THIS GIRL...
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She is strong and fierce, determined to reach her goals. She does what she loves, because she knows her time is precious and she doesn’t want to waste it doing something that doesn’t fill her with happiness. She focuses on being productive, not on being a busy fool. She spends time learning all that she can in order to make what she wants happen.
This Girl defines and lives up to her legacy.
This Girl... 3
IN THIS ISSUE:
12 A New Way of Perceiving Your Goals
2 This Girl... 6 Meet the Team 8 Contributors 10 A Note from Carrie 12 Quote of the Month 14 A New Way of Perceiving Your Goals By Dawn Marron
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24 20 Starting the Wrong Business By Jess Collins 24 How She Did It: Julia Boggio of Boggio Studios 44 Business Card Dos & Don’ts By Natalie Walstein 48 Cover Story: An Interview with Thea Green of Nails Inc. By Carrie Green
48 60 56 This Girl Loves... By Samantha Green 58 Something to Try This Month by Carrie Green 60
Forget about Inbox Zero: 11 Steps to Help You Manage Your E-mails Effectively By Natasha Vorompiova
68 Top 10 Tips: Ten Things to Remember on Your Journey 70 See you next time!
ISSUE #13 Quick Links: Share This Issue Subscribe / Contribute View Past issues Share Your Story
s dqwertA S Hy yY Table of Contents 5
MEET THE TEAM
{This Girl Means}
BUSINESS ISSUE #14
Editor-in-Chief
Carrie Green, UK style editor
Samantha Green, UK features editor
James Stephens, UK Design & Illustration
Natalie Walstein, USA design assistant
Rebecca Brayman, USA
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contributors
Dawn Marron // soul coach, nz Dawn is a Soul Coach and Transformational Energy Worker. Her mainstream career included writing and delivering personal and professional development workshops for such corporates as British Telecom. Her not so mainstream career included many years as a Community Artist working with at risk youth. Her spiritual calling led her and her family from their home in the UK to New Zealand five years ago where she has deepened her personal development and works with private and business clients from her base in Raglan on New Zealand’s west coast.
Jess Collins // type communications, uk Jess is the Creative Director of Type: a creative agency specialising in Content Strategy & Communications.
FIND OUT HOW TO BE A CONTRIBUTOR HERE
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Natalie Walstein // Half Asleep Studio, us Natalie is a graphic designer, illustrator, & lover of all things colorful, creative, dreamy, & handmade. She is the founder of Half Asleep Studio, a dream-fueled art & design studio that seeks to propel the image of creative professionals & small businesses with artfully crafted, heart-fluttering imagery to help them attract their most ideal client while reflecting their own individual style. She shares her projects, inspiration, and visual point of view at halfasleepstudio.com. Natalie’s favorite quote is, “ Your
dream job does not exist. You must create it.”
Natasha Vorompiova // systemsrock, be Natasha Vorompiova is the founder of SystemsRock, architect of business systems that work and a Certified Book Yourself Solid Coach. Her clients are small business owners who start their businesses with passion and a desire for freedom, but find themselves stuck and buried in day-to-day operations. Natasha creates systems that ensure clients get more done in less time and pave the way for greater profits and long-term success. Check out the FREE Systems Chick’s Guide to Transforming Busyness Into Business for simple ways to grow your business.
Contributors 9
A Note from Carrie
website,
his past month has been a busy one… we’ve been working hard on our new (which is finally live, so check it out!), creating this issue of the magazine AND developing something very exciting for you more on this below. Being so busy has really made me realise that sometimes it’s easy to become a ‘busy fool’. I find that you can become so consumed with lots of little things that you end up running around like a headless chicken, being busy, not productive. As entrepreneurs this can be a disaster, because often we have no one watching over us to tell us
T
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to stop messing around with the little stuff and get on with the big stuff. So over the past month or so I’ve had to get really good at being my own boss and taking the time to check in with myself, to make sure that I’m not wasting time doing things that I don’t need to be doing. It’s been a good learning curve and it’s made me realise how important it is for us all to take a step back and check in with ourselves, to make sure we are on track and focusing on the right things. So, after all the checking in with myself I’m delighted to share this month’s magazine with
you! This month I want you to read this issue and feel absolutely certain that you can achieve whatever you want (because you can). And to help inspire you to believe this we interviewed Thea Green, founder of Nails Inc… wow does she have an incredible story. She quit her job at 24 to launch her own range of nail varnishes and set up nail bars, and she’s turned it into a multi-million pound empire. On page 40 she shares how she did it. I hope you enjoy this issue.
Exciting News…
So lastly, I want to share some very exciting news with you… one of the most exciting things that we’ve been working away on recently is our Members’ Club. It’s been a long time coming, but we’re nearly ready to go live and I can’t wait! For all of you amazing people who are determined to turn your
ideas into a reality, build successful businesses and create a life you love – this is for you. We’re coming together to take action on our dreams, to support each other every step of the way and to make a difference with our businesses. I would be absolutely delighted if you would join us. If you’re interested to know more then sign up here and we’ll get in touch as soon as we have more to share. Stay inspired,
Carrie
.
.
Note from Carrie 11
Quote of the
Month
�
FOCUS on being
PRODUCTIVE
not busy . - tim ferriss
personal DEVELOPMENT
A New Way
of Perceiving Your Goals
Words by
dawn marron // soul coach, nz
hen Carrie and I started discussing this piece for this month’s magazine, she said, ‘With autumn coming up I thought it would be good to share some tips on how people can really make the most of the rest of this year and reach their goals! What do you think?’ Well, what I did think came from a completely
W
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different perspective. Living in the southern hemisphere, October brings Spring time and daffodils, apple and cherry blossom, carpets of wild flowers, frolicking lambs, chicks, ducklings, irrepressible birdsong and a charged upsurge in that most magical of re-awakening energy. The latter part of the year here in New Zealand is more a beginning than an end and as I
considered that, I was reminded of how everything comes down to the way we perceive it. The same can be said for the way we perceive the goals that we set ourSelves. We set them thinking that when we achieve them they will fulfill the desires we attach to them, everything else will fall into place, we’ll feel better about ourSelves and our place in the world. Then, whether we reach them or not, we’ll set further goals, attach more of the same desires to them and busy ourSelves with achieving them, keeping the loop in perpetual motion. And if we’re not reaching our goals, the chances are we’ll throw in a hefty dose of self-punishment too! But, what if your power lies in what is rather than what is to come? What if your goal setting were a way of distracting yourSelf from Being here now? What if constantly looking to the future
“What if your power lies in what is rather than what is to come?” and how you will feel when you achieve the goal you have set seriously diminishes your power of now? Now. I am not against having goals, I think they are important, but I think our perception of what they are, what they do and how we can use them may, often times, be sitting in the old power-sapping paradigm of cause and effect and to counter that, all you have to be is willing to consider another way. A New Way of Perceiving Your Goals 15
So here are my tips on the whole goal scenario. Are you willing? 1. Be sure your goal is a real goal
And just what do I mean by that? I mean if your goal is to be happy, to find peace, to be still, to be more outgoing, to be more confident, more patient etc., you might want to look again.
All of these things are states that you can simply choose to be at any time. Yes. They are. They are You. You are in tact. Every state you wish for lies within you, ready to spring to life. You do not have any of them missing, you choose to believe what you are and what you are not. They never go anywhere. You do. So make sure you’re not chasing something you already have right at your finger-tips. 2. Be sure your goal is a truth
“Every state you wish for lives within you ready to spring into new life.”
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The spiritual meaning of truth is to be authentically your perfect, abundant Self but as the majority of us are disconnected from what exactly that means to each of us individually, we look around for examples outside of ourSelves. We see our neighbour with a new car, they look happy and prosperous so we think that may be a good goal to set
ourSelves. We see a friend get a promotion that ups her income and we figure more education could be what we need. Your sister has a baby and you witness the transformation in her relationship with your parents and her partner and think it could be the answer. We desire equivalence with people around us but honestly, there’s no external thing that will make us equivalent, because we already are. Realising the truth of you will move you from striving to reach the next goal to being at peace with where you are now. 3. Now is where it’s at
Being at peace with where you are now is the first step to changing your reality or moving towards a true goal. There is no need to wish it were otherwise. It simply is. Accept it and yourSelf without judgement then you can
allow your next action to come from within your present reality and it will be authentic, perfectly tailored to the moment and wholly powerful. 4. What wants to happen?
When we set goals, many of us come from the space of wanting to control what is happening or what we want to happen. We think if we can control outcomes and leave nothing to chance the more likely we are to have the life we want. But setting goals isn’t really about going after specifics, all that actually does is define and limit our potential. It is instead about opening up possibility and allowing ourSelves to Be in the energy of what wants to happen. Trust that you already have everything you want to have and Be and all you have to do is line up with it, get out of your own way and stop sabotaging your incredible life.
A New Way of Perceiving Your Goals 17
5. Take inspired action
You may have visions of what will Be. Visualising is awesome and fuelling your visions with your feelings helps them to manifest more quickly but visualising alone won’t get you your goal. As physical Beings we must take physical action but wait until you get the nudge, wait until your intuition tells you now is the time and be open to how small or large a step you may have to make. If you have mapped out a time scale of how to reach your goal and the steps you’re going to take to do that, you may just have to reconsider. Trust your inner knowing more than your logical mind. It is more tuned into the big picture and more able to pick up energetic signals of change than your proof-seeking, evidence-gathering mind.
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6. Give yourSelf a break
A mentor of mine says, ‘If you’re flying from New York to LA you don’t get there any quicker by running up and down the aisles flapping your arms. Sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.’ Trust that everything is in order. Divine timing is at play. Let go of controlling outcomes. Your plane is heading in the right direction. Trust that you will arrive at your destination. 7. Be kind to yourSelf
Whenever you’re talking to yourSelf about your goal aloud or in the privacy of your own thoughts, please, please take a kind tone with yourSelf, the same you’d use for a beloved friend or a beloved child. Epi-genetics has proven that how you persistently talk to yourSelf influences what you believe about yourSelf, in turn your beliefs programme your
“Remember that you are the creative solution to achieving any of the goals you set for yourself in life.” DNA, not the other way around. Be your own best friend, your biggest fan, your rousing cheerleader and don’t take any crap from the inner bitch that has you running scared. More than anything, remember that you are the creative solution to achieving any of the goals you set for yourSelf in life. You must reckon with yourSelf if you’re going to succeed in anything you do and not let YOU get in the way of creating change. Creativity requires curiosity. Are you curious enough? Creativity requires risk-
taking. Are you willing to risk? Creativity requires energy. Can you unleash your energy? Creativity requires patience. Have you cultivated that quality? See yourSelf as a Being of Becoming and become consciously engaged in co-creating your reality through the goals you set. Ensure they connect you to and help you to identify more wholly with your creativity, spontaneity, inspiration and intuition. Do not allow your beliefs to define who you think you are, reach for goals that will support you in discovering that you are more than you’ve been led to believe.
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A New Way of Perceiving Your Goals 19
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Starting the Wrong Business by
jess collins // creative director of type, uk
remember it like it was yesterday: I felt miserable, sick and frustrated; I was getting the Monday blues weekin, week-out, dreading the thought of going to work and didn’t know what to do about it. After all, I was supposedly ‘living the dream’ wasn’t I? That’s what people kept telling me. I had my own business, I was featuring in magazines and I got to be my own boss – so why did I feel this way? Because I started the wrong business. I often read about startups who lose their money or have
I
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“Six months in I was lonely, depressed and at rock bottom, sometimes I would go an entire day without seeing or speaking to a human being.” operational problems, but my business was working just fine, I just couldn’t admit to myself that I didn’t enjoy it. Everyone talks about cash flow, profit, loss, equity, assets and suchlike, but nobody teaches you about the importance of passion in what you do. I had thought it was a great idea in the beginning: an online shop to help men choose the perfect gift, it would even remind them of when the anniversaries and birthdays were approaching. I was so excited and couldn’t stop talking about it, making sure I had an article in every magazine possible. There was just one thing I didn’t think about: I’ve never
really worked in a shop and I especially didn’t have any background in online sales. I had gone from my full time job as a marketing manager in a busy office to being alone in a spare bedroom, waiting for online sales to come through. Six months in I was lonely, depressed and at rock bottom, sometimes I would go an entire day without seeing or speaking to a human being. It was soul destroying and had to stop. Of course, people came up to me and asked why I had failed or if I’d gone bust and I felt even more embarrassed to admit the business had been doing OK, but that I just wasn’t happy. Starting the Wrong Business 21
“After all of the conferences I attended about business and all of the things I learned, none of it compares to ‘do what you love’.” Whilst trying to figure out what I wanted to do moving forward, I started a blog, which began to get noticed and I was offered some journalism work. I started to realise that I didn’t have to reinvent the wheel and do something inventive or different to be a business owner – my skills and training are in writing and 22 This Girl Means Business
marketing: this is what I know and love. After all, my favourite part of running the shop was promoting it all along. Before I knew it, people began contacting me for work, asking me to write their websites, brochures and articles. I haven’t looked back since. Two years later and I’m feeling the best I’ve ever felt about life and the decisions I’ve made. Now I’m the proud Director of a company specialising in content strategy and communications: unique, creative content that gets companies noticed – which is what we’re known for and love to do. After all of the conferences I attended about business and all of the things I learned, none of it compares to “do what you love”. If you don’t love it, you won’t be able to put the time in that the business craves. I enjoy going to work because every day is different and I get to do the things I love in life. And that’s priceless!
Top Tips for Getting it Right 1. Make sure you’re passionate
about what you do.
4. Trust your gut: I learnt early
you’re going into so that you’re not disillusioned with the reality versus the fantasy.
on that I know the truth inside and I know what is truly best for my business, don’t trust someone else’s logic over your instinct, no matter how important they appear.
3. Pay attention to your strengths
5. Focus on the goal, not on the
2. Get experience in the field
– the lesson of the day is: if you’ve been writing all your life and you know you’re naturally talented in this area, don’t open a shop!
crowd – never be swayed by other people’s opinions or viewpoints, keep your eye on where you want to be and you’ll get there!
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Starting the Wrong Business 23
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How She Did It Interview by:
NAME: Julia
Boggio company: Boggio Studios founded: UK, 2005
ulia Boggio hated her copywriting job, so she decided to quit and turn her love for photography into a business. Here she tells how she took her hobby and turned it into a successful business (she even shares how she managed to photograph the Queen and Sir Richard Branson). Get ready to take notes‌
J
what motivated you to start your own business?
All my life, I had dreamed of being an advertising copywriter.
carrie green
I majored in Marketing at University and took multiple creative writing courses. After university, I created a spec portfolio with a friend who wanted to be an art director and I beat out lots of other hopefuls to get a great job at a pharma advertising agency. I worked as a copywriter for 8 years. I won awards; I had a great salary relatively young. And I hated it. As it turns out, the creative stuff that I loved was only about 10% of the job, the other 90% being lengthy, boring selling aids and office politics. Thankfully, I decided to take a 6-month trip through South America, which is where
How She Did It: Julia Boggio 25
“The thing about starting a creative business is that it can be all too easy to focus on the first half (creative) and not the second (business).” I discovered photography. When I returned to the UK after travelling, I enrolled on a 2-year photography course on weekends, so I could continue working as a copywriter. I graduated top of the class and then a friend asked me to photograph her wedding. She was the woman who had introduced me to the man I would eventually marry, so I really wanted to do a great
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job for her. After the wedding, I looked back at the images I had taken and thought, “I can do this for a living.” I spent another two years assisting a local wedding photographer as my misery at my job increased (my creative director was both a misogynist and a druggie – a real life Mad Man without any of Don Draper’s charm, good looks or style). Finally, in April 2005, my soon-to-be husband and I had just pulled up outside our house and I turned to him and said I wanted to give photography a go, full time. He could obviously see my passion for it and he knew how miserable I was at work, so he agreed to support me as I left my job. Now, eight years later, my husband, James, works with me at Boggio Studios.
how did you take it from an idea to a reality - what were the first few steps you took?
The thing about starting a creative business is that it can be all too easy to focus on the first half (creative) and not the second (business). I got into it because I liked taking pretty pictures of people, but without a
solid business developed on solid business principles, it would just be a glorified hobby. I didn’t want that. Having a degree in marketing and years of experience in branding was a definite bonus for me. Since starting Julia Boggio Photography in 2005, I’ve always been known for having a strong brand in an industry where good
How She Did It: Julia Boggio 27
brands were thin on the ground. So one of the first things I did was write a creative brief and instruct a design agency to create my visual identity. The next thing I did was to write a business plan. James, who at the time worked as one of the top salesmen for a global IT company and had a
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lot of experience with business planning, sat me down and we hashed out what I needed to do to get my business going, including my goals for the first year and how I was going to achieve them. We created a month-by-month action list, starting with items like “build desk” all the way to “approach venues to create partnerships.” I had a lot to do. I also did some sales training for myself because, like it or not, I was going to be my number one salesperson and I needed to know more about it. My training on techniques for proper cold calling to get myself on the books at venues was especially useful. Next, I knew I needed to spend some time improving my craft as a photographer at the same time as I created solid foundations for the business.
“Starting your own business is one of the most exhilarating and terrifying things you can do; scarier than any roller coaster and more exciting than getting your first kiss. You are suddenly in complete control of your destiny and future success – how cool is that?” One without the other is nothing. With that in mind, I enrolled on short courses and found myself a mentor, who I paid for teaching me. The two-year course I had done was good for giving me an entry-level knowledge and appreciation of photography and dark room practice, but I didn’t want to be a photographer who only understood how to take pictures in good daylight; I wanted to be Annie Leibovitz. And I wanted to inspire others with my work. Within two years of start-
ing my business full-time, I was starting to get a reputation in the wedding industry as a fun and quirky photographer with a unique style. Now, eight years into the game, my business looks completely different from how it did originally. It’s gone from being a wedding photographer business, to being a wellrespected portrait and wedding studio with 16 full- and parttime employees. Starting your own business is one of the most exhilarating and terrifying things you can do;
How She Did It: Julia Boggio 29
scarier than any roller coaster and more exciting than getting your first kiss. You are suddenly in complete control of your destiny and future success – how cool is that? how did you finance it?
Both my husband and I had savings and James also had a good salary at the time. For the first year, I brought in some income, which went immediately back into the company. James kindly gave me an allowance from his salary every month, so that I’d have some living money. My advice to anyone starting their own business would be to save up enough money to pay their personal living expenses for at least a year, as it can take at least that long to get your cash flow moving.
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what was the process you went through in order to get everything up and running?
Even before I handed in my notice, I took a day’s holiday to go on a course about The Business of Photography. I knew absolutely nothing about running my own business and thought that it would help me to avoid mistakes. I also spent time researching the competition to see what other people were offering and how they were marketing themselves. I joined photography associations and went to trade shows, where I could meet suppliers for the products I would be offering to my clients. Almost as soon as I handed in my notice, I went on a 3-day Photoshop course in order to give my post-production skills a
boost. As I would soon find out, a lot of my time would be spent staring at a screen working on images, so it was time and money well spent. As I mentioned before, my experience in branding really helped at this stage. I wrote a targeted creative brief and
instructed an agency to work on my visual identity and website. I am a big believer in getting people with specialist knowledge to do specialist jobs – like creating logos and designing websites. Trust me – you can always tell when business owners have designed their own materials.
How She Did It: Julia Boggio 31
“I am a big believer in getting people with specialist knowledge to do specialist jobs – like creating logos and designing websites.” Let the professionals handle it (but make sure you like their work before you engage them and be very clear about what the objective and feel of the design should be). On the hardware side, I relied on eBay. I bought what must have been the world’s largest Lacie CRT monitor as I knew that I needed a screen that would represent colour correctly and a brand new one just wasn’t in the budget. Thankfully, I was able to upgrade to a flat screen within a couple of years, as I am sure that CRT monitor was
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putting too much pressure on the foundations of my house! Which brings me on to the fact that I initially ran my business out of our second bedroom. As time went on, my business slowly started to take over the entire house, room by room. My first employee and all my client meetings happened in the living room. Our kitchen and bedroom served as my studio (my husband still “complains” about the day he came home to find me photographing a halfnaked woman in our bed). I finally moved out of the house at
the beginning of my fourth year of business, but more about that later. All in all, I’d say it took about at least 6 months to set up the infrastructure of the business and about a year to get it to a point where it was starting to earn money. once you’d set the business up, how did you raise awareness of it?
In your business plan, you write down all the goals you’d like to achieve.In your marketing plan, you come up with specific ideas on how you are going to achieve those goals. My marketing plan was simple: initially, I mixed advertising, networking and business partnership. The most effective of these three, as far as actual cash in hand goes, was by far the business partnerships.
I created relationships with wedding venues who were happy to recommend me to their client base; I met with wedding planners and dress designers and anybody else in the industry who could put me in touch with clients. By far the least effective was advertising, which was especially interesting since
How She Did It: Julia Boggio 33
that was my previous career. In order for advertising to work, it has to be consistent, regular and targeted. I just didn’t have the budget to do that at the time, so doing one-off ads didn’t work (and I was such a sucker every time somebody called me to offer me an amazing deal on last-minute ad space. “What?! It’s been reduced from £1400 to
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£900! Yes, please.” Ugh). Regarding networking, one of the first things I did was join BNI, which is a breakfast networking group. I also went to any wedding industry networking events that I could get invited to. Breakfast networking definitely brought in some business for me, but even more so, it put me in touch with
people who could support my business, like accountants, designers, lawyers, and marketing consultants. Then I discovered PR. It happened quite by accident. My husband and I had done the dance from Dirty Dancing at our wedding in 2005. We used to show the video to our friends at dinner parties and it was always a hit. In 2007, YouTube had just come onto the scene and some friends in America who couldn’t come to the wedding suggested we put it online. Within three days and 200 hits, the Metro had called us, along with Richard & Judy and ITV ’s London Tonight. Shortly following that, we had the BBC, Channel 5 and Sky News on the line, and were featured in almost every UK newspaper as
“Breakfast networking definitely brought in some business for me, but even more so, it put me in touch with people who could support my business, like accountants, designers, lawyers, and marketing consultants.” well as many abroad. We did radio, too. We escaped to Australia for a belated honeymoon and a friend who lived there and worked in media, told the local Sydney morning show
How She Did It: Julia Boggio 35
that we were in town, and we ended up hanging with Mel & Kochie. And then, we had the big one: The Oprah Winfrey Show called us. They wanted to fly us out to Chicago to appear on a show themed around YouTube phenomena. We would be appearing with the founders of YouTube, P Diddy, Esmee Denters, Paul Potts and… ahem…Tyson the Skateboarding dog. Our answer was, of course, a resounding YES.
“Although [all this media attention] happened by chance, I grabbed hold of the opportunity with both hands.”
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To make a long story short, we were in the middle of doing the dance on the show when Patrick Swayze cut in. You can see it on YouTube if you go to our channel. Of course, when this aired, it inspired another round of the James and Julia show on ITV, GMTV, the Metro, etc. Although this all happened by chance, I grabbed hold of the opportunity with both hands. I hired a PR person because I was also getting contacted by a lot of wedding magazines and knew that I had an amazing opportunity to show them my work. I was featured in every major UK wedding magazine. Brides magazine had actually sent a photographer to my actual wedding, but he left long before the first dance. They could
have broken the story in 2005 if he hadn’t gone, but things happen for a reason. My business wasn’t ready for the PR in 2005, but by 2007, I had created a unique style and an impressive body of work that I was ready to share with the world. To this day, PR has remained an important part of my marketing plan.
how have you managed to photograph people like the queen and sir richard branson?
Do you know the phrases “It’s all who you know” and “I was in the right place at the right time”? Well, they’re both true. The Queen came about because James was at a local chamber networking event and he met
How She Did It: Julia Boggio 37
the person from the council who was organising the Queen’s visit to Merton for the Jubilee. And Sir Richard Branson came about because he was making an appearance at an event at The Roof Gardens in Kensington, which happened to be one of my partnership venues. They knew my work and asked if I could come to do the photographs. You can read about both these events on my studio blog here and here. how have you managed to grow the business?
I grew my business by planning for and visualising growth. Every year, James and I write a business plan. In it, we set out exactly what the business wanted to achieve that year and how it was going to do it. Of course, we always allowed
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room for new developments, but ultimately, we always kept our eyes on the prize. In the first year, my goal was to be in a position to hire a post-production assistant by the beginning of year 2. By growing my bottom line through business partnership, I was in a position to do this and I hired a recent graphic design graduate, who worked out of the front room in my house. The second year, my goal was to rebrand and create a new website that properly reflected the photographic style and company profile I had created since opening in 2005. Again, I hired a designer and web developer, both whom I met through networking, and my second brand development was born. I also wanted to update the computer equipment. Two shiny new Macs
“Every year, James and I write a business plan. In it, we set out exactly what the business wanted to achieve that year and how it was going to do it.” and flat-screen monitors later, I wanted to concentrate on making my company more well known in year 3. Well, Dirty Dancing certainly took care of that one. The following year, I wanted to move out of my house, as my long-suffering husband was getting tired of my work equipment taking up every single room. I found some space to rent at the back of a local theatrical lighting company that also had space where I could set up a studio. At this point, something
momentous happened. My husband, James, joined the business. He came on board to take over the business development and sales arm of the business, but now we had an interesting dilemma: how could we make the company into a business that could support not just me, but both of us? This is where our business goals started to change to reflect our life goals. We wanted to start a family. In order to do this, I would need to cut down on weddings, so that I wasn’t
How She Did It: Julia Boggio 39
travelling at weekends. Also, having a baby would give us a natural introduction into the world of family portraiture. So Julia Boggio Studios was born. We crunched the numbers (and when I say “we� I mean James) and we realised that we could viably take over some space in a local creative hub known as Merton Abbey Mills
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and open a studio. It felt a lot like going back to square one in many ways. Again, our goals focused around infrastructure, hiring staff, buying technology, and sorting out systems to deal with an increased client base. On the creative side, the pressure was suddenly on for me to create a unique studio style and photographic products
that would differentiate us in a noisy market. One of the products I created was a pin-up photography experience called Vintage BoudoirTM, which took the bridal boudoir world by storm. Our studio was full of women wanting to look like 1940s pin-up goddesses (we have now moved this brand into a sister brand called Home By Midnight, which focuses on luxury photography for women). Recently, we have just celebrated the 5th anniversary of the studio. We now have 16 staff members, full- and parttime. Our goals have come full circle and are back to publicising the business, creating amazing partnerships, and making sure that our clients are raving about us. I was on holiday in America in August and read an article about the Royal Baby and the places
where Catherine will be able to go for maternity services in London. I am proud to say that, out of the 7 companies listed, we are affiliated as the photographic supplier with 3 of them. Creatively, I am still involved with making sure we are offering products that are different to other photography studios. That’s why I’ve just created two new sister brands in the Boggio group, so that Boggio Studios can concentrate solely on family and pet photography. We now have Home By Midnight, which offers luxury photography for women, and Innocent & Wild, which focuses on young ladies. All 3 brands are based at our Wimbledon studio, but have completely distinct websites and portfolios. I’ll talk more on those later.
How She Did It: Julia Boggio 41
what has it taken to get to where you are today?
A tough skin, lots of determination, oodles of creativity, reliance on solid business practice, and the most fantastic husband and daughter in the world. And champagne. I can’t forget the champagne.
is to be the best company in the world for all fields of family entertainment. Google wants to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. I can assure you that Boggio Studios has got its own BHAG and we are chipping away slowly but surely at achieving it.
what are your top pieces of advice to others looking to turn their idea into a successful business?
what is your favourite quote?
Don’t be afraid to think big, even if you feel like a little business. Set yourself a Big Hairy Audacious Goal (which should always be said in a Scottish accent, I think). What it basically means is give yourself a lofty goal to achieve and then work towards achieving it. For example, Disney’s BHAG
what do you love most about running your business?
42 This Girl Means Business
“When a door closes, a window opens somewhere.”
I love that every day is different. I never go to work and do the same thing twice. I love thinking creatively and that, when I come up with an idea, the power is in me to see it come to fruition. I also get to meet some
“Don’t be afraid to think big, even if you feel like a little business.” amazing people. Most of all, I love that James and I are both home every night to enjoy time with our daughter before putting her to bed. what’s next boggio?!
for
julia
In the immediate future, my time will be spent growing Home By Midnight and Innocent & Wild. I’m so excited about both of these new brands as they will really open up new
markets for us. Nobody in the UK offers the range of creative, luxury photography for women that Home By Midnight offers, from our Couture Portraits to Superhero Boudoir. Since our soft launch in June, we have been inundated with enquiries and I’m looking forward to giving women the chance to see how amazing they can look in photographs. And with Innocent & Wild, it’s approaching the teen market in a completely fresh way. As a parent myself, I wanted to create a brand for young ladies that I would be happy for my own daughter to use, a brand that gives teens the opportunity to have amazing editorial-style portraits without fear of being sexualised. As a photographer, I want to make fantastic imagery with my talented team that will help raise confidence in the subject.
•
How She Did It: Julia Boggio 43
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Business Card DOS & DON’TS Words by
natalie walstein / graphic designer
our business card can
Y
often give the first impression of the professionalism of your business and it can even be just as important
44 This Girl Means Business
in selling as the quality of the product or service you provide. Even though business cards have been around since as early as the 17th century, printing technologies have a come a long way in making these important marketing materials into something much more striking than an inconsequential piece of paper to lose in a pile of papers. Here are some
tips to make sure your business card stands out among the rest (in the best possible way)‌
DON’T DO-IT-YOURSELF!
If you’re just starting out and
have zero marketing budget, then I say it’s okay to try to get some cheap
cards printed up fast. But if you’re in
it for the long haul and want potential customers and clients to take you and
your business as seriously as you do, you should really seek to have your
business cards professionally designed
and printed by experts whose job it is
from each time you need more, but cost a little extra. It’s important to
understand all of your options from the
beginning because your designer may need to follow design guidelines that
are specific to your chosen printer, and waiting until the end may end up costing
you extra money if your designer has to re-format everything.
DO compare designers!
to make businesses shine for a living.
but your business card is often your
and communication skills and it’s
It may seem like such a small thing, first impression and sometimes it’s the
only thing people end up having to remember you by.
DO compare printers!
Before you ever get your business
cards designed, you should definitely spend some time comparing different
printers. One printer might be cheaper, but have horrible customer service or
low quality printing, while another
printer might offer a range of beautiful options and be really easy to re-order
Graphic designers can vary so
much in their skills, expertise, pricing, really important to find one that really seems to ‘get’ your business. Reach
out and have a conversation with this person to make sure you’re both on
the same page when it comes to what you’re looking to accomplish before you decide to work together. Ask
yourself: Do they respond quickly and clearly? Do their portfolio examples
align with the style you want for your brand? Does their knowledge and
expertise seem to validate the prices they’re charging?
Business Card Dos & Don’ts 45
DO think about what
possibilities really are endless. Have fun
you want before you hire!
help you navigate these fancy extras if
Make sure you spend some time
with it! Most designers will be able to you’re interested.
brainstorming what you’re looking for
DO KEEP IT SIMPLE
all on the designer. Gather your logo
the card, and be sure to think about
out in a good way. Trying to include
What did you like about them, or what
confusing to contact you is not a good
as much information as possible about
should be able to figure out what your
create something as true to you and your
confused, otherwise there’s no point in
in a business card before you put it
Your card should definitely stand
design and contact information for
out in some way, but be sure that it stands
business cards you’ve seen in the past.
too much information or making it
did you dislike? Giving your designer
idea. With just a quick glance, people
your preferences will ensure that they
business is all about without getting
business as possible, without having to
having a business card in the first place.
waste time and money guessing.
DON’T forget to
DON’T be boring!
re-order frequently
There are so many ways to make
your business cards stand out these days – there is no excuse for a boring business card design. From budget-
conscious options like using eyecatching colors or striking graphics, to
more spendy options like letterpress
printing or using gold foiling, the 46 This Girl Means Business
There’s nothing like getting into
a lively conversation with a potential client or customer, only to realize
you’re all out of cards. If you did your homework in the beginning and chose a printer that makes it easy for you to
re-order, this shouldn’t be a problem. Order ahead and order often!
•
COVER STORY
48 This Girl Means Business
an interview with
Thea Green By:
CARRIE GREEN
hea Green MBE, foun ded Nails inc in 1999 at the age of 24, after spotting a gap in the market while working as a Fashion Editor in London. Since then she has built Nails inc into a global brand, with over 10,000 people getting their nails done, per week, at their nail bars in the UK alone! Here Thea
T
noticed nail bars on practically every corner. They were hugely popular and used by women on a regular basis - not just for special occasions. They were fast, affordable and convenient and I spotted a gap in the market to introduce a chain of branded nail bars in the UK.
where did the idea for nails inc come from?
you went from being a fashion editor to an entrepreneur - that must have been a big change. how did you find the courage to take that leap?
When I was a fashion editor for Tatler magazine I travelled regularly to New York, where I
It was a big change for me, but I knew from an early age that I wanted to run my own company.
takes us behind the scenes and shares how she did it‌
Cover Story: Thea Green
49
COVER STORY
“I knew from an early age that I wanted to run my own company. I think entrepreneurial spirit is in your blood.� I think entrepreneurial spirit is in your blood. I knew the idea was good, but I was also spurred on by the overwhelmingly positive feedback we received in focus groups and by the belief that the brand and product would be better that anything else that was currently on the market. 50 This Girl Means Business
what were the first steps you took to turn your idea into a reality?
Initially we focused on extensive research into manufacturers who could create the right quality product. I also tested the ideas on friends and family, organising focus groups and speaking to cosmetic industry experts. I knew we wanted a flagship store, so finding the right location for that was important and I also contacted other entrepreneurs that I knew to seek as much advice as possible on getting my business off the ground. how long did it take to go from idea to business?
About six months. I worked relentlessly to ensure that I had a robust business plan and a clear vision to present to both
consumers and investors. Being a fashion journalist I had developed a good network of contacts and was used to being persistent. There comes the moment when you just have to stop planning and just do it – it was very exhilarating, but it was certainly not all plain sailing.
You raised £250,000 from private individuals to start the business – how did you do this? What were the most important things you spent the money on?
It was 1999 when I did my initial fundraise – in the middle of the dotcom bubble - and if the model wasn’t all about online then Cover Story: Thea Green
51
COVER STORY
most people didn’t want to know. But I knew I was on to a winner and just wouldn’t take no for an answer. My extensive market research spoke for itself. The phenomena had hit New York by storm. Women from the UK were eager to get their nails done as soon as they entered the States and championed the notion of nail bars in the UK. Once I had secured the investment I had to prioritise spending. Manufacturing a product range, securing a location for our London store and employing quality staff were the top of my list. You opened your first shop in 1999 and the response was incredible, with people queuing for over 2 hours to get your 15-minute manicure – how did you create such a buzz and
52 This Girl Means Business
raise awareness of your shop so quickly?
We focused on low cost and creative marketing and leveraging the networks from my journalist days to best effect. The market research showed there was big demand so by the time we opened word had already got out. Within six months you opened another shop in London – how did you manage to grow so rapidly?
Nails inc was always meant to be a multi store concept, but even I had underestimated the extraordinary response we received. People were queuing all the way down South Molton Street for a 15 minute manicure! Within the first year you managed to open nail bars in big department stores such as House of Fraser
and Debenhams, what were the steps you took to make this happen? And what advice would you give to others looking to get into big stores?
Beauty halls in department stores were very different fifteen years ago – no one was offering the customer treatments in store. Nails inc was attractive because it offered excellent customer service, a professional product and also kept people in store for longer to consider their purchases. You have to be very creative to stand out from the crowd and the key is to convince stores that your product will sell. Ironically many people thought that Nails Inc already existed in the States, which played to my advantage. You have to create a balance between being quirky and current yet also recognisable. Always remember
what sets you apart from your competitors. What was the hardest part of getting the business off the ground and what helped you to keep going?
I would have to say that gaining the initial investment was one of the biggest hurdles. Selfbelief and a determination to succeed is what kept me going. How have you managed to grow the business so successfully?
I had a clear vision in my mind of what I wanted to achieve and I have never become complacent. The hard work never stops, the customer always comes first and it is vital to constantly adapt to the market and always search for new opportunities. Complacency is one of the biggest downfalls in business. Cover Story: Thea Green
53
COVER STORY
You were 23 when you came up with the idea for Nails Inc – what would your top tips be for other young entrepreneurs who aspire to build a successful business?
Definitely do your research and utilise as many connections as you can. Work out your what your brand is about and recognise where your strengths lie. What makes you different? Seek out free advice – there is so much available now and its very easy to find. You now employ over 400 people, is there any people management advice you can share?
People will admire and respect you as a manager if you are passionate about your business and love what you do. Enthusiasm is contagious.
54 This Girl Means Business
Since launching Nails Inc you’ve also had three children, how do juggle family life with business?
Sometimes I ask myself this question, but I wouldn’t have it any other way! When you love your business and family as much as I do you learn to adapt. I make sure I am always there for important family events and my children admire my commitment to my business. I hope I inspire them to achieve their dreams.
Finish these sentences...
if i could go back in time to when i was 20, i would tell myself... Trust your instincts. the biggest lesson i have ever learned is... never take
no for an answer.
in my spare time i... am with
my family, usually cooking or eating! when i face a big challenge i... embrace it. The bigger the
challenge the bigger the reward.
i love building my business because... I believe in the
brand, I love my team and I want to take nails inc around the world. the hardest part of building my business has been... realising I can’t do it
all - handing over trust and responsibility of your brand to other people can be hard - but luckily I have an awesome team who love nails inc just as much as I do.
my favourite business quote is... “The big secret in
life is that there is no big secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you’re willing to work.” Oprah Winfrey my favourite business book is... I’m not really into
business books but if I had to pick one I choose The King of Shaves story by Will King.
my favourite business tool is... my iPhone; I can’t
leave the house without it.
my top piece of advice to
entrepreneurs is... the best
is yet to come.
•
Cover Story: Thea Green
55
this girl loves...
by samantha green
1
2 3 56 This Girl Means Business
5
4 1. bag from Kate Spade / 2. heels from Zara 3. jewellery from Damsel in Dior x Gorjana / 4. DRESS from Reiss 5. coat from Karen Millen
This Girl Loves... 57
personal DEVELOPMENT
Something to Try This Month by
CARRIE GREEN
Take some time to relax your mind. Someone once
asked me the question, “when was the last time you did nothing for 10 minutes?” I responded quickly with, “Every day! I always try to make time for a break where I watch inspiring videos or daydream.” I felt pleased with my answer, until he said, “No. When was the last time you spent 10 minutes actually doing nothing? That means not watching videos, not listening to music, not daydreaming… 10 minutes of quieting your mind and doing nothing.” Hmmmm… I couldn’t 58 This Girl Means Business
remember. In that moment, I realised that I never made time to really quiet my mind – even when I was doing my daily guided visualisations, I was still thinking and daydreaming! So I made the decision to try and spend 10 minutes a day in a quiet place, with my eyes closed, focusing on my breath and giving my mind a break. I wish I’d started doing it sooner, because it makes me feel so revived, calm and content.
So for the next month, why not give it a try yourself?
Here’s what to do: 1. Once a day, every day take yourself off somewhere quiet and sit down with your feet firmly planted on the floor.
How I do it: Whenever I notice my
mind wandering off with thoughts, I just bring my attention back to my breath again. I sometimes take my awareness to my heart and tune in to it beating and sometimes I take my focus down to my fingertips and feel my heart beating in them.
How I do it: I like to do this in
the morning when I wake up or at nighttime before I go to bed.
2. Close your eyes and relax. How I do it: I like to ground myself
when I get started, by imagining my feet are like tree trunks and I imagine the roots going down into the ground, right down to the core of the Earth. Once I’ve done that I start to relax my body, starting with my face and working my way down to my feet, letting go and releasing any tension.
3. Then I bring my attention to my breath. I breathe in and out slowly.
4. You can also introduce a mantra if you want – a word to repeat over and over again, as you sit and relax. How I do it: I often use the mantra
“I am” and just repeat is over and over again. You can look up the meanings of mantras and find lots of different mantras to use online.
5. After doing this for around 10 minutes or so I bring my awareness back to the room, back to my body and I spend a minute or two thinking about all the things I am grateful for that day.
Happy meditating! •
Something to Try This Month 59
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Forget About ‘Inbox Zero’ 11 steps to help you manage your e-mails effectively! by
Natasha Vorompiova // Systems That Rock
ealing with all the messages in your inbox can feel like a neverending battle. Just when you think they’re under control, you’re bombarded with lots of new e-mails. “Inbox Zero” remains out of reach. But that’s not a bad thing! I gave up on “Inbox Zero” because having to get rid of new e-mails created unnecessary anxiety for me and distracted me from the actions I needed to take in relation to these messages. A processed inbox is what you really need.
D
60 This Girl Means Business
When I ask clients about their e-mail management habits, practically everyone begins or finishes their description by timidly saying, “I know I shouldn’t do that, but…”
“Contrary to popular belief, e-mail management is not about tricks and shortcuts. It’s about routines.” It’s amazing how many people are ashamed of their e-mail habits! I’m not here to criticize them – or you. All we need to decide on is which habits you’re ready and willing to break. Why? Contrary to popular belief, e-mail management is not about tricks and shortcuts. It’s about routines. Forming new habits is never easy. There’s always this battle between our logical self (that understands and accepts the
importance of things like healthy habits) and our rebellious self (that says “screw it…it’s easier and faster to do it the old way”). And we know how things tend to end up. We resort to the old routines. What Great Things Could You Be Doing? Sometimes you can get around your rebellious self by uncovering all the amazing, important, exciting things you could be doing if you weren’t stuck in these bad habits. Consider what other things you could be accomplishing if you weren’t wasting time in your inbox… • Sharing your unique gifts with the world? • Enjoying the space (mentally and physically) to create something new and extraordinary? By visualizing these things, you’re conjuring up positive things that will support and motivate you when you feel yourself getting sucked into your inbox. Forget About ‘Inbox Zero’
61
But you need more than exciting plans. You need fast, simple tips that work… 11 Inbox Tips 1 » Guard Your Mornings
Never open your e-mail first thing in the morning. Having to attend to other people’s requests from the very beginning of the day will put you in a reactive mode and may take over your entire day. Instead, start with a morning routine that will ground you. It can be anything from taking a few minutes to create intentions for the day to savoring a cup of coffee or tea. Then move on to 1-2 tasks that will definitely move your business forward. 2 » Early Bird or Night Owl?
Identify when you’re most productive. Where do you fall on the morning-evening spectrum? Are you an early bird or an owl? 62 This Girl Means Business
When your creative juices are flowing, don’t waste this precious energy sorting e-mails. 3 » Be a Clock Watcher
Determine the amount of time you can spend on e-mail before you open your inbox and then stick to it. Set a timer if it makes it easier for you. E.ggtimer is a great one. When your mind knows it’s up against the clock, you’ll be able to get more done in much less time, especially if you are dealing with not-so-important stuff.
“When your mind knows it’s up against the clock, you’ll be able to get more done in much less time.”
4 » Be a Quitter
If you finish before the time is up, more power to you! Get out of your inbox and move on to the next task. If not, when the timer goes off, make a note of where you finished, close your inbox and don’t let yourself work with it open (unless you absolutely have to). 5 » Be Strong
Resist the urge to return to your inbox. As you work, you might suddenly remember that you need to follow up with a client, send a reminder to a prospect or check dates in an e-mail invitation. Don’t do it if it’s not urgent.
The task that you think of as a one-minute affair is likely to eat up one hour (if not more) of your time as you inevitably remember other things you need to do in your inbox. 6 » Be Merciless
Unsubscribe from anything that pollutes your inbox. Create a Feedly (or any other similar service) account and subscribe to the RSS feeds from those sites. You’ll still be getting the updates, but they’ll be neatly organized. Most importantly, you’ll be going through them on your terms, when your time allows.
Forget About ‘Inbox Zero’
63
7 » Start Fresh
You might be wondering what you should do with those hundreds, even thousands, of e-mails that have been in your inbox for ages. Don’t spend your time processing them. Instead, I want you to move all of those messages to a folder labeled “Archive”. Don’t worry. You won’t lose your mail. It’ll still be there, safe and searchable, but you’ll feel lighter from not constantly seeing them sitting there in your inbox. 8 » Be Brief
Try to write shorter e-mails. Get right to the point. Explain yourself in fewer words. Avoid asking open-ended questions like: What would you prefer? What time is best for you? How do you think we should handle this? You will: • Save time • Show that you’re mindful of other people’s time • Train people to send you short
64 This Girl Means Business
e-mails that take less time to read • Minimize the back-and-forth that’s inevitable when you ask an open-ended question. 9 » Establish Boundaries
There’s no limit to how much time and attention people want from you, so you should be the one to set the boundaries. 10 » Be Smart
If people often e-mail you the same questions about your policies and practices, turn them into an FAQ page and upload it to your site. If you have people submit information to you (e.g., specifications for their individual orders, guest content for your blog, testimonials, or general feedback), ask them to fill out Google or Wufoo forms. 11 » Befriend Technology
There are a number of tools that allow you handle your e-mails. If you’re writing the same messages
over and over, create templates and use tools like Canned Responses (for Gmail), Text Expander (for Mac) Texter (for PC). Install Boomerang for even faster and more efficient e-mail processing. You’ll receive reminders for the e-mails that don’t need to be answered right away (which will make your “Follow Up” folder obsolete). It will also help you schedule e-mails to go out at the right time. Over time, it will train your audience to send you e-mails on certain days and times and give them a clear sense of when they’ll hear back from you. If you need a tool that will prioritize your e-mail messages, get SaneBox. The algorithms of this e-mail management tool automatically sort out the urgent from the non-urgent e-mails. The urgent messages stay in your inbox and less urgent ones get stored in a separate folder and sent to you as a digest as often as you want. The
system will also remind you if an e-mail you have sent was not replied to and tell you need to follow up with that person. This way you can spend less time processing your e-mails and focus on what’s important.
“While there are plenty of tools that can help you manage your e-mail inbox more efficiently and effectively, when it comes to e-mail management, the most important decision to make is what routine to stick to.”
Forget About ‘Inbox Zero’
65
The Most Important Thing! While there are plenty of tools that can help you manage your e-mail inbox more efficiently and effectively, when it comes to e-mail management, the most important decision to make is what routine to stick to. If you are still crafting your e-mail management routine, here is a great place to start: (a) W hen you open your inbox, start by quickly scanning unread messages and immediately deleting the ones you definitely don’t need. (b) Next, look for the e-mails that require immediate attention and answer them. (c) If you have time left, go to the less urgent ones and deal with them. (d) For e-mails that require a longer response, turn them into a to-do item for later.
66 This Girl Means Business
Experiment with it. Come up with a routine that feels natural to you and will get you the results you need. Then stick to it. After all, the best system is the one that you use! •
THIS MONTH’S
TOP
10 TIPS 68 This Girl Means Business
Ten Things to Remember ON YOUR JOURNEY
1.
Be productive, rather than busy.
6.
Strive for progress, not perfection.
2.
Do what you love – life is too short to waste it doing something you hate.
7.
Either you run the day, or the day runs you.
3.
Take the time to learn, learn and then learn some more.
8.
You decide every moment of every day who you are and what you believe in.
4.
Trust that everything is in order.
9.
Be strong & be fierce.
5.
Be kind to yourself.
10.
Know that your goals are a done deal.
Top 10 Tips 69
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