Ask an Expert: How to Process, Cope, and Move Through Grief Right Now

We’ve been spending a lot of time at Create & Cultivate HQ discussing how we can best show up for and support our community during this uncertain time. Community is at our core, and connecting with others through one-of-a-kind experiences is what we love to do. While the world has changed, our mission has not. We’re committed to helping women create and cultivate the career of their dreams, which is why we’re proud to announce our new Ask an Expert series. We’re hosting discussions with experts, mentors, and influencers daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST on Instagram Live to cure your craving for community and bring you the expert advice you’ve come to know and love from C&C. Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the latest schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out!

“In order for us to heal, we have to feel our feelings.”

—Dr. Morgan Francis, Licensed Mental Health Therapist

Grief is something that most of us are experiencing right now. In the wake of COVID-19, just consider all that we’ve lost: the lives taken by the coronavirus, the lost livelihoods, the depleted savings, the upended routines, the canceled plans, the postponed weddings, and so much more. Odds are, each of us is processing and attempting to move through one of the five stages of grief right now.

In this installment of our Ask an Expert series, we asked Dr. Morgan Francis, a licensed professional counselor with a doctoral degree in clinical psychology, to share her insights on how to process, cope, and move through grief right now. Scroll on for some of the key takeaways from the conversation and follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram to tune into the next installment of the ongoing series.

The 3 Us

“In order for us to heal, we have to feel our feelings,” Dr. Francis wisely points out. In order to do so, there are three things about grief that we all need to be aware of and understand, a.ka. the three us:

U #1: Unique. “Your grief is unique,” explains Dr. Francis. “Your loss is unique to you. There’s no benefit when we compare our suffering. Your pain is worthy of being recognized and being noticed. Your pain matters.”

U #2: Universal. “Your loss is unique, yet it is universal,” says Dr. Francis. “We all feel it and can relate to one another though everyone’s grief is unique to them.”

U #3: Uncertainty. “There is so much uncertainty right now, and it’s an uncomfortable place to be,” notes Dr. Francis of the current COVID-19 crisis. “Here’s the thing about uncertainty, it allows possibility. There’s a lot of possibility right now in your life. There’s going to be a change and a shift.” 

If you’re struggling with uncertainty (U #3), Dr. Francis suggests the following exercise: “Think about a time in your life when you didn’t know the outcome, she explains. “Then ask yourself what have you overcome when you didn’t know the outcome?”

This could include anything from moving to a new city, starting a new job, entering a new relationship, or having a child. “There have been plenty of times when you haven’t known the outcome but you adapted and you made it through,” she reminds us.

The Box Breathing Method

Originally developed by the Navy SEALs to help them cope with their environments, box breathing is an effective tool for reducing anxiety, calming down, and grounding yourself, explains Dr. Francis.

To practice the method: Inhale for four seconds, hold your breath for four seconds, exhale for four seconds, and finally hold your breath for four seconds.

“You can repeat as many times as you need to until you feel more grounded and calm in your body,” says Dr. Francis. “It’s a great tool for regulating how you feel in your body.”

The 5 Stages of Grief

According to Dr. Francis, it’s important for you to name what you are feeling. “Grief is not a linear process, the key is to identify which stage you are in so you can start to understand and feel your feelings,” Dr. Francis reminds us. This is where the traditional five stages of grief come in handy:

Stage #1: Denial. “We want to remain in our preferred reality,” explains Dr. Francis.

Stage #2: Anger. “We’re mad about our reality,” she offers. “We want accountability and we want somebody to be responsible for what happened.”

Stage #3: Bargaining. “It’s the idea that if I did this, could I have that,” Dr. Francis explains.

Stage #4: Sadness. “It’s the feelings of hopelessness and helplessness,” she says.

Stage #5: Acceptance. “In this stage, you’re starting to accept the reality,” Dr. Francis explains. “However, this does not mean that you like this reality.”

Dr. Francis recently launched a new online course, Loving Yourself Through Loss, and is offering Create & Cultivators $100 discount with the code CULTIVATE100.

About the Expert: With over 20 years in the mental health field, Dr. Francis is a licensed professional counselor with a doctoral degree in clinical psychology. She is the founder and owner of Scottsdale Premier Counseling, a private practice in Arizona providing individual, couples and group therapy. She specializes in the treatment of body image and eating disorders, self empowerment, sexual compulsive behavior, mood disorders, relationships, and trauma.

Tune in daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST, for new installments of Ask an Expert. 

Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out. See you there!

Ask an Expert: How to Reduce Anxiety and Fear Right Now

We’ve been spending a lot of time at Create & Cultivate HQ discussing how we can best show up for and support our community during this uncertain time. Community is at our core, and connecting with others through one-of-a-kind experiences is what we love to do. While the world has changed, our mission has not. We’re committed to helping women create and cultivate the career of their dreams, which is why we’re proud to announce our new Ask an Expert series. We’re hosting discussions with experts, mentors, and influencers daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST on Instagram Live to cure your craving for community and bring you the expert advice you’ve come to know and love from C&C. Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the latest schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out!

“Resilience is something that you can cultivate.”

—Michelle Kuei, Author, Life Coach, Speaker, and Founder of elevatelifecoaching.org

If you’re feeling anxious as a result of COVID-19, your’e certainly not alone. In fact, more than one-third of Americans (36%) say that coronavirus is having a serious impact on their mental health and most (59%) feel that coronavirus is having a serious impact on their day-to-day lives, according to a new poll by the American Psychiatric Association.

For tips on how to cope with anxiety and fear in the midst of this crisis, we tapped Michelle Kuei, an author, life coach, speaker, and the founder of elevatelifecoaching.org, for the latest installment of our Ask an Expert series. Ahead, we’re sharing three actionable steps she swears by for dealing with anxiety and fear during coronavirus and beyond. Be sure to follow Create & Cultivate to tune into the next conversation.

Step 1: Understand Your Fear

“You’re probably familiar with the following acronym: Fear is false evidence appearing real. It’s our body’s natural response to the unknown. 

So, here are a few empowering questions to ask yourself to start understanding your fear:

1. What are you telling yourself when you are afraid?

2. What are you afraid of?

3. Is what you’re afraid of real? (Avoid falling into the trap of that acronym.)

4. How likely is it that what you’re afraid of is going to happen?

Recognizing fear is step one, and now you have a choice: you can run away from fear or you can overcome it by creating a safety net.”

Step 2: Create a Safety Net

“Start by asking yourself: What is the worst thing that can happen? You might lose your business, you might lose your job, you might not be able to pay your rent. Think through all your worst-case scenarios and write them down.

Then, look at your worst-case scenarios and ask yourself: How likely is it that it’s going to happen? If you feel like the worst-case scenario is a likely outcome, come up with a plan. Planning can help us reduce some of the unknowns and can help alleviate the fear and stress that comes with uncertainty.

Another way to manage fear: Fake it till you make it or, as I like to say, face it till you get it. Start thinking about your fear as a part of you and you don’t need to get rid of it. The fear is showing up because it wants to protect you. Instead of resisting it, walk with it.”

Step 3: Cultivate Resilience

“I recommend that everyone keeps a judgement journal. Journaling is a great way of keeping track of what happens and as an outlet for our emotions.

To start a judgement journal, here’s what you do: Keep track of your negative thoughts, and for each negative thought, come up with two different ways of looking at it.

This is a process that we call “reframing.” Every statement that we use and the phrases that we speak to ourselves matter. The more that we can train ourselves to have a different perspective we train ourselves to use those different judgment muscles, such as gratitude and resilience.

Remember, resilience is something that you can cultivate.”

About the Expert: Michelle Kuei, Pharm.D., ACC, CPC, ELI-MP, is an author, life coach, speaker, and the founder of elevatelifecoaching.org. She’s an ICF associate certified coach, a certified professional coach, a certified energy leadership index master practitioner, a certified Cor.E transitions dynamic specialist, a WomanSpeak Circle leader, and a doctor of pharmacy.

Tune in daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST, for new installments of Ask an Expert. 

Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out. See you there!

5 Ways Brands Can Show Up for Their Stakeholders Right Now

Photo: Retha Ferguson for Pexels

Brands across the globe are in the midst of deep values recalibrations due to the COVID-19 crisis. Voluntarily or involuntarily, they’re being challenged to look at why they exist and who they exist for in order to find ways they alone are positioned to serve.

It’s crucial that brands recognize that what matters has little to do with simply incorporating giveback missions and promoting sales and is more about providing what your core stakeholders (customers, teams, suppliers, etc.) need while being mindful of context, tone, and transparency. The brands that double down on their values in order to add value are most likely to find their way through the painful decisions they’ll have to make during this and any future crisis.

While the opportunities to contribute are endless, below are a few ways brands can think about showing up, strengthening loyalty, and building toward the future.

Through Information

Every individual with access to the internet is inundated with information at the moment, even without beginning to consider paid marketing. At a time when anxiety is running high, misinformation or poorly timed information can be damaging to your brand. Sometimes showing up means saying less.

Here are questions to ask: 

• How does your brand currently contribute to the spread of information? Is this information timely or necessary to share?

• Can your brand contribute positively by distributing sound information that’s useful (ex. resources, guidance, activities, recipes)?

• Do your paid ads feel disingenuous? Can you adapt the tone for relevancy? 

Through Compassion

With empathy taking over the marketing lexicon in the past couple of years, now is the opportunity for brands to truly put it into action. Ditching a need for polished perfection in preference for vulnerability can bring your brand closer to all of its stakeholders.

Here are three questions to ask: 

• Which of your stakeholders is most affected at this time? How can you support them?

• Is it possible to be honest with your customers about where your brand stands and how that’s evolving as time goes by?

• How can you reimagine your services, adjust your pricing model, or launch campaigns to serve your audience where they are?

Through Action

We’ve seen brands around the world pivot almost overnight to digital offerings, transform their factories, and more. Taking what’s core to your brand mission into account and then expanding that reality to continue to adapt is paramount. There’s more opportunity for experimentation and iteration than ever, but brands need to be willing to take their audience along for the journey.

Here are three questions to ask: 

• What’s a single action would your brand regret not taking right now?

• Can you reformat your offering to help on a macro level? Who can you collaborate with to touch new people and spread awareness?

• What content and experiences can you create that your audience is craving at this time?

Through Ideas 

It’s no surprise that innovation comes in times of deep pressure. The uniquely human capacity for imagination that’s born out of constraints is what’s allowed us to evolve and survive for thousands of years. More than ever this is an opportunity for our biggest ideas to emerge to help us navigate the seismic shifts appearing in our world today.

Here are three questions to ask: 

• What can you do now that has never felt possible before?

• Can you serve an additional audience that you may never have thought of reaching?

• What can you begin creating now that the world will continue to need when we emerge from this? Who can you collaborate with to bring these new ideas to life, in order to maximize impact?

Through Optimism 

Our strength as a global community relies on our ability to stay determined and hopeful that we can guide ourselves out of this. That doesn’t mean we should approach reality with a sense of naiveté or pretend we aren’t going through a global crisis, but it does mean we need the determination and faith that something brighter awaits in order to forge forward.

Here are three questions to ask: 

• What silver linings have appeared for you and your brand? How can you galvanize around them?

• What problems have appeared that your teams can dream up ideal solutions for?

• How can your brand cultivate and share messages of hope without undermining the gravity of the situation?

There’s no certainty in how long this pandemic will last, or what the true impact on our global community and economy will be, but the more determined brands are to keep asking tough questions the more new ideas will start to appear. Commitment and courage from every leader in sharing ideas out loud—first with themselves, then to colleagues, to audiences and the world will allow us to shape and enhance the evolved reality we want to live in. It’s the only thing that ever has.

About the Author: Lori is the founder of a big idea, a home for thoughtful brand building based in LA, where she works with emerging and growing mission-driven brands. She has a decade of experience working with legacy brands, media companies, startups, and social enterprises to develop and optimize marketing strategies. An idealist and a builder at heart, she began a big idea with a desire to give identity to the undeniable ideas we all have inside of us and create new brands that are built to last generations. She's currently offering free 1:1 strategy sessions to brands affected by COVID-19 - you can schedule by reaching out at lori@abigidea.com.

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Ask an Expert: How to Negotiate Lower Bills and Save Money Right Now

We’ve been spending a lot of time at Create & Cultivate HQ discussing how we can best show up for and support our community during this uncertain time. Community is at our core, and connecting with others through one-of-a-kind experiences is what we love to do. While the world has changed, our mission has not. We’re committed to helping women create and cultivate the career of their dreams, which is why we’re proud to announce our new Ask an Expert series. We’re hosting discussions with experts, mentors, and influencers daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST on Instagram Live to cure your craving for community and bring you the expert advice you’ve come to know and love from C&C. Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the latest schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out!

Photo: picjumbo.com for Pexels

If you’re feeling anxious about the state of your finances right now, you’re not alone. The coronavirus pandemic is causing nearly 9 in 10 Americans to feel anxious about money, according to a new survey from the National Endowment for Financial Education. Almost half (48%) of individuals say that they’re worried about paying their bills (28% for both housing payments and utilities).

For tips on how to negotiate lower bills and save money right now, we tapped none other than Nicole Lapin , the New York Times best-selling author of “Rich Bitch,” “Boss Bitch,” and “Becoming Super Woman,” for the latest installment of our Ask an Expert series. Read on for some of the highlights and be sure to follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram to tune into the next conversation.

Step #1: Reevaluate Your Spending Plan

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution for creating a budget, but as a general guide, Lapin recommends breaking down your income like this during COVID-19:

• 65% of your income should go toward essentials. (This is your rent, your mortgage, your car payment, your groceries.)

• 30% of your income should go toward your endgame. (This is your retirement plan, your emergency fund, and anything else that’s for “future you.”)

• 5% of your income should go toward extras. (This is your Netflix subscription, your morning latte, etc.)

Step #2: Negotiate, Negotiate, Negotiate

“You can negotiate anything,” Lapin explains. “Your medical debt, your cable bill, your utility bill, your car insurance, the annual percentage rate (APR) on your credit card—ALL of it is negotiable. The worst thing they can say is ‘no,’ and the answer will always be ‘no,’ unless you ask.”

When you’re making calls to negotiate your bills and payments to places like your cable provider or your credit card company, Lapin recommends using the following key phrases to use to get the best deal possible: “What’s the best you can do? Can i talk to a manager? Can I talk to a supervisor?”

When it comes to your rent or your mortgage, there are a lot of relief programs available right now, including moratoriums on evictions and a pause on payments. That said, “the first thing you do when you talk to your landlord is ask for a deferment (3 months is pretty standard),” offers Lapin.

“Then, ask about what you’re signing up for: Will your payments be prorated? Or will monthly payments simply start up again?,” she notes. “And don’t be afraid to ask for a break in payment or ask to put your security deposit toward your payments.”

Psst… For more insights on how to negotiate from Nicole Lapin, sign up for her free scripts and templates at nicolesfreebies.com.

Step #3: Get All the Benefits You Possibly Can

“There is no shame in the unemployment game,” Lapin reminds us. "Careeronestop.org is the best place she’s found to apply for unemployment. “Click on the COVID button and go to your state, go through all the prompts, and apply for unemployment.”

If you’re a small business owner who hasn’t been approved for a loan through SBA (the U.S. Small Business Association), don’t forget about credit unions and fin-tech companies. “Apply through Paypal, Square, or Cabbage,” Lapin recommends.

Then, go after all the grants. “Grants.gov is the best place to find a treasure trove of all the grants out there,” says Lapin. “The more niche and random you can get, the better (the PEN organization for authors and writers, for example).” 

Last, but not least, find out when you’re getting your stimulus check. “Go to irs.gov/getmypayment to look up the status of your payment,” says Lapin. You can also find out if you can expect a direct deposit or a paper check in the mail.

About the Expert: Nicole Lapin is the New York Times best-selling author of “Rich Bitch” and “Boss Bitch.” She has been an anchor on CNN, CNBC, and Bloomberg and hosted the nationally syndicated business reality competition show, “Hatched.” Her third book, “Becoming Super Woman,” is out now. She’s also the founder of personal finance masterclass The Money School and co-hosts the “Hush Money” podcast on iHeartRadio.

Tune in daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST, for new installments of Ask an Expert. 

Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out. See you there!

Ask an Expert: How to Get Legal Protection for Your Small Business

We’ve been spending a lot of time at Create & Cultivate HQ discussing how we can best show up for and support our community during this uncertain time. Community is at our core, and connecting with others through one-of-a-kind experiences is what we love to do. While the world has changed, our mission has not. We’re committed to helping women create and cultivate the career of their dreams, which is why we’re proud to announce our new Ask an Expert series. We’re hosting discussions with experts, mentors, and influencers daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST on Instagram Live to cure your craving for community and bring you the expert advice you’ve come to know and love from C&C. Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the latest schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out!

“

Although we’re in the middle of a pandemic, there is going to be a large wave of new businesses. If you don’t take the time to protect your business now, you will end up spending 10-20x more money in the long run defending yourself.”

—Andrea Sager, a small business attorney

As a small business owner, or someone wanting to start a small business, there’s one part of your business you can’t ignore: LEGAL. In reality, it doesn’t matter what size business you are. No matter what stage you’re in, there are legal protections you must take into consideration if you want to keep the money you make. 

Enter: Andrea Sager, a small business attorney shaking up the legal industry with her Legalpreneur plan which provides all-access to her firm for small businesses. Every day, she works with business owners who are on the verge of losing everything because they don’t have the right legal protections in place. Don’t let that be you.

Below are three ways you can protect your business during this pandemic and beyond, according to Sager. 

Entity Protection

Sole Proprietor

It’s important for your business to operate as some type of legal entity. If you have not created a legal entity for your business, then by default, you are a sole proprietor. Sole proprietors get no legal protection for their business.

A sole proprietor is personally liable for the debts and obligations of their business. Personally liable means if your business owes a debt or is sued, then creditors can come after your personal bank account and personal assets. Operating as a sole proprietor is risky. It’s scary to be in a position where your personal assets are on the line. The good news is that setting up a legal entity will provide you with the protection you need. And it doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated.

Unlike a sole proprietor, legal entities provide personal liability protection for business owners. When you operate under a legal entity, if your business owes a debt or is sued, the creditors can only come after the business’s bank accounts and assets, not your personal bank accounts and assets. It’s nice to know that you’re not at risk of losing your house because your business fell behind on some payments. 

Limited Liability Company (LLC)

The most common legal entity small businesses operate under is a Limited Liability Company, a.k.a. an LLC. Operating under an LLC is usually the best legal business entity your business can operate under, because it is easy to setup and it provides great liability protection to its owners.

To set up an LLC, you must file paperwork with your state and pay a filing fee. Before you file the paperwork, you need to have a few things figured out so you’ll be able to complete the paperwork. Some of the things you need before filing your LLC are the name, a registered agent, and how it is going to be managed. Once you’re approved through your state, the LLC does not give you any federal trademark rights. Trademarks are discussed further below.

Corporations 

A corporation is typically not the best fit for a small business. Corporations have more fees and maintenance involved. However, if you plan on having investors, a corporation may be the best choice. 

Contracts

I’m sure you have heard the term “get it in writing.” That is always a good rule of thumb in business. Contracts essentially define a relationship between parties. Contracts are important whether your business sells goods or services. With goods, contracts define price, delivery, the refund policy, shipping, when and how payment is due, and quantity. Issues can arise in any of those areas so it’s important to have them defined in writing.

Services contracts may need additional terms to help protect you. Service contracts can define what exact services will be provided. Some services are dependent on client response. Service contracts can allow you to terminate the contract if the client isn’t being responsive. Sometimes the result of a service can be subjective. Service contracts can protect you from a client saying, “I’m not satisfied with the service and I’m not paying.” 

Why It’s Important to Have Terms and Conditions

If you run a website for your business, you’ll want to make sure you include terms and conditions. Terms and conditions are not required by law, but they’re are something you will want to include because it’s the contract between you and the visitors of your site. Terms and conditions can protect you if someone uses your website to make defamatory comments or infringe on someone else's intellectual property rights. Those are things you are not going to want your business to be liable for. There are lots of sample terms and conditions on the internet, however, it is best to have a licensed attorney draft terms and conditions for your website to fit the specific needs of your business. 

Why It’s Important to Have a Privacy Policy

If you collect any kind of personal information from your customers/clients then you will need to have a privacy policy in place. Personal information includes names, addresses, mobile telephone numbers, email addresses, and so forth. A lot of states have privacy laws that require you to disclose what personal information you store and how you use it. There can be big penalties for not complying with privacy laws. Like terms and conditions, there are lots of sample privacy policies on the internet, however, it is best to have a licensed attorney draft a policy that fits your business. 

Intellectual Property

There are three types of intellectual property: trademarks, copyrights, and patents. It’s important to understand the difference between these because they protect different aspects of your business. And whether you know it or not, many times intellectual property is the most value part of your business. 

Trademarks

A trademark is a word, symbol, or combination thereof that is intended to identify and distinguish one merchant from another. Essentially, trademarks allow consumers to distinguish who is offering what goods or services. You can apply for a federal trademark registration for goods or services that let consumers know your goods and services come from you, such as your business name, logo, slogan, podcast name, service name, product name, and many more. 

In order to obtain federal protection, meaning you are the only one that can use that term or logo throughout the United States, you must apply with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The trademark application process takes at least six months, and the average amount of time is nine months. Filing a trademark application can be difficult, so it’s best to work with a licensed trademark attorney when filing. 

Copyrights

Put simply, copyrights protect original works of authorship (content): podcast episodes, photos, videos, this blog post, books, songs, movies, and many more. The purpose of copyrights is to award creators for their creations by protecting the expressions of their ideas. 

The neat thing about copyrights is that you don’t have to obtain a registration to have rights. Once you create a work, and it meets the qualifications, it’s automatically protected by copyright law. However, you can register your copyright with the United States Copyright Office, which does have its benefits. First, having a copyright registration allows you to sue someone for copyright infringement in federal court. Additionally, a registration allows you to recover attorney’s fees in a copyright infringement lawsuit. Meaning, if you win an infringement lawsuit, the other side will probably have to pay for the cost of legal fees.

Although we’re in the middle of a pandemic, there is going to be a large wave of new businesses. If you don’t take the time to protect your business now, you will end up spending 10-20x more money in the long run defending yourself. Do what you can now to protect yourself.

About the Expert: Andrea Sager is a small business attorney shaking up the legal industry with her Legalpreneur plan that provides all-access to her firm for small businesses. After working for a large law firm working with large businesses, Andrea realized her true passion was helping small businesses embrace and protect their business and intellectual property. In just under 2 years, Andrea has become the go-to attorney for entrepreneurs, protecting everything from their brand names to their courses and blog posts.

Tune in daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST, for new installments of Ask an Expert. 

Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out. See you there!

Ask an Expert: What to Do When Your Revenue Is Significantly Slashed, According to a CEO

We’ve been spending a lot of time at Create & Cultivate HQ discussing how we can best show up for and support our community during this uncertain time. Community is at our core, and connecting with others through one-of-a-kind experiences is what we love to do. While the world has changed, our mission has not. We’re committed to helping women create and cultivate the career of their dreams, which is why we’re proud to announce our new Ask an Expert series. We’re hosting discussions with experts, mentors, and influencers daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST on Instagram Live to cure your craving for community and bring you the expert advice you’ve come to know and love from C&C. Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the latest schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out!

“

I haven’t taken a paycheck since February, its more important to me to think about the company long term.”

—Dr. Heather D. Rogers, founder and CEO, Doctor Rogers RESTORE

In this edition of our Ask an Expert series, Dr. Heather D. Rogers, the founder and CEO of Doctor Rogers RESTORE, joined us on Instagram Live to chat about everything from how to keep your business alive to how to get your best at-home skin.

For the uninitiated, Dr. Rogers is a dermatologist and CEO who is managing both her practice and her business in the midst of this crisis. She is seeing patients, hand packing orders, and wearing more hats than ever before—all while giving up her salary.

Scroll on for some highlights from the conversation—including why you should focus on your mission—and follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram to tune into the next one.

Your Brand Pillars Matter

“Being a brand right now, you really have to have very clear ideas of what your pillars are. Don’t start a company unless you can say why you are different and what you bring to the marketplace in three sentences. If you’re trying to bring something better to market and help people, that is something there is always space for.”

Less Is More When It Comes to At-Home Skincare

“When you’re at home, don’t overdo your skincare. Don’t do 15 masks a week, don’t over-exfoliate. Make sure you wash your face, moisturize your face, and wear sunscreen.”

“You should wear sunscreen even if you don’t go outside. When you’re inside, if you’re by a window, you will get UVA, which will break down collagen and give you brown spots—I always recommend a zinc-based sunscreen.”

“When your skin is agitated, less is more.”

Give and Get Support (We All Need It)

“I haven’t taken a paycheck since February, its more important to me to think about the company long term.”

“The really big banks are not going to help you here, you need to find the small banks that you can build a relationship with who will really go to bat for you.”

“We started a campaign called Help the Healers to give our products to healthcare workers. It feels good for us to do it, it helps the healthcare workers, and its also creating content.”

“I’ve been working really hard to be responsive to needs without being reactive because everyone needs a little more help right now. You need to thank your staff every day and recognize what they are doing every day.”

Tune in daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST, for new installments of Ask an Expert. 

Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out. See you there!

How Brick-and-Mortar Businesses Can Pivot to Sell on Social Media During COVID-19

Photo: Lisa Fotios for Pexels

Just because your physical doors are closed doesn’t mean your virtual ones aren’t open.

Instead of sitting back, kicking your feet up while binge-watching Netflix, consider making some changes in your business right now. The best part? If you go online now, you’ll be ahead of the game for the future and set your business up for success as we further enter the digital world.

Ready to get online? Here are the five things every brick-and-mortar business could be doing right now—and no, you don’t need to discount every product just to make ends meet!

1. Make It Personal

First, make sure your marketing materials include creative, thoughtful, and personalized touches. Uncertain times call for personal connection, right? So be sure to include something that will stand out to your customer.

Here’s an example: My fiance and I ordered takeout from a local Greek restaurant. When they came to the car with our food, they gave us a squirt of hand sanitizer so we could eat some fries on the way home. Who doesn’t want to dig in while they’re still warm and not have to worry about getting sick?! 

2. Go Virtual

Second, the one that should be a bit more obvious, go online! Everyone’s showing up virtually, so you should be, too. This is the time to get hooked on Zoom, Instagram, and Facebook Live. If you’re offering a service, now’s the time to get creative and provide virtual support. If you’re offering a product, start showing, selling, and shipping using live video.

If your events keep getting pushed back, instead of canceling, switch them to online events. Own a clothing boutique? Perfect. Host a “live” fashion show. Or maybe you sell stationery, crafts, or flowers—why not sell your items live, but make it even more interesting with a three-day challenge where everyone crafts at home with you? Get your community involved not only to try to drive sales but also to give something back to your community! 

3. Discounts, Anyone?

Third, discounts. I know I said don’t discount every product in your inventory, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do any discounts at all. This is a time when many people aren’t making money, so they’re typically not wanting to spend money. What better way to convince them than special (and strategic) offers?

You can do this in a way where you’re selling more but not seeing a dip in profit—meaning, don’t discount just for the sake of offering discounts. Instead, you can bundle items, make a major flash sale with “almost out-of-season” pieces, or offer to match a credit. If someone pays you $30, match them 50% of their payment in credit towards future purchases. Just don’t forget to set a maximum.

If you want to make it even more appealing, you can switch things up and offer a give-back program. Donate a portion of all proceeds, match purchase prices, or accept donations. And remember, if you’re passionate about something, the better it will do. I donated $100 from every course sale in March 2020 to a woman in need, totaling over $6,000 in donations.

4. Time to Advertise

Fourth, surprise, surprise! Many don’t know this, but online advertising costs are cut in half right now. Two words: take advantage. If you don’t have an online offer that you can get creative with right off the bat, consider just running ads for your quality content and focus on building your email list for when this is over.

5. Cut Through the Noise

Last but not least, cut through the noise. Offer an element of fun to help get people through these difficult times.

Try doing a social media scavenger hunt and ask your followers to find a post where you talked about XYZ, or encourage them to watch today’s story and answer a riddle. Facilitate a little “playtime,” your audience will appreciate it. 

The best thing you can do during this time is to be human. One thing we truly need to survive is connection, and that’s what’s missing for many right now. So get online, offer weekly video segments around trends and pop culture, make quizzes, introduce your staff in fun ways, and be a beam of positivity. Remember, there’s always an opportunity to help those in need. 

About the Author: Shannon Lutz is the owner of The Social Bungalow, and the go-to marketing strategist for female entrepreneurs devoted to making a purpose-driven impact while earning a wildest-dreams-status income. The Social Bungalow is a clever, creative, and collaborative online education space dedicated to helping women market their expertise and structure their businesses for big-picture profit. She said “peace out” to a 10-year corporate marketing career where she assisted in building multi-million-dollar businesses and marketing A-list celebrities (*cough* ARod & JLo *cough*). Now, she uses this marketing-prowess to turn solopreneurs into 6- and 7-figure CEOs.

Ask an Expert: How to Handle Your Money in This Crisis, According to a Wealth Advisor

We’ve been spending a lot of time at Create & Cultivate HQ discussing how we can best show up for and support our community during this uncertain time. Community is at our core, and connecting with others through one-of-a-kind experiences is what we love to do. While the world has changed, our mission has not. We’re committed to helping women create and cultivate the career of their dreams, which is why we’re proud to announce our new Ask an Expert series. We’re hosting discussions with experts, mentors, and influencers daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST on Instagram Live to cure your craving for community and bring you the expert advice you’ve come to know and love from C&C. Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the latest schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out!

“The best way to ease our fears and anxiety about money is to get involved. Ask questions. Know what you’re dealing with.”

—Roxana Maddahi, Wealth Advisor at Steel Peak Wealth Management

With money anxiety at an all-time high in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, one thing is certain (despite the volatile state of the markets): We need to close the financial literacy gap for women. According to the 2019 Women, Money, and Power Study, commissioned by Allianz Life Insurance Company, 57% of women wish they were more confident in their financial decision making.

Enter Roxana Maddahi, a wealth advisor at Steel Peak Wealth Management who’s passionate about helping women take the lead in financial planning and helping us realize that it’s not as intimidating as it may seem. In this installment of our Instagram Live Ask an Expert series, we tapped Maddahi to weigh in on how we should be handling our money during COVID-19.

Scroll on for some highlights from the conversation and be sure to follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram to tune into the next one.

Q: I’m currently experiencing a lot of anxiety around money during COVID 19. What can I do to ease my concerns?

A: It’s normal to have anxiety around money right now—26 million people have lost their jobs, most businesses have slowed down, and we have no idea when this will all end.

My advice is: Get involved with your money. Get online access to your bank accounts, your retirement funds, your student loan providers—and talk to the people that help handle your money.

Call your CPA and tell them that you want to be involved and a part of the conversation. Call your financial advisor and let them know what you need, what your goals are, and what your desires are. Don’t be scared, don’t be nervous. There’s no harm in being aggressive and making sure that you’re part of the conversation.

The best way to ease our fears and anxiety about money is to get involved. Ask questions. Know what you’re dealing with.

Q: I’m not invested, where do I start? Is now a good time to be making investments anyway?

A: I do think it is the right time to invest if you’re not invested already. If you want to invest in the stock market, you want to have a timeline of at least five years because markets tend to go up and down and you want to allow for time if there is a pullback (like we’ve seen recently, for example.)

The great thing about investing that’s happened in recent years is that there are very few barriers to getting invested in quality investments. Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) allow you to invest in a theme of stocks, making it easy to diversify your overall portfolio. I personally invest my own assets in ETFs because they tend to be less volatile.

Q: What about other future planning like retirement and education savings?

A: It’s a great time to explore what your options are if you’re looking ahead to retirement or starting to save for your kid’s education.

For saving for retirement, make sure you’re looking at a qualified retirement plan—a 401k, IRA, a SepIRA. The benefit is that they allow you to put money away before tax, so it’s subtracted from your taxable income. The money that you can put in it now, the more that it will grow and that can be very powerful.

For saving for a kid’s education, I like the 529 plans. They’re easy and accessible and allow you to grow your money without paying taxes on it. You’re able to invest your money, let it grow, and then not pay capital gains tax on it.

The caveat with the 529 plans are that they can only be used for education—for college tuition, books, room and board, and now even private school. If you use them for anything else (say, your kid decides not to go to college), then you have to pay a 10% penalty plus tax if you don’t use this money for education.

Q: Where is the most important area for small business owners to focus their financial energy right now and why?

A: Continue to invest in your employees. If you haven’t already, I would take advantage of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to continue to pay your employees.

Everyone who owns a small business knows how difficult it is to hire people, to train people, and to have a group of people that works well together. If you can’t afford to pay your employees full salaries, think about what you can do to keep them onboard until we see that rebound.

You want to be able to crush it after this is all over, so I highly recommend investing as much as you can in your employees and doing all you can to keep them motivated and going during this process.

About the Expert: Roxana Maddahi is a wealth advisor at Steel Peak Wealth Management. She helps millennials plan their financial lives and invest for their futures. She’s on a mission to help women take the lead in financial planning and realize that it’s not as intimidating as it seems.

Tune in daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST, for new installments of Ask an Expert. 

Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out. See you there!

Ask an Expert: Jaclyn Johnson on Pivoting to Digital, Managing Cashflow, and Being Transparent During COVID-19

We’ve been spending a lot of time at Create & Cultivate HQ discussing how we can best show up for and support our community during this uncertain time. Community is at our core, and connecting with others through one-of-a-kind experiences is what we love to do. While the world has changed, our mission has not. We’re committed to helping women create and cultivate the career of their dreams, which is why we’re proud to announce our new Ask an Expert series. We’re hosting live discussions with experts, mentors, and influencers daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST on Instagram Live to cure your craving for community and bring you the expert advice you’ve come to know and love from C&C. Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the latest schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out!

Photo: Create & Cultivate

Our very own Jaclyn Johnson, the founder and CEO of Create & Cultivate, went live on SoFi’s Instagram this morning to talk all things pivoting in the time of COVID-19. In conjunction with Create & Cultivate’s daily Ask an Expert series, she joined SoFi spokesperson and career expert Ashley Stahl to chat through everything quarantine has meant for her small businesses (aka Create & Cultivate) and her employees.

Jaclyn talks community, the upcoming digital Money Moves Summit, and ways you can set yourself up for success post-COVID. Whether you are a business owner, just got laid off, or have a business you want to launch, Jaclyn has guidance for you. Read on for all the highlights and some killer advice on how you can come out on the other side of quarantine as your best self (without learning how to bake bread).

On pivoting…

“I think we’ve officially adjusted to the new normal.”

“As an event focused company, we had to pivot quickly to the digital realm.”

On advice for business owners feeling unsure…

“Before doing anything drastic, give it a beat. We’re in the middle of a transitional period where we’ll know more in two or three months where the market is going, where the trends are going, and what will be happening.”

“Number one, take a look at your business: Are their ways to transition into a digital world? If there is, double down on that. Think about what’s working and put all your energy into that.”

“Think about how you can move quickly and nimbly in this environment to keep money coming in.”

On how to nurture community…

“When it comes to community, it’s challenging. You don’t want to come off as ‘buy, buy, buy,’ but the reality is we’re in an economic situation where we need to be supporting small business owners and we need to be a part of that conversation.” 

“It’s important to be authentic and to be vulnerable. Now is not the time to be like, ‘We’ve got it all figured out, we know exactly what’s going on.’ It’s about finding a way to be there for your community in a way that’s impactful and informative, but also realistic because everyone is going through it.”

On employee relations…

“It’s really important to be transparent about what’s going on and be over communicative and let them know that you’re figuring this out as well but keeping that line of communication open.”

“We have to shift the way we think, we have to shift the way we’re doing business. So really allow your team to bring ideas to the table.”

On navigating furloughs and layoffs…

“You don’t want a lot of voices in the room when it comes to decisions like this. It can be even harder to navigate these conversations.”

“This is, hopefully for a lot of people, a temporary situation. So, if you are on the other side of this, don’t take this personally as a ‘career fail’ this is a pandemic that we’re dealing with.”

“It’s about having your employees understand how the government can support them as well.”

“We’ll be coming back from this and businesses will want to hire because they will be incentivized to hire.”

On transitioning to online…

“What we’ve found is that people are spending so much time online and they want to better themselves.”

“People are trying to improve themselves through online content.”

“Everyone should be asking for help during this time.”

On keeping money in your business...

“One, look at your accounts receivables and see where you’re at with that—and look at what your late fees are if people are overdue to maximize that money that’s coming in. Two, think about, ‘Where am I spending each month and where can I reduce this cost?’ For us, there were things we used for events like Spotify and Rent The Runway that got nixed. We put everything on hold in that space. Three, cash flow is really important right now. Think about how you can make incremental dollars without spending on talent or consultants or whatever it may be.”

“One thing we’ve really doubled down on is Instagram ads because usually when you spend money on those you can make money. Think about how you can maximize your ad spend.”

“It’s about being really conservative with your cash flow right now.”

On the Money Moves Summit…

“The Summit is all about pivoting in the new normal. So, it’s about entrepreneurs, business owners, freelancers, creatives, or someone who got furloughed or laid off. It’s really for anyone who is looking to thrive, not just survive, post COVID-19.”

“Our event is $29.99 and all the proceeds are going to a grant for a small business owner. That is something we wanted to do not only because of what’s happening in the world but we wanted to give back to our community in some way.”

On providing value while working from home…

“I think what is important is being proactive and bringing things to the table. If you feel like you’re not getting your message across, create a list of the things you’ve got done or that you think we should be doing. Be proactive about it.”

On reconnecting with your purpose…

“What has historically happened in times like this is innovation, which is an exciting good thing that we can look forward to.” 

“Use this time to think about what are people going to need coming out of this? Where is there space in the market? Where is there white space to take advantage of and that you can build something for? Also, what excites you and makes you happy?”

On making big changes…

“Think about what you want and then make a 6-month road map.”

“I don’t think now is the time to make rash moves. I think being strategic makes a lot of sense. But it’s important to look at things that aren’t working.”

On setting the foundation for a brand…

“I always say, ‘Think of your full-time job as your investor in your company.’ Look at your paycheck and see what you can put toward your next venture, and then understand what you need for a three-to-six-month runway for your business.”

“Start planting seeds, see what’s out there, see if there is interest.”

“Don’t launch a replica of what someone else is doing. Think through how you can put a spin on it or make it uniquely yours. Or look at what someone is offering and look at what is missing.” 

“You cannot go into anything thinking, ‘What if,’ you have to go in thinking, ‘What’s next.’”

On the best thing to do for your business right now…

“Take a deep dive into your customer. See what they like, what they’re reacting to. I think this is a great time to poll your audience. Learn about your audience and what they want.”

On partnership and sponsors…

“Sponsorship is tricky right now. The people I am reaching out to right now are people I have really good relationships with, people I have worked with a couple of times or known for years.”  

On generating creativity…

“Set up fun activities for yourself like a wine and paint night or gardening. It’s about taking time to enjoy little moments.”

“I think it’s important to manifest the future.”

Tune in daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST, for new installments of Ask an Expert. 

Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out. See you there!

Ask an Expert: How to Boost Your Immunity and Stay Healthy at Home

We’ve been spending a lot of time at Create & Cultivate HQ discussing how we can best show up for and support our community during this uncertain time. Community is at our core, and connecting with others through one-of-a-kind experiences is what we love to do. While the world has changed, our mission has not. We’re committed to helping women create and cultivate the career of their dreams, which is why we’re proud to announce our new Ask an Expert series. We’re hosting live discussions with experts, mentors, and influencers daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST on Instagram Live to cure your craving for community and bring you the expert advice you’ve come to know and love from C&C. Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the latest schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out!

Photo: Courtesy of Mia Syn

Health is on all of our minds a lot these days. You’ve been wearing a mask, washing your hands, and staying inside, but have you done anything to boost your immune system? Now more than ever our bodies need support to stay healthy. As we adjust to our new normal we need to remember that taking care of ourselves is more than a mud mask or an Epsom salt bath.

If your healthy choices have been lacking (same, we don’t blame you) it’s probably time to reevaluate. There are lots of ways that you can improve your health and keep your immune system in tip-top shape even while you’re stuck at home. To find out how to step up our self-care, we tapped Mia Syn, a registered dietitian nutritionist, to share all her tips on our Instagram Live Ask an Expert series.

Scroll on for her expert tips on boosting your immune system and staying healthy while navigating the new normal during COVID-19.

1. Can you really boost your immunity through diet, or does it come down to genetics too?

Good nutrition is essential for a strong immune system, however, there is a genetic component in the case of seasonal allergies or autoimmune conditions like celiac disease, for example. Additionally, as we age, our immune system starts to decline, that's why we classify the elderly as immunocompromised. No one food or supplement can prevent illness but there are certain nutrients that play a specific role in the body’s immune system

2. What are some diet changes I can make to boost my immune system right now? And how long does it take to come into effect?

These vitamins, minerals, and macronutrients specifically play a role in immunity but following a balanced eating pattern—not cutting out any food groups is important so that you don’t fall short on any of those. Getting these nutrients from food is preferred but not always possible that’s where supplements may be of benefit. I recommend talking to a dietitian who can evaluate your current diet and make recommendations accordingly. 

• Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin and it’s only found bioavailable in a handful of foods like eggs, fatty fish, and organ meats. Vitamin A is also found in some fortified foods like milk and cereals—read the nutrition facts label. However, foods like sweet potatoes, carrots, spinach, and lettuce contain beta carotene which our body is able to somewhat convert into vitamin A.

• Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin, so our body does not store it, we need to replenish it regularly. Besides citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruit, it’s also found in bell peppers, kiwi, and strawberries. There’s also research to suggest that vitamin c may help shorten the duration of a cold.

• Vitamin D is found in a handful of foods like salmon, mackerel, tuna, some fortified milk, and cereals. It can be synthesized by our skin when outdoors. 

• Prebiotics and probiotics: Prebiotics are non-digestible fibers that selectively stimulate the growth of beneficial bacteria found in foods like asparagus, onions, and leeks. Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that add to the population of healthy microbes in your gut found in foods like yogurt, sauerkraut, and kombucha.

• Protein is a key building block for immune cells and antibodies that helps our immune system do its job. Protein comes from meat dish dairy, nuts, seeds, seeds, and legumes.

3. What supplements should I be taking to support my immunity?

This goes back to the previous question about nutrients specifically playing a role in immunity and where you might be lacking in your diet. 

• Vitamin D – Many people may benefit from a supplement if they don’t consume foods like sardines, oysters, and other fatty fish or fortified foods regularly. Talk to your dietitian or physician who can evaluate your diet better to determine if a good fit

• Probiotics – Healthy individuals could benefit from taking a probiotic supplement, especially if you aren’t eating fermented foods regularly. People with a weakened immune system should speak to their doctor first. 

• AllerLife is a supplement that I am working with right now. It’s drug-free, completely nutrition-based, and is designed for allergy sufferers to take in conjunction with their current medication to address those allergy blah feelings that remain even after relieving your allergy symptoms with your allergy medication. I like it because it contains those immunity-supporting nutrients that I had described including zinc, vitamin C, and vitamin D, so it kind covers all those bases. If you are an allergy sufferer and suspect you might be falling short on some of those key nutrients, Allerlife could be a good solution. 

4. How does my lifestyle impact my immune health? What can I do to strengthen my immune system?

I suggest incorporating all food groups, and not being restrictive. Eat:

• Plenty of fruits and vegetables

• Healthy fats to help you absorb and utilize those important fat-soluble vitamins that play a role in immunity like vitamins A, D, and E.

• Protein into each meal and snack, which is a key building block for immune cells and antibodies, helps our immune system do its job.

• Filling in the gaps with supplements wherever needed

• Limiting alcohol – in moderation if you do drink

• Not smoking

It’s also essential to exercise regularly:

• The American Heart Association recommends 150 minutes per week (30 minutes, 5 times a week) of moderate-intensity aerobic activity (like a brisk walk) or 75 minutes per week of vigorous aerobic activity (running, cycling,). Strength train at least 2x per week. 

• Exercise also makes you feel good, lowers stress, helps with weight management, increase energy levels, support muscle and bone health, brain health, memory, helps you sleep better

You also need to manage your stress levels:

• Scientists are looking at the link between chronic stress and its relationship to immunity.

• They are making progress and studies suggest that it may dysregulate the human immune system.

Getting enough sleep is also incredibly important:

• There is a link between lack of sleep and getting sick.

• The CDC recommends that adults get 7 or more hours per night.

• Lack of sleep can affect mood, memory, blood sugar, impair judgment.

• Researchers say getting good sleep can strengthen your immune system by enhancing your ability to adhere to and destroy cells infected by viruses and other pathogens.

5. How does sleep or lack of it lower my immune? How many hours of sleep should I be getting a night? 

Getting enough sleep is important for people of all ages to stay in good health. The CDC says 1 in 3 Americans don’t get enough sleep. Studies show that people who don't get quality sleep or enough sleep are more likely to get sick after being exposed to a virus, such as a common cold virus. Lack of sleep can also affect how fast you recover if you do get sick.

But if not getting enough sleep is a regular part of your routine, you may be at an increased risk for obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease and stroke, depression, and even early death. How much sleep you need changes as you age. Adults aim for 7-8 hours per night. AllerLife Sleep contains those immunity-supporting vitamins and minerals plus melatonin which is a hormone that we produce in response to darkness and helps promote a restful night’s sleep.

6. How does gut-health impact my immunity? What foods, supplements, lifestyle modifications should I be making to support a happy gut? 

About 60-70% of our immune system is in our gut. Having a balanced and diverse gut flora can support a strong immune system. 

• Not only can the food we eat POSITIVELY impact our gut health but some things that can negatively affect it include:

o   Hydrogenated oil

o   Refined carbohydrates

o   Trans fats

o   Added sugars

o   Low fiber intake

o   Stress

o   Antibiotics and other medications

o   Not enough sleep 

• Two things that we can incorporate into our diet that support a healthy gut are prebiotics and probiotics:

  • Prebiotics – asparagus, onions, leeks, garlic, oats 

    •  Non-digestible fiber that selectively stimulates the growth of beneficial bacteria. 

  • Probiotics – yogurt, sauerkraut, kombucha

    • Beneficial that add to the population of healthy microbes in your gut. 

7. What are healthy fats and which ones should I be eating? How do they help?

Fat-soluble vitamins A, D, and E play roles in keeping our immune system strong. Because they are fat-soluble it important that we consume healthy fats to aid their absorption. Fatty fish contain omega 3 fats, which are considered essential because our bodies cannot them on its own. Mono- and polyunsaturated fats found in plant foods like avocado, nuts, and seeds are also beneficial. The fat you want to limit is saturated found in fatty meat and high-fat dairy. Trans fats should be eliminated which are found in a lot of processed foods like cakes and cookies—always read the label.

8. Do probiotics actually work or should I be eating fermented foods instead? Which ones should I be taking?

By definition, probiotics are live, friendly bacteria that offer a health benefit by assisting the body’s naturally occurring gut flora. Additionally, they challenge the immune system in a healthy way and help make it stronger. They also help our body absorb certain vitamins and minerals including calcium, iron, and vitamins A, D, K, and E to name a few. Fermented foods like sauerkraut, kefir, yogurt, and kimchi are sources. 

Probiotics supplements are individualized. Some ways to know if it is working is maybe your digestion is more regular, using the bathroom regularly. Pay attention to how you feel. In some cases, you may feel worse. People with a weakened immune system should speak to their doctor first. Find one that works for you.  

9. Can you share how much water I should be drinking a day? How can I consume more water and can I get it through food too?

Water is the “forgotten nutrient.” Many underestimate its critical importance and the need to stay hydrated. We need it for the functioning of cells and organs, it aids elimination and helps carry nutrients to our cells. The CDC has recommendations for total daily fluid intake adult men is 3.7 L or about 13 cups and 2.7 L or about 9 cups for women. This comes from drinking water, but also foods you eat and other fluids like coffee. Hydrating produce include watermelon, bell pepper, tomato, leafy greens, and cucumber

10. I’ve read that stress can really impact immune health, but it’s hard not to have stress and anxiety right now. Any advice?

Studies suggest that chronic stress may dysregulate the immune system. Exercise and meditation have been shown to help with management in some individuals. Finding what works for you is key.

About the Expert: Mia Syn is a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) based in Charleston, South Carolina. She’s a nationally recognized nutrition expert and host of Good Food Friday on ABC 4. She holds a master of science in human nutrition from Columbia University and has been featured by dozens of major media outlets including Women's Health Magazine, Cosmopolitan, and BuzzFeed. As one of the most recognized and trusted young dietitians in the country, she has helped hundreds of her clients, and millions of her readers lose weight, improve their health, and adopt healthier eating habits.

Tune in daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST, for new installments of Ask an Expert. 

Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out. See you there!

3 Zero-Cost Ways for Small Businesses to Stay Connected With Customers During COVID-19

Photo: Smith House Photography

In times of crisis, businesses are put to the test—supply chains are disrupted and profit margins are compromised—and the COVID-19 pandemic is certainly no exception. By shuttering offices, canceling events, and clearing out public spaces like restaurants, malls, salons, and fitness studios, the coronavirus’ impact on businesses—especially those that don’t have the resources of Fortune 500 companies—can’t be overstated. In other words, small businesses need our support now more than ever.

That’s why we've partnered with our friends at Messenger from Facebook to share simple, zero-cost ways you can boost your business and drive sales by staying connected with your customers during the COVID-19 crisis. No matter the size of your company, whether you’re a freelance graphic designer or a local coffee shop owner with several employees on the payroll, Messenger is here to support you every step of the way with free, easy-to-use messaging tools. 

Ahead, we're sharing some zero-cost ways you can amplify your small business right now, from providing customers with important information to setting up automated responses to frequently asked questions such as store closures, business hours, and more. In the coming weeks and months, we’ll be sharing more ways for small business owners to boost their business with Messenger, so be sure to keep an eye on this space for the next installment in the series. Trust us, you won’t want to miss it!

During these uncertain times, it’s crucial to let your customer’s know that you’re still available to connect with them virtually. To stay in touch, be sure to turn on Page Messaging. That way, you can easily chat with your community and field everything from customer service requests to questions about your products or services.

Pro tip: You can let your customers know that you're available to be reached by Messenger by creating a post on your page with the Send Message CTA. To do this, create your post and choose "Get Messages" before publishing. 

For more tips and tricks, here’s a guide to Page Messaging.

While your brick-and-mortar may be closed during the COVID-19 crisis, leveraging Messenger Instant Replies is an easy way to virtually stay connected with your customers. With Instant Replies, you can let customers know that you'll get back to them soon or simply thank them for contacting your Page.

Not only is instant messaging convenient, but it can also help your small business build relationships and inspire trust with customers. In fact, a Facebook-commissioned study found that 66% of people said being able to send a message to a business made them feel more confident in the brand.

To get started, here’s a step-by-step guide to setting up Instant Replies.

Communicating with customers is more important now than ever before—but seeing as we’re in the midst of a pandemic that has disrupted nearly every aspect of our every day lives, you may not be able to personally reply to each and every message that your business receives via Messenger (as much you may like to!).

To ensure that your customers receive a timely response even when you’re not available, you can set up Saved Replies to automatically (and immediately!) answer frequently asked questions like, “What time do you open on Monday?,” “Is your store currently closed?,” “What’s your phone number?” and more.

You can also let them know that you’re unavailable by utilizing Away Messages. Letting them know that you’re away will help will keep them up-to-date on your availability and manage their expectations for when to expect a reply.

You can schedule your Page's messaging status to match your business hours or manually change your Page's messaging status to away whenever necessary. You can also personalize your Away Message so that you can let them know when you’ll be back online and available to chat or answer any questions they might have.

To get started, here’s a step-by-step guide to setting up Saved Replies and utilizing Away Messages.

Want to learn how to get started with Messenger for your business? Take this free course from Facebook Blueprint for a deeper dive.

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Ask an Expert: How to Develop a Content Marketing Strategy That Resonates During COVID-19

We’ve been spending a lot of time at Create & Cultivate HQ discussing how we can best show up for and support our community during this uncertain time. Community is at our core, and connecting with others through one-of-a-kind experiences is what we love to do. While the world has changed, our mission has not. We’re committed to helping women create and cultivate the career of their dreams, which is why we’re proud to announce our new Ask an Expert series. We’re hosting discussions with experts, mentors, and influencers daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST on Instagram Live to cure your craving for community and bring you the expert advice you’ve come to know and love from C&C. Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the latest schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out!

Photo: Vlada Karpovich for Pexels

We’re in the midst of a pandemic, and there is no doubt that emotions are running high. As a marketing agency, it’s our job at Elevate My Brand to know when to adjust and pivot our own, as well as our client’s, marketing strategies. Because of all that’s happening with COVID19, you’ll likely have to adjust your messaging and be strategic in the way you approach your audience. Here’s how.

Step Up Your PR

While now may not be the time to be pushing sales, it’s a great time to step up your PR presence and get your name out there. Times are uncertain, but if anything is true, it’s that we’re all in this together. When COVID-19 started to unfold, the first thing I thought was, “How can I be of service to those who are struggling?”

As a small business owner myself, I saw it as my responsibility to use my expertise to help those around me. So, I wrote an article on 5 Marketing Tips to Stay Profitable During the COVID-19 Pandemic and our team worked their PR magic to push that article everywhere, with one goal: to reach and help as many people as possible during this difficult time. But one and done doesn’t cut it anymore, so we also penned the follow-up article, How to Elevate Your Brand, Strategize, and Execute in These Strange Days to give the next steps and a more positive future-looking perspective on how to approach things now that we’ve been in it for a few weeks. Things are changing rapidly, it’s your duty to support your community with whatever gifts you have. When you start there, you can’t go wrong and it’s clear that you aren’t tone-deaf or tackily selling.

With everyone shifting their focus to digital, now is also a great time to push your message out on socials via content collaborations. Instagram Lives have skyrocketed in popularity, with many large platforms hosting live takeovers, such as Create & Cultivate’s Ask An Expert series, which you have hopefully had a chance to see! Since we’ve all been #WFH, social media usage and engagement have increased over 30% so take advantage of this and reach out to as many sources as possible to see if they are willing to share your message.

Not only will you be helping your community, but you’ll be building brand awareness as well. This means that when things do open back up, you’ll have built some new top of mind awareness that will help you get back on top quicker. 

Adjust Scheduled Content

Running on a schedule makes life so much easier, I know. But in a time like this when life is so unpredictable, it’s important to step back and take things day by day and that includes your marketing strategy as well. If you scheduled content to go out on your social channels and blogs, you’ll definitely want to take a look at it and see if it’s still appropriate for the times. At Elevate My Brand, we have had to pivot a little bit with our blog posts, pushing back topics to make room for content having to do with COVID-19. Sometimes, adjusting your content is as easy as changing a caption for a photograph. Want to post that picture of your product with a group of people? Be sure to let your audience know that this photo was taken pre-quarantine so your followers don’t get upset that you’re not following social distancing rules. 

It takes a lot of work to properly plan and execute a successful marketing strategy, and you don’t want all that hard work to go to waste. While scheduled events and meetings may have been disrupted by COVID-19, that doesn’t mean that they should be canceled. We’re lucky to have technology on our side so that most of these scheduled events can be converted, rather than having to be canceled. Each year I host a women’s networking event called our Elevate Spring Salon, which is a schmooze and booze that supports a different non-profit each quarter. Obviously we can’t proceed as planned, but we have decided to convert the event to digital which should still give us a community feel, support the cause that we’re standing behind and, continue building brand awareness and visibility. P.S. fun isn’t canceled, it’s just converted. 

Don’t Be Tone Deaf 

As I mentioned earlier, emotions are running high right now. Everyone is reacting to the situation in a different way, so it’s crucial that you take note of your audience’s heightened sensitivity during this time. Listen to your community. What is it that they want and need right now? With social media and surveying tools like Survey Monkey, you can actually ask, what a concept! 

Ultimately, you have to trust your instincts. Maybe it’s not the time to push that ad or sell that product. Now’s the time to be authentic and really showcase your brand values. Funny, positive and uplifting content is always welcome, just be sure that you’re being sensitive to the current situation and adding value, not just acting as if nothing has changed. 

We’re going to be in this for a while, even after shelter-in-place orders are lifted. So the faster you can shift your messaging and positioning, the more successful you will be long term, and the less of an uphill battle you’re brand will have when this is truly over.

About the Expert: Laurel Mintz, J.D., M.B.A. is the CEO and founder of award-winning, Los Angeles-based digital marketing agency Elevate My Brand. Laurel’s gift is connecting with people and their stories. After all, companies are made up of people, and stories are just narratives that are the foundation of great marketing. Laurel’s energy has been the driving force behind the agency’s growth since it launched in 2009. Her awards include the 2017 Patrick Soon-Shiong Innovation Award, the 2016 Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Company award, the Los Angeles Business Journal 2016 Women In Business Award, and more. 

Tune in daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST, for new installments of Ask an Expert. 

Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out. See you there!

Opinion: How to Stay Focused on What Matters During Times of Great Upheaval

Photo: Stephanie Stanley

With shelter-in-place orders in effect across the globe because of the novel coronavirus, many have suddenly, and unexpectedly, found themselves without access to the physical spaces (offices; fitness studios; places of worship) and basic structures (daily commutes; relationships; jobs) that previously shaped their day-to-day lives. I know firsthand how unsettling this can be, even without the added anxiety of contracting or spreading a deadly virus that has already infected more than a million people around the world.

In November 2017, I was working at a prestigious corporate law firm when The New Yorker revealed that my employer had retained Israeli intelligence operatives to spy on the women coming forward with their stories about Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein. The news was particularly disturbing to me as someone who, just a few weeks earlier, had made the difficult decision to come forward publicly to The Washington Post about my own experience with sexual harassment as an 18-year-old intern. 

About two months later, I left to launch the Purple Campaign, a non-profit organization to address workplace harassment in the wake of #MeToo. In a matter of days, I went from having a job in which I was assigned a steady stream of specific tasks—and required to track my time in six-minute increments for billing purposes—to being my own boss in an uncharted foray into social entrepreneurship. I suddenly discovered that the organizational systems I’d relied on for years no longer met my needs, and struggled to prioritize and balance the day-to-day demands of my new career path.

“I was having a hard time focusing on work because I was terrified of the uncertain future ahead of me, both personally and professionally.”

Staying grounded in my work became even more challenging that fall, when I separated from my husband and partner of 11 years and moved out of the house we shared. In the span of a year, I lost the two fundamental structures of my life (my job and my marriage) along with the physical spaces (my downtown office and my home) that contained them. As much as I loved the creative and intellectual challenge of building a new organization, I found it increasingly difficult to translate those abstract goals into day-to-day tasks.

The dramatic societal change currently underway has prompted a flurry of think pieces about how to create a work-from-home schedule and the importance of establishing a morning routine to boost productivity. Don’t get me wrong: this kind of advice is important and useful. Over the past two years, I’ve learned—through a lot of trial and error—how to balance my competing needs for flexibility and discipline. This has included establishing not only a morning routine (which consists of a daily prayer, meditation, and self-led Ashtanga yoga practice) but an evening one, too (which I’ll admit is largely dominated by my elaborate skincare regimen), along with other rituals that keep me grounded.

But while my routines help me start each day with focus and clarity, they haven’t always made it easier to get substantive work done—and that’s especially true when the future I’m working toward feels as uncertain as the present moment I’m living in. I often finished my morning routine only to find it impossible to sit down and focus on the work tasks in front of me. I’d procrastinate by doing other “productive” things instead (going for a run; meal prepping; organizing a friend’s bachelorette party), putting my work off until a deadline loomed, or an email landed in my inbox that demanded a response.

As my one of my work-life gurus Adam Grant wrote in a recent COVID-era column, there’s an explanation for this: people tend to procrastinate “when a task stirs up feelings like anxiety, confusion, or boredom” or when “you’re working alone on tasks that seem ambiguous and meaningless.” As passionate as I am about the work I do at The Purple Campaign, entrepreneurship came hand-in-hand with an underlying anxiety that I didn't fully appreciate when I dove headfirst into it two years ago, and which only increased in the wake of my divorce. I wasn’t having a hard time focusing on work because I lacked good routines—I was having a hard time focusing on work because I was terrified of the uncertain future ahead of me, both personally and professionally.

“Regardless of the tasks sitting on each of our to-do lists right now, we’re all grappling with unprecedented uncertainties.”

Over time, I’ve found a way to get unstuck in such moments: by reframing the task to focus on the people instead of the project. If my to-do list looms large with things that are intimidating or feel “ambiguous and meaningless,” I spend a few minutes focusing on the why behind them: the people affected by the anxiety-inducing or seemingly mundane assignment in front of me. As Grant explains, “we’re more likely to stay on task when we know other people are counting on us,” and re-framing to orient a project around them “can bring focus and meaning” to the work.

A few weeks ago, for example, when I found myself putting off signing the contract for our latest #MeToo Meet Up, I paused for a moment to think about the people behind the administrative task: the individuals who find community and healing at our Meet Up events; the survivors I’ve partnered with to develop the series; the employees at the Outrage who depend on fees from events like ours to operate their small business. The same approach works when I’m faced with a task that feels daunting rather than boring, like putting together the agenda for my first-ever Advisory Board meeting last December.

This global pandemic is affecting us all in both different and similar ways; simultaneously transcending and exacerbating the deep pre-existing socio-economic divides in our society. Regardless of the tasks sitting on each of our to-do lists right now, we’re all grappling with unprecedented uncertainties: the health and safety of our loved ones; knowing when we’ll next see cherished friends and family; finding financial security in an economic crisis. Focusing on the people at the heart of it all isn’t a cure-all solution, but it is a way to reconnect—and hopefully keep moving forward with—what matters most to each of us during this time of great upheaval.

About the Author: Ally Coll is the president and co-founder of The Purple Campaign.

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Ask an Expert: Why Tapping Into Consumer Sentiment Is Key to Success in COVID-19

We’ve been spending a lot of time at Create & Cultivate HQ discussing how we can best show up for and support our community during this uncertain time. Community is at our core, and connecting with others through one-of-a-kind experiences is what we love to do. While the world has changed, our mission has not. We’re committed to helping women create and cultivate the career of their dreams, which is why we’re proud to announce our new Ask an Expert series. We’re hosting discussions with experts, mentors, and influencers daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST on Instagram Live to cure your craving for community and bring you the expert advice you’ve come to know and love from C&C. Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the latest schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out!

Photo: Courtesy of Jenny Gorenstein

As a brand, it is more important now than ever to listen to and connect with your consumers. We are all isolated and feeling alone in the midst of the chaos of COVID-19. Consumer needs are changing, the economy is heading for a downturn, and there is no way to get face to face with customers, so we have to step up our virtual communities.

In this installment of our Ask an Expert live series, we tapped Jenny Gorenstein, the chief growth officer at Foria, to talk us through how forging connections now can carry brands through COVID-19 and allow them to thrive on the other side. Scroll on to read some of the best advice from the conversation and be sure to follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram to join us for the next one.

Now Is Not the Time to Push Products

“There is no playbook for how to market through a pandemic. We are leading with compassion now more than ever about how we are showing up in people’s inbox and on people’s feeds.”

“It’s not about pushing product right now.”

“Don’t focus on your own brand’s initiatives, show up through goodwill.”

“People just want to know how they can feel more connected to themselves and others and that’s the content we’re putting out right now”

Digital Content Is Key

“We’re all always on our phones. We’re addicted to our phones. That is how we are connecting now. From a brand perspective, there’s a lot of ways to meaningfully connect. Don’t put out things that are overproduced, show up raw, and give things that allow that person-to-person connection. Let people into your homes. Tap into influencers who already have the trust of others and are helping people get through.”

“We scrapped all of our marketing plans, which hurt because you take months building those plans, but we want to create content in the moment. We’re working harder than we ever have because we can’t plan.”

“You want to show up in a way that is resonant with what people are going through and what their life looks like.”

“We have a really playful brand and are leaning into that.”

“We do a lot of content that allows people to pause and take notice of nature around them and that is doing well right now. This is nature’s greatest reset, were all feeling more connected to the outdoors than ever.”

Work With Influencers and Reach Their Communities

“If you don’t have a budget for influencers, that’s okay. I think the organic route is the way to start anyway.”

“Start with gifting product. First and foremost, you want to make sure they love your product and your brand before working together. Try: Affiliate networks and giveaways.” 

“Think about promotions you can do that keep your profit margins but make your products more accessible. If people are curious that gives them a reason to try and once you have them you can get a consumer for life.”

Embrace the New Normal

“Success can come in so many forms you can use Instagram as a means to drive business, you can use Instagram as a means to drive engagement or you can use Instagram as a means to educate.”

“The world of tech has opened up the most amazing toolbox for brands to create dynamic conversations.”

“Lead with the people behind the brand. Lead with heart. Lead with compassion.”

About the Expert: Jenny Gorenstein has focused her career on building innovative and iconic brands and media companies. Prior to joining Foria, she spent 15 years launching InStyle.com'sital ad business from the ground up, helping to grow Refinery29 from $0 to $100M in revenue, and joining pre-IPO Snapchat to take it’s retail business to the next level. Always drawn to mission-driven and early-stage startups, Jenny is passionate about driving cultural currency and sustainable revenue growth. She is a people and idea connector.

Tune in daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST, for new installments of Ask an Expert. 

Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out. See you there!

Ask an Expert: How to Create Compelling Content and Grow Your Instagram, According to a VP Influencer Marketing

We’ve been spending a lot of time at Create & Cultivate HQ discussing how we can best show up for and support our community during this uncertain time. Community is at our core, and connecting with others through one-of-a-kind experiences is what we love to do. While the world has changed, our mission has not. We’re committed to helping women create and cultivate the career of their dreams, which is why we’re proud to announce our new Ask an Expert series. We’re hosting discussions with experts, mentors, and influencers daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST on Instagram Live to cure your craving for community and bring you the expert advice you’ve come to know and love from C&C. Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the latest schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out!

“

The longer you wait, the harder it is to grow.”

—Rachel Zeilic, VP of Influencer Marketing at WhoWhatWear

With engagement on social up 30% since social isolation started, now might just be the perfect time to be growing your Instagram or finally figuring out wtf to do with TikTok. But in the midst of a crisis, creating good (and respectful) content can feel really difficult. In comes, Rachel Zeilic, VP of Influencer Marketing at WhoWhatWear, to answer all your questions.

Wondering what to post, when to post, what to pay for, or if TikTok is the right move for your brand? Rachel drops lots of advice on our IG LIVE on how to navigate social media in the midst of COVID-19. Tune into this Ask An Expert to make sure you don’t miss a single tip. We bet you’re already scrolling through Instagram, might as well scroll with purpose and grow your brand.

We Want Your (Respectful) Content

“Don’t make any assumptions. Don’t say, Now that we’re all working from home, because that isn’t true for a lot of people.”

“There really is a space for audiences to turning to influencers for comfort for information for distraction, they have a lot of time on their hands right now and time is a precious commodity so let’s serve them.”

“Stay away from anything that is like ‘this is a must-have’ because, if it’s not groceries or masks, it isn’t a must-have.”

“Some things that are performing really well right now is comfy chic, working from home outfits, beauty routines, anything affordable, people are still interested in spring trends, and they also want some escapism.”

“Now is also a time to give things away for free. Even if you’re a brand who could be doing well giving some at-home DIY recipes, people will really appreciate that and remember that when commerce opens up again. More than ever they will remember the brands who stepped up and are giving to the community.”

“This is the first time really in a long time where influencers’ lifestyles are really close to their followers’ lifestyles. They aren’t jetting around the world or wearing designer outfits. So this is a really great time for influencers to connect with their followers in a really relatable way.”

Get On TikTok

“TikTok is not like Snapchat or other platforms where they were popular but there was never really brand integration. TikTok is really different, the way it’s built is really engineered to be successful for brand campaigns. Particularly one feature, the hashtag challenges. That is incredible for creating UGC (user-generated content). To me UGC is gold. If your customer loves you so much that they are creating content, they aren’t an influencer, they aren’t getting paid, if they love the product so much they are creating content that is gold.”

 “I think working with TikTok and ‘TikTokers’ absolutely should be part of your campaign given that the demographic aligns, it is a predominantly Gen Z audience. Also the KPIs of the campaign, you need to understand that currently TikTokers or influencers can’t link out anywhere, so if you’re expecting to see immediate sell-through from your campaign, TikTok is not the place to do it. But its great of awareness, you can reach massive audiences.”

“With regards to brands starting their own accounts on TikTok, it really depends if you can do it in a way that’s native to the platform. It’s really not going to work if you’re using the same kind of content you use on Instagram and other platforms. You should only be investing your time into growing a brand account on TikTok if you can do it in the way that is organic to TikTok.”

“The longer you wait, the harder it is to grow.”

Embrace Pay-to-Play

“Yes, it is a pay-to-play world. That being said, relationships and organic strategy are important to stretch your dollars.”

“It’s worth spending a little money on a consultant who can help you know how to spend your social budget.”

“Influencers assets on paid social perform so much better than campaign assets.” 

“A lot of influencers have dropped their pricing or are more flexible on pricing right now.”

“Paid social pricing is down right now as well. You can make your budget stretch so much further right now.”

Insta Tips & Tricks

“We’ve been saying to influencers, Instead of getting a picture and then thinking, ‘Ugh what is my caption going to be?,’ why don’t you write the caption first and tell a story and then reverse that and think of an image that can convey that story?’ I don’t think they all have to be long, and they shouldn’t be long if you don’t have something to say. But every brand has a story to tell and every influencer has a story to tell and I think that can be great. It’s like micro-blogging.”

Tools to try:

• Planoly

• Unum

• VSCO

• Tezza 

“You should post as often as you can while creating quality content and without seeing a dip in engagement rate. The more you post the more your engagement will be spread out.”

About The Expert: Rachel Zeilic is an O.G. in influencer marketing, starting way back in 2007. She is currently the VP of influencer marketing at WhoWhatWear, running influencer campaigns for everyone from Walmart to Gucci. Before that she was creative Director of Majorelle at Revolve, and before that she founded two labels, Stylestalker and The Jetset Diaries.

Tune in daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST, for new installments of Ask an Expert. 

Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out. See you there!

4 Things I Do Every Sunday to Mentally Prepare for the Week Ahead (COVID-19 Edition)

Photo: The Lazy Artist Gallery for Pexels

Now that we’re on week six of social distancing and working from home, it’s getting harder to recognize the distinction between weekdays and weekends. Between working, parenting, homeschooling your children, reading the news to stay informed, cooking three meals a day, and trying to keep everyone in your family healthy, the mental load can get overwhelming. In a recent article published in The Atlantic, author Helen Lewis brings up a valid consideration: “one of the most striking effects of the coronavirus will be to send many couples back to the 1950s. Across the world, women’s independence will be a silent victim of the pandemic.” 

With school closures and social distancing, the work of childcare is moving from nannies, daycares, and schools back to parents. In many cases, the responsibility will fall on mothers. Every family manages child care differently. Whether working parents alternate work and child care “shifts” or if they make the difficult decision of having the majority of one task fall on one parent, it can often feel impossible managing work and family responsibilities. This pandemic will pass, although with long-lasting consequences. In the meantime, how do we approach our mental health and manage the new structure of our everyday lives while still achieving our goals? 

As a mother of two toddlers and a month- old newborn and a small business owner, I have found that doing four particular things on Sunday helps me mentally prepare for the week ahead and infuse a sense of normalcy into my days. Of course, it will take more than a Sunday ritual to handle the emotional effects of a global pandemic. But this is where I’m starting. 

Step 1: Clean up your space, including your work area 

Since many of us are working from home now, your desk could be anything from your couch to your dining room table. Wherever you decide to work, take a half hour to clean up the area. If I’m surrounded by stacks of random papers, unopened mail, or Legos that seem to permeate every corner of my house, it’s really hard for me to focus and start working with a clear mind. I still don’t quite understand how these piles of clutter show up consistently despite constantly tidying up. Nonetheless, I am determined to eliminate them. 

Clutter isn’t just aesthetically displeasing. It can also affect your productivity. A study at Princeton University observed that clutter can lead to more difficulty focusing on a single task because various stimuli compete for neural representation. This ultimately makes it harder to pay attention and focus on completing tasks.   

While you’re tidying up, do a once-over of your home and see what else you can put away in the time you allot for cleaning. Put away folded laundry, empty the dishwasher, wipe down kitchen counters and anything else you have been putting off. Although minor changes, your future self will thank you come Monday morning when you can sit at your desk and start working in a peaceful environment.  

Step 2: Take half an hour to sit down and think about how you want the next five days to go. 

Mentally preparing for the week ahead starts with taking care of yourself. Take five minutes to write down all the tasks floating through your mind in a notebook or planner. Relieve your mind of the burden of keeping it all in your head. That includes ordering produce, finding another pair of sneakers for your daughter, breaking down major work projects into manageable tasks, or anything else on your mind. Schedule your virtual barre class now. Plan to connect with one to two people from your network just to check in. 

Also, consider blocking out work time. If you have a project deadline coming up on Friday, block out time on Tuesday to complete it. Physically create a calendar meeting and invite yourself. This will give you a sense of fulfillment and plenty of time to edit/submit it in advance without the stress of procrastinating and being up all night. 

Look at your calendar and observe your schedule as a whole. Do you have seven Zoom meetings scheduled on Monday back to back? Think about what you can adjust or move around so your week is more evenly distributed. Can any of your meetings be converted to an email? The answer is usually yes. One Zoom meeting you may want to keep on your calendar—virtual wine night with a friend. That one feels essential to me.  

Step 3: Take a long hot shower and go through your skincare routine 

With a newborn and two small children at home, long showers and drawn out skincare routines are a luxury that I do not take for granted. I know the week will be packed with activities, deadlines, zoom calls and I will not have the time to go through a multi-step skincare process. On Sunday evenings after my kids are sleeping, a long hot shower is the metaphorical reset button I need to start fresh and enter the new week with an open mind and positive intentions. 

It’s nothing groundbreaking but it’s time I carve out in the day to prioritize my well-being. This is a good time to deep condition your hair, do a scalp treatment, put on a face mask and truly take your time. Take a selfie and send it to a friend to encourage her to do the same. With everything going on, I haven’t found much time to do my makeup or style my hair but taking this time to take care of myself has become a positive part of my quarantine routine. 

End your moment of solitude with a look through your closet to plan out your outfit for Monday morning. Whether it’s sweatpants or a spring dress you can wear around the house, laying out your clothes the night before will help you feel prepared for the week ahead by eliminating morning tasks that take up decision-making energy. Planning what I can on Sunday night lets me get in some extra sleep time the next morning and gets things started on a calm note, even if getting dressed involves changing from one pair of sweatpants to another.  

Step 4: End your Sunday with an activity that brings you peace 

For me, that activity is reading. I try to have everything done by 10 pm so I can go to bed and relax with my favorite book. It doesn’t always happen but when it does, I feel the effects both physically and mentally. One of my favorite joys in life is climbing into a bed with fresh sheets, ready to read and subsequently fall asleep on my book.   

Going to bed early will also help you avoid pressing the snooze button incessantly in the morning. All these things together will help create a situation in which you are set up for success at the beginning of a busy week. Staying up late and constantly pressing the snooze button is problematic because it starts the day with an innate sense of failure. You knew you should have gotten up earlier but you didn’t, creating a negative feeling in the morning and a downstream effect for the remainder of the day.  

Another activity that can help bring a sense of peace? Lying in bed and doing nothing. Taking the time to simply think about your day (without a screen), is not something we do often but the benefits are long-lasting. Think about what you would really like to accomplish during the upcoming week. What will give you a sense of satisfaction amongst uncertain times? What went really well last week? What do you want to do differently this week? As you’re taking care of everyone around you, what can you do to prioritize your own mental well-being? 

About The Author: Tanya Kertsman is a freelance writer covering clean beauty, fashion, and wellness. She has an affinity for slip dresses, a fresh magazine, and booking last minute travel adventures, all equally enticing. Until recently, she worked as a Pharmacist in the Pharmaceutical Industry in Medical Affairs Strategy. Tanya lives in Philadelphia with her husband and three kids under five. When not in front of a computer, you can find her enjoying board games significantly more than her kids do, reading one of many half-read books scattered around her home and scoping out concerts in Philadelphia. You can find her at littleblankdiaries.com or on Instagram @littleblankdiaries.

What do you do on Sunday night to mentally prepare for the week? Add to the list in the comments!

Opinion: When Life Gives You a Pandemic, Scrap Everything

About The Author: Sarah Moret is the Founder & CEO of Curie, a venture-backed direct-to-consumer clean body care brand. In this piece, she discussed the business decisions she's made in response to COVID-19, and how staying focused on your customers is the key to success in times of uncertainty.

Photo: Courtesy of Curie

COVID-19 has had a never-before-seen level of impact on our lives. This pandemic is, literally, reshaping the world as we know it. As a CEO and small business owner, this has had a huge impact. Not only has my personal life changed overnight, but professionally, a year’s worth of carefully laid plans around product launches, brand strategy, and partnerships were completely turned upside down seemingly overnight. COVID-19 walked into our conference room and erased the whiteboard.

My company, Curie, is a direct-to-consumer brand that sells clean, performance-based body care products. Fitness studio partnerships were a huge part of our 2020 strategy. We were scheduled to announce a partnership with a major national fitness chain the week of April 1 and had another large partnership in the works. With gyms, fitness studios and retail stores all off the table, for the time being, we immediately shifted gears.

“Out went our entire social media and content calendar. In came an even deeper obsession with our customers and what they wanted.”

When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade, right? There’s no recipe for this situation. Scrap it, start over. Out went our entire social media and content calendar. In came an even deeper obsession with our customers and what they wanted.

Now is a good time to engage with your community in a way that isn’t strictly focused on selling products. People are home, relying on screens for work, connection, distraction and more willing than ever to share their thoughts. What our customers told us is that they wanted interactive digital content. Instagram Live workouts, how-to-tutorials, tips, and funny content simply meant to make them smile. I made a conscious business decision to focus on building relationships rather than growing sales.

If you rely on physical spaces, like we do with our retailers and fitness studios, this temporary shelter-in-place has had an even greater impact on your business. A solution is to move toward virtual partnerships and campaigns with other brands. These are a fantastic way to leverage other audiences with which you wouldn’t typically connect. This led us to Better Together, a community campaign we launched with 35 other female-founded brands that included a universal discount code, a charitable donation, and a massive giveaway. It was organized virtually overnight by Nichole Powell, CEO of Kinfield. Partnering with other like-minded companies is a great way to provide a benefit to existing customers while also tapping into new audiences. For Curie, the Better Together campaign contributed to over 50% of our revenue during the week it was live. 

Right now, there are plenty of things that are going wrong in our businesses, but identify what is working, and invest your team’s time and focus on that. For us, our DTC website stayed relatively flat during the first week of shelter-in-place in California and other states, but our Amazon.com business was booming. We leaned into this shift, putting all of our SKUs (stock-keeping units) on Amazon.com. When Amazon lengthened their shipping times for what they deemed “non-essential products,” like deodorant, we pivoted our strategy. We made shipping free for all orders on our online store and started fulfilling Amazon orders out of our own warehouse to decrease transit times. Since we had previously used the low-cost FBA (fulfilled by Amazon) service for these orders, this meant a 30% increase to our shipping cost, which we decided was the right thing to do to keep our customers happy (and fresh!) during this time. Give yourself permission to throw out “the plan.” 

“Things have changed, our world has changed, and the faster you can adapt to these changes, the better you will be able to serve your customers.”

Think about what your company has to offer. Does it still meet your customer’s needs? As COVID-19 spread in the United States, hand sanitizer, overnight, became an essential part of people’s daily routine. Coincidentally, we had just wrapped up the development of a new product: a moisturizing, natural hand sanitizer. We originally planned to sell this product to our fitness studio partners versus direct-to-consumer, but clearly, needs had changed. At the beginning of March, we got on the phone with our suppliers and were able to move the launch date for the hand sanitizer up six months. We will be launching this product in a few weeks and will be gifting 10% of our initial inventory to those on the frontline: delivery men and women, grocery store workers, doctors, and nurses. Things have changed, our world has changed, and the faster you can adapt to these changes, the better you will be able to serve your customers.

Lastly, never underestimate the impact of giving back in small ways. As Paul Graham once said, “Do things that don’t scale.” During this time, that especially rings true. I personally wrote 100 hand-written postcards to our most loyal customers. There were no marketing ploys and no offers involved. Simply short and sweet notes to show my gratitude and wish them well. My team also sent care packages to people who are stepping up in the community, such as fitness instructors that are leading virtual workouts online. Everyone could use a little extra love right now.

The economic uncertainty we are all experiencing right now is out of our control, but what you can control is your response. Keep your focus on doing right by your customers and don’t be afraid to throw out the plan. 

MORE ON THE BLOG

Ask an Expert: How to Be a “Taboo” Brand and Speak Out on Topics That Matter

We’ve been spending a lot of time at Create & Cultivate HQ discussing how we can best show up for and support our community during this uncertain time. Community is at our core, and connecting with others through one-of-a-kind experiences is what we love to do. While the world has changed, our mission has not. We’re committed to helping women create and cultivate the career of their dreams, which is why we’re proud to announce our new Ask an Expert series. We’re hosting discussions with experts, mentors, and influencers daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST on Instagram Live to cure your craving for community and bring you the expert advice you’ve come to know and love from C&C. Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the latest schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out!

Photo: Courtesy of Laura Schubert

Launching a business that’s centered around a taboo topic isn’t easy.

Just ask of Laura Schubert, the co-founder and CEO of Fur, a self-care brand that’s signature product is pubic hair oil. (Yes, you read that correctly.) Today, Fur’s products are beloved by celebs (Emma Watson’s a fan) and the brand’s products are stocked everywhere from boutique salons to big-box beauty stores like Ulta.

But all this success didn’t come easily. “When I was reaching out to partners to create the formula, people thought I was prank calling them—they’d call me a pervert and hang up on me,“ explains Schubert. For today’s Ask an Expert Live segment, we asked Schubert to tell us all about how she’s used her brand’s platform to speak out on topics that matter, give back, and create a sense of community.

Scroll on for a few highlights and be sure to follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram to catch the next installment of Ask an Expert.

Stay True to Your Brand

“During this pandemic, we haven’t changed our messaging that much. We’ve always been a self-care brand and we’re all about self-care rituals that leave space for people to reexamine how they view pubic hair and reframe ideas that they may have about their own bodies and their body hair.”

Use Your Platform to Pay It Forward

“We’ve been giving back to the extent that we can. We gave away 500 Fur oils to healthcare workers—we asked people to send us a picture of their badge—and over 2,000 people got back to us. So, we’re trying to figure out ways that we can give back to people at this time and help people as much as much as we can.”

Create a Virtual Community

“At Fur, we asked ourselves, How can we create community online when we’re all hurting in so many ways? So we started Further Together an Instagram Live series where our community can

About the Expert: Laura Schubert is the co-founder and CEO of Fur. Prior to Fur, Laura was a management consultant at Bain and Company. Interested in starting her own business since graduate school, she honed her skills while waiting for the right idea and the right team to launch a new venture. Fur seemed like the perfect opportunity to create an entirely new beauty category with her sister and close friend, who also happened to have complementary backgrounds.

Tune in daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST, for new installments of Ask an Expert. 

Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out. See you there!

Ask an Expert: How to Develop Your Brand Voice, Personification, and Tag Line

We’ve been spending a lot of time at Create & Cultivate HQ discussing how we can best show up for and support our community during this uncertain time. Community is at our core, and connecting with others through one-of-a-kind experiences is what we love to do. While the world has changed, our mission has not. We’re committed to helping women create and cultivate the career of their dreams, which is why we’re proud to announce our new Ask an Expert series. We’re hosting discussions with experts, mentors, and influencers daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST on Instagram Live to cure your craving for community and bring you the expert advice you’ve come to know and love from C&C. Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the latest schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out!

Photo: cottonbro for Pexels

Branding is more important now than ever before with COVID-19. While it may not be the time to be pushing sales, it’s certainly the time to put your best foot forward and showcase your brand values in order to build a community. In order to market successfully during this time, you have to be able to connect with people and their stories. After all, companies are made up of people, and stories are just narratives that are the foundation of great marketing. 

“Buyers make most of their decisions by relying on their two second first impressions based on stored memories, images and feelings.” This quote from Malcolm Gladwell’s book “Blink,” powerfully expresses how your customers think. In layman's terms, you only get one chance to make a first impression. To find out how to do it right, scroll on to learn more about branding, including developing your tag line and voice.

What Is Branding? 

To begin, it’s crucial that you understand what branding is and what it is not. Branding is not telling people who you are, it’s managing what other people say you are. What will your audience associate with your brand? It’s up to you to create this emotional connection through your branding.

Specifically, branding is the look and feel of a brand, the characteristics, values, tag lines, logos, energy, etc. Branding includes all the ways your company shows up in the world and how you hope a consumer will relate and engage with it on an emotional level.

However, before you can even begin to market your brand out into the world, you must start by building a strong foundation. Here’s how. 

How to Define Your Brand 

Branding Exercise

When establishing your personal or corporate brand, it’s critical to begin by defining what you want your brand to be. This starts with developing a name and logo that speaks to your target market and evokes a specific emotion, adjective or sensory experience. You can go about this in many ways.  When working with a new client, one of the first things we do is take them through a branding exercise that we call “word vomit” that looks a little bit like this: 

1. Write down a list of words, potential names and/or concepts that you might want to start with (this is if you don’t already have your company name).

2. Write down a list of adjectives and emotions you want your potential client to feel when they see your logo or hear your brand name.

3. Go out and find 5-10 logos you like and 5-10 logos you don’t like and describe in detail why you do or don’t like them. The creative process is so subjective, so before we start throwing ideas at the wall, it's crucial that we know what your aesthetic is. Knowing what you don’t like is as important as knowing what you do like.

4. Similarly, determine a list of colors you like and don’t like and types of designs you do and don’t like e.g. I do like minimalist fonts, but I don’t like figures in logos.

This exercise allows you to get clear on your brand values, decide which words you want associated with your brand and, almost as importantly, which words and sentiments you don’t want associated with your brand. This type of exercise can help with buy in and can also spark creativity and should be a lot of fun. 

At the end of the day you get what you pay for, so remember, this logo will live on your business cards, web site, and all marketing materials that you will create for your company, which are the first things a prospect sees, even before they get to know you. So putting your best brand effort first is key.

Brand Book

Let’s just get this out of the way—yes, you absolutely need a brand book. A brand book is a document that outlines every detail about your brand. It’s basically your brand’s DNA. At its most fundamental level, a brand book must include your mission and vision, your logo and colors, your typography, and sample imagery. The best brand book, however, has more than the basics. 

As important as it is to define your brand, it’s equally important to define what your brand is not. What words or phrases are off limits? In order to stay on brand, you must know what it means to be off brand. 

I said it once and I’ll say it again: Branding is not telling people who you are, it’s managing what other people say you are. In order to do this, you must know a little bit about your target audience. What do they like? With your target audience in mind, how can you shape your branding into something they can appreciate and recognize? 

Ultimately, your brand is the foundation for all things marketing, so it’s critical that you get it right from the start and build a lexicon around it so that as you build and scale, the original ethos of the brand remains intact. 

About the Expert: Laurel Mintz, J.D., M.B.A. is the CEO and founder of award-winning, Los Angeles-based digital marketing agency Elevate My Brand. Laurel’s gift is connecting with people and their stories. After all, companies are made up of people, and stories are just narratives that are the foundation of great marketing. Laurel’s energy has been the driving force behind the agency’s growth since it launched in 2009. Her awards include the 2017 Patrick Soon-Shiong Innovation Award, the 2016 Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Company award, the Los Angeles Business Journal 2016 Women In Business Award, and more. Need help figuring out how to do this for your brand? I can’t wait to talk. Reach out today to get started.

Tune in daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST, for new installments of Ask an Expert. 

Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out. See you there!

Ask an Expert: How to Make the Most of Social Distancing and Be Productive With Your Extra Time

We’ve been spending a lot of time at Create & Cultivate HQ discussing how we can best show up for and support our community during this uncertain time. Community is at our core, and connecting with others through one-of-a-kind experiences is what we love to do. While the world has changed, our mission has not. We’re committed to helping women create and cultivate the career of their dreams, which is why we’re proud to announce our new Ask an Expert series. We’re hosting discussions with experts, mentors, and influencers daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST on Instagram Live to cure your craving for community and bring you the expert advice you’ve come to know and love from C&C. Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the latest schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out!

“

Don’t allow your inner critic to talk you out of starting. Just start.”

—Stephanie Fleming, co-founder of The Happy Planner

Now, let us start off by saying that we are not here to pressure you into being productive. After all, we’re in the midst of a global health crisis that has disrupted every aspect of our daily lives. One that has taken a serious toll on both our mental health and overall wellbeing, as well as our financial stability. First and foremost, we all need to take care of ourselves and our loved ones.

We are here, however, to give you the tools you need in order to be productive if you are looking to launch that business, learn that new skill, or get started on that project you’ve had on the back burner while you’re self-isolating. That’s why we tapped creative entrepreneur and co-founder of The Happy Planner, Stephanie Fleming, to share her tips on the topic for our latest Ask an Expert Live segment.

Scroll on for three takeaways from the conversation and be sure to follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram so you don’t miss out on the next one.

Create Work-Life Boundaries

“In a situation like this, boundaries are very important. Remember, you are the guardian of your own time so you need to create the boundaries that you need in order to be productive. Create a schedule for yourself but be aware that there are always going to be boundary bulldozers (i.e., Facebook, the news, your kids), just be aware of them, take a deep breath, and recognize that these are difficult times and it’s okay to not be at the top of your game.”

Minimize Distractions

“Set aside a dedicated workspace where you can minimize distractions. If you don’t have the space (some of us live in tight quarters), schedule some time for yourself to use a shared space. Do whatever you need to do to find a distraction-free zone or time so you have the space you need, both mentally and physically, to cross items off your to-do list.”

Just Start

“Procrastination and perfection are the enemies of productivity. Just start the damn thing. Rip the band-aid off. Use Mel Robbins’ 5-second rule and literally countdown from 5-4-3-2-1 and just go. Don’t allow your inner critic to talk you out of starting. Just start.”

About the Expert: Stephanie Fleming is a creative entrepreneur, speaker, optimist, and wellness seeker. Most notably, she is the co-founder of The Happy Planner. What began 20 years ago as a tiny, garage-based business is now an industry-leading lifestyle brand that offers a wide variety of products that inspire customers to live creatively and plan a happy life It’s Stephanie’s mission to create a happy life movement by empowering people everywhere to take control of their own happiness by embracing planning, positivity and all things creative!

Tune in daily at 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm PST, for new installments of Ask an Expert. 

Follow Create & Cultivate on Instagram, check out our Ask an Expert highlight reel for the schedule, and hit the countdown to get a reminder so you don’t miss out. See you there!