Letter from the Founder

Welcome to a new chapter of Create & Cultivate.

Hi everyone, it’s Jaclyn the founder of Create & Cultivate. I am so thrilled to be back at the helm of Create & Cultivate alongside our new CEO @MarinaaMiddleton. How did we get here? It’s complicated.



I’ve always prided Create & Cultivate on being a place of transparent conversations and “real talk”. It's been in countless posts, signage, podcast episodes, and even my book.



Business on its best days is extremely rewarding, on its worst very heart wrenching. Selling a majority stake in Create & Cultivate in 2021 was one of my proudest moments as a business owner and yet personally challenging to navigate. This is a brand I, like many of you and your businesses, love. The community is what got me through each and every hard moment of being an entrepreneur. So when the opportunity presented itself to rebuild Create & Cultivate back alongside my partners, I took it. Why?



Since its launch in 2016, Create & Cultivate, has been a driving force and unmatched resource for women entrepreneurs and small business owners. By offering insightful content, fostering a loyal community, and hosting best-in-class events, C&C has helped countless women create & cultivate the careers of their dreams. We’ve witnessed tremendous growth for women in the workplace from massive IPOs to women in the US generating a staggering $1.9 trillion annually. However, venture funding remains at an all-time low for female-led businesses, layoffs are abound and the burden of the family still lies with working moms.

The first Create & Cultivate stage



We know there is more ground to cover. As the world shifts, so does Create & Cultivate.

We’re glad to be here.

Welcome to the new C&C.

xoxox

Jaclyn Johnson

@jaclynrjohnson

Letter from the CEO: C&C 100

When we first sat down and talked about honoring 100 women, our team let out a collective "eeh!" of excitement. Now, months later, we've produced over 100 interviews (hello, co-founders), taken over 50 photos in 2 days, had 50 photos hand-illustrated by honoree Tayst, and spent countless late nights in the office. I can officially say this is one of the proudest accomplishments for the Create & Cultivate team to date. 

Our team is lucky enough to interact with so many incredible women on a daily basis. But how do you choose? Culling through thousands of amazing women to pick only 10 per category proved challenging. We worked hard to make the list well-rounded, diverse, and a blend of household names you know and love as well as up-and-comers you need to read about. 

We teamed up with Dove & Keds, brands that have been at the forefront of putting women first for decades. We know how important this conversation is to have. We know how crucial it is to have women breaking boundaries not only in beauty but in STEM. We know how important it is to come together. 

The overarching message of the interviews and buzz on set was "collaboration not competition." An idea so deeply rooted within the Create & Cultivate brand, we knew we were on to something big. 

Further to that we collaborated with some of my favorite women owned businesses here in LA. We shot the campaign at LightLab in LA which is co-owned by Anne Sage & Caroline Lee who also flexed her skills behind the lens shooting the entire campaign. The team at female-owned Glamsquad provided all the hair & makeup, the ladies of reservoir who styled everyone and we have teamed up with female powerhouses Jihan from Geronimo, DJ Nikki Pennie and the ladies at Found Rentals to deck out our launch even this Thursday. 

100 is important because it isn't just a number. It's about inspiring 100 women, who inspire 100 more, who inspire the world. 

Keep creating. Keep collaborating,

Jaclyn Johnson, CEO

5 Must-Follow Hilarious/Real Talk Instagrammers

We love Instagram (duh) and while we love love love the macaroon, peony, jet set explosion that often fills our feed, we also love the people who lay it out there real talk style. The people who aren't afraid to talk about their dog barfing in their car (Jayne Min) or admit that they have a mustache hair (Jen Gotch)--- we need them, the world needs them. We thought it was time to share what basically gets us through our day, which is often not filled with cute cups of coffee and European vacations, but is sometimes filled with, er, mustache hairs.

Kelly Oxford / @kellyoxford

The author, writer, show-seller, and cool mom is one of our favorite follows.  She posts the ins-and-outs of motherhood,  the hilarity surrounding her kids, her dogs, and general commentary on the craziness that is life. Our favorite is the picture of her mom where she says "Hi Mom. Sorry I don't call, I hate the phone. If it makes you feel any better, I call no one. You're cute for an old Baba." #truth

Jayne Min / @stopitrightnow

Don't be fooled by her couture looking imagery - Jayne Min isn't as serious as her posts may look. She is constantly killing it with self deprecating humor. For instance, her caption "Cowlick profile shot featuring ear cameo" (see image below at the upper left), plus her posts about her pups hit way too close to home -- we like it Jayne! 

OrlandoSoria/

@mrorlandosoria

OMG, WE LOVE ORLANDO! His effortless use of CAPS when instilling hilarious puns and wit into his often beautiful interior photos literally gets us through the day. For National Donut Day, his post declared "I hate donuts but LOVE RUGS." As do we, Orlando. 

Jen Gotch / @jengotch

Jen is everything. No really. She is a boss lady extraordinaire, she pulls off pink hair and mumus with ZERO effort and she is not just funny-- she is freaking hilarious.  She literally doesn't care what you think (in the best way possible) and her Instagram is a direct reflection of that. Do yourself a favor and watch the mustache video. 

Samantha Duenas / @sosupersam

Don't let her freakish good looks fool you, Sam is WAY more than a pretty face. When she isn't spinning the best parties, she is posting hilarious commentary on Instagram.  Her post featuring the guy juggling at the airport, simply captioned "go ahead daddy", literally made us pee (just a little bit.) 

Is Girls Club the New Boy's Club?

We’ve all been there. A senior-level executive dismisses you as sweetie or one of your male employees refers to you as his colleague when you are very much his boss. The gender gap is alive and well in the startup industry, but is it starting to close?
 
As a female founder, I’ve experienced the pendulum swing of the gender imbalance issue. At the start, I began to notice that my fees nearly always came up for negotiation—seemingly because I was a female business owner sitting across the table from them. To test the theory, I brought male employees with me into key meetings regarding fees to gauge the difference. Across the board, the fee bargaining didn’t occur when they were present.
 
But this presented an opposite catch-22 for me, one that other entrepreneurs have probably faced, too. I wanted (and needed) to take on the new business and grow my portfolio, but that meant saying sometimes giving in to lower, negotiated fees—essentially saying yes to gender pay inequality.
 
Now four years later, my startup has grown, the caliber of clients we work with has increased, and we can turn down business when the numbers don’t add up. But I think the elusive “boys’ club” that revolves mostly around startup funding, raising money and venture capital will always be present in some iteration.
 
However, I’ve seen the clouds parting, with more women at the helm of large budgets and leading prominent companies. That’s why it’s important for more women to excel in the financial aspects of running a business, especially funding, investing and raising money so we can help balance the gender inequality.
 
To that end, I’m excited to see the growing number of programs devoted to female founders and entrepreneurship that give women the support to flourish. A few months ago, I hosted an evening for Women in Business in conjunction with General Assembly, where we had more than 300 RSVPs and women waiting in line eagerly to hear female entrepreneurs speak about their experiences. It was a great opportunity to dole out advice to those just starting out, and to network with new like-minded contacts.
 
While this is proof that the women-in-business movement is strong, what does this mean for the gender gap? It means a “girls’ club” is forming, and the responsibility is now on female CEOs and others in powerful positions to give opportunities to deserving female entrepreneurs.
 
But this girls’ club won’t usher in the gender inequalities that I faced in the past. Instead, it will be an opportunity to mentor young women looking for guidance and empower women-owned businesses.
 
Will the girls’ club be the new boys’ club? It’s on us to make it happen.

This story was written by our founder Jaclyn Johnson and originally appeared on Success.com. To learn more about her, head to the about section up top!

Little is the New Large: A Tiny Home with a Big Message

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A Tiny Home with a Big Message

by Whitney Leigh Morris

I live in a tiny home. I moved here four years ago, not because I was on a minimizing-mission, and not because it was the “on-trend” thing to do. I don’t even consider myself a minimalist per se. I simply fell in love with the space. I had no idea that it would ultimately change not only my entire outlook on life, but also  completely reroute my professional career.

My Tiny Canal Cottage, located in Venice Beach, California, is just 362 square feet. That’s roughly the size of a standard two-car garage. It’s my office, studio, and living space, and I share it with my fiancé, Adam, and our beagle-mix, Stanlee. Thanks to editorial coverage, creative collaborations, and the power of Instagram (#TheTinyCanalCottage), the Cottage is now widely known by individuals and businesses around the world. And while I am still madly in love with my home, I must admit that it isn’t this exact space that has captured everyone’s attention. It’s the message within the space that resonates with audiences: We don’t have to live large to live beautifully.  

"We don’t have to live large to live beautifully." 

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For decades we’ve been inundated with the message that bigger is better, and that full, successful lives are measured by large homes, expensive cars, extravagant vacations, and numerous belongings. To each his or her own, but I personally am delighted by the recent shift towards finding fulfillment in simplicity.

Let me be very clear—I am not demonizing larger homes nor lifestyles that differ from my own. (I was raised on a 10 acre wildlife preserve, and my favorite place to live/work when I’m not at my cottage is an insanely gorgeous rustic castle in France, so I can hardly claim that my entire life fits into 362 square feet.) But I’ve never felt happier and more balanced than I do while “living little” with my guys in our mini-home.

Downsizing my possessions allowed me to focus on exploring new projects and endeavors, and gave me a mental clarity that resulted in discovering the love of my life, enjoying a lack of jealousy or resentment over other people’s lives, and experiencing ever-increasing success with my small business.

As the economy continues to shift and the freelancer community expands, presumably more and more people will find themselves operating predominantly from live-work spaces. Thanks to the capabilities of our latest gadgets, most of us no longer need dedicated offices in order to properly do our jobs. 

(I routinely fit up to three comfortable workstations in the Cottage with ease. See here & here.)

I challenge anyone who is thinking of downsizing to take the plunge. Truly commit to it, and I believe you’ll find pride and remarkable joy in the mindful curation of your belongings, and in divesting the weight of the unnecessary.

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Whitney Leigh Morris is a firm believer that you don’t have to “live large” to live beautifully. She operates her creative consulting firm from her 362 sq. ft. #TheTinyCanalCottage in Venice Beach, California, where she is dedicated to making life—even the little things—delightful, thoughtful and meaningful. Her company specializes in simple style for small spaces, gatherings, and visual content, and has recently been featured via Domino, One Kings Lane, Design Sponge, CB2, Urban Decay, and more. She’s a must-follow @whitneyleighmorris.