“Take Smart Money”—How Annie Lawless Scaled Lawless Beauty Into a Wildly Successful Second Business
This week, on WorkParty.
Photo: Courtesy of Annie Lawless
Listen to the full episode here.
Starting a business is no easy feat. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 20% of businesses fail by the first year, and 50% close by the fifth. So the odds of starting one successful business—let alone two—are stacked against you. But defying the odds is something that today’s WorkParty guest, Annie Lawless, knows a thing or two about.
In 2012, Annie launched her first company, the cold-pressed juice brand Suja Juice, which she scaled into such a success that Coca-Cola and Goldman Sachs each bought multi-million-dollar stakes (!). And now her second business, the clean beauty brand Lawless Beauty, is on a similar trajectory. The band doubled its sales as of October 2020 and is on track to double its overall sales in 2021.
In this episode of WorkParty, Jaclyn chats with Annie all about how she started her wildly successful second business, how she formulated a strategic exit strategy from her first company, and so much more! Scroll on to tune into the full episode and get a sneak peek of just a few of the many, many highlights.
Subscribe to WorkParty and never miss an episode.
On launching a business…
“Starting a business is the most time and work-intensive endeavor you can undertake.”
On bringing in capital from outside investors…
“Once you start bringing capital in from outside investors, you also start bringing in a lot of other viewpoints, perspective, control.”
“You can get money from a lot of places, but you really want someone to understand your business and bring you the tools and resources to help take it to the next level beyond just the capital.”
On the importance of making strategic new hires…
“Finding those key great people is one of the hardest things about having and scaling a business.”
On the challenges of being an entrepreneur…
“There are going to be some really high highs and really low lows of being an entrepreneur, so you need to trust that everything is going to work.”
On pushing through the hard times…
“On the other side of the hard times is going to be such a big reward for what you've created if you really weather the storms.”
On the best career advice she’s ever received…
“Don't sit on the sidelines of life. You have to get off the bench and play in order to potentially win.”
Keep the WorkParty Going By
Supporting Our Sponsors
MZ Wallace is offering WorkParty listeners 15% off your first purchase.
Coors Pure is the perfect beer to celebrate the wins of everyday life. So, when you want to enjoy a beer, reach for Coors Pure. It’s organic, but chill about it.
Joybird is offering WorkParty listeners 30% off your purchase! Time to give your space a refresh with so many custom furniture and home decor pieces right at your finger tips!
MORE ON THE BLOG
5 Numbers to Consider When Launching a Coaching Business
Set yourself up for success.
Photo: ColorJoy Stock
The coaching industry is one of the fastest-growing sectors with the market size predicted to surpass $20 billion by 2022. (Calendar check, it’s already August.) And while this has left many frustrated and floundering in an overcrowded market, it has also jump-started thousands of budding entrepreneurs’ coaching careers.
And as with any new career trend, along with all the commotion, there is a lot of information (and misinformation) floating around the internet. While click-bait Facebook ads often depict building a coaching business to look like a walk in the park and endless traveling, the reality can often look a bit different.
Rather than sitting on a beach, spicy margarita in hand, glancing down at your phone while yet another effortless sale hits your bank account, new coaches and coaching side-hustlers are often found drowning amongst a sea of other coaching connoisseurs, endless freebies, masterclasses, and promo threads.
If you are coaching curious, a coaching side-hustler, or looking to launch (or re-launch) a new coaching business, here are five numbers to consider to ensure that you’re setting yourself up for success, and profit, from the get-go (so that dream of sitting on the beach is a much closer reality.)
Number 1: Your Net Income
How much do you want to make per year?
Have you ever taken the time to really think through the income that would sustain and fund your ideal lifestyle? If not, now’s the time!
This number will largely differ based on where in the world you live, and what constitutes a dream lifestyle for you. For some, it encompasses travel. For others, it’s as simple as being able to afford childcare. Either way, the first number to get clear on, is how much money you need in your bank account in order to thrive.
Example: I need $75,000 a year in my personal bank account to live my dream lifestyle.
Quick definition from Investopedia: Net income (NI), also called net earnings, is calculated as sales minus cost of goods sold, selling, general and administrative expenses, operating expenses, depreciation, interest, taxes, and other expenses.
Number 2: Your Total Cost of Doing Business
What will your expenses and taxes look like?
How much does it cost to run your business? If you have no idea what these numbers are, it’s time to PAUSE and do a little research. For business expenses, outline one-off costs, such as building a website build, and reoccurring costs like accounting software.
For taxes, it’s going to largely depend on the type of business you file and what state you live in. However, for example, expect around 30% of your profits to go to the government. So, multiply your desired net income by .30 to get this number.
Once you know your one-off costs, your recurring expenses, and your estimated tax payouts, you can add them together to get to an estimated “total cost of doing business.”
Example:
One-off costs: $4,000
Recurring monthly costs: $2,000 ($24,000 annually)
30% of 75,000 (net income): $22,500 (taxes)
Total cost of business annually: $50,500
Number 3: Gross Annual Sales
How much does your business need to make?
Now that you have your goal net income, and your estimated total cost of doing business annually, we can add them together to determine what your business needs to generate in gross sales annually in order to support your net income.
Example:
Total Cost of Business ($50,500) + Net Income ( $75,000) = $125,500 = Gross Sales
Quick Definition from Investopedia: Gross sales is a metric for the total sales of a company, unadjusted for the costs related to generating those sales. The gross sales formula is calculated by totaling all sale invoices or related revenue transactions. However, gross sales do not include the operating expenses, tax expenses, or other charges—all of these are deducted to calculate net sales.
Number 4: Gross Monthly Sales
How much do you need to gross per month?
If you were to work for a company, there are generally 52 pay periods in a given year. When you own your own company, you can either payroll yourself OR pay yourself out via owner’s draws. For “Number 4,” you can either divide your total annual gross sales by 12 months OR by 52 pay periods.
When you’re starting out, let’s say as an LLC or sole proprietor, it’s more common to look at your expenses and sales monthly, thus we’re going to use 12 for this example. You want to know how much your company needs to gross monthly in order to deliver you your desired net income. So, simply divide your gross annual sales by 12 to learn what you need to gross monthly.
Example:
Gross Annual Sales Needed = $125,500.00 / 12 = $10,458.33
$10,458.33 = Gross Monthly Sales Needed
Number 5 (Option 1): Total Client Load
How many clients do you need to take on to hit your income goal?
There are two different numbers you can choose to act as your key fifth number (a.k.a. Number 5). The first is your total client load. In this scenario, ask yourself, how many clients do you want to work with at any one given moment? Do you want to only work with three clients annually? Or do you want to work with 30 new clients a month via a group program? You might not immediately know, but pick a number to start out.
From here, you will be able to determine how much you need to charge per client per. For example, if you identified you only want to work with three clients annually, then that means those three clients need to produce $10,458.33 of gross monthly sales for you. That means each client needs to be on a $3,486.11 monthly retainer.
On the flip side, if you have identified you want to go after a volume model, and you’ve identified you want to work with 30 clients a month every month, each client will need to pay $348.61 monthly in order to hit your gross monthly sales goal ($10,458.33 / 30 clients a month = $348.61). However, also consider that this means you need to sign a total of 360 clients annually (30 clients monthly x 12 months).
Number 5 (Option 2): Pricing First
How much should you charge for your services?
If you already know that you’re looking to create a very specific product at a pre-identified price point, then you can back your way into knowing exactly how many clients you need in order to hit your gross sales goals. For example, if you want to sell a $100 online course, then take your total needed gross sales and divide that by $100. This will indicate that you need to sell 104.16 (round it up to 105) courses a month to hit your sales goals.
The Bottom Line
Ultimately, these five numbers are what you need to know in order to identify your ideal business model. Numbers 1-4 inform us of what we need in order to “play around with” Number 5. If you’re feeling stuck between high volume or high ticket, consider asking yourself this, which business model and workload is most conducive to your dream lifestyle? If you need a little more help breaking this down, check out our free masterclass here.
We’ll leave you with this, “living your dream life shouldn’t be just a dream.”
About the authors: Lexie Smith (pictured left), named “Brilliant PR Expert” and “Trailblazer Women Leaders in 2021,” is a PR coach, host of the “Pitchin’ and Sippin’ Podcast,” co-founder of Ready Set Coach, and the founder of THEPRBAR inc., an online coaching brand that empowers entrepreneurs to increase their influence, impact, and revenue through relationship-driven marketing and PR.
Emily Merrell (pictured right), as featured in Refinery29, Girlboss, Forbes, and Huffington Post, is the founder and community curator of Six Degrees Society, a professional speaker, host of the “Sixth Degree Podcast” business coach, and co-founder of Ready Set Coach.
MORE ON THE BLOG
How to Professionally “Break Up” With a Client
Cutting ties is tough, but worth it.
Photo: ColorJoy Stock
As a business owner, your natural inclination may be to please clients, and it can be tempting to fall into the trap of taking any client that wants to work with you. The hustle is addictive. And the thought of saying “no” is scary, especially when faced with the uncertainty of when your next client will be locked down. But while cultivating and growing your clientele, your list of frustrations might follow suit.
PSA: There will likely come a time when you’ll want to cut ties with some clients. It might be something you’ve been considering for a while now as a result of clients behaving badly (hello, unpaid invoices), or maybe you’ve simply become too busy and need to edit your client base (high five, boss). Whatever the reason, it’s uncomfortable AF. And considering your reputation is on the line, you’ll need to finesse this difficult convo.
So to help you manage your business relationships and determine which clients are giving you good vibes and which ones deserve “goodbyes,” we spoke with Andrea Crisp, a life coach, host of "The Couragecast," and author of “Designed With Purpose.”
Is it time to break up with a client?
According to Crisp, here are six signs you are subconsciously done with a client:
1. You feel completely drained after having a conversation with them because you rehash the same thing over and over.
2. You work overtime trying to please them when it becomes apparent no one can satisfy them.
3. You find yourself watching the clock every time you have a meeting with them.
4. You believe there is no amount of money in the world that makes working with them worthwhile.
5. You contemplate going back to your 9-to-5, just to escape this client’s requests.
6. You stop billing them in the hopes that they don’t contact you again.
And here are six signs that a client is giving you life:
1. You are willing to put aside time to work on a project; in fact, you look forward to it, even on weekends or at 3 a.m.
2. You feel compelled by the cause and are passionate about the impact it is making.
3. You are fueled by every conversation. Every time you speak with the client you are motivated and energized and feel even more creative.
4. You think of ways to help them, even during your “me” time.
5. You are on the same wavelength and kinda want to be their BFF.
6. You are willing to go the extra mile for them, even though it’s not part of your mandate.
How do you break up with a client (and prevent it from happening in the first place)?
If you’re starting to feel the “cons” outweighing the “pros,” it’s time to release these clients—and release yourself in the process.
Here are some ways to do so:
Set boundaries right from the start
This not only helps you as an entrepreneur, but also gives clear guidelines to your clients as to when they can expect work to be done, and when they can expect you to respond to their emails, texts, and calls. So you avoid receiving emails on weekends (if that’s not part of your mandate) and avoid anxiety-inducing emails with subject lines that read: “Urgent: need this ASAP.”
“At the beginning of every client relationship, I outline a clear coaching expectation so that my clients are aware of how this relationship will work,” explains Crisp. “It has served me in so many ways. And, I have to constantly remind myself that even if I don’t think a client needs to hear my expectations, I need to say them. It keeps me in check and accountable to my clients, and allows them the freedom to ask the right questions.”
Know your niche
Your dream clients are ideal because you’re passionate about helping them, and your expertise matches their needs and vision. As soon as you take on clients outside of your niche, you have to work harder than ever to figure out what they may need. This becomes super frustrating, as there starts to be a disconnect between your “dream clients” and your “dreaded clients.”
Release yourself from the pressure
Crisp puts it clearly: “Release yourself from the pressure that you need to be everything to everyone. As entrepreneurs, we may want to have all the answers, have the biggest client roster, and have a strong social media following, but in the end, that does not produce results and only pushes us closer to burnout and fatigue. The biggest obstacle that stands in our way of making an impact as female entrepreneurs is ourselves.” Boom.
Give yourself a break, allow yourself to have a day off, turn off your phone. The world will not end. Trust.
Look at your numbers
If you know you simply can’t even with this client anymore, look at your upcoming projects and revenue. Can you afford to let this client go? If this customer is draining you of all your energy and not allowing you to perform at your best, then it sounds like letting them go will help open the window for other awesome clients. And, after all, good clients lead to other good clients. If the client is mistreating you, then you’re better off without them.
Have the difficult conversation
Don’t procrastinate; the longer you put off the inevitable, the harder it will become to have “the talk.” After all, there are times in every relationship, like with your squad, team, or clients that you have to tell the hard truth. This may involve being honest and vulnerable, which can be very difficult.
Face it head-on, take a deep breath and stand tall—you’ve got this.
Don’t look back
Once you make your decision and fire your client, don’t look back. See the situation as a key learning for the future. Upwards and onwards. Trust the process.
When is enough, enough?
The moment you start to believe that you need to fill your calendar with clients out of your niche is the moment you have to work double-time to accommodate their needs.
Don’t go there.
When trying to determine “the last straw,” you have already passed the point of no return. This may sound counterintuitive, but the real question you need to be asking is: “Do you have the confidence and assurance you need to only take clients you want?’
TBH, it really is more about you than them. Ask yourself these tough questions and don’t become addicted to the hustle by taking clients that drain your energy and creative flow.
Another key point is that as you grow, your focus might narrow, which can lead to some clients no longer matching your brand. Recognize when this happens, too, no matter how lovely the client might be.
Remember, a client-supplier relationship is a partnership. And if you’re no longer satisfied with your end of the deal, it might be time to say, “K, bye.”
About the author: Karin Eldor is a coffee-addicted copywriter with a long-time love for all things pop culture, fashion, and tech. Ever since she got her first issues of “YM” (remember that one?) and “Seventeen” in the mail, she was hooked on the world of editorial content. She's a contributor to Forbes, Coveteur, MyDomaine, and more.
This story was originally published on November 28, 2016, and has since been updated.
MORE ON THE BLOG
We Tapped 3 Foodies for Work-From-Home Meals to Whip Up With Pantry Staples
No sad desk salads here.
Photo: Courtesy of RASA
Working from home makes you miss things like chatting about “White Lotus” over lunch with your coworkers. But just because you’re WFH with no one to discuss the finale with doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t take that lunch break. Whip up something delicious with these easy recipes made with ingredients you probably already have at home.
We tapped Mia Rigden of RASA, Wendy Lopez and Jessica Jones of Food Heaven, and Gaby Dalkin of What’s Gaby Cooking and asked them to share their go-to work-from-home recipes—and it’s safe to say they did not disappoint. From everything-but-the-kitchen-sink soup to not-so-boring pasta, you’ll be eating well this week.
Kitchen Sink Soup
An excellent way to make the most of unused produced that’s sitting in your crisper drawer, this soup, courtesy of Mia Rigden, a nutritionist and the founder of RASA, is nutritious, flavorful, and a perfect way to reset. Make a big batch and freeze leftovers so you’ll always have a healthy meal on hand.
Instructions:
Heat coconut oil or ghee in a Dutch oven.
Add onions and garlic, stirring until fragrant, then add vegetables and stir for a minute or two longer.
Add broth then enough water to cover the vegetables (about two cups). Let simmer for 20-30 minutes and puree in a high-speed blender (or with a hand blender) until smooth.
Season as desired and serve with a squeeze of lemon, a splash of olive oil, and some sea salt
For a step-by-step tutorial, watch the Ask an Expert Live segment via Create & Cultivate’s Instagram here.
Nutritionist and founder of RASA
Turmeric Vegetable Fried Rice
This recipe puts a colorful spin on traditional fried rice with extra anti-inflammatory power! Wendy Lopez and Jessica Jones, registered dietitians, certified diabetes educators, and the founders of Food Heaven, bring us this easy and delicious way to make the most of super-spice turmeric!
When cooking your brown rice, add 1/2 tablespoon of turmeric to the boiling water, and cook as per package instructions. Set aside once done.
In a large pan, heat the sesame oil, and add the onions. Sauté for 1-2 minutes over medium heat.
Add in the eggs, and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Then add in the mixed vegetables, 2 cups of cooked turmeric rice, and the soy/tamari/aminos.
Cook over low heat for 4-5 minutes.
Turn off the heat, and mix in the cabbage and sprouts. Add salt, to taste, and top with scallions. Enjoy!
Recipe Note: The vegetables in this recipe are totally flexible and you can use whatever frozen/raw veggies you have stocked in the fridge.
Registered dietitians, certified diabetes educators, and founders of Food Heaven
Calabrian Chili Pasta
Pasta, our fave go-to for easy dining, doesn’t have to be boring! Gaby Dalkin is a trained chef, recipe developer, entrepreneur, and the founder of What’s Gaby Cooking, shows us how to spice up the pasta you are probably eating for the millionth day in a row.
Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Cook the Cassarecce according to the package directions. Once al dente, drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of pasta water for future use and set aside.
In a large sauté pan, add the olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the lemon zest (saving the lemon juice for later) and sauté for 15 seconds. Add the Calabrian hot pepper paste and stir until everything is evenly incorporated.
Add the cooked pasta and stir to combine. If you need to add a few tablespoons of the reserved pasta water to thin it out, go ahead. Add the lemon juice and toss to combine. Season with salt to taste.
Sprinkle the pecorino over the pasta if desired and toss to coat and serve immediately.
Founder of What’s Gaby Cooking
This story was originally published on April 13, 2020, and has since been updated.
MORE ON THE BLOG
4 Organization Hacks to Help You Take Control of Your Life
We call it self-care.
Photo: Teona Swift from Pexels
When your home is cluttered and chaotic, it can be difficult to muster up the energy needed to tackle even the smallest of chores. The worse it gets, the harder it is to find both the time and strength to put things right. But all that disorder is actually doing you harm.
Research has shown that living and working in a clean, orderly environment is beneficial to both mental and physical health. Well-organized spaces lower stress levels, increase motivation, improve sleep, and even encourage healthier decision-making.
Organizing and cleaning a cluttered house may seem like a colossal task, but if you break it into smaller pieces, you’ll be amazed at what you can achieve. Here are four small(ish) organization hacks and decluttering tips to help you get started today.
Get Your Closets in Order
When your household closets are well organized, everything is so much easier to find. (In other words, you’ll never be late for an early morning meeting again!) No matter what kind of closet you’re looking to tackle, the following six steps should help you straighten things out:
Gather your materials. You’ll need some basic cleaning supplies and boxes for sorting. Empty the closet of all contents.
Wipe down the shelves and sweep/vacuum the closet floor.
Sort the contents of the closet into three piles: keep, donate, and trash/recycle. If you’re having trouble deciding whether something is worth keeping, ask yourself, “Have I worn/used this in the last year? If my home burned down and I lost everything, would I replace this?”
Assess your storage needs and make any adjustments necessary, such as installing shelves or making use of baskets and bins.
Organize the closet contents by grouping similar items together. Place the items you use most often in the most accessible area and seldom-used items toward the back of the closet or on a high shelf.
Once your closet is properly organized, keep it that way by maintaining it throughout the year.
Organize Your Files and Records
Whether you use your home office for work or for managing your household's most important documents, you can't get much done if your files are a cluttered mess. Fortunately, putting things in order isn’t difficult!
Tools you’ll need: A shredder, a scanner, and a recycle bin.
Start by coming up with a system to organize your files. It can be alphabetical, numerical, or whatever makes sense to you. Then, set up folders for each type of document being filed. For instance, you might have one folder for medical forms, one for tax documents, and one for household manuals. By constructing a clear and straightforward filing system, you’ll always know where to look for important documents.
Next, gather up everything in the house that needs to be filed. Make sure to grab any mail tucked away in various nooks and crannies, documents or manuals that were randomly pigeonholed, and odd papers strewn about on tables and counters. Sort the documents into four piles: urgent, file, shred and recycle.
Once your papers have been sorted:
Place your “urgent” documents (like high-priority bills) in an obvious spot on your desk. It may help to have a tray specifically for this purpose.
Digitize all documents you plan on keeping. There are many reasons to scan your records, but chief among them is that it’s far easier to back things up. Name the files appropriately and then move them to the applicable folder.
For physical copies, you need to hang onto (i.e. birth certificates), place documents in a flood/fireproof safe.
Collect all items for disposal. Shred anything containing account numbers, birth dates, maiden names, passwords, pins, signatures, or Social Security numbers. Recycle what’s left.
It’s paramount you back up all of your important files. Natural disasters and computer crashes seem to happen when we least expect them, and you don't want to lose anything you need. Backups can be kept on an external drive, in cloud storage, or in a safe.
Catalog Your Photos
Like your household documents, organizing your photos begins with gathering them all up into one central digital or physical location. As you do this, be sure to preserve any existing organizational structures—such as digital folders, paper envelopes, or albums—as these often provide information about a group of photographs. Then you can get to work!
For digital photos:
Review and edit: Delete duplicate, repetitive, and poor-quality shots. Edit what’s left by cropping and rotating, removing red-eye, and touching up exposure and contrast where needed.
Create folders: Choose a method for organizing your photos on your computer. You can do it chronologically, by theme, or even by person/pet.
Rename and file: Rename each photo and place it into the folders you created.
Backup: Back up each batch of photos as soon as they’ve been organized into folders using at least two of the following methods: an external drive, the cloud, an online storage service, or physical copies.
Delete: Erase the photos from your camera or phone to avoid accidentally downloading duplicates and to create space for your next photo opportunities.
Keep it up: At least once a month, download photos from your camera/phone to your computer to avoid them being lost.
For physical photos:
Be prepared: In order to properly organize your pictures, you will need to invest in a large set of photo albums as well as some photo boxes.
Sort: Arrange your prints into groups by year, event, or subject.
Record details: As you sort, write an identifying description on the back of each photo with an acid-free, photo-safe pen. You can record details such as the date or who's in the photo.
Cull: Throw away photos that are blurry, poorly exposed, or are of something you don’t feel the need to keep.
Digitize: Scan your prints and sort them into your digital folders. This will serve as a backup should anything tragic happen.
Display: Put your favorites into an album or frame!
Photographs need special care to survive the passing of time. Storing your photos properly is incredibly important to their longevity. Albums with acid-free plastic sleeves and specially designed photo boxes are the best way to keep them safe. Since temperature, humidity, and light can negatively affect photos, keep them stored in a cool, dry area—and avoid storing them in basements or attics.
Whip Your Garage Into Shape
If you've accumulated a gargantuan amount of clutter in your garage, you are not alone. Garages often become a dumping ground for all those items that we don’t know where to stash. If you’re ready to take on the giant project that is your garage, here’s how to go about it.
Tools you’ll need: Some heavy-duty trash bags, broom, shop vac, and plenty of storage bins.
As with your closets, you’ll need to start by purging the garage of its contents before you can start to organize. Arrange your bins, baskets, and trash bags beforehand. Lay everything out on your driveway and being to sort it into categories (e.g. car supplies, tools, sports equipment, lawn, and garden). Once you’ve done that, you can separate the items you wish to donate, sell, or throw away.
Clean your garage well, making sure to dust shelves, sweep out cobwebs, and wash the floor. Assess your garage storage needs and decide how you’d like to utilize your vertical space (pegboards, cabinets, shelving, etc.). Once everything is properly installed, you can move items back into the garage and store them in their proper homes. Place frequently used items closest to the garage door. If you have children in the house, make sure household chemicals and other dangerous items are stored in a locked cabinet.
Take It to the Next Level
As you get better at organizing, you can start creating “centers” around your home, such as a homework center or a recycling center. Sectioning your home in such a way can help you to keep clutter at bay and use your space to its fullest potential.
Organizing your house doesn’t have to be an overwhelming operation. By breaking big jobs into smaller tasks, you can squeeze a little bit of organization into a few hours of your time. And believe it or not, finishing even the smallest of these projects in a weekend will put you in a good mood for the rest of the week.
About the Author: Liz Greene is a feminist, makeup enthusiast, and anxiety-ridden realist from the beautiful city of trees, Boise, Idaho. When she’s not writing, she enjoys eating fancy cheeses, fantasizing about what life would be like if she had an Iron Man suit, and re-watching Venture Bros. episodes for the 100th time.
Love this story? Pin the below graphic to your Pinterest board.
This post was published on November 15, 2018, and has since been updated.
MORE ON THE BLOG
How Being Overdressed for an Interview Can Negatively Affect Your Chances of Landing the Job
Make a great first impression.
Photo: Create & Cultivate
Once you schedule an interview, these are just a few of the questions that might be swimming in your head: What if I show up and I’m overdressed? What if I’m underdressed? Will it even make that much of a difference? How bad is it really to be overdressed for an interview?
According to data released in the Job Interview Anxiety Survey, 92% of employed Americans get stressed out about job interviews, but it’s not just the actual interview that stresses people out. Figuring out what to wear for an interview can often become just as stress-inducing as wondering what questions they will ask you.
With the rise of startups and tech companies with laid-back company cultures, figuring out what to wear for your next interview has become more confusing than ever, but these tips will help you navigate the process with ease.
How bad is it to be overdressed for an interview?
Really bad.
If you’re interviewing at a company known for its laid-back dress code and company culture, showing up to your interview in a suit will show that you haven’t done your research on the company and the environment.
Even worse, showing up in a suit could mean that you did research the company and didn’t care about the dress code and rules.
What can you do to ensure that you’re properly dressed?
Research the company to figure out what the company culture is like. Company culture often dictates the dress code and how formal or casual people will dress. Use websites like Glassdoor to your advantage. These platforms allow users to rate and comment on companies, giving you inside knowledge about the company culture, and what it’s really like to work there. Often people will discuss dress code and the general vibe of the office.
Another option is to search for employees on LinkedIn. Observe what employees are wearing in their LinkedIn profile photos to get a better sense of the daily dress code.
Finally, if all else fails, pick up the phone and ask someone about the company’s dress code. This is something so simple, yet almost no one does this. If you want to make sure that you won’t be overdressed for an interview, simply pick up the phone and call the front desk or a recruiter that you’re working with.
If the dress code is really casual, stick with the guidelines, but ensure that you look put together and ready for work.
This is the most important thing to remember when you’re figuring out what to wear for an interview. I always suggest being a step above the dress code, but if you do decide that it would be in your best interest to come completely casual, just make sure that you look put together. Regardless of whether or not the dress code is super casual, you do not want to look like you just rolled out of bed. You’re still interviewing for a job.
If you do decide to go with jeans, make sure they are dark wash jeans without any rips or tears. Similarly, if you opt for a T-shirt, make sure that it is clean, plain without graphics or logos, and wrinkle-free. If you don’t like to iron, (I hate ironing!) invest in a mini steamer. It will change your life and make it super simple to get the wrinkles out of any of your clothes.
How bad is it to be overdressed for an interview? Depending on the company it could be detrimental and could be the reason why you don’t get the job. Showing up completely overdressed suggests that you didn’t research the company and have not paid any attention to the company culture.
Employers want to ensure that they hire employees who will fit in with the general office vibe, and showing up to an interview overdressed can be a major red flag. When you’re determining what to wear for your next interview, do some research on the company dress code and company culture, and dress accordingly. With the rise of business casual and completely casual dress codes, figuring out what to wear for your next interview can be tricky, however, if you follow these simple steps, you’ll be good to go.
Good luck!
About the author: A native San Franciscan, Michele Lando is a certified professional résumé writer and the founder of writestylesonline.com. She has a passion for helping others present the best version of themselves, both on paper and in person, and works to polish an individual’s application package and personal style. Aiming to help create a perfect personal branding package, Write Styles presents tips to enhance your résumé, style, and boost your confidence.
Love this story? Pin the below graphic to your Pinterest board.
This story was originally published on September 21, 2018, and has since been updated.
MORE ON THE BLOG
Everyday Humans Founder on WFH (From Hong Kong!) and Making It Work 12 Hours Ahead of EST
Asana is key.
Photo: Courtesy of Charlotte C. Pienaar
Welcome to our monthly editorial series A Day in the Life where we ask women we admire to share the daily minutiae of their professional lives, from the morning rituals that set them up for success to their evening wind-down routines. This month, we caught up with Charlotte C. Pienaar, the founder of Everyday Humans, to chat about what inspired her to launch an SPF-led skincare brand, why she’s working toward the goal of no screens before 8 a.m., and how she manages her time while working 12 hours ahead of EST.
Tell us a bit about Everyday Humans and what inspired you to launch your business. What whitespace did you see in the market, and what need did you want to fill?
We’re a newly launched DTC skincare brand that makes comfy, planet-friendly sunscreens for all. As a conscious founder who cares about the planet and cultural diversity, I’m passionate about sustainability and inclusivity and created Everyday Humans with the belief that sunscreen should be for all humans and the foundation of all skincare routines. I saw a whitespace in the market for SPF-led skincare products that combined multi-tasking formulas, good for the planet packaging at everyday prices.
Now, let’s talk about your workday routine! First, are you a night owl or a morning person? When do you do your most important work and why?
I’m physically a morning person so I schedule calls with the team and external parties and review my to-do list in the morning, then I do reactive work throughout the day, like approving things, responding to emails and requests, and general ops and coordination work. My brain only fully activates and the real magic happens in the after-hours when my creative side kicks in—deep-dive research, product ideas, campaigns concepts, marketing strategy—comes through at night.
What time does your alarm go off, and what’s the first thing you do upon waking?
I have two children so my alarm is my youngest who is one and a half years old and I get up before 6 a.m. on most days. The first thing I do is to get to the kitchen to make a bottle of milk for him. Nothing fun or glamorous, just good ol’ parenting.
What does your morning, pre-work routine look like?
This is the time when the entire family sits together for breakfast before work or school. I try to be as present as possible to spend quality time with my husband and kids. Sometimes, urgent emails and requests get in the way but I’m working towards no screens before 8 a.m.!
Take us through your morning skincare routine. How do you prepare your skin for the day?
I’m a really lazy skincare person so I like products that are multi-purpose and can combine steps. The first thing in the morning is to wash my face to get rid of excess oils that developed overnight. I’ve been really into face cleansers with a gentle exfoliant as it brightens and resurfaces my skin before I apply any skincare on so everything absorbs better. We’re in the midst of developing one so it’s extra awesome to try many brands and to test drive what works for me.
After that, it’s toning. I've recently been obsessed with Hada Labo’s lotion as it’s a toner, serum, lotion combo that helps my skin feel prepped and ready to go. My last and most important step is a multi-tasking serum and sunscreen, and of course, it would be my Resting Beach Face SPF30 sunscreen serum, which is a super lightweight organic SPF30 and hydrating serum all rolled up in one. It doubles up as skincare as it has moisture-boosting hyaluronic acid and pentavitin, antioxidant-rich spinach and green tea extract, and kopara extract that wards off urban pollutants and pollution. I rarely wear make-up so the bonus is it leaves a gorgeous lit-from-within finish that makes my skin look healthy, glowy, and well-rested.
Mark Twain said, “Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.” What’s the first thing you do when you get to your desk?
The first thing I do in the morning is also the most important. I update my to-do list to make sure I have a bird’s eye view of what I have to work on for the day and schedule and prioritize accordingly.
What are you working on this week?
It’s been an interesting week as I’m on a 21-day quarantine and trying to balance work with two small children! We’ve just done a one-year review of the brand, putting together what we’ve achieved so far, what we’ve missed the mark, and how we’re going to improve in the future. It’s been challenging to work with kids in the background but I love doing big-picture and strategy work to align with all stakeholders so this has been a great week.
What’s been the most rewarding part of running your business? The most challenging?
Seeing customers happy and calling our sunscreens their holy grail. We have a Slack channel where we share mentions, reviews, and customer feedback to the entire team and it always makes me smile from the inside when we receive a positive note from a total stranger. The most challenging part is to always be one step ahead of the game. We’ve just celebrated our one-year anniversary and the landscape has changed so much since the inception of Everyday Humans. To be able to not lose sight of your mission while being able to innovate, plan ahead and execute flawlessly are all super hard but when you overcome obstacles and come out stronger and wiser, it’s incredibly rewarding.
Do you ever reach inbox zero? What tips can you share for handling the constant influx of inquiries and communication founders are so familiar with?
TBH I don’t think it was ever a goal, and friends are freaked out by the amount of unread messages I have! I love subscribing to newsletters so perhaps that doesn’t count?
What is your go-to work lunch?
I try to limit my carb and protein intake to keep my energy up. My go-to’s are a healthy helping of vegetables in various forms—steamed, stir-fried, grilled, raw—just as it is or as a warm or cold salad, my other go-to is brothy and vegetable-heavy soups that keep me full without feeling like I’ve overeaten (or else I’ll get sleepy!). I’ve always made my own lunches—even before the pandemic—so it’s extra awesome to see how other people put together theirs and take inspiration from them.
What advice do you have for balancing the minutiae of day-to-day tasks with big-picture planning?
By making it compulsory. We schedule monthly huddles, quarterly check-ins, bi-annual re-alignment, and annual planning.
What are some work habits that help you stay healthy, productive, and on track to reach your goals?
Taking time off every month to focus on your hobbies is compulsory at Everyday Humans. I try to encourage our team to share what we do outside of work and it’s been fun to learn about everyone’s interests. There’s something about sharing your intentions with a close group that encourages you to act on them. I’ve picked up some new hobbies that I never thought I would get into, like journaling, virtual workouts, and pottery because I spoke about it to my co-workers!
Any favorite apps you use regularly?
We run our entire company off project management software Asana so that’s my #1 favorite app.
What are you reading, watching, or listening to right now to help you wind down at the end of the day?
“Pop Culture Happy Hour” to keep me up to date as I’m so behind with gossip, lol. “Stuff You Should Know” is amazing and the good ol’ “How I Built This with Guy Raz.”
When do you go to bed? What’s your “optimal” number of sleep hours?
As I’m 12 hours ahead of EST, it’s hard to not stay up late for calls and emails till midnight or 1 a.m. The ideal is to be in bed before 10:30 p.m. and my optimal is 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep.
What’s the most rewarding part of your day?
Besides happy customers, seeing my team members grow makes me super happy. My job is to empower and equip my frontline staff to make better decisions than myself, so witnessing the fruits of my labor is incredibly rewarding.
MORE ON THE BLOG
Is Upstate New York the New Silicon Beach? 3 Founders on How Moving From the City to the Country Benefited Their Biz
Entrepreneurs are flocking to this incubator haven.
Upstate New York has always been a haven for creatives, and when COVID hit in 2020, many founders relocated from New York City to upstate out of necessity, desire, or both. Below are profiles of three entrepreneurs—Trinity Mouzon Wofford, the founder of Golde, Eliza Blank, the founder The Sill, and Hillary France, the founder of The Wylde—who made the move from the city to the country last year. Read on to discover how the change impacted these founders and their businesses.
Trinity Mouzon Wofford, Founder of Golde
Saratoga Springs, New York
During the summer of 2020, when COVID was surging, Trinity and her fiancé Issey, the cofounder of Golde, spent the summer in Saratoga Springs to gain some relief and safety from the intense situation in N.Y.C. They were going back and forth from Saratoga to Brooklyn, a three-and-a-half-hour ride each way, when Trinity had the realization that, for the time being, it made sense to return full-time to upstate New York to live and run their business.
On one ride down from Saratoga during late summer, she remembers thinking to herself that she needed to go back; that perhaps running her superfood health and beauty startup, Golde, and paying rent in Brooklyn for too little space was not benefiting the growth of her business nor her own personal growth. On top of these challenges, Trinity and Issey are in an interracial relationship and, in the city, tensions were becoming palpable during the summer of 2020 in response to the BLM movement and the upcoming election. In a way, she felt as though the systems of the city were starting to fail her and she needed to actively change her surroundings for the benefit of herself, her family, and her business.
Trinity grew up in Saratoga Springs. In fact, four generations of Trinity’s family have lived in the same house that she returned to, where her mother still lives. Returning to the house that her ancestors had lived in for generations felt very natural and provided a safe space to gain a fresh perspective. It’s allowed her to go deeper into outlets such as gardening and plant care, which, in her own words, have allowed for more creativity. Not surprisingly Golde has benefited from this positive energy and change.
During this past year, Golde has been lucky. The business hasn’t been negatively affected, and has, in fact, thrived. In January, Golde launched in Target, and one of the brand’s two new products scheduled for release in 2021, Shroom Shield, has launched. The team has always been remote so no adjustments were needed in order to keep the business running smoothly. The lack of pressure to be everywhere and do everything, something that anyone who lives in a big city can relate to, has allowed her to realize that she can’t predict the future. She can only think a few steps ahead, and for the first time, she is living in the moment and is fully enjoying it and the lack of pressure this brings.
Eliza Blank, Founder The Sill
Stone Ridge, New York
It’s a similar story for Eliza. Coincidentally, both she and her husband Steve grew up in more rural areas of Massachusetts, so the desire to feel the grass under their feet has always been there. She found herself at NYU for university, and although she loved the city, she always missed nature. It’s this love of nature that inspired her to start The Sill, an online plant nursery that delivers botanicals right to your doorstep. It also inspired her to buy her first home in Stone Ridge, situated in the Catskills, in 2015.
The paths to starting The Sill—as well as finding a house in upstate New York—were not straightforward ones. Eliza found raising money for The Sill to be challenging. Venture capitalists often want fast growth at all costs, and Eliza was committed to making sure her foundational economics worked, which, for her, meant slower growth with her eye on profitability from day one. After an arduous raise, she is confident they found the right investors for The Sill, and these investors have been by her side navigating the most difficult year yet. As was the case for most businesses, March 2020 was a very dark time. All five of The Sill’s stores were closed and the distribution center in California was forced to shut down. The bright spot is that sales didn’t suffer. As it turns out, people look to plants for emotional support, and since people could not be together, they found connection in giving small gifts of kindness in the form of plants to each other.
In 2015, when buying their house upstate, Eliza realized that their mortgage would be less expensive than their rent in the city. Little did they know that five years later this house would become their permanent residence, sanctuary, and office for over a year. The past 18 months have led her to question if the social convention of the office is necessary. Does the team even need a five-day workweek? Eliza has started to hire permanently remote team members as far away as Hawaii and the business’s headquarters are now fully remote. For Eliza, she firmly believes that the space and closeness to nature their home provided them mitigated the extreme pressure and stress she experienced during COVID as a leader and also as an Asian American woman. Her home upstate became an oasis from what the world had become, or perhaps further revealed, that we live during a time of extreme unrest and racism.
When asked what’s next for her and her business, Eliza responds that she wants to live a life well-lived. She wants her two-and-a-half-year-old daughter to have the space to play and become independent. For the business, she wants to further realize the broad ways in which nature can be infused into our homes and what the brand essence of The Sill is, and how it can evolve to fit into this new space that we have all found ourselves living in. For Eliza’s family, they will go back to the city for a year in the fall and see how it feels. For right now, the country has allowed her to have creative breakthroughs and reimagine how The Sill can further help us maintain our well-being within our home as we spend more time there than ever before.
Hillary France, Founder of The Wylde
Hudson, New York
Hillary had always thought she would make the gradual move from spending weekends in Hudson, New York to living there full time. What she could not have predicted was that this move would happen as abruptly as it did in March 2020. For seven years, through her company Brand Assembly, Hillary had been running trade events for some of the most enviable fashion brands. Her business had been thriving, and then, within the first month of COVID, the Brand Assembly’s trade show business was almost obliterated.
She saw an 80% drop in activity and she soon found herself in the position of having to reimagine her whole business model. She immediately gave up her office, attempted to pivot but was unable to make it work, and slowly drained her resources. She had to accept that perhaps this almost fully offline and in-person event business was not an operation that could survive a pandemic. Not surprisingly, for the last year, her trade show business has been on hiatus (and the good news is that they are set to return in October of 2021), however, the backend operations piece called The Faculty is still fully functioning. This situation could have fully devastated Hillary, but instead, it pushed her to finally pursue a dream she had always had: to create a space for brands and community to convene in one place in Hudson. At that point, she had nothing to lose so she packed her bags, gave up her N.Y.C. apartment, and moved to her weekend house in Hudson to create what is now called The Wylde.
Hillary had spent nine years going back and forth to Hudson and saw an opportunity for a retail annex in this quickly growing city. In fact, Hudson was recently ranked the #1 metro area in terms of the biggest change in net migration. With the influx of people to the area, she figured there was more of an opportunity than ever to create a space where people could feel a sense of community and continue to be inspired by fashion and conversation. On April 17, 2021, Hillary launched the Wylde’s first outdoor market Summer Saturdays with a selection of handpicked vendors across apparel, accessories, vintage, and apothecary. Local N.Y. brands like M.Patmos, Hudson Hemp, and Lail Design are featured within the market while the permanent retail store that opened on April 30th launched brands like Rachel Comey, Dôen, Mondo Mondo, and more.
Is The Wylde solely an upstate dream? In Hillary’s mind, it’s not. When taking the Amtrak train down to the city she has daydreams of opening The Wylde up in another emerging market if she finds success in Hudson. Rather than feeling consumed by the fashion space she feels excited about how fashion, culture and even coffee (a Wylde cafe is slated to open in August 2021) can bring people together to create community and meaning. This evolution of the business more truly reflects the changes she has felt personally this past year and the community that she had always sought to be a more permanent member of.
Melissa Grillo Aruz, Founder of Aruz Ventures
About the author: Melissa Grillo Aruz has been an active part of the New York startup ecosystem for the past 20 years having senior roles at Forerunner Ventures, Gilt Groupe, and more. She currently runs her own marketing and talent consulting business under www.aruzventures.net where she helps commerce companies scale their business. She currently splits her time between upstate New York and Brooklyn. Instagram and Twitter @melgrilloaruz.
MORE ON THE BLOG
7 Reasons You Should Declutter and Organize Your Desk Right Now
Do it for the endorphins.
Photo: ColorJoy Stock
It’s hard not to fall prey to the American drive to have more. We live in a consumer-driven culture. Case in point, one of the first idioms I learned was, “Keeping up with the Joneses.” But as we fritter away our hard-earned money on “stuff,” we start to accumulate more than we can actually handle. Before we know it, we’re drowning in the byproducts of capitalism.
Years and years of this “more” mentality has caused a subtle shift in our culture. Many of us are starting to seek a more simplified life. We’re looking to surround ourselves only with the things we either truly love or truly need.
However, actually obtaining (and maintaining) such a lifestyle means getting rid of a lot of possessions—and then organizing what’s left. Although this may seem like an insurmountable task, it’s ultimately worthwhile.
Why?
Because decluttering and organizing feels amazing.
It's a Rush
Did you know that decluttering and organizing releases endorphins? One of the main reasons why these tasks are so satisfying is because our brains are literally pouring on the feel-good chemicals. This leads to reduced stress and anxiety and improves our mood!
One way to really get those endorphins flowing is to take on a task that you perceive to be more difficult or challenging than others. For instance, consider organizing your digital photos. According to a survey by Everpresent, 83% of families have not consolidated their digital photos into a single library. Gathering all of your photos into one place, arranging and labeling them, and then uploading them to an online library or external hard drive can take many hours (or even days). That said, the rush you’ll get when the job is done and your precious memories are safe will be well worth it!
It Gives You a Sense of Accomplishment
So many of life’s little chores don’t leave you with an observable end product. You work and work and work, and… nothing. Decluttering and organizing, however, delivers results you can really see. And believe it or not, achieving these results can have positive effects in other areas of your life.
When you accomplish a goal—even a small one such as cleaning out the junk drawer—you gain confidence. You realize that you can succeed when you put your mind to something. The more of these tasks you accomplish, the more confidence you build. These repeated triumphs arm you with the courage you need to face all of life’s challenges.
It Gives You Control
Creating a clean desk space gives you a sense of control over your environment. Since we often feel a lack of control in other areas of our lives, having this control over our homes is incredibly comforting (even if it’s only on a subconscious level).
What’s more, there’s actually an evolutionary need for that control. Humans are wired to keep track of their surroundings at all times. We’re naturally drawn to uncluttered spaces that are easier to scan—and when we’re safely within them, we feel more relaxed.
It's Meditative
It’s a strange thing to say, but the mindlessness of cleaning is actually one of its biggest perks. The physical elements of housework are often simple, repetitive tasks. This makes the activity highly meditative. Whether you listen to music or podcasts while you clean or let the silence of the house take over, allowing your brain to take a break from everyday thoughts while you clean is the perfect way to meditate while staying active.
It Makes You Feel Better
Disorganization can have a terrible effect on your sense of self-worth. If your home is cluttered and dirty, it’s not hard to internalize. The more disordered and disheveled your environment becomes, the worse you end up feeling about yourself.
A 2010 study from the University of California revealed that women who described their homes as being cluttered or filled with unfinished projects were more likely to be depressed and fatigued than women who characterized their living spaces as being restful and restorative. They also found that women who lived in cluttered environments had higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
It’s a Stress-Buster
Speaking of stress, clutter is surprisingly hard on our brains. Your brain is constantly processing visual information, and too much clutter can make it hard for it to be efficient. Keeping your home decluttered and organized helps to reduce unnecessary stimuli and allows you to stay focused on your goals.
It Makes Life Easier
One of the greatest reasons to declutter (besides it feeling awesome) is as a segue into a minimalist lifestyle. Every item you get rid of is one less thing you have to find a place for, regularly clean, maintain, and repair. The fewer items you own, the less time and energy you have to spend on taking care of things. Instead of collecting stuff for the sake of having it, only purchase and hold onto the items that mean something to you or you genuinely need.
It Empowers You to Move Forward
Have you ever kept an item strictly because you felt obligated to? An invitation to a friend’s wedding or a ticket stub from a concert? Sometimes the only reason we save items is that we feel responsibility, nostalgia, or even guilt when we look at them. But, in the spirit of minimalism, if we don’t love or use something, there’s no reason to keep it. Getting rid of these items will help you stay focused on the present and the future, rather than burdened by the past.
More and more people are starting to realize that the decades-old crusade to accumulate as many worldly goods as possible doesn’t always lead to happiness. In fact, it’s quite the opposite—too much stuff can lead to added stress and anxiety. Taking time to declutter and organize your home is a surefire way to feel more relaxed, in control, and at peace. And that’s worth all the money in the world!
About the author: Liz Greene is a feminist, makeup enthusiast, and anxiety-ridden realist from the beautiful city of trees, Boise, Idaho. When she’s not writing, she enjoys eating fancy cheeses, fantasizing about what life would be like if she had an Iron Man suit, and re-watching Venture Bros. episodes for the 100th time.
This post was originally published on September 24, 2018, and has since been updated.
MORE ON THE BLOG
How Shenae Grimes and AnnaLynne McCord Balance Being BFFs and Biz Partners
This week on WorkParty, the co-hosts of "Unzipped" don't hold back.
Photo: Courtesy of Shenae Grimes & AnnaLynne McCord
Listen to the full episode here.
Going into business with a friend can be an incredible experience, but it can also be a real challenge. You need to ensure your values, goals, and work ethics align.
So, how do you make it work with your bestie? How do you maintain healthy boundaries between being friends and being business partners? How do you navigate creative differences and make sure both of your opinions are heard?
To talk about what it really takes to go into business with a friend, Jaclyn Johnson, founder and CEO of Create & Cultivate and host of the “WorkParty” podcast, chatted with Shenae Grimes and AnnaLynne McCord on this week’s episode of “WorkParty.”
Although Shenae and AnnaLynne played fictional best friends on the CW show “90210,” today, they’re real-life besties and co-hosts of the podcast “Unzipped” where they talk about everything from friendship and parenting to pop culture and social issues.
On the “WorkParty” podcast, Jaclyn asked these BFFs turned business partners what it’s like to navigate the friend-business-partner relationship, why they decided to launch a podcast, and so much more. Listen to the full episode here.
Subscribe to WorkParty and never miss an episode.
On starting a podcast together…
“We like people's stories. We like having in-depth conversations. We like questioning ourselves, we like questioning other people, and we're not afraid to quote-unquote go there.” — Shenae Grimes
On finding value outside of your career…
“You can be rich in life and not be the richest and most famous.” — Shenae Grimes
On being an advocate for children…
“I want to be a part of creating a world where we don't see the number of child suicides that we're seeing right now. For example, children as young as eight and nine years old, are killing themselves.” — AnnaLynne McCord
On prioritizing a career with work-life balance…
“Ultimately, what led me down wanting to get into the content creation thing and veer away from acting was the freedom to work from home, so that I could physically be present with my family instead of on a set for 16 hours a day.” — Shenae Grimes
On balancing friendship and business…
"This is business. If there's a decision that needs to be made, this is not about your heart or your feelings, this is about money." — AnnaLynne McCord
Keep the WorkParty Going By
Supporting Our Sponsors
MZ Wallace is offering WorkParty listeners 15% off your first purchase.
Level up your small business by going to JustWorks.
MORE ON THE BLOG
Why You Should Dress Up for a Phone Interview
It’s called power dressing for a reason.
Photo: ColorJoy Stock
You may be wondering how clothing affects your ability to communicate. It all starts with that first impression. First impressions mean a lot.
Think about how often we judge people almost immediately based on their appearance. Clothing is a tool that can help you take control of how people see you and manipulate their viewpoint. Do you want to appear as a strong, knowledgeable, and confident individual? Your clothing can help with that!
In Jennifer J. Baumgartner’s book, “You Are What You Wear: What Your Clothes Reveal About You,” she explains that, “Our closets are windows into our internal selves. Every one of us attempts to say or hide something in the way we wear our clothes.” Use your clothing to positively affect how you communicate by taking the opportunity to show people who you are and what kind of person you want to be.
Below are some tips to help you dress in a way that communicates authority and demands respect.
Dress for the Job You Want, Not the Job You Have
You’ve probably heard this before, but there’s a reason it keeps coming up. Work hard, be respectful of others, and dress as if you’re the boss. There’s something empowering about dressing "up." It changes your demeanor and studies have shown that it influences the way we think. I often tell clients to dress up for phone interviews because it makes a difference in how you think and how you speak.
We’re often able to think more clearly and efficiently when dressed in workwear because it differentiates us from a more laid-back and social environment in which one would wear casual clothing.
You Will Be Judged on Your Appearance, so Take Advantage of It
Whether or not it’s right, it’s human nature to judge others based on their clothing and appearance. Since this is a known fact (people with straight teeth are considered more successful), take advantage of what you can and dress to impress. This doesn’t mean that you need to spend a lot of money on designer clothing, however, you should be dressing in clothing that is flattering and appropriate.
If you’re going to a meeting, opt for a pair of fitted slacks instead of jeans. It’s a simple switch that will immediately make you appear more professional and more authoritative. Similarly, by switching out a sweater for a blazer, you will make your look more polished and command more respect.
Think About What Your Grandparents Would Say
This sounds silly at first, but when getting dressed for work-related events or meetings, think about how your grandparents would react to the outfit. Everything is a bit more casual (hello, startup life), but that doesn't mean you should be casual in attitude when it comes to your career. If grandma says something's not appropriate, chances are, it's not. You can still dress like yourself and bring individuality to any outfit, but listen to that inner voice. You don't have to dress for the most conservative person in the room but aim somewhere in the middle.
My grandmother has always lived by the motto that you can never be overdressed, and it’s almost always been right. Keep in mind that you want to remain appropriate, however, a suit will almost always be considered appropriate workwear. If you’re in a more casual environment, think of going with bold prints that feel less formal but also polished. Even if others are dressing casually, if you dress to impress, you will be able to communicate more effectively and command more respect than those in jeans and a T-shirt. Plus, studies have shown the dressing to impress enhances people’s ability to engage in abstract thinking.
When you’re wondering how clothing affects your ability to communicate, think about how you want people to see you, how you want to portray yourself to the world, and how efficient you want to be. If you want to be successful, dressing in a polished and professional manner will help you achieve your goal and communicate this objective to others.
About the author: A native San Franciscan, Michele Lando is a certified professional résumé writer and founder of writestylesonline.com. She has a passion for helping others present the best version of themselves, both on paper and in person, and works to polish an individual’s application package and personal style. Aiming to help create a perfect personal branding package, Write Styles presents tips to enhance your résumé, style, and boost your confidence.
Love this story? Pin the below graphic to your Pinterest board.
This story was originally published on October 5, 2016, and has since been updated.
MORE ON THE BLOG
When COVID Hit, She Had to Close Her Restaurant—Now Her Products Are Flying Off the Shelves at Whole Foods
And she hasn't taken any venture capital.
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 Ayeshah Abuelhiga
Ayeshah Abuelhiga was first inspired to open her own restaurant while working at local eateries in Washington, D.C. as an undergraduate at George Washington University. “It’s where I learned the value of a hard-earned dollar, where I learned Spanish, and where I saw people like me who didn’t necessarily have rich parents with white-collar jobs who paid their tuition,” explains Abuelhiga. “I saw the opportunity for restaurants to modernize, and ultimately, I knew that one day I wanted to own a restaurant." And after 14 years of climbing the corporate ladder, she did finally open the doors to her own restaurant, Mason Dixie, an authentic Southern comfort food hotspot, in D.C.
Although she had the make the difficult decision to close her restaurant after six years of serving the D.C. community due to COVID-19, she’s stumbled upon an even more impactful way to modernize the food industry. Like so many small business owners in 2020, she pivoted, identifying an opportunity to bring the wholesome biscuits that people would line up around the block for in D.C. into frozen food aisles across the county. Today, Mason Dixie has evolved into a clean frozen food company that makes biscuits and breakfast sandwiches that are available at over 6,000 stores, including Whole Foods, Target, Safeway, Costco, and more. And Abuelhiga is just getting started.
Below, the founder tells Create & Cultivate how she’s scaled her company sustainably, why she’s opted to raise funds from private investors (rather than through venture capital), and what major mistakes she’s made and learned from along the way.
You started Mason Dixie, in part, because you believe everyone should have access to affordable, wholesome food. Take us back to the beginning—What was the lightbulb moment for Mason Dixie and what inspired you to launch your business and pursue this path?
I grew up poor. I was raised in low-income housing in Baltimore up until I was 11, but my parents did their best to instill the values of home-cooked, wholesome meals. We shopped at farmer’s markets and bought produce that was bruised, but we ate very balanced meals. I notice now looking back that the kids I still remember that I grew up with in Section 8 that ate out of vending machines are still in the system today, and those who had better access to food, are in better places. You truly are what you eat and I have always believed we deserve better.
In that same vein, my immigrant parents owned a soul-food carry-out restaurant and convenience store when I was little and I got my taste for American cuisine from it. It was also a deciding cuisine when my Middle Eastern dad and Korean mother would disagree about whose cuisine would win out for dinner that night. I craved soul food even as I was coming of age in college, but I could never find homestyle, scratch-made comfort food, only fast food equivalents.
Fast forward to college. I was the first member of my family to attend college and since my parents didn’t make a lot of money, I had to work to pay for school, so I worked in restaurants throughout my years at George Washington University. It’s where I learned the value of a hard-earned dollar, where I learned Spanish, and where I saw people like me who didn’t necessarily have rich parents with white-collar jobs who paid their tuition. I saw the opportunity for restaurants to modernize, and ultimately, I knew that one day I wanted to own a restaurant.
So after working for 14 years in male-dominated industries, like tech and auto, and quickly climbing the corporate ladder, I realized I was an upper-level manager who was unfulfilled and had another 20 years to go before I could go after the only female C-level role that I didn’t even want. I was disenchanted and uninspired. So, I decided it was time to start my dream of owning a restaurant. So in 2014, I founded Mason Dixie. I saw a huge opportunity in the lack of comfort food options available in the growing, better-for-you food space, and an even bigger opportunity making biscuits the focal point since there were no real, scratch-made biscuits on the market. I also saw an opportunity to make scratch-made comfort food affordable and accessible to the masses versus just doing better-for-you food in the fine dining realm by looking at the fast-casual scale and ultimately, grocery, as an even better avenue to do just that.
You recently raised $6.3 million in Series A funding from investors—no doubt you’ve learned a lot along the way. What are three crucial elements everyone should include in a pitch deck when raising money and why?
1. Know the problem you are solving and how big the addressable market really is. Frequently I see founders who do not research the market space enough and show a $20M market opportunity. No investor gets excited about the opportunity to take up to 10% of a $20M market. If you make a seed oil and that segment is small, how big is the oil market in general? Sell the sizzle. It’s the opportunity size that gets early-stage investors going. But be realistic. Be able to defend the market size with real data.
2. Know your sales performance and gross margins inside and out; it is ultimately how investors judge your worth. I cannot tell you how many founders I talk to that don’t even know what goes into a gross margin calculation, or where their strongest sales are coming from. This is important stuff you should be able to spat out on command.
3. Know how you are going to use the funds. Don’t just say I need $1M. What is that $1M built from? Half to overhead/salaries, some to equipment, a third to working capital? Show in your projections how you get to that number. You will always be surprised after analyzing cash flow projections how much more you really need than you thought.
You decided to forgo venture capital and instead opted to raise funds from private investors, many of whom are women. What advice can you share for entrepreneurs, particularly WOC, on partnering with the right investors, and what do investors need to bring to the table other than just money?
I say this until my face turns blue and people still look at me like I have three heads but choosing investors is like choosing a husband. They are almost identical on legal paper. They own your assets, you share financial responsibilities with them, and ultimately your relationship will be what allows you to succeed or fail. They are not a bank or a cash lender; they are meant to be business partners.
You have to know the type of personalities you vibe with, what their values are, do you have the same humor even. It’s like dating. You have to ask yourself, “Could I be with these people forever? Are they my people? Do they really believe in me and what I am trying to achieve?” These are some of the top questions I ask of my investors when getting to know them and I highly recommend founders do the same when they go out to raise. This is why for WOC especially, it’s important to find your people. The check is secondary to shared values and work style.
You launched Mason Dixie in 2014, and now the brand is available at over 6,000 stores, including Whole Foods, Target, Safeway, Costco, and more. What has been the biggest challenge in scaling your business and what lessons have you learned along the way? What advice can you share on how to scale a business sustainably?
The hardest part about scaling a fast-paced growth business is predicting growth. There are times when you get it dead wrong and over-project, and there are times you go gangbusters and hit it out of the park. Both scenarios are challenging to plan for.
I think the way we have navigated our business growth best was by learning the hard way at first and then optimizing each year. At first, we sprinted and made some mistakes. We were lucky in that the sprint just qualified us for the next race, but we weren’t ready. We just happened to be the fastest runner in that first race. I would have preferred looking back to have trained and prepared for the second race.
So with each misstep, we corrected, learned, and analyzed our weak points and then went in more cautiously. We chose better retailers, improved our product mix, then accelerated. I would always make sure to be cautious. If I could do it again, I would win strategically big and focus on making those wins bigger before going wider. It helps mobilize the team better, focuses your assets, and then allows you to move stronger into new markets.
There are a lot of small business owners reading this interview who would love to have their products sold at major retailers like you. How can these founders follow in your footsteps? What advice can you share for getting a foot in the door with a big-name retailer?
Fair warning: the market has changed a LOT since we first got started. Anyone who started before a couple of years ago were the pioneers. You did a lot and asked for forgiveness later and people were more willing to grow/make mistakes with you.
Now, the world has changed. There is a lot more competition—a lot more products out there—and retailers are getting smarter. Before you go pitch to a big retailer, you have to really know if you are ready. Do you have the marketing and trade budget to support the account? Can you keep up with the volume? Can you afford slotting fees? Do you have a sales support team to monitor and manage the account?
Remember, these players have dealt with far more billion-dollar companies than they have thousand-dollar companies, so the rules are set for much bigger fish than you.
Get educated, get funded, then jump into those waters with caution. Surround yourself with skilled and experienced advisors who have worked in the category/product type you are developing. Ask other companies in those retailers about their experience—both their successes and their follies. Get informed before you pitch.
Where do you think is the most important area for a business owner to focus their financial energy on and why?
Being a founder/CEO means you need to know everything about your business—point-blank. There isn’t one area that is more important than the other. It’s a living system and all parts of the system need to be financially healthy in order for the business to thrive. Now, this doesn’t mean you need to be the expert. Hire a great accountant or CFO early. Allow them to train your eye to see the dark spots and opportunities clearly. Focus on understanding your business over how to be a financial whiz.
What was your first big expense as a business owner and how should small business owners prepare for that now?
People. People people people. They should always be your first biggest expense. Who is helping you to create your projections? Who is going to manage your first order, or even make it? Remember, you cannot do this on your own and the value of the people you surround yourself with will be invaluable in the long run.
What are your top three largest expenses every month?
1. COGs – All of your cost of goods should and will be your largest expense.
2. Trade expenses/marketing – In frozen, we invest a lot into trade since it’s not as easy for us to market and get trial by handing out free sample packs at a metro station or triathlon. Investing back into trade helps us grow and should be one of your largest expenses as you scale.
3. People – Your people should be the best of the best and they deserve to be financially treated as such so they are spending 100% of their time worrying about their business and not if they will get paid. Remember – this industry is tough and financially risky. This is always on the minds of your people so make sure you can pay them on time, and in full.
Photo: Courtesy of Mason Dixie
Do you pay yourself, and if so, how did you know what to pay yourself?
I didn’t pay myself for four years so that others might eat. I lived off of savings and credit cards for as long as I could to ensure I could snag the best people, finance the next purchase order, or invest in the next piece of equipment or manufacturer. I only started to pay myself once I knew I
couldn’t cut checks big enough anymore to fuel the business and took in our first investment, but even then I was conservative and only took what I need to pay rent and eat. As an owner, don’t forget you own the company and that is way more valuable than a salary.
At first, conserve as much cash as you can otherwise you will burn through equity instead. Taking a big salary is a cash burn that will cost you more equity when you need to raise more money before the company has earned the valuation it deserves. So be frugal about what you need in the beginning until the business can afford to pay you.
Would you recommend other small business owners pay themselves?
It just depends on that owner’s personal situation. If I started a business as a single mom with three kids and little savings to live off of, I probably would pay myself the bare minimum I needed to feed my family. But as a single woman with nothing to lose, I lived as bare as I could on what I had. In fact, I worked side hustles until the business could afford to pay for me. It really depends on your financial needs and situation—just be frugal is the biggest advice I can give.
How did you know you were ready to hire and what advice can you share on preparing for this stage of your business?
You are always ready to hire. No one is good at everything. I would have a hard look at your skills and experience, rate those against the different business functions your business needs, and then hire for anything you didn’t rate yourself strongly for. When I took in a business partner, my COO, Ross, I knew I was terrible at operations and needed help. Similarly, when I saw sales ramping up, even though I knew I was good at sales, I only had so much time so rather than spread myself too thin, I invested in the hires knowing that yes, I could still do it, but what was the opportunity cost?
Did you hire an accountant? Who helped you with the financial decisions and setup?
Yes. This should be one of your first hires. I rarely have ever met a founder who is an accountant/financially trained. These people are, you need them. Again, they will educate you about how to look at your business and ultimately help you finance it. They are a critical function.
What apps or software are you using for finances? What’s worked and what hasn’t?
Every business can start with Quickbooks or any off-the-shelf software. In fact, there is a huge market opportunity for you software engineers out there to design scalable accounting software for product companies—hint hint! It’s been fine because of its ease of use and cloud-based
access, but terrible for really using it as a business intelligence and decision support tool. At the end of the day, it’s accounting software, so decision support is still happening in Excel for us. I don’t think there are better solutions until you advance a bit more, but I am always looking.
Do you think women should talk about money and business more? Why?
Yes, we are the biggest consumers in the world! We are business!! More decisions need to be made by the women who LITERALLY hold the purse strings. It can only happen with us talking out loud about it and informing the powers that be how we view money, business, services, etc. The more we show up, the louder we are, the more we will be seen, the more will change.
What money mistakes have you made and learned from along the way?
The funniest mistake was when I thought I was going to be Willy Wonka and open a biscuit factory in just a few months! It was actually one of the best mistakes I ever made. When we sold into Whole Foods our growth was so fast that we were getting requests for products everywhere. Naively, my business partner Ross Perkins and I decided to go after more accounts, particularly in the South because if these biscuits couldn’t sell down there, then we should just call this a good swag item and not further invest. Well, we got both Publix and Kroger to buy our biscuits and were going to go from 100 stores to 1,000 stores in just under nine months. With no idea how to do this, Ross and I leased a drive-thru restaurant with a huge parking lot in the middle of nowhere so we could make pallets of biscuits and store them in a portable trailer freezer on the lot.
We kept doing this for months and transporting the pallets, but the demand kept growing locally, so we couldn’t even keep the inventory we had reserved for the new accounts. I thought we needed to build a bakery! A frozen dough bakery! In the middle of DC! I spent a ton of money on fully engineered plans for this biscuit factory that was also going to have our restaurant attached for the full Ghirardelli experience until we were about to pull the trigger on this huge spiral freezer. Turns out the freezer requires either ammonia or freon—which in DC—are banned in the quantities we needed to fuel this machine. So, we were dead in the water, and we had to pivot to find a way to make biscuits within four months.
I say it was the best mistake I ever made because I ended up being fluent in frozen biscuit production—I knew exactly the equipment I needed, the process, the cost of things—so when I went on the hunt for the facility that would ultimately make our biscuits, I knew everything I needed to know to make the search easy. Because I failed at building a factory, I succeeded in finding the best co-manufacturer out there for our biscuits, and that is what ultimately allowed us to scale and has brought us to where we are today.
What is your best piece of financial advice for new entrepreneurs?
Learn about venture capital and investing before you start. It’s way more complicated, personal, and nuanced than anyone tells you. I did my best to read and research but only as I was hearing no’s during our initial raises. I even did a killer pitch where every investor in the room asked for follow-up discussions. But sometimes it’s not just about your business track record. Sometimes it’s about the color of the money on the table or how much more money is needed and it’s hard to stomach when you think everything else is A+ and you still can’t close the deal.
Anything else to add?
Whenever the going gets tough, ask yourself, what have you ever failed at that you tried your absolute hardest at?
I can’t think of a single time when I put my all into something where I didn’t succeed, so I know if I keep trying, anything can happen. I realized if I didn’t stop trying and if I continued to persevere and stop putting a period at the end of the task, I would ultimately succeed. It’s been the driving statement that through every bad turning point in the path to getting Mason Dixie where it is today, and it is 100% effective.
MORE ON THE BLOG
LLC vs. S Corp: Which Is Best for Small Business Owners?
Picking the right one is essential.
Photo by Marcos Paulo Prado on Unsplash
As a small business owner, you’ve probably heard the words LLC and S Corp floating around. And you probably need to decide which one to form. And while legal structures aren’t the most exhilarating topic, picking the right one is essential for your business.
Deciding if you should go LLC or S Corp starts with knowing the differences between the two and how each one will impact your business. Read on to learn everything you need to know about LLCs and S Corps.
LLC vs. S corp: The basics
As a small business owner, the two legal structures you’ve probably heard the most about are single-member LLCs and S Corps. Before we talk about the difference, we got to get one technical thing straight.
Technically, an S corp isn’t a legal entity but a tax election. It’s confusing but bear with us.
The IRS assigns every business structure a default tax treatment...which is just a fancy way of saying that the IRS decides how each business structure is taxed.
Single-member LLCs are automatically taxed like sole proprietors unless they ask otherwise. That’s where the S corp election comes in.
You can ask the IRS to tax your single-member LLC as an S corp, which means that the IRS won't tax you under the rules of a sole proprietorship; they’ll tax you under the rules of an S Corp (which we'll talk about later).
To keep things simple in this article, we will be referring to:
Single-member LLC as an LLC
Single-member LLC electing to be taxed as an S Corp as an S Corp
Taxes
The biggest difference between an LLC and an S Corp is how you’re taxed.
An LLC and S Corp are both pass-through entities. That means that all the profits from the business are passed on to the owner’s tax return. Unlike a C Corp, which has to pay corporate taxes, your business doesn’t pay any taxes. Instead, you, the owner, do.
How LLC taxes work
The IRS automatically taxes an LLC like a sole proprietorship. Under this tax treatment, you’ll pay two types of taxes:
Self-employment tax - 15.3% of 92.35% of your profit. Self-employment tax goes towards your Social Security and Medicare.
Income tax - Varies based on your tax bracket.
You probably know that self-employment tax is a killer, and it’s why taxes feel so much higher when you’re a small business owner than an employee.
When you’re an employee, your employer pays for half of this 15.3% through payroll taxes, and you pay the other half, which is deducted from your paycheck.
When you’re a small business owner, you pay for all of it yourself.
How S Corp taxes work
When it comes to S Corps, there’s one major tax difference: S Corp owners don’t pay self-employment tax on the business’s profits. They only pay income tax on the profits.
It sounds great, we know. But there’s a catch. S Corp owners are required to pay themselves a reasonable compensation via payroll. And your employee wages are subject to FICA payroll taxes.
FICA payroll tax is 15.3% of your employee wages. Yes, that’s the same amount as self-employment tax. But, the difference is that your business pays half of that (7.65%) through employer payroll taxes, and you pay the other half (7.65%), which is deducted from your paycheck.
You pay the equivalent of self-employment tax, but only on your employee earnings.
There are a few other things to know about S Corp taxation:
Your payroll taxes and the salary you pay yourself are a tax write-off, which lowers your taxable profits.
There’s no federal guideline for reasonable compensation, and we recommend chatting with a tax professional about how much to pay yourself (p.s. Collective can help with this!).
You’ll also have federal and state income tax withheld from your paycheck.
Your income tax will include your employee wages and the profits from your S Corp.
Tax savings: LLC vs. S corp
Let’s do an example to compare the taxes a small business owner would pay as an LLC and S Corp. We’re basing this example on a small business owner who earns $150,000 annually in profit and, who as an S Corp, pays themselves a $50,000 salary.
In this example, the business owner could save $15,350 by switching to an S Corp! Keep in mind that these tax numbers don’t include income taxes or state taxes, which will vary based on your tax situation.
If you want a personalized comparison of how much you could save with an S Corp, check out Collective’s tax savings calculator.
Additional costs
S Corps cost more money to run than an LLC. Here are some of the additional costs associated with an S Corp:
Payroll service fees
You 100% don’t want to do manual payroll yourself. Manual payroll involves many percentages, tax calculations, quarterly and annual forms, and ongoing payments to the IRS. If you calculate your payment wrong or miss a deadline, you’ll be subject to a penalty and pay interest on underpayments that you made.
Trust me. It’s way more work than you want to deal with. Instead, you can use a payroll service that runs payroll for you and takes care of all your tax payments and paperwork. Our favorite payroll service is Gusto, which is perfect for S Corp owners.
But like most magical things that do all the work for you, Gusto isn’t free. Gusto will cost you $45 a month to run payroll (unless you have a Collective membership, which includes a free subscription to Gusto).
Bookkeeping costs
The days of doing your bookkeeping via a shoebox full of receipts are over. As an S Corp, you’ll need to get serious about your bookkeeping and use a legit accounting program, like QuickBooks Online. The most basic QuickBooks Online subscription will cost $20 per month (Collective members also receive a free subscription to QuickBooks Online).
Tax preparation fees
When you’re an LLC, you report your business’s income and expenses on your personal tax return, and you only file one tax return.
As an S Corp, you’ll file your personal tax return plus a corporate return called the 1120-S, U.S. Income Tax Return for an S Corporation. Filing this extra return will set you back several hundred dollars.
Annual state registration fees
Depending on where you live, you might have to pay a yearly registration fee for your LLC and S Corp. Fees range from $20- $800 per year.
Cash Flow
S Corps require steady cash flow.
Cash flow is the money that comes in and goes out of your business in a given period. While cash flow includes your income and expenses, it also includes transferring money to your personal account, debt payments, and savings.
Sometimes, businesses are profitable but don’t have enough cash flow to sustain their operations because too much money is going out to cover debt, taxes, or owner pay.
With an S Corp, every time you run payroll, you pay a portion of your taxes in real-time, both as the employer and employee. This means you need to have the money available for your salary and payroll taxes every month.
Liability protection
The good news is when it comes to liability protection S Corps and LLCs offer the same level of limited liability protection to their owners. That’s because an S Corp is an LLC taxed under the rules of an S Corp.
Limited liability means that if your business is sued or can’t pay its debt, creditors and claimants can’t go after your personal assets, like your house or car. While there are some exceptions to this rule, generally, this is the case.
Which one is best for you?
The truth is, the less you earn, the less beneficial an S Corp will be for your taxes. Even if you have some tax savings, the additional costs might eat up all your tax savings. Then you just have more work to do with no payoff.
Our general rule of thumb is that you will benefit from an S Corp if:
You’re earning more than $80,000 in profit each year
You can pay for the additional costs of running an S Corp
You have the cash flow to make regular payroll runs
Now that you have all the deets about LLCs and S Corps, you can make an intentional decision about which entity to form. Still not sure if an S Corp is right for you? Check out Collective’s tax savings calculator and see how much you could save with an S Corp.
C&C readers can enjoy 2 months of a Collective Membership at 50% off with this exclusive sign-up link.
About the Author: Andi Smiles is head of content at Collective. She started her career as a small business financial consultant, teaching businesses-of-one to take control of their finances to build more authentic and sustainable businesses. She’s helped thousands of self-employed folx organize and understand their business finances while also uncovering their emotional relationship with money.
MORE ON THE BLOG
This Founder Never Felt Represented or Celebrated by the Beauty Industry—So She Decided to Do Something About It
And she’s gained the attention of Beyoncé and Sephora in the process.
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 new series, From Scratch. But this isn’t your typical day in the life profile. We’re getting into the nitty-gritty details—from writing a business plan (or not) to sourcing manufacturers and how much they pay themselves—we’re not holding back.
Photo: Courtesy of Alisia Ford
Alisia Ford was working as an attorney when she launched Glory Skincare, but the business was always more than just a passion project for the first-time founder. As someone who never felt celebrated or represented by the beauty industry, Ford was determined to build a platform for women of color who, like her, had also been overlooked by major beauty brands and retailers. “I wanted to find skincare that worked for women of color and fulfill that huge hole in the beauty industry,” Ford tells Create & Cultivate. “It was almost a moment of, ‘If not me, then who?’ and that’s when I knew I had a responsibility to create this space in beauty for ‘her.’”
But Glory Skincare is more than just a platform to shop clean skincare. “We carefully curate products with dermatologists and chemists with specialties in skin of color and even work with psychologists so we can positively build up the relationship between skin and mental health,” Ford explains. “I prioritize making sure that women are creating self-care rituals based on what they really want, not what marketing agencies want them to buy.” And her conscientious approach has gained the attention of two of the most influential names in beauty, Beyoncé and Sephora. As a brand that’s been featured in Beyoncé’s Black Parade Route and graduated from Sephora's accelerate incubator program, Glory Skincare is a beauty brand to watch in 2021 and beyond.
Ahead, Ford tells Create and Cultivate how she bootstrapped the business, what she learned from the Sephora accelerate program (mentorship is everything), and why it’s important to invest in the future success of your business.
Can you tell us a bit about your background and what you were doing professionally before launching Glory Skincare?
Before Glory Skincare, I had a long career as an attorney. Most recently, I was an attorney for Apple’s advertising agency, but I’ve also served in various roles at premier organizations, such as Nike, Fox Sports, and Disney, across a broad range of industries. I’m so glad that I took the leap to leave my attorney days behind me and launch Glory Skincare. Being a woman in business has been so rewarding because I’m always surrounded by other incredible and supportive women.
How did you come up with the name Glory Skincare? What are some of the things you considered during the naming process?
The naming process for Glory was pretty easy but there is always a lot to consider when naming a company. I needed something that would be easy to recognize, but also reflected the vision and values of the brand. I wanted this company to be a community where women of every color and background are celebrated because, for many years, I never felt represented or celebrated by the beauty industry. It has taken me many years to find a sense of peace and belonging. This journey to self-acceptance has been a gift from God and the name glory is a personal reminder of this opportunity. Glory means great beauty and splendor which is how I want my community to feel in this new kind of beauty movement.
What were the immediate things you had to take care of to set up the business?
After I had the initial plan for Glory, I wanted to jump right in but I knew it wouldn't serve the business well to rush into things. I started out by writing a detailed business plan that helped me to understand the values, mission, and goals for Glory. Part of writing this business plan was also spent doing a lot of market research. Glory is intended to be a reflection of what my community wants. I dedicated a lot of time connecting with women of color about their skin to listen and understand the top concerns and problems they all face. Luckily, my background in the legal industry prepared me well for all of the paperwork you have to do for trademarking, finances, etc. Other immediate things I did were setting up the Glory Skincare domain and social media channels, hiring a team, and working on the marketing and design elements of Glory.
What research did you do for the brand beforehand? Why would you recommend it?
Because Glory Skincare is meant to create a space for women of color that changes our relationship with beauty for the better, I made a decision from the very beginning to be very mindful about every aspect of our actions that could affect the women in this community. Even though my own experience as a Black woman helped me make the initial realization that a community like Glory was necessary, our adherence to this standard meant that we had to do additional market research, learn from dermatologists, and work rigorously with psychologists.
How do you find and identify the brands that you stock? What do you consider during this process and why are these factors important to you and your business?
Glory Skincare is a community for women of color, and all of the brands and products on our site reflect that. We carefully curate products with dermatologists and chemists with specialties in skin of color and even work with psychologists so we can positively build up the relationship between skin and mental health. I prioritize making sure that women are creating self-care rituals based on what they really want, not what marketing agencies want them to buy.
How did you identify the manufacturer you work with to create Glory’s line of products? Are there any mistakes you learned from along the way and what advice can you share for aspiring entrepreneurs on finding the right partner to create a product?
When looking for a manufacturer, take your time and don't settle for something you don't want. Bringing on a team of people you trust and work well with is essential if you want the business to succeed. As a people person, it was really important to me that I had a good relationship with the manufacturers. The key things I looked for in the manufacturing company we hired were attention to detail, flexibility, problem-solving, and dependability. I am really lucky to work with a great manufacturer and I think this is because I really took the time to do the research and find the right company that aligned with my vision and goals for Glory.
How did you fund your business? What were the challenges and what would you change? Would you recommend that route to other entrepreneurs?
At the beginning, I was bootstrapping the business but I knew we would need to begin fundraising in order to grow the business to where I wanted it to be. It was challenging to be launching a business with such little funding available but it pushes you to be resourceful and work as efficiently as possible. We managed to raise a pre-seed round of capital but recently, my time and energy have been devoted to our seed funding. Fundraising is challenging and feels like a full-time job itself but it's been rewarding to have investors really connect with the brand and believe in the mission of Glory.
Photo: Courtesy of Glory Skincare
How big is your team now, and what has the hiring process been like? Did you have any hiring experience before this venture? If not, how did you learn and what have you learned about it along the way?
We’re a small but mighty team! Right now, we have about five people on the team full-time but have a board of dermatologists, a team of manufacturers, and a PR team that we work with as well. Hiring during a pandemic can be difficult. It's hard to really connect with someone when you are interviewing over Zoom. I did not have much experience with hiring before this so there has been a lot to learn along the way. During an interview, it's important to ask questions pertaining to the job but I think we often forget it's important to also ask questions to help get to know the candidate on a more personal level. Someone might look great on their resume, but if you are bringing them onto your team, you also want to make sure they are someone you can trust and get along with.
Did you hire an accountant? Who helped you with the financial decisions and setup?
I do have a financial team that helps with investments, deposits, financial planning, etc. Since I do not have a background in finance, I knew I needed to hire an accountant to help with the financial side of the business. Just like with any member of your team, it’s important that you trust this person with the success of your business. Find someone who aligns with your values and believes in your company as much as you do.
What has been the biggest learning curve during the process of establishing your business?
This may sound a little cliché, but the amount of time and energy that goes into a business is something you can’t really anticipate. Every day is a new challenge and my toughest but most important lesson was definitely flexibility.
How did you promote your company? How did you get people to know who you are and create buzz?
Shortly after we launched, we were featured on Beyonce's website in the Black Parade roster of Black-owned businesses. That was such a highlight of this whole journey and really ramped up the business. Last summer, I hired a PR team to help with securing press coverage for Glory. From product placements to founder interviews, their team has really helped get the name of Glory out into the media landscape.
You recently graduated from Sephora's accelerate incubator program—congratulations! What was the experience like for you and how has it impacted your business? Tell us everything!
It’s been such a great experience and an amazing opportunity that I’m so thankful for. The program has been extremely helpful. We’ve received advice on everything from financial statements, to branding, to operations and fulfillment. As a cohort, we've created a bond as all founders of color and every individual in the program is someone I respect and value. I am beyond grateful for the experience! The program was intense and we all dedicated many hours to attending seminars, workshops, and meetings with various industry experts and professionals. I was pushed outside of my comfort zone but in the best way possible. The future of Glory is brighter than ever before thanks to the program.
Do you have a business coach or mentor, and would you recommend one?
I have a handful of really incredible mentors and advisors that I have met along the way. I am a part of several entrepreneurial groups and programs that have put me in touch with other founders that I have been able to lean on for support and guidance. I recently graduated from the Sephora Accelerator program which introduced me to people who are experts in their respective fields. As a brand founder, it's easy to forget that we are not experts in every aspect of the business. Having mentors, coaches, and leaders to go to for advice and support will help you make more educated decisions that will benefit your business greatly. I am grateful that I have a space to learn about what it is like to start a business, share ideas with other dreamers, and get encouragement to take a leap of faith.
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?
Don't try to do it all alone. When I first launched Glory Skincare, I was fired up about my idea and tried to manage and oversee every element of the business. This wasn't sustainable and I quickly realized that I was burning myself out. Having a team is everything. Everyone can bring their unique talents, skills, and experiences to the table and build each other up in a really inspiring way.
What is your number one piece of financial advice for any new business owner and why?
Invest in the long-term success of your business. At first, it’s hard to see so much money going into development, branding, marketing, operations, etc., but these investments will pay themselves off in the long run. If you set yourself up for success, it will come with time and effort.
MORE ON THE BLOG
Why I Removed the Phrase “I Don’t Have Time” From My Life
And why you should, too.
Photo: ColorJoy Stock
“I don’t have time.” It’s a simple phrase you have probably thrown out to your friends, significant other, or kids, particularly if you feel as if the elusiveness of time is slipping through your fingers.
But when you sit back and reflect on the statement, what are you really saying? More importantly, consider who you are saying it to, and what it communicates to them. What you are really saying is that your time is being preoccupied with something else. Something your brain has told you is much more important.
We have to stop being victims of time and instead take ownership. The words you tell yourself matter. And if you are telling yourself (and others around you) that you don’t have time, you may just begin believing it.
Once I conscientiously began removing that phrase “I don’t have time” from my everyday conversation, time seemed to loosen its controlling grip over me. I was no longer the victim, I was the one in power.
It’s not time management you need.
As someone who has spent years teaching productivity, I have come to this simple conclusion: time management does not exist. You cannot manage time. It is not an angry three-year-old throwing a tantrum in the middle of the grocery store that you can swiftly march out to the car.
No, you cannot manage time (spoken by someone who personally tried to for years), BUT you can manage your activities. We can manage how we individually choose to spend our time. With all the inequalities of wealth in our world, time is not one of them. Time is equally doled out to each of us and it is up to us to decide how to use it.
To determine how we want to choose our time, allow me to break down the four different ways one can spend their time, as well as the importance of each for your productivity.
1. Resting
Resting may seem like a strange place to start but in reality, it is by far the most important if we desire to achieve the success we crave as human beings. Our society mistakenly believes that if we just follow the “hustle mantra” we will find success, so we are afraid to stop moving.
But our brain requires periods of rest. Healthy adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep per night. Acknowledge it, accept it, and move on. Sleep is non-negotiable. In fact, according to Tom Rath’s book, “Eat, Move, Sleep: Why Small Choices Make a Big Difference,” your quality of work can drop down as much as 30% when you are not getting an adequate amount of sleep.
What do periods of resting look like? Well, we just covered sleep, but it can also include meditation, closing your eyes and taking a break away from the computer, or sitting outside in nature for a few minutes. The key to your resting periods is they should feel renewing and restorative, otherwise, it's not rest!
2. Doing
We know our day is already filled with doing, but what exactly is it we are doing? And are we using our time the way we really want?
When we use the phrase “I don’t have time” what we’re really doing is lying to ourselves. We are simply choosing to not prioritize whatever it is that truly needs the space. For me, I have started using other phrases that show intention, like, “I don’t want to give this my time right now,” or, “That’s not a priority for me at the moment.”
I like these subtle changes to the words because what they do is remind me that I am in control of my choices. Time doesn’t demand how I spend it. I do.
One important caveat to “doing” that must be discussed is that sometimes we have trouble prioritizing the tasks we want to do for ourselves because we are so busy “doing” for everyone else in our lives (I imagine many of the women reading this are nodding their heads right now). When it comes to doing, please remember that you do not have to do it all, and you do not always have to sacrifice time on your tasks for the sake of others.
3. Distracting
Personally, I think we have the wrong idea around the concept of “quitting.” Quitting is not an end, rather it is the first step in refocusing and redefining your life. When we give ourselves permission to let go of the things that no longer serve us, we gain the opportunity to pursue what is aligned with our purpose.
Many of you reading this may assume I am about to lecture you about removing distractions from your day, but that’s not how I roll. Plot twist: we actually need some distractions in our day!
A lot of people believe if they are not spending their time hustling towards some tangible goal, then they are not doing anything worthwhile. That could not be more false! Play is essential for our brains but we tend to undervalue it because it seems so silly next to our serious life or professional goals. What’s ironic though is that when we increase play, give ourselves time to actually enjoy time, we become more productive. When more frequent play is incorporated into our days we see dramatic increases in creativity, attention, and performance.
For those of you asking, “But, Tanya, how do we determine between good and bad distractions?” Here’s my answer: it is entirely up to you to decide. And before you go panicking, know that the deciding factor is so incredibly simple. After indulging in the distraction stop and ask yourself, “How do I feel after I finish this?” Is your answer along the lines of, “That lifted my mood and was exactly what I needed,” or is it more so, “I feel worse off than I did before.” Therein lies the answer.
4. Thinking
We have a tendency to bind our feelings of self-worth tightly with our daily achievements. We need to loosen these knots because the problem with this is it doesn’t take into consideration the important time we’ve spent thinking.
Every day we have over 6,200 thoughts, which, roughly calculated, means we have about four new thoughts every single minute! The big question though is what are we thinking about?
We spend an excessive amount of time thinking about the things that don’t require it: the worrying and stress, tweaking and reworking of tasks and projects that don’t even need it. We spend a disproportionate amount of time thinking about the minutiae, the unimportant.
You may have noticed a recurring theme woven throughout this article: it’s not the action that matters, it is the intention behind it. We don’t want to just find ourselves doing and thinking. We want to choose to think and do what’s most important. With that, you may just unpack an extraordinary life for yourself that you never knew could be.
“If you are telling yourself (and others around you) that you don’t have time, you may just begin believing it.”
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
About the author: Tanya Dalton is a best-selling author, speaker, and nationally recognized productivity expert. Tanya serves as a growth strategist for female leaders. Her highly anticipated second book, On Purpose: The Busy Woman’s Guide to an Extraordinary Life of Meaning and Success, will be on sale wherever books are sold on October 12, 2021. Tanya is also the founder and CEO of inkWELL Press Productivity Co. a multi-million dollar company providing tools that work as a catalyst in helping women do less while achieving maximum success.
MORE ON THE BLOG
5 Rituals to Add to Your Self-Care Summer Bucket List
ICYMI, highlights from our 2021 Self-Care Summit.
The pandemic era of isolation has forced many of us to spend more time with ourselves than ever. Along the way, it has reshaped our approach to health and wellbeing, and emphasized the value of daily expressions of self-care. But times of great crisis lead to great innovation, as history has shown us repeatedly. And activities that began as a means to help people cope have since evolved into more permanent self-care practices that will be carried into the new “normal.”
So, to ensure self-care remains a top priority this summer, we brought together the most trusted experts in the world of wellness–doctors, dermatologists, nutritionists, and small business owners–for our Self-Care Summit presented by Ketel One Botanical.
The expansive day of programming included roundtable conversations, live workouts and expert workshops covering everything from the clean beauty revolution to radical authenticity and living true to your values, to everything you never knew about your pelvic floor and much, much more. Remi Ishizuka and Nate Pontious closed the day with an epic HIIT Homebodies workout.
ICYMI, we captured the highlights from our Self-Care Summit presented by Ketel One Botanical, to distill them into 5 self-care rituals you can create for yourself at home. Now, more than ever, self-care is essential. Keep scrolling to kickstart your own self-care summer!
(Psst… If reading this is giving you serious FOMO, join Create & Cultivate Membership to get unlimited access to all of our Digital Self-Care Summit content, including video recordings of every panel and workshop download in C&C history.)
Experience a Movement, Breathwork and Meditation Session
Start your day with a movement, breathwork, and meditation session with Julianne Hough’s new platform, KINRGY, a new kind of fitness platform, uniquely designed to engage the mind, body and soul. KINRGY invites participants to connect with themselves through three expressions of energy: Movement to connect with your physical body, Breathwork to stimulate your brain and nervous system, and activating your Imagination to create possibility and inspire you to make your dreams a reality. This powerful combination creates the optimal state for deep, energetic awareness and transformation to strengthen your body, connect to your dreams and give you more energy!
Join a 45-Minute HIIT Workout
Founded by Remi Ishizuka and Nate Pontious during California’s lockdown, Homebodies is a one-of-a-kind at-home workout program and community focused on building healthy, strong, resilient bodies. With minimal equipment, each workout is designed around functionality, strength, mobility and motor control. The best part? No two workouts are the same. Each Homebodies workout is totally unique, so you won’t get bored, and the consistency will bring you incredible results, however that looks for you.
Celebrate Everyday Moments with Ketel One Botanical
Whether sipping beach or poolside, hosting and entertaining friends with a backyard barbeque, tailgating or having a dinner party, Ketel One Botanical is the perfect way to elevate any occasion.
The best way to enjoy Ketel One Botanical is with the signature ‘Botanical Spritz’ cocktail. All you need is: your Ketel One Botanical varietal of choice, soda water and a fresh fruit or herb garnish. Serve it in a wine glass over ice and voila, you have a delicious, fresh tasting cocktail that’s sure to please.
And now, you can take your Spritz experience on-the-go with the Ketel One Botanical Vodka Spritz, the bubbly, bright, and portable canned version of the Botanical Spritz cocktail.
All the varietals, Grapefruit & Rose, Cucumber & Mint, and Peach & Orange Blossom are distilled with real botanicals and infused with natural fruit essences. Did we mention that there are no carbs, no sugar, and no artificial sweeteners and only 73 calories per serving?
Get your pack of Ketel One Botanical Vodka Spritzes or the classic Ketel One Botanical bottles now, available on Drizly. Use the code BOTANICAL in the app for a small gift. Valid for new users only.
Cheers!
Start a Gratitude Journal
As a former radio host and entertainment reporter for Access Hollywood, E! News and MTV, Liz Hernandez built a career on words, and her latest chapter as the founder of WORDAFUL is no exception. Realizing how our thoughts and words from yesterday are what make up our lives today, WORDAFUL is a new form of storytelling that emphasizes our connection to the power of words. A gratitude journal is a simple yet powerful tool to begin transforming our inner dialogue, which in turn can help cultivate more meaningful relationships and lives.
Clean Up Your Beauty Routine
Self-care, in part, includes cutting toxic things out of your life–including toxic ingredients in your beauty and skincare products. In the current climate of the beauty industry, ‘clean’ can take on different meanings, but the one thing we can all agree on is that beauty products should be good for you and your skin (and make you feel great!). Not sure where to begin? Check out WLDKAT’s unconventional ingredients, Kulfi Beauty’s iconic eyeliner, this summer staple from Megababe and this smoky vetiver body oil from Noto Botanicals.
Please drink responsibly. Please do not forward this message to anyone under 21.
KETEL ONE BOTANICAL. Made With Vodka Distilled With Real Botanicals And Infused With Natural Flavors. 30% Alc/Vol. © Double Eagle Brands, B.V. Imported by Ketel One USA, Aliso Viejo, CA. Avg Analysis Per 1.5 oz.: 73 Cals, 0g Carbs, 0g Protein, 0g Fat.
KETEL ONE BOTANICAL Vodka Spritz. Made With Vodka, Botanicals, Natural Flavors, And Sparkling Water. 3.6% Alc/Vol. © Double Eagle Brands, B.V. Ketel One Botanical Spritz, Indianapolis, IN. Avg Analysis Per 12 fl. oz.: 73 Cals, 0g Carbs, 0g Protein, 0g Fat.
“Save Aggressively”—How Samara Walker Bootstrapped Her Business While Working 9-to-5 at Amazon
This week, on WorkParty.
Photo: Courtesy of Samara Walker
Listen to the full episode here.
Side hustles are on the rise.
According to a recent survey, as many as one in four Americans are planning on starting a side hustle in 2021. On top of the 34% of people who have already started a side hustle venture this year.
But starting a side-hustle while working a 9-to-5 isn't easy. It takes determination, drive, and passion. Which is something that today’s WorkParty guest, Samara Walker, knows a thing or two about.
Samara started the luxury nail polish brand Àuda.B while working full-time as a senior financial analyst at Amazon after noticing that women of color aren’t often represented within luxury beauty.
And, thankfully, major retailers have taken notice, too. Earlier this year, Àuda.B launched at Nordstrom, becoming the first Black-owned polish brand to be sold by the retailer. (Which is incredible!)
On this episode of WorkParty, host Jaclyn Johnson chats with Samara all about how she went from full-time employee to full-time entrepreneur, and how she’s pushing the beauty industry forward in the process.
Subscribe to WorkParty and never miss an episode.
On self-funding Àuda.B through her Amazon paycheck…
“I created a direct deposit that went to my business bank account, so every time I got paid that was the money that I automatically put aside for Àuda.B.”
On building a network…
“Build your network. Ask questions. No question is a stupid question.”
“Always have some type of intimate circle and never be afraid to step outside your comfort zone and ask things that you don't know about.”
On the pros and cons of bootstrapping a business…
“The pros are your hundred percent hands-on and you have the ability to learn from the ground up.”
“It allows you to see your business at full scale because you have your hands in the pot on everything.”
"One of the cons is you're not able to scale as quickly as possible, and the lack of resources. Not only are investors money, but they also come with tons of knowledge and resources."
On being the best version of yourself as a founder…
“Be the best person that you can be right now.”
“You're going to grow and develop over time, but don't try to go from one to 10 because you're going to miss all those phases of your life and all those phases of growth that your company that you could have learned from.”
“Failures are successes.”
On the best career advice she’s ever received…
"Dreams are real, but the hustle sold separately."
On the money advice she always gives to entrepreneurs…
“Save aggressively. Save as if your life depended on it.”
Photo: Courtesy of Àuda.B
Keep the WorkParty Going By
Supporting Our Sponsors
Get started today at Stitch Fix and you’ll get 25% off.
Get beautiful bombshell waves with the Conair Double Ceramic Waver.
Listen to Armchair Expert for FREE exclusively on Spotify.
Enjoy 30% off all your favorite BetaBrand styles.
MORE ON THE BLOG
3 Tips for Making Small Talk Anytime, Anywhere
Strike up a conversation.
Small talk, for many of us, was already a struggle. But after the pandemic era of isolation, more people are finding it difficult to strike up a conversation as social activities begin to resume. We’ve been so removed and isolated from our social circles that it can feel especially daunting to dive back right back into conversation, even with old friends. What may have been comfortable before the pandemic could now feel outside of your current comfort zone– and that’s ok. It has been a while since we’ve had the opportunity to polish our communication skills and it’s completely normal to anticipate some nerves when it comes to things to talk about. We’re all learning how to move back into the world again, and we’re all in this together. Even if your small talk skills feel a little rusty, these tips below will help you strike up a conversation and get back to socializing in our ‘newest’ normal.
Find Common Ground
Whether engaging an old friend or a new acquaintance in conversation, the universal rule is to find shared ideas, interests, hobbies, values or beliefs. Especially in our current climate when there is conflict over vaccines, safety measures and the all too familiar politics, sticking to topics you know are shared interests will not only keep both parties engaged, but will ensure you steer clear of conflict. Some good conversation openers might be, “How do you know (the party hosts)?” or “How do you like the food/drinks?”
Wherever you may be sipping and socializing, establish common ground and elevate the occasion with Ketel One Botanical. Whether you’re enjoying it in a Botanical Spritz cocktail or in the portable Vodka Spritz can, it’s delicious, fresh tasting (and has no carbs, no sugar, no artificial flavors or sweeteners). It’s sure to spark up some conversation.
Get your pack of Ketel One Botanical Vodka Spritzes or the classic Ketel One Botanical bottles now, available on Drizly. Use the code BOTANICAL in the app for a small gift. Valid for new users only.
Keep it Convivial
Do your best to keep the conversation light and optimistic. Especially after a pandemic year, we’re all seeking a bit of humor. You may not know the reality that someone else has just experienced. If the topic of the coronavirus arises, use it as a springboard to steer the conversation to those participating in conversation. Ask whether anyone has developed any new hobbies, started any new projects or learned any new recipes.
Focus on updates to your personal life, how you’ve adjusted to working from home, what TV shows you have been watching, and any vacations or trips you may have planned. Share recipes you’ve learned how to cook, recent books you’ve read, or other activities you did during the pandemic to pass the time and stay entertained.
Watch Your Body Language
Last but not least, remember that your body language speaks volumes. Simple gestures like making eye contact and smiling convey affirmative listening responses that can help encourage more dialogue. If the conversation steers towards a topic you’re not comfortable talking about, don’t feel pressured to participate. Maintain composure and open body language while suggesting a non-confrontational topic.
Please drink responsibly. Please do not forward this message to anyone under 21.
KETEL ONE BOTANICAL. Made With Vodka Distilled With Real Botanicals And Infused With Natural Flavors. 30% Alc/Vol. © Double Eagle Brands, B.V. Imported by Ketel One USA, Aliso Viejo, CA. Avg Analysis Per 1.5 oz.: 73 Cals, 0g Carbs, 0g Protein, 0g Fat.
KETEL ONE BOTANICAL Vodka Spritz. Made With Vodka, Botanicals, Natural Flavors, And Sparkling Water. 3.6% Alc/Vol. © Double Eagle Brands, B.V. Ketel One Botanical Spritz, Indianapolis, IN. Avg Analysis Per 12 fl. oz.: 73 Cals, 0g Carbs, 0g Protein, 0g Fat.
How to Become a Millionaire and Live Your Dream Life, According to Rachel Rodgers
“Stop making broke-ass decisions.”
What is your relationship with money? Do you live in scarcity mode or do you have an abundance mindset? Either way, we need to get better at talking about money if we ever want to be better at managing it, and eventually having more of it. Well, our new series, The Money Files is set to change all that by helping women become masters of their own finances so they can manage their money and their future.
Imagine having to work eight extra months just to earn the same pay as your white male co-workers. This is the likely reality for Black women in the United States as we marked Black Women’s Equal Pay Day on August 3rd this year. According to the National Women’s Law Center, on average, Black women are paid $0.63 for every $1 their white male counterparts earn. That equates to $964,400 (nearly $1 million) in lost income over a 40-year career.
In honor and support of Black Women’s Equal Pay Day, we spoke with Rachel Rodgers—who's leading the conversation around social injustice and Black wealth—about her mission to change these statistics and close the pay gap. Through her company, Hello Seven, and her recently published book, “We Should All Be Millionaires,” she is empowering other women to hit seven figures by changing their relationship with money, stop procrastinating, and start making million-dollar decisions.
How do you become a millionaire? What does it take to hit seven figures?
These are questions most of us have asked ourselves at least once in our lifetime and while you might think it’s a pipedream, Rodgers is here to tell you that it isn’t. The author, intellectual property lawyer, business coach, CEO of Hello Seven is on a mission to help other women hit seven figures without sacrificing their family or sanity. Over the past eight years, Rodgers has worked with New York Times-bestselling authors, tech startups, coaches, consultants, doctors, accountants, nutritionists, and so many more to take their business to the next level by creating and protecting their own intellectual property to scale their businesses to a million-dollar (or more) enterprise. (She outlines her four steps to becoming wealthy in any climate over on our Ask an Expert series on IGTV.)
In addition to her work at Hello Seven, Rodgers is also leading the conversation around social injustice and Black wealth with her Anti-Racist Small Business pledge. Instead of calling them out, Rodgers is calling companies in to have an honest discussion about racial justice and to help them determine how they can and should be part of the solution—that pledge has been signed by 2,200 businesses and counting.
So, do you want to learn more about Rodgers’ strategy for how to become a millionaire without sacrificing your family or your sanity? It’s time to stop procrastinating and start making million-dollar decisions by investing in yourself to build your dream life.
“One of my s’ heroes, Madam C.J. Walker, became America’s first female millionaire back in 1906,” Rodgers explains. “She was born to slaves. She was poor. She was Black. She was oppressed. She had every obstacle you can imagine and more. All the odds were stacked against her. Yet, she became fabulously wealthy. She launched a haircare company, built her fortune, and provided dignified jobs for hundreds of people. She bettered herself and the world. If she could do it then, you can absolutely do it now. And you can start today.”
Of course, there is no magical solution to gaining wealth but there are fundamental objectives that can help you get there. In the words of Rodgers, “Instead of obsessing about how to trim your budget down to the bare bones, focus on exponentially expanding your income.” And you can start with as little as $100 (or less). Are you ready? Let’s go!
Photo: Courtesy of Hello Seven.
Stop procrastinating
The sooner you start building wealth, the better.
If you’re struggling to motivate yourself to make and save more money, the main thing to remember is that having more money is never really about “the money.” It’s about the people you love and the causes you care about.
Here’s an example: A few years ago, I was traveling out of town for work, and I received a phone call about an emergency situation happening at home. I was immediately panic-stricken. All I could think was, “I need to get home now. Get me on the next flight home. I don’t care what it costs.”
I booked a super-last minute flight with three layovers and it cost $1,700. An outrageously expensive flight, but I didn’t care, and it didn’t matter. I could afford it. No problem. Done.
A typical American does not have an extra $1,700 laying around for emergencies or pleasure or any other reason. And this is a problem.
You need more money because money provides more options for you. The option to fly home immediately if you need to. The option to send your kids to the best school. The option to leave a bad relationship without worrying if you can afford to live by yourself. The option to donate to causes like Black Lives Matter. The option to live as you choose, in freedom, in peace.
Again, if you’re struggling to motivate yourself, remember, it’s not about the money. It’s about the people you love. It’s about the lifestyle you want. It’s about having options instead of limitations.
Look: do you want options, or not? If you do, then get after that coin!
Start Investing
Like so many things in life—jogging, cycling, twerking—investing may seem intimidating at first, but you just gotta dive in and start!
Start small and keep it simple. I love the app called Mint which is a great way to get started with investing. You can start with $100 (or less) and go from there. Once your $100 investment brings you an extra $20 that you didn’t have before, you’ll be like, “Omg, I just made $20 bucks! Yay, free money! I love this!” and you’ll be inspired to keep going!
Make Million-Dollar Decisions
If you want to start earning more money than ever before and build serious wealth, these are the three fundamentals:
1. Stop making broke-ass decisions.
A broke-ass decision (a.k.a., B.A.D.) is any decision that steals your money or steals your time, energy, peace, joy, or power, and therefore, blocks you from becoming wealthy. For example, allowing your spouse (or child) to interrupt you 15 times an hour when you’re trying to work from home, thereby making it impossible for you to concentrate. That is a broke-ass decision. Stop doing that.
2. Start making million-dollar decisions.
A million-dollar decision is any decision that brings you more money, and/or more time, energy, peace, joy, and power. It’s a decision that makes you feel rich—financially, emotionally, or both! Investing in a new blazer that makes you feel like a CEO instead of a shlub? Yes! That’s a million-dollar decision. Raising your hourly rate? Yes. Starting a side-hustle so you can start earning an extra $5,000 per month? Yes. Fueling yourself with high-quality food? Yes. Exercising daily? Yes. The path to millionaire status is paved with million-dollar decisions.
3. Surround yourself with people who are doing it.
Fact: You are heavily influenced by your social circle. For instance, one study found that when low-performing students start hanging out with straight-A students, the low-performing students start scoring higher grades too. Success is infectious. It’s true with grades and it’s true with money, too.
If you want to become wealthy, start hanging out with ambitious people who are already wealthy, or, who are committed to the same goal.
That’s why I launched my Club, a place for women who want to make serious money. Because when you hang out with millionaires and millionaires-in-the-making, the golden-money dust rubs off on you!
Invest in Yourself
To me, “investing in yourself” means doing anything that makes you feel powerful. Because the more powerful and confident you feel, the more money you’re gonna make.
There are infinite ways to invest in yourself, and it looks different for every person.
You can throw out your stained yoga pants and invest in a new wardrobe that makes you feel like a boss. You can invest in hiring a part-time personal assistant five hours a week so they can clear 1,000 tedious tasks off your plate and free up your mental bandwidth. You can invest in education, training, coaching, therapy, or all of the above. What’s going to help you feel your best? Whatever it is, do that.
Swap Budgeting for Expanding
Many people, especially women, are told, “You should go on a diet,” and, “You should cut back on your spending.”
Both of these statements are deeply offensive to me because what you’re really saying is, “You should shrink and make yourself smaller.” “You shouldn’t reach for too much.” “You should find a way to be satisfied with much less.” “You shouldn’t take up too much space.” “You shouldn’t want too much, have too much, be too much.”
Boo to that oppressive patriarchal nonsense!
I take the opposite stance. I say, “How big do you want to live? What’s your dream life?” and then, “Cool, so what’s your plan to make that happen?”
Try this: get a piece of paper and write down everything you would love to have. Your ultimate dream life.
Do you want a three-bedroom house in the best neighborhood in town? Do you want a full-time nanny? A tutor for your kids? A new car with all the latest safety features? Make a list of what you truly want.
Then, take your dream-life-list, head to Google, and find out how much each item costs. Crunch the numbers. Find out what it would cost to have your ultimate dream life. It might not be as much as you think. You might realize, “Huh, okay, my dream life costs $10,000 per month,” or $20,000, or $30,000, or whatever it is.
Once you have this information, it’s empowering, and it leads to new questions. Now you can ask yourself, “Well, what’s it going to take to earn $10,000/$20,000/whatever amount per month so I can have my dream life? How can I pull this off?” Get creative and write down 25 different ways you could earn more and make it happen.
I do this exercise with my clients and it’s fascinating to see what they come up with.
Instead of obsessing over how to trim your budget down to the bare bones, focus on exponentially expanding your income.
Ditch the Debt Stress and Focus on Earning More
Stop stressing about debt, and instead, just focus on earning more money. It’s really that simple.
Start a side hustle. Ask for a raise at work. Double your hourly rate. Text your cousin and tell him it’s time to pay back that loan. Focus your attention, time, and energy on one question: “How can I bring more money in the door?” Focus on that. Get that cheddar. And before too long, you’ll be able to pay off whatever debt you owe.
Learn to Trust Yourself
Taking a risk really just means, “doing something that’s going to change your life in a positive way before you feel totally 100% ready to do it.” And guess what? You are never gonna feel 100% ready. If you’re waiting for that moment of perfect readiness to arrive, it never will. So you might as well take the leap now.
Part of becoming wealthy is learning to trust yourself. Trust your instincts. Trust that you will always land on your feet, one way or another. Trust in your creativity and resourcefulness. Trust in your ability to get things done. By taking a tiny risk now, and thriving, you build a little more trust in yourself. You gain evidence that it’s okay to take risks. This emboldens you to take bigger risks later on. So, start with a tiny risk today and build from there.
Diversify, Diversify, Diversify
I’m all about multiple revenue streams! In terms of how to do this, step one is, you need to leverage your intellectual property. Leverage your what, now? This just means, take something you’ve created (a system, method, process, formula, system, secret recipe, etc.) and package it so that people can purchase it 24/7 even when you’re asleep.
A great example is, let’s say you’re a dog trainer. You have a unique training process that your clients love. They get amazing results and always rave about you but you can only see 10 clients per week so that’s limiting your income.
So, you decide to create an online program (with tutorial videos) so that people all around the world can learn your special process. You sell your program on your website. Cha-ching! You just turned your intellectual property (a.k.a. your unique process) into a cash-generating product.
You might be thinking, “But I don’t have any intellectual property!” but that’s not true. You do. Almost everyone does. You probably have some blind spots and you’re not seeing yourself clearly. Chat with a friend, hire a business coach, or join my Club and you’ll quickly see, “Oh, wow. I’ve been sitting on a million-dollar idea, and I didn’t even realize it.”
Make Wealth Your Reality
What’s a one-million-dollar decision you could make today? One decision (big or small) that would bring more money, or, more time, energy, peace, and power into your life?
Do it. Make that decision. Then another. And another. This is how you will build wealth, and enjoy the freedom and options you want. “Other people have done this, and I can do it too” needs to become your new daily mantra. It’s the truth. And the more fiercely you believe it, the sooner it will become your reality.
This story was originally published on August 13, 2020, and has since been updated.
MORE ON THE BLOG
These Founders Are Bringing Fair Labor Practices, Artisanal Jobs, and Economic Development to Tunisia
Alia Mahmoud and Lamia Hatira are investing in their “tiny but mighty Mediterranean country.”
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 Fouta Harissa
When Alia Mahmoud and Lamia Hatira met, they felt an immediate kinship. “We each have a Tunisian father and an American mother and our lives were sort of mirror images,” says Mahmoud. “Lamia was born and raised in Tunis and spent time in Seattle growing up, while I grew up in New York City and spent summers in Mahdia, Tunisia,” she elaborates. Although both women live abroad today—Mahmoud in Miami and Hatira in São Paulo—their families still live in Tunisia, and the textile brand Mahmoud and Hatira founded, Fouta Harissa, is their way of investing in their “tiny but mighty Mediterranean country,” Mahmoud tells Create & Cultivate. But they’re not just investing capital, they’re investing in fair labor practices for the country’s artisanal community.
By working with Tunisian artisans to craft high-quality, hand-loomed textiles, the brand is dedicated to preserving artisanal weaving in Tunisia while also contributing to the country’s economic development. “Unfortunately, Tunisian artisans are generally undervalued and underpaid as the custodians of our cultural heritage,” explains Mahmoud. “We want to change that by bringing the world a modern take on handmade artisanal products that also support fair labor practices, use sustainably sourced materials, and contribute to economic development in Tunisia,” she notes. Not only that but each of the artisans they work with is employed in a full-time position at the brand’s partner workshop and paid an above-market rate that exceeds the living wage.
Ahead, Create & Cultivate asks the co-founders all about how they self-funded the socially-driven brand, why they recommend hiring an accountant ASAP, and what money mistake has taught them the biggest lesson.
How did you fund Fouta Harissa? What were the challenges and what would you change? Would you recommend your route to other entrepreneurs?
Lamia Hatira: We started with a small friends-and-family investment of $20,000 which helped us start our entities in both Brazil and the U.S.A. We are definitely still working on a small budget. It’s challenging because you don’t have the resources to do everything you want to do right off the bat, but it’s also kind of wonderful because you learn what really matters for your business and how to make the most of what you have.
Each experience is definitely unique, but if you have an opportunity to get seed investment from friends and family at the initial stages, embrace it. Just make sure you’re on the same page with your investors about how active a role they will play and get in writing in your operating agreement.
The most important thing is to do what you’re comfortable with. We knew we weren’t ready to take out a huge loan or ask for a larger amount at the beginning because we didn’t want to owe anyone money or give away too much equity before we knew more about the intricacies of our business.
Three years later, we are now ready to take on more investment because of everything we’ve learned and because we know what works and doesn't work for Fouta Harissa at this stage.
What was your first big expense as business owners and how should small business owners prepare for that now?
Alia: Legal fees to register our business and write an operating agreement, as well as placing our first major product orders with our manufacturer were definitely our first big expenses. I would advise taking the time to build a business plan in order to price out these early costs to the best of your ability, from there figure out where that money is coming from. A great way to generate some early cash flow is to do a friends-and-family sale before your product launches officially. This can help you raise some money and generate buzz.
Lamia: Beyond your most basic costs, make sure to include the other expenses that will ensure that your first customers get the experience you want them to have when they receive their product. This not only includes the product itself and its shipping, but the packaging, the marketing, the communications—they add up.
What are your top three biggest business expenses every month?
Alia: Beyond paying for production, our biggest monthly expenses include the shipping costs to send our Foutas to customers, digital ads on Facebook and Instagram, and investing in regular digital marketing and PR.
Do you pay yourselves, and if so, how did you know what to pay yourselves?
Lamia: Not yet! We’re working on it.
Would you recommend other small business owners pay themselves?
Alia: Absolutely. When it’s your business, you’ll work harder than you’ve ever worked on anything else before. Your time is valuable. Your effort is valuable. Build it in from the beginning. One thing we didn’t take into consideration, that we wish we had, is the employee taxes a business incurs in order to draw a salary. Even as founders! So until you’re making enough profit to distribute in those early years, build a small salary into your costs plus taxes.
How did you know you were ready to hire and what advice can you share on preparing for this stage of your business?
Lamia: You don’t have to go from being a founding team to hiring a staff of full-time employees. We work with a lot of brilliant people, mostly as independent contractors. At this early stage in our business, it gives us the flexibility we need to try new things, learn, and try again. We’re so grateful to the talented people who believe in Fouta Harissa enough to devote their time to growing this business with us.
I think you know when you’re ready when you realize you don’t know how to do everything, and that’s okay! We’re still in the process of learning exactly what our strengths are as co-founders and when and where it makes the most sense to invest in a new skill versus finding an expert who can help. We look forward to the day when we can have full-time staff on the team.
Did you hire an accountant, and if so, would you recommend hiring an accountant to other small business owners?
Alia: 100%. We recommend hiring an accountant as one of the first things you do. They can even advise you when you’re registering your business. We asked around and got recommendations from other female business owners until we found ours.
What are some of the tools or programs you use to stay on top of your business finances?
Alia: Quickbooks has been a lifesaver. It’s a worthwhile investment and makes your accountant’s life a lot easier come tax time. We also use Square for offline payments and inventory tracking. And of course, Excel—a classic—where all the planning and projections happen.
Where do you think is the most important area for a business owner to focus their financial energy on and why?
Lamia: I’d say focus your energy on product quality and your people. Your product has to be the best possible thing you can put out into the world. At the end of the day, if you don’t have a great product, you don’t have a business. Just as importantly, invest in relationships. They are everything, especially at the beginning. You might not always be able to pay everyone you want to but be creative. Find ways to uplift them, involve them in decisions, consult them, and barter with them.
Do you think women should talk about money and business more?
Alia: Definitely. We’re always worried about speaking up because we think everyone else has it all figured out. When you’re a small startup, you think there’s no way others have made the same mistakes that you have. But if we can talk about it more openly, with no shame or pretense, then we can really support each other to make the best and most savvy money decisions.
The reality is, without good finances, there is no good business, and some of us can really use all the help we can get.
Do you have a financial mentor, and do you think business owners should have one?
Lamia: We have two. One on the more day-to-day financial management who helps us build spreadsheets, come up with pricing strategies, and analyze reports; and another one who advises more on visionary planning and fundraising. Both are women and both are total badasses.
Business owners definitely need a financial mentor, or more. Find as many quality mentors who care about you as possible, and cultivate those relationships.
What is the biggest money mistake you’ve made and learned from along the way?
Alia: Underestimating the cost of digital marketing. As an e-commerce brand, we definitely did not anticipate the challenge of competing with companies putting in $10,000+ into social media advertising every month. When you’re just starting out with limited budgets for digital ads, it can be hard to compete. This became even more acute during the pandemic because everyone became an e-commerce brand and doubled down on digital. My advice would be, plan for a bigger budget for ads early on or find creative ways to not rely on them like collaborations, partnerships with brick and mortar stores, and investments into your most loyal customer base to encourage repeat buys.
What is your best piece of financial advice for new entrepreneurs?
Alia: Whatever price you’ve determined for your product, double it. Seriously, there are so many costs you don’t even know exist, beyond your COGS, when you launch a new product. All of those should be built into your MSRP. And do as solid a financial plan as you can.
Anything else to add?
Lamia: If finance is your thing, use it to your full advantage and help others out. If financial matters don’t come naturally to you, make sure you learn the basics of your business finances to always know what’s going on, and surround yourself with people who know what they’re doing and who you can learn from.
MORE ON THE BLOG