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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How to Be a Shameless Self-Promoter (Without Inducing Eye Rolls)

Photo: Courtesy of Create & Cultivate

In an era of Kardashians and Kanyes, selfies and borderline obnoxious status updates, it seems like humility is a lost virtue. (RIP, modesty: it’s been real.)

Makes sense, right? Well, kinda. In these Tinder slash, Twitter slash, Instagram times, it’s all about showcasing the best of you with the best visual and in as few characters as possible. It’s also easier to have a certain arrogance when posting on social media because you literally have no filter (not to worry, by “no filter” I mean no reservations).

And even if it means shouting your accomplishments from the rooftops (or in Yeezy’s case, with consecutive ALL CAPS TWEETS), promoting yourself is necessary because if you’re not going to do it, no one else will do it for you.  The trouble is, being boastful and plugging yourself constantly on social media and in-person can get annoying AF to your audience—but being humble might cause you to miss out on opportunities. And that’s no fun.

It’s a case of “don’t hate the playa, hate the game.”  And it is, indeed, a game. So play by the rules, promote yourself with poise and come out a winner with these five tips:

SHOW, DON'T TELL

Whether you’re selling merchandise or your personal brand, hard facts speak volumes. So instead of posting that “You’re the best PR person in the city” on Facebook, opt for sharing photos of recent sold-out events you’ve organized. LinkedIn is the ideal platform for sharing news coverage about you, awards you might have received or listing recent achievements. Save Twitter as a playground for “quick hits,” such as any media coverage about you, recent articles you’ve written, or upcoming conferences you are speaking at, for example.

“Hard facts speak volumes when you’re your own PR hype.””

You can also leverage platforms like Levo to showcase your experience and your portfolio. Levo is an awesome website for creating personal profiles, where you can “tell your story” by adding all the cool projects you’ve worked on and connecting with your network.  

Tip: Focus on the “why?.” So when listing your accomplishments, always demonstrate the value added to your potential clients and why you stand out from the competition. For example, if you’re a publicist, post your client’s media coverage and showcase the buzz your client’s product is receiving. 

GIVE PROPS

Shouting out to people on your team, and anyone who helped you “make it happen,” is critical. For starters, the ability to give credit is a huge step toward being a successful manager, leader, or entrepreneur.

The magic of paying it forward on social media is also a key component to earning social capital. So if someone in your network tweets about an accomplishment, “heart” it and comment with a “Slay, girl. Slay!” (Feel free to insert relevant emojis.)

Go a step further and tweet about a female entrepreneur you know who’s killing it in her field, just to spread some love.

Giving credit to others on social media can even work with strangers, not only personal connections. They will appreciate the kindness, and many people might even return the favor. It’s all about social media karma!

BE A CONNECTOR

Knowing how to connect people to business opportunities or jobs is an amazing skill: it proves that you’re resourceful and have a vast network. If you’re the person in your squad who has this skill, use it! Your reputation as a master connector of people and ideas will spread — and it’s not something you need to shout from the rooftops either. Your clout will be clear.

AVOID CORPORATE JARGON

One of my personal pet peeves is when people spew corporate buzzwords in presentations and on their resumes, thinking it makes them sound credible. It goes something like this: “I suggest we deep dive into some blue-sky thinking that's high level so we can take a holistic approach.” It makes you sound like a robot, and more importantly, it takes away all authenticity. (More on this in a minute.)

While it’s key to sound savvy and relevant in your posts and social media presence, it’s also important to sound genuine. And yes, you might think you sound really smart with your corporate buzzwords, but they induce all kinds of eye rolls in my books.

BE AUTHENTIC

Authenticity is the most important part of knowing how to promote yourself with class. Not to get all Dr. Seuss on you guys, but no matter how you’re hustling, there’s a key mantra to keep in mind: no one else is YOUer than YOU. Others might have your skills and your experience, but no one else has your brand DNA: you know, all the things that make you, well, you.

Leandra Medine a.k.a. the Man Repeller is a great example of someone who has stayed true to herself. Her best-selling book Seeking Love. Finding Overalls and Man Repeller blog and brand are direct reflections of her personality, so when she promotes herself, she still seems real and slightly self-deprecating. This is part of her shtick and what has helped her gain celeb status.

So when speaking about yourself and promoting your recent wins, always make sure to stay true to your brand and personality. Authenticity is super valued in this era, so use it to your advantage. 

THE RECAP

The truth is, you need to be boastful, confident and plug yourself constantly. Because if you don’t tell your story, someone else will. And in a sea of other bloggers/freelancers /creatives/career women/entrepreneurs, etc., standing out is critical to your success.

Now go forth and self-promote!

About the Author:

Karin Eldor is a coffee-addicted copywriter, with a long-time love for all things pop culture, fashion and tech. Ever since she got her first issues of YM (remember that one?) and Seventeen in the mail, she was hooked on the world of editorial content. After earning her Communications degree, she spent 6 years honing her craft as a Senior Editor for AskMen.com. More recently, Karin enjoyed gramming and strategizing as social media Manager at ALDO. Today, she is Chief Content Writer at 818 Agency and a social media consultant.

This post was originally published on April 28, 2019, and has since been updated.

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How to Marie Kondo Your Career and Enter the Next Decade With a Bang

Photo: Smith House Photography; Design: Ginny Macdonald

There’s not much room for debate. Marie Kondo is the Japanese organizing consultant who is transforming lives everywhere and despite her book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing launching in 2011, Kondo continues to inspire people around the world to get their spaces in order. 

In the book, she breaks down her two-pronged approach to cleaning. Step one: Physically touch your belongings, see if said belongings spark a sense of joy, and if they don’t, toss them. Step two: After you’ve done the dirty work and dumped those joyless items, put everything else back in a place where it’s easy to see, grab, and put back again. 

It has brought countless people lasting results—to point, none of her customers are repeats. “In this book,” she writes in the Introduction, “I have summed up how to put your space in order in a way that will change your life forever.”

So we wanted to take her home tidying methods and apply them to work. Because WHY NOT? We want to change our relationship to work forever too! If she can work magic in the home, why can’t she work magic at the office?

Here are four KonMari methods that can be applied to your career, too and kick off the new decade with a bang!

KonMari Method Lesson #1: Tackle Categories, Not Rooms

Tidying by category is Kondo’s first rule. She says to start with clothing, then books and move on to items like documents and old photographs later. The reasoning is that things in like-categories tend to be spread throughout your house, not confined to one space. 

How to apply this at work: This will be similar to time-batching, or grouping like activities together. Set aside time the morning for email, time mid-morning for conference calls, and time in the afternoon for writing, creative ideas, and brainstorming. Sure, there will be the odd bits of “clutter” that pop-up during the day-- the email that needs a response while you’re in the midst of your creative jive but batching helps you stay focused and on track. 

KonMari Method Lesson #2: Picking Up Each Item and Asking, “Does this spark joy?” 

For most of us, minimalism isn’t our strong suit. But from those in power suits to tracksuits, everyone can get on board. 

In the book, this method is applied in the literal sense to the home. The clothes that are shoved in the back corner of your closet that you need to lose ten pounds to wear. The pile of books you keep meaning to read. Just because you bought it, doesn’t mean you own it. In fact, if it doesn’t bring you joy, it’s owning you. 

“Just because you bought it, doesn’t mean you own it. In fact, if it doesn’t bring you joy, it’s owning you.”

How to apply this at work: The most obvious place you can start is your desk. You can apply the same method to stacks of papers, old receipts, empty bottles of Advil, and that half-eaten Snickers stashed in the back for a 2 pm sugar craving. If your desk is surrounded by “joyless” items that you don’t need for work or taxes, toss them. 

Next. There are parts of all jobs that are joyless. From the startup founder who hates Quickbooks to the intern who can’t stand the tedium of stuffing gift bags. However, you can apply a minimalist mindset to your work by understanding what each piece of your work puzzle is contributing to the larger picture. There is a nugget of joy in each task. Even if it's just that at some point, it will be over. 

If you’re a freelancer (and can afford to turn down jobs, which, we know is not easy) ask yourself if this project or client will bring you joy and if what you’re contributing will bring joy to other people. 

KonMari Method Lesson #3: Put the Kibosh on Nostalgia

Many times through the book Kondo talks about nostalgia 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 okay but it can also be the enemy of tidy. Kondo says people keep things out of "fear for the future or attachment to the past.”

“Talk about a tropical depression. The nostalgia hurricane is real and it’s ruling your life.”

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 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. 

KonMari Method Lesson #4: 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! When it comes to closets specifically the Marie Kondo method creates space between stuff. Your clothes have SPACE GLORIOUS SPACE to live and breathe! Dressing 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 a job. 

What are some ways you can apply this method to work? Share in the comments below!

This post was originally published on September 15, 2016, and has since been updated.

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This Mom's Mind Was Filled With "Worries and Anxieties Every Night"—Sound Familiar? Here's What Helped Her Sleep

To put her mind at easy come bedtime, Angela J. Kim ends each day by reflecting on what she’s grateful for. “My days are long and hard, and there are so many worries and anxieties that fill my mind every night when I lay down to sleep,” explains the founder of the lifestyle brand Mommy Diary. Her relaxing nighttime ritual of meditating and writing in her gratitude journal has taken on a whole new importance in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The blogger, podcast host, activist, and mom of four, spanning a nine-month-old to a 13-year-old, keeps a busy schedule and, like so many working parents, has a lot on her mind these days.

Since she started quarantining in her Southern California home with her family, she’s had to adapt to a whole new schedule, which includes her staying awake long after she’s put the kids to sleep to squeeze in a few more hours of uninterrupted work. One constant in her routine, though, is her nightly ritual. “I make sure I’m ending each day on a positive note with positive thoughts and a list of things I’m grateful for,” she explains. “That way, I’m constantly rewiring my brain to be positive, hopeful, and grateful, even in my subconscious.”

Now that Purple has launched a mattress for kids, her gratitude list has gotten just a little bit longer. “A good mattress is so important for our kids because it makes a huge difference in their quality of sleep and provides the right support for their growing bodies,” Kim explains. “My son loves the way it feels and hugs his body without making him too hot, and I love the machine-washable cover, which makes mom life so much easier.” For a mom who’s navigating working, teaching, and parenting from home 24/7, any win, no matter how seemingly small, is worth being grateful for.

Ahead, Kim shares the nightly rituals that help her and her family rest easier, including the bedside table essentials she always keeps within arm’s reach, the bedtime stories she swears by, and the many reasons why the Purple mattress for kids is a game-changer.

CREATE & CULTIVATE: It’s so important that moms get their 8-hours just as much as the kids. What is your relationship with sleep now that you have children?

ANGELA KIM: My relationship with sleep goes through different seasons. I was getting regular 7-8 hours of sleep until I got pregnant with my fourth baby. These days, my sleep is interrupted every night and I sleep in 4-5 hour stretches. I’m exhausted and can’t wait to sleep through the night again. While it’s hard, I know this is a short and fast season.

Sleep, or lack of it, can contribute to many health concerns including mental health, productivity, weight, immunity—the list goes on! Getting good sleep is all about how you wind down before bed. Can you share your nighttime routine or pre-sleep ritual and how that sets you up for sleep success? Why does this enhance a more restful night’s sleep?

I wind down with a five-minute meditation and five-minute gratitude journal every night. My days are long and hard and there are so many worries and anxieties that fill my mind every night when I lay down to sleep. So I make sure I’m ending each day on a positive note with positive thoughts and a list of things I’m grateful for. That way, I’m constantly rewiring my brain to be positive, hopeful, and grateful, even in my subconscious. 

What are your nightstand must-haves for a good night’s sleep?

I love my Himalayan salt rock, five-minute gratitude journal, favorite book, rose quartz gua sha tool with essential oils, and a small notebook to jot down random thoughts and dreams. 

What are your hacks for getting through the day after a bad night’s sleep? 

Coffee, matcha, peppermint oil in a diffuser then repeat! 

What do your kids’ sleep rituals look like? Can you share the challenges of getting your kids into a healthy sleep routine—what’s worked/what hasn’t? 

My kids are pretty good sleepers overall. Their bedtime routine begins with a warm bath, then a short story, then sleep.

My four-year-old son likes when my husband sits in the rocking chair while he falls asleep and my 8 months old daughter likes to fall asleep while breastfeeding. With four kids, we have to divide and conquer. 

What doesn’t work is long bedtime stories! Keep the storybooks short and sweet. Kids tend to ask you to read it again and again so make it clear that they get one or two bedtime stories.

Can you recommend any books that have helped?

I love I Love You Through and Through and the classic bedtime story Goodnight Moon.

How much have your sleep patterns and rituals changed since quarantine? Why?

I’m definitely sleeping later and waking up later than before quarantine. I’m with the kids all day at home, so I have to squeeze in more work after the kids go to sleep after 9 pm. The upside is that I no longer have to rush to get the kids out of the house by 8 am!

How much does your mattress impact your and your kids’ sleep and why?

A good mattress is so important for our kids because it makes a huge difference in their quality of sleep and provides the right support for their growing bodies. A good mattress should be breathable, non-toxic, and hypoallergenic with the right amount of support.

Now, your favorite mattress brand, Purple, just launched for kids and yours have been testing it. What were your kids’ first impressions—how has it enhanced their sleep, what changes have you noticed, would you recommend it—tell us everything!

My son loves his new Purple mattress! He loves the way it feels and hugs his body without making him too hot. My son hates being hot in his sleep and the Purple mattress keeps him cool. I also love the machine-washable cover which makes mom life so much easier. 

How are you teaching your children about the importance of sleep hygiene and rituals for a good night’s sleep? Can you recommend any books? 

I teach my son the importance of sleep hygiene like brushing teeth and washing his face and hands at night by reminding him throughout the day. For example, if he wants candy during the day I’ll say, “Okay, you get one candy but make sure you’re brushing your teeth and making them clean at night time!” Or, “Sure, you can play with that tractor in the sandbox but let’s make sure we wash off the dirt before getting into bed.”

Now he loves bath time and asks for it every night. After a full day of playing, he has no problem falling asleep on his Purple mattress within 5-10 minutes. 

What advice do you have for sleep-deprived parents reading this who are struggling to find a routine that sticks and gets their kids into a routine? 

Avoid stimulating music, games, and books at nighttime and stick to the same routine to provide a sense of comfort for the kids. My kids love playing “dinosaurs on the wall” with a flashlight by making hand puppets. This game allows short and sweet bonding time without the lights on, which transitions nicely to bedtime. 

Sentence Finishers:

When I make time for self-care, I…

Take a long bath with fragrant bath bombs and candles. 

My go-to tip for a good night’s sleep is…

A warm Epsom salt bath and dosing off to sleep with positive affirmations and a gratitude list in my head. 

If there were more hours in the day, I would…

Spend more time on extra self-care rituals like facials, massages, hair, and nails. 

Moms know best because…

We are intuitive.

A good night’s sleep feels like…

Heaven on earth.

I’d give up ____ for an uninterrupted 8 hours of sleep. 

Anything.

The silliest thing I’ve done while sleep deprived is… 

Looking for my baby in the home because I forgot where I put her down, LOL.

Click here to learn more from other moms on their sleep tips, nighttime routine, and experience with the new Purple Kid's Mattress.

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This GlobeTrotting Mom's Nighttime Routine Might Be Unorthodox But It Works

Hailey Devine knows the difference a quality mattress can make. The co-founder of Somewhere Devine Expeditions, a non-profit travel company, has trekked everywhere from Zambia to Peru to Thailand, which, as you’d imagine, has involved sleeping in a lot of different environments. “I’ve slept on poorly made mattresses and it makes me feel as if I never slept at all,” explains the entrepreneur and mother of two daughters, Greta (4) and Lucy (6). “The same goes for the kids. I know that if they’re not sleeping on a good mattress I’m going to deal with a lot of crankiness the following day!”

With travel plans temporarily on hold due to COVID, Devine and her family have been settling in at their home in Utah and preparing for the arrival of their third daughter in early 2021. One of the biggest game-changers for the growing family? Moving their youngest into a Purple kid’s mattress. “This was Greta’s transition to a ‘big girl bed’ and it has gone so much smoother than I thought,” says Devine. “I’ve noticed both of the girls winding down a lot easier and getting that good quality sleep that their little bodies need, which makes everyone around our house much happier and energetic!”

Scroll on to learn more about their experience with the new Purple kid’s mattress and Devine’s nightly routine, including her 10-minute ritual of tidying up the house after the kids go down to bed.

CREATE & CULTIVATE: It’s so important that moms get their 8-hours just as much as the kids. What is your relationship with sleep now that you have two young daughters (and another one on the way!)?

HAILEY DEVINE: I feel like we are in the sweet spot of parenthood right now because Lucy and Greta sleep 10 hours a night! So not only do I get to have “me time” before bed, but I’m currently getting a full 8 hours of sleep! I think we’re in for a rude awakening come January.

Sleep, or lack of it, can contribute to many health concerns including mental health, productivity, weight, immunity—the list goes on! Getting good sleep is all about how you wind down before bed. Can you share your nighttime routine or pre-sleep ritual and how that sets you up for sleep success? Why does this enhance a more restful night’s sleep?

I love spending ten minutes tidying up the house after the kids go down to bed. It allows me to actually relax when I get in bed, knowing that I’m waking up to a clean slate in the morning! I also love taking a bath, reading a book, and rubbing some essential oils on my neck and feet.

What are your nightstand must-haves for a good night’s sleep?

Sound machine, chapstick, essential oils, and ice water!

What are your hacks for getting through the day after a bad night’s sleep? 

Eating well and exercising. If I don’t do those things on top of bad sleep, then I really become a monster!

What do your kids’ sleep rituals look like? Can you share the challenges of getting your kids into a healthy sleep routine—what’s worked/what hasn’t? 

The girls sleep in the same room and do the same sleep rituals together, which makes it more simple for us. We brush teeth, go potty, read, and pray together. Our oldest tends to get scared, and what has worked is validating her feelings and having her verbalize, “I am safe, I am loved, I am protected,” and re-shift her focus to happy thoughts. What hasn’t helped is punishment.

Can you recommend any books that have helped?

Taking Cara Babies has an amazing sleep program! Babywise was also helpful, although, we apply a more gentle approach to sleep training.

How much have your sleep patterns and rituals changed since quarantine? Why?

Surprisingly, our sleep patterns and rituals haven’t changed! The kids didn’t seem to skip a beat.

How much does your mattress impact your and your kids’ sleep and why?

Speaking for myself, I’ve slept on poorly made mattresses and it makes me feel as if I never slept at all! The same goes for the kids. I know that if they’re not sleeping on a good mattress I’m going to deal with a lot of crankiness the following day!

Now, your favorite mattress brand, Purple just launched for kids and yours have been testing it. What were your kids’ first impressions—how has it enhanced their sleep, what changes have you noticed, would you recommend it—tell us everything!

This was Greta’s transition to a “big girl bed” and it has gone so much smoother than I thought, thanks to the mattress! I’ve noticed both of the girls winding down a lot easier and getting that good quality sleep that their little bodies need, which makes everyone around our house much happier and energetic!

How are you teaching your children about the importance of sleep hygiene and rituals for a good night’s sleep? Can you recommend any books? 

With our kids, it is all about learning by experience. We let Lucy, our oldest, make choices on the weekends to have sleepovers with cousins on the floor, etc., but we let her know what the consequences are. That she will probably wake up feeling yucky and not feeling her best. So moving forward, she can make her own healthy decisions!

What advice do you have for sleep-deprived parents reading this who are struggling to find a routine that sticks and gets their kids into a routine? 

The earlier you can start healthy sleeping habits the better! Giving your children the gift of self-soothing may be rough for a couple of nights, but it is so worth it for everyone in the long run. We started with the eat-wake-sleep method right out of the gate with Greta and it’s crazy how better of a sleeper she is than Lucy. 

If you’re feeling like you’re late in the game, it is never too late to teach self-soothing techniques to your child through affirmations and tools to help them get back to sleep on their own. It takes more effort as the child is older, but don’t give up. Stay patient and gentle. Remember your child reflects the energy that you put out. You got this!

Sentence finishers:

When I make time for self-care, I…

Perform better for me and for those around me.

My go-to tip for a good night’s sleep is …

All hidden in your nighttime routine!

If there were more hours in the day I would…

Probably choose to take a nap daily! Haha! I love my sleep.

Moms know best because…

We have an intuition for our children that others do not.

A good night’s sleep feels like…

The greatest gift, especially after those first weeks after giving birth!

I’d give up ____ for an uninterrupted 8 hours of sleep. 

My social life.

The silliest thing I’ve done while sleep deprived is… 

Laughing uncontrollably and then bursting into tears over absolutely nothing!

Click here to learn more from other moms on their sleep tips, nighttime routine, and experience with the new Purple Kid's Mattress.

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This Mom of Four Was Running on No Sleep—These 5 Healthy Bedtime Habits Changed Everything

It’s so important that moms get their 8-hours of shuteye a night just as much as the kids but for all those parents reading this, we all know that our children often have other plans. Our relationship with sleep shifts dramatically after we give birth. Just ask Taryn Newton. The digital storyteller, finance guru, affordable stylist, and mom of four— Cameron (13), Calvin (6), Cyrus (2), and Cash, 4 months—certainly has her work cut out for her.

“I try to get as much as sleep as possible but with a young baby, it is not always the easiest,” she explains. “I value sleep but working a 9-5 and having my blog, I’ve realized I cannot do both properly, and in a month I’m depleted and running on no sleep.” To ensure that doesn’t happen, Newton has put strict boundaries in place to get as much sleep as she can (when the baby allows, of course). “I have a set bedtime that I follow no matter if I want to keep doing other things,” she continues. “I shut it down so I can get my rest and be ready for the next day.”

This bedtime routine also applies to her boys and thanks to their new Purple kid’s mattress, when they go to sleep, they stay asleep. “Let me just say this, when the boys switched to Purple mattresses they have been getting out of bed less,” says Newton. “ I definitely think it impacts their sleep. Comfortable mattresses aid longer sleep cycles.”

Read on to learn more about their experience with the new Purple kid’s mattress, Newton’s nightstand must-haves, and her top five healthy bedtime habits—grab a pen, you’ll want to write them down!

Sleep, or lack of it, can contribute to many health concerns including mental health, productivity, weight, immunity—the list goes on! Getting good sleep is all about how you wind down before bed. Can you share your nighttime routine or pre-sleep ritual and how that sets you up for sleep success? Why does this enhance a more restful night’s sleep? 

Every night after the boys go to bed, I go through emails, then I will drink my nighttime tea, typically watch a show with the hubby, then do my skincare routine.  It’s helped me just relax after a long day and also gives me time to connect with the hubby.

What are your nightstand must-haves for a good night’s sleep?

Our Alexa Show, night light, glass of lemon water, and a rice cake. I am sure you are wondering why the rice cake. Well. I am also on the journey to be the best version of myself and trying to lose weight that I gained during pregnancy.  Well, when I am up with the baby in the middle of the night I found myself snacking. So you will likely see some form of rice cake by the bed.  

What are your hacks for getting through the day after a bad night’s sleep?

First, sometimes when you are exhausted it can be difficult to keep focused.  Grab some tea or coffee to help rejuvenate yourself and take your daily vitamins. Then I write out my to-do list to help me stay focused with the day. Additionally, on days that I had a rough night previously, I will make a crockpot meal that is easy so it’s one last thing to remember.

What does your kid/s sleep ritual look like? Can you share the challenges of getting your kids into a healthy sleep routine—what’s worked/what hasn’t? 

My tips to help have healthy bedtime habits are:

• Have children go to bed at the same time every night.
  Establishing a set time helps our kids wind down and start mentally preparing for sleep.

• Create a bedtime routine.
  After shutting down electronics, we bathe the boys and then dedicate about 20 minutes to reading. We allow the boys to also do one Amazon Kids bedtime story after we read together. It turns off at the end of the story so the boys know it’s time to go to sleep. 

• Invest in comfort and sleep-time support.
  We have been sleeping with Purple mattresses since early 2019. It started with our master bed. It used to take me a long time to get to bed and I instantly felt like it was easier to get to bed and stay asleep. At the time my mother was living with me, and she had been having back pain. We decided to swap hers out, and she hasn’t complained about her back since. That convinced us to swap out the boys’ mattress because we felt that it would help our boys sleep better. Cyrus wakes up a lot in the middle of the night and we wanted to try giving him a better mattress. Since making the swap the boys have slept noticeably better. I realized that you have to invest in your sleep. Now our entire family is Purple and I try to convince all our friends and family to make the switch, too.

• Shut down electronics.
  We make sure to turn off the kids' screens to allow their minds to slow down and prepare for the end of the day. We try to turn it off about one hour at least before bedtime. The last thing we need is for our boys to be still thinking about a Fortnite battle when trying to go to bed.

• Get the kids to bed early.
  For us, being so busy, it can be difficult to get them to bed at a decent hour. Sometimes they were going to bed after 10 pm. We started being really intentional about sticking with a schedule. The younger boys go to bed at 8:30 pm and Cameron is in bed at 9:00 pm and sleeps by 9:30 pm.

Can you recommend any books that helped?

We let the boys pick a different book to read each night.

How much have your sleep patterns and rituals changed since quarantine? Why?

The boy’s schedule definitely got thrown off. They started going to bed late and sleeping in. We have gradually started migrating back to normal before school started.

Now, your favorite mattress brand, Purple just launched for kids and yours have been testing it. What were your kid/s first impressions—how has it enhanced their sleep, what changes have you noticed, would you recommend it—tell us everything!

Definitely, the boys have been loving it. I would say the biggest shown change is in our toddler Cyrus. He was previously sleeping on a crib mattress and getting up multiple times per night. He is now sleeping without waking up. 

How are you teaching your children about the importance of sleep hygiene and rituals for a good night’s sleep? Can you recommend any books?

We first lead by example. We show our kids good sleeping habits by having a regime for ourselves and not staying up late. We also have our boys on a nighttime routine.  

What advice do you have for sleep-deprived parents reading this who are struggling to find a routine that sticks and gets their kids into a routine?

First off, you are not alone. I am currently in the thick of it. Hang in there! Remember to stay consistent. Once we stayed consistent every night, the boys started moving at our rhythm. 

Sentence finishers:

When I make time for self-care, I… watch reruns of The Office with popcorn, curled under my favorite blanket.

My go-to tip for a good night’s sleep is ... a nice long shower and a cozy blanket.

If there were more hours in the day I would… write a book.

Moms know best because… we have lived and learned.

A good night’s sleep feels like… a Christmas miracle.

I’d give up sweets for an uninterrupted 8 hours of sleep. 

The silliest thing I’ve done while sleep deprived is… go all day and think it was Tuesday when it really was Wednesday.

Click here to learn more from other moms on their sleep tips, nighttime routine, and experience with the new Purple Kid's Mattress.

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Spritz Social: How to Stay Connected During This Time and Beyond

Photo: Courtesy of Create & Cultivate

It’s safe to say that the past few weeks have tested everyone’s internal optimism meter but it’s while no-one is denying the challenges that we’re facing, it’s important to see the silver lining, or as Katie Dunlop says “choose joy.”

It can be as simple as moving your body, taking time for an at-home facial, or sharing a cocktail with a friend via video chat to stay connected and present during this time.

Enter the Spritz Social.

To kick off this mindful movement, our CEO, Jaclyn Johnson joined Katie Dunlop, the founder of Love Sweat Fitness for a live workout and wellness chat over a Ketel One Botanical Spritz—keep scrolling for the recipe so you can make it at home too!

While the girls shared a lot of tips and advice around self-care and community (which we will get to below!), Jaclyn and Katie also wanted to highlight Ketel One Botanical’s #TipsFromHome initiative. Since bartenders are among those who have been seriously impacted by COVID-19, the Ketel One Botanical team wanted to find a way to give back. So, every time you use the hashtag #TipsFromHome with #DiageoDonation and tag @KetelOneBotanical, Diageo will donate $1 up to $1 million to participating charities such as the USBG Bartender Emergency Assistance Program.

Make sure to show your support by using the hashtag #TipsFromHome with #DiageoDonation and tag @ketelonebotanical so we can help bartenders across the country!

Now, let’s get to the cocktail! Aside from the amazing taste, the best part about Ketel One Botanical is that it’s made with 100% non-GMO grain, and it also has no carbs, no sugar, and no artificial sweeteners, which are all key things Dunlop looks for. “Being someone who is really aware of what I’m putting into my body, having those ingredients, having no added sugar, and using non-GMO grain is so important, and I just love that it’s all in one bottle—all you need is a little soda water and fresh garnish.”

“It makes me feel like a mixologist,” Jaclyn chimes in. “It feels very complicated but it’s so easy and it’s only 73 calories per glass which is great.”

Keep reading to hear more from Johnson and Dunlop’s chat along with their top wellness advice and tips to stay positive.

“It’s been really important to stick to my routine as much as possible.”

—Katie Dunlop, Founder, Love Sweat Fitness

JACLYN: How have you been staying positive during this time? 

KATIE: This time definitely has been a challenge. I think for a lot of people it’s such a shift being home so much and if you are used to going to work out classes or to gyms or just to meet up with your friends to work out, it’s a big mental shift, not to mention all of the other things that people are going through right now—that can be really stressful.

It’s been really important to stick to my routine as much as possible. That has been extremely helpful. I have always been an at-home workout girl so that part is normal to me, but the biggest thing is scheduling that time into my day and making sure I have that dedicated 10 or 15 minutes. Then I know that I’m going to do something for my body, that’s my time. This has not only been great physically but mentally it has also helped me stay on track.

What’s the first step you should take when starting a fitness community?

My community was built from my 45-pound weight loss journey, so I think the biggest thing is really finding a reason to connect with other people. You have to have some kind of common goal and common interest that motivates you to come together. So, for me, it was finding other women who understood what I was going through and what I went through. Being able to share that experience was really unique. Having that purpose, or you can say your “why” or whatever it is, just something that you feel really passionate about and are able to share but also give a unique perspective on.

And maybe on something that’s missing. So, for me, I didn’t have a community going through my own journey and I really felt like I needed to feel connected to other people and I couldn’t find that anywhere. So, that’s why I was able to start Love Sweat Fitness and now that community has really grown massively over the last two years. But I think the key is having that clear vision of what you want to see.

“My whole life, my mantra has been “choose joy.” —Katie Dunlop, Founder, Love Sweat Fitness”

How have you been sleeping? Normally I can sleep anywhere but lately, it’s been a little stressful and we’re also in a new house, so I think it’s also the newness of that. So, what tips do you have?

I’m actually sleeping better now than I have normally. I’m typically a bad sleeper, I always have been. I feel like I always need a lot of sleep and I’m always tired, but I’m not great at being a solid sleeper. So, for me, going back to routines, I have a very specific night routine that I start a half hour before I actually want to get into bed, and it’s everything from my skincare that I try to treat as a little mini-facial every night and really take time, not just throw it on. From putting on my essential oils, dimming the lights, reading, listening to music.

Having that routine really just sets your body and mind into sleep mode—that’s helped a ton. But exercise will help you sleep better too. Just being able to move your body throughout the day and giving it a little work is definitely a huge help too.

I’ve really been trying to focus on self-care—slowing down my skincare routine, doing a face mask once a week—things I don’t normally do all time, but now I have a little extra time to think about it. 

Do you have any mantras that help you stay positive?

My whole life, my mantra has been “choose joy.” My mom has always said that to me in every situation, so my mind always goes there. That’s the biggest thing for me is just trying to stay focused on all the good things that are happening and not to take away from some of the really sad and unfortunate things that are going on right now but I think trying to see the good in most situations, find the things that are uplifting and positive, and my community is a source of positivity.

I also search the #TeamLSF hashtag and I see thousands of women posting and encouraging each other and sweating it out. That gives me so much joy and helps me realize I am not just here for me, I’m here for this whole community to stay positive, to uplift each other, to come together, and that’s really, really powerful.  

Now, you can kick off your own Spritz Social with friends and say “cheers” over a Ketel One Botanical Spritz by using the simple (but very delicious) recipe below:

To learn more about Ketel One Botanical, visit ketelone.com/botanical.

This post is sponsored by Ketel One Botanical. Please drink responsibly.

PLEASE DO NOT FORWARD TO THOSE UNDER LEGAL DRINKING AGE 

LEGAL NEWSLETTER DISCLOSURE:

KETEL ONE BOTANICAL. Made With Vodka Distilled With Real Botanicals And Infused With Natural Flavors. 30% Alc/Vol. © Double Eagle Brands, B.V.  Imported by Ketel One USA, Aliso Viejo, CA.*

*Note:  Any KOB materials that feature the bottle and/or NO Sugar, NO Carbs claims also requires the additional following statement either above or below the mandatory line in the same size type: Per 1.5 oz.: 73 Cals, 0g Carbs, 0g Protein, 0g Fat

PLEASE DO NOT FORWARD TO THOSE UNDER LEGAL DRINKING AGE. PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY.

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Nothing Could Get This Busy Mom's Kids to Sleep Through the Night—Until She Tried This

If there’s one thing every mom has in common it’s sleep deprivation. In fact, nearly half of all parents with children six months or younger get just one to three hours of uninterrupted sleep a night. For lifestyle influencer, entrepreneur, and mom of two girls—Ayda (5) and Luca (2) (with one on the way)—Mikayla Shocks, sleep just seems like an extension of her day. “My kids aren’t the best sleepers so I am usually awoken by one or both of them one to two times per night,” she tells Create & Cultivate. “Even on the few lucky nights that they do sleep all night long, my mom-brain automatically wakes me up around the times they typically wake!”

Sound familiar? Practicing good sleep hygiene is just as important for mom as it is for baby which is why a good routine always helps—sticking to it though is another thing entirely! But if like Mikayla, you’re having trouble with that, perhaps the secret to unlocking a full 8-hours of uninterrupted sleep is less about how they’re sleeping and more about what they’re sleeping on.

We’re all familiar with the famous comfort-gel Grid technology of the Purple mattress, well now there’s finally a Purple for kids. We sent the new mattress for Mikayala’s two young girls to test out and the results were life-changing. Read on to hear more about their experience along with Mikayla’s sleep tips, bedtime routine (including her nightstand must-haves), and how she’s teaching her kids about the health benefits of a good night’s sleep.

Sleep, or lack of it, can contribute to many health concerns including mental health, productivity, weight, immunity—the list goes on! Getting good sleep is all about how you wind down before bed. Can you share your nighttime routine or pre-sleep ritual and how that sets you up for sleep success? Why does this enhance a more restful night’s sleep?

Whether my kids wake me at night or not, I always sleep better when I follow my own routine after my kids go to bed. This includes: taking a long hot shower, stepping into my robe, putting a good smelling lotion all over my body, doing my skincare routine, listening to my podcast, and making sure my bed is made and my pillows are fluffed right before I get in!

What are your nightstand must-haves for a good night’s sleep?

• A tall glass of ice-cold water

• A humidifier

• Chapstick

What are your hacks for getting through the day after a bad night’s sleep? 

Coffee and lots of deep breaths!

What does your kid/s sleep ritual look like? Can you share the challenges of getting your kids into a healthy sleep routine—what’s worked/what hasn’t? 

My kids’ sleep ritual (on a good day) goes a little something like them taking a bath and putting lots of lotion and warm pajamas on. Then they each choose a healthy snack to eat in bed (usually a few carrots or some apple slices.) While they eat them, we read two books of their choice. They get a glass of water for their nightstand and get into bed. Then we turn on their noise machine, humidifier, and nightlight.

The biggest challenge with this is that we have a very sporadic schedule, and every day tends to be different than the last. This sometimes pushes their bedtime back which gets them out of their good habits. Some nights also just don’t go as planned and they end up sneaking out of their room three to four times before finally giving in and going to sleep.

Can you recommend any books that helped?

The ABC’s of Sleep by Taking Cara Babies is AMAZING and helped us so much when our youngest was a baby.

How much have your sleep patterns and rituals changed since quarantine? Why?

Quarantine has actually helped improve our sleep patterns and rituals. I attribute this to the fact that this time has really caused us to slow down during the day and free up our schedule of running in and out of the house all day and really focus on creating a routine that we can follow every night.

How much does your mattress impact your and your kid/s sleep and why?

Our mattresses greatly impact our sleep as a family. My husband and I have a pretty nice and comfortable mattress that we invested a lot of money into. The girls’ on the other hand are “as hard as a rock” as my five-year-old puts it. The few times I have laid with her in her bed, I actually thought the same thing (ha!) I would imagine that having a high-quality, comfortable mattress would help my kids’ sleep patterns tremendously. 

Now, your favorite mattress brand, Purple just launched for kids and yours have been testing it. What were your kid/s first impressions—how has it enhanced their sleep, what changes have you noticed, would you recommend it—tell us everything!

THIS MATTRESS HAS OFFICIALLY CHANGED THE GAME! We are on night four of sleeping with the Purple kid’s mattresses and my kids have consecutively gone to sleep and stayed asleep in their own beds every night so far! I don’t know why it never dawned on me that the reason why they were terrible sleepers was that their mattresses were terrible! I 100% recommend this Purple kids mattress for wild sleepers who have trouble staying asleep. I have never slept better in my life because they have never slept better in their lives!

How are you teaching your children about the importance of sleep hygiene and rituals for a good night’s sleep? Can you recommend any books? 

 I try to make them excited about their routine and teach them to love it. I try to emphasize how much better they feel when they’re clean and get into a bed that’s made and has clean sheets.

What advice do you have for sleep-deprived parents reading this who are struggling to find a routine that sticks and gets their kids into a routine? 

Keep it simple! Don’t overwhelm yourself (or your kids) with trying to get into a complicated routine. Set clear boundaries like telling them they can only come out of their room when the sun comes up, and communicating to them how much happier mom and dad are and how helpful it is when everyone gets a good night's sleep in their own beds. Kids love to please their parents so if they have a great night then make a big deal about it and celebrate so they want to do it again, and again!

Sentence finishers:

When I make time for self-care, I... take a hot shower, put on my favorite facemask and podcast, and curl up in my nice, warm bed!

My go-to tip for a good night’s sleep is... making sure your bed is made before getting in and leaving your phone on the other side of the room!

If there were more hours in the day I would... sit alone outside and watch the sunrise with a hot cup of coffee and a cozy blanket.

Moms know best because... we always want what’s best.

A good night’s sleep feels like... hitting a reset button on life!

I’d give up coffee for an uninterrupted 8 hours of sleep.

The silliest thing I’ve done while sleep deprived is... forget to attach the bottle to my breast pump while pumping—oops!

Click here to learn more from other moms on their sleep tips, nighttime routine, and experience with the new Purple Kid's Mattress.

MORE FROM THE BLOG

8 Signs You Definitely Need to Dump Your Job

Photo: Create & Cultivate

Spotting the warning signs of a bad relationship can be hard when you’re in the thick of it. Especially when you’re trying to stick it out for the sake of (insert life goal here). But a bad job, like a bad partner or friend, can be just as toxic. 

We’ve all had horrible Mondays. Where we feel like crawling beneath our desk and hiding out or napping for a few hours. That’s normal— even if you’re in love with your career, off-days are part of the deal. 

However, if driving to work is driving you low-key mental, or if it feels like every time you send an email, you’re sending off a tiny bit of your soul, it might be quitting time. You can suffer for your art, but don’t suffer for a job that’s going nowhere. If you’re looking for signs you should quit your job this may be just that sign.    

Here are eight red flags that the milk in your work fridge has gone sour, and it’s time to turn a page. (Hello, mixed metaphors to represent your oh so confusing mixed feelings about your j-o-b.) 

“if it feels like every time you send an email, you’re sending off a tiny bit of your soul, it might be quitting time.”

1. You feel creatively lost.

There are days when the ideas aren’t coming no matter how many cups of java you down, but IF you are coming up one espresso shot short every day, you might not be in the right job.

Before you take a dive into unemployment, try to do things that will reignite that spark with your job—like go to a lecture or take a class. If that still isn't working and you're drawing blank after blank, day after day, really consider why you think this job is the right job.

Sometimes things just fizzle out, and the best thing we can do for ourselves is realize that it doesn't have to be horribly wrong, for it not to be right.  

2. You have an abusive boss. 

Bosses, like partners, can be abusive. People who take advantage of their position of power. But being in charge doesn't give anyone the right to treat employees like animals. 

If heading into your boss’ office is something you dread because you know no matter what you do it won’t be good enough, it's time to reevaluate the situation.  I once had a boss throw trash at my head (yes, for real). I was out the door shortly thereafter.

Know your self-worth and trust in that.  

3. You’ve consulted everyone you know about hating your job.

Happy hour? What’s that? When you meet your friends after work, all you do is complain. About work.

The problem with negative energy is that little by little it starts to infiltrate every other part of your life. Others relationships suffer, and you become um, insufferable to be around.

Don’t let this happen. If your friends are avoiding your phone calls, there’s a good shot your endless complaints about work are dragging them down as well. 

“If your job makes you feel legit sad and question everything you’re doing with your life, it’s high time to move on. ”

4. You’re compromising your morals.

If you’ve found that you’re moving toward the Dark Side, without having any desire to do so, it’s either time to stand your ground, or change the ground your standing on.

Sometimes at work we are asked to do things we aren’t entirely comfortable with—but these should be things that advance our careers. For example, you don’t like public speaking, but your boss asks you to give a presentation—this is a step outside your comfort zone that’s beneficial to progress.

However if you’re being put in ethically, morally, or even illegal situations, no job is worth that risk. 

5. You can’t come up with five good reasons to stay.

Pro and con this beast. Make a list, check it twice, and if you don’t have five really solid reasons to keep your job—financial security aside—it might be time to start getting your ducks in a row. 

6 . Your job gives you every kind of the sads.

You know that feeling when you’re up at night, wondering why your dude is ignoring your calls, and you feel sad, lost, drained, pathetic? If your job makes you feel legit sad and question everything you’re doing with your life, it’s high time to move on. 

7. Your mom thinks you should quit.

Let’s consult Justin Bieber on this one. If you can sing, “My mama don’t like you and she likes everyone,” about your job… remember: Mom is always right. She was right about that 10th grade boyfriend, and she’s right about this job. 

8. You're letting other opportunities pass you by.

Some people in relationships are never satisfied because they are always on the lookout for the next best thing. That's not what I'm suggesting.

But if the work universe is offering up an out—or a better job, or maybe even a less financially lucrative, but potentially amazing job, and you're not taking it out of fear—close your eyes and take a leap.

More often than we care to admit, it necessary to take a step back in order to alter our course, and start down the more meaningful path.

This story was published on February 18, 2019, and has since been updated.

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"We Have Faced Rejection Many Times"—This Dynamic Trio Proves Hard Work (and Persistance) Does Pay Off

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.

Kozha Numbers was founded in 2015 by Ilona Gerasimov, Lena Vasilenko-Tsymbal and Carina Gonzales. Photo: Courtesy of Kozha Numbers

Unfortunately, many of us are all-too-familiar with burnout. Too often we keep pushing ahead in a job we don’t love because we refuse to come to terms with the fact that our career just doesn’t serve us anymore. Well, we’re calling time’s up on that. Your health and happiness are way more important. Leaving a job that doesn’t fill you up or motivate you is self-care.

For Kozha Numbers’ co-founders, Ilona Gerasimov and Lena Vasilenko, it was through a mutual feeling of dissatisfaction for their current jobs that inspired them to make a change, together. With their backgrounds in accounting, the duo had no prior experience in production or design but they didn’t let this act as a barrier. Instead, they viewed it as an opportunity to grow, to expand upon their knowledge, and embark into uncharted waters. And, needless to say, the payoff was well worth the journey.

Six years later, Gerasimov and Vasilenko partnered up with beauty expert Carina Gonzales and officially launched Kozha Numbers. Holding to their mutual values of quality and regard to detail, the trio turned an admiration of art and architecture into a handbag and beauty brand that epitomizes the art imitates life motto.

I know what you’re thinking—I don’t have the time to start a business from scratch. Well, the Kozha Numbers founders are here with us today to inspire you to think beyond the confines of your busy schedule. And even if that means staying up until 2 a.m. with your business partner after your 9-to-5 hustle (as these creators did), this company is living proof that hard work pays off.

CREATE & CULTIVATE: Did you write a business plan? If yes, was it helpful? If no, what else did you use instead?

KOZHA NUMBERS: “From the beginning we had a very clear visualization of the kind of company we wanted to create. We took an alternate route and had our passion fuel us instead of creating a standard business plan. This process felt more organic to us and to our brand. Create a plan that works for you—that will provide you with direction going forward and the hustle to make it come to life.”

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

“We liked the idea of our products being fundamental, like how the first 10 digits 0-9 are fundamental to create any number sequence. We originally were just going to name the brand “THE NUMBERS 0123456789,” but last minute we changed it to KOZHA NUMBERS 0123456789. We went back to the drawing board and came up with KOZHA NUMBERS 0123456789. Kozha felt like a natural fit since it’s meaning in Russian is leather and skin.

“When we came up with the name Kozha at the time we had no plan to also add skincare to our brand. Looking back we like to think it was a sign that KN BEAUTY was meant to be! Naming our brand came very naturally, It’s important to keep your brand in mind and make sure it looks and sounds how you’d like it, but don’t overthink it.”

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

“After settling on a name for our brand we went straight to building a website. When we were first building this foundation for KN we really were learning as we go. As time progressed we set up trademarks and social channels but before all that we wanted to make sure our brand and the product were how we envisioned it to be. It’s important to build a solid foundation for your brand, but don’t let that be daunting. It’s okay to learn as you go.

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

“We were actually raised by makers. A leather shoe designer, seamstresses, and woodworker! Watching our parents taught us the art of handcrafting and making wearable art with your hands—a skill that is often forgotten or outsourced by a factory. This background is what KN was founded on but a lot of our knowledge came from practicing it ourselves and learning from what didn’t work.

“A good example is when we first wanted to create a brand we were making leather sandals. Although we enjoyed designing shoes this experience led us to designing handbags which was a better fit for us at the time. The best advice is to keep your mind open and absorb all the information you can get your hands on. Listen to TED talks, read books, watch interviews. The information is out there and you don’t have to go to school to learn it.”

“Not everything works, and the industry is constantly changing so it is key to keep trying things and re-adjusting until something works for you.”

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

“We have been fortunate enough to produce all of our products in house which has provided us with many benefits throughout the years. When you oversee the manufacturing yourself you’re able to be more involved in the design process and ensure all products are being produced ethically and are the highest quality possible. When we first started KN we had to work with what we had by handcrafting the bags ourselves with the resources we could get our hands-on.

“As we grew we invested everything back into the company and were able to accumulate more materials, machines, studio space, and skilled employees to help with the manufacturing. With KN Beauty we also keep our manufacturing locally in Portland by only producing our products in small batches. This method we’ve found is a lot more sustainable and allows us to maintain the highest quality product that is always fresh. Nothing goes to waste since we oversee production and are so involved in every step.

“We truly love being involved in every aspect of KN and having the creative freedom to create products in-house. This method does take time and patience but the result is always worth it.”

Did you self-fund the company? Did you raise seed money or initial investment money? Why/Why not?

“We are completely self-funded. We were raised on the principle that if you can’t afford it, you shouldn’t buy it and in many ways, this method has really helped us grow. We also loved the idea of being solely responsible for the success of KN and didn’t want to give up any creative freedom which can happen when you bring on investors. Investors can be a great tool but when it comes down to it, your drive and hard work are the most important.”

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

“When we first started KN we all had full-time jobs and were putting everything we could into the brand. For the first two years, we put everything we made back into the business, and only recently we have been paying ourselves. Building that foundation is so important and you will thank yourself later.”

How big is your team now? What has the hiring process like? Did you have hiring experience?

“We are currently operating with a team of seven that is responsible for everything including the design, marketing, and manufacturing process. When we hire we’re looking beyond the resume and are really looking for a great character. Although skills are important, what really stands out is if a person is a problem solver and someone who has the drive and motivation. Especially on a small team like this, we wear many hats and being able to come to work with a can-do attitude is very important. None of us had prior hiring experience, so we’ve definitely had to learn as we go. You have to trust your gut instinct and hire the people that you believe in.”

“Rejection isn’t failure—it’s an opportunity to learn and adjust.”

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

“In the beginning, we did not have an accountant and had to figure things out for ourselves. It’s important to know your strengths and weaknesses and ask for help when necessary. An accountant isn’t absolutely necessary in the beginning and there are many options out there for managing finances. Quickbooks is a great resource and there are so many other resources out there that you can educate yourself with.”

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

“The biggest learning curve for us has been finding efficient ways to put our brand out there. Not everything works, and the industry is constantly changing so it is key to keep trying things and re-adjusting until something works for you. Also, keeping an open mind and continuing to absorb information that you could implement into your business.”

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

“In the beginning, it was difficult to land retailers. We noticed a big shift when we focused more on our imagery and getting our vision out into the world. Once we were able to convey our brand identity people started to catch on and retailers came to us. Buyers are looking for brands that are unique and have a clear brand vision. Once you start focusing on this, people will notice. We have also faced rejection many times like every brand. Rejection is just part of the industry and it’s more common than not. Rejection isn’t failure it’s an opportunity to learn and adjust.”

“You’re going to have so many setbacks and sometimes it’ll feel like nothing is working. You must hold onto what you believe and adjust as you go because if they can do it so can YOU!”

Do you have a business coach or mentor?

“Our business mentors were really our parents. They taught us so much about hard work and how to handcraft beautiful products. We also indulged in a lot of books, podcasts, and interviews.”

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

“Since the beginning, we always believed in the power of great imagery that can tell a story about the brand. KN represents a lifestyle and portraying that in our campaigns has been a big part of our success. We partner with photographers we feel understand our vision and we make it come to life through our campaigns. We also believe that when you create a truly unique product that you believe in and pair it with imagery that represents the message you’re trying to convey it essentially sells itself. We had no prior marketing skills before KN besides instinct.”

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?

“Do your homework and really think hard about what you truly need to push your business forward. Don’t ignore things like trademarking, and don’t be afraid to ask questions.”

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

“Create a clear vision and a purpose for what you are doing.”

Anything else to add?

“You’re going to have so many setbacks and sometimes it'll feel like nothing is working. You must hold onto what you believe and adjust as you go because if they can do it so can YOU!”

Slow Stories: Why Combining a Conscious Business With Slow Content Is a Recipe for Success

Photo: Courtesy of Slow Stories

By now, it's clear that content is an incredible tool to establish brand awareness, build authentic customer relationships, and generate sales. But as content has become more embedded in our daily lives, coupled with the tumultuous cultural climate we're all navigating, I've recognized the shift that many individuals have taken by utilizing their platforms to challenge the current landscape—one that often prioritizes quick turnarounds and maximum visibility. In turn, this has played an immense role in catalyzing the slow content movement.

As the founder of a service company, I'm no stranger to the challenges that come with addressing the business goals of our clients, while also remaining true to our company values. And as we head into the holiday season, I've been thinking more about how slow content can inspire conscious storytelling (and business practices) that is inspiring and impactful.

Recently, our Slow Stories interviewees have also been practicing mindfulness in their own storytelling efforts and considering how their efforts influence the world at large. Some highlights from these conversations include the following:

Embrace the power of the pause.

Nichole Powell of Kinfield (check out my follow-up interview with her here on C&C!) said it best: "There is tremendous power in the pause." Taking a moment to slow down and create the necessary headspace will enable individuals to think clearly about their intentions, and in turn, how to effectively translate that into dynamic content that ties back to overarching business values.

Ask questions with sincerity.

As I mentioned in my first article in this column, creating a content calendar is essential in seeing a long-term strategy through to its fullest potential—but that doesn't mean there isn't room to ask questions along the way. While consistency is crucial, the best content often comes from a place of honesty and curiosity. And at times, this means it's essential to ask ourselves—and one another— the important questions.

Be considerate of one's time.

Perhaps one of the most critical pillars of slow content is that it ties back to the idea of providing value and purpose. When creating content, it is vital to have consideration of one's (lack of) time, both short-term and big picture. With that said, consciously-minded brands should think about when customers will be consuming this content, and as a result, understand the best way to engage with them during key periods.

With these ideas in mind, if you're looking to strike a balance in blending conscious business with quality content creation, here are a few thought-starters to jumpstart these efforts:

Practice self-awareness.

The best way to create anything that is culturally conscious is to take a step back and understand your brand's role on an individual scale. Maintaining a level of self-awareness about your values, industry positioning, and product or service offering will help create a more realistic roadmap of how you can create content that is considerate of your followers' needs. Whether you're launching a product that benefits a charitable cause or spearheading a content series that features change-makers in your community, understanding how you exist within the broader industry landscape will establish a conscious approach to how you create content that will resonate more profoundly.

Conscious content and conscious collaboration go hand-in-hand.

Identifying and working with like-minded partners can help establish new ways of thinking about unique brand storytelling in our saturated digital environment. As I mentioned above, questions lead to compelling content opportunities, and developing a dialogue in which multiple perspectives are considered can inspire innovative approaches to content that consider important conversations that an industry holistically needs to address. Consider this column, for example. When I started Slow Stories, I wanted to get to the heart of why we're doing what we're doing from a business perspective. In addition to the podcast itself, I felt the best way to do this would also be to explore the topic in new arenas. So after years of collaborating with Create & Cultivate on content and event opportunities, I approached them to be our partner in launching this extension column. As such, we've been able to round-out the way users experience Slow Stories, and also introduce Create & Cultivate's entrepreneurial audience to a new way of thinking about their own storytelling efforts.

Turn inspiration into action.

To turn an inspiring story into something actionable, taking a slow content approach will ensure that proper time and planning is spent just as much on the distribution of the content as much as the actual production. Understanding where a piece of content will live and how it will serve an audience is a crucial part of how a consumer engages with it further. For instance, if a brand collaborates on a fundraising initiative with a like-minded organization, both parties' audiences will not only discover the content itself but will have an opportunity to engage with one another around the effort, and in turn, create a more in-depth narrative or way to engage with the cause.

Conscious storytelling is something that will transcend the holiday season. However, as we head into the most wonderful time of year, I hope these themes inspire you to slow down and think about how your content can make the world—or at the very least, someone's day—a little bit better. For more about slow content, be sure to check out the Slow Stories podcast and check out past articles from my column here.

About the Author:

Rachel Schwartzmann is the Founder and CEO of The Style Line LLC. She created The Style Line in late January 2011 via Tumblr and has fostered The Style Line’s brand in its growth since then. Rachel has been featured in esteemed sources including Forbes, Refinery29, and MyDomaine and has also spoken at Create & Cultivate and Columbia University on establishing a unique brand point of view and entrepreneurship. On October 1, 2015, Rachel took The Style Line in a new direction as a boutique content company with the introduction of its slow content agency CONNECT(ED)ITORIAL.

Links + Handles:

The Style Line: @thestyleline Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

CONNECT(ED)ITORIAL: @connecteditorial

Rachel Schwartzmann: @rachelschwartzmann and @RMSchwartzmann

If You’re Looking for Stylish Yet Practical Workplace Solutions, We’ve Got Them

For many of us, our home office is a sanctuary for creativity so it needs to be stimulating to get those juices flowing. But there is definitely a fine line between designing a space that’s visually interesting but also has a purpose too. And with more renters in large cities than homeowners, we need to find practical (and pretty) solutions that suit any space. 

This also means versatile, multi-functional furniture and décor that can turn any nook or tiny area at home into a productive workspace, because let’s face it, not all of us have room for a designated home office. When Create & Cultivate editorial director, Sacha Strebe works from home her dining room converts into a home office (Bonus: it’s right next to the kitchen for snacks on-the-go). 

In this story, we tapped our C&C team to share how they work from home using the stylish, multi-purpose pieces from our friends at Pottery Barn. You too can design a convertible home office that's both inspiring and productive. 

Photo: Courtesy of Pottery Barn

Sacha Strebe, Editorial Director, Create & Cultivate

The Home-Office Tip: Don’t overfill it. 

Why It Works: “To limit any distractions when you’re working from home, be sure to create an environment that’s both stimulating yet minimal. You want an inspiring space to get those creative juices flowing but you also need to focus and get your work done. So, create a streamlined, clutter-free space in the house (for me it’s my dining room table) and only keep the bare minimum. I love to have fresh clippings from the garden in a vase next to me while I’m burning a candle to enhance the mood. The only other things I keep nearby are my laptop, a bottle of water, pens, and a notepad. Sometimes I will even put my phone away so I can really hunker down.” 

How to Get the Look: “This vase is decorative yet minimal and I just know the palo santo scent of this candle will ramp up my productivity.”

Pottery Barn Quinn Ceramic Vase

$39

Shop Now

Carly Johnson, Senior Director, Brand Marketing

The Home-Office Tip: Think outside the box.

How It Works: “You don’t need to settle for the traditional office furniture for your workspace. A credenza can double as a chic storage solution to keep all of your files and papers, while also being a space to decorate with objets d’art and inspiring pieces. Then you can keep your desk very minimal and work-related.”

How to Get the Look: “This credenza from is a practical size with a classic look that will stand the test of time. And while it’s sitting pretty, you can store all of your office essentials without anyone noticing.”

Pottery Barn Dolores Cane Media Console

$999

Shop Now

Caitlin Shier, Vice President, Brand Partnerships

The Home-Office Tip: Use a console table as a desk.

How It Works: “We don’t always have the luxury of space but that doesn’t mean you have to compromise on style or function—turn your console table into your part-time desk.”

How to Get the Look: “Place decorative items on this modern rustic console so it adds to the overall design of the room, but keep a space clear front and center or to the side so you can shimmy a stool underneath when you need to work.”

Pottery Barn Malcolm Console Table

$854

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Adry Perez, Social Media Manager

The Home-Office Tip: Use stylish storage to hide your office supplies.

How It Works: “If you have a roaming home office as I do then various furniture throughout your apartment can be turned into a temporary workspace. But that means I need somewhere to store my office supplies. My solution is stylish storage.”

How to Get the Look: “I keep notepads, pens, paperwork, and files in my chic rattan baskets either underneath my console or near my couch in the living room, where ever I typically work from home the most—no one will know the wiser. And when you don’t have a designated space, then I recommend this organization system that can be set up on a wall nearby to keep you on task. Working from home can be filled with distractions so any help is appreciated to stay on track. ”

Pottery Barn Jacquelyne Lidded Barrel Basket

$129

Shop Now

Nairi Najarian, Senior Director, Digital Marketing

The Home-Office Tip: Invest in double-duty furniture. 

How It Works: “Customize any space to suit your needs with a modular pop-up desk that doubles as stylish storage.”

How to Get the Look: “Since I only work from home a few days a month I need multifunctional pieces that look like stylish furniture when they’re not being used. This modular system is fully customizable and looks like a compact storage area with a hidden compartment—a popup desk hides all of my cords and even has a place to stash my cell phone and smaller desk accessories when not in use.”

Pottery Barn Mission Modular System Collection Pop-Up Desk

$209

Shop Now



Kylie Tansey, Vice President, Sales

The Home-Office Tip: Light it up.

How It Works: “Lighting at home isn’t always optimized for working—think warm, soft, and moody which isn’t really what you need when it’s time to focus on a project or tackle your inbox. That’s why I love to have a task lamp nearby so I can shed some light on the space I’m working from.”

How to Get the Look: “Opt for a table lamp like this stylish bronze lamp which can be moved around the house from the dining table to the sofa, or wherever you feel inspired that day.” 

Pottery Barn Stella Task Table Lamp

$137

Shop Now

To shop more of the stylish, multi-purpose pieces from our friends at Pottery Barn, visit potterybarn.com.



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.

---

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.

How the Dazey LA Founder Turned $4000 Into a Thriving (and Profitable) Business

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 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.

Photo: Courtesy of @Dazey_LA

Searching for your dream job is no walk in the park. Sometimes, you can search and search and not find what you were looking for. Or maybe you do land that job you always dreamed of, and it turns out to be something entirely different. That’s why the founder of Dazey LA, Danielle Nagel, thinks “your dream job simply doesn’t exist—you have to create it.” And we are totally on board with that. 

Dazey LA is equal parts fashion and feminism all wrapped up into a beautiful small business that consists of graphic tees designed by Danielle herself (and so much more). We love the work and stance on social topics Danielle has made, so much so that we asked her to design our team t-shirts for the San Francisco conference along with the Self Care Summit jumpsuits and murals! Take a read below to see how this go-getter and small business owner got her start in the dream job world—you’ll leave this page just as inspired as we did. 

 Photo: Courtsey of @DazeyLA

Create & Cultivate: Did you write a business plan? 

Danielle Nagel: “I did not! I’m more of a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of gal. I didn’t have many expectations, but I did have a lot of big dreams. I was sure to build up my freelance client list before quitting my secure job to start Dazey. I figured I could count on that if the company took a while to turn a profit. I had a lot of ideas but didn’t write down a solid plan. I also knew things always end differently than you imagined (and boy did they!). Plans and ideas are constantly changing and I like holding them loosely and rolling with the punches.” 

C&C: How did you come up with the name? What did you consider during that process?

DN: “I love branding and coming up with names. Beyond Dazey LA, I have helped name and brand quite a few of my client’s and friend’s companies. For me, it’s all about creating something unique and unexpected. I like to make up new words if possible—while still being familiar and easy to remember. Plus, that way you’re way more likely to get all the right domains and handles.

“I had originally come up with the name Lovelle, which was a hybrid of my name Danielle and Love. Now I totally hate it. I ordered a bunch of labels and branding assets, only to decide I didn’t like it after all. Then my sister and I were texting back and forth to try and find something new. We started throwing out words we liked ‘golden’, daisy’, ‘days’, ‘daze’, and then one of us (still up for debate) just said what about ‘Dazey’!? We liked it and it just stuck. I also like that with the unique spelling, it can take on a meaning of its own.”


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

DN: “I immediately set up trademarks and make sure I snagged all the domains and usernames—as a product-based business, that is first and foremost! I had been a full-time t-shirt designer for about six years before launching my brand and had designed a lot of meaningless graphics for corporate companies like Urban Outfitters and Macy’s. I knew when I launched my own brand I wanted to design shirts that stood for something, with designs I was really proud of—I wanted them to be my very best. I spent some time perfecting the collection and worked on finding ways to source the best blanks to print them on. Once I finally had my first little collection, I planned a shoot, threw it on the site, and then hit live.” 

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

DN: “Having worked in the industry for many years before launching Dazey gave me perspective. I was a bit of a millennial job-hopper, so I got to experience many different workplaces. I was extremely curious about how each company worked and did all I could to figure out the mechanics. My last job before Dazey was with a start-up, Revice Denim. I was basically employee #1 and did everything from naming the brand, designing the clothing to art directing, shooting, styling, social media, and web design.

“Before that, I was just a cog in the corporate wheel, so it was the first time I had the chance to explore my creativity beyond apparel graphics (and I loved it). Working for a startup was an incredible way to research and learn about building a company from the ground up. That’s what gave me the courage to start Dazey.”

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?

DN: “I didn’t find my current production partner until I was six months in. I was basically working with whatever I could find on Google, and it was really limiting my creativity. I went to MAGIC, the big fashion tradeshow in Vegas, hoping to get some freelance clients and bump some shoulders. I ended up being introduced to my production partner, Kelly, through one of my freelance clients. We immediately hit it off and realized we had so much in common.

“We both wanted to make beautiful and creative clothing while doing so as sustainably. We came up with and perfected our made-to-order, no waste model over the past three years. He has helped me go from ‘just a t-shirt brand’ into a full-on clothing line with things like suits, dresses, and even patterned fanny packs. I would say putting yourself out there is key. Go to sourcing shows, networking events, introduce yourself to people, ask questions, send cold emails, let the world know what you’re looking for and go find it.”

“Go to sourcing shows, networking events, introduce yourself to people, ask questions, send cold emails, let the world know what you’re looking for and go find it.”

C&C: Did you self-fund the company? 

DN: “Dazey is fully self-funded. I was very careful to save a ton before starting Dazey so I wouldn’t be stressed or chicken out. I had saved enough to launch the brand that I could comfortably live off for a year. It has given me the flexibility to harness my creativity and grow at a pace that felt comfortable to me as a brand new founder and businesswoman. I know all the money I make is mine and I get to make the final call on everything. I think it was the right call for me starting out and we’ve been able to grow a lot from my initial $4,000 personal investment. I don’t know what the future holds, but I may be open to the idea of investment to really help scale in the near future.”  

C&C: How did you know how to pay yourself?

DN: “Well, I made the mistake of starting off my business as a sole proprietorship. Which means everything from the business was through my personal bank account. Every expense and every payout. Now I’ve learned that’s not a good practice if you’re really trying to grow a company outside of just freelance work! You really need to keep them separate. Since then, I’ve of course established a C-corp and company account.” 

“My personal pay always varies depending on how the company is doing. When things are good, I allow myself to experience the benefits. When they are slow, I pull back. Last year we had an amazing year and I paid myself more than I had ever dreamed of making with my corporate jobs. This year, we’ve had a slower summer. I’ve decided to keep all of the money in the business account and live off of my savings and rental property income for awhile. A lot of founders don’t let themselves enjoy the successes and I think that can be a quick route to burnout. I like going with the flow and staying in-tune with my company.” 

C&C: How big is your team now? What has the hiring process been like? 

DN: “We have five people in our immediate team now. I had never hired anyone before and remember being so excited to give the first interview. We’ve gotten so lucky with our team and everyone I’ve hired since year one is still here today. Myself as the owner and CEO, Phillip our COO (who is also my amazing boyfriend), Megan who manages our Dazey Lady Shop, Naomi who helps me with content and creative, and our newest Lisa who is doing customer service and shipments. When it came to interviewing, I trusted my gut feeling. I didn’t get too hung up on resumes because I know people can easily learn on the job, just like I had.

“It was more about the conversation and connection I had with them. Things like if I could trust them, get along with them, that they cared about the company, and I think they are a hard worker. So far, it hasn’t steered me wrong. Of course, we have so many other people that are basically apart of the Dazey family, like our production team and sales showroom reps. It really takes a village, even as a super small company.”

“I had saved enough to launch the brand that I could comfortably live off for a year. It has given me the flexibility to harness my creativity and grow at a pace that felt comfortable to me as a brand new founder and businesswoman.”

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

DN: “Yes, and I wish I would have sooner. She had to go back pretty far to correct all the unbeknownst co-mingling I did (using both my personal and business account instead of keeping them totally separate). That was totally a waste of time when I could have been working with her all along and without stress. Especially as a business begins to grow, the finances can quickly become hard to track. It’s best to start off with the right person in place so they can grow with you and make sure your books are done right. Accounting is not my forte, so why not focus on what I’m good at—making the money—and then let the professionals handle it.” 

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

DN: “As somebody who has always considered themselves good with money, I’ve discovered it’s been a whole different beast as a business. You really have to stay on top of where effort and money are being spent and if the direct return merits that amount. When you start to deal with so many big numbers going in and out quickly, things can get confusing.

“Be sure to stay on track of your finances and know what number you really have in the bank (with expected income and expenses). Make decisions carefully and constantly re-evaluate spending/saving. You really do have to spend money to make money, but make sure you are smart and strategic about it.”

C&C: How did you get retailers to start stocking your product?

DN: “When I first launched Dazey, my focus was on direct to consumer selling and marketing on Instagram. I didn’t think wholesale was important at the time. I wanted to keep my production ethical but also keep my prices reasonable, which made my wholesale margins pretty dismal. I would take wholesale orders here and there if people reached out, but it wasn’t my focus. Fast forward about four years later and it has shifted to be a pretty big chunk of our business. Instagram was everything we needed to start building an engaged and supportive community. Direct website sales were growing like crazy and we thought we had it made in the shade. Then came the dreaded algorithm.

“Additionally, I will say there has been a shift in consumer behavior as more people begin to experience social-media fatigue and distrust. All that dramatically affected our online sales. We pumped up our online ad spend, but it didn’t really help either. I talked to some other entrepreneurs and they all reported the same. Semi-freaking out, I sat down with my production partner to plan our next move. He suggested we give wholesale a proper try. As an industry veteran who had spent most of his career in B2B (business to business as opposed to direct), he thought it could really help us. We had to restructure our pricing to make our margins more fair for us, and then we found a wholesale showroom.

“I walked into the Cooper fashion building in DTLA and grabbed a directory and started sending out cold emails based on the brands the showrooms already carried. We got four meetings, sat down with all of them, and found the right fit—a smaller showroom with a focus on made in USA products. It’s been a game-changer. Dazey now does amazing with wholesale and sells out of boutiques faster than they can reorder. The fact that we built a large social media following and people knew our name has made it easier than starting out with wholesale. We are now even carried by Free People who happened to just find us on Instagram.”

“Be sure to stay on track of your finances and know what number you really have in the bank (with expected income and expenses). Make decisions carefully and constantly re-evaluate spending/saving. ”

C&C: Do you have a business coach or mentor? Would you recommend one? 

DN: “Kelly my production partner has been a huge mentor for me. He saw potential when Dazey was nothing and took a bet on me with blind faith. I would also say my community of fellow female entrepreneurs has been one of the biggest driving forces in both mentorship and inspiration. Peer to peer mentoring is amazing because we are all learning and growing together. Outside of Dazey, I co-founded a boutique female co-working space called Biz Babez has been a great connector and space to learn from one another.”

C&C: How did you promote your company? Did you know anything about marketing before this venture?

DN: “I had started fashion blogging in college before Instagram had even existed. I was connected with a bunch of girls via a website called lookbook.nu and when I moved to L.A., we would help each other snap photos of outfits to share on our blogs. I quit blogging when my full-time job got to be too much (this was before you could make money off of it). But many of the girls I knew kept at it and ended up becoming huge successes in the fashion blogging space.

“When I started Dazey, a lot of them were so helpful in shooting content with me and promoting. I would take all the photos myself and also snap pics of whatever they wanted in exchange. This was a great way to get the word out at the very beginning. Then once I built a following myself, I just chose to be very personal and real with my community like sharing the BTS of running a small biz. I would share my design process, my production, and really all the highs and lows of running a business. That’s when things really started to take off from word of mouth.”

“As a hyper-creative person who’s not necessarily the best at all that, I’ve also learned to lean on other people. Know what you are good at and focus on that.”

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?

DN: “Get everything in order—your bank accounts, contracts, your LLC or CORP. Read a business book and get to know the less glamorous side of small biz. As a hyper-creative person who’s not necessarily the best at all that, I’ve also learned to lean on other people. Know what you are good at and focus on that. Then hire help for the rest. Your efforts will be best spent doing what you love and what you’re good at.”

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

DN: “Do the damn dream. That’s printed on a Dazey tee. But honestly, the only regret I have with starting Dazey is not doing it sooner. It’s a rollercoaster but so worth it. Your dream job simply doesn’t exist—you have to create it.

“So many times I thought I knew what my ‘dream job’ was until I actually got it and realized that wasn’t the case at all. With Dazey, I’ve been able to combine all of my passions into one thing. From fashion, art, design, photography to social media, feminism, and sustainability (and even somehow interior design now). I designed Dazey to be true to everything I love and believe in. And my customers can see and feel that. If you build a business that you are undeniably passionate about, it’s damn near impossible for it to fail at it.”

Shop This Way—How 3 Entrepreneurs Are Leveraging Their Websites for Profit

All successful businesses start somewhere and it takes just scratching the surface of a new idea to get the ball rolling. But with that ah-ha! moment comes a lot of hard work, late nights, and coffee to make your new business venture  happen. Oh, and a digital platform to make your new idea look beautiful and profitable, too. Think you’ve got what it takes? Well, we partnered with Squarespace for a three-part series called From Scratch to Success: How to Turn Your Side Hustle Into a Thriving Business to find out what really goes into launching a company from the ground up. To do that, we interviewed three female founders—Michelene Auguste Founder and Owner, Dem; Karen Rose, Owner and Herbalist, Sacred Vibes Apothecary; and Gina Correll Aglietti, Yola Jimenez, and Lykke Li, Co-Founders, Yola Mezcal—to share their story from that lightbulb moment to selling their products online, and everything in between. And don’t forget to keep scrolling to the end to read about our exclusive Squarespace offer for Create & Cultivators.

So, you have this incredible idea to turn your passion into a profitable business—now what? Where are you supposed to begin and who is going to help you reach your end goal? Well, in the beginning, when you don’t have any capital, all you really have is your idea, so the only person you can rely on is you. But the good news is there are a plethora of online tools that can help you get started. Does your new business idea include a product line? If you answered yes, then say hello to the world of e-commerce! To put yourself on the map (and find customers) you’ll need a website that will showcase your unique products in a way people just can’t resist. The rest will come from you, your vision, and your drive for success—but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

In the first chapter of our three-part series, From Scratch to Success, we introduced you to some incredible women who are crushing their business goals online with the well-known platform, Squarespace. We asked them about their new business venture, how they got started, and why they chose Squarespace to launch online. In part two of this series, we’re diving a little deeper into the commerce side of their business and how these three unique businesses—Dem, Sacred Vibes Apothecary, and Yola Mezcal—use Squarespace to turn their passion into profit. You’ll want to take notes for this one!

Create & Cultivate: Squarespace makes it easy to start a website from scratch. Can you walk us through the process you took when creating yours? 

Gina Correll Aglietti: “Anticipating YOLA’s launch, we felt a video was the best way to communicate our brand story to depict our farm and team in Oaxaca. Squarespace gave us the platform to share this story with a new audience and made it easy for us to help curate first impressions of our brand. We've been using Squarespace for over three years now. I especially love the marketing tools we can use to create newsletters, collect emails, and keep our audience engaged.”

C&C: Squarespace has great features for brands that want to introduce e-commerce. What commerce features do you rely on the most and advise others to use too? 

GA: “We will soon be launching our merch store through Squarespace. We had initially looked at embedding a third party e-commerce platform on our website, but then realized how simple it was to add e-commerce tabs into our Squarespace without straying from the brand’s aesthetic. We have also had the opportunity to embed a link to sell YOLA direct to consumers, which is often very difficult to do because of strict alcohol compliance laws.”

C&C: There are so many websites online—how do you make your website unique? 

GA: “Squarespace allows us to maintain a simple and minimal design that aligns with our brand's aesthetic. We have been able to incorporate our own fonts and imagery to customize the experience.”

Create & Cultivate: Squarespace makes it easy to start a website from scratch. Can you walk us through the process you took when creating yours? 

Michelene Auguste: “When I started building my site, it was very easy to navigate. I started with an e-commerce page, a homepage, and basic information—I’ve been adding to that ever since. I love that I can easily move things around and change the site. I also love that I can rearrange the products on the e-commerce page so it looks the way I want it to.” 

C&C: Squarespace has great features for brands that want to introduce e-commerce. What commerce features do you rely on the most and advise others to use too? 

MA: “I have the Squarespace app which helps me edit on the go when I have to. I’ve found that the app is very helpful.”

C&C: There are so many websites online—how do you make your website unique? 

MA: “The Dem site is a curated experience of the clothing and objects I’ve discovered throughout my life. It’s a bit personal and I think that’s what makes it unique. I love taking photographs and updating the site often with new material.”

C&C: Do you have any shortcuts you can share with other users for making their website? 

MA: “My advice would be if you can’t figure out something or you’re stuck, don’t stress—all the information and help is there for you on the site which has helped me out a lot.” 

C&C: What are some more advanced tools that you use for building out your website? 

MA: “My favorite thing about Squarespace is that I don’t need to know any coding tactics or use any advanced tools. Everything is already there for you to create and run a beautiful, successful site.” 

Create & Cultivate: Squarespace makes it easy to start a website from scratch. Can you walk us through the process you took when creating yours? 

Karen Rose: “I started with Squarespace about five years ago. I saw  how beautiful other Squarespace sites were and wanted mine to be just like that.” 

“I have come so far. I have an online shop now and in many ways I have grown that on Squarespace. We are currently working on creating an online membership/educational portal utilizing Squarespace’s collaboration, Memberspace to offer global access to our work.”

C&C: Squarespace has great features for brands that want to introduce e-commerce. What commerce features do you rely on the most and advise others to use too?

KR: “I rely on our online shop greatly. It is super easy to track inventory and monthly sales.”

C&C: There are so many websites online—how do you make your website unique? 

KR: “We make our website unique by using it to tell the story of our brand. When folks are on our site, we want them to get the whole picture of who we are: not just an online shop but a community.”

C&C: Do you have any shortcuts you can share with other users for making their website? 

KR: “I decided to hire a designer familiar with Squarespace for the initial site design. This allowed us to use our time and resources in a way we felt our business could benefit from most. We still work together closely. He was able to show us a lot of what he has done. But now, most of the everyday maintenance we do is on our own.”

Head to squarespace.com and use the offer code CREATE2019 to save 10% off your first purchase. And or more information around Squarespace’s commerce feature and to understand how you can start selling online today, visit Squarespace Support here.

And don’t forget to tune in next week for part three of our From Scratch to Success series for everything you need to know about SEO and ensure your website ranks in Google.

There Was No Plan—This Founder Started a Side Hustle to "Make a Few Extra Bucks" and Now It's a Thriving Business

This post is in paid partnership with Bootaybag.

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.

“Failure is part of the journey and the reward doesn’t come without a lot of dark, scary moments. We’ve all been there, and we’re in this together.”

—Ellyette Gheno, CEO and Founder, BootayBag

When you’re looking to start your own business, most of us have a five to 10 year timeline in mind before we start making money. Of course, the end goal could be to build an empire but no-one expects for that to happen quickly. But it seems like Ellyette Gheno’s company, BootayBag was an overnight success.

Having grown up with entrepreneurial parents, Gheno was practically born with founder genes in her DNA. So it comes as no surprise that within a day of thinking up BootayBag—a monthly underwear subscription that delivers right to your door—Gheno created a website and launched a side hustle. What started as a way to “earn a few extra bucks” has successfully disrupted the $52 million underwear market (which is expected to grow annually by 3.5%) in just five years and her little aha! moment is changing the game.

So, we tapped the CEO and founder to learn more about her incredible journey from lightbulb moment to starting an undie revolution.

Be sure to keep reading until the end for our exclusive discount code that gives Create & Cultivators 20% off their first month when signing to any monthly subscription.

Did you write a business plan? If yes, was it helpful? If no, what else did you use instead?

“I definitely could have used a business plan. I started BootayBag as a total side hustle to make a few extra bucks, there was no plan. However, if I could go back in time I would have started with a clear vision of what I wanted to create, and what the end goal was. At the very least I would have liked to set intentions, even if it wasn’t a business plan. This would have helped me to later understand my ‘why’.”

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

“So this is my story and I’m sticking to it—guaranteed a laugh. I grew up in the Bay Area obviously listening to rap music. I had seen and heard ‘booty’ spelled as ‘bootay’ and that is the creative genius behind the spelling of BootayBag. After the name was born I had a domain within 24 hours. Looking back I maybe should have run it by someone beforehand."

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

“First came the website and then social channels shortly after. All of the legal stuff came later due to the limited funding I had for the business at the time.”

“A big moment for me was learning to never let myself get too comfortable. I now enjoy being uncomfortable because I know this is how I grow and where positive change comes.”

What research did you do for the brand beforehand?

“My research came at the extent of my self desires. I was solving my own issue of hating digging through sale bins and not wanting to shop for underwear (because what young woman does)? I had undies in my drawer that I am embarrassed to say were beyond their intended life span. I knew that if this was the case for me it had to also be the case for most of my girlfriends. Lucky for me, it ended up being the case for most young girls outside of my inner circle, and that helped me discover my ‘why’ behind the brand.”

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

“This is a hard one. I have learned what I know now about manufacturing because, unfortunately, of many bad experiences. I would advise to always ask questions, seek insight and advice from others, and basically trust no one. Ha, ha! Be sure to check references, run small tests and batches, and never give them all your money upfront.”

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

“BootayBag has been totally self-funded. Looking back, I am actually so thankful for this as I was able to make mistakes with my own money versus someone else. I had the advantage that I didn’t need funding to bring my vision to life in the beginning stages. However, it is definitely more of a step-by-step, slow-moving process when you’re bootstrapped.”

Photo: Courtesy of BootayBag

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

"In the beginning when it was just a side hustle the whole point was to pay myself. But when I decided that this wasn’t going to just be a revenue stream for myself but that I wanted to make hires and build a brand, I came last on the payroll scale. It still always goes back to what I am trying to do—if I need to make a hire and I can’t afford to do it, I take a pay cut.”

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

“Hiring is hard because your team is seriously so important. I love the saying, ‘You can’t have an A team with B players.’ I’ve failed a lot in this department, especially in the beginning. I just felt lucky to have anyone work for me at the time which I later learned was the totally wrong approach. The best way to learn how to hire is to be prepared as if you’re the one being interviewed. Know who you are interviewing, ask all the hard questions, call the references, and give a training period for you to work alongside them.”

“It always goes back to what I am trying to do—if I need to make a hire and I can’t afford to do it, I take a pay cut.”

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

“No, I didn’t at first however, I quickly learned it is so critical to do so—that was a big ‘omg’ moment. Please, for the love of God, get an accountant. At the very least get someone who you pay as a consultant to help you set it all up. Cash is key, and how you set up terms, cash flow modeling, payroll, budgets, and tax compliance is so important. You have to have a professional in the field to guide you through it. We can’t be good at all the things—get help.”

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

“A big moment for me was learning to never let myself get too comfortable. I now enjoy being uncomfortable because I know this is how I grow and where positive change comes. Every moment that I think I have everything figured out, I don’t! Lol. Reality settles in and all of a sudden everything I thought I knew is wrong and it’s a whole new perspective. I almost fear the comfort level because I know something is around the corner. I can now thrive being uncomfortable because I know this how I grow and how good change comes.”

“No one should know your numbers better than you.”

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

“We are our own online retailer as of now, however, rejection comes more likely than not in other directions. Every time we drop a new style that not everyone likes and it feels like rejection. I know we can’t cater to everyone, but you still try to and think you just might one of these times. The only advice I have is that they aren’t rejecting you, it’s not personal and it happens to everyone.”

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

“Mentors are key. My favorite (and most shocking) discovery with entrepreneurs is they will most likely help you if you ask for it. The key here is to be very direct with what you want from them and be respectful of their time. Utilize your network and continue to grow it with every opportunity you get.”

Photo: Courtesy of BootayBag

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

“I knew what felt like absolutely nothing, about anything. In the beginning, I started with a concept that I knew I needed and felt like other girls might need too. I tested locally first with pop-ups and events, and put it out there on social media to see if the concept stuck before I put any money behind it. Being very open to everyone’s opinions, ideas, and feedback is what helped me grow the idea into a brand.”

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?

“I wrote myself off in the finance section right away—I don’t do excel, I am not good with numbers. Well, tough luck to me. No one should know your numbers better than you. So with that I learned how to manage and own that even though I didn’t want too."

“We can’t be good at all the things—get help.”

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

Do it! But do it the safe and smart way... where you can test the waters without putting your whole life savings into it from the get-go. If this all went away tomorrow, I’ve grown so much and learned more about myself, managing people, and business than any other course of life could have taught me. 

Anything else to add?

I would love to touch on how important it is to support one another in our individual journey’s, both professional and personal! This is why I love love love and am continuously inspired by Create + Cultivate so much. It can feel so lonely and scary, but you are not alone in it - someone has already paved the way for you. Ask for help, learn from other peoples failures who did it before you. Failure is part of the journey and the reward doesn’t come without a lot of dark, scary moments. We’ve all been there, and we’re in this together.

Photo: Courtesy of BootayBag

EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNT CODE FOR CREATE & CULTIVATOR’S

If you’re interested in getting 20% off your first month, then use our exclusive discount code CC20 when you sign up to any monthly subscription at their website, bootaybag.com

Passion Turned Profit—Entrepreneurs Share Their Small Business Success Stories

All successful businesses start somewhere and it takes just scratching the surface of a new idea to get the ball rolling. But with that ah-ha! moment comes a lot of hard work, late nights, and coffee to make your new business venture  happen. Oh, and a digital platform to make your new idea look beautiful and profitable, too. Think you’ve got what it takes? Well, we partnered with Squarespace for a three-part series called From Scratch to Success: How to Turn Your Side Hustle Into a Thriving Business to find out what really goes into launching a company from the ground up. To do that, we interviewed three female founders—Michelene Auguste Founder and Owner, Dem; Karen Rose, Owner and Herbalist, Sacred Vibes Apothecary; and Gina Correll Aglietti, Yola Jimenez, and Lykke Li, Co-Founders, Yola Mezcal—to share their story from that lightbulb moment to selling their products online, and everything in between. And don’t forget to keep scrolling to the end to read about our exclusive Squarespace offer for Create & Cultivators.

At Create & Cultivate, we love to support small businesses that not only started from scratch, but from passion. We love seeing people who totally crush at their side hustle and turn it into their main hustle—who doesn’t love a passion to profit story? With the rise of digital and DTC brands, we’re seeing more small businesses thrive than ever before and with the increased demand comes a new arsenal of tools at their disposal to help bring it to life. These new online platforms are easy to use, affordable, and quick to set up. With Squarespace, for example, new founders can design a website, upload their products, and be selling within hours. We know because we, too, use the savvy, intuitive platform for Create & Cultivate and have seen the benefits firsthand. 

So, we partnered with our friends at Squarespace to bring you a series that dives deeper into how to set up a business online, how to make sure people find it in a sea of competition (SEO 101 coming right up), and how to scale it through the stories of women who’ve done it themselves. 

Meet Michelene Auguste, the Founder and Owner of Dem, Karen Rose, the Owner and Herbalist behind Sacred Vibes Apothecary, and Gina Correll Aglietti, Yola Jimenez, and Lykke Li, the Co-Founders of Yola Mezcal. These ladies are sharing their stories with us on how they started their businesses, the passion that ignited it, and how Squarespace weaves into their success stories. Follow along for some killer advice and don’t forget to catch the other two chapters in this series coming soon—you won’t want to miss it. 

Create & Cultivate: Let’s begin with you telling us about your business and its mission. 

Michelene Auguste: “Dem is a Vintage Caribbean Contemporary design store. It’s a platform to showcase Caribbean talent, creatives, a form of storytelling, and a piece of my personal and cultural heritage.”

C&C: At what point in building your brand did you start your website? 

MA: “I built my site from the very beginning. Squarespace has been a very instrumental tool in helping me grow and manage my business online. I had no idea how to build a site, especially an e-commerce one. Squarespace has made it all much more intuitive and approachable. I was able to upload products, choose the layouts I liked and make a very beautiful site so easily.”

C&C: What are some of the biggest lessons you’ve learned along the way? 

MA: “This might sound cliche, but I think the biggest lesson I’ve learned is to never give up. If you want something, go after it. I think it’s  important to write things down. I’ve done that ever since I was a little girl in Trinidad. Everything I want to accomplish and improve I put on paper. It has helped me get all my ideas out and focus my thoughts. Putting your ideas on paper is like planting a seed: it’s only the beginning. By putting those thoughts on paper, things materialize and energy forms.”

C&C: Let’s begin with you telling us about your business and its mission. 

Karen Rose: The idea of Sacred Vibes has been constant. I grew up in a community that depended on its healers and held them in reverence. I knew I wanted to create a place where we could heal together. Herbalism was the commonality among us that would create a vital community. Sacred Vibes came out of the need for an herbal apothecary in Brooklyn.” 

C&C: At what point in building your brand did you start your website? 

KR: “I think from the moment I thought of my work, I knew I needed a website for people to find me. I describe my website as a place where people can feel what/who Sacred is and not just a place to shop. Squarespace has helped with that a ton! I love their templates and how easy it is for me to edit things. Though I work with a designer, I can do many tasks on my own with little effort.”

C&C: Can you identify some challenges you faced when starting your business? 

KR: “Being a solo entrepreneur is rewarding and hard. Sometimes you struggle to work through your ideas and visions alone. Sometimes you have to go from concept to execution all by yourself.”

C&C: What are some of the biggest lessons you’ve learned along the way? 

KR: “The biggest lesson is to make time for the other aspects in your life. I’m a mom and I’ve had to learn that balancing my work with the rest of my life is key to my personal happiness. The best advice I received was ‘avoid thinking that you are your business’ and I want to pass that on. There is Karen and there is Sacred Vibes and when both are functioning well they have more of an opportunity to be successful.”

C&C: Let’s begin with you telling us about your business and its mission. 

Gina Correll Aglietti: “The three of us met at different times in Mexico City over the last decade, and started a wonderfully deep friendship filled with many long dinner parties and deep talks. Yola would come to visit in L.A. bringing different mezcals and we would host our friends, telling them the story of the spirit. She inherited our farm from her grandfather and it's important to us that we use his traditional method of making mezcal. We want to preserve the artisanal nature of the product as we grow. 

“At the time that this brand was incepted, we were disappointed that the liquor industry was so male-centric. Men were the target of marketing and they were in charge of operations at so many liquor brands and distribution companies, so we felt strongly about creating a company that supported women across borders. We want to empower the women in Oaxaca that work on our farm, and make sure to provide direct payment and allow them to create their own hours. We don't have a conventional approach to anything that we do which we feel makes our brand unique and helps us stay true to our mission of exposing a heritage product to a new audience.”

C&C: How did you conceptualize and develop your brand? 

GA: “We noticed that there was a lack of quality mezcal, and no strong brand identity that catered to our idea of a modern woman. We wanted to create a brand that reflected our vision of what a liquor company owned and operated by women would look like. We align with a lot of social impact organizations, like the ACLU and Planned Parenthood, and feel strongly that our platform should be used to empower other women.” 

C&C: At what point in building your brand did you start your website? 

GA: “We started using Squarespace when we started selling our product. We would recommend it to other founders because it’s intuitive and user-friendly.”

C&C: Can you identify some challenges you faced when starting your business? 

GA: “At the beginning, we were limited in our funding and did everything ourselves. This ended up being a blessing and helped us grow organically. It also allowed us to make a lot of our own choices, which really strengthened our brand identity.” 

C&C: What are some of the biggest lessons you’ve learned along the way? 

GA:  “The biggest lesson is to really believe in what you are creating. The community will build as the brand continues to grow, if the mission is clear and the founders are all in agreement.”

Head to squarespace.com and use the offer code CREATE2019 to save 10% off your first purchase. And or more information around Squarespace’s commerce feature and to understand how you can start selling online today, visit squarespace.com/ecommerce-website.

And don’t forget to tune in next week for chapter two of our From Scratch to Success series for a deeper dive into building your website online.

OLD NAVY's Kim Brennecke Doesn't Believe in Inbox Zero—Here's Why

We often look to the iconic leaders of our time for motivation and wisdom, but for many of us, this is purely inspirational and not as applicable to our everyday lives. We truly believe there is more benefit in looking to your left and seeking out a peer-to-peer mentorship with a colleague or friend you admire. Why? Firstly, they will likely have the time to be your mentor, and secondly, their advice will be relatable and allow you to see your path clearly while keeping your mind open to new ideas, identifying new opportunities, and helping you self-advocate. We call them everyday superwomen. In this new C&C series, we talk to the women who are paying it forward, lifting other women up and paving a smoother path for the next generation to come.

Photo: Courtesy of Old Navy.

It might seem from the outside looking in that the career paths of people you admire are linear, but when you take a magnifying glass to their trajectory, you quickly realize that it’s not straight at all. In fact, it’s full of false starts, sharp turns, and winding roads—some even have turn-back signposts. Knowing that can provide a sense of relief to all of us who are still navigating a particularly challenging fork in the road. When you’re unsure which direction to take, take comfort in the fact that even the most successful people have all been there too, and that it’s all part of the journey.

Kim Brennecke’s path hasn’t been straight and narrow, either. She might hold the esteemed position of Senior Director Design of OLD NAVY Active now, but she actually started her studies in drawing and painting before moving into a fine arts degree in fashion and working her way up—but growing up she wanted to be an architect or an archeologist!

So, read on to learn more about her non-traditional career path, how to get out of “being stuck,” and why inbox zero is a myth.

CREATE & CULTIVATE: What did you study in school and what did you want to be when you grew up?

KIM BRENNECKE: I sort of went to college twice. My first degree was in fine arts with an emphasis in drawing and painting, then I decided I wanted to study fashion so I returned for another fine arts degree in fashion design. All-in, it was seven and a half years of a college education. Growing up I wanted to be either an architect or an archeologist. 

What are some of the earlier jobs that helped to shape your career/path?

In between my degrees I took a job working retail at Urban Outfitters. I’d always loved clothes and fashion, but this was my first exposure to thinking about trends, the commerciality of product, and visual merchandising as it relates to the consumer. I was completely fascinated by how placement and adjacencies in-store impacted the sales. It was really around this time that I began to understand that a career in fashion was a thing, and I began researching and applying to design schools.

What challenges have you faced along the way? What did you learn from them? How did they prepare you for your job now?

I think one of the biggest challenges I faced, that I didn’t realize until I was out of it, was being stuck. Sometimes when you are in the same position for a long time, you start to build up a lot of walls that you don’t realize are there. I remember making a position move that I wasn’t initially excited about, but what I found was moving into a new role that I knew nothing about, re-energized me and engaged me in a way I hadn’t realized I had stopped being in my previous role. That experience opened me up to trying new positions when they presented themselves and being self-aware of when I feel stuck and may need to make a change.

Tell us about your role at Old Navy? What does it entail? Did you work your way up? What were the positions along the way?

My current role is the Senior Director of Old Navy Active, which essentially means I lead the Active Design Team for all active product for the family. In this role, I identify the active design strategies by division and work with my team to bring them to life through the lens of seasonal trends. I have been with Old Navy for nearly 13 years, and have worked my way up from Designer, Women’s Woven Bottoms and Outerwear. I have held many different positions during my time with the brand, including Senior Designer of Old Navy Outlet and Design Director of women’s knits, sweaters, and fleece. I also briefly led the Athleta Girl’s design team, before returning to Old Navy for my current role. 

“I haven’t had inbox zero since 2007.
”

What do you love most about your job and why? Does the reality of your career match up to your expectations?

I love the collaboration, problem solving, and building something with a team. It’s always a great feeling to have an idea, see it through production, setting in stores, to then seeing people react to it, whether wearing it on the streets or posting on social media #oldnavyactive! The reality of my career looks much different from what I thought a career in fashion would be when I was in school, but I get so much satisfaction from what I do, that I can’t imagine it any other way.

What can you tell us about the culture at Old Navy? What has encouraged you to stay? 

I think Old Navy has a really unique position amongst apparel brands as being a place of true collaboration. I really think it is fundamental to how we work. I continue to stay because I feel I am a valued member of the team and my contributions are welcomed and accepted, and as a team, we are constantly evolving and improving.

Talk us through your daily tasks and what a day in the office looks like for you? What’s the most rewarding part of your day?

Really no two days are alike, which I love. Some days are spent researching or building color palettes or putting together a trend point of view to inspire the team and sell ideas to our cross-functional team. Some days are spent reviewing sketches with my team or reviewing proto samples or troubleshooting a production issue. There are some days that I never see my desk. But the most rewarding part is always the time I spend brainstorming and building ideas together with my team.

What does your morning, pre-work routine look like? What rituals set you up for success?

My morning routine generally revolves around food! I try to eat pretty clean, and in order to do that I usually try to fix my breakfast and coffee at home, as well as pack snacks and a water bottle (with mint and lemon) to get me through the day. And if I’m really on top of things, I’ll pack my lunch too! I also dedicate a few minutes to checking my schedule for the day and scanning my email to see if anything urgent has come up since the previous day. It’s nice to be prepared for what the day will bring before arriving in the office.

Your role requires you to be across so many facets of the business—how do you manage your time effectively? What is your greatest productivity hack? How do you get it done?

I really couldn’t do my job without my Outlook calendar and the means to access it from my phone. I have to stay on top of my calendar, especially because I oversee active for all divisions and there are times that milestone meetings are happening simultaneously. I am constantly trying new ways to stay on top of everything, some stick, some don’t, but my phone continues to keep me on track.

Do you ever reach inbox zero? Do you believe in that? What is your inbox philosophy?

I haven’t had inbox zero since 2007. But I generally try to read every email by the end of the day and respond if needed, in as timely a manner as possible. My inbox philosophy is to save everything that I might need someday. 

“You really have to remember that everyone’s opinion is valid, including your own.”

What is one of the biggest misconceptions about your job?

That all I do is create and draw clothes all day long. I haven’t actually physically designed anything in years! Most of my job is strategizing and problem solving. It’s kind of like doing puzzles all day long, which is hugely creative, but in a different way than pen to paper sketching.

If someone wanted your role specifically, what advice would you give them on how to land their dream job/your current job? 

I would suggest getting as much design experience, in as many different areas as possible. What is unique about designing active product is that it covers a wide range of products, from knits to wovens, outerwear to baselayer, and true performance to lifestyle. And this role specifically covers mens, womens, girls and boys. 

Have you seen a consistent standout quality or personality trait of successful people in this industry?

I think flexibility is really important in this industry. This is one of the most dynamic businesses you can be in, and you have to be able to change course as needed. This doesn’t mean that you should be a pushover with no point of view, but in the long run, there is strength in flexibility and weakness in rigidity. 

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given? And what’s the worst piece of advice you’ve been given?

I think the best piece of advice I’ve been given is to trust myself and trust my instinct. The beauty of this business is that it's subjective and there is no wrong answer. The challenge with this business is that it’s subjective and everyone has their own opinion. You really have to remember that everyone’s opinion is valid, including your own. Luckily, I don’t think I’ve been given bad advice. 

“The best piece of advice I’ve been given is to trust myself and trust my instinct.”

If there was one person you admire that you could power brunch with, who would it be? 

I’ve always admired Richard Branson, and how he has built his brand through failures and successes. He is incredibly supportive of entrepreneurship and mentoring, so I see him as someone that could offer a unique perspective from an innovation point of view, as well as how to be an effective leader. I also love that he prioritizes his family and living life to its fullest.

In your mind, what’s a perfect interview outfit? Why? Explain?

The perfect interview outfit is anything that you feel comfortable in that also looks like you’ve done your research into the brand/company you are interviewing with. This is the first impression for your interviewer to see you in the role, and as much as you can look like you belong there, the better off you will be. And there’s no better time to be comfortable in your clothes than in an interview, as you want to be focused on your conversation, and not distracted by an outfit that feels forced or contrived.