In case you’re looking for some practical, but still-inspiring advice from accomplished women, look no further than the Girlboss Rally. It’s where we gather the best women in a variety of creative fields who successfully freelance, own their own businesses, and basically just kick ass in whatever they do. Consider it your shortcut to the insider-knowledge from some of the best women who’ve been there, know how to get through it and have plenty of advice on how to craft your dream career and lifestyle.
Lucky for you, we’ve gathered some of the best Girlboss Rally advice from our most recent rally in Los Angeles. The following bits of advice come from women entrepreneurs, side hustlers and freelancers who know how to get things done.
Think: Advice on branding yourself, moving through tough times, and how to not lose sight of your ultimate goals. (Because that can happen when tough times hit!)
Want in on this? Registration for the Girlboss Rally New York 2018 is already open for our first-ever two-day conference!
We hope to see you there, but in the meantime, here’s some of the best pieces of Girlboss Rally advice from this spring.
Be methodical about finding inspiration for your brand
“Think about what that big statement is, visually, for where you want [your brand] to go. The next piece is, start looking for those pieces. Look to Instagram, to Pinterest, when you’re walking on the street, take a photo. Start collecting an arsenal of inspiration for all of those things.
Once you have that solid kind of brand feel mood statement, you’ll start seeing things pop up almost everywhere. You’ll go to the beach and you’ll be like, “Oh my God, this really feels like my brand.” You’ll go to Target and pick up packaging and say, “OK, this feels like what I wanna do.” Once you have that mood statement, it really allows you to hyper-focus, and you begin seeing your brand everywhere.”
—Reshma Chattaram Chamberlin, co-founder of Summersalt, during the workshop “Creative & Branding”
Cut your company some slack when you’re just starting
“First of all, I think cut yourself some slack because it’s really hard. It’s hard for even the biggest pros in the industry, they’re having the same kinds of conversations as the start-ups are. Like, trying to be distinctive, trying to matter, trying to find their communities. These are all the same things, whether you’re Amazon or you’re a candlemaker who starts a little shop in the middle of SoHo.
It’s really important to cut yourself some slack and just keep going, and remember that sometimes endurance is actually the winning quality.”
—Lisa Clunie, CEO of Joan, during a workshop on creativity and branding
The importance of self-care can’t be overstated
“I can’t stress enough, and I know I’ve said it already, know who you are. It’s what I do for a living now, meditation, I really do … all we do is try and teach people know who you are, learn who you are, the minute you know who you are, every day for you will become easier.
And it’s the same thing in business. If you know who you are, what you want to do, what you want to convey, the message will be much clearer to your consumers.”
—Tal Rabinowitz, founder of The DEN Meditation team, during a workshop on health and wellness
Ask yourself: What are you trying to create?
“What are you trying to create? Are you trying to create empowerment or passion within yourself and for others? Are you trying to create inspiration or confidence? Are you trying to create acceptance or peace? What are you trying to create? If you could pick one thing, just have it in your mind and pick that. And I would suggest that you call that your vision and you call that your north star, and you make that the thing that guides everything that you do.”
—Kate Simmons, COO of Wundabar, during a workshop on health and wellness
Don’t be embarrassed to talk about your passions
“I had, like, my personal life and then I had my work life. And the way to be a balanced person was to very much separate them. And be like, ‘No, this is me there, this is me here.’ What I’ve actually found [though] that has made me feel more balanced was, it’s actually combining the two in a weird way. It’s having sort of this life where people understand that what I’m doing isn’t necessarily work for me.
People are like, ‘All you do is talk about work.’ And then I’m like, ‘No dude, I’m talking about like what makes me excited to get out of bed every morning.’ Inviting the people in my life to be a part of that with me, has completely changed my energy levels.”
—Sara Wilson, author, journalist, during “The Freelancer’s Survival Guide”
Become comfortable with talking about money
“You’ve got to talk about money if you’re negotiating in business so start practicing in front of a mirror, to your cat, whatever it is. Talk about the money until you feel comfortable.
It doesn’t ever really get super comfortable. It’s definitely easier for me to talk about somebody else’s money. But when you’re talking about your own and what it is that you feel you should be entitled to, get comfortable. Because, who loses? Just you.”
—Laura Wasser, celebrity divorce lawyer, during “How To Negotiate Like A Lawyer”
Don’t overlook the importance of perfecting your product
“I always encourage people who are starting new businesses, before you go out and spend any money, keep perfecting your product because your product should sell itself. If you have something that is solving a need or it’s something people didn’t even know they wanted but now they can’t live without it, they’re going to tell that story.
They’re going to post [it] on Instagram, they’re going to tell their friend. That is such a easier way to grow, and a more organic, and much less expensive way than just figuring out what’s the Facebook or Instagram ad that we’re going to post tomorrow.”
—Rosie O’Neill, co-founder and co-chief executive of Sugarfina, during “How To Build A Brand That Will Outlive You”
Finally, don’t force ‘authenticity’
“When you do start a brand on your own, you’re already authentic because you’re being you, and you’re creating something you’re really passionate about. That will come through.
What’s made authentic, I think, is the way we photograph things. When we present things, we really focus on inspiration first and, and we want people to be engaged with our content and imagery. And, that’s the #1 compliment we get: “Ah, she feels so authentic.”
—Lisa Williams, founder of Lisa Says Gah, during “How To Build A Brand That Will Outlive You”
