I’ve been running a business for around 13 years, if there is one thing I hate above all else it is the questions women are asked that no one would even think to ask a man. First, let me define sexism for readers. Merriam-Webster defines it as: 1: prejudice or discrimination based on sex especially: discrimination against […]
What is it about that name? If your name is Karen, my apologies. My sometimes partner-in-crime, Chris Andrus, wrote this great blog about standing up to customers in defense of your employees. I can’t imagine how hard that is in the service industry, maybe you will read this and be less of an asshole to […]
Every Veterans Day, I reflect back on the men and women that have served, are serving and have given the ultimate sacrifice. I have read extensively on WWII, I truly believe unless we remember history and educate ourselves on our past, we are doomed to make the same mistakes in the future. Today, I want […]
I had an interesting convo with my therapist the other day (more people should admit they see one, helps erase the stigma), we were chatting about the stress a business owner deals with every day and how it bleeds into every other aspect of your life. By the way, this was supposed to be marriage […]
“Do you ever just want to scream?” was the text message I sent to three of my friends last week. There are times, we drive ourselves to mental, emotional and physical exhaustion. I hope I have been honest in the past about my mental health struggles, it’s something I have dealt with since…forever. I can’t […]
I just got back from a relaxing vacation with my girlfriends, we spent our days laying on the beach, sipping cocktails and reading. Instead of fully enjoying my vacation, I allowed negative thoughts and self-doubt to creep in the entire time. These are thoughts I am uncomfortable sharing, because it leaves me vulnerable (and I […]
The worst bosses I ever had…were women. I know I am not alone, many share the same experiences. These experiences have driven me to be a better leader and to cultivate opportunities for my employees that I never had. As a business owner (regardless of my gender), I need to live by example. When reflecting […]
I originally wrote this article for Huffington Post over a year ago and I doubt it will ever lose its relevance. “There are two kinds of evil people in this world. Those who do evil stuff and those who see evil stuff being done and don’t try to stop it.” – Mean Girls I caught […]
Why, as women, do we feel the need to be liked by everyone? Why are our feelings hurt when we aren’t included? Is high school still haunting us? I won’t get into how society or our upbringings can play a role in our need to be accepted or loved. I will say this, knock it […]
If you don’t understand what is happening in our country as it relates to the stories circulating around sexual harassment and assault, then you are not listening. Women have never had it easy as it relates to dealings with the opposite sex, yet you seldom hear us complain or make a fuss, instead we go […]
Me Too. A powerful two word phrase that has been spreading like wildfire on social media started up on Sunday night. With the Harvey Weinstein sexual assault allegations dominating headlines, actress Alyssa Milano took to social media asking women to post “Me Too” if they had ever been a victim of sexual assault and/or harassment. […]
I’m sure I have written on this before, but I don’t care. It’s my blog and I’ll write if I want to. My firm of 10 years just moved into a new office space, launched a new logo and is undergoing a restructure as it relates to how we operate. It is scary as shit. […]
As women we are programmed to be apologetic. “Sorry i’m late.” “Sorry this seat is taken.” “Sorry to bother you.” “Sorry to interrupt.” Can we just knock it off already? Manners are one thing, but apologizing for no reason can actually hurt you. What kind of message are you sending? It sure as hell isn’t […]
Everyone wants to be a leader, until you are and then you most definitely don’t. There are a lot of misconceptions on leadership, like you will have minions to do everything for you. Listen, this isn’t the Devil Wears Prada and employees sure as hell won’t stick around if you treat them that way. They […]
It will be 10 years for 834 Design & Marketing this fall. Some of those years I would like to forget, there was a lot of failure, frustration and drinking ?. People keep telling me that 10 years is a milestone, quite honestly…I’m just happy I managed to retain most of my sanity. I was […]
What do you support? Do you stay neutral? Stay out of any political discourse? Many companies choose to quietly support or not support certain organizations in their community or remain quiet on what their customers may perceive as controversial. 834, I am proud to say, will always vocally support equality, inclusiveness and diversity. In fact […]
Being a business owner is incredibly lonely. I am reminded of this daily, when I have no one but myself to turn to when it comes to tough decisions. No one cuts you slack and no one cares about your ‘feelings’. Your significant other will not know the crushing pressure you feel when looking at […]
This won’t be exciting for anyone reading it, but I’m going to write it anyways – because it is my birthday. This past year has been exciting, terrifying and adventurous to say the least. Here are my top takeaways as I enter my 38th year. The non-traditional family. I do not have a great relationship […]
This past weekend I got up in front of an auditorium of people and talked about failure. I talked about a time in my life when I thought everything was perfect and everything was falling into place. Then everything came crashing down – it was a shit show. I was in a really bad place and it […]
We have gotten lazy. Gone are the days when many of us were expected to wear a suit to work; which is not a bad thing. I love being able to express myself through my wardrobe, accessories and shoes. Business casual has become the norm and in the marketing agency world, for the most part […]
There is a lot in the works at 834 right now, it is exciting, thrilling, unknown and scary. But so what. Everything in life is terrifying if you think about it long enough. You can literally talk yourself out of anything. Stop it. What is life without risk? If we quit exploring new tools, strategies […]
If you’re like me, your motivation can wane at times. This past week has been especially hard as I experienced a loss that I am still reeling from. I needed to get my head back in the game. Knowing that I needed some inspiration, I started researching women entrepreneurs and happened upon this article by […]
In a previous post I wrote about adapting to change and surviving it. This morning I stumbled upon an article in Inc. that talked about the questions you should ask yourself prior to making a difficult decision. Give the article a read here. Everyday we are faced with decisions, big or small and the course […]
I’m a feminist. This is a surprise to no one. I am very loud about it and I am very proud of it. I was raised to be independent, challenge society’s norms, speak up and to support other women. As a woman business owner, it is important to me that women are properly represented throughout […]
Every week, I have a Sunday night freak out. I start worrying about the coming week, the stuff I didn’t get done on the weekend, the meetings I have to attend, calls I have, networking events I am going to…you get the idea. Isn’t it time we took back control? I look at my calendar and […]
Making difficult decisions is part of being a business owner, whether it is parting ways with a client, admitting you screwed up or having unpleasant conversations with an employee. Running a business is fucking hard. When faced with a seemingly impossible decision, I look at the below criteria and do my best to think […]
Sometimes, a girl just needs office supplies. When you spend the majority of time at work or in meetings, you tend to splurge on the super boring items you use the most. You want them to be unique. I like color, lots of it – I wear it and I surround myself with it (you […]
Last week, I announced a new blog series called #GirlBoss. This series is meant to educate and offer hope to women bosses, entrepreneurs, business owners and general badasses. The hardest thing we face as professionals is feelings of despair and loneliness, thinking you are the only one facing certain challenges and hardships. I met Valerie Martinelli, […]
In an effort to further support women in business and share their stories of success, failures and triumphs; I am excited to announce a new blog series called #GirlBoss. This series is meant to educate and offer hope to those women bosses, entrepreneurs, business owners and badasses. The hardest thing to overcome are feelings of […]
You are only as smart as the people you surround yourself with, this refers to staff, friends, mentors, colleagues and more. We may not be able to choose our family, but we sure as hell can choose our tribe. The formal definition of tribe is listed below. tribe trīb/ noun a social division in a traditional […]
