We have been beyond busy at The Sill, to say the least.Â
This Spring we've launched a new product line and a new gardening service, on-boarded amazing clients - from Kate Spade Saturday to Spotify - and have hosted and participated in all kinds of workshops and events. We're fulfilling daily orders, going on maintenance runs, and generally greening up anything and everything across Manhattan and Brooklyn. And importantly, we're hitting our numbers, too.Â
The new challenge I face as a founder and manager is this: how to support my team and prevent them from getting overworked, overtired, or overwhelmed. Here are the lessons I've come to learn.
1. Make Smart Decisions - the first thing I've learned is to be thoughtful and strategic when asking the team to go the extra mile. Don't just say "yes" to every opportunity that comes your way. Sometimes saying "no" is better in the long run. I make sure that if I overbook the week and push the team to their limits, in the end it's worth it to all of us.Â
2. Fuel Your Team - snacks, meals, caffeine - take care to make sure your team is hydrated and healthy - and pick up the tab. It will help get the job done and it will be appreciated.
3. Hire Flex-Time Assistance - find ways to flex your team. Finding and nurturing part-timers, from TaskRabbit to Fancy Hands, can make a major impact on a busy week. Find them well before you need them, get them involved, and call on them when needed. Bringing in people you know and trust, and who understand your business, can make or break these stressful moments.
4. Provide Recovery Time - if you and your team are consistently working in overdrive, be sure to block out half days here and there. Sleep, downtime, and personal time can not be overlooked as key ingredients in a productive team. Everyone deserves the time to keep a tidy home, food in the fridge, and fresh laundry - no exceptions.
5. Reflect on A Job Well Done - Don't let busy times blow by only to rush on to the next thing. Call attention to the importance or significance of the work accomplished and how it propels your business to the next level, or fits into the overall objectives of your company.
Know your story and strategy. Whether youâre a start-up, a small business, or an established corporation â social media, imagery included, requires a strategy. After all, your use of social media is objectively about reaching an audience, growing awareness, and ultimately increasing sales for your business. You canât post a photo here and there and expect results. The panelists all agreed â defining the what and why is the first place to start.
Stick to a schedule and plan ahead. Itâs only natural then that the next piece of unanimous advice was in regards to when to post and how often. There are a lot of articles pertaining to the best times to post and how frequently to post across each major social media channel, like this one here. But there's no hard and fast rule to follow. Each brand and client base will have unique needs. With that said, the use of imagery in social media is time consuming â and therefore creating a schedule will help you to manage your time wisely.
One tip that came somewhat as a surprise to our audience, nearly none of us posted in real-time. It's all carefully curated behind the scenes. Â
Be authentic. This is true for any customer touch point. Every image you put out into the universe needs to reflect your brand, your mission, and your values. Whether or not the photo or image is your own â it should come from a place of honesty. This ties back to the first piece of advice â know your story. Your images help tell a story and that story should be authentically your own. Itâs the only way you will connect with your customers and build a relationship that is meaningful.
Be an active member of the community. In this case Diana of MilkMade had an excellent case study. She saw some buzz on Twitter about a Sriracha flavored ice cream. She moved quick to the kitchen to whip up a batch and posted a photo to her Tumblr, tweeting to the original source of the conversation. What happened next? An immediate sell out of the batch. Perhaps the best part of social media is the direct, real-time line to your customers and prospective customers.
Using the community as inspiration, as Diana did here, is a great example of being an active member of the community, and leveraging it to immediate sales. As for how imagery played a role â who can turn down an amazing photo of ice cream!? Apparently no one since MilkMade has 1.6M followers on Tumblr.
Donât get sucked in. These were wise words. When youâre going to post that photo on Instagram or Facebook, do not get lost down the rabbit hole. We all agreed that running social media can take time, but when executed correctly, is time worth spent. That said, itâs easy to start scrolling, liking that cute Barkbox puppy dog, or commenting on some outrageous shot from @badalriri. Remember, social media is still work. So stay focused. Post and move on.
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One fundamental characteristic of the successful founder is her ability to put herself out of her comfort zone â not only to challenge the status quo with her ideas, but to take an audience, share her ideas, ask for feedback, and fumble â publically. One piece of this is learning to get very comfortable having coffee with strangers.Â
The Scenario: I have questions that others have answers to; I have a hypothesis that others have already tested.
Step 1: Identify these people.
Step 2: Invite them to grab coffee.
Step 3: Learn and repeat.
Here's howÂ
Send a targeted invite. An e-mail/tweet/instagram comment. Youâll be surprised how receptive people can be. The worst that can happen is they wonât respond. Itâs not a date, so thereâs no need to take it personally.
Do you homework. Be sure to fully research the person youâre meeting. Understand their experience, their current role, and exactly how they might help you. Go in with a specific ask. They might be happy to help, but theyâre still busy.
Confirm. Donât reschedule. Show up on time. This is just basic courtesy. You want to get the conversation off on the right foot.
Bear âgiftsâ. Be sure youâre entering into this meeting with a contribution. Remember, you have a network, resources, and experience of your own. Be thoughtful and happy to help if presented with an opportunity.
Pay or donât pay. Donât stress this part. If you feel like itâs appropriate to pick up the tabâ do! Youâll be surprised how many times the other party picks up the tab, too. The latter actually creates an opportunity for you to follow up and reciprocate.
Follow up. You may leave with your head buzzing with new ideas, or you may have to rush out to another meeting. Such is life of a busy founder. That said, always be sure to follow up (even if informally via email). Send thanks, and keep in touch.
I co-founded The Sill. I did it for several reasons.Â
Landing a co-founder is a major step in validating your idea â youâve managed to sell your first customer, someone as excited about your idea as you are.
Going it alone seems scary â the thought of running a company alone can seem nearly impossible. The emotional support a partner can provide can be crucial.
Your skill set is limited â chances are youâre very good at some stuff, but not all stuff. Finding a co-founder with a complimentary skillset can make the difference between failure and success.
The data says so â the odds of success go up with the number of founders.
Your network doubles â as a small business or start-up you rely heavily on your network for help in the beginning. Having a co-founder - or two or three - multiplies your reach.
Unfortunately, co-founding The Sill didnât work out the way I expected. Here's what I believe it came down to...
You have to be aligned on so many levels â itâs imperative to be aligned on vision, values, work ethic, work style, management, risk taking, sacrifice... the list only goes on.
You have to really like one another â youâll spend more time with this person than your significant other. And likely your dating period wasnât as long or as intense. A word to the wise, keep in mind that best friends donât always make the best roommates. Â
You can't agree to disagree â conflict resolution is near impossible if thereâs only two of you. Disagreements big and small will arise. Even agreeing on how to handle conflict resolution will not ensure an amicable resolution in the moment.
You step on toes â in the start-up world you often see business people partnered with engineers, and the divide of labor can be obvious. But there will always be gray areas, especially in the beginning when everyone is forced to wear multiple hats. Co-founders can disagree on who is going to do what and how. Â
Things change â you can plan, and plan, and plan. But the moment the business launches, plans will change. You can never fully anticipate how your customer will react. Thus, itâs impossible to judge how you or your partner will react to the reality of running and optimizing the business. Â
Founders Eat Bagels: a Lesson in Compromise & Humility
Here in New York City itâs hard not to notice the glamour girls, the wonder women, those who seemingly handle it all â beauty, brains, and 5-inch heals to boot. They can work 60-plus hour weeks and still wear red lips.Â
Running The Sill is a sweaty job, a dirty job. And I donât mean that in any other sense than the literal. I stack bags of potting soil, plant trees, and drive a cargo van. Everyday glamour is not really an option. Instead, I've learned to compromise on lifestyle in order to run my business well. Some of my sacrifices:
Eat the bagel. Iâve never been a black coffee kind of girl. I like food. I need food. Sure, I would prefer to eat healthy - pack an apple, some raw almonds, a green juice, and call it a day. But days, and grocery lists, can get the best of me when Iâm working hard and long hours. So, finally, Iâve learned to just eat the bagel. Grab-and-go food is an inevitability when it comes to running a business. I wonât assign moral value to white flour.
Sleep less. Itâs actually my New Yearâs resolution. You canât ignore the facts. The most successful people (ever) donât sleep. There are only 24 hours a day. Â Use them wisely.
Learn to love the uniform. Anything you can do simplify your morning. I've made a commitment to a t-shirt and jeans routine. Some days no makeup. As a founder, time is your greatest resource. As women, we tend to operate at a loss. My husband can get up and get out the door in 20 minutes flat. I canât do the same if Iâm concerned with curling my eyelashes (which I love to do! *sigh*)
Buy less stuff. I found this to come naturally. Every dollar you spend becomes a dollar you wish you had for your business. $5 coffee could be extra packaging. A new dress could equal an online ad campaign. Rent! It could add up to a really stellar intern. You naturally start to want, less.
Perhaps more importantly, there are a couple areas of my life Iâm determined not to compromise.
Exercise. In college I worked out everyday. Hell, I met my husband in a yoga class. These days, while I canât make a fitness routine my priority, Â I still make it a point to take the stairs, to walk, and to get fresh air. I will always find time to exercise weekly.
Extracurriculars. Whether itâs a book club, a Kollabora class, or drinks with friends â make the time. If you only work, everything else will fall apart. If your business falls apart, youâll be left with nothing.Â
As a VC and founder respectively, there is very little that distinguishes our day from night, our weekday from weekend. We wake up early, stay up late, and have been known to take meetings on a Sunday afternoon. There have been periods of time when it feels as if weâre merely ships passing in the night, roommates at best. However, we have come to agree on a few ground rules that allow us more time together.
Theyâre simple. They won't work for everyone. But here they are nonetheless.
Divide to Conquer. Some couples will happily divvy up the chores each weekend based on what needs to get done. Not us. We each take ownership over specific chores, and try to do a little every day. This saves us time from having to argue over who took out the trash last week. It also saves our weekends from being dominated by dirty dishes. So, for example, I take out the trash. Itâs my job. Just like itâs Steveâs job to do the laundry. No questions asked, week after week. It works.
Give Time Saving Tech a Try. We enjoy a trip to our local farmer's market just as much as the next couple. But for us, some of the best sites and tech start-ups have made their place in our daily lives, too.
A few of our favorites:
Amazon Prime â Youâll never regret it. Ever.
FreshDirect â Keeps the cabinets stocked. Food is fuel.
Plated or Blue Apron â For fresh ingredients when you have time to cook.
GetMaid â For that seasonal deep clean (not to mention they pro-rate billing to the 5-min, and round down).
TaskRabbit â For any chore that has been on your to-do list for 2 months or more.
Set âGentleâ Guidelines at Home. Â No one wants to live a completely regimented life, which is why I call these âgentleâ guidelines. Thereâs no need to create rules that youâll only live to regret. That said, a few no-brainers like "no iPhones in the bedroom" or "no working after 5pm on Sundays," are never wrong.
Turn Date Night into a Day Date. Choose at least 1 weekly non-dinner date, like Wednesday breakfasts. Block it off in your calendars. Stick to it.
Sync Up. Finally, try your best to go to sleep at the same time, wake up at the same time, and work out at the same time. The reason this proves difficult is everyone has a different internal clock. Ultimately, itâs the best way to create more time together.
I found it most frustrating when I would exercise in the morning and Steve in the evening. We would spend nearly 3 hours of potential together time, apart. Sleeping might prove most difficult, but the same rule holds true. If one partner stays up late and the other sleeps in, you'll never sync your schedule, and potential to share other activities only follow suit.
If you have additional time together tips, please share! We're always open to suggestions. Always in search for that 25th hour in the day.
The concept of a plant brand first came to me in college. I was an intern, spending my days in the creative cradle of brand agency Wolff Olins. I had just moved into my very first studio apartment. And all I wanted to make my 250-square-feet feel like home was a houseplant. I turned to what I believed was my only resource: my Mom. It was at this moment I recognized an opportunity.Â
But I was 20, and I wasnât ready.
It wasnât until 6 years later that The Sill was born. I put in a brief stint post-college in brand strategy at WO. And then nearly 4 years at Boston-based, beauty-tech start-up Living Proof. It was while I was at Living Proof that it became clear to me to return to NYC, and revisit the concept behind The Sill.
It was as simple as that. Suddenly, I felt I had no other choice. It was with a sense of urgency that I quit my job, six years after the the initial spark. I was still incredibly passionate about the idea. I was ready for the challenge. And most importantly, I was confident I had acquired the skills to meet that challenge. It was as if there was no other available route for me ahead.
I did take a moment to consider the safer alternatives. Creative agencies were making a comeback post economic crash of 2008. The beauty industry seemed secure. And yet, the agency world felt foreign and corporate America seemed bleak.
Moreover, I was in a secure relationship (not yet married, but 5 years deep). I was 26. I had enough money in the bank to support myself in the near future. And I reached the point in my career where I was sure that âI could always get another job.â
In the end, it wasnât a hard decision. It didnât feel like a decision at all. It happened because it had to happen. Because the timing was right. Because I felt with complete certainty that the risk I was taking was worthwhile, meaningful, and ultimately, was going to take to make me happy (scared too maybe, but happy nonetheless).
And so, when I meet other people who are considering quitting their job to start their own business, I say this: âwait until you feel as if you have no other choice.â
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