The Case for Getting Dressed Up and Staying In

Wearing Empetua® All Day Every Day Tank Cami by Shapermint

For those of us who are fortunate enough to work from home during the coronavirus crisis, the concept of “workwear” has been completely redefined. Since loungewear became our daily uniform, with comfort at the forefront, many women have renounced their everyday workwear attire – including bras and shapewear. It seems as if we’re amidst a sartorial revolution, the evolution of business casual to casual comfort, and while it may feel natural to spend all day in your pajamas, the team at Shapermint is making the case for dressing up and staying in.

There are actually quite a few reasons why you should really be getting dressed each day. Studies have shown that there is truth to the axiom, “dress for success.” What we choose to wear can shift our mental processes, influencing our mood and even our productivity throughout the day. The best dressed version of ourselves is confident, and self-assured. Ultimately, the most important part of any WFH outfit is not only what feels comfortable, but what gives you confidence – inside and out.  In this strange WFH world, the only person to get dressed for is yourself. 

Whether your WFH commute is to the kitchen or the couch, getting dressed can be a form of self-love. Here to help you feel your best and hit refresh on your wardrobe is Gabrielle Joffie Richards, Sr. Brand Manager of Shapermint. From virtual conference calls to happy hour – and everything in between – here’s to getting dressed again and feeling amazing in your own skin.

Shapermint is here to remind you to treat yourself to a little self-love, spice up your wardrobe and get dressed again. 

Getting dressed reshapes my mindset to positively impact my day.

– Gabrielle Joffie Richards, Sr. Brand Manager of Shapermint

How has WFH influenced or evolved your personal style? Working from home has given me a new appreciation for comfy and cozy essentials. At the start of my WFH style journey, I was sitting in denim all day. So uncomfortable! Fast-forward to now, and I’ve 100% adapted to our new norm of comfort without sacrificing style.

What factors influence your styling choices on the day-to-day? It’s in my nature to plan my week in advance, and although I love an organized outlook on my fashion choices, my morning mood is the deciding factor. Growing up, I was the kid who would lay her school clothes out at night but get up in the morning and have a complete change of heart. Not much has changed in that department! If I wake up on the wrong side of the bed (we’ve all been there), I will force myself into happiness by wearing one of my favorite graphic tees, or I’ll spice up my mood with bold accessories and makeup. On the days where I feel on top of the world, you will see me in bolder colors or prints.


Do you dress for comfort or style or somewhere in between?  I live for comfort. I used to go by the motto “beauty is pain” until I realized that I don’t actually have to be uncomfortable to look fashionable. When that notion clicked, I left the days where I’m purchasing a size smaller to feel good, or sucking in to look a certain way, in the past. My relationship with fashion is very much related to how I’m feeling. If I feel comfortable, I feel positive, and happy people always look good. Plus, my go-to drawer full of Shapermint essentials (my favorites are the leggings and camis) allow me to look cinched-in without feeling uncomfortable. 

What is your foolproof outfit formula for boosting your productivity and staying comfortable and stylish while working from home? The outfit formula that keeps me productive and stylish has to be one of my favorite graphic t-shirts paired with leggings, topped off with a denim button-down for a little structure -- and to show that I’m ready for business. For a final touch, I jazz it up with a great headband, red lip, and a great set of lashes.  

How does getting dressed for the day affect your mood? Feeling put-together and wearing an outfit that makes you feel good, can turn a bad day into a happy and confident one. Getting dressed reshapes my mindset to positively impact my day. Especially on days that I’m wearing my Shapermint leggings, I’ll literally do a double-take when I walk past my full-length mirror. The moment you slip into them, you’ll want to check yourself out. And to me, that’s the ultimate confidence boost.

Wearing Empetua® High Waisted Shaping Leggings by Shapermint and Empetua® Tear-proof Shaping Tights by Shapermint in image above.

Style tips for Zoom meetings...Zoom has become the new norm, so I’m making the most of it. I love changing my background for my Zoom calls, and oftentimes, I try to coordinate my outfits with them. By adding jewelry and a headband, or a top knot and a great lip, you can elevate your Zoom call look instantly. Oh, and *diva light* is essential…. Don’t even get me started on the Zoom HD feature...

How do you transition your look from WFH to evening? I typically wear the same clothing all day, but if I’m stepping out for the evening, I pump up my look a bit. I tease my hair out, add eyeliner or a pop of shadow, and some highlight to my makeup. For clothing, I’m typically in my leggings all day and like to transform this foundation for the night. I add a light jacket, and finally put on some shoes! If I’m staying in, I’ll swap out my leggings for a bike short or bodysuit to lounge around the house in, and my button-up top will be traded for a cozy robe.

What’s your go-to power combo that makes you feel ready to take on your to-do list? A strong cup of coffee and a great planner.

Go-to WFH essentials...Stretchy, comfortable clothing, a great playlist, essential oils, and a great water bottle. 

Shapermint staple… High Waist Leggings for sure!

WFH Style mantra… If you feel good, you look good. 

Photographer: M By Michaela Photography

New Year, New Website: Tips to Give Your Business a Fresh Look & Feel

First impressions count – but did you really know how much? It takes only 1/10th of a second to form a first impression about a person. Websites are no different. According to the findings of three separate studies, it takes about 50 milliseconds (ms) (that's 0.05 seconds) for users to form an opinion about your website that determines whether they'll stay or leave. 

Your website is your brand’s first impression – so make it count. When you have a clear and effective website, you are setting your business (and yourself) up for success. With the dawn of the new year, now is the perfect time to refresh your website, and set the foundation to scale your business. 

To help get us started, branding expert, Joanne Tapodi, shared some tips to give your website a fresh look and feel during her ‘New Year, New Website’ Talk presented by Squarespace at the recent Future You digital festival. A Squarespace website designer, Authorized Trainer and Circle member with over 15 years of experience in graphic design, Joanne has designed over 70 Squarespace websites and developed over 100 brand identities for small business owners. She’s also trained countless people on managing their own websites.

Combining her branding skills and Squarespace knowledge, Joanne creates Squarespace websites that are brand-specific and meaningful. Read on for her tips to get your website looking on-point for 2021, and also for some insight into key trends in website design for the year ahead.

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Tips for an Effective Website

When your ideal customer visits your website, we want to lead them on a journey through your site. Imagine your website as your house, and each page on your website represents a different room; you want to welcome guests in and then take them through the different rooms of the house to show them what you're all about. This is called the user journey. Here are some tips to help you design an effective user journey throughout your website.

Tip #1 – Keep your homepage simple

Your homepage should share a bit about your business and/or a bit about what you do and who you are. It provides the most important information upfront that you want the user to know, so that they can then take this information through to the other pages on your website.

Tip #2 – Use call to actions (CTA’s) to lead the user where you want them to go

Don't give away too much information on your homepage. You want to keep the user engaged throughout each page of the journey. Have at least one CTA on every page of your website to keep that journey going.

Tip #3 – Never miss an opportunity to let the user complete a purchase, book an appointment, or contact you.

Use a few CTA’s on your homepage that lead towards your largest areas of interest; this could be your services, online shop, about page, etc. Include multiple opportunities for the user to engage with your largest area of interest not just on the homepage – but on each page of your website.

Tip #4 – The journey will ultimately end at the page where you would like the user to take action; this could be a contact page to book, submit an enquiry, or purchase page.

It’s important to have a lot of connection points on your website so that people feel like they're going through the website and learning more about you more about your business. As they move through your website, the brand journey becomes quite clear to them, and they can really connect with who you are and what you’re about. Talking about connection will lead me into my next tip:

Tip #5 – Connecting with your audience in your own unique and authentic way will be what sets you apart from your competitors.

In today’s digital age, connection is more important than ever. You have a very minimal amount of time to connect with your audience and you have to establish that connection as quickly as possible. So, how do we make sure you are achieving the touchpoints to connection on your website?

• Establish brand consistency across all areas – tone of voice, image content and brand colors

• Nurture your connection with your audience whilst building your audience by…

  • Sharing informative content through different channels

  • Blogging

  • Setting up a mailing list and sending e-newsletters. Squarespace has email campaigns built straight in to the program, which is one of my favorite features

  • Connecting your social media accounts to your website. Squarespace also allows for easy social integration

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Web Trend Forecast

Trend #1 – ’Editorial’ Web Design

Website viewership on desktop vs mobile is still roughly equal, meaning you need to cater your website for both types of viewers. 

In terms of design for desktop, web page layouts are moving more towards an ‘editorial’ look and feel to engage visitors. This means lots of ‘white’ space between elements and positioning your content blocks in different ways to create unique layouts. Big text is great for headlines, which we see a lot of in editorial design, when we really want to draw people's attention with typographic and font use.

Don’t be afraid to experiment and create lots of space on the web page, whilst also being mindful of how the design will translate from desktop to mobile.

Trend #2 – Bold Colors

I see brands becoming more adventurous by using bold colors. For the last few years, minimal Scandi style with lots of white and monotone hues have been on trend, as well as pastel pinks and earthy tones. I predict we will see a lot of websites using darker backgrounds. Don’t be afraid to use color in expressive ways that suit your brand personality.

Trend #3 – Online Offerings

The shift towards businesses boosting their offering online (in light of the global pandemic) will see an even larger focus on online shopping and online course / workshop content creation in 2021, particularly for businesses that are service based and are used to communicating with customers face-to-face. How can we use our websites to sell?

• Setting up an online shop

• Allowing appointment bookings online

• Creating gated online content for members

This Clean Beauty Entrepreneur Wants You to Break Up With Toxic Ingredients

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

Photo: Courtesy of Yewande Masi

Yewande Masi knows a thing or two about the benefits of cutting toxic things out of your life. After a particularly painful breakup, she launched Ornami Skincare, a clean skincare brand aimed at inspiring others to eliminate toxins from their self-care routine. “I used to make these products for an ex, and when we broke up, I channeled my energy and passion into leveling up and creating them for my girlfriends instead,” explains Masi. Playful references to the breakup are present in the brand’s punny product names, like Let That Mango Body Butter and No Scrubs Ex-Foliator Scrub.

But Ornami Skincare is so much more than a clean skincare brand. “I started it with the idea of creating a self-care community for women,” says Masi. And she’s done just that by creating a group of “Glow Gettas” on social media. Through Ornami Skincare’s Instagram account, Masi is sharing motivation and inspiration for self-care, wellness, and beauty and bringing women together in the spirit of letting go of negativity, toxicity, and anything that doesn’t serve you. It’s a community that’s all about "zero-toxins, zero-drama, and skincare that keeps it one hundred," as the brand’s IG bio promises.

Ahead, the clean beauty entrepreneur tells Create & Cultivate all about how she launched Ornami Skincare to empower women like herself, why community has been key to her success, and her #1 piece of advice for founders starting out today.

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

When I was getting my MBA, I wrote a business plan for another venture and used that as a template for Ornami Skincare. Having a business plan has been helpful in making sure the business has a roadmap and stays on track, but business plans are living documents so you have to be flexible to bend while maintaining the core of the mission. 

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

I was seeking a name that was unique and spoke to the customer I was looking to connect with. I believe my customers are royalty, but I didn’t want to use “queen,” as the word is used a lot. So, I started thinking about the experience of a queen, or someone luxuriating and being adorned. From there, I researched the term “crown” in different languages to see how it sounded. Finally, I landed upon “Ornami” in the Esperanto language. I especially liked the history behind Esperanto being that it was (is) a language spoken by people living in different countries. It spoke to the experience I was trying to create; an inclusive community of women with different backgrounds and experiences but speaking the same language of self-love and self-care.

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

The first couple of things I did were buy the domain name and build the website. I also set up our business structure (LLC, S-corp, etc.) in-state and obtained our EIN (employer identification number) so we could set up our business checking account to accept payment from orders. I immediately followed up by securing my social media handles. The trademark wasn’t immediate as it was pretty expensive, so for the time being, I use ™ to have rights to the name while we wait for the trademark to be approved.

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

As you know, the skincare industry is a very competitive one. I had to do as much research as I could to see where I could be different. A lot of industry reports were free online and I had access to other research reports by visiting the library and learnings from these resources were used in my business plan. I recommend it. It provides insight into the industry so you have an idea of what you’re walking into and helps you to identify how you can be different from what’s already offered.

How did you find the manufacturers that you work with? 

I started making skincare products out of my own personal interest for friends and family, but when I got serious about the business I took educational courses on the right way to formulate and create all-natural skincare products. This background knowledge ended up being really helpful when searching for manufacturers so I could have a better understanding of the business. I am a huge advocate of referrals and leveraging your network to help identify trusted providers. Also, many, if not all, industries usually have trade associations that can provide supplier lists on their websites, so I would suggest combing through these lists to help you get started.  

What makes a successful partnership, and what advice can you share for fellow business owners on finding the right partners?

Partnerships have been extremely important for the growth of Ornami. The advice that I would offer fellow business owners to take it slow! Do your research in order to find the right partner for you and your business. Try determining early on if the partner understands your mission; you want the people you're working with to align with yours so they’re able to produce the best version of what you’re looking for. Last but not least, ask for client testimonials. Think about all the research one does for skincare products—reads reviews, looks at customer photos, as their friends and family for their thoughts, etc.—and go through that same process with your potential partners. 

Did you self-fund the company? If so, how did you bootstrap it and what was that process like for you?

I have completely self-funded Ornami Skincare. Mostly using savings I earned from my full-time job (which I still have!). At this point, I have not received any outside investments, though it’s not something I’ve ruled out and would likely be open to it if the right opportunity and partnership opened up. 

I wasn’t in a rush to get Ornami Skincare up and running because I was funding everything myself. I made small purchases along the way and started out at local pop-up shops to get Ornami Skincare in front of shoppers and as an easy way to connect with the community. Going this route required minimal financial investment other than my time. I would reinvest any money from the purchases back into the business. I also leveraged online freelance services to hire contractors for one-off jobs, which helped to keep my spend low. 

Do you pay yourself, and if so, how did you determine what to pay yourself?

Most of the money earned is reinvested back into the business. I have experimented with paying myself a 10% commission after hitting a monthly revenue target. This ensures the business meets projected sales forecasts and takes care of me as an employee.

How big is your team now, and what has the hiring process been like? Did you have any hiring experience before launching your business?

I work with an amazing team of six passionate women who are not just my team members, but who are also invested in Ornami’s success. Many of my team members were referrals. I have experience hiring having previously been a manager at Verizon Wireless. One thing that I’ve learned over the time of being an entrepreneur is that you cannot do it all. Pull in the experts and ask for help when you need it. For example, for a brand like Ornami, which is fostering a community, an authentic Instagram presence is essential—but I really can’t do it all myself. I work with a team that believes in my vision and can help carry it out and make sure that I do the things that really fulfill me, like hosting Instagram Lives to foster the community.

Did you hire an accountant? Who helped you with the financial decisions and setup, and what advice can you share?

The first two professionals I hired for the business were an accountant and lawyer. The lawyer was recommended through a friend from my MBA program. When I searched for an accountant, I was looking for someone who was personable and was qualified to work in different states in case I ever wanted to expand. I received a lot of help from my alma mater and my MBA program with regards to my financial decisions and set up. They helped me to look beyond any short-term decisions and to think about how these decisions would affect the company long-term. I would recommend people to reach out to their alma mater and get in touch with their alumni communities. Many colleges and universities are investing in their grads by connecting them to programs to get support for their businesses.

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

Digital marketing has been my biggest learning curve, but what I’ve learned is you don’t have to be an expert at everything, and you especially don’t have to become an expert all in one day. Having an understanding of the fundamentals and learning as you go can still help to keep your business moving forward.  

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

Ornami Skincare is more than a business or a skincare company. I started it with the idea of creating a self-care community for women, and I always keep that in mind when I’m thinking about how to reach our audience. So, for example, I started Ornami after a breakup. I used to make these products for an ex, and when we broke up, I channeled my energy and passion into leveling up and creating them for my girlfriends instead. Being honest about that story has really resonated with and empowered the women in Ornami’s community, and helped to provide a story behind the brand to really capture people’s attention.

Similarly, I have a lot of fun with our products. The names, like “Glo Getta” and “Let That Mango,” have really helped set us apart from traditional skincare products and have created a bit of buzz around who we are and what we do. It’s all about being memorable. We’ve built a loyal following by being active on Instagram and being creative in the ways people can share the love. For example, we did a #letitglow campaign in the new year that encouraged people to tell us what they were going to let go of in 2021. It’s on-brand for us, but it also generated a bit of social buzz. We even have a special edition of “Let That Mango” packaging that’s labeled, “Let that ____ Go” and comes with a Sharpie so people can fill in their word and make it a daily affirmation.

It’s all about being creative and authentic, and I’ve found that doing those two things have moved the needle for me in terms of brand awareness.

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

I have a few mentors and I definitely would recommend having one. Even if you aren’t an entrepreneur, I think it is important to have mentors for your own personal growth and development. My mentors have been so helpful. They provide different perspectives, give advice and connect me with people in their network. I found my mentors by being connected to entrepreneurial communities and asking if they would like to be my mentors.

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

I launched my first product in April 2020, so we have been operating in this space the entire time. I do think people have become increasingly focused on supporting small business owners and Black-owned businesses during the past year, and that’s helped to get Ornami some additional attention where we might otherwise have been competing with huge national brands for it. Since we’re so new, I don’t have a “before” to compare things to. Of course, if we were in “normal” times there would be a lot of opportunity for face-to-face events, sampling, and that type of thing. The pandemic has forced us to get very creative with making people understand what we are about without being able to experience it in person.

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

COVID has been a tremendous challenge for businesses of all sizes, but having founded the company during the crisis, I also think that there are silver linings for business owners. I’ve noticed that people are more conscious consumers over the past year, so if you’re a small business owner or creating a product that’s sustainable, non-toxic, or socially responsible, I think there is a lot of opportunity to make noise now that maybe wasn’t there before.

Also, people have really become accustomed to convenience and e-commerce, so leaning into that is a great idea. We sell online only on our Ornami website and that’s been a blessing over the past year as we are where consumers want us to be. 

COVID has also made it easy for people to become isolated, even unintentionally. Try to surround yourself with other entrepreneurs you trust to provide feedback, perspective, and general support. Sometimes it can be helpful to talk to someone who understands what you are going through. 

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

Set up reminders to file your state’s annual business reports to prevent any potential issues in the future. Some state timelines are different from the general fiscal year so it’s important that you put these in your calendar. I would also add to make sure you understand all of the documents and timelines needed for government filings.

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

Create a community! It’s so important to have the support of others as you start up. Find other entrepreneurs who are at the same stage you are to commiserate with and mentors to learn from. Make connections with people in other parts of the business who can give you advice and who you can provide value to as well. Be authentic and make it a two-way street and you will find that you can foster a great community that will help you along the way.

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

Create a budget early on for how much you plan to spend on the business. Have someone in place to report to who will hold you accountable. Without spending controls in place, things can gradually pile up.

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

I would emphasize to myself how important establishing the right mindset is to growing a business. As often as possible, to nurture myself with healthy positivity and eliminate fear. I would also “make the asks” more often for things I needed to push myself and the business forward. It was surprising how many people were ready to say yes and support once I began to ask, that I wish I started asking sooner.

Photo: Courtesy of Ornami Skincare

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How Journalist Noor Tagouri Became a Voice of Our Generation

Photo: Smith House Photo for Create & Cultivate

Noor Tagouri has the eyes and ears of our generation at her fingertips. At only 27 years old, the Libyan-American journalist, producer, and touring speaker has earned international recognition as one of new media’s most impactful voices by encouraging others to stand up, speak out, and be themselves. 

With an engaged community totaling over two million followers, Noor is using storytelling to share the perspectives of marginalized people with the world. She famously put U.S. sex trafficking under the microscope in her documentary and subsequent podcast series “Sold in America,” which received a Gracies Award in 2019 for Best Investigative Series. Now she’s embarking on a podcast interview series under her own production company At Your Service (AYS) called “Podcast Noor” to go beyond the highlight reel and delve into the mindsets of some of the world’s most fascinating people. 

In this episode of the WorkParty podcast, host Jaclyn Johnson had the pleasure of sitting down with the award-winning journalist to learn about her journey in becoming a pioneering voice of our generation, how she faces the hard conversations, and why you too should commit to speaking your truth. Scroll on to tune into the full episode and check out just a few of the highlights from the conversation.

Subscribe to WorkParty and never miss an episode.

On being of service to others…

“When you're of service to yourself and you channel that to be of service to other people, people see your heart and your mind being opened in a way that gives them permission to do the same."

“People enjoy when you are winning and you are learning and you are developing things that you would do for you.”

On living in the present…

“Tomorrow’s not guaranteed for us.”

“The journey, the process, the practice, those are the things that actually matter because the outcome is always going to change.”

“I’m only letting myself feel attached to the ‘now,’ because nothing else matters.”

“Every day I'm a new person.”

“I don’t want to waste time anymore.”

On returning to normalcy…

“What I know for sure is we need each other.”

On waking up early…

“You can work smarter and still go to bed at 8:30.”

On staying inspired during COVID…

“Now I have these groundbreaking ideas that I think are going to change the landscape of representation and storytelling and I wouldn’t have gotten it without this desperation.”

“Survival mode has been a gracious experience, even though we’ve had to bear a lot more.”

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What the International Black Lives Matter Movement Meant for My Business in 2020

Photo: Courtesy of Andréa Jones

Last year was a challenging year of growth for both me and my business. Although I was by no means new to the entrepreneurial world, the events of 2020 would take my business to new heights because of the Black Lives Matter Movement. 

Heading into 2020 I was excited to renew focus on my coaching and course offerings. I was feeling good about my revenue and I wanted to pour my efforts into producing more automated programs. But in March, when the pandemic really started to get attention in the U.S. and Canada, my team and I realized that we needed to pivot and service offerings were the fastest way to revenue growth at the time. 

Over those first few months of 2020, like many others, we did lose some clients, particularly our clients in the event space who essentially lost their businesses during the pandemic. We also had a few clients who decided to take social media in-house as a way to cut costs. We experienced a lot of major changes within our business as I'm sure other business owners did as well.

But even though it was a challenging time, my team rose to the occasion and quickly turned things around. Within a month we had compensated for the abrupt slowdown and reached the March goals that we had previously been behind on. I’m incredibly proud to say my team really weathered the COVID-19 storm with tremendous grace and success. We headed into May feeling really great about our perseverance and growth as a company.

This would later become crucial to helping me stand with confidence about how my company serves its clients and brings value. Because once again, 2020 threw us another curveball and we found ourselves in the midst of worldwide demonstrations for Black lives following the death of George Floyd. Suddenly my company was put front and center because it was Black-owned and I really wrestled with if that was a positive thing or not.

When the Black Lives Matter movement started to pick up widespread media attention, a lot of businesses in the online space began tagging Black entrepreneurs or business owners they worked with as an effort to uplift Black voices. From there, many business owners began examining their network of contractors, or the agencies they hired from a diversity standpoint, realizing they should make a more conscious effort to diversify the people they work with. That’s when I really started to notice a shift in my own business leads. I checked almost all of the marks for someone looking for a diverse team. I am a Black woman, I have team members who are part of the LGBTQIA+ community, and I have team members based all over the world as an internationally based agency. A lot of companies found this quality of our company attractive and hired us. 

When the light was shone on me as a Black business owner, I felt very uncomfortable at first and dealt with a lot of imposter syndrome, especially since I do not consider myself to be a Black rights activist. An avid follower and supporter, yes. But an activist? Hardly. The Black Lives Matter movement also put a lot of emphasis on me as a Black woman, but before last year, I had honestly not thought of myself as a Black woman business owner, simply a business owner. 

I never foresaw the color of my skin being the reason people noticed me and wanted to work with me. It felt like a lot of the reason people were deciding to hire me and my company was only because I was Black. There was a lot of work that I had to do around that to shift my mindset. 

What helped me work through this imposter syndrome I was feeling were two things, really. The first was reminding myself that these prospective clients may have been seeking me out because I was Black, but they certainly weren’t hiring me or retaining my services because I was Black.  

My team does incredible work, as we had proved several times, including during the pandemic. We were able to sustain the rapid growth we were experiencing because we had designed a great service that was set up on the back end and we were getting results for our clients. So, whenever I had feelings of doubt, I reflected on how awesome my team was, and then I reminded myself that I had built that team.

The second thing that really helped me through this imposter syndrome I was wrestling with was something my dad told me. (What’s really funny is his wisdom actually came in the form of a sports metaphor and I am the least sporty person out there.) I told him about the unease I was feeling over all the attention I was receiving and asked him how he was dealing with the Black Lives Matter movement as a Black business owner himself. I absolutely loved his response, which was: “Think of it as your ‘at bat.’” He went on to say, I should think of this time as my turn at the plate. Just because I step up to the plate does not always mean I am going to hit a home run. It doesn’t even mean I’ll necessarily hit the ball. But I do get my chance at the plate, so why not take it? It was that mindset shift that helped me be okay with the attention I was getting and lean into it. 

By learning to embrace the attention I was receiving because of the Black Lives Matter movement, I overcame the imposter syndrome and my business was able to grow both monetary and team-wise. In fact, over the course of 2020, my business tripled in revenue and we added over six new members to our team. Because of that growth, we’re able to reach and help more people. We’re able to show up in a different way, offer more services, and expand our reach. 

And the movement didn’t just impact my clientele, but also my personal professional circle. A surprising realization I had was that my own professional circle was not diverse enough. It’s no secret that the digital marketing industry is chock-full of white men, but I fell right into the trap of just going along with what was right in front of me versus making a conscious effort to create change. After critically looking at the group of people I had connected with initially, I started spending concerted time and effort diversifying my network.

One of the resources I went to is the We Should All Be Millionaires Club by Rachel Rodgers. Her fantastic and diverse group of business owners helped me realize just how much I needed to be around people who were going through the same things that I was. They were business owners like me who were also getting a giant spotlight shone onto their businesses because they were Black and we got to share how everyone was dealing with it.  

Some were celebrating finally being able to show up and be seen and seeing these business owners’ positive energy around the attention they were receiving helped me really accept the spotlight on my business as well. 

I remember how personally invested I became in the movement, and as I reflect on this, I think one of the reasons is because the Black Lives Matter movement really shone a light on the things I had been doing and striving for already in my business. Essentially, the rest of the world was catching up to where I had always been, and I was finally reaping the rewards from that work. Instead of hiding from it, they encouraged me to embrace it.

This whole year taught me lessons that I will carry with me as an individual and as a CEO and business owner for the rest of my life. It’s reinforced the importance of diversity and allowed me to embrace my experience as a Black business owner. I vow to always employ a diverse staff and foster a diverse social and professional group of people around me to influence and guide my thinking and decisions.

If I can leave you with my biggest lesson from the Black Lives Matter movement it is this: everyone should examine their professional and social circles and make a concerted effort to diversify those circles. The experiences and lessons we gather from having a diverse circle can do amazing things, and I think we can all use that as a guiding compass as we continue into this new year. 

About the Author: Andréa Jones is fiercely committed to helping businesses and podcasters build profitable online communities through simple social media solutions. She's the host of the Savvy Social Podcast, which was nominated for “Best Business Series” at the 2020 Canadian Podcast Awards.

Andréa is also the creator of the Savvy Social School, a digital platform designed to teach its 100+ members (predominantly small business owners) how to implement organic social media strategies. For those businesses seeking a curated, done-for-you approach to growing an engaged online audience, Andréa and her team of seven serve nearly two dozen notable brands across the globe.

Named one of Social Report's top marketers to follow, Andréa can routinely be found speaking at highly-publicized events, including Alt Summit, Podcast Movement, and PodFest. You can find her online at onlinedrea.com or @onlinedrea on Instagram.

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Buzzy Wellness Brand Whimsy Official Has Thrived During COVID—This Pivot Was Key

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

Photo: Courtesy of Whimsy Official

When Jasmine Lee and Victoria McAbee first launched their business, it looked very different than it does today. In 2018, the college friends turned co-founders pooled their cash, tapped their friends and family, and took on a small amount of credit card debt to jump-start a mobile matcha bar. “Picture two 23-year-old girls hauling around a 7x14 foot concession trailer hitched to a black Ram truck,” Lee and McAbee told Create & Cultivate. “It’s so crazy to think that used to be our lives! It’s actually laughable now.”

After just one year, their mobile matcha bar was so successful they finally had the funds to trade in the trailer for the brick-and-mortar café they’d initially envisioned for their enterprise. Then, COVID hit. In the wake of the pandemic, Lee and McAbee, like so many small business owners, made the tough decision to permanently shut their doors and pivot to digital instead. Now, they’ve turned Whimsy Official into a thriving e-commerce brand, offering their signature Ceremonial Grade Matcha and Glow Getter Collagen Blend, as well as their recently launched Halcyon Botanic Serum, which marks the wellness brand’s first foray into skin-care.

Ahead, the co-founders tell Create & Cultivate all about how the burgeoning wellness brand has pivoted its strategy due to COVID, why going DTC has been key to its success, and the pitfalls of investing too much money in social media marketing too soon.

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

We’ve been bootstrapping since day one and we’re still bootstrapping now! If we were to find the right investor, we may consider giving up equity, but having full control has always been important to us. As we strive to really position our company the way we want it to be seen and understood, it makes all the financial logistics and planning well worth it.

When we first launched our enterprise, our business looked much different than it does now. For context, we launched in 2018 as a mobile matcha bar called Whimsy. Picture this: Two 23-year-old girls hauling around a 7x14 foot concession trailer hitched to a black Ram truck. It’s so crazy to think that used to be our lives! It’s actually laughable now. That initial concept cost us around $20,000 to start up, and the capital was raised between our own two bank accounts, family and friends, and a small amount of credit card debt.

We would absolutely recommend bootstrapping as plan A. Not only does it teach hands-on financial management skills and resourcefulness, but it also ensures that you’re building something scalable. Going too deep at once (especially for first-time entrepreneurs) can be detrimental for a number of reasons (i.e. too much going on without proper systems and infrastructure to manage it, lots of debt without any plan for ROI, etc.).

Do you pay yourselves, and if so, how did you know how much to pay yourselves?

As of right now, we aren’t paying ourselves. We’re only five months into this business! Although we were fortunate to keep a large portion of our customer base from the mobile matcha bar, launching Whimsy Official has been equally as challenging as starting a brand new business. All of our profit is being pumped back into marketing. 

Would you recommend other small business owners pay themselves? 

It absolutely depends on the industry you’re in and what your overhead and sales look like. Also, it depends on how much money you have in your cash reservoir and whether or not you can budget a salary for yourself. For e-commerce brands, your overhead is typically a bit higher and your profit margin is lower as opposed to operating a service-based business where you keep the majority of your profit (if you play your cards right). So all things considered, it’s very contingent on the situation!

Where do you think is the most important area for a business owner to focus their financial energy and why?

Before launching, branding and product development and/or testing. Brand identity is so crucial in order to visually connect with your audience and ensure that your brand experience is unique and compelling. If your brand doesn’t look the part, it can be harder to secure press, certain retailers, and more. Equally as important as branding is having thoughtful, well-researched products (and third-party tested if needed). Bad products never win the race, but great products always stand the test of time.

After launching, I think that hiring a publicist is an excellent investment, especially if you’re looking for longevity of brand exposure. A lot of brands sink money into Facebook and Instagram ads right away, but that can do more harm than good. Ads can definitely make you a quick buck, but each sale isn’t guaranteed to be recurring, nor is it helping to develop your community. Again, playing for longevity is key! 

What was your first big expense as a business owner and how should small business owners prepare for that now?

Rent! We’ve had our own office space since late 2019, but we decided three months before launching Whimsy Official that we wanted to fulfill all of our own products. No labs, no shipping centers, no third-party manufacturers. It’s imperative to us that we maintain full quality control over sourcing, supply chain, fulfillment, and shipping. That way, we can say with certainty that our company is ethical and sustainable and that we know exactly what ingredients are being used in our products.

To be honest, there really is no way to prepare other than to define a clear plan and start saving money. Had we not had money in the bank, we wouldn’t have been able to move into a new office and buy the supplies we needed to build out our own production facility. Of course, loans and investments are both options, but from our experience, that’s what worked!

What are your top three largest expenses every month?

1. PR

2. Rent for our office and facility

3. Product samples/giftings (we send out crazy amounts of free products to retailers, editors/contributors, and influencers each month!) 

How did you know you were ready to hire and what advice can you share on preparing for this stage of your business? 

With our other business, we had several employees and we just weren’t ready for it! In most cases, over-preparation is valuable, but not when it comes to hiring. It’s best to scale and hire as you grow. Currently, we have no employees at Whimsy Official. It’s just us and our PR team who works as an independent contractor.

Photo: Courtesy of Whimsy Official

Did you hire an accountant? Who helped you with the financial decisions and set up? Are there any tools or programs you recommend for bookkeeping?

We have an annual accountant who helps us file our LLC taxes, as well as our personal taxes, but we do our own month-to-month accounting. We’re lucky to have a pretty manageable amount of expenses, so it doesn’t feel terribly overwhelming. We’re a big fan of spreadsheets! Or any Google document for that matter!

The best tool you can have for learning accounting is to watch YouTube videos on bookkeeping. Learning your way around a pro forma (and how to create one for yourself) is a valuable skill. It really makes you feel like you have all your numbers in check!

What apps or software are you using for finances? What’s worked and what hasn’t?

We originally began working with Quickbooks but decided that we much preferred creating our own pro forma via spreadsheets. It felt more flexible, plus it’s free!

What are some of the tools you use to stay on top of your business financials? What do you recommend for small business owners on a budget?

We like to practice planning for the future, but acting in the now. It’s okay to want to dream big and plan for new things, but sometimes, it’s not always the best thing financially. We encourage small business owners to focus on what you do have instead of what you don’t have. This means to really emphasize making your current offerings as best as they can be with the resources you have, then scaling as you grow. Timing is everything, and money should be treated with purpose! 

Do you think women should talk about money and business more? Why? 

Absolutely! Money is—plain and simply put—just a part of life. There’s so much stigma surrounding the topic of money, but money is just a currency that comes and goes. We believe in using our money and knowledge to help other women rather than using it as an elitism tactic to put them down.

Do you have a financial mentor? Do you think business owners need one?

We don’t! But if we could go back to 2018 when we opened the first edition of our business, we totally would have. 

What money mistakes have you made and learned from along the way?

Well, for starters, when we hired those several employees that I mentioned earlier… huge mistake! Enormous mistake! Granted, we had a plan for all of those hires, but unfortunately, it didn’t pan out as we had hoped. Had we been more seasoned business owners, we do believe that that mistake would have avoided altogether.

What have been some of the hardest money lessons you've learned along the way?

1. Money spends quicker than you’d expect, and you always need a budget mapped out before you spend a single cent.

2. You have two choices: to take the risk or to not take the risk. Always take the risk if it feels right in your gut.

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

While it's important to be logical with your money, it’s also important to remember that money is no good just sitting around. It’s meant to be circulated. If you have a great idea and the funds to get it started, take the plunge! If you don’t, you may have a lump of cash sitting in the bank, but the “what ifs” may not be worth it. Listen to your intuition and practice staying in tune with it.

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How to Feel Confident in the Prices You Charge

Photo: Color Joy Stock Photography

When I first started my business in 2016, I wanted to do everything for everyone. I was so concerned about growing a solid list of clients that I didn’t even think to take a second and reflect on the prices I was charging. That first year of business, I loved creating “special offers” to entice prospective clients. The point when I realized my special offer frenzy was a real issue was when I decided to offer 10 hours of support for $50! Don’t do the math, it’s as awful as it sounds. As you might have guessed, I ended up with a bunch of clients, but were they ideal clients who actually valued my work and input? Definitely not! It got to the point where I didn’t even care about the work I was doing for my clients. I had burned myself out to a crisp.

Upon realizing I had reached the point of burnout, I reflected on what, if anything, had driven me to this point. I mean, I could truly say I loved my work and what I was doing for a living. So what was the issue then? In reflecting, I realized I had only myself to blame. By offering these extremely low, discounted offers, I was essentially discounting myself of quality of life. And isn’t a better quality of life the reason why many of us decide to start our own businesses anyway? At that moment, I realized I had to flip my mindset around the prices I was charging. I had to do the thought work necessary to recognize my own biases or mental roadblocks and overcome them in order to truly feel confident in charging the prices my work was worth.

There are six mental blocks that I believe keep you from feeling confident in the prices you charge. Hopefully, you’ll see yourself in one, or perhaps even a few of these. But once you recognize what’s holding you back, the next step is to think of ways you can actively flip your mindset around that mental block. I’ll give a few thought starters to help you with the thinking process.

#1: You’re stuck in an employee mindset when you should be the CEO.

Stepping into a business owner mindset begins with stepping into the role of captain. Take ownership! When people ask you, “What do you do?” Answer with, “I’m the founder/CEO/owner of X business.” Don’t minimize what you do. When going about your workday, don’t get so caught up in “doing the work” and “producing,” which is an employee mindset, and think of your workday from the perspective of, “Is what I’m doing right now helping move my business forward?” You are the captain of your ship, and you decide what is worthy of your time, energy, and resources.

#2: You’re stuck in a lack mindset when you should think abundance.

Your ideal client is looking for you. Don’t get stuck in the mindset that there aren’t enough clients or there are already too many people doing what you do. Come to interactions with potential clients with confidence and an abundance mindset. If a client doesn’t decide to sign with you, it wasn’t meant to be. It doesn’t mean the next person you meet with won’t be your next long-term client.

#3: You’re viewing money as a dirty word versus money as a possibility.

Practice cultivating a more positive money story. What do you believe about money? Do you believe the phrase, “I’m bad with money?” If so, you need to start shifting your thoughts around money and practicing looking at it in a different light. Allow yourself to begin to rejoice in the fact that money is all around you. Tell yourself daily: “Money is all around me.” It may sound ridiculous, but believe me, it can really help.

#4: You’re stuck in this belief that, to be an expert, you need to know the answer to every single question.

Now that’s just impossible. Think about it. In the online space, you are learning forever and constantly growing, as it runs fast and changes quickly. It’s impossible to know everything. An expert knows the system and platform well enough to find the must-know information. You just have to know more than your client. Your purpose is to save them the time spent in finding it themselves. Stop placing unachievable standards on yourself. 

#5: You’re “focusing” on too many things.

When first starting out, it’s easy to fall into the trap of being a “jack of all trades,” but it's better to focus on your skillset. Become a master of your expertise and hone in on your superpowers. When business owners are excellent at their specific thing, people are willing to pay for them to stay in their zone of genius. They understand your expertise and skillset costs money. Don’t lead with a long laundry list of bullet points of deliverables. The clients you are supporting are visionaries. They are looking for outcomes. The things that come easy for us don’t come easy for others. Know you are great at that. Your expertise will shine through.

#6: You’re not going into sales calls prepping as if they are already your client.

Before meeting with any potential client, you have to do the necessary research and prep work, otherwise, you’re leaving money on the table. Nobody wants to work with someone who isn’t looking to support them long-term. They want someone who will be there in the long-run to support their business goals. Clients will be impressed you did your research. Show you’re invested in helping them meet their goals. Are you potentially sabotaging yourself from working with more clients because you’re not going into meetings with the proper research under your belt? Just something to consider. A sales call is also the prospective client’s first impression of you, so you want to present yourself as a service that is already delivering on the prices you charge.

I hope by listing out these mental blocks it will help you, as it did me, to overcome whatever is holding you back in feeling confident with the prices you charge. It’s 2021 ladies. Let’s move forward being compensated as such!

Photo: Courtesy of Tasha Booth

About the Author: Tasha Booth is an agency owner, coach, and podcaster. She is the founder and CEO of The Launch Guild, a course launch support and digital marketing implementation agency supporting established coaches and course creators with course and podcast launches, operations and systems management, and content management and repurposing. Her team is over 20 members strong and works together to support their clients in being able to focus back onto their zones of genius.

Additionally, she mentors virtual support pros (VAs and OBMs) who are passionate and ready to grow their businesses while living life on their own term and is the host of the “How She Did That Podcast,” a podcast for virtual assistants, online business managers, and project managers to learn business and tech tips. Tasha is an Air Force wife to her husband Scott, stepmom to Grace and Meredith, and work-from-home dog mom to Stanly and Boomer. In her spare time, she watches true crime tv, sings karaoke, and tends to her organic vegetable garden.

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How to See the Opportunity Around You (Even When You Feel Defeated)

Photo: Color Joy Stock Photography

Life is about seeing the opportunity around you, stepping into the vision you have for yourself, and embracing the work it will take to get there. 

For me, stepping into the vision I have for myself hasn’t always been easy and there has been a ton of imposter syndrome along the way, but leading is about doing scary things and having faith in knowing you were created to do something amazing. 

One thing I know for sure is one bump in the road doesn’t define who you are, or the impact you are meant to have in the world. In fact, if you let it, one bump, or many bumps can inspire you to take the leap to do more with your life. I know this was the case for me. 

One of my major bumps in the road was when I filed for bankruptcy. I was a single mom and not in a financial place to handle everything that was coming my way. I remember leaving the courtroom after my bankruptcy hearing feeling ashamed and embarrassed, but I knew in my heart there was something more out there for me, I only needed to have the courage to go after it. 

It was then I decided to take a leap, bet on myself and move from Ohio to North Carolina with me, my son, our luggage, my last paycheck, and a rental car. I didn’t have a job, but I was willing to bet on myself and had faith the move would create a better life for us.  I was right. 

When you feel defeated, it is critical to see the opportunity and not let the moment define you, or your future.

1. First, it’s okay to feel the emotions that come with feeling defeated. 

It’s normal during tough situations to feel sad, angry, disappointed, embarrassed, frustrated. It’s important to take the time to acknowledge the emotion, so it can be dealt with accordingly. 

When I filed for bankruptcy, I felt ashamed, embarrassed, and irresponsible. I let myself feel all my emotions, I cried and talked it out. As I worked through my emotions, I began to forgive myself, which allowed me to move forward. 

2. Ask yourself, “What is the lesson I can learn from this?” 

As you face your situation, think about the lessons you can or have learned and how your situation can shape your life for the better. 

Thinking about the lessons I learned was a pivotal moment for me because I realized I needed to make more money and be wiser with my financial decisions around money. I needed to think bigger and rethink my career game plan. This big thinking ultimately is what changed my trajectory and situation creating a better life for me and my son. 

Which brings me to...

3. Think about the opportunity around you to change your circumstance. 

There are opportunities all around us. When you are open to seeing them, you create a whole new set of possibilities for yourself. You have to be able to look outside of yourself, your comfort zone, and be ready to be all in to do what it takes to change your situation.

When I moved from Ohio to North Carolina with no real guarantee anything would work out, this motivated me to apply for jobs outside of my original career field and utilize my full experience. I enhanced my education to help me move up the career ladder faster, I moved into upper management and was part of senior management teams in the C-suite.

 Within a few years, my skill set surpassed several of my colleagues and I became the go-to for troubled businesses that needed help with restructuring and streamlining. This experience ultimately is helping me to build my own seven-figure business and helping other entrepreneurs to do the same.    

4. Create an “I never want to be in this situation again” action plan and follow it. 

When life throws us challenges, it’s important to ask how you can not be in the situation again. Use the lessons you learned from Step 2. Think about the steps you need to take, break down those steps into micro-steps, and take real action to achieve your goals. Don’t delay.  

In my situation, after going through what I went through, my action plan was, and is, now to help me never struggle financially again and to make smart financial decisions for my and my family’s future.  

This has helped me to do brave things like start my business, continuously invest in my growth and development, travel the world, buy my home, become the breadwinner for my now blended family of four, and continue to keep doing big and scary things.     

Remember, life is meant to be lived, so it is never too late to step into the life you want to create and to go after more. 

“When you feel defeated, it is critical to see the opportunity and not let the moment define you, or your future.”

—Brandy Mabra, CEO of Savvy Clover Coaching & Consulting

About the Author: Brandy Mabra is the CEO of Savvy Clover Coaching & Consulting and a business and leadership coach. Brandy has 15 years of business management and leadership experience. She has worked in diverse business climates and has turned hot mess businesses into well oiled and profitable machines with engaged teams. Brandy has spent her career building million-dollar empires and now uses her million-dollar skill set to help herself and other women entrepreneurs to do the same. 

Brandy is the founder of Savvy Foundations, a CEO mastermind helping other women show up unapologetically savvy in their CEO role and build a healthy and sustainable business generating multiple-six and seven-figures. Because The CEO Skill Set is the Million Dollar Skill Set. Brandy loves to travel and spend time with her family, she believes you cannot build a business on fumes and CEO breaks are required. You can follow her on Instagram at @savvyclovercoaching.

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Why This Beauty Entrepreneur Believes Failing Fast Is Better Than Avoiding Risk Altogether

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

Photo: Courtesy of Vie Beauty

When Atlanta-based esthetician Jasmine Lewis first opened the doors to her salon, Vie Beauty, she didn’t have any intention of pursuing a long-term career in beauty. After graduating from Clemson University with a degree in biological sciences, she enrolled in esthetician school and started her salon as a side-hustle to save money for medical school. However, as she worked toward her esthetician’s license, she discovered the deeper connections between biology and beauty and found that it was possible to pursue both of her passions at the same time. So she pivoted.

Then, last year in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and COVID-induced shutdowns that impacted her small business, Lewis pivoted yet again and launched Vie Beauty’s first product, 30Roses Hydrating Rose Water. “I had developed my own rose water spray to use on clients and kept receiving requests to purchase the spray—that was my ‘aha moment,’” she told Create & Cultivate. “I had every intention of scaling my business, and the rose water spray seemed like the perfect place to start.” And the pandemic presented the perfect opportunity for her to take the plunge.

Below, the up-and-coming beauty entrepreneur spills all the details behind how she built her blooming business, including why she believes it’s always better to fail fast and learn from your mistakes than avoid taking risks altogether.

Take us back to the beginning—what was the lightbulb moment for your business?

Like many people, I was stuck in a job that wasn’t the right fit for me. My family and I were in the midst of a traumatic experience, and my job at the time would not allow me to travel home to be with them. At that moment, I realized I needed to pursue something different, something I was truly passionate about and could create on my own.

I have owned my beauty studio for several years serving clients as an esthetician, and rose water has become an essential part of my services. I start each appointment by cleansing the client’s face and then applying rose water to hydrate the skin. I had developed my own rose water spray to use on clients and kept receiving requests to purchase the spray—that was my “aha moment.” I had every intention of scaling my business, and the rose water spray seemed like the perfect place to start. And thus the 30Roses Hydrating Rose Water was born.

Did you write a business plan? If so, was it helpful? If not, what did you use instead, and why did you take that approach?

I had a very loose business plan when I started my beauty salon. The salon started more as a “side hustle” to save money for my then-goal of medical school, and it transitioned into something greater.

But this year, prior to the launch of the 30Roses spray, I spent more time creating a structured business plan. I created an outline of my business goals with a timeline because I needed a road map to see where I was going and the different milestones that I wanted to hit in that time frame.

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

Vie means “to be alive” in French. I believe in choosing life in every aspect of the choices you make, to be alive and fulfilled in all things that bring you joy. The skin is the largest organ of our bodies and seemingly is what keeps us alive. This is why skin health, proper skin education, and being mindful of the ingredients we put on our skin is so vital to living. Also:

• The VI in Vie Beauty is the Roman numeral for 6, which represents the month that both of my grandmothers passed away.

• Our pink logo is inspired by breast cancer awareness, as one of my grandmothers passed away from breast cancer.

I knew Vie Beauty was the right name for my brand because it represented everything I stood for and my “why.” My grandmothers were my whole world, and they are now at the core of my brand. I played around with name ideas that incorporated my name, but it just did not resonate with me. Vie really stuck with me and I felt like it would stand against the test of time. I could picture Vie Beauty as a global brand that could expand into something much more. When thinking of a company name, my advice would be to think long term; think of your 10-year goals for your brand instead of focusing on the now.

When deciding on my business name, I took into consideration whether or not the name was taken, the accessibility of the name, how easy it was to spell and search, if there were any other brands working under the same name, how it looked on paper, how easy it would be for others to remember, and the way the name sounded. Be sure to check for trademarks and search social media to make sure no one is operating under the name you want. Make the name unique to you and your story as well as the mission you want to achieve. But make sure it’s not too difficult to remember, spell or pronounce; you want your business to be very easy for customers to remember.

What were the immediate things you had to take care of to set up the business and what would you recommend to new founders reading this right now?

The items at the top of my list were an Employee Identification Number (EIN), LLC filing, a Google listing, my website domain, and my social media handles across all platforms (even ones that I might not have used initially, just for name security purposes). These are all crucial to secure as a founder of a new business.

I also recommend securing the variations to your domain name (i.e. .org, .co, etc.), your trademark, and any other names that you feel you would like to associate with your brand. It’s an extra layer of security for your business.

What research did you do for the brand beforehand? Can you explain how you found and compiled that research? Why would you recommend it and why is it important?

I started by researching my competitors as well as brands I admired that were doing well and creating some sort of impact in the industry. I didn’t just stick to the beauty industry with my research; I looked at brand strategies in other avenues such as tech to see what made them successful. I religiously read and researched trends and created specific verticals in my research regarding my target audience. I primarily used the internet (aka Dr. Google), my network of supporters, books, and podcasts like “How I Built This” by Guy Raz and “Side Hustle Pro” by Nicaila Matthews Okome. I also used platforms like Pinterest to create mood boards for things I liked and didn’t like as I built the brand. And prior to launching the 30Roses rose water, I got feedback on the product through a series of collaborative pop-ups to test the market. Researching is crucial because it can answer questions that you didn’t even realize you needed to know.

How did you find the manufacturer/production facility that you use? Did you have any bad experiences? What did you learn, and what advice do you have for other founders looking for a trustworthy manufacturer?

I thoroughly researched manufacturers online (aka Dr. Google) and found my current manufacturer through extensive research. I actually had a bad experience with the first manufacturer I used, as they took an extremely long time to develop the product and it still wasn’t up to the quality standards that my customers deserve. Overall, I learned to ask more questions during the vetting process. Get clarity on the scope of work and make sure EVERYTHING is in writing; contracts are essential for every working relationship you have. Get plenty of references, request samples, test and research, research, research before selecting a manufacturer.

Did you self-fund the company? If so, how did you bootstrap it? Did you do a friends-and-family round? Or did you raise seed money or initial investment money? What path would you recommend?

Vie Beauty was completely self-funded—it was primarily bootstrapped through savings, the profits from my beauty studio, and family gifts. The funding route you should choose depends on the rate that you’d like to grow your business. If you are trying to grow quickly, you should aim to raise money and secure investors. But if you are willing to move at a slower, steady pace, it is completely fine to go the bootstrap route. Keep in mind that when you bring on investors, you also lose part ownership of your business; you are no longer the sole owner. On the other hand, investors often provide mentorship and guidance as you grow the business. So it all depends on your goals.

How much did you pay yourself in the beginning?

Like many new entrepreneurs, I actually do not pay myself. I reinvest everything back into the business and paying my team.

How big is your team now, and what has the hiring process been like? Did you have hiring experience before this? If not, how did you learn and what have you learned about it along the way? What advice can you share?

I have an extremely small but mighty team. I do work with contractors for some aspects of the business, but the blood, sweat, and tears are all me (although, my husband does step in from time to time). I had a little hiring experience from previous jobs, but my advice is to thoroughly vet the people you want to work with and make sure they align with your values and goals.

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

I do work with a CPA, but I make my own financial decisions. I recommend working with a CPA to get guidance on the financial aspects of your business, especially for tax purposes. There are a few websites that provide amazing advice on accounting and bookkeeping, like Bench. You can also find people on Fiverr that will help get your books in order or work on an on-going contract basis.

What has been the biggest learning curve during the process of establishing a business? What mistakes have you made?

The biggest learning curve for me was planning ahead and developing an overall strategy. I did not plan for the extreme level of growth that Vie Beauty has had, and at times, I shelled out more money than I should have. For example, I’ve had to pay almost four times the cost of shipping to get something rushed over from my manufacturer or even paying for rush jobs if I had planned ahead, I would not have had to face that type of situation. Having a plan in place is better than trying to wing everything on the spot. Always plan for the best-case scenario and the worst-case scenario.

Also, don’t be afraid to ask questions and ask for help. Oftentimes, your network is more than happy to help you and provide the answers you’re looking for. I still struggle with asking for help, so a lot of times, I am not maximizing my time to its full potential. Also, you need to accept that you’re not an expert in everything and learn to be okay with that. Operating in your zone of genius allows you to perform at your highest power. I tried to build my own website on numerous occasions and it was terrible every time. I believe in hiring experts who can fill in those gaps for you. After hiring a professional to design my website, I saw major growth within my brand and also my social presence. So now I am more confident in showing up.

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

Yes, I do have a few business mentors and I definitely recommend having one or two: one in your industry and another in a different one. Business strategies are pretty similar across industries, they are just applied in different ways. For example, the art of maximizing human attention can be applied to any industry across the board that has a social presence. Oftentimes, you can find mentors in your close network that are willing to give you solid business guidance. Look to the people you already know when starting the search for a business mentor.

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

Social media and referrals have been my biggest marketing tools. I actually learned a lot of marketing strategies when running my beauty studio, so I already knew quite a bit about how to promote Vie Beauty prior to launching. About 30% of my business’s income comes from marketing efforts. The biggest challenge so far has been Facebook ads; I wasn’t very well versed in Facebook advertising or creating a paid social strategy. Thankfully, I have experts on my team to assist me. Resources like Create & Cultivate have also been very beneficial as I navigate the marketing process.

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?

The most important thing I could’ve done was getting a trademark and patent. I am in the process of securing those right now, but I wish I had done it prior to launching because it can take a long time to get approval.

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

Come out strong and don’t cut any corners. You might be hindering yourself from success by not initially presenting the best product possible. Take risks and don’t be afraid to fail. It’s always better to fail fast and learn from it than to avoid risks altogether. Always aim to be better than you were yesterday, and stay laser-focused on your goals, plans, and brand mission.

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

My biggest piece of advice is to secure capital. You have GOT to spend money to make money, so consider your funding options before launching your business.

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

If I could go back to the start, I would tell myself to create a solid plan and strategy, don’t cut any corners, and start out strong! Also, be patient with yourself and your process. Your journey is not like anyone else’s journey. Use grace as you learn to navigate the entrepreneurial space and always speak life and bounty over your business.

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Want to Land Your Dream Job? 3 Tips to Get You Closer to Your Career Sweet Spot

Photo: Color Joy Stock

I’ve been helping students, peers, and friends figure out their education and career journeys for nearly fifteen years. I don’t have all the answers, but I’ve learned a great deal about how to craft my own destiny since entering the workforce, despite what at times has felt like I’ve strayed from my course.

Throughout my career journey, I figured out what skills I needed to develop and found a way to pursue my passions, even when my full-time role wasn't exactly my dream job. By taking on different responsibilities and learning opportunities, and by shifting to a different mindset, I continued to set myself apart and diversify my skill set. I’ve relied on some simple career tenets in the companies and roles I’ve had for over a decade—even if they were subconscious at the time—and it’s not surprising that we’re teaching students some of these things through my work at HIVE DIVERSITY.

Regardless of where you are in your own career journey—whether you’re just starting out, thinking about a pivot, or just aren’t exactly at your end goal quite yet—here’s my advice for ensuring you always grow closer to your career sweet spot.

1. It’s okay to accept a role that’s not the job.

This advice may seem obvious since there are many people who aren’t in their dream jobs. However, I’m not guiding you to open the floodgates to start considering anything and everything. If you can envision a path to the role you want from the role you’re considering, it might be worth a shot rather than waiting for the perfect job, especially in a challenging market. I graduated from college during a financial downturn, so I’ve experienced what it’s like to start or pivot a career during a period of uncertainty. I wasn’t in a position financially where I could go too long without a job, so I eventually accepted a role that wasn’t related as closely to my major and to what I wanted to do, but where I could see a path to getting there.

Fast forward to today, and I’m the chief operating officer at HIVE DIVERSITY, a career development and recruiting platform which brings together one unique community of students and recent graduates with employers who value diversity. Our students learn about career development from five levels of gamified content, videos, and resources, which take them from college major and career planning through interview prep. As part of our guidance on selecting a post-grad role, we advise students “as long as the job is not just ‘anything’ it doesn’t have to be everything… just a step in the right direction.” Of course, if you get your dream job, that works, too!

2. Adopt a “yes, and” mentality.

A big part of my work and life approach is informed by design thinking, a human-centered approach to solving problems. To aid in idea-generation, design thinkers will often call upon the mindset of “yes, and” (also used in the world of improv), which involves accepting and building on new ideas, rather than saying no to them. In my experience “Yes, and…” has meant finding something worth accepting in anything that comes my way, and then adding my own spin on it.

When it comes to your career and helping to get closer to what you want and value, “yes, and” can be a great way to ensure you’re not closing doors too quickly that might lead to something useful. A few years ago, I was in a fast-paced customer-facing operations role with a lot to manage and little time to do it. When I was asked to add a new daily task to my to-do list, my initial instinct was to say “No, but…” which I pivoted to a “yes, and.” Yes, I took on the ongoing task, and I amended the ask so that I improved the process itself. I recognized that adding my own twist of process improvement would be a résumé-builder in itself. Not only did this new task eventually take a lot less time to do, but I was able to find value in the initial idea that was sent my way.

3. Proactively seek or create opportunities to work on things you’re interested in.

As you’re on your journey to career nirvana, look for ways to work or volunteer in the areas you’re most interested in if it’s not exactly what you’re doing full-time. You might be in a company you love but not in your dream department or functional area. Or, you might be considering an individual contributor role, and you know that you want to build leadership experience to get the job you’ve always wanted. If you have the capacity to take on additional projects or learning opportunities, don’t be afraid to seek them out!

As part of a rotational training program at a company I was excited to work at, I’d learned that there was a department specifically focused on technical project management—something I’d been exposed to and wanted to build on. Through demonstrating interest and an informational meeting with the department head, I ultimately was able to rotate to that department. I love leading teams, so when I took on a subsequent role where I could expand on technical skills without being a people manager, I sought opportunities to lead. Given my interest in diversity and inclusion, I volunteered to be on the leadership team of two employee resource groups: another vital “extra” role that clinched my experience in both D&I and leadership at once!

Ultimately, I’d built up a portfolio of experiences that caught the eye of my partner and HIVE founder, Byron Slosar. Building on my work across operations, career services, process improvement, diversity and inclusion, leading teams, and more, I wound up being the perfect fit for HIVE DIVERSITY and vice versa.

If you’ve spent time learning what you want, it turns out you already have the tools to get there. Take chances, be proactive, and work with what you have. The rest will follow.

“When it comes to your career and helping to get closer to what you want and value, “yes, and” can be a great way to ensure you’re not closing doors too quickly that might lead to something useful.”

—Dakotah Eddy, Chief Operating Officer, HIVE DIVERSITY

About the Author: Dakotah Eddy is the chief operating officer of HIVE DIVERSITY, a digital recruiting platform that connects employers with a unique community of graduates that represents what diversity in the workforce is supposed to be. Prior to joining HIVE DIVERSITY, Dakotah was an operations leader for Victoria's Secret Beauty, where she served on the leadership team for the women's and Black associates' diversity and inclusion groups and completed the Inclusive Leadership Development Program. Dakotah received her MBA from Cornell University's Johnson Graduate School of Management with a focus on Strategy, Marketing, and Technology.

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This Founder Launched Her Jewelry Line With Just $100—Now It’s a Michelle Obama Favorite

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

Photo: Courtesy of Chari Cuthbert

Last year, ByChari founder Chari Cuthbert made headlines everywhere. After former first lady Michelle Obama donned one of Cuthbert’s designs, a delicate gold chain spelling out “vote,” during her speech at the 2020 Democratic National Convention, everyone from Vanity Fair to Forbes wanted to know more about the designer behind the necklace—and, of course, add it to cart. In just two days, Cuthbert sold a staggering 4,000 pieces, when, on a typical day, she would receive about 200 orders.

But don’t call her an overnight success. Cuthbert has been hustling for years to get to where she is today. In fact, she started ByChari with just $100 in her bank account and didn’t pay herself for the first four years (!) she was in business, instead, reinvesting every dollar she made back into the company. “I started relatively small and would buy enough materials to make exactly what I needed,” the founder tells Create & Cultivate. And it’s safe to say her slow and steady strategy has more than paid off.

Scroll on to learn more about how the successful founder built and scaled her sought-after jewelry brand, including why she urges prospective small business owners to follow her lead and “build a strong infrastructure and scale from there.”

How did you fund ByChari, and would you recommend that route to other entrepreneurs? What advice can you share?

I started ByChari with $100 in my account. I started relatively small and would buy enough materials to make exactly what I needed. For the next year, I would re-invest the profit from my sales back into the company. I wish I would have saved more to start, but then again, I started so small and really wasn’t focused on building a company but more on having a creative outlet. 

How much did you pay yourself in the beginning?

Honestly, very little. One of the first things I did was hire a good CPA to advise me. I paid myself enough to cover my personal expenses and kept as much money in the company as possible. 

Would you recommend other small business owners pay themselves?  

I didn’t pay myself for the first four years I was in business, but it was important for me to take care of myself. I think all business owners should be honest about the time they are investing and commensurate themselves accordingly. 

Where do you think is the most important area for a business owner to focus their financial energy and why?

I think it changes as the company grows. In the beginning, it was inventory, and as the company grew, it was growing a staff and investing in my team. Now we focus on inventory and marketing. 

What was your first big expense as a business owner and how should small business owners prepare for that now? 

My first big expense was digital marketing. I knew it would be a crucial step in growing the business, but it was nerve-wracking making that first payment. Once we had a strategy in place, I made sure that we had ample savings and felt 100% confident in the spend. 

What are your top three largest expenses every month?

Digital marketing, inventory, and employees.

How did you know you were ready to hire and what advice can you share on preparing for this stage of your business? 

When I was working 18-hour days and still not able to accomplish everything I needed to. I knew I would have to watch my overall expenses in order to bring on an employee, but it was so important for my mental and physical well-being to get help. 

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

When I started the business in Hawaii, I did everything myself. Once I decided to move to L.A. and focus on growing the business, I hired a CPA who helped me with the transfer and California set up. I now work with a financial firm that oversees all of my expenses, budgeting, and spending. Best thing I ever did!

What apps or software are you using for finances? What worked/what didn’t?

I started with QuickBooks from the very beginning. 

What are some of the tools you use to stay on top of your business financials? What do you recommend for small business owners on a budget?

Honestly, QuickBooks. No matter how big or small your company, being organized financially is so important. You can get the essential version for under $30/month. 

Do you think women should talk about money and business more? Why? 

Yes, now more than ever. There are more women run-businesses. We all have the same or if not similar challenges. There is no shame in making mistakes or miscalculating, but not taking the opportunity to ask for help or advice is an even bigger miss. Women need to support each other in any way possible. 

Do you have a financial mentor? Do you think business owners need one? 

I don’t have a financial mentor, that’s where my firm has come in. They have become an extension of my work family, more than a team that just crunches numbers for me. However, having someone to speak with about money is important, even if it’s a parent or close, trusted relative. 

What money mistakes have you made and learned from along the way?

In the beginning, I definitely overspent on materials without having a proper plan.   

What have been some of the hardest money lessons you've learned along the way? 

Managing cash flow. It is so important to constantly be aware of what is coming and going out of your account. 

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

Start slow and steady. Build a strong infrastructure and scale from there.

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4 Ways to Adapt to a Chaotic Work-From-Home Environment and Still Get Things Done

Photo: Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels

So you’ve gone from working out of your Pinterest-worthy office to a corner of the spare bedroom hoping the kids don’t barge in? While we’re all still learning to navigate this weird Groundhog Day-esque situation, we’re also figuring out how to adjust to the new way of working the pandemic has pushed us into. 

Right now, working from home is the rule—not the exception—which means the line between home and work has never been thinner. However, there are a few things you can do to help you navigate this new way of working and maintain your sanity! As someone who has been working remotely for years (and mom of a newborn!) here are my top tips for adapting to your work-from-home environment while maintaining productivity.

1. Create a daily routine that establishes work hours and family/life hours.

Sure, no one would technically know if you lived in pajama pants all day and maybe even finished working at 11 pm… but is that what you actually want? Not only can it hinder your productivity, but it can also make it harder to relax when you’re not on the clock. Working from your bed, for example, can hinder sleep when the time comes to wind it all down. 

Because of the current lack of external structure like a commute or office culture and community to separate work and home life, it’s important that we create a working structure for ourselves. The first big thing you can do to create structure when working from home is to set work hours and stick to them. Pick the times of day that you’ll dedicate to your work, and focus on work during that time. And when those hours are over, focus on your life beyond work! 

2. Use apps and tools that let you save ideas verbally. 

When you’re working from home, there may be distractions you didn’t experience in the office. For example, many of us are navigating work-from-home with kids at home. It’s easy to lose your train of thought or forget what you’re supposed to be working on when you have to keep one eye on your children and one eye on your work—but it’s possible to find balance and stay on track! 

Try using apps and tools that allow you to take verbal notes. Apps like Voxer allow you to record voice memos for yourself and other members of your team to secure your thoughts quickly in the moment. You can also use voice-to-text on Slack to take notes for yourself or others, or voice memos on your phone to record important memos for yourself. 

3. Set a priority list at the beginning of the week. 

Starting the week with a list of goals can help you stay on track. Set aside an hour or two on a Sunday night or Monday morning to map out the week’s priorities and tasks. When distractions pop-up during the week—which is inevitable—you’ll know how to bring yourself back. This also allows you to check work items off of your list and visually see your work moving through the week so that you’ll know exactly what you’ve done and what you still need to do. 

You can keep your list organized in a project management tool like Asana or ClickUp, in a personal planner or notebook, or even on an old fashioned whiteboard. All of these methods allow you to easily see your work in front of you and know exactly where you’re at, regardless of distractions. 

4. Build a feel-good practice into the end of each day.

Navigating working from home can feel isolating, frustrating, chaotic, and boring all at the same time. Making time to fill your cup will ultimately help you to feel better, work better, and get more done. At the end of your workday, make some time to do something that relaxes you, brings you joy, and takes you out of “work mode.” 

You could go for a walk, drink some tea on your porch, practice some yoga, read a good book, or even play a game. The possibilities are endless, but whatever you do, make it something that recharges your battery and allows you to unwind from your day. Your work—and your physical, mental, and emotional health—will be better for it. 

Remember, even though working from home can be overwhelming, it’s all about finding the right routine that brings some semblance of balance into your life. Your routine might be different from the next person’s, and that’s okay! It’s all about finding something that helps you work through the struggles and distractions that working from home—or living at work—can bring. 

“Navigating working from home can feel isolating, frustrating, chaotic, and boring all at the same time. Making time to fill your cup will ultimately help you to feel better, work better, and get more done.”

—Cait Scudder, Entrepreneur

About the Author: Cait Scudder is a former high school teacher-turned-entrepreneur whose work has been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, Business Insider, and more. An internationally-recognized online business expert, Cait is a TEDx speaker, host of the “Born to Rise Podcast,” and CEO of a seven-figure company—and she’s on a mission to reach and empower ten million driven, bold-hearted women so they can uncover their zone of genius and use it to create profitable, purpose-driven businesses that change the world. You can follow her on Instagram @caitscudder.

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Vision Boarding Your Future: A Creative Approach to Planning Your Finances

Photo by Andy Art on Unsplash

People who can visualize themselves accomplishing something are more likely to make them happen. This technique, called visualization, is the practice of creating a mental image of a future event or outcome and envisioning the process of how to make it happen. Used correctly, visualization can be a powerful, creative tool to help you accomplish your goals in life – especially your financial goals. 

Visualization works by training the brain. By rehearsing your future behavior and the actions you will take to make your desired goal a reality, you prepare yourself to effectively carry that thought into action. Just like exercise, the more you visualize something, the stronger that vision becomes and the more confident you are to follow through on that action and turn your goals into reality.

Finding success with visualization takes commitment. You need to set aside time every day to visualize yourself hitting your goals if you want them to become a reality, which is why creating a vision board can be such a useful tool to create a consistent visualization practice, and help you (finally!) get your finances in check this year.

Personal financial educator, Tiffany “The Budgetnista” Aliche teamed up Ally to share a creative approach to planning your finances through vision boarding during her workshop at the recent Future You digital festival. An award-winning teacher of financial education, “The Budgetnista” is an Amazon #1 bestselling author of The One Week Budget and the Live Richer Challenge series. She's also a contributing editor for Next Advisor.

Read on for Tiffany’s tips to create your own vision board to help you plan for your financial future. Because it’s not just enough to decide on a goal – you have to take action to fund it. 

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Tips to Create Your Vision Board

Tip #1 – Define Your Goals

It's very difficult to get to a place unless you have a specific destination in mind. If I were to give you a plane ticket and tell you to use it wherever you want it to go, it's going to be very difficult for you to enjoy that plane ticket without choosing a specific destination.

Tip #2 – Your goal should be positively aligned

Steer away from what ‘not’ to do. If you speak in the negative, you see the negative. Instead, speak in the positive and use affirmations to articulate your goal. For example, rather than say ‘don't work so much’ or ‘work less,’ instead say ‘spend more quality time with family and friends.’

Visualization in the form of positive-outcome predicting can have a huge impact on how we shape the course of our lives. A 2016 study shows that this type of thinking drastically reduces unproductive worry-mentality and decreases stress.

Tip #3 – Be Specific

Visions start in your head, then come out through words, and then actions, which is why it’s important to be specific.

For example, let’s say you want to start setting aside money. For what? Where are you going to put it? How much at a time will you save? At what frequency or cadence will you set the money aside to save (weekly, monthly, with each paycheck, etc)? How will it be transferred or put aside? For how long or until when?

Include all of these steps on your vision board to really solidify your goal, so you can then take action towards that vision.

Tip #4 – Find Your Inspiration

Look for things that inspire you – or even people who inspire you – and what will keep you inspired. Look for images that are aligned with your goal, write down affirmations, and again – be specific!

Get creative! Your vision board is a visual representation of who you are creatively, so consider cutting out magazines, using stickers, etc. Use elements and stimulus that will inspire and empower you long term.

Tip #5 – Lay it Out

You might look at your board and realize you want to be able to see the inspiration that is directed towards one area of your life. Consider segmenting your vision board (i.e. a ‘personal’ section and a ‘professional’ section) to keep yourself inspired by the goals you’re working towards in that particular area of your life.

Tip #6 – Keep it in Sight

Place your vision board somewhere that you will see it regularly – your office or workspace, your dining room, or even a hallway or a bathroom. You need to be able to SEE it often. Being reminded of your goals every day helps create the motivation to achieve them.

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Savings Tips to Fund Your Vision

Tip #1 – Emergency Fund

In order to fund your big goals, you must have security and a financial cushion. Your first line of defense is always, always your emergency fund. It's very difficult to leap from an unsafe space. If you're not feeling comfortable and safe, it's going to be very hard for you to level up closer to your goal. Leverage technology, like Ally Bank’s smart savings tools to create an emergency fund. Knowing that you have a safe space to land will help lead you towards your dreams more boldly.

Tip #2 – Charitable Giving

Give your money purpose. I truly believe that giving activates abundance. Charitable giving is doing something for no return for someone else – that's it. So, whatever that looks like for you. Because what you're really saying is I am giving from the overflow of my life, and acknowledging I have overflow is acknowledging that I have excess. And sometimes that's also just giving time and energy!

Tip #3 – Use Your Vision Board

Using the tips above, revisit your vision board often and update it as you (and your goals!) begin to grow. When you are actively working towards your goal – which oftentimes means funding that goal – it makes it seem real and more attainable.

To learn more about Ally, visit ally.com

Ally Bank, Member FDIC

Yes, You Can Actually Make Money on Instagram—Here’s How I Did It

Photo: Color Joy Stock

How do people actually make money on Instagram? 

It’s a question you’ve probably asked yourself as you scroll through your feed. The bad news is that there is no one way, the good news is that there are so many options and you don’t have to be a model or celebrity to make it work. You may think that making money on Instagram is reserved for the rich and famous, the Kardashians of the world, or those fashion bloggers who get millions in commission each year, but there is space for you too!

I wanted to have a side hustle beyond real estate, I wanted to bring in extra income and feel more in control of my finances. I built a large Instagram following by that time teaching women about personal finance and real estate. People asked me all the time how I monetized my Instagram, so I launched a product to teach people just that.

There are many factors to consider when you want to make money via Instagram. However, there are a few things you can focus on to get yourself in the right place to start creating revenue from your account and allow your audience and engagement to grow. Here’s how I did it—and how you can too.

1. Remember, First Impressions Are Everything

You may think that your images and content are what get people’s attention (which has some truth to it), but the true first impression is your bio and profile picture. When you are putting your bio together, make it concise and have a clear call-to-action pointing to your website. When anyone visits your page it should be crystal clear who you are and what you do. Make sure your link goes directly to your sales page so it’s beyond easy for your audience to make the decision to buy what you offer. Additionally, after your bio description is squared away, make sure you have a professional photo or a high-quality logo as your profile picture.

2. Bring Value

Your content is everything! If you aren’t giving thought to what you post about or share on your stories, you aren’t doing your audience or yourself any favors. But what is valuable is content that not only provides information to your niche but also is entertaining, educational, or brand-oriented. Find what resonates with your audience and showcase your expertise in order to brand yourself as an expert. If you need help coming up with content, study the popular pages of your niche. Take note of what goes viral and upcoming trends and use it for inspiration, but make sure it’s true to you. The last thing you want is for your content to be a carbon copy of someone else’s.

3. Focus on Client Conversion

Your audience is just an audience at the end of the day. While the number of followers you have is important, your biggest priority should be turning your followers into paying clients or customers. But how? It’s about the choices you make when it comes to your content. This content should provide details of what you're selling, social proof, and testimonials in order to build trust with your audience. When your following sees real people having real results from something you offer, that creates trust. Your following needs to know the details of your product or service and you need the reviews to back up your claims. It’s all about credibility and trust when it comes to Instagram. 

4. Be Careful When It Comes to Partnerships

Not all brand partnerships are a good fit. You may get caught up with the dollar signs, but a partnership that isn’t aligned with your brand can impact your reputation and can cause followers to lose trust in you. You can never make everyone happy, but if you do decide to take on brand partnerships, particularly paid ones #ad, make sure you carefully consider the pros and cons of that specific company and the timing. 

Any person or company that tells you that you can pay your way to a lucrative Instagram presence is scamming you. I made $100k in 90 days on Instagram with only one product. That’s not typical, but it also wasn’t handed to me. I found a hole, I created a solution, and people came running. That’s what it takes to monetize your Instagram, instead of thinking of it as the answer to your problems consider it as a tool to let people know how capable you are and why they need your service or product.

I’m not special, I didn’t do anything miraculous. I just showed up and shared my story and my expertise and people started following along. If you are passionate about learning more about personal finance and taking control of your financial story, I’d love for you to follow along. 

“While the number of followers you have is important, your biggest priority should be turning your followers into paying clients or customers.”

—Ariel Adams, Digital Selling Expert

About the Expert: Entrepreneur Ariel Adams is a dynamic 26-year-old social media expert and realtor who uses her online presence to encourage financial literacy. Known as “The Money Realtor,” this Virginia-based businesswoman launched several online courses and e-books that focus on helping budding entrepreneurs monetize their Instagram. It only took her 90 days to generate over $100,000 in sales through social media alone.

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These Forbes 30 Under 30 Honorees Made One Major Money Mistake When Setting Up Their 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 stories in our series, From Scratch. But this isn’t your typical day-in-the-life feature. We’re getting into the nitty-gritty details of launching a business, from writing a business plan (or not) to sourcing manufacturers and how much founders pay themselves—we’re not holding back.

Photo: Courtesy of The Creative Label

When Aisha Marshall and Destinee Dickerson received the very first check made out to their creative agency, The Creative Label, there was just one problem—they couldn’t cash it. (Yes, you read that correctly.) As it turns out, the co-founders hadn’t quite gotten around to setting up a bank account for their burgeoning business. “We were two entrepreneurs with a passion and a purpose; creating amazing work was a higher priority than creating a business banking account,” Marshall and Dickerson told Create & Cultivate. “In fact, creating a business banking account was so far down on the list it wasn’t even on the list! We never thought to create one until that moment.“

Needless to say, they added “open a business bank account” to their to-do list and have been cashing checks ever since. Today, the best friends turned co-founders (not to mention, Forbes 30 Under 30 honorees, NBD) are at the helm of a sought-after, full-service branding agency that pushes creative limits and specializes in public relations, branding, and marketing. They’ve even expanded their business to include an aptly named podcast, The Label, in which they share valuable industry insights into everything from how to make money on social media and monetize a podcast to how to implement the latest marketing trends into a business strategy.

Here, Marshall and Dickerson share how they built their business from the ground up, including the crucial mistakes they made and learned from along the way.

Take us back to the beginning—what was the lightbulb moment for your business?

The lightbulb moment for our business was when we realized how big of a role self-work and an abundance mindset plays into not only being a successful business owner but also leaders of our team. 

It all started when we went to the Fast Foundations Mastermind. Des and I were beyond excited to jump right into working on our business, finding out the tricks to scaling and networking like crazy. That’s not what happened on the first day. The first day was entirely self-work. Admittedly, during the first few exercises, I was irritated thinking “How does this apply?” I’m embarrassed at how wrong I was.

Some of the work we did that day showed me why we had the employees we had, why we were working with the companies we were working with, why we were making the money we were making, and ultimately, why we weren’t showing up as our highest self each day. Realizing the correlation between business and self-work was a mind-blowing moment for me. 

After that initial first day, we committed to applying what we learned throughout each facet of business and life. We hired a business coach, Cayla Craft who focused solely on the inner-work and money mindset. Once we put into practice both the teachings from FFM and Cayla Craft, that’s when our business boomed. That’s a moment in business I don’t think I’ll ever forget. 

Did you write a business plan? If yes, was it helpful? If no, what did you use instead? Why did you take that approach?

We attempted to, but it kept getting reworked. We started off as a branding agency, but we quickly realized that after you completed the project, you passed the client off. We wanted to be different. We wanted to be your in-house, outsourced agency. So as we added on more services the business plan began to change. 

Something else that has been so influential to and very much business planning vibes was reading and implementing the teachings of the book “Traction.” This was super helpful once we started building our team, and I’d recommend it as a second step to your business plan. 

How did you come up with the name? What was the process like? How did you know it was the right name? What are some of the things you considered during that process? What advice can you share?

I feel like I’ve mentally blocked that moment out. I really don’t remember much. What I do remember is what we told ourselves going into the process. We knew we wanted to find something that felt good and didn’t feel small. Something that felt like a large agency. Something that told you exactly the type of agency we are, without limiting our services. And that’s exactly what Creative Label is. We’re a creative group of geniuses whose purpose is to share in your vision and help showcase it to the masses. 

The advice that I would give to anyone thinking of a name for their business is, first and foremost, don’t rush! Take your time. Make sure it feels right. Ask yourself questions like, does this name limit my brand or will it allow me to scale? 

The next piece of advice I’d give is to make it unique. A unique name gives so much flexibility to a brand because—if the name is unique enough—there’s no other brand associated with it. This allows you to truly define what you want your brand to be. Not to mention, makes finding a URL and social handles much, much easier.

What were the immediate things you had to take care of to set up the business? What would you recommend to new founders reading this who don’t know where to start?

Oh my gosh—this is the funniest part about entrepreneurship. You don’t know what you don’t know. The immediate thing I would recommend doing is set up a business bank account. 

When we got our first client, we were so excited. They mailed us a check made out to Creative Label for an amount that felt so huge to us at the time. We took it to the bank and guess what WE COULDN’T CASH IT! 

Yes, you read that right. We could not cash our own check. Why? Because we didn’t have a business banking account. Because we were two entrepreneurs with a passion and a purpose; creating amazing work was a higher priority than creating a business banking account. In fact, creating a business banking account was so far down on the list it wasn’t even on the list! We never thought to create one until that moment. 

Funniest #entrepreneurmoment ever!

After a business checking and savings account, I’d recommend the following: 

• Domain

• Social channels

• Trademark 

Some of the biggest frustrations with clients are: 

• Not filing a trademark on a million-dollar idea and regretting it down the road. 

• Thinking of a really cool name, noticing it’s available on IG, then weeks later have the IG handle taken from under them because they never set up the account. 

What research did you do for the brand beforehand? Can you explain how you found and compiled that research? Why would you recommend it and why is it important?

When we were building Creative Label, there was so much limited research out there. It was frustrating. Everyone was stingy with their knowledge. So much was developing with Facebook, Instagram, ads, and digital media in general that everyone wanted to keep their perceived edge. 

This lack of information really shaped the type of company we are today. We realized that the industry we’re in is only as great as you make it. And without education, there’s no growth in the industry. So, we committed to education. This led to our company also serving as a media company. We have a blog and podcast which are platforms to serve our community. Through those channels, we share weekly updates about digital trends and updates and how they apply to businesses. 

How did you fund the company? Did you pitch investors, do a friends-and-family round, or did you decide to self-fund?

We are totally self-funded. Our partners, both professional athletes at the time, wanted to support and invest in our business. But their careers were the driving force for our reason for self-funding. With the constant travel that comes with dating a professional athlete, it really pushed us to want our own thing—no strings attached. So we got scrappy, as all entrepreneurs do, and we funded the thing our damn selves, and I’m so happy we did. 

What are some of the biggest money mistakes you made in the beginning and how did you recover from that? What advice can you share? 

One of the biggest money mistakes we made was not creating a budget, not knowing how much it actually costs to run the business monthly, and sticking to a budget monthly. Knowing what we know now, we would both probably agree that hiring an accountant and a CPA way earlier on to help us with this would have saved us so much time, heartache, and money. 

Did you work full-time at another job while building your business or did you just dive straight into it? Can you share your experience and what you would recommend to others?

While building Creative Label, I was in law school. It was my third year. I set up my 2L year pretty heavily so that 3L year I’d have a lighter load and allow me the flexibility to build a business on the side. I knew I wanted to be in a more creative space, and so Des and I began laying that foundation my 3L year with the goal of being ready to hit the ground running once I graduated. 

Luckily, I had my then-fiancé, now-husband, supporting our household post-graduation. Our household really relied on him financially in those formative years. He was a great support system and that really helped me nurture my passion so it can make a profit. 

How much did you pay yourself in the beginning?

For the first two years, we split up the money like this:

• 30% goes to taxes 

• 20% goes to the business

• 25% commission to myself 

• 25% commission to Des

Once we got to a consistent monthly income and started really building out a rockstar team, we put ourselves on salary thereafter.

How big is your team now, and what has the hiring process been like? What advice can you share?

We are a team of 15! The hiring process, initially, was tough. Here are some things we implemented that have really transformed our team to be more aligned with the company we’re building. 

• Create core values, then hire and fire by these. 

• Create “trip-wire” questions in your application process that are centered around attention to detail. Some examples are questions that end with “and when?” If the applicant gets the answer wrong, don’t go any further. You want someone that has good attention to detail.

• State the role clearly, create goals, and provide incentives when they hit their goals.

• Implement a 3-strike rule.

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

Yes, we hired an accountant early on. Our accountant has been an integral part of our business almost since its inception. She often acts as our tie-breaker when it comes to financial decisions. She got us set up with Quickbooks, which has really been helpful when reviewing the budget. 

My recommendation with respect to finances is DO NOT PLAY WITH FINANCES. What good is a successful business if it cannot manage finances? That said, hire a quality accountant early on and pay them well. 

Can you share the biggest learning curve or challenge since starting your business and why? 

Boundaries. As a service-based company, setting boundaries has been very difficult. It got really bad before we realized it wasn’t working. Clients would text us on holidays expecting us to drop everything we were doing for a non-urgent matter. Because we operated with a scarcity mindset and worried about money, we wouldn’t set boundaries. 

We’d allow clients to text or call at all hours of the day. I hate to even admit it, but I will. It’s important to tell the full truth about entrepreneurship because it isn’t always glitz and glam. There were many times where we would allow clients to be disrespectful. 

The stress from not having boundaries and working from an abundance mindset and not a scarcity mindset (shout out to our business coach), is really what made us re-evaluate and only work and operate in ways that are aligned with our core values.

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

Yes, for us it was a business coach and a mastermind group. First, our business coach Cayla Craft’s teachings and philosophies have really helped both in my personal life and business life. 

Second is the Fast Foundations Mastermind ran by Chris and Lori Harder. Since working with them we’ve experienced a crazy amount of growth! 

I would recommend a quality business coach and mastermind 10x10. You can’t put a price on the accountability and business road-mapping—specific to you and your business—that you receive through a business coach like Cayla Craft and masterminds like Chris and Lori Harder. 

How did you promote your company? What percentage of your budget goes to marketing and why? What challenges have you faced?

Crazy enough, we’ve put zero dollars into marketing. We’re solely word of mouth. For us, we get noticed by constantly showcasing the amazing work of our clients and our clients constantly showing how happy they are with their work product. There’s nothing like a referral, I’ll tell ya! 

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?

Get that business banking account, girl! That and an attorney. Our attorney, Lauren Ruiz, is part of our arsenal. She has helped us with so much. After law school, I was only able to get our company so far with the knowledge I had. Lauren has helped us create a legal foundation that’s really allowed our company to be protected. 

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

Don’t quit. It will be hard. But don’t quit. Money might get tight, but don’t quit. The entrepreneurial route is hard but so worth it. So let your passion continue to drive you. And like Kevin G says, “Don’t let the haters stop you from doin’ your thang.” 

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

Pay your accountant well! Plan for your future, and set monetary goals for your business. Set up your IRA. Get insurance. Don’t pay yourself too much. Leave enough money for your business, don’t take too much for yourself. 

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

Delegate, delegate, delegate. Hire help. Hire experts to do in five minutes what would take you three hours. Understand that you don’t need to do it all and asking for help doesn’t make you an imposter. Feeling like I need to do it all really burnt me out. The number one passion killer in entrepreneurship is taking on too much work that isn’t in your zone of genius. Read that twice if you have to.

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Classifieds: Bustle, ILIA Beauty, and Dolce Vita Are Hiring!

Photo: Colorjoy Stock Photography

Job hunting? Check out these new gigs at ILIA Beauty, P.volve, Blended Strategy Group, and more

FEATURED JOBS

Associate Commerce Editor, Bustle Digital Group, Remote

Account Executive, Hawkeye, Remote

Marketing Director, Parker Clay- Remote

Social Media & Community Coordinator, Parker Clay- Remote

Graphic Designer & Content Producer, Parker Clay- Remote

Director, Brand Partnerships, Digital Brand Architects- Los Angeles, CA or New York, NY

Publicist, Golden Word- Richmond, VA or Remote

Sr. Publicist, Golden Word- Richmond, VA or Remote

Project Manager (Contract), Joy Creative Shop- Dallas, TX or Remote

Campaign Coordinator, Sales & Brand Partnerships, Dear Media- Austin, TX

Graphic Designer, Dear Media- Austin, TX or Los Angeles, CA

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Brand Marketing Manager, ILIA Beauty 

Studio & Community Manager, P.volve

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3 Things Millennial Women Can Do Right Now to Set Up an Effective Financial Retirement Plan

Photo: Color Joy Stock

Retirement. It’s usually thought of as a life milestone that we all reach at age 65. But recent generations are less prepared for retirement than their parents. 

Most of the disadvantages facing millennials are circumstantial due to multiple factors, including changes in the economy, rising healthcare costs, student loan debt, and predictable reductions in social security benefits. These are just some of the reasons why retirement might not be as easy as it once was at the age of 65. Some reports have estimated that the new age for retirement is closer to 73 for millennials.

You can forget the traditional ideas of saving minimally and hoping it lasts while relying on your pension. Instead, take matters into your own hands by planning ahead. Finance expert Ashley M. Fox is the founder and CEO at Empify, a social enterprise with the fundamental mission to educate, empower, and modify the mindset of every individual, inspiring them to achieve career, life, and financial success. Ahead, Fox shares her top three tips on how millennial women can effectively set a financial retirement plant.

1. Pick your financial freedom number.

Most people think retirement is an age when, in reality, retirement is a dollar amount. You need to come up with a number that allows you to live the life you want to feel financially free, and the amount you need to feel freedom from attachment, freedom from the obligation of having to go out and make money, and freedom to live life on your terms. 

While it’s great to have an age, the focus needs to be on a dollar amount, because even if you hit a certain age, say 65 or now 70, if you don’t have a specific dollar amount, you will struggle and stress through retirement. Only 40 percent of Americans calculate their retirement needs, so it’s critical to have a destination.

Below are three simple steps to calculate your financial freedom number.

Step 1: Think about how much money you want coming in and have coming in every single month to put you in a position where you are comfortable, and not scared or living in survival mode. Think about what amount of money you need to have to think to yourself, “I'm free, I can think, I have clarity and I can do some of the things I have always dreamt of doing.”

Step 2: Reverse engineer your life. Think about what age you want to start living your dream life with your financial freedom number. Of course, we all want to start living that life today, but you want to think about how much time you will need to have that amount of money coming in. Knowing that the life expectancy of the average person in the U.S. is 80 years old, you are typically in retirement for 20 to 25 years. You want to work backward to see how much money you will need on a monthly basis to live the life you want to live. You have to take your monthly financial freedom number times 12 times the number of years you expect to be in retirement.

Step 3: Create your destination. In order to build a roadmap, you must have a destination. It’s important to determine how much you need and then put in place a clear destination of your retirement path. Once you know your destination, you can create a strategy of the best ways for you to reach your financial freedom number. Everyone’s lifestyle and freedom are unique to them, and it should not be based on the government's standards but on personal goals and standards. 

2. Look at what you already have.

It is easy for us to think about all the things we have not done, or how far behind we may be, but it’s important to know how far we have come and how close we are to what we actually need to live our financial freedom life. Look at your company’s retirement plan. Most people never review their company's retirement plans but continue to contribute to it every month. It’s important to know what it consists of and how much is in it. You can do this by contacting your HR department or your HR system, and download your quarterly statements for your retirement plan—whether it’s a 401k, 403b, TSP, 457, etc. 

You want to know the type of mutual funds and what investments are in the mutual funds. Analyze the performance of the stocks you are investing in. If your employer offers a matching plan. Also, analyze the performance of the stocks you are investing in. If your employer offers a matching plan, and they match up to five percent, definitely take advantage of that and match it. If you put in less, you are leaving free money on the table! When you decide to leave the company then remember to take that money with you. You can always contact HR to find out if your employer matches your investment.

3. Automate your personal savings and investments.

While it’s great to have a retirement plan with your employer, you want to also consider opening up an account yourself. Consider opening up an IRA account, a brokerage, and an online savings account, and be aware of the investments that will go inside those accounts. While retirement may be in the distant future, it’s so important to have a plan. Typically when we make money, we go and pay everyone else first, and that needs to change. 

You should have automatic contributions that are taken out every month in a separate account that is not connected to your checking account. If you have an online account you’re in a position to get a higher interest rate. When you have different buckets of money, they are taxed differently. So when it comes time for you to hit your financial freedom number and retire, you’ll have the funds available to live the life you want to live, on your terms. 

Overall, diversify your money and have automatic investments set up to ensure you live the retirement you deserve.

“Most people think retirement is an age when, in reality, retirement is a dollar amount.”

—Ashley M. Fox, Founder of Empify

About the Expert: Ashley M. Fox is a former Wall Street analyst based in Philadelphia, PA. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Howard University, receiving her Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance. After helping manage money for millionaires and billionaires during her career on Wall Street, Ashley developed the urge to want to financially empower the women, men, and families that were oftentimes overlooked, and founded Emplify in October 2013. Ashley is a highly-sought-after international speaker who has been featured on empowerment tours, college campuses, and keynote speaking platforms. She was a financial journalist at Black Enterprise Magazine and currently a contributor at Forbes. Ashley has also been featured in various publications which include the Huffington Post, Glamour, and The Street.

About Empify: Founded in 2013 by Ashley M. Fox, Empify has a fundamental mission to educate, empower, and modify the mindset of every individual, inspiring them to achieve career, life, and financial success. There is often a pattern of generational poverty in our communities when instead, there should be a pattern of generational wealth in all communities. Through the creation of life-altering curricula, informative digital content, and interactive events, Empify teaches basic wealth fundamentals to both adults and children by pouring belief into communities through financial education, inspiration, and implementation.

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How Brown Girl Jane's Co-Founder Turned Burnout Into a Six-Figure Wellness Brand Beyoncé Loves

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

Photo: Courtesy of Tai Beauchamp

Tai Beauchamp knows a thing or two about burnout. Before she became the wellness entrepreneur she is today, she built an impressive résumé in publishing, including stints at Harper’s Bazaar, O, The Oprah Magazine, and Seventeen, where she made history as the publications youngest and first Black beauty director. But there are drawbacks to reaching the top at 25 years old. After just a year at the helm, burnout quickly set in, and she left her post at the magazine with the intention of pursuing a more meaningful and socially impactful path. After launching her own media company and consulting with Fortune 500 companies by the likes of P&G, Walmart, and Estée Lauder, her continued experience with burnout ultimately led her to co-found the CBD-based beauty and wellness brand Brown Girl Jane.

As Brown Girl Jane’s co-founder and chief brand officer, it’s safe to say Beauchamp is driving the meaningful change she always aspired to. In the wake of last year’s protests against police brutality and systemic racism, the brand launched their Brown Girl Swap campaign to encourage consumers to swap five mainstream brands they use daily for Black women-owned brands instead. The campaign caught on, garnering the attention of Halle Berry and sparking a partnership with Birchbox to support Black-owned, women-led brands. And that was just the beginning. In less than a year, the company has experienced six-figure monthly sales, been recognized by Beyoncé’s Black Parade Route, and named Refinery29’s Beauty Innovator of the Year.

Ahead, Brown Girl Jane’s co-founder and chief brand officer share her best financial advice for new entrepreneurs and explains why women should talk about money and business more.

How did you know it was time to strike out on your own and what advice do you have for people who want to take the leap to start their own business but are worried about the financial risk?

Truth be told, I am an accidental entrepreneur. I left my role at Seventeen magazine at 26 years old due to burnout after being named the first Black and the youngest beauty director in the history of the publication when I was 25. It was an amazing but exhausting experience. As a result of burnout, I was intentional about wanting to do something meaningful and socially impactful. I went on to work with my mentor’s family foundation where I immersed myself in youth development and global health. While I was consulting with the foundation, I was asked to become the editor of Vibe Vixen Magazine. Because I was consulting, I was able to negotiate with the foundation and magazine to split my time between the two places. So I worked for the foundation two days a week and the magazine three. This was ultimately the beginning of my journey as an entrepreneur. I began my consulting company that same year. 

Fortunately, I had two clients simultaneously, so that provided me with some financial stability. To that end, I advise new entrepreneurs to leverage where you are to get to where you want to go. Having to stress about finances while starting a business adds to the complex stress of being an entrepreneur. If possible, I encourage people to alleviate as much of the financial stress as possible.

A couple of ways to do this: 

1. Be willing to begin your business not as a side hustle, but as a Twice Hustle. If you are working a full-time job elsewhere, consider starting your business simultaneously. Not only does it allow you to benefit from some financial security, but it also allows you the opportunity to benefit from additional tax benefits if you start a home-based business. 

2. Be intentional about using your savings and earnings to support your business. If you know you intend to start a business, begin saving immediately, the same way you would for a vacation or investment, and set aside resources for the business.

3. Another strategy is to consider partnering with someone. You may be the person who has more time to invest while your partner has more financial resources or vice versa. Obviously, aligning with the best partner also takes time.

How have you approached marketing and messaging on social to resonate with consumers but also sell products and keep the business alive during COVID-19? 

The most important thing in marketing today is authentic storytelling. Consumers and the public are wiser than ever before. They understand and know when brands are “selling” versus “sharing” and genuinely inviting them to either be part of a community or purchase to their benefit. For Brown Girl Jane, we truly center our community, or Tribe as we call them. Our marketing and brand strategy includes powerful storytelling that centers our brand’s ethos around sisterhood, wholeness (our take on wellness), the power of the plant, and empowerment. 

On social media we tell stories, we include our Tribe in those narratives and we engage her. As an example, we host a twice-weekly IG Live show called “You Good, Sis? The Check-in with Brown Girl Jane.” I host this show and speak to women in entertainment, business, beauty, and wellness about how they are, understanding their wholeness practices, how they balance life and work, and why/how CBD is part of their wholeness toolkit. By seamlessly integrating our brand story as well as our collection, our Tribe is able to effortlessly understand how and why BGj should be part of her life. 

During COVID, we’ve been fortunate. Our collection is all about helping our Tribe feel more centered, balanced, healthier, and well-rested. That’s who Brown Girl Jane is. So we’ve been part of the solution during these strange times. Everyone wants to feel less anxious. And because our collection is highly efficacious and supportive of wellness as a whole, we are able to boldly share that with the public. Our testimonials truly speak for themselves.

We also recently announced a partnership with Unilever and Shea Moisture. It’s quite a gift to have such a dynamic partnership. This partnership affords us a unique opportunity to leverage shared reach as well. And last but not least, we’ve been fortunate to have quite a bit of earned media. We’ve become a cult-favorite among editors and influencers! That support is priceless.

What percentage of your budget is currently going toward marketing and are you seeing a return on that investment?

We are grateful to have grown our business organically without the use of paid advertisements and don’t currently have a paid media budget. Because of the extensive love from earned media, people are learning about our brand through storytelling and the stamp-of-approvals given by trusted insiders and industry editors. 

A portion of all Brown Girl Jane sales goes toward a non-profit organization aligned with your mission to better the lives and wellness of Women of Color. Why is giving back such a crucial part of your business model and how do you balance paying it forward with turning a profit?

We knew that giving back was always going to be a central focus of our business model, both in terms of supporting our community through a collective sisterhood and philanthropy. We are true to our word about serving as a support system in more ways than one, and find that businesses thrive when approached from a holistic perspective, versus only focusing on commerce. We give a portion of all sales, so our donations are supported by the purchasing power of our Tribe. It’s a win-win for everyone.

How much did you pay yourself in the beginning and what do you recommend to female founders starting out now? Why? 

We’re bootstrapping and self-funded, and my co-founders and I do not pay ourselves, preferring to reinvest profits back into the business and our amazing talented employees who help drive our business. Although most start-ups are not profitable for three to five years, we’ve been profitable almost immediately, so we are on track to begin paying ourselves within the year.

Where do you think is the most important area for a business owner to focus their financial energy?

Financial planning and bookkeeping! With a rapidly growing business such as ours, it’s easy to let finances take a backseat to driving growth. We spend a lot of time focusing on which opportunities make financial sense, in the short and long term, and making sure we are staying on top of the many banking and reporting guidelines that can overwhelm small business operations.

What was your first big expense as a business owner?

Research and development, cultivation sourcing, product formulation, and inventory. Our collection is expertly-crafted, and we spend a ton of time researching and working with the very best cultivators and scientists when designing our product offerings. Once the products were formulated, we needed to have enough inventory to support the demand, which requires a lot of cash management and planning.  

What are your top three largest expenses every month and were you prepared for those expenses when you first started?

We’re a product-based company, so the top three include inventory, payroll for employees, and insurance/legal/web costs. Each of our founders was an entrepreneur prior to this launch, so we were prepared that these expenses would be necessary to support our rapid growth.

What percentage of business revenue is spent on employee salaries?

Our employee and consultant salaries are equal to about 50% of our business revenue.

How much of the business revenue should new entrepreneurs be saving, if possible, and why?

This is such a personal question that entrepreneurs truly have to answer themselves, but savings should be able to support worst-case scenarios for at least three to six months, if possible. We recognize that this is difficult for new brands and businesses because they typically are not immediately profitable, but savings are extremely important in this increasingly competitive and unpredictable environment.

Did you hire an accountant when you first started out? Who helped you with the financial decisions and set up?

Yes, we have both an accountant/bookkeeper and a CFO. We also integrate services such as Quickbooks that can aggregate your financials into one master headquarters.

What are some of the tools you use to stay on top of your business financials? 

Back-end website integrations, Quickbooks.

What do you wish you’d done differently in your financial journey as a business owner and why?

We assumed that automations would capture all necessary financial analytics and recordings, and we’ve learned that an accurate and comprehensive download of financial health needs a combination of an expert and technological integrations.

Do you think women should talk about money and business more? Why? How will it improve financial outcomes for female founders? 

Absolutely! Men do it, and they do so unapologetically. We should be sharing tips, best practices, salaries… everything! The more we can each pull from the experience and expertise of others in our industries, the better. It should not be taboo to talk about finances. With more information, we’re able to demand more money, advocate for better business opportunities, and begin to lay the foundation for the most successful business possible. It does no one any good to operate in a silo.

Do you have a financial mentor? Do you think business owners need one?

I didn’t for a long time, but I have friends who are seasoned executives and entrepreneurs and they have helped immensely. The biggest hurdle was getting over my own issues with asking questions about money and finance. But after making a lot of mistakes earlier in my career, I became more open about sharing my challenges and asking for advice. I made costly mistakes. Ego is often a deciding factor in asking for financial mentorship, but I think founders will find that other successful women are eager to share advice and want you to succeed. I also have a built-in benefit of having a co-founder, Malaika Jones Kebede, who comes from the financial services industry.

What is the biggest money mistake you made and learned from along the way? 

Early on, it was not only about saving properly but also understanding taxes and bookkeeping.

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

Set aside a portion of revenue whenever you can. It’s inevitable that unexpected expenses will arise, from tax bills to a quick need to increase inventory. Being conservative from the beginning will help when you require a quick influx of funds.

What is one financial thing you didn’t do at the beginning of your business that you urge founders to do now and why? 

Establish a clear plan for the financial side of your business in the same way you do for strategy, marketing, or production. It sometimes seems like the most burdensome and least sexy component of running a brand, but trust me, it’s the most important.

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