IN THEIR OWN WORDS
The following is taken from In the Company of Women: Inspiration and Advice from Over 100 Makers, Artists, and Entrepreneurs, a book of interviews by Design*Sponge founder
Ping What Zhu, does New success York-based mean commercialto you? illustrator and artist Success is contextual and fleeting, so when things are harmonious, even for a moment, I try to savour it. Name the biggest overall lesson you’ve learned in running a business. Self-discipline and organization is a must. What quotation or saying inspires and motivates you to be yourself and do what you love? Stay hungry. What does the world need more of? Less of? More teachers (who get paid much more than they do now). Fewer flip-flops.
Tavi Gevinson, New York-based writer, editor-in-chief of the magazine Rookie and erstwhile fashion blogger known as the Style Rookie Name a fear or professional challenge that keeps you up at night. Not filling the day as much as I could have. Name the biggest overall lesson you’ve learned in running a business. Honour audience feedback. Has learning from a mistake ever led to success for you?
There are ongoing conversations with Rookie readers, and it’s always valuable to hear what they need more and less of, and learn what our blind spots are. In moments of self-doubt or adversity, how do you build yourself back up? Self-care, which for me means taking walks alone, journaling and doing yoga.
Eileen Fisher, New York-based fashion designer of simple, sustainable clothing for women What was the best piece of business advice you were given when you were starting out?
Grow organically. Don’t get ahead of yourself. If you create a product that people truly enjoy and benefit from, profitability will always follow. What does success mean to you?
Happy customers: finding women who love our clothes. Having a positive impact in the world: sustainability work with other initiatives like women’s leadership. Helping others: employees, other female entrepreneurs, girls’ leadership. What does the world need more of? Less of? The world needs more love, happiness and joy, and less stuff. You still need stuff, but just the right stuff.
Roxane Gay, Indiana-based author and associate professor of English at Purdue University If you were given $100 million, would you run your business any differently? How so?
I would write a lot slower. I would really take my time to pick and choose what I wanted to say. It’s not that I am indiscriminate now, but I say yes more than I truly want to. I would also create sustainable systems of support for under-represented writers. Money really does matter when you’re trying to make a go of it as a writer. Bills don’t get paid on dreams, and so I want to remove that stress from as many under-represented writers as I can. Just imagine what they would say, freed from the constraints that keep them from writing as much as they would like. What is the biggest sacrifice you’ve made in your career/line of work? Without a doubt, I have sacrificed motherhood. Name a fear or professional challenge that keeps you up at night.
I worry that my next essay or story or book won’t be good enough, that I will disappoint my fans or that one day I will wake up and I won’t find the words to write well. Neko Case, Vermont-based solo musician and member of Canadian band New Pornographers Which of your traits are you most proud of? I’m true-blue. A loyal dog. What does the world need more of? Less of? More humility, less infighting. What would you tell yourself 10 to 20 years ago that you wish you knew then? Stop buying dresses; you hate them. What’s the hardest thing about being your own boss that isn’t obvious? It’s so terribly lonely. Issa Rae, Los Angeles-based creator of web series Awkward Black Girl and future star of HBO series Insecure Name a fear or professional challenge that keeps you up at night. Being labelled as a bad writer. What quotation or saying inspires and motivates you to be yourself and do what you love? Our family mantra: “Give to your world the best, and the best will come back to you.” Which of your traits are you most proud of? My empathy. What’s the hardest thing about being your own boss that isn’t obvious? That your success and failure are completely in your hands, with every minute decision.