Female Founders

Contents

Founders Corner I can’t tell you what it’s like to be a woman, but I can tell you what I’ve learned from these women. 8 Galleria This month’s featured photographer is Gail Strebel. 10

By Brooklyn - Meet the Ambassador (as we proclaim) for Brooklyn’s new retail community - Gaia DiLoreto. She tells us why she made the jump from IT manager to gift store owner and what you can expect if you work for her. 16 Inspirational Woman Project - What does it look like when you’re genuinely inspired to be your best? Bri Seeley talks about acknowledging your fears and why women should be more open to their daily impact on people’s lives. 24 How is it to be you? Sounds simple enough, we head over to the Netherlands to talk with the woman behind the question - Linda Coussement. Linda also explains why “profit over people” just doesn’t work for her. 30 Inkwell Helmets - Being a creative force is wonderful; getting paid to be a creative force, priceless. Danielle Baskin shares her thoughts on why you should launch your business, the best time to create and why she might be tempted to hang up her brush. 36

PREEMINENT Principal Contacts Dean McKinney Founder & Publisher dean@preeminentmag.com Francesco Avitto Graphic Artist francesco@gmail.com Gail Strebel Featured Photographer (Galleria) Faux Finesse verst2365@yahoo.com Please direct all editorial & advertising inquiries to Dean McKinney All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior written permission. Preeminent Magazine is published in the U.S., by Preeminent Media. All photographs courtesy of Bri Seeley, Linda Coussement, Gaia DiLoreto, Danielle Baskins and Gail Strebel. All trademarks and copyrights apply.

Now that I can look back on this issue, it’s quite interesting to see how themes surface. If you focus any publication on a single issue, you’re going to expect a common thread to emerge.

What makes this issue slightly more interesting is that the women who were interviewed, represent a rather diverse group. Three live in the U.S, one in the Netherlands. Of the three that live in the U.S two reside in New York City, while the third leaves on the West Coast. Three of the women worked for other companies & organizations before they began their entrepreneurial careers and one began her career while still an undergraduate student in art school. As you read along you will see that each of these dynamic women are unique in who they are, but manage to share some striking similarities. Let’s spend a little time discussing the themes that surfaced: Vision & Fear.

First: Vision – No entrepreneur worth their salt has been able to be successful without vision. It’s one of those things that separates those “who do” from those “who can.” Vision is what allows you to see opportunity, where everyone sees only obstacles. So having a vision is a prerequisite, but what I found to be intriguing is the detail in which these women visualize. They didn’t merely do vision boards, they added depth to the visualization by actually living out that future life in vivid detail. Seeing what the future looks like before they get there, which allows them to remain keenly focused on achieving their goals.

Second: Fear – I’m sure Les Brown wasn’t the first person to say this, but I distinctly remember him saying that fear has killed more dreams than anything else. It’s not something tangible that you can put your hands on, it exists only in the mind of the individual. Yet it manages to grip hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people every day. As a result numerous lives are left unfulfilled because of an emotion that can be conquered with practice and determination. All of the women spoke directly to the concept of fear in one shape or another and while the words may have been different, the message was crystal clear – don’t be afraid. Don’t let the fear of what might happen, prevent you from what you know can happen.

Today’s woman has challenge upon challenge stacked in front of her. Equality in pay, image issues, harassment in the workplace, respect among their peers and others - and by no means am I suggesting that by solely conquering your fears and harnessing your vision will everything else be ok.

However after talking with Bri, Danielle, Gaia and Linda there’s definitely reason to have hope for the future. They represent a clear and unquestionable example of what can be achieved, when you have the right the motivation, support network and desire to achieve at very high levels.

Welcome to The Preeminent Life.

Dean McKinney 8|June 2015

ŠGail Strebel

Galleria

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ŠGail Strebel

ŠGail Strebel

Galleria

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ŠGail Strebel

ŠGail Strebel

Galleria

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Gaia DiLoreto - By Brooklyn

When you think of the term “ambassador”, it probably brings to mind well heeled individuals meeting at the U.N. representing different countries in the political & cultural events of our world.

Is it purely coincidence that the same city which hosts the United Nations is also home to another type of ambassador? You won’t find her name listed on a roster at the State Department, but Gaia DiLoreto is also an ambassador - and trust that her role is no less important to the retailers & creators of Brooklyn.

PM: Tell us about yourself?

Gaia: I’ve lived in New York for seventeen years. I came to New York after graduating from college in Hartford, CT. I worked for a hotel and restaurant employees union for a couple of years and then decided I wanted to strike out in the big city. When I came to NY, I ended up working on the administrative side of finance. I worked with Merill Lynch, then a small private investment bank and finally an insurance company. In all of my jobs I was always over qualified or under employed as I like to say. I always ended up turning my job into more than what it was. I was worth more than what they were paying me. I ended up randomly in IT training, one of my strong suits is good people skills. I was training people on common programs, like MS Office, that segued into managing an IT Help Desk. I had a fairly large team of people that I was in charge of but I couldn’t fix them (computers)myself.

That was the wake up call for a couple of reasons: first, I don’t know how it all just snowballed and I ended up in this job I didn’t want. Second, it was a 24/7 job because that what IT support is. Third, it was in a space that I could have cared less about. I decided to leave, I knew that I wanted to do something else with my life and I didn’t know what it was going to be. I knew I couldn’t come up with that idea or brainstorm what other opportunities were out there while I was still in that job. I

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walked away from my job in 2009 and people thought I was crazy, due to the economy, but it was the best decision I ever made. I gave myself a few months to hang out and just be me and a few more months to figure out what I wanted to do. I pursued a certificate program in restaurant management, thought I wanted to get into the food industry and in the process realized in New York City if you go into the restaurant business you’re insane. I knew I wasn’t insane, but I enjoyed the program.

It allowed me to finally see myself out of the pigeon holes I’d been placed in when I was working in finance – I could appreciate what my skills and strengths were. Specifically, I’m very good at networking and I collect people as I’m good at connecting people to each other. So that experience is what afforded me the vision to even think that I could own my own business. The business concept came from that class, focusing on the farm to table restaurant movement, eating local, all those different things that were happening in 2010 here in NYC. As I discovered this local maker world I realized I wanted to have an active role in it. So the concept of a store that only sold products made locally came to me. I just celebrated the 4 year anniversary of the store and it’s been a wild success for many reasons - including the fact that Brooklyn as a brand was taking off right when I opened. I stumbled into being an entrepreneur and I love it. But it’s really because I had the courage to walk away from a regular paycheck.

PM: You spent time in corporate America if you will, several years removed and being responsible for your own company now. What are pluses or minuses for today’s woman in corporate America vs. going out on your own?

Gaia: First and foremost, I’m thankful that I had the experience working at Merrill Lynch and my other corporate jobs – they taught me a lot about the way the world works. It may not be a fair world, especially compared to working for a union, I was a ra-ra liberal and out to save the common man. Going from that to the corporate world was shocking. I’m sure it’s changed to some degree, finance is a very sexist world, even if there are women in leadership roles. Just the way they are structured discriminates against women and I saw that unfairness unfold on a daily basis around me. I know that when I applied for a job there, I graduated from a very good college, I should have been interviewing for a research analyst position, instead it was for a administrative position. As a well educated black woman, I wasn’t situated for a production role because that was not the structure of Merill Lynch.

What I learned more than anything, is professionalism and the importance of business and what that means – it’s about getting a job done. I learned a lot of negotiation and I was able to see the world from a very different perspective, especially from being up on high at Merrill Lynch which back in the

day was up there.

PM: So there were some things you picked up at Merrill that helped you make the transition?

Gaia: People approach me all the time about starting their own business and the most important advice I can give someone is go out and get some experience, life experience. Don’t expect to graduate from college and have some roaring successful business. Not everyone is going to be Mark Zuckerberg. You miss out on things if you don’t have that work experience. I got that in all the different jobs that I had. I know how to have a conversation with a technician when I’m trying to get something done – that I wouldn’t necessarily know otherwise if I was straight out of college.

PM: The name, By Brooklyn? How did the name come about?

Gaia: I had developed the concept for the store but I needed a name for it. I wanted the name to be along the lines of “Made in Brooklyn Store” but most of those were already taken. Then I started thinking about the meaning, what did that represent? It was jewelry made

by Brooklyn jewelers, chocolates made by Brooklyn choclatiers. So the vibe came into play and I do like the double entendre. That was the whole concept, what does this really represent...and it represents fine goods made

by Brooklyn people.

PM: Did you have to find any partners?

Gaia: I did it all my own, cashed out my 401k. Begged, borrowed and stole from family. No business partners – I’ve been able to payback almost everyone except my mom. (Laughs) I knew from what I’d seen around me with other businesses and the way I operate, that I wanted to do this by myself. I didn’t want to bring on a partner at that time.

PM: How long did it take you?

Gaia: It’s funny because I usually say 9 months, but 4 months is probably more realistic. I know it sounds crazy but it’s true. I was working on the business plan in the restaurant management program, but I didn’t think I was going to do it. It was just a concept I was playing around with in class.

Once that was all done and I sat around for 2 more months not making any money...then one day I thought “Oh crap I need to figure out what I’m doing with my life”. In January 2011 I started looking for real estate – so January to end of April, 4 months.

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PM: How do you decide what you will carry in the store?

Gaia: The main criteria of course is that it’s made in Brooklyn. Hands down, no matter what else happens. Made in Brooklyn, not designed in Brooklyn and made in China. Not across the border in Queens. I want to see a product that looks professional, well made, well presented to the customer – it makes sense in my store. I’m not selling beds, there is beautiful custom made furniture in Brooklyn. I’m a gift shop, my average price point is $20 to $25 dollars so things that fit into that criteria.

Also something that is unique for my customer, beautiful or inventive or is tasty, but just because it’s made in Brooklyn doesn’t mean I carry it. There has to be pride in the product, why it’s being made and how it’s being sold.

Brooklyn is one of the most immediately recognizable cities in the country, possibly in the world.

If you want proof here are just a few residents of Brooklyn past & present: Rita Hayworth, Eddie Murphy, Woody Allen, Mike Tyson, Anne Hathaway & Jay Z - and let’s not forget the Brooklyn Dodgers and today we have the Brooklyn Nets. There are several boroughs in New York each steeped in it’s own history and folklore, but there is only one Brooklyn and it’s the ambassador’s job to preserve such a distinguished locale.

PM: Let’s talk about the Brooklyn made certification...

Gaia: I am a member of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce and have been since I started my business 4 years ago. About 2 years ago, they started a Brooklyn Made awards contest. I volunteered to be a judge on the panel, because of my experience of what is being made in Brooklyn. The Chamber decided to create the certification, that was the beginning of the program. Let’s start vetting what’s made in Brooklyn. They worked with NYU Master’s degree students on the actual certification, it’s structure, and I advised the Chamber and the students on what I consider, my criteria is for Made in Brooklyn. Most of that was folded into the certification program. So anyone can submit their product for review on a quarterly basis, the advisory panel meets and we review the applications submitted. It’s a weighted questionnaire – similar to the LEED certification ( gold, silver & bronze) the goal is to vet out what’s made in Brooklyn and to acknowledge the people who are able to do it from scratch to end product in Brooklyn.

PM: Not that Brooklyn has ever been short on pride - but the merchants, creators and innovators in Brooklyn now have their own little hub?

Gaia: Absolutely. There’s a desire to be associated with the Brooklyn brand and that was the other reason to create the certification. Plenty of people are trying to slap the name Brooklyn on their product, but not actually made in Brooklyn to cash in on the cache. The certification is validating the people who are in fact making their product here. West Elm had these knit caps that said Made in Brooklyn. They weren’t made in Brooklyn, rather China, but they wanted to cash in on Brooklyn’s trending popularity. The certification protects and acknowledges the people who are doing it. It’s expensive to make product in Brooklyn, it’s New York City.

PM: So in some cases you’ve become an ambassador for Brooklyn?

Gaia: I like that word.

PM: How does that feel – going from starting your own store – to becoming an ambassador and resource that people seek out?

Gaia: It’s great. I did not expect this; it was not the goal when I decided to open my store. Even when I opened the store I didn’t know what to call it. It wasn’t until I’d been open for a year that I realized I’m a gift shop. Your customers tell what you are, you might want to be whatever it is you want to be; but at the end of the day your customers tell you what you are. And that’s what happened. I like that phrase, that term ambassador. An ambassador for Brooklyn, because by virtue of what I’m doing I’ve developed an expertise. I can look at a list of Brooklyn branded product and tell you what is made in Brooklyn and what isn’t. That’s what happened because of the nature of what my store is. There’s an intrinsic value there that I didn’t appreciate until I got involved with the Chamber and the certification. It’s perfect, because if I were just running a store I’d be bored out of my mind.

PM: What was the most difficult aspect of getting the store opened and running?

Gaia: Money. Money, working capital. I opened my doors way under capitalized and I opened my doors with very little product on the shelves – in hindsight. I had to, it’s what I had to and I needed to open the doors to make money to buy more products. It’s still so today, working capital is hard to find. As a true small business, or as I’m beginning to use micro business. The Small Business Administration defines small business as a company with 500 employees or less, I think that’s silly, I think you can have a very large company with less than 500 employees. Micros have a hard time accessing capital and that’s where I am.

PM: Was there any gender bias when opening your store?

Gaia: I don’t think so. I can be kind of oblivious to that kind of stuff and I mean in that in all honesty. Every once in a while it’s so blatant that it smacks you in the face, you can’t ignore it. In my circumstance now I haven’t really seen it as blatantly as I did in the corporate world. Also because the world I’m in right now is mostly women. We’re defining the terms, in how we operate on a daily basis.

PM: I think I saw some numbers that said women outnumbered men when it comes to being entrepreneurs?

Gaia: Women across the boards are much more willing to take risks for perceived rewards. Not riding a motorcycle risks, but improvement for oneself or family. More single women buy homes, than single men buy homes. That’s a statistic that’s been true forever.

PM: Since you’ve opened the store, was there any time where you wanted to walk away?

Gaia: (Big laugh) Yeah. There was a point 2 years ago, where I asked what am I doing. I hate retail and I really thought that was happening. I thought I disliked it. Ok, I’ve enjoyed the ride and now

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it’s becoming a grind and I don’t want to do this anymore. Then I realized, I don’t hate retail I had to come out from behind the register. I wanted to grow my business, but I couldn’t grow being tethered to the physical store. So that’s what I was actually frustrated by; being locked into my store – prevented me from being able to work on the store. So I made the adjustments, hired staff and that’s ultimately why I was able to become involved with the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. I was able to create the space to work on the business, not in the business.

Our conversation transitioned from her role of representing Brooklyn to her role as a retail store owner and what that looks like. For most people opening and maintaining a single store would be more than enough to keep them happy. I’ll bet you won’t be surprised when you find out, one store wasn’t enough for her.

PM: By the time this is published your second location will be opened?

Gaia: Yes. That’s opening May 16th.

PM: What did you see to that made you want to expand?

Gaia: The revenue growth in my existing store has been great, but it’s starting to plateau and I knew that I wanted to be able to generate more revenue for myself, first and foremost. Doing that in one shop wasn’t going to cut it, that’s the personal perspective and personal goal. Then there’s just such a huge opportunity to share these products with an audience that wouldn’t necessarily make the trek to Carroll Gardens but who go to Williamsburg every day, every weekend. It’s such a destination now, when people think of Brooklyn, they think of Williamsburg, at least for the new Brooklyn. But beyond that on a strategy level, spreading the love of Brooklyn and my long term growth also requires me to generate more revenue – so I can actually find investors, which I say cautiously, or strategic partners. So I can take this brand to a whole other level. What Williamsburg represents in the Brooklyn economy, it’s an important notch on my belt to grow the company.

PM: Will you have different merchandise?

Gaia: It’s going to be broken up a little bit; the majority of the product will be duplicated. Our most popular category is food, the grocery items. Pickles, chocolates, candies, hot sauces & pastas. That will all be duplicated in the new store. Beyond that, there will be some variation, the Williamsburg customer might be willing to purchase higher end items. I’ll test the market and see.

That’s the beauty of having the second store – if it doesn’t work in one store it might work in the other.

As big a risk it is to actually open a second location, it actually helps reduce my risk when it comes to inventory.

PM: For anyone whose following behind you, younger women or more tenured in their career what would be the one thing to for them to absolutely do and the one thing to absolutely run from?

Absolutely run away from the naysayers. If you believe in what you’re doing and you’re surrounded by people who say you are crazy. Just drop them.

It’s take so much hard work & effort and sleepless nights and facing fear – to have people who are going to drag you down is the most unhelpful thing ever.

Gaia: I did it without even fully recognizing it at the time. I see what I did and I’m glad I did it.

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Absolutely don’t be afraid to ask for help. I think that’s one thing women can have a hard time with.

We think we are “I am Women, hear me roar”. The worst that can happen is someone says No. It’s fine. The best that can happen is someone says Yes and then you have help. That is the most important thing I learned through my entire experience, opening the store, running the store, opening the second store - is asking for help. And don’t be afraid to talk about what you’re doing. It was no secret that I was opening a store that focused on Brooklyn only goods. It takes so much work, it takes so much energy – if you’re that concerned about someone taking your idea then it’s too easy. You shouldn’t be doing it anyway.

PM: You had to come from behind the register to grow, what were you looking for in new staff & the brand you created?

Gaia: I’m looking for people, still looking for people. The hardest part is hiring people. It is just a job, but it isn’t just a job. I want people who are interested and care about the product that I’m selling. I want people who, most importantly are friendly and engaging because customer service comes before anything else. I don’t care what you’re selling, customer service is really important. I put so much emphasis on that, how one presents oneself – how one expresses oneself – those are critical characteristics. And then I’m looking for someone who wants to grow.

I don’t expect everyone to become the next district manager for ByBrooklyn, but there’s all kinds of opportunity to grow and learn and develop expertise. And that’s something I’m open to and encouraging of. In the same way I approached jobs I was overqualified for, I’ve ended up hiring people who were overqualified, because they have a skillset and it’s an opportunity to develop a skill in a way they wouldn’t have in a large organization. Someone wants to become the expert in social media, go for it. The more I invest in my employees, the more I invest in my business and the more we will all be successful. I have a very critical employee, she’s grown with the business since the beginning and if she ever left it would be really hard. On the other hand if she left, I’d know she was leaving for the right reasons. I wouldn’t try to stop her, I’d make it as appealing to keep her –not just compensation.

Ultimately if she found something that was the right opportunity for her I’d say go for it - but first, help me find someone to replace you.

Bri Seeley - Inspirational Woman Project

J. Ruth Gendler the author of “The Book of Qualities”, does something rather unique in that book.

She describes human emotions as if they were people, it makes for a very interesting read. When it comes to Fear, this is part of her description: “Fear has a large shadow, but he himself is quite small...he will try to tell you stories. Be aware. He is a master of disguises and illusions...fear almost convinced me that he was a puppet maker and I was a marionette.” The first time I read that description I thought it was brilliant. Here you have Fear, exposed for what it really is - just smoke & mirrors. Knowing that the idea of fear has kept any number of people from pursuing their visions, I wanted to know if it was any more prevalent for women vs men. I spoke with Bri Seeley, the woman behind the Inspirational Woman Project about conquering fear, bad 80’s clothing and why little girls should keep dreaming.

PM: My first question is about the concept of fear, being afraid of certain things and in some cases is that holding women back?

Bri: I don’t 100% percent believe in being fearless, I don’t believe in eradicating all your fears. I don’t know if that’s actually possible for someone to get rid of every fear. For me it’s bout being aware and conscious of my fears and then doing them anyway. If I look at something and think that terrifies

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me, 9 times out of 10 I’m going to do it anyway. I had a traumatic experience in childhood with guns and they always terrified me. Someone came into my home with a gun and I told them “to get out.”

So in November, I decided I’m still holding on to this fear. I called a friend, said I’ll be in Phoenix, will you take me to the shooting range? I went to the range, it was great. I was still a little uncomfortable, but at least I did it. So for me jumping head first into my fears is a big thing. In fact I just spoke to my business coach yesterday, I still have that little voice in the back of my head that says” No you’re not”, “Who do you think you are”. It’s important to recognize that, listen to it, but not let it run your life.

You want to give it space, if you attempt to ignore it - it will just grow. I talked to my business coach yesterday and I still have this seed of doubt in myself. Every time I say I’m going to do something and it comes back and says no you’re not. So we were talking about ways to address it.

PM: Do you think it’s something we do culturally that cultivates that type of groundwork here in the states, which makes it that way for women?

Bri: There was an ad or some sort of video a year ago or something, it was men in situations at a desk working late hours and a word came up “dedicated”. Then there was a woman working at a desk working long hours and the word “workaholic” came up. It was the exact same scenario and the perceptions that are imprinted based on the gender they are. Basically, I feel that women are not really taught to embrace and celebrate their successes as much as men. And I found that it’s hard for women to really do that, even little successes. I feel that women aren’t as encouraged to make big leaps as men are. I come from the Midwest, which is a very traditional and conservative mindset.

My mom is still being asked, when is she moving home and having babies? Because I’m 32 and that’s what I’m supposed to be doing now. So it’s not as culturally accepted or ingrained for women to take big leaps.

PM: I went to see a movie recently and saw a Microsoft ad where they were talking to girls middle

school aged girls about STEM programs and women in science. Do you think starting early is good?

Bri: Absolutely. I’ve encountered several young girls that didn’t know it was an option to be involved in fashion design. So talking to kids about envisioning their future is so important. Whether it be around specific industries or occupations, just getting them comfortable with the idea. I feel that after a certain age, dreaming like that gets squashed. For me I’ve gotten back to the imaginative dreaming state, everyday I visualize what do I want my life to look like, by fast forwarding and living from the future for 5 minutes a day. I have 2 girlfriends we talk on the phone every single day and we talk about or lives from the future. That’s something that should be taught at such a young age, little kids have so much power, it’s once we grow older and take on these beliefs and these systems that start squashing us. If we could allow the visualizations and imaginations to continue, people’s lives could be so different. If little girls could be allowed to dream as scientists or firefighters or ballerinas….it’s society around us telling us that we can’t and we start to believe it.

“Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans” - Allen Saunders. This is one of those quotes that appears rather simple on the surface. However, if you dig just below the surface you’ll see it is only simple in it’s choice of words. The intent behind the quote carries something else with it - in essence; you can do all the planning you want, your life will unfold with some

curves you simply cannot account for. Now, for people who are very rigid and live by a specific timetable this is problematic. For those who are more flexible and open to change this presents all kinds of opportunities.

PM: You have a post on your blog entitled “The end of an era.” I read it briefly, but I’d like for you to explain the post in a little more detail.

Bri: In 2010 - 2011, I started a fashion brand. It was exciting and super fun, loved doing it. It was out of the fashion brand that the Inspirational Woman Project was born. It was supposed to be a 30 day blog, that turned into a coffee table book and from the coffee table book it’s grown into a move-

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ment. Now I’m working on the 2nd volume and starting a womens conference. I had a friend tell me that I had to do another collection if I wanted to stay relevant in the industry. So I did another collection and while doing that I realized, that I hated it. I don’t hate doing the fashion, it’s in my blood in my heart. I’ve done it for 25 years, totally part of who I am. What I hate is that I design, pattern make, produce, manufacture, sell, market – I do everything. And it’s exhausting. If I was able to just design I would be so incredibly happy. But that is not the reality. It was spring solstice, just a month ago. I was doing a meditation and reading up on the energy around the day. It was a good day to let something go, something that’s not serving you anymore just let it go. And I’d known for a while it wasn’t making me happy. I didn’t want to stay a designer, because that’s what I said I am or the box that I put myself in. The Inspirational Woman Project makes me happy and that is the path I’m going down fully committed – I had to let go of fashion, it’s possible I’ll pick it up in the future, but until the time I have a full on team behind me. I can’t It was definitely a process, it was a good ten months before I was ready to commit. I’d put myself in that box of being a fashion designer. If I’m not this, what am I? I introduce myself as Bri Seeley, fashion designer.. if I’m not introducing myself as that, who am I? My ego was pretty pissed off, “we built this, we are a fashion designer, this what we are sticking to”….fortunately I left myself open to explore and as a result all these wonderful things came about in the past year.

PM: You mentioned that you started back around 2010 or so and you were bridging gap of running the fashion line and a full time job. You did it successfully to some extent, if you looked back on it now.. What are your thoughts on doing both? Is it a viable approach?

Bri: It’s such a double edged sword. If I looked back and talked to me back then, GET OUT NOW. I personally held on to it way too long. I admitted in January of last year, that doing that job made me want to die. It got so bad, I was having anxiety, physical symptoms. The good news about the job, I had the ability to schedule my hours and give away work, if there were an ideal situation I had it. But I know it’s not an option for some people, it’s such a very situational thing. If I had to work 8 to 5, 5 days a week, there was no way I could have done it. It’s difficult, I don’t recommend it. But if you have to do it...

PM: I wanted to talk to you about the Kickstarter campaign. What are your thoughts on crowfunding as a vehicle?

Bri: I think crowdfunding is great as a concept. I was talking to a girlfriend last weekend and she has this visual. Imagine there’s a community and they have this well, but no one has a bucket. If everyone goes and gets a rock and throws it in the well, eventually the rocks will displace the water and everyone has a hand in getting the well functional. She said her goal is to run a million dollar campaign where everyone only gives a dollar, that as a concept is phenomenal. The problem with that is everyone thinks, you did a successful Kickstarter, I should do a successful Kickstarter. It just looks like you put an idea on the Internet, but the amount of time, energy and resources that goes into that launch is unbelievable. It’s a full time job. So again, if you’re running a Kickstarter along with a full time job and running a business... I’d spend 10-15 hours a day on the Kickstarter campaign. It’s an intense process.

PM: Inside the Inspirational Woman Project, what was so transformative for you about that project?

Bri: When I was doing the interviews, I interviewed some of the most inspirational women in my life. I started with my personal network and one my most favorite women ever. One of the questions, “How do you inspire the world around you?” This is a very woman-centric trait, almost every woman prefaced her answer by saying “ I don’t really think I am or “I don’t think I do”. Then they would go on to talk about how they felt they inspired…

A girlfriend of mine said I don’t really think I’m inspirational and that was her whole answer. I emailed her back and said unacceptable.

You need to come up with a different answer for that. She finally came back and said , I realized that it not about being Mother Theresa or Arianna Huffington or Hilary Clinton – it’s about making an impact on the people in your life everyday. You don’t have to be changing the world every second of every day. What I took away from that, I do truly believe that every woman is inspirational. I don’t think we celebrate within ourselves enough. It’s become my personal mission to really get women to embrace that inspiration within themselves. As a side note, I just started a mentorship program for women as well, because I believe we don’t have to act like men to be successful in the world.

Women have had to act like men for the past 50 or 60 years. In the 80’s the epitome of this “The Power Suit”, women were literally taking a male silhouette and putting it on their bodies, literally

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trying to look like men in order to be successful in the workplace. I feel that we’ve come to a place in history where we don’t have to do that anymore. We don’t know what the other answer is; I created the program so women can connect with their femininity and inspiration in order to do good things as women. My ideal world is one where a woman can walk into a room with a chiffon maxi skirt and be just as powerful as any man sitting at the table with them.

As we neared the end of the interview, it was clear that Bri was quite fortunate in that she had two major opportunities to do the things that she loved, where most people see just a single opportunity. Dr. Eric Thomas says, “the opportunity of a lifetime, means nothing if you don’t take advantage of it during the lifetime of the opportunity.” One might ask was she more fortunate, or was she just more willing to see through the smoke & mirrors and not let her fear of what “could be” prevent her from what “would be.”

PM: You have the radio show on Bubbly Talk Radio, you’re working on the 2nd volume of the Inspirational Woman Project, what else is on the horizon for you?

Bri: I am in the process of starting a womens conference, the idea came up in the last week. So I’m working on that. My mentorship program and starting to speak more at events. I’m speaking at the West Hollywood leadership conference, an event in L.A. called The F word event – and the word is Feminist. I just did a workshop at USC. I’m working on developing a public profile, inspiring people and running workshops.

PM: Last question, if you had to give young ladies coming behind you, one piece of advice, what would it be?

Bri: Can I do two?

PM: Of cousre.

Bri: First one is – if you don’t ask the answer is always no; that is what went through my head when I emailed Arianna Huffington and she emailed me back 5 hours later to blog on the Huffington Post.

Had I not emailed her, that door never would have opened. If you don’t ask the answer is always no.

Second one – life is all about who you know. Every job, most of the opportunities I’ve had, the main donors – were personal contacts. And I’ve done a great job of building a support structure around me that wants to see me succeed. It’s not just that, it’s a two way street. Its real important to maintain the relationship and know things about them. Make good connections, establish relationships and continue to finesse those relationships, because those will be the people when you call on them who will be more likely to say Yes to you.

Here’s the question, have you ever genuinely considered what it’s like to be who you are? Have you given thought to what your life is like today versus yesterday and what it will be like tomorrow? It’s a pretty straightforward question, but how would you answer it? Startup founder and business coach Linda Coussement has plans to travel the globe and find out.

Linda Coussement - How is it to be you?

PM: Tell me a little bit about yourself?

Linda: Let’s start with my name - Linda Coussement, it’s a French name, you pronounce it in a Dutch way. I’m 35 years old and my background – I grew up in Holland and I went to study in the south of Holland. I did International Business studies over there, because when I was around 18 I thought that what I wanted to be when I grew up was a big important manager with lots money, a big house and a big car. I’m actually in a student special of a very popular magazine saying that. Well, I actually did all that. I did studies and I started my career at Vodafone, a big telecommunications company.

So that’s where I started and I sort of rolled into it, while I started working on my thesis. I wasn’t really happy with studying and I just wanted to get going with the work. I figured out that consulting was something that I really liked, the interactiveness with clients and other people. So, I did that for a couple of years for a great employer who allowed me to learn about business, about people but also about myself. I kept on doing that for a few years. It was really all business, all career making, promotions a lot of learning and growing – proper stuff. I had a nice salary, nice car, bought the house that I wanted and it looked all really nice. Fine and dandy on the outside, but in parallel I also had my non business side, my actual people side and that went a little different. I started out with my first job and I had a boyfriend, we lived together. We had cats, bought a house and we had the whole picture, but I realized it wasn’t for me. I felt enclosed. He was a great guy, but it wasn’t for me; it felt like being stuffed in a bowl that was too small. I moved to Amsterdam and got into a consulting firm, I started doing yoga, something I never did before and apparently I really needed it. I realized that I actually hadn’t had any emotions in the previous years. I mean literally.

Looking back at it, I went on holiday and big things without happiness, without any joy. I wasn’t even sad when I broke up with my boyfriend. When I started doing yoga and making friends I finally realized there was this whole piece of me that was missing. That’s when I started working on that, next to the business and next to the career. Because yoga was working for me, I did a teacher training. I also went to Nepal for a couple of months for another teacher training - where I met some other people who I had a lot of crazy personal development conversations, discussions and fights and beautiful experiences with. Next to the career that kept on going I was developing myself as a human being, I discovered that I’m a really emotional human being. I had been really proud of not having to cry ever and not being a girly girl. Then I realized I had to cry, a lot, or at least I had to then.

When all the emotions came out, the business side and personal side ran into each other. It felt really

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weird at one point they didn’t run in parallel anymore it wasn’t possible. At one point at another big corporate employer is where things just collided. Where my humanity, because that’s what I discovered, I’m very human - who cares a whole lot about other human beings and their happiness. I can’t always make everyone happy but I do care for it. I did see that people in the corporation were unhappy. I was unhappy, people on my team were unhappy. There were some managerial decisions that were unacceptable for me.

So I quit, even though I didn’t know what else to do and I was terrified of what was coming up. I had the house, the mortgage and a certain lifestyle I was used to. I did quit because I didn’t want to work there anymore, I decided working for a corporation wasn’t for me. I went to freelancing and did that for about 9 months in a company of around 500 people, made a great deal of money - it was a good project. But after that project my brother founded a startup. He had an idea and a website, 2 or 3 leads, zero money, nothing. Because I had the money and he’s my brother and I can do something for him, I decided to give him a hand for a few months and that ended up being 2 years. Together we set up his startup which is in sustainable energy and grew that from less than zero to 10 people doing really well with an actual product on the market. We did the proper startup thing which is fascinating, but again I wasn’t entirely happy. I was struggling with the decisions, I’ve said “no” to what i didn’t like and I’m doing what I want to do, at least I thought so. But still I’m not happy, it took me awhile to figure it out. It was because I was working on my brother’s dream instead of my own. Even though it was fun and interesting to work with him, it wasn’t for me.

That was a big moment for me, I just decided I’m not going to work for this startup. It took me awhile again to figure things out, I finally figured out startups and small businesses that want to make a change and make a difference to their customers and people who they work with - that was fun. Plus with my consulting and coaching skills I can add value, that’s how From Startup to Grow up came into existence.

Some people will spend their entire lifetime living a life that on the surface looks and feels like it’s what they want. Linda had just described it to me: house, car, boyfriend, traveling on holiday - who wouldn’t want that life? It’s everything that you work for; then a new variable gets introduced and that world which was humming along smoothly, begins to stall.

PM: You mentioned that you worked for Vodafone and other corporate groups. As a young lady growing up there in the Netherlands, is that the expectation – you’re expected to get your degree from university and move into the corporate world?

Linda: Not necessarily, not in general as a culture, but it was expected from my parents. My parents never had the chance to go to university. They both had to work from a pretty young age and they were always struggling for money. So everything they did was to give me and my brother a good education. I wouldn’t say they forced us, but they did push us. It was never in my mind to do anything else. It’s not a must do for everyone here in Holland.

PM: What was it about the management decision that was the straw that broke the camel’s back?

Was the decision profit vs people?

Linda: It was exactly that. Basically we’d been working on a huge program to make the company more lean and more efficient – me and my team. By the end of the program they decided to make my team redundant, which on its own I thought was a bad decision, but they also did it by announcing it publicly. So they gathered everyone around and they just said “This team is made redundant.”

There was no HR support, nothing there. I felt completely helpless, didn’t know what to do. I was just horrified. I was allowed to keep my job but my team wasn’t – that was not okay. No support whatever. That’s unacceptable to me. It was all about profit. It’s inherent in the corporate world. I realized, you know what I’m going to focus all my energy on those companies that want to do good for their employees. Of course sometimes you don’t have the money and you have to be rational, but there are different ways to approach it. And that was not my way.

PM: You decided you were going to start doing the consulting on your own, here in the states when women go into handle conversations like that they may find gender bias – did you find that?

Linda: Yes. That’s been happening for a few years now. I’m 35 and I’m finally getting to the point where people are saying she has some years under her belt. I was a consultant and started when I was 28. I was naive in everything, there definitely were some times I got comments like: “You’re only able to get things done because you wear skirts & heels.” But on the other hand, I think I’ve always been able to work around it or with it, because I’m young and because I’m female I’ve been able to play it in a way that’s beneficial - because I’m the consultant I don’t have to know all the content. I have been able to make it work in the positive sense, but I’ve also seen it turn into a negative.

PM: Traditionally since most companies hierarchy is made up of men, they will see a young lady walk in and think there’s nothing she can teach us or tell us.

Linda: The corporate world is very masculine, maybe we’re (Netherlands) are a bit more diversified than in the states. But it‘s still very masculine, hardly any women on the board levels. For some reason most companies I worked for were pretty masculine in themselves. That final company where I decided I didn’t want to be part of it - there were mainly men I had to work with. All Alpha males and we would have these very masculine meetings where they were cool and rough, all the boys together, I know I wasn’t really accepted there – but I’m not sure if it was - I was young, a woman, emotional or working differently? I think it was a combination of everything.

PM: Now as a business coach what do you do?

Linda: I work for start ups that are a couple of years old. As they get more people on their team and

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more customers, they also have more internal debates and communication issues. It’s very different when you’re with three people and you’re in a business – you know where you’re going. You are all at the same desk and meeting, you know where you’re heading. With 10 people it becomes a lot more difficult; they have opinions, ideas and assumptions. So you need to structure that a certain way. It means the founder of the startup suddenly has to become a manager of the business and team of people and that’s something different than being able to make and sell product. So I help on one hand with the operations of business, so that it’s easy to communicate and everyone knows what directions you’re going to – but also how do you as a manager, as a founder, how do you deal with more issues in your team and how do you deal with standing in front of the team. Most of them are a bit insecure on that level and now all of a sudden, 20 people just do what I say. How weird is that? They aren’t always comfortable or they are overconfident and that works in a negative way. I work in the operations, I work on the teams and the people themselves.

PM: Keeping in mind that you’ve seen things you think could have been done better, do you reference your experiences as you help other teams grow?

Linda: Yes. There are examples all over the place of how not to do things and how to do things and I’m not saying all corporations are bad, there are things startups can learn from them. There is still a lot that can be learned, I do reference it of course. The more practical you make things, the more real, the more data you can show on what indeed does work.

PM: Is your client base overseas only?

Linda: Right now its all over here, but as I plan to travel I’m focusing on-line. I hope to get clients in the states as well.

I reached out to Linda specifically because I wanted to get a viewpoint that didn’t originate here in the U.S. I wasn’t sure if there would be massive differences or a common link that was the same regardless of where you’re located on the globe. I find out two things: the struggle that women have is pretty much the same everywhere and the tools they use to succeed are similar as well.

PM: You’ve got a international perspective regarding women in business. What advice would you give to a young lady regardless of where she is in the world?

Linda: Two things. First of all – I can really recommend for everybody, everywhere – no matter race or age, have a vision. Know where you want to go and not so much, a vision of “I want to be this Manager or on Board Level in 10 years”. Though you could have that, but for me the vision is a bit more intangible. How do you wake up every morning? Are you happy? Do you whistle when you go to work? What kind of car do you drive? What type of house do you live in? Do you have time for your family? What does your life look like? What do you want your life to look like? When you have that picture, you can start moving in that direction. It’s also easier to set the conditions for where you are now. For me as an example I just did that corporate project for 3 months, that’s not my vision – but I need money (laughing). To be able to achieve my vision, I have to sometimes take on these corporate projects, but I know that a longer period of time would not be acceptable for me.

That doesn’t fit with my vision, it would leave me stuck where I am.

So have a vision of where you want to go. And as you’re going continuously be aware and let it evolve organically it doesn’t have to be set in stone.

The second part would be not to accept what is unacceptable to you. This goes for everyone, but women in particular are very intuitive in our guts we always know what’s going on. We always know that what we are feeling is right, but for some reason, I don’t know if it’s DNA or society, we are always afraid to voice it.

We’re too afraid to act on it. That’s just a big shame, that really makes you as a person as a woman, smaller than you really are. It encapsulates you in that job or relationship you’re in, because you don’t trust your gut and acting upon what you feel. So have the vision and trust your gut and move forward from there.

PM: Let’s talk about the documentary, I really like the question. It will be interesting to see the responses, given how people like to think about themselves. What the catalyst for the documentary?

Linda: I’ve always a missed a manual in my life, a manual to life. I really feel at some point people around me were given a manual - they knew to behave in social situations, how to flirt, how to handle relationships and everything but I wasn’t. The more I developed myself as a person, the more I realized that wasn’t true – obviously. But it kept nagging me, at one point I was doing a 3 day hike in Normandy France walking on a million blisters, it did pop in my head, I wanted to write a manual to life. I got really excited about it, then it just hit me. Who am I to write the manual on life?

I don’t think anyone is able to do that – or allowed to do that even. I wanted to do something with that, when I drilled down to it, I got to the point where I know how it is to be me, sometimes. At a certain point I know how it is to be me and that’s really the most important thing in my life. How is it to be me right now? How was it 10 minutes ago? How is it tomorrow? I’m the biggest thing in my own life. So that’s important. I didn’t get that, “How it is to be me” is the same for other people. I started asking this question to a couple of friends and it led to fascinating talks with a lot of laughing, crying and going into big depths and other times staying on a superficial level. In all those talks I learned a lot about these other people , but more about myself and me wanting to force someone to go to a deeper level. I discovered it wasn’t just my curiosity, it’s also my own journey of development.

So why not go to every country in the world and ask everyone I meet “How is to be you?”

In essence when people are able to drill down to that answer - it doesn’t matter who you are, where

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you are, how successful you are, how you grew up, what religion you’re from… in essence we all experience our emotions the same way; even though they are triggered by various things…and at least that’s my hypothesis – that’s what I want to investigate.

PM: Here in the states, we get the same faces of success over and over again and not to diminish their work, but I think we are missing some stories - the teacher in the Midwest who is happy to be teaching is just as successful as the guy on Wall Street. For you what does success look like?

Linda: It’s easier to start with a general definition and it would be close to the advice I give to women. I have a vision and I’m moving towards that vision, even though I’m not there yet – part of the vision is also to sit on Oprah’s couch the big stuff , the things you do measure up with success. I’m perfectly happy with not getting there, I know I moving into that direction. I’m not getting stuck, not allowing myself to be stuck where I am, just because I’m afraid of something. Or just because I’m missing some confidence. The whole documentary thing, it’s scary as hell. I do see myself on Wall Street with a camera, but these guys are super intimidating. For me asking that on my own, that’s scary as hell – but I know it’s going to be worth it and I know I’m going to love doing it. I don’t care if it’s the guy on Wall Street or that teacher somewhere in the Midwest. I would love to talk to these people. So that’s my personal journey the documentary, the conversations is my personal journey – but what would really be success to me – is when I feel like now I’ve really contributed to the world in the way I wanted to – is when other people independent of me, start asking themselves this question. And start asking other people this question.

Where dialogue comes into existence because of something I wrote, because I think that there’s a superficiality in the world right now. There’s emphasis on how you look, what you wear, how much money you make. I really want people to go back to themselves and each other and if my question can help with that, then that to me is success. If in the end it does put me on the couch with Oprah and we dance all across the room with hundreds of thousands of people asking the question then sure that’s great, but if there are some people here and there asking themselves this question with each other – I will be very happy and consider myself successful.

Go for it, whatever is you want to do, whatever you feel in your heart. Just do it.

Art and commerce don’t always make for a great pairing. One is about the pure expression of ideas and thoughts, the other is a tool to generate revenue. You wouldn’t expect these two to hang out together if they were actual people. So anytime that you can marry the two together into a effective and genuine working environment good things usually come forth. Danielle Baskin is currently sitting rather successfully at that crossroad and what makes her success even more unique is the canvas that she’s chosen to express her talent.

PM: I saw something while reading about you and I just wanted you to clarify. You started your business in a 3’ x 5’ crawlspace?

Danielle Baskin - Inkwell Helmets

Danielle: (Laughs.) I’ve had a few different studios, one of my studios was actually a walk in storage facility in the East Village. I started painting helmets in my dorm room in college, before I even had a business I was just painting helmets for my friends. My first studio was a storage unit, for a few months then I found an office.

PM: How did you get anything done in a 3’ x 5’ space?

Danielle: Oh, that. I was working out of the area above my closet, that was 3’ x 5’. I had ropes going across my room and I had a ladder going up to this crawlspace - that was in between the storage unit and finding studio space. I’m actually leaving my current studio which is 6’ x 7’ and I’m moving into a new space in June. I’m gradually growing the studio size every year.

PM: Now that we’ve cleared that one up, for the readers that may not be aware – give us a quick rundown on Danielle?

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Danielle: I didn’t intend on having a painted helmet business. I just ride a bike in the city and I alter my things, like clothes that I buy. And I just repainted my helmet for myself – but so many people asked where it came from. I felt the need to turn it into a business, because people were asking where can I get that. But I also had a ton of ideas. My company grew not because I was trying to start a business, I realized the market place needed it and I was the person to create that product. It kind of grew from that and also cycling became popular around the same time. I also a have a salesman’s personality, I’ve had a few different companies and also I make other products. I make things that I find useful and talk to people about them because I’m excited about them. But setting up websites and marketing my helmets came naturally to me.

PM: For you it was the right set of circumstances and the right timing?

Danielle: Yeah. I try not to convince people that they need something, I make it and gauge people’s responses to it. If they are excited then I think it’s worth making. Naturally, people asked me where I got the helmet and I got the idea. It’s a great canvas, I made 10 helmets before I launched the website and because I got so much positive feedback it turned out to be something worth pursuing.

PM: I understand during your Senior year in school (college) you had a unique way of selling your helmets?

Danielle: I created my website in 2009 when I was a Senior, I was painting helmets in my art class – which I’m not sure I was supposed to be doing that. I was having people come over to my school and meet in the street outside the building and try on the helmets.

PM: You were dipping out of class, mid day to sell helmets?

Danielle: I was very seriously involved in my company while I was still a student, even though my classes in school were unrelated to my helmets. I was still trying to run a business and support myself while I was still a senior. I would meet the clients outside, but that was only a few times. I went to bike shows as well. It took time for me to get traction on my site, this wasn’t even my full time job until 3 years ago. There were points where I had sculpture and painting projects due that were not related to helmets and I didn’t prioritize well. I prioritized my business because at the time I thought it was practical that I would have a job after graduating. If I put that on hold, it would be hard to live in the city and start a business. It made sense to start while I was here for school.

PM: How did the opportunity with the Brooklyn museum come about?

Danielle: I was doing a show at the Javitz center, it was the international gift fair. I was in a collective called Model Citizens a group of designers. Because it’s expensive to have a booth there, 14 of us split a booth and had a few of our products there. My helmets were visible and the Brooklyn museum really liked them – they saw them. I didn’t pursue them.

PM: Are the helmets just displayed or can you buy them?

Danielle: No you could buy them. This was 2 years ago and they had 12 helmets at the time. They

have themes and set up with the certain displays – they ordered a group of designs. I think if you go there could be two left. I’m not sure.

PM: Have you had any bike manufacturers reach out to you, where the bike and helmet would go together?

Danielle: I’m going to collaborate with Brompton, the folding bike company and I might collaborate with Brilliant, the bike company in San Francisco which is doing an affordable commuter bike. I’m interested in doing small batch orders instead of mass producing something for Schwinn. I’m totally interested in doing that but it would be my company doing a limited edition helmet.

“I paint objects as I think them, not as I see them.” - Pablo Picasso.

PM: If you could a paint a helmet for any person who would that be?

Danielle: What do you mean, a customer I don’t have?

PM: Yes, any person in the world you could paint a helmet for?

Danielle: I don’t know. I like all of my customers, sure it’s cool if a celebrity wants a helmet – but I get random calls from the Internet and people talk to me about their random interests and I think that’s really cool. I’m talking to a stranger and I’m designing something personal for them, I feel like a tattoo artist. They are designing this object that they will have for a few years and I get to know them. But I get a lot of requests from the neuroscience community, helmets for beekeepers, I design helmets for lawyers, helmets for psychologists and sometimes the helmets are themed to match what they do. But I don’t have a person I’m trying to target.

PM: Since you do everything, what does a typical day look like for you?

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Danielle: Actually, I don’t get much design work done until later in the afternoon and at night. I think this is true with creative work; it’s hard to work during normal hours, because the sense of having infinite time so that you won’t be bothered, is important. So waking up early or staying up late, during the day I’m doing more communications with customers and tweaking my website and marketing and all that stuff. Then I’m pretty much fulfilling orders every day, but I always make sure that I take time to just to invent new designs. I think it’s important to make things when you’re excited about it, I get ideas but I don’t have an order, I’ll do it anyway. Definitely making things on a whim is important, it clears your mind.

PM: So do structure your day for you to do the creative part?

Danielle: Generally, if I’m creating new work or doing custom orders I will stay up really late and do that. Just because I like the sense of having infinite time and if I work at night I don’t have anything else to do or place to be. Psychologically it’s better to create things without feeling that your day was being broken up.

PM: Did you have that pattern in the beginning or did you develop it over time?

Danielle: I had other jobs in the beginning so I use to only do this in my spare time. When it turned into a full time job, I scheduled time to fulfill my orders – then made sure that I had time to create and tweak things. That’s always been at night for me, I’m a night person.

With Danielle you get the sense that she was clear even in the early stages of her business, that she was going to have an impact and leave some sort of mark on the city, the landscape and the people around her. Whether you can attribute that to a keen business sense or pure intuition, this young lady knew where she was headed.

PM: You’re a couple of years in to your business and the press for you has come from unique sources.

How does it feel when people reach out and want to talk about your success story?

Danielle: I feel as if I could have shared this story even when I started, you could have predicted it.

I’m very confident about my product, I’ve always been really excited about it. I’ve understood people’s reactions to it from the beginning. It’s interesting, if I was asked maybe 4 years ago what direction I wanted my company to go in, I’d probably be saying similar responses to how it actually went. I guess when I’m interviewed now, it’s a similar story but in a past tense. Of course, I had issues and things to deal with and unexpected luck. A lot of things that have happened to my company have been lucky….but I think that the story about why I’m doing helmets and the concept of my business has been the same since the day I started. I’m still just as

excited about my product and nothing has changed and the idea is still the same.

PM: So telling the story now is more confirmation of what you thought it could become?

Danielle: I guess so. I think I always have a trajectory for my company. I have goals I want to accomplish, others designs I want to do. I want to do more reflective work and light up helmets which I didn’t have from the beginning. But I don’t think finding customers and getting press is my selling point. If I meet someone on the street and I’m wearing a helmet, I’m going to talk to them about the helmet and it’s the same conversation as when I first started. I’m not going to say “I have this big business and I’ve been featured in Oprah.” I kind of don’t care about the external validation of my product. If I didn’t even have the company and I was just a person who painted helmets on the stoop of my apartment building it would still have the same affect on the person looking at it.

PM: The reason I ask, everyone sees their success differently and when someone outside their circle or industry says I think your story is noteworthy or inspirational. There’s a reflection...

Danielle: A few weeks ago Us Weekly featured me in their gift guide. They found my helmets on Pinterest and I felt that was really surreal, I would have never though that a helmet would be that popular. I wanted that to happen - it’s surreal that It happened, but it’s not surprising because I think the product is cool. So when people ask me for business advice, I realize, oh wow I have been doing this for awhile. It’s always cool when someone asks me for business advice or asked me how it’s possible that I can run a business and live in the city and support myself.

PM: Let’s talk about the business itself for a moment?

You come to the realization that you have a product that doesn’t exist in the market and you’ve found a way to make helmets more appealing. When you worked through that moment – how did you figure out your price points?

Danielle: That was tricky and this is an issue artist have, they don’t want to charge for their work when they really like the idea. When you are a crafter you want people to have it, that’s a satisfying feeling – someone likes your work and appreciates it. Making money from it, is kind of secondary. I struggled at first with price, I wanted it to be affordable and low - I even did barters. I was doing a friend’s helmet in college, bring me a bottle of wine in exchange, I thought that was a fair deal. At first I wasn’t profitable at all. What I did with the pricing, I kept making up different prices. I didn’t have a price sheet, I continued increasing prices to a point. Then once I created more designs, I priced based on how long it took to create.

If I’m doing a custom piece for someone I’m not necessarily charging more because it’s custom, I charge by labor. I know that in the world of customization you can totally get away with more – because it’s unique. But because it’s a bicycle helmet and I want more people wearing helmets - it’s a

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strange item, where I want it to be affordable and not this exclusive product. Unless I keep a range of helmets, which I’ve started. I’m always trying to figure out ways to lower my cost. I really don’t like that someone loves my work, but can’t afford it. I want people that really admire my work to have it because they will appreciate it. With the amount of work I do now I can’t lower my price, so I created a collection of designs that were lower cost and were simpler. That’s been great, I’m still making cool helmets I have a wider customer base and I’m not turning people away.

The conversation had moved from the creative side of the house over to the “nuts & bolts” of the business. As we were discussing her approach to pricing for her work, Danielle touched on a point that I’m sure every artist, singer, musician and writer has struggled with - “What is my work really worth?”. Fun fact: Picasso’s Nude, Green Leaves and Bust painting sold for $106.5 million dollars in 2010.

PM: You mentioned something, interesting. Artists not wanting to charge for their work, they want people to have it because they appreciate it?

Danielle: I think that is a better feeling. If someone really likes your work it’s almost better than that. Ultimately you need to get paid though. Ideally you find someone that both really loves your work and really wants support you as an artist – and it totally sucks when someone – when people are holding a helmet and wishing they can have it, but with my workload I really can’t negotiate anymore. It’s tricky, there’s also the customer who only wants to buy expensive things. Some people are swayed by price and if your work is more expensive they want it because that’s their budget. I think it’s best to have a range of prices, so that you can do some bespoke things for thousands of dollars, but also take whatever specialty you have and figure out a way to make a smaller, less detailed version and sell it to more people. It’s good to increase your demographics and make your work accessible.

“It is your work in life that is the ultimate seduction.” Pablo Picasso PM: Given that you are an artist, when it come to making business decisions do you listen to your gut more often? Is it a case of head versus heart?

Danielle: I make my decisions based on logic and practicality. The whole premise is this intuitive hunch of whether people want this. I did market research and no one is doing this, the market doesn’t exist. For creating use your intuition definitely, then use your intuition to fuel logical decisions about your budget and where your working and who you’re hiring. I constantly tweak things, I do analytics on my site. I talk to customers about their experience with my shopping cart and I constantly tweak things – that’s all logic and empirical decisions. For designs though, that’s all from the

ether. People have ordered a lot of blue helmets, it doesn’t mean I’m going to do more blue helmets.

PM: To build on that, there will be trends that get hot and everybody jumps on it. You might see an increase in requests for blue helmet, but you still try to keep things different?

Danielle: I’m working on a small scale, I don’t have thousands of helmet orders a year – I know what people are getting from my site, but I still want to change it up even though it might be trending. I make designs that I want to exist as opposed to jumping on a trend. I do make designs that are fitting in with fashion trends. A few years ago I started doing floral prints because people were wearing more floral prints. So I do pay attention to what’s happening in fashion, but also create other designs I think would be cool. It’s good to follow a trend if people like that aesthetic, but at the same time, invent new stuff and test new stuff.

PM: Blue sky, someone came along and said Danielle I want to give you a blank check and you can walk away from the business. Do you leave the business or do you stay?

Danielle: I would, but does this mean I can never paint a helmet again in this scenario?

PM: It does not mean you can’t paint another helmet ever again.

Danielle: I would leave because there are other things I want to pursue, but I can’t because of my schedule at this time. I’m in the process of trying to hire people to do my work, I have a flow of sales and its a lot of the same helmets and I feel I can train people for that. There are other businesses that I want to pursue, but this one consumes all my time. Yes I totally invite someone buying my business. As long as I could still occasionally design helmets or advise them. I like painting and it’s meditative, but I really do the same thing over and over again. I’ve proven that the idea is valid, now if someone would have asked a few years ago I would say no, because I hadn’t built it up enough.

Actually I would love for a helmet company to acquire my business. I could work with them to design a better helmet because I have a lot of feedback on how they fit, but I can’t make changes to the mold.

I do think you should see your ideas through to completion though, before you start a new project.

So if in a year someone said, ”you can leave your helmet business and go do something else, here’s some money” that would be great.

PM: I like to ask everyone at the end a similar question, there’s some young lady out there and she’s really creative at something. What would be your advice to her? She knows what she wants to do, has the materials but still is hesitant.

Danielle: I think it’s important to tell your idea to everyone. I’m often hesitant about ideas, because I’m not sure whether people want that idea. Or I haven’t convinced myself it’s a good idea. But if you’re excited to tell people about it and the responses make it more real... as far as launching an idea and setting up a website, right now it’s so easy and cheap, that it is not a risk. You can create a Ecommerce site for 10 dollars. It’s not a major venture to create a business, now mass production and hiring people, that’s a major risk. But as far as being a maker and launching something it’s real-

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ly low risk. If it doesn’t work you can delete it. There’s no downside to going forward with a project.

I think that if someone isn’t certain about their product, it might not be worth investing the time in it. Or maybe it needs to be tweaked.

But I think the most valuable thing is gauging how anyone responds to it. And I think a good measure of how convinced you are that things exist, is how excited you are to tell other people about it.

If you don’t share your idea or think no one understands my idea – or you’re waiting to find the right demographic. Then there’s things that need to be tweaked.

PM: In part what I’m hearing you say is flush out your idea, share it to get the feedback. If the feedback is in line, go for it. But if you’re hesitant about sharing, circle the wagons – get tight and then go forward?

Danielle: I think that launching things isn’t the solution to a half idea. If you think “I have this loose idea, but I’ll make this website and that will validate it.” That’s not true. You need to be excited to share it and talk about it. Once you have the reaction you want then it’s good to launch it. Otherwise it’s a waste of time, I don’t think it’s a waste of money though.

It’s kind of awesome that we’re in an era where anyone can share an idea and sell a product they make in their living room, on-line. That’s really cool.

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