Classifieds Nº283:  Chief, theSkimm, Frame, and More Are Hiring!

Check out our fresh batch of job listings every Thursday! This week we have new roles from Chief, theSkimm, Frame, Amy Porterfield, and so much more. Good luck in your job search! 

Are you a company looking to hire? To post your job listing, click HERE.

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Classifieds Nº281:  Frame, Sakara Life, Parachute and More Are Hiring!

Check out our fresh batch of job listings every Thursday! This week we have new roles from Frame, Open, Sakara Life, Parachute, and so much more. Good luck in your job search! 

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Classifieds Nº280:  Refinery29, Free People, Levi's and More Are Hiring!

Check out our fresh batch of job listings every Thursday! This week we have new roles from Eloquence, Refinery29, Open, Free People, Levi's and so much more. Good luck in your job search! 

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How This Small Business Owner Made Her WFH Space More Productive

As the saying goes, “Go big or go home,” but whoever originally spoke those words probably didn’t envision everyone being stuck at home courtesy of a global pandemic. For Dominique Fluker, being stuck at home inspired her entrepreneurial calling. During quarantine, Fluker had to bring her 9 to 5 tech job home, and working and living in the same space made her sick of her surroundings. So what did she do? She decided to “spice up” her living area and make her WFH space more productive.

Fluker then caught the eye of an Apartment Therapy editor who saw her curated creation on social media, and gave her a feature. That inspired Fulker to take her passion for interior design i, and turn it into a business. DBF Interiors was born⎯ a virtual interior design studio focused on curating compelling interiors with accessible luxury.

Starting and running a small business is difficult in and of itself. Starting and running a small virtual business, based on creating the feel and energy of space during the height of the pandemic, proved even more challenging. Fluker shares four tips that helped set her up for success as a WFH small business owner.

1. Create A Workspace

Fluker's first word of advice is doing exactly what she did that led to her to building her business. DBF Interiors is all about a space’s utility and ambiance, so you need to create a dedicated workspace. “I had to make sure that I carved out a space that was dedicated just for work,” Fluker says.

She also mentions that when it comes to your workspace, size doesn’t matter. “A corner or a desk in your bedroom will do ... and furnishing it with things that will inspire you to get the work done.” For her, one of those things was her ring light. “I had several lamps and art that inspired me to get the work done.” And being able to remove yourself from the dedicated workspace at the end of the workday is just as important. “That way I can close the door, and close the door on the workday as well when I was done,” she adds.

2. Utilize Technology

Small business owners usually wear all, if not most of the many hats necessary to keep the business afloat. But that doesn’t mean help isn’t available. There are apps to help streamline almost all business-related tasks, to make life easier, and Fluker takes full advantage of them. “You have to make sure that you are organized and really blocking out your time. I think procrastination stems from not having good time management,” she explains.

To make sure she’s using her time effectively, Fluker relies on work management platform Asana. “I use Asana heavily. Asana has saved my life professionally and personally, to where all my tasks are blocked out by the week ... I make sure that I'm time managing on a Saturday or a Sunday, maybe take 15 minutes to plan my whole week ahead, or even two weeks of tasks that need to get done.”

For clerical tasks, Fluker recommends a paperwork tool like Bonsai. “It's for contracts and invoices. It's all in one suite that lets you focus on everything like templates, proposals, invoices, agreements, and quotes. I do all my contracts, proposals, and invoices in this.” 

3. Over-communicate

Whether your business is virtual or not, communication is something that must be done clearly and often. “It takes a lot of communication, overcommunication, especially when you're communicating through digital spaces,” Fluker shares. Though the digital space wasn't always easy to navigate, they were essential to Fluker's success. “I am a first-time entrepreneur, so not having that human interaction and reassurance that I could do it, and step into this newly created space that I decided to do, was dodging at first. But that's what zoom is there for. That's what other meeting tools are there for, and just having support from social [media] and my community on social media helps me propel myself forward.”

4. Get serious about self-care

It’s no secret that taking care of our mental health is essential to handling the uncertainty and pressures of life⎯ perhaps even more so for small business owners, and especially during a pandemic. Stress and burnout are creativity and productivity killers, and Fluker advocates for taking self-care seriously. She suggests carving out an hour a day for self-care like you would for any other business-related activity. “Make sure that you are incorporating an hour of self-maintenance every day. An hour just to yourself, if that's all you can do. Make sure you're doing it,” she advises. Her favorite methods of relaxation include catching up on a show, taking a relaxing bath, or reading a book. Whatever method you choose, she reiterates doing it every day.

Another form of self-care for Fluker that she wants to bring awareness to is self-talk. Her biggest tip for any entrepreneur is hands down, “Be kind to yourself.” The quality of your inner talk affects your mental health and your work. “You're already in business for yourself, which is a huge step forward and a hard task to do," she adds.

Written by Abby Stern

3 Tips To Manage A Work-Life Balance As A Momtrepreneur

Motherhood is universally known as one of the most difficult jobs in the world, and when you mix that with entrepreneurship, a whole new myriad of challenges are born. Both jobs are all-consuming and unpredictable, throwing off your work-life balance. Add to that the internalized (mom & entrepreneur) guilt for pushing everything not urgent to the back burner, difficulty asking for support, feeling like you have to be everything to everyone all at once, and having no time left to take care of yourself. For female entrepreneurs who are mothers, aka momtrepreneurs, trying to do “it all” can sometimes feel like an unwinnable, work-life, balancing act.

A lopsided work-life balance can have a negative impact on your personal life, professional life, and on your mental and physical health. The importance of cultivating a work-life balance is echoed by countless female CEOs, take these wise words from Bumble’s Whitney Wolfe Herd for example. “It’s incredibly important, regardless of how tired, or busy, or overloaded you are in your day-to-day; you must take time to call your grandparents, or call an old friend, or take an afternoon off to spend time with your parents.” 

Are you a momtrepreneur struggling to manage your work-life balance? Here are three tips to help manage and sustain a work-life balance. Bring your balancing act to an equilibrium, which will thus increase your productivity and happiness.

1. Organize

Most things regarding our children and our business are not in our control. Taking control of controllable things allows a momtrepreneur to have agency, which releases stress and provides feelings of empowerment and accomplishment. The best way to take control is to be hyper-organized. 

Every evening before bed, create a detailed daily plan for the next day. Incorporate a work-life balance into your plan so the following day begins with a balanced intention. Next, add all your tasks to your calendar (Yes, all of them!), from conference calls to workouts, and even self-care. When time is physically blocked out on your calendar, you will more likely stick to a well-timed schedule. This will help your day flow smoothly and allow you to execute each task. 

2. Ask for help and delegate

While it can be difficult to relinquish control over certain aspects of your life, help from a colleague, partner, or friend can be an immeasurable asset to re-configure your work-life balance. The most successful momtrepreneurs know that asking for help and delegating tasks makes them stronger at both jobs. Sara Blakely, billionaire Spanx founder and CEO, is happy to accept help when she needs it. Blakely relies on her assistant to be her right-hand man. “…She can solve and figure out anything. She has actually gotten my child a passport and gotten him out of the country without being the parent. I don’t know how she does it,” Sara shared.

Never feel guilty about utilizing help if you can afford it. Such as asking a parent to extend your child’s playdate to get more work done, or using an app to order groceries. That is perfectly fine! While being a mom and an entrepreneur can feel lonely at times, no one truly does it all alone. It takes a village and asking yours for help can guide you to a greater work-life balance.

3. Practice severance

The new Apple TV show ("Severance") may a bit extreme, but it’s on to something. The series examines the topic of a complete separation of your work life from your personal life. When managing your work-life balance, it’s essential to separate the two and stay in the present moment. Obsessing about work while you’re in mom-mode, and vice-versa, guarantees that your attention will be elsewhere. You have to draw the line somewhere because this makes you more prone to mistakes at work, and mentally absent during important family moments.

It’s easier said then done when thinking multi-tasking while being present will make things better. A mindfulness or meditation practice is a great way to cultivate the art of presence and bring moderation to your work-life balance.  

Written by Abby Stern

C&C Classifieds Nº279:  Alleyoop, Newsette, Vice Media Group, and More Are Hiring!

August is here, and as a new month arrives, you might be feeling a wave of change in your career as well. 

Kick off the month with a fresh batch of job listings for you to apply from our good friends at Alleyoop, The Honest Company, Vice Media Group, REED Public Relations, and so many more!

To post a new job, just click HERE. Good luck! 

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I Have Been Working From Home for Years—This Is How to Do It Successfully

I Have Been Working From Home for Years—This Is How to Do It Successfully

“I totally use my phone as a procrastination crutch—it's incredibly helpful to just have it out of sight, out of mind.”