really vulnerable experience between the idea and its creator. You become witness to them learning about trust in themselves, understanding their desires to build something of their own. I simply feel honored they allow me into that space, to support and encourage the exploration.
You’ve said that stories are meant to invite, encourage and hit home. How do you go about crafting that perfect story for each brand you work with?
Each brand has a connection point to a particular kind of human. My goal is to find him/her, identify with that person and craft a story that will hit home for them. Like most modern marketers, I focus on a niche rather than targeting the world. You find that there is more of a unison head nod when she/he can relate. I encourage all brands to do some digging, create a story about him/her, give them a name, tell their story, provide their journey. You’ll have an easier time marketing when, for us, Simone (she’s JIG+SAW’s previous marketed human) was in our minds for all our collateral and content.
What is your advice for younger female entrepreneurs struggling to feel their own sense of wonder? Or, those wondering if they're on the right track?
Maintain the wonder. Allow yourself to be on a journey. Try as many things to spark that kind of awe that wonder creates. For me, it came down to people. I needed to be IRL, see their faces, interact, to understand whether or not I was on the right track. DIG IN WOMAN!
"Allow yourself to be on a journey."
How do you aim to empower other women through JIG+SAW?
Women are already in power. We just give you the tools + resources to support that power, help you see it through.
Do you think there is a difference between 'beauty' and feeling 'beautiful?'
There is absolutely a difference and its simply stated in feeling. Beauty is beyond a feeling, it’s a state of mind. It’s this idea that your beauty is exuded through other vessels, not just the physical feeling of beautiful.
What do you hope other women feel about themselves and the concept of "beauty?"
To trust its the truth. If you remove all the influence and say, do what I did and shut down all influences in my internet life to just see myself, you start to see that the beauty reflected is the truth. It’s powerful, it’s hungry, it’s loving and compassionate. I hope women see there’s more to beauty than what you’re looking at. See how beauty shows up in how you love someone, how you care for your pets, how you speak leadership into your jobs, your companies. Find beauty in those moments.
So, speaking of beauty... we all have our own tips and tricks. We recently found out that only 20% of visible skin aging comes from the natural aging process. Mary Kay® TimeWise® Miracle Set 3D™ helps protect your skin against the rest – what else do you incorporate into your beauty and wellness routine to combat the environmental and lifestyle stressors that contribute to premature skin aging?
Getting as much sleep as I can has been a goal since my breakup. I really kind of lost it all and everything fell off. But now, incorporating more care into my daily routine like sleep, like brain dumping, like meditating, I believe all affect premature aging. I’m also a very religious skincare “routinist”. I LOVE my self-care practice of putting on and taking off everything body + face related.
When do you feel the most wonderful?
When I’m loving someone. When I look around and see being loved back. When I’m able to see my purpose showing up. It’s a really great feeling.
Who is a woman you would consider a Working Wonder. Someone you want to give a shoutout to?
So many…
Jess Puccinelli
Kanya Iwana
Chelsea Leifken
Candice Brathwaite
Roshanda Cummings
Elena Hansen
Chrystina Woody Train
Gabriele Almon
Krystal Elaine Scott
Puno Puno
We'll be featuring wonderful women paving the way in their careers as part of our new Working Wonders series with Mary Kay. Check back for more inspiration and wonderful words of wisdom.
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Major Small Business Keys From the Top CEOs
Small business is no small work.
Small business doesn’t mean small work.
In fact, owning a small business is a large responsibility. It requires BIG hours. From building a solid team to optimizing a digital audience, there’s so much that must be done to keep your doors open. So, for small business week, we popped up in Brooklyn to celebrate with DELL and local business owners. Our CEO, Jaclyn Johnson joined some amazing founders and CEOs to get their take on launching a small business and best practices for building a team.
One major takeaway? Tech is key. “There’s no way around it,” explained Johnson. “You need tech that works for you-- not against you. When you’re a small business owner, every single moment counts. Having tools, like those offered by DELL, that provide manageability and reliability is key. Let’s be real, you can’t do business if your computer won’t stop crashing.”
So we crashed the convos. Where small business owners broke down some of their best tips, tricks, and takeaways from the best in small biz.
Name: Rachel Tipograph
Title: Founder and CEO MikMak.
On operating profitably
“I think that innovation often comes from moments of struggle. When you strip yourself of every possible resource, that’s when you’re actually the most creative. If you think about today, it’s actually the cheapest day to get a business off the ground. My example is if you want to launch a skincare brand right now, this is the easiest way you could do it right now. Go onto Alibaba, buy some face wipes, make yourself a logo in your apartment in Williamsburg, print your logos, put them on your Alibaba packages, set up a Shopify and buy yourself some Facebook ads. You’re now the founder of a skincare brand. Everything that I just said, maybe all in it’s upwards of a thousand dollars total plus your time. There’s no excuse today to say that you need a lot of money to get your business off the ground.”
On knowing when to pivot
“I think the press has turn the word pivot into a bad word. Pivot was the best decision I made for my business. Pivot means, that initial idea you had for your business is actually not what’s going to get you to the win. So, now you take all the data points and move them towards the idea that is going to get you towards that win. For example, when I launched MikMak in 2015 we were an IOS app and I operated a store with comedians releasing mini-infomercials. A year into that business model I realized, this made no sense. The only way I could become profit was if I had the scale of eBay. There was no way I could gain the scale of eBay. It wasn’t an option for me. But I had so many paying customers and I was working with the biggest brands in the world. They wanted to license my software. I went on an R&D quest and identified the pain points that were holding people back from starting this business model. Once I did that, I knew what type of software I had to build. I spent the next 9 months building software. I restructured our business model and relaunched the company as an enterprise software platform and the company took off. That’s called a pivot. It was the best business decision I ever made because now the company is in a phenomenal place. If I had felt so strongly about my original business idea, Mikmak would probably not be in the place that it's in today.”
Name: Nina Faulhaber
Title: Co-founder of ADAY
Building a mission-driven brand in the digital age
“Our mission kind of developed a lot later after we actually started the business. It’s important to remember that businesses can evolve and change. We’ve changed so much since we started. We originally launched the business to solve a personal problem and then over time since we’ve launched people continued coming to us saying thank you for solving their problems. So doing that and changing the perception of clothing has really become our mission. The exciting thing for any entrepreneur is knowing that we’re creating something for the future.”
Name: Marie Forleo
Title: Founder of Marie Forleo TV and B-School
The #1 mistake small business owners make
Mistake 1: Building your business on rented land (social!)
“So when I was first starting my business social didn’t exist. I was mainly focused on email. I hear many business owners who completely forget about email and focus only on social. That’s a huge mistake. If you look at the stats that’s not a smart thing to do. Campaign Montier did some research and if you look at the stats for every $1 invested in email there’s a potential to make $45. There are more stats that show that email has a potential to generate 120% ROI over social, direct mail and Google paid ads. It’s a huge platform to pay attention to.”
Name: Cyndi Ramirez-Fulton
Title: Founder & CEO of Chillhouse
Building a one of a kind brand in a crowded marketplace
“I was so involved in building the brand, it’s mostly me creating it. Inspiration starts with a Pinterest board for me. As soon as I have an idea that’s the first place I go. I started building out my dream space through Pinterest with these different mood boards and then worked with a designer to bring it to life. The branding process was really fun. It was a real hands-on experience and my favorite part of the process.”
On content creation and media publishing
“We’re all publishers, even on our personal platforms unless you’re private. Content creation is a very crowded space and it’s really hard to get eyeballs on a website for content. So, if you’re not doing it right, don’t do it. For us, we wouldn’t have launched an editorial site if weren’t thinking of launching an online shop. Creating content for the products that we’ll be selling is our strategy.”
In addition to these powerhouse Small Biz tips, Dell had Small Biz Tech Advisors on hand to advise entrepreneurs about their company’s tech needs. These sessions are also available for free to any small business through Dell’s tech advisor program. You can find out more or get your own tech advisor at www.dell.com/smallbusinesspartner.
Do you own a small business and have any tips to share? Let us know in the comments!
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How to Launch a Really Successful Business with Your Mom
And still love her.
The dorm furnishings world is a $6 billion + dollar a year industry. Which sounds like there wouldn't be a lot of white space for a new competitor. But leave it to an incoming college freshman to find the missing part.
In 2009, when Amanda Zuckerman went shopping with her mom, Karen Zuckerman, to find items for her first dorm room, the soon-to-be college freshman grew increasingly frustrated. "We were going to all these big retailers but we couldn't find the required twin extra long bedding that also came in styles or good quality and fabrics," the entrepreneur explains. Amanda says nothing felt representative of her personality, nor did she want a "bed-in-a-bag solution that didn't allow for any creative expression."
That was the lightbulb moment. If Amanda wanted this, so did hundreds of thousands of other incoming freshman and dorm dwellers. The mother-daughter pair started slow and small in 2010 with a Wordpress blog designed to talk about college life and decor. And then, Amanda says something really set in the second half of her freshman year. "I said, 'let's do it,' and we started with a simple site and small collection that really fit our mission to give the college student the product and content they needed to design a space they would love to live in." She had the test market at her fingertips. So the duo tested their product, bootstrapped their biz, and were able to scale. It didn't hurt that Karen was President and Chief Creative Officer of HZDG, a creative agency, and had clocked plenty of time launching brands for her clients.
In 2012 they went full-teen-steam ahead, launching Dormify, a website offering style-minded college students a better and more stylish way to decorate their first abode.
Five years later the company has disrupted that 6 billion dollar biz. They've also expanded offerings with an apartment line, APT by Dormify, launched when Amanda was moving into her second apartment in New York. As a brand it makes total sense: she's grown up with the company and the company is growing up with her.
Read more to find out about the beginning years, scaling a business successfully, and what it's really like to work with your mom.
How long from the time you had the initial conversation did you decide, 'Let's really do this?'
Amanda: It was 2009 and we were standing in big box store and we said to ourselves, "We can’t believe this doesn’t exist already. We need to create our own line.'" I put together a look I really loved a lot of my friends in my dorm were asking me for help and they couldn’t believe how we transformed it. So we knew we could do this in an affordable and feasible way for other students like me. When we started we actually wanted to get a proof of concept first. So we started a Wordpress blog to get people starting to talk about dorm decor in college life-- this was pre-Instagram and Pinterest and blogging was very new at this point. And in 2010, the second half of my freshmen year something really set and I said let’s do it. We had a simple site and small collection, both which really fit our mission to give the college student the product and content they needed to design a space they would love to live in. From there, we gradually started adding more and more categories and growing it. We did a lot of testing over the course of two seasons to see what worked and didn’t before we were able to scale. So it was kind of a slow start, but in 2012 is when we really started.
Did you have any idea about market testing or any of the business acumen you have today? Or was it all new?
A: My mom founded a creative agency 30 years ago right when I was born actually. So she has tons of experience, from launching a business of her own to to launching brands and creating new brands. That was a huge part of it. We knew that when the time came to launch our business that combined, I had an understanding of what college students and she had creative and advertising skills. That was all we needed.
Right, you were the market. So what are some lessons she taught you as a kid that made you know she would be a good business partner?
A: My entire life I've seen her drive and passion. Those values have really stuck with me since the beginning. But she’s really taught me to go for it when I have an idea. Her advice to me and to others is always to execute your ideas because a lot of people have ideas but it takes a lot of guts to go out and actually do it. So she’ll say you can’t do it alone, but build a strong and passionate team and try your hardest. And she’s definitely assured me that I will make mistakes but not to let them slow me down.
"A lot of people have ideas, but it takes guts to go out and do it."
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So the dorm furnishings world is a 6 billion+ industry. So when you're looking at that number but still thinking, "I can do this better," what is that thought process like? Is there doubt?
A: It’s a huge market, we definitely realized that. But the students that we reach find us and they really, really love us. So our biggest focus is getting our name out there and growing as organically as possible. And because this is a brand that started from my college dorm room and is competing with big box competitors, that doesn’t really bring up doubt-- it empowers us.
The idea was before Insta and Pinterest were huge, so at what point did you say we need to step up our social game?
A: It really started organically. We knew that getting involved with some of these early platforms was really important. And we were kind of pioneers there. We wanted to communicate with our customers the way they communicate with their friends. So we knew that traditional forms of advertising weren’t going to work for us and it was really seamless in that sense.
Your demo is online all the time. They are digital natives. Do you use user-generated content?
A: Yes, definitely. So we learned so much over the years and we really changed our strategy because of user-generated content. What resonates close with me is showing product in a real environment and showing real rooms. That's the best way we can show our product off. It also really helps drive our clients for the next year because we want to hear from our audience and what they’re looking for and what they can't find. We are always listening to them and are really upfront with them. And they love that we're really involved.
So what are inbound college freshmen asking for?
A: As a very simple example, people were asking for headboards which wasn’t something we necessarily thought of first or for a dorm room, but we added it this year and it is one of our top sellers. They really want sophisticated designs, so over the years we’ve kind of changed our design perspective in some ways to account for that. And they have shown us they really want to design the rooms themselves and they want a little bit of help. So we give inspiration and they can customize the looks based on the recommendations we provide.
And there is always a market because there are always college freshmen.
A: Right, which is a really exciting part of our business. We get to cater to a whole new audience every single year and our customer gets to grow up with us. We start with them in their freshmen dorm room and then they move into an on-campus apartment and then maybe an off-campus apartment so the size of their bed changes and they need new bedding. They know they can come to us to do so. And we also launched an apartment line called APT by Dormify so once they’ve graduated we are also there to design their space as well.
You bootstrapped the business, but at what point did you and your mom get together and decide you needed funding?
A: So my mom really was the one who handled the funding side. We quickly saw that in order to service our customer across all the categories we needed to invest more into our product development and inventory. And similarly when we started to see early traction through word of mouth and organic marketing, we really needed more people and additional funding to execute our ideas to the fullest extent. To really scale. This was in 2011, so it was pretty quick-- really right after we tested the proof of concept. We had to prove to investors that we had something going and a lot of our early investors were friends and families that had kids in college and some are actually my closest friends, so they saw first hand the need for a solution like Dormify. And they wanted to help us out and invest but, anyone who wants to do that needs to see a proof of concept.
On the company’s site, the "behind the scenes," it’s all women running the show. Was that an intentional choice?
A: It happened naturally, it really wasn’t intentional. When we were growing our team we connected with passionate individuals who experienced the same problem I did. They really wanted to get behind Dormify’s mission. But every year guys are getting more and more into the design of the dorm process so maybe we’ll have our first male Dormify employee soon.
You've learned a lot from your mom, but what are some things you've taught her?
A: I definitely taught her what college kids really want. Even though she thinks she knows-- she’s had three kids go through college. But being really close to the audience. Even since I’ve graduated we have such stronghold with the audience and we know exactly what they’re looking for.
Now that you're in business together, how's your relationship with your mom?
A: We don’t live in the same city but we see each other all the time. We work really well together, we have all the same sort of thought-processes and same style so we learn from each other and we really use each other’s strengths.
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7 Ways to Build an Unstoppable Personal Brand in 2018
Finish out 2018 strong!
What’s the impression that others have after an interaction with you?
That’s personal branding. Think of it as your own personal calling card, your trademark. In an ever-evolving workplace where competition is fierce, it’s why people will want to work with you, hire you, hear your ideas, support you. Try these seven expert-approved tips for branding yourself in 2018.
1. Put pen to paper.
Sit down and figure out what exactly it is you want to achieve over the next 6+ months. Get clear about your goals, and about what you want for your business, your brand, and your own personal success. Write these intentions down. You don’t need to know exactly how you’re going to get there, just that you want to. Whether it’s an intention to score a promotion, get a batch of new clients, or launch a side business, clarity is key. When big decisions come up, or you get overwhelmed, the intentions you have for your brand are what will keep you on track.
2. Craft your narrative.
Building a brand, especially one that truly resonates with people, is all about the story you tell. Who you are in the world, and who you want to be. That message needs to be clear and consistent. But most of all, authentic. It needs to be your own unique brand of whatever it is you are about. Maybe you are ridiculously stylish, or fantastically funny, or maybe your invention is going to change the world. Whatever it is, own that story. Talk about it with reverence, passion, and love. That enthusiasm, that uniqueness—that is what differentiates you and it’s what people are going to notice.
3. Tap your circle of colleagues and friends.
The old adage about it’s not what you know, but who you know…it’s a total cliché, yes, but it’s also true. Relationships matter and brand building, personal or otherwise, is all about the connections you forge. Strong, meaningful, heartfelt connections. Great business relationships are built on mutual respect and authenticity. But also by being gracious and generous with your time, resources, knowledge, and connections. Helping others get where they want to go is the most sure-fire way to have people help you in return. No one has ever done it alone.
4. Be great to work with.
To be the person who makes someone else’s job easier because you are buttoned up, responsive, and “on it”—there is no better way to garner respect and drive home your worth. Adding value to the work others do means adding value to your own brand. Every email you respond to, every call you take, do it with pride and do it well.
5. Post with a purpose.
So much of brand building today is done via social media. It’s such a powerful tool, but you need to know how to use it, and use it wisely. Everything you post should reflect who you are, and the ethos of your own personal brand. Play to your strengths and take time to curate your online presence. You can’t be all things to everyone, but when it comes to an Instagram post or Twitter (anything on social media!) ask yourself first: Is this what I want to be saying? Is this post telling my story in the right way? Think of it as an opportunity to show the best version of yourself.
6. Show off your expertise.
Go to networking events, get involved in organizations related to your industry, talk on panels. Mentor young, upcoming talent, and write articles for your favorite sites. You want to become a go-to person in your field—be it for a quote about holiday décor, or why an ad campaign is successful, or how to market yourself online. Whatever it is, empower others and establish your brand by sharing what you know.
7. Run in successful circles.
You really do become who you spend time with, whether personally or professionally. So, surround yourself at all times with people who inspire you, with people who are out there doing their thing in the best possible way. If you’re around powerful people who are pursuing their dreams, chances are you’ll want to do the same. As you grow up together and build successful careers, these are also the people you’ll likely end up working with, and forming partnerships with.
Have any personal branding tips of your own? Share with us in the comments below!
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How to Know Which Vitamin Is Right for You
Don’t bug out in the vitamin aisle.
The vitamin aisle is scary place. Labels and names of ingredients you can pronounce stare back at you. Let’s not even get into the prices.
Your inbox is hard enough to make sense of-- what’s good for your body shouldn’t be.
So with the help from our good pals at OLLY, we’re breaking which vitamin make sense for you. Your body will thank you.
DO YOU NEED A SUPERCHARGE?
If you answered, “nah” to that questions, consider us green with envy. Also green? The L-Theanine in OLLY’s Endless Energy vitamin. L-Theanine is an amino acid found in green tea to help with mental alertness and focus. This vitamin blend also offers B vitamins to work naturally with your body’s chemistry to help convert food into energy. And as an added bonus they have a kick of caffeine-- less than a cup of coffee-- into the vitamin for the aforementioned supercharge.
Get ready to get that inbox down to zero. #hero.
ARE YOU A STRESS CASE?
If the pit of your stomach is in knots. And you’re dizzy at the thought of your day, you need to say Goodbye Stress. That kind of mental and physical tension is not good for anyone. OLLY again expertly blends L-Theanine which in addition to alertness, helps your brain keep its cool. And when blended with GABA, a fast-working active that supports a relaxed state of mind to help combat the acute effects of stress, that are not so ah-cute.
The final ingredient is Lemon Balm, which is not only soothing to day, but is a botanical that has been used for centuries to help quiet the mind. Get ready to #tooblessedtostress.
IS YOUR SKIN A LITTLE SAD?
Don’t let you skin get the blues, or rather the lackluster hues. Your largest organ (yes, that’s your skin) needs some extra attention, especially as you begin to lose collagen as you age. It’s totally natural, so don’t stress (ahem* take Goodbye Stress vitamin if so), it happens to all of us. This Vibrant Skin blend of hyaluronic acid, collagen, and sea buckthorn that will help you maintain and revitalize your glow.
*And yes, you can mix-and-match various OLLY vitamins. They recommended no more than 2-3 types for daily consumption.
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5 Experts Share Their Best & Newest Skincare Tips
Glow on girls.
It’s seemed like the who’s who of beauty editors and experts gathered in New York this past weekend at the Create & Cultivate Beauty Summit featuring Mary Kay®. So, who better to ask for skincare tips than this range of experts?
We tapped some of the best in the biz for the goods, so you can look good.
Kelly Bales, the digital editor at Allure kept it simple. “Consistency,” the beauty expert shared. “And,” she added, “make sure to exfoliate at least once a week-- twice in warmer weather.”
Luis Casco, Mary Kay’s Global Beauty Ambassador, who was on hand to help showcase Mary Kay's® new TimeWise® Miracle Set 3D™ skincare line (launching 5/12), shared the following: “I think number one is to be regular with skincare,” he explained. “It’s really important to be consistent and to be patient. With makeup we can do wonders instantly, but with skincare you have to be patient. With TimeWise® Miracle Set 3D™ you can see a visible difference after four weeks.”
“It’s really important to be consistent and to be patient. With makeup we can do wonders instantly, but with skincare you have to be patient.”
Michelle Lee, EIC at Allure, knows a thing or two about skincare. She shared, “My number one best tip is using peel pads twice a week to exfoliate. It cleanses everything off and allows all your other skincare to be absorbed super easily.”
Sam Gen, of Sam Jen Makeup had this tip: “Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize, even if you’re oily. There is a great moisturizer for everyone.”
And finally, Dr. Lucy Gildea, Chief Scientific Officer at Mary Kay® was kind enough to share her 2-cents. “Always cleanse and moisturize with an SPF,” the doctor shared. “A lot of people have the perception that they don’t need to cleanse their face. TimeWise® Miracle Set 3D™ is a simple 3-step regime. It’s three simple steps, twice a day: you cleanse, apply your day or night cream, and then the eye cream. Eye cream is important to use, because it’s where one of the first signs of eye cream ever show up on the face. And it’s important for people to know they should use an eye cream before signs ever show up. The whole point of 3D™ is to have a proactive approach-- it’s a 3-dimensional approach to skincare: to delay the onset, to defend against free radicals on the skin, and to deliver visible results. And you get more results in less time.”
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2 Cocktails to Turn Your Next Brainstorm into a WorkParty
Is it time for Summer Fridays yet?
Not every meeting can turn into a festive celebration, but sometimes after you’ve landed the perfect client, brainstormed your next big idea, nailed a presentation, or broken a company record (and it happens to be 5pm), there’s nothing wrong with turning off your computer and turning the WorkParty vibes up.
Especially during the summer (because we believe in Summer Fridays Forever). And ever.
And so does SKYY Vodka. Which is why they’re sharing two summer-perfect cocktail recipes featuring the new SKYY Infusions Sun-Ripened Watermelon, that sound oh-so-refreshing.
So go ahead, cheers to a job well done. And host a little WorkParty of your own.*
WATERMELON ROSE SPRITZ
1 part SKYY Infusions Sun-Ripened Watermelon
1 part Aperol
3 parts Sparkling Rose
1 part Soda or Tonic Water
Glass: Large Wine or Spritz
Garnish: Melon Balls, Lime Wheels & Cucumber Ribbon
Build in a Large Wine glass over ice. Garnish with Watermelon Balls, Lime Wheels and a
Cucumber Ribbon.
SUMMER SALAD
1.5 parts SKYY Infusions Sun-Ripened Watermelon
.75 parts Lemon Juice
.75 parts Simple Syrup
3-4 Basil Leaves
1 Strawberry
Glass: Double Old Fashioned
Garnish: Cube of feta cheese wrapped in a basil leaf
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and muddle gently. Add ice and shake. Strain over
into a Double Old Fashioned glass over fresh ice. Garnish with a Basil Leaf.
* everything in moderation. Drink and WorkParty responsibly.
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C&C Classifieds: Curology INC, Pressed Juicery, Mattel + more!
Another day, another dollar!
It's Wednesday, the perfect day to start your search for a new job. We're just about six months into the year and if you're not feeling satisfied with your current place of employment, don't worry! We've got a fresh batch of new job postings right here for you to dive into. Get those cover letter typing fingers ready and send out those resumes ladies!
Also, we're hiring! Check out our open position if you'd like to join the C&C fam!
Create + Cultivate - LA, CA
Pressed Juicery - LA, CA
Mattel - LA, CA
Aeropostale - NY. NY
Alice + Olivia - NY, NY
WANT MORE? SEE OUR FULL LIST OF CLASSIFIEDS LISTINGS HERE.
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Black Female Founders to Receive $36 Million in Funding
Arlan Hamilton is the way of the future.
THE WAY OF THE FUTURE.
She watches the hell out of General Hospital, writes the ‘L Word’ fanfic twitter page @ModernLWord, but Arlan Hamilton, founder and Managing Partner of Backstage Capital, is an emerging venture fund manager to watch. Especially since what she's trained her investor's eye on is what everyone else is ignoring.
Here are the facts: less than 10% of all venture capital deals go to women, People of Color, and LGBT founders. Other VCs see this as a pipeline problem. Backstage Capital sees it as the biggest opportunity in investment. And they've put their money where the stats are, their second round of funding has just launched and is targeting $36 million in commitments and Arlan foresees the fund investing $1 million checks into 15-20 companies over the next three years.
Dedicated to minimizing funding disparities in tech, Arlan and Backstage Capital are investing in high-potential founders who are of color, women, and/or LGBT. Once homeless, she knows what it's like to have doors closed on you and your dreams. But, she's opening the doors. We suggest you walk through them with her.
She's the way of the future.
Name: Arlan Hamilton
Instagram Handle: @arlanwashere
Business Instagram Handle: @backstagecapital
Where do your drive and passion come from for Backstage Capital?
The mission. The fact that nothing has changed from my original thought, that there needs to be more access to capital for certain people who are being overlooked and underestimated. Until that massive problem is solved, it will fuel the energy that I need to do that.
How have you successfully navigated a male-dominated field?
By asking what a male would do and just giving myself permission to not apologize for being who I am.
What are your hopes for young women looking to get into finance as investors?
I wish it were now, but I hope that the work that I'm doing and the women alongside of me are doing makes it easier for them to enter this field. That's another part that makes it worth it for me, the idea that what we're doing is making it that much easier for the next person.
What would you say is your biggest pet-peeve in business?
Politics. I think a lot is held up and not accomplished because of ego and people trying to play certain personal agendas. A lot could be accomplished if we just focused on what was important.
What are your biggest fears about running Backstage?
That we won't be enough. That we won't be able to raise more and more funding for the very deserving and viable companies that we are backing.
What's something that you would like people to know about your work with Backstage that they probably aren't aware of?
It's much, much harder than it may appear. There's a ton of work that goes into it that it's not seen. I get a lot of feedback from people who think we're okay, that we've made it. When in reality it's a day-by-day, brick by brick, thing.
What about your career makes you feel the most complete?
Having a woman come up to me and say she started a company because she read something about me. Or having a woman of color tell me that because Backstage exists they knew they wouldn't be alone when they came to Silicon Valley or launched a business. So, moments likes that where I know that something is working and I'm inspiring someone.
When you come across a difficulties or bumps in the road, how do you approach them?
I've always been able to self-motivate by seeing into the future and what I think the future might be. Anytime something is rough, which happens a lot. We might be told we were getting $100,000 investment and then the day the wire is supposed to hit, it doesn't. That's a big deal for us. On those kind of days I just think about the fact that I was homeless and I would imagine myself as a VC. There was no question to me that I would be able to make Backstage happen. You have to keep reminding yourself to keep going, you can do this. The way that you fail, is to stop. That is certainty. If you keep going, there's that potential that you win.
If you were to trade jobs with anyone, who would it be?
I think Ellen has a fun job.
At what point in your career did you find the ability to take charge and become the leader that you are today?
I had to have that mentality with everything. When I was working part time doing data entry, working at a pizza shop. I had to have that "I'm the boss" attitude to get through it so I don't know that it happened recently. It started with my mom telling me I deserved to be in any room and shouldn't shrink myself to make someone else feel better about themselves.
"It started with my mom telling me I deserved to be in any room and shouldn't shrink myself to make someone else feel better about themselves."
Tweet this.
What is the best piece of advice or #realtalk you've ever been given?
The best piece of advice that I take in come from music. Anyone from Nikki Minaj to Casey Edwards.
What song do you sing in the shower when you've had a really shitty day?
Can You Stand The Rain x New Edition.
TO SEE THE FULL CREATE & CULTIVATE STEM LIST CLICK HERE.
Our Favorite Mic Drop Moments from #CCBeautySummit!
Do it like a Beauty Boss.
What does in mean to be a beauty boss? Lucky for you, we're laying the foundation.
Because we spoke all things beauty boss at our #CCBeautySummit with Mary Kay in New York City! Our panelists chatted everything from building a beauty business, starting their career, social media, and so much more.
Here are our favorite mic drop moments from the Beauty Summit!
Never think you’re too good for anything and be humble. We’re in the service industry our job is to make our client feel good. - @justinemarjan
Be cautious of who you follow on social media. Follow people who are going to make you feel good. You have control!
I want my legacy to be being a mom and being a good role model. I want my kids to be proud of me - @MollyBSims
I think when you’re consistent with your work and you’re a good person, then you’ll be able to top yourself. @MakeupByMario
A detox is so important because we’re always comparing ourselves and I think that limits your full potential. @katieaustin
Going bare face is something I do a lot. Having transparency is a way to connect more with your readers. @ColorMeCourtney
“When people say negative things to me, sometimes I comment back and say something positive. You never know what people are going through.” @ItsMyRayeRaye
“We didn’t want to wait for other people’s permission.” - @lindseydayy on starting @CRWNmag
"I love the quote, ‘You can be the juiciest peach out there, but there’s still going to be someone who doesn’t like peaches.'" @AltorreTweets
"It’s always been about, how do I deliver happiness to everyone?" - @gibsontuttle
"I’m a conduit for creativity and I have to be conscious of what I put out. I have to be real because I would never want someone to feel less than because they only get the best me." - @AllyMissLove
"Pick people that’ll teach you and push you to be successful. It makes you better." -- @SHershbergerNYC
Did you join us for our first ever Beauty Summit with Mary Kay? Let us know what your favorite gem of the day was in the comments below!
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Welcome to Your New No Compromise Beauty™ Routine
You’re gonna want to refer a friend.
Over the course of our lives, we make a ton of compromises. Salad for pizza. Ten more minutes of snoozing for… well, totally rushed mornings and dry shampoo.
But where we’ve stopped compromising is on our careers. So why would we compromise on our beauty routine? What we put on our face, is just as important as what we put in our bodies. And ladies, do we have something for your face that will not only help you face the day, but will keep those long midnight-burning hours off your face.
Seriously.
Enter No Compromise Beauty™ from Biossance. For busy working women, Biossance is changing the way women think about their skincare.
And because we know you aren’t always getting the most sleep (or skipping that 4pm jolt of java), sometimes you need more than a caffeine boost to fight the effects of tired looking skin.
NO RETINOL, NO PROBLEM
We’ve heard a lot about retinol in the last couple of years-- or ever since we started noticing those finer lines on our face. However, for many, retinol can cause serious skin irritation-- which, is exactly what you want to avoid when you’re trying to get your glow on.
For anyone who wants the benefits of retinol, but without the irritation or sun sensitivity, the Biossance Squalane + Phyto-Retinol Serum is one of the best examples of No Compromise Beauty™. It offers incredible results without the side effects associated with traditional retinol products and can effectively treat lines, wrinkles, discoloration or sun damage.
CAN BE USED ANY TIME OF DAY
Retinol isn’t what you’d consider an “any time of day” product. It’s normally only used at night after you’ve washed your face.
However, we know how hard it is to remember that night time routine. (We also fall asleep with all the lights on.) The amazing benefit of Biossance’s Squalane + Phyto-Retinol Serum is that is can be used at any point during the day. And it doesn’t cause sun sensitivity. That means if you flub your nighttime your routine, you get a second chance in the AM.
SURE, YOU’RE BRIGHT
But are you being bright about your skincare routine? The smartest, brightest babes, know that skimping on skincare is a no-go. Seriously, that’s a hard pass from us.
Whether you realize it or not, if you’re running around you are exposing yourself to sun damage-- even if you’re simply bolting from meeting to meeting. Sun damage causes discoloration and skin spots. Squalane + Phyto-Retinol Serum diminishes visible discoloration and evens skin tone. And it’s antioxidant properties help diminish the look of discoloration, evening overall skin tone and brightening complexion.
If you want extra protection Biossance also has a new Squalane and Mineral SPF 45. It’s a daily sunscreen formulated for daily use. It’s meant to be worn every day. Win. win.
What are your skin tips and tricks and what are you no longer willing to compromise on? Share in the comments below!
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This Kombucha Company Can't Stop Expanding
Can’t stop. Won’t stop.
Making kombucha is a logistical masterpiece. At least for the Health-Ade team, who are currently producing about 80,000 cases a week out of their newest brewery location. That space is 50k square feet, but talk to the team and they’ll admit they’re already running out of space and looking to build their next brewery.
For a company that began in a kitchen, with the three founders using glass bottles purchased from Bed, Bath & Beyond, it’s not a bad problem to have.
“I had a steady job, where I was moving up and getting awards, to start a kombucha company in the farmer’s market,” co-founder and CEO Daina Trout shares.
For about four months over the summer of 2012 the co-founders tried working the farmer's market circuit on nights and weekends while keeping on with their day jobs. “I was completely driving myself into a brick wall," Trout says. "I was starting to lose my mind."
Right around November 2012 is when the trio knew they couldn’t continue at this pace, nor were they doing a good job at either. They weren't going to expand,“certainly not into Whole Foods,” Trout says, if they didn't commit. So in December they shook hands, made a pact, and as of January 1, 2013 they were full time Health-Ade.
In their first year they sold around 20k cases. This year they are shooting to sell 3 million. “It’s been crazy fast growth since the beginning—we tripled last year and are projected to double again this year and next,” explains Trout.
If, the precisely run operations at their new factory location is any indication of them meeting that goal, consider it a done deal.
There are rows and rows of 2.5 gallon glass jars with their individual fermenting SCOBYs (the key ingredient of kombucha making). It looks like something out of Prometheus. (Except it’s delicious and isn’t out to kill off the human race.) There are massive vats of tea brewing, waiting to get poured into said glass jars to ferment. Tubes and filtration systems, including the first step of the process: a special water filtration system. (And some other proprietary info we can’t share.) It’s impressive. Beyond impressive. And since every case of kombucha takes four weeks to finish, and every flavor takes a different amount of time to ferment, that’s where you’ve got “the logistical masterpiece.” It’s something that every one of Health-Ade’s 120 employees knows all about.
Read more from Daina below about Health-Ade’s expansion, why she found herself in tears the other day, and how seeing people drink it on the street is still “the coolest thing ever.”
When you look at how much Health-Ade has grown, what are your thoughts?
When I take the time to look back and reminisce I am reminded we don’t do it enough. The other day I drove past the apartment in LA where it all started—brewing in the kitchen, fermenting in the apartment’s entry closet, and selling in farmers’ markets across LA in 2012. I wasn’t even planning to go there—I was bopping around from one important meeting to another, and I saw the street. I immediately took a detour to stop by. I have been SO go-go-go for the last 5 years, I haven’t ever gone back there. Not surprisingly, I broke down into tears when I saw it. I quickly recounted the days when the apartment was a full on brewery. I remember packing out the cars for the farmer’s markets at 4am every Sunday. I remember the work, the sweat and all the passion that went into getting it off the ground. Being there made me realize how far we have come. From a closet to a full on legitimate brewery, fastest growing kombucha in the world. It’s pretty cool. I’m overcome with emotion, really when I allow myself to think about it. Mostly pride, but also a lot of nostalgia joy and sadness (because it was mother-fucking hard as fuck). Health-Ade is a representation of our hard work. It’s one of the coolest things ever to see others drinking it on the street, still.
Are there fears associated with expanding?
I don’t really operate with a lot of fears. The biggest fear I have is dying without feeling like I gave it my best shot. I’m not afraid of expanding. I know we will make the right call, and that at each stage a new set of circumstances and opportunities will come about. Everyone told us we wouldn’t make it more than a year still brewing in glass jars, and they were wrong. So I really just don’t think you have to compromise on the things you care about.
"I don’t think you have to compromise on the things you care about."
Why the dedication to glass bottles?
Glass bottles are pretty much used by everyone in the category, so that doesn’t’ make us special. What makes us special is that we FERMENT in glass. Remember, it takes 4+ weeks sometimes to make 1 bottle of Health-Ade so what it’s sitting in is super important. Kombucha develops strong acids when it is fermenting and the pH gets as low as lemon juice, which can corrode stainless steel and plastic. It sits fermenting for a long time in these vessels, so we believe to be the highest quality you have to do this in glass (because you just don’t want metal or plastic leaching). That’s how the best balsamic vinegars are fermented in Modena, for example, 100% in glass! We’re proud to be the only kombucha we know of that does this all in glass. That’s why we’re not afraid to take you through the brewery and show you around!
How do you see the business growing over the next year?
We will be growing on every front, and those aren’t always the ones consumers see. It’s important each aspect of the business grows, not just the sales. This year, we will be saturating channels we hadn’t’ been in before as much, like convenience and club for example—but we’re also elevating our company in many other ways. Our marketing is doing some innovative things in creative to try to speak to a consumer that has never heard of kombucha before, and this involves getting to know PEOPLE, and what makes them tick. Our manufacturing is always upping the game by finding ways to do things better and faster without ever compromising (and only making better) the kombucha. Our operation is focused on sophistication as well—we’re focused on building an awesome company for employees: strong leadership, fun environment…a place you’d like to work, and you can grow by working there.
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C&C Classifieds: DBA, Winsome, Girlgaze and more!
The best revenge is yo paper.
So you want a new job, fresh start, clean slate, all of the above?
Look no further, our weekly classified listing is here and full of opportunity in New York and Los Angeles. Wether you're checking this out from your desk or the comfort of your work from home space, sit back, relax and get that resume ready for sending.
If you're thinking about joining the C&C fam, we're hiring too!
Enjoy ladies.
Create & Cultivate - LA, CA
DBA - NY, NY
Addison Interactive LA, CA
Winsome - LA, CA
Duff’s Cakemix - LA, CA
Girlgaze Inc - LA, CA
WANT MORE? CHECK OUT OUR FULL CLASSIFIEDS LIST HERE.
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Why This Tampon Company Is Getting in the Sex Game
It’s not ‘cause sex sells.
It's personal.
Your sex life, that is. But that doesn't mean that you shouldn't have options when it comes to what happens in your bedroom (or couch, or kitchen table).
Enter the newly launched Sex by LOLA: gynecologist-approved sexual health products designed with a woman's needs in mind. Adding condoms, personal lubricant, and cleansing wipes to their arsenal of products, LOLA is taking the next step in their mission to become the first lifelong brand for a woman's body.
"We recognized a pattern across all areas of women's reproductive health -- that every stage in a woman's reproductive life had problems in ingredients transparency, branding, and content," share the co-founders, Jordana Kier and Alexandra Friedman.
LOLA's dedication to a women-first motto, led them to wonder: "What about our needs as women? Until now, our only options have been products aggressively marketed towards men and their desires."
That's why it makes perfect sense that they've introduced Sex by LOLA — designed first and foremost for women. "We wanted to deliver better products designed with women’s needs and vaginas in mind, and we wanted to be honest about our ingredient list," they explain. "Everyone deserves to know what’s going on and inside their bodies and should be empowered to make informed decisions in their sex lives."
Want more? Check out Sex by LOLA. Launched today.
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How 10 People Stay Successful at Success
We get by with a little help from our friends.
If you find yourself getting easily overwhelmed by emails, struggling to keep your eyes open at your desk, or constantly getting distracted by coworkers, chances are, your productivity level isn’t what it could be.
The secret to working more efficiently isn’t about working more or less, but smarter. Here, 12 successful people share how to do just that, compliments of their productivity hacks. Get ready to get focused:
1. Visualize
“I always envision myself crushing it at my job, working with pristine integrity and keeping a gold standard. I have always envisioned myself being the go-to girl, the leader in my space, the golden girl in the Wellness space. Make an effort to pinpoint your success, and focus on YOU leading the pack. Clear the noise, don’t worry about what everyone else is doing. Focus on yourself, your work and keep the focus on doing your very best, nothing less.” —Candice Kumai, bestselling author of Clean Green Eats & Clean Green Drinks
2. Unplug
“I can’t begin to stress how important it was to limit digital distractions during my workday. The best thing I’ve ever done to improve my productivity was to check my inbox only three times a day. This allows me to really concentrate on whatever task I have at hand. Before I started doing this, I would constantly get interrupted and it would take me a while to get back to really focusing on what I was working on, which was a killer for my productivity. Sometimes I’ll catch myself cheating by checking my iPhone inbox, but putting it on silent helps stop the temptation!” —Jude Al-Khalil, founder and CEO of BIKYNI
3. Catch those ZZZs
“My #1 productivity hack is getting 7 hours of sleep each night. I turn off the TV and put away all my devices so I can clear my brain and sleep well! To have an energy-full day, I prioritize getting a good night’s sleep so I wake up rested and ready to go face the day’s challenges. I also really appreciate the Johnson & Johnson Human Performance Institute’s principles that lead to being your personal best at work and at home: be physically energized, emotionally connected, mentally focused, and spiritually aware to achieve your mission.”—Janis Smith-Gomez, vice president, marketing for Ethicon, Inc.
4. Distance yourself
“Close the office door. I have an open door policy all the time. My office is open to every one of the 110 people who work for me. In fact, it’s unusual not to find at least one of my employees paying me a visit. However, when the rubber meets the road and I have to concentrate and get something done quickly, my office door gets closed. It has become a sign to everyone that when it’s closed, I am full steam on a project so I generally don’t get interrupted. It’s amazing what you can accomplish in an uninterrupted hour—or even a half hour.” —Linda Lightman, CEO and founder of Linda’s Stuff
5. Plan, organize, do
“I have a three-step mantra when it comes to being productive:
Plan it. I plan each day the night before and add them as actual tasks in my calendar. This gives you the creative space to do the work you need to do in the time required and ensures that you are realistic about what can be achieved. I prioritize the most important tasks and always allow time for inspiration and play—being creative means you need time to be inspired, read an article, blog or just be on the pulse of what’s happening.
Organize it. I try to keep to Inbox Zero. I rule the mail, it does not rule me. I check it only three times—morning, afternoon and at the end of the day. Being ruthless with emails means spending more time on the next step and less on organizing and sifting through endless emails. Honestly, if it’s really important, experience has taught me they either come and get you or pick up the phone.
Do it. I get focused. I’m not distracted, I don’t check my email and I get in the zone to complete the tasks for the day. I often have post-it notes with each task on my desk and physically tick them off once a task is done. There is great satisfaction in actually completing something. Visually seeing these is also a great way to remain focused.” —Resh Sidhu, creative director of Framestore’s VR Studio
6. Check-In times
“Email is both a blessing and a curse—a curse in that it often becomes a seemingly endless task. Each day, I set a time to check my email and address as much as I can. But I always set an end time, and stick to it. Of course, email is a blessing in that it keeps me on track. And I sort my inbox by subject, to be as efficient as possible (though I try to keep this trick a secret!).” —Julie Lee, managing director, Maxus Chicago
7. Google Hangouts
“While this may seem counter-intuitive as a productivity hack, I’m in a creative business so talking through ideas needs the nuance of conversation and ideally seeing each other’s face. Hangouts helps our teams get together and have meaningful discussions rather than spinning in the nuance of how we phrased something in an email. ‘ —Jane Delworth, managing director at mono
8. and 9. Meditation
“Headspace—20 minutes meditation a day every day makes all the difference to my productivity.” —Charlotte Smith, partner at Liberty Blue
“Even if it’s just 10 to 15 minutes a day. It centers me, keeps me focused on what matters right now, and helps me to stay calm under stress—which ultimately makes me more productive. Walking meditation is my favorite type of meditation.” —Justine Bloome, EVP, strategy and innovation at Carat USA
10. Podcasts
“My favorite podcast is Ted Radio Hour. I love the diversity of interviews and content matter, which always expands my thinking in new and surprising ways.” —Olivia Fay, CEO and creative director of Rallier
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Inhale the Jasmine, Exhale the Negativity
Ahhh soak in the smell of simple.
You’ve heard about spring cleaning. But how can we apply this concept to the cobwebs of our career? (It’s not only for closets.) There are four major lessons we want to talk about when it comes to creating a positive and simplified work environment.
Lesson #1: Good Scents Is Just Good Sense
Creating a positive and personalized physical environment in your home or office can help boost creativity, focus, and career or work-related goals. One way to do this is through the power of scent. Lighting candles and plugging in wallflowers are a few ways to accomplish this. For the modern day woman with a picture perfect office and home aesthetic, a sleek oil diffuser is definitely the way to go.
Aera is a sophisticated smart home fragrance brand changing the scent game. The diffuser is a quiet and user-friendly set up that uses no heat to produce a hypoallergenic scent effect safe for the whole family. You can even control scenting anytime, from anywhere with the AeraforHome app for iPhone and Android. Scroll down for a special limited-time discount for Create & Cultivate readers!
Aera's new Simplicity scent collection is focused on simple and familiar fragrances and is perfect for simplifying your office and home space. Each of their fragrance capsules can fill a room with consistent scent for 60 days or 1440 hours on an average setting. Our favorite Simplicity scent in the office is the White Tea. With hints of jasmine and citrus, this scent relaxes us and reminds us to take a deep breath and enjoy the simple things throughout the day.
Join in on Aera's 30-day “Simplicity Challenge”, which focuses on how to simplify areas of life including home, relationships, career, and health! Aera will be inviting followers to share their progress during the challenge by tagging @AeraForHome and using the campaign hashtag #AeraSimplicityChallenge. One participant will be chosen weekly to win an Aera diffuser and Simplicity scent capsule, plus one lucky participant will win the ultimate giveaway of simplicity products and services - valued at 1K. Enter here.
Lesson #2: Put the Kibosh on Nostalgia
We know that we have nostalgic and hazardous sentimental attachments to our possessions. Whether it’s boxes of old photographs and birthday cards that lead us down a long and windy path of nostalgia and distraction while cleaning, to items we hold onto for no reason-- aka your grandmother’s boots you're keeping even though they’re two sizes too small. Talk about a tropical depression. The nostalgia hurricane is real and it's ruling your life. Feeling strongly about stuff is OK but it can also be the enemy of tidy.
How to apply this to work: It's not just stuff kids! We have nostalgia and emotional attachment to ideas. So, what should we do to make space for bigger and better creative thoughts? Kill your darlings. That’s right. The creative ideas that keep falling dead in the water. Every single of one of us has that “golden” idea that we can’t escape. The one we reposition and bring up in pitch meetings, the one we’re sure is going to hit with ONE client that simply never does. Accept that. Thank the idea for taking up space in your head and let it go.
Also, those notebooks full of half-baked ideas and sparks (ahem duds) of genius you jotted down and have never looked through— toss them. We know you’re saving them for that one time you’re going to need to reference a page scribbled on in 2007 but just say goodbye. If ideas are really that great, they’ll stick around. You don’t need to create a physical library of your own brain.
Lesson # 3: Simplifying and Letting Go Feels Good. So Good.
Yes! Getting rid of clutter and freeing up your home space feels great. You feel lighter, more free, and less emotionally tied to STUFF! Everything all of the sudden becomes easier when you can SEE everything! Decision making is easier when you love everything and therefore you become more efficient with your time! Exclamations abound!! (For real, this is happy, joyous stuff.)
How to apply this to work: You don’t have to do anything here! Once you start letting go of the clutter on your desk and in your head, you will free up space for the next steps. You’ll be giving your career the breathing room it needs to expand. It will also help you become more clear on what projects to say yes to, and which projects to turn down.
You’ll feel relief instead of anxiety. Joy instead of job.
Lesson #4: Make the Commitment to Live Simply
You make these kinds of commitments all the time— to your diet, to the products you put on your face. But what you take in through your airways is just as important as what you put in your body and on your face. With scent, you can create a space around you that is inviting and feels refreshed each and every day
Seal the deal and start making your commitment today. Join Aera's #AeraSimplicityChallenge and share the steps you are taking to achieve a more simplified life. Not only will you be entered to win their weekly giveaway and grand prize $1K+ giveaway of simplicity product, but you'll learn tips and tricks along the way to simplify many areas of your life that may be weighing you down. Follow along on their Instagram and enter the challenge here.
Use Promo Code: CREATECULTIVATE15 for 15% off all products through June 30, 2018.
This post is in paid partnership with Aera.
Have other techniques for simplifying your space? Let us know in the comments!
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