Aug Ifs: Heart at Work

If Megan Rapinoe were CEO

No imposter syndrome here.

Before the memory of the awesomeness of Megan Rapinoe fades into the next up-with-women surge in the news cycle, take 60 minutes and listen to Kara Swisher's interview with her on Recode Decode.

In this podcast, Megan says this:

“I deserve this. I want everything.”

...which has me considering which font to use if I tattoo that statement on the inside of my forearm. To go with with my Melody Ehsani power ring.

In the podcast, Megan also talks about:

• Where her confidence comes from

• How she markets herself

• The importance of celebrating wins

• The need for equal investment of a revenue-positive market segment that wants, and will buy, more of the "product" (WTF...why the patriarchy can't go where the money is just continues to baffle me...women buy all the shit, dudes!)

• How the only option is to be LOUD to get more money

Listen to Recode Decode episode here, or wherever you get your podcasts.

And I have to say how much I love Megan's "pose" pictured above. I know it's a meme, and for damn good reason. She owns her power on the biggest stage of them all.

---

If push comes to product-market fit

If you've got an idea for a business or a new revenue stream, the Female Founders Alliance and Pioneer Square Labs are giving you the perfect challenge to test it. Huzzah for the FFA Female Founder Challenge.

With the accountability of your friends and some hefty brainpower, you can sprint test a business idea with real customers. Put in the work and you'll know in 30 days if your idea is viable enough to go all-in. This could save you YEARS of your life flailing on a bunk business model.

All you gotta do is give FFA your email address and they'll give you content, workshops and office hours with the team at Pioneer Square Labs, a startup studio that's launched 15 companies from the Lab in 4 years.

This challenge is open to all entrepreneurs. Sign up here. It starts on September 1.

P.S. This is a sweet marketing tactic to get more email newsletter subscribers for both FFA and Pioneer Square Labs.

P.P.S. I'm in on the challenge. I'm curious to see how valuable the support is, and to test an idea for the Female Founder Funding Update. I'll share what I learn.

---

If soul works

I'm fascinated by founders who fold moments of grace into their companies. I'll never forget how Alyssa Leinonen, CEO of Gourmondo, creates flexible work schedules so that her employees can drop off and pick up school-age children.

That's compassion in action. It takes a strong will for a founder to say, "We're going to do things differently for our people."

For Seattle area readers, the upcoming Compassionate Leadership Summit is an opportunity to learn from some of the most enlightened thinkers and teachers on workplace compassion. It runs November 8-9, 2019 at The Hub at the University of Washington.

What you can expect:

• The summit's vision is a world in which awareness, justice, inclusivity and compassion guide our actions as a society (yes, please)

• Bringing together leaders from various sectors, including corporations, non-profits, government, healthcare, education and communities of faith (good intersectional networking)

• Presenters are visionaries, teachers, cultural trailblazers and creators who represent diverse applications of compassion and mindfulness (notables include Karen Guzak, the owner of our Fall Yoga Retreat facility, and Joel and Michelle Levey, powerful teachers on how to be more mindful in your workday)

• The event is designed to share tools, best practices and methods with interactive learning sessions (a cost-effective way to learn for small businesses)

• Co-hosted by UW Undergraduate Women in Business

Plus, I have discount codes:

Sign up for the summit here. First come, first served on the discounts, so act fast:

• 2D15 15% off the 2-day admission (save $60)

• 1D15 15% off the 1-day admission (save $30 )

If your company wants to sponsor this event, please email Ryan Crowther.

---

If underutilizing your email sig

Above is the email signature for Karly Siroky of Karma Design. This is the best email signature I've seen. Ever.

Smiling face — nice typography — warm color palette — hmmm, this looks like person who goes above and beyond — just what I want in a business partner — yes, I'll click on those social buttons to learn more about you, Karly Siroky.

Damn that's good.

Karly showcases why this is a genius brand touchpoint. If you want an email signature like this, Karly has offered to give you instructions. Email Karly.

---

If Fall feels anxious

I grapple with anxiety. On the order of the 3 a.m. wake up, the to-do list multiplying, can't go back to sleep. The Sunday evening curtain of impending doom. The Instagram poison pill, my family-marriage-kid-house-vacation-style aren't good enough, and why do I just want to buy everything in my feed?

Then comes September. Every year it happens, the intensity ratchets up as the light and warmth of the summer fade. The school bell rings again and the routine tightens. So do the shoulders and neck, and maybe the heart, just a little, as if the Universe knows annual goals need to be met, or else. Or else, what?

I've been reading The Wisdom of Anxiety by Sheryl Paul of Conscious Transitions. This passage from her books is why I'm hosting the Fall yoga retreat:

“...When you walk through a transition consciously, you’re given a potent opportunity to shed a layer of mindsets, beliefs, patterns, and habits that are contributing to your anxiety.”

Let's walk through the Fall transition together. What are your intrusive thoughts? How are they holding you back in business? I'm learning to let go. Join me. Learn more about the October 20, 2019 retreat.

Father's Day Ode and June Ifs

It takes a man to make a businesswoman

Happy Father’s Day, Brent Stromberg. 

LawnLife was my father’s lawn-care business. The image above is from an outdoor campaign he ran in 1984. It’s noteworthy that this message stood high above Main Street in Layton, Utah, a conservative Mormon suburb of Salt Lake City. 

Strong words for a man who didn’t say much. 

Brent is a Vietnam veteran and a serial entrepreneur. He witnessed the horrors of what humans can do to one another, surviving the twin scenarios of war and business. Those experiences keep us mute, until we can’t take it anymore.

I bury my feelings like he does. 

I prefer to roam the edges, observing the pack from beyond the fire circle, stalking the perimeter where the dark meets the light. For too long I was ok with just warm enough. 

Until now. Until this venture called Underwire. 

I want all in, to be the one dropping another log and chanting burn-baby-burn while I whirl around the bonfire. 

I want a female president of the United States. I want 50% of CEOs to be women. I want 50% of the money to go to female-led companies. I want every girl on the planet to understand a balance sheet and the cost of goods sold and where every cent they earn goes and what it can yield, and that when our economic system works for women and men equally, the balance of power will tip. 

I could incinerate the status quo with all my wanting. Burn the trash and start over with women in charge. 

I have no traditional reason to rage against the patriarchy. I experienced no major violation, mental or physical. I had close calls and pervy situations happen to me, outmaneuvered by my inherent privilege and overflowing luck. Frankly, I would not be where I am today without a handful of men who lifted me into situations that advanced my career and guided me to where I am today. 

We're not all so fortunate. I get that. I struggle with the overwhelming inequality in our world. It breaks my heart that the situation we are born into dictates the trajectory of our lives. Alas, here we are, confronted with the biological fact that for every woman, there is a man out there who plays a role in the drama of who we become. 

Dad, thanks for the fighting words. I love you. 

Now ladies, go up your fucking grass.

---

If Mary Meeker isn't on your radar

She is now, happily ever after. Ms. Meeker writes the influential "Future of the Internet" report. She's also a legendary venture capitalist, and the founder of a new $1.2 billion fund at Bond Capital. Use her insights to inform your market focus, double down on Instagram and YouTube, or validate your vision in a pitch deck. 

Here are highlights of the report, thanks to CNBC: 

• More than half of the human population is online.

• Public and private investments into tech companies are at a two-decade high, nearing $200 billion last year.

• Wearable technology is booming, and users have doubled in the past four years.

• E-commerce and ride-share driven digital payments are rising.

• Image-based communication like Instagram, is on the rise. YouTube and Instagram are gaining the most for time spent on online platforms.

• Interactive games like Fortnite are gaining ground. Total players have accelerated at 2.4 billion, up 6% this year.

• Media time spent on mobile hit “equilibrium.”

• China makes up 21% of total global internet users vs. 8% in the United States.

Read the entire 2019 report here. 

If you declared bankruptcy, so did one of the world's richest women 

Take 30 minutes and flip through the Forbes Richest Self-Made Women of 2019 list. These are fascinating stories from a diverse group of women and a necessary reminder that you will have to work your ass off, but yes, YOU CAN DO THIS. Some highlights: 

• Jessica Iclisoy of California Baby vertically integrated her company and never brought in investors.

• Number 5 on the list, Thai Lee, spoke at this year's Women in Cloud Summit, yet another reason to get involved with this powerful group.

• Suzy Batiz went bankrupt twice before building Poo-pouri, known for their hilarious marketing videos and now distributed through major retailers. 

• Serena Williams has invested in 34 startups founded by women and minorities through Serena Ventures. 

If you grapple with what to wear 

This article from Fast Company details the effects of two female editors who wear the same clothing for two weeks. Thanks to MM.LaFleur's excellent email newsletter for the recommend.

May Ifs: Happiness Is a Choice

If mood impacts revenue

Do you wake up and greet the day with a quick flip through your email and feeds? 

That ritual could be setting you up for a shitty day and costing your company revenue. 

Mel Robbins says,

“Put YOURSELF first before you let the world in. That means no phone, no news, no TV, no technology, no email. No nothing before you take 10 minutes for you. ”

It not only makes sense, but it’s also science. An astounding 80% of smartphone users scroll through emails and social media first thing in the morning (IDC Research, 2015).

What's that doing to your brain? Research from Harvard Business Journal and the University of Pennsylvania found that even just 3 minutes of bad news in the morning means you’re 27% more likely to be unhappy for the rest of your day. 

And your bad attitude can impact the bottom line. The HBR article linked above goes on to cite an astounding data point from a study Nationwide Insurance conducted on their culture:

The president of Nationwide Brokerage Solutions, Gary Baker, decided to apply positive psychology research to the company’s workday. In particular, employees begin their days with a “huddle,” where they meet to share good news and rally around colleagues who might need some extra support that day. Those positive starts to the day, among other changes instituted based on positive psychology training at Nationwide, have led to an increase in gross revenues from $600 to $900 million and an application rate 237% higher in just one year.

You're the leader. Your mood sets their mood.

---

If they can, you can 

A food writer and product manager start a direct-to-consumer cookware company, bake up a $3.4 seed round, and hire Pentagram to do their branding.

Sound like a fairy tale? Pffft, it's never that easy. Thanks to Lindsay Myers for sharing this entertaining journey story that oozed into a deep dive of the Great Jones brand launch.

The ingredients: 

• Two female founders 

• A new idea rooted in an area of passion or previous expertise 

• Connections in that area that opened doors (food industry, product design) 

• Female investors from Away, a recently minted Unicorn (see below!) 

• Commitment to the idea (quitting a job and going all in at the right time)

• A co-founder with a complementary skill set 

• Chinese manufacturing partners aligned on values (willing to innovate on design, respectful treatment of workers) 

• Drooly Insta feed (sexy pots, sexier people cooking) 

• Solid product that solves a need (performance, pricing) 

This quote from Sierra Tishgart, Co-Founder & CEO cuts deep:

“I didn’t realize how much my sense of self-worth and satisfaction relied on my work being consumed by the public. I didn’t know how long it would take until I felt proud of myself and my work again. In darker moments, I wondered what the hell I would do if we failed, as most startups do.”

Mmhmm. Been there.

And a taste of what went into the brand creation:

“All these months, while we worked on our physical products, we were also bringing a living, breathing brand to life. Naming the company was particularly challenging; Great Jones is actually a nod to the cookbook editor Judith Jones, as well as the New York street. (We designed a logo inspired by 1970s New York typefaces.) We wanted Great Jones to feel as warm, nostalgic, and joyful as opening your favorite vintage cookbook—an ode to the past instead of a ‘disruptive’ future.”

You can identify their brand attributes from that paragraph—warm, nostalgic, joyful.

Notice how those attributes permeate every touchpoint:

The homepage.

The packaging. How can you not be happy looking at this?

A packaged set.

The box can be re-used by the chillins of the purchaser. Aww.

The option to personalize the lid with a saucy engraving.

A still image from a photoshoot. Tone-setting.

Urban poster series.

Great Jones likely spent $250,000+ of their $3.4 million seed raise on the branding. I share this not to make you jealous or depressed, but to remind you that you have to budget for branding as a consumer startup. You can do incredible things with your brand on a budget if you know what you stand for. Soon, Underwire will have a product to help you with that 😉. 

Lastly, tits up to Emily Oberman, partner at Pentagram, who led the Great Jones brand development team. Ms. Oberman also recently designed The Wing’s No Man’s Land publication and the Saturday Night Live intro titles. 

Further reading: 

• Pentagram's overview of the full brand launch 

• Great Jones funding info

---

If all hail the chiefs 

For the first time in Fortune 500 history, 33 companies are led by female CEOs, the highest total ever. Progress! 

Why? Well, Christy Glass, a Utah State University professor who focuses on gender inequality, says that her research “has shown that when boards are well-integrated with women, women are much more likely to be appointed CEOs.” The push for board diversity, she says, “may be paying off in terms of women appointed as CEOs.”

Here they are:

---

If bad is good

Another book recommendation from Lynne Hannah, who says, “This book is so resonant with starting a company late in life and it hits on the theme that, no matter what your age, you won’t be good at anything in the beginning… so lighten up, lose the imposter syndrome and have fun on the journey.”