I’ve always been a fan of a great at-home bar. I strongly believe it’s a must-learn life skill to mix up classic cocktails, and as an avid host, it’s important to provide an array...
Looking back on Easter as a child, I remember how excited I was to dig through my Easter basket. Full of chocolate bunnies, malt ball Easter eggs, Peeps, golden coins, and my favorite Cadbury...
Lets be honest, salads can be boring. So I’m always trying to think outside of the box to come up with salad recipes that I’ll thoroughly enjoy, but are beyond easy to make. Enter...
Lets be honest, salads can be boring. So I’m always trying to think outside of the box to come up with salad recipes that I’ll thoroughly enjoy, but are beyond easy to make. Enter...
Being a creative entrepreneur isn’t all pretty work spaces and shiny desk accessories. It doesn’t involve popping champagne bottles every week (or even every month or year for that matter). You’d be hard-pressed to find an entrepreneur that hasn’t had their doubts, or the days when it took everything in them not to quit. But you’d also find it hard to deny how truly inspiring an entrepreneur is; their drive, excitement and passion for the craft is just contagious.
I recently had the pleasure of tapping seven of my favorite boss ladies for their best advice for entrepreneurs, and it’s all so spot-on. It seems that the magic formula for continued growth and success involves a mixture of passion, patience and perseverance. Click through the slideshow above to read more.
A big thank you to these impressive (and busy!) women for sharing their best advice for creative entrepreneurs with us today. Cheers, Kat
SHOP THE STORY / CLICK LEFT & RIGHT ARROWS TO EXPLORE
DON'T DO IT HALF-HEARTED
"DON'T DO IT UNLESS YOU LOVE AND BELIEVE IN WHAT YOU'RE DOING. OTHERWISE IT'S A WASTE OF TIME. AND TRUST ME, TIME IS SOMETHING WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF. AND ALWAYS REMEMBER, COMPARISON IS THE THIEF OF JOY. FOCUS ON YOURSELF AND YOUR OWN ACCOMPLISHMENTS."
"OWNING A BUSINESS IS NOT EASY, BUT WHEN I'M FACED WITH A DECISION, I JUST DO WHAT FEELS RIGHT. WHILE I CAN'T SAY THAT EVERY DECISION I'VE MADE FELT RIGHT, I'VE LEARNED TO TRUST MYSELF, MY GUT AND MY INSTINCTS. BY LISTENING TO MYSELF, I'M ABLE TO DO WHAT FEELS RIGHT, WHICH IS ALWAYS THE BEST FOR ACPR, AND ME."
"FAILING IS INEVITABLE, BUT SUCCESS COMES FROM PERSEVERANCE"... MY DAD ACTUALLY SAID THAT!
CREATING SOMETHING FROM SCRATCH IS HARD, AND IT'S STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART. WHEN YOU COMBINE HARD WORK AND YOUR HEART IN A PROJECT, IT CAN SEEM DEVASTATING WHEN THE PROJECT DOESN'T COME TOGETHER EXACTLY HOW YOU FIRST ENVISIONED, AND YOU CAN QUICKLY THROW IN THE TOWEL BECAUSE OF THAT. BUT IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT JUST BECAUSE THIS EXACT PART OF THE PROJECT ISN'T WORKING, THERE ARE MANY OTHER WORKING PARTS. AND IF YOU TAKE THE SUCCESS, THROW OUT THE FAILURES AS LESSONS LEARNED AND TRY AGAIN A DIFFERENT WAY, YOU MAKE PROGRESS!
"PROBABLY ONE OF THE BEST PIECES OF ADVICE I CAN PASS ALONG CAME FROM MY FATHER. I ALWAYS STRUGGLED THAT I CARED SO DEEPLY AND OFTEN SEEMED MORE AFFECTED THAN EVERYONE ELSE. I THOUGHT IT WAS A WEAKNESS UNTIL HE MADE ME REALIZE THAT IT WAS STRENGTH. I REMEMBER DISTINCTLY SITTING ON THE STAIRS TOGETHER AND HAVING HIM TELL ME HE WOULD BE WORRIED IF I DIDN’T CARE AS MUCH AS I DID.
WHETHER IT’S GOOD OR BAD, I’M ROOTED IN PASSION WHEN IT COMES TO WHO AND WHAT I BELIEVE IN, WHICH ULTIMATELY BECAME ONE OF THE REASONS I STARTED MY OWN BUSINESS, IS WHAT LED TO MY CURRENT BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP, AND IS THE CORE OF HOW WE DO BUSINESS SUCCESSFULLY YEAR AFTER YEAR.
WHAT YOU MAY SEE AS A WEAKNESS MAY BE ONE OF YOUR GREATEST ASSETS. KNOW WHAT YOUR INTENTION IS AND SHOOT FOR THE MOON. WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO LOSE? YOU CAN ALWAYS TRY AGAIN."
"DON'T TRY TO BE EVERYTHING TO EVERYONE. STAND CONFIDENT IN YOUR BRANDING AND SAY NO TO PROJECTS THAT DON'T ALIGN WITH THAT. AND ALWAYS OPERATE WITH THE HIGHEST OF INTEGRITY. IT IS THE FOUNDATION OF YOUR BUSINESS."
MY DAD ALWAYS SAYS, “ROME WASN’T BUILT OVERNIGHT.” (SIDE NOTE: HE HAS A HILARIOUS TENDENCY TO MIX UP IDIOMS, LIKE “LET’S PLAY IT BY EARS. IT’S A DOGGY WORLD, ETC.”) I KNOW HE MEANS “ROME WASN’T BUILT IN A DAY.”
BUILDING A BRAND AND A BUSINESS ISN’T EASY. THERE ARE SO MANY CHALLENGES, UPS AND DOWNS, AND ROADBLOCKS. SOMETIMES IT DOES FEEL LIKE YOU’RE BUILDING ONE OF THE WORLD’S GREATEST METROPOLISES ALL ON YOUR OWN! BUT DRAMATICS ASIDE, AS AN ENTREPRENEUR AND FEARLESS LEADER OF YOUR OWN, IT’S IMPORTANT TO BE PATIENT AND TO PERSEVERE THROUGH THE BEST AND THE HARDEST DAYS. THE DETERMINED WILL ALWAYS MOVE FORWARD, AND HARD WORK WILL ALWAYS PAY OFF ONE WAY OR ANOTHER!”
"STARTING A BUSINESS IS AN EXCITING ADVENTURE, BUT IT CAN TOTALLY SEEM OVERWHELMING AT TIMES. YOU’VE GOT THIS AMAZING SEED OF AN IDEA THAT YOU’RE READY TO PLANT AND LET GROW INTO A FLOURISHING BUSINESS. SOMETIMES THAT SEED TAKES ROOT AND BEGINS GROWING IN NEW AND UNEXPECTED WAYS…GOOD WAYS, BUT NOT NECESSARILY WHAT YOU WERE ENVISIONING WHEN YOU STARTED. IT’S SO IMPORTANT TO CULTIVATE THAT AREA OF GROWTH AND ALLOW YOUR BUSINESS TO EXPAND IN WAYS THAT MIGHT SURPRISE YOU."
How can I shop mindfully to establish a wardrobe I’m proud of, and resist the undeniable pull of Fast Fashion in the digital space?
As an editor of a lifestyle website and an almost-27-year-old, I’m eager to define my own style. But I want to do so in a meaningful way (and on a realistic budget). But since I see a lot of fashion, a lot of sales, and a lot of “must-haves” every day, I’m finding just how much “Fast Fashion” can get in the way.
“Fast Fashion” refers to the transient pieces from retailers like H&M, Forever 21 and Zara that are completely upturning the fashion industry and pumping out trendy, designer knock-off collections faster than consumers can buy them. This quickening pace of the industry isn’t necessarily a good thing; instead it threatens to hurt job markets and encourages a “more, more, more” attitude among consumers.
MAKE MIRANDA PRIESTLY PROUD BY EDUCATING YOURSELF ON THE CHANGING FASHION INDUSTRY: FAST FASHION, THE EFFECT THAT MARKETING HAS ON OUR PURCHASES, AND HOW YOUR PURCHASES MATTER.
LUCKILY, THERE ARE COUNTLESS SITES DEVOTED TO OFFERING YOU DISCOUNTED PRICES ON DESIGNER DIGS. BUT BE WARY; AS YOU FIND GOOD DETAILS, ASK YOURSELF IF YOU'VE TRULY BEEN SEARCHING FOR THAT ITEM. IT'S EASY TO STRAY FROM YOUR LIST OF ESSENTIALS WHEN YOU COME ACROSS A KILLER DEAL.
MKR HAS TOLD ME FROM THE START: A SEAMSTRESS IS THE ULTIMATE SECRET WEAPON IN A KILLER WARDROBE. BY TAKING THE EXTRA STEP TO MAKE YOUR CLOTHES FIT WELL, YOU'LL BE LESS LIKELY TO OVERSPEND IN THE ATTEMPT TO FIND "THE PERFECT FIT."
THIS PIECE BY VOGUE DISCUSSES THE NEVER-ENDING SEARCH FOR THE PERFECT PAIR OF JEANS, AND EXPLAINS THAT THE PERFECT PAIR IS ACTUALLY ALREADY IN YOUR CLOSET, WITH THE HELP OF GREAT TAILORING. GENIUS.
JUST REMEMBER, SAYING NO TO THAT UNDER $100 HANDBAG CAN MAKE ROOM FOR ONE YOU WILL HAVE FOR YEARS TO COME. IF THAT MEANS TURNING DOWN IMPROMPTU MALL RUNS WITH YOUR FRIENDS, SO BE IT. RECOGNIZE WHERE YOU ARE TEMPTED MOST, AND STRATEGICALLY REIGN IN THE SPENDING.
CHECK OUT THIS GREAT READ ABOUT SHOPPING LIKE THE PARISIANS (THE PIECE THAT SPARKED A LOT OF THIS POST ACTUALLY) TO SERVE AS SOME MOTIVATION.
IDENTIFY YOUR STYLE ICONS AND RECURRING THEMES OF THE LOOKS YOU LOVE. MAKE A LIST OF YOUR MUST-HAVE ITEMS AND STICK TO IT. YOU'LL SLOWLY DEFINE YOUR OWN PERSONAL STYLE, AND KNOW EXACTLY WHAT PIECES YOU WANT TO BUY IN ORDER TO CREATE A WARDROBE YOU'RE PROUD OF. THIS MINDFULNESS WILL ALSO HELP YOU FEEL CONTENT WITH THE STAPLES YOU ALREADY HAVE, RATHER THAN THE DESPERATION OF LOOKING INTO AN OVERSTUFFED CLOSET WITH "NOTHING TO WEAR."
A few months ago I was scouting out new products for the Boutique (my favorite pastime), and I came across these decoupage “necessity trays”from Ben’s Garden. I was immediately smitten with the gorgeous decoupage quotes, and then I heard Ben’s story. I was floored, and I knew (A.) I had to have his line in Waiting On Martha and (B.) Ben’s story was something I had to share with whomever would listen.
I hope you love the trays as much as I love carrying them, and his story goes a little something like this…
{1983} Born in Setauket, N.Y. on Long Island.
{1987} Ben started his first garden.
{1988} Known to always have a gardener’s trowel or paintbrush in hand.
{1989} Ben decoupaged his mother’s cocktail table. She was pretty impressed.
{1992} Ben started “Ben’s Garden” selling decoupage & notecards. (For all you non-mathmetical types Ben was 9).
{1994} Mails Smith & Hawken and New York Botanical Garden a catalog, gets orders from both. Orders pour in. Ben puts his friends to work in his parent’s carriage house.
{1995} Ben had to change the “Please call 24/7, we’re waiting,” in his catalog, because his mom was not happy answering the phone.
{2000}
A.P. English High School teacher conferenced his parents. Pages were missing from his textbooks. (He was making paperweights with the quotes.)
{2000}
Publishes first issue of Ben’s Garden Quarterly.
{2001}
Met with C.Z. Guest, a famous socialite, to ask her to write for his magazine. While eating tiny sandwiches and watching her son practice polo, Ben talks about talking up polo as a sport. She laughs and agrees to write for his magazine.
{2002}
Graduates High School.
{2002}
Running Ben’s Garden at home in Setauket was driving his parent’s and neighbor’s nuts.
{2003}
Has a personal meeting with head buyer at Anthropologie, get’s an order.
They end up buying all of Ben’s designs within 6 months.
{2003}
Becomes a Master Gardener through Cornell University. Wholesale clients grow to include: ABC Carpet & Home, Dean & DeLuca, Kate’s Paperie.
Ben begins regularly exhibiting at national trade shows in Atlanta, San Francisco and New York City.
{2004}
Ben turns 20, and moves to Oyster Bay and opens his first store & studio.
{2006}
Ben’s découpage featured in InStyle Magazine. Business booms.
{2006}
Starts writing quarterly magazine column From Ben’s Garden for @Home Magazine. Ben’s A.P. English High School teacher is impressed.
{2007}
Opens second Ben’s Garden store in Huntington, N.Y. on Long Island at 3850 Sq. Ft.
{2008}
Ben’s Garden Studio in Oyster Bay expands into the space next door, to meet increased wholesale demand. Turns out customers like great handcrafted things made in the U.S.A.
