From Concept to Market with Covey Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer Emily DiDonato

Do you dream of being an entrepreneur? Starting your own business or brand starts with finding your niche, researching your market, and believing that your service or your product can do better.

Today's guest shares the behind-the-scenes of how she turned her idea into a successful beauty brand. I am thrilled to introduce you to today's guest Emily DiDonato. Her community of 2.2M Instagram followers may know her first as a model, but in today's conversation, and as she takes her next steps in her newest venture, she is the Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Covey. Say so long to your 12-step skincare routine (guilty!) and hello to a simple and stress free regimen with three go-to products you can use both day and night.

In today's conversation, Emily shares with us what led her to launch Covey Skin, the value proposition of the brand that keeps customers coming back, her advice on how to change your career and try something new, and much more!

SHOW NOTES:

As a model Emily has always found taking care of her skin was an important priority. She realized there is a lot of varying information on the internet when it came to “how”. Through her own research, Emily discovered what products you actually need in a routine and in what order you really need to use them (0:55.)

Emily found her solution by creating her own 3-step effective routine, Covey Skin (2:19.) 

She found the key to success was finding high-quality ingredients that were compatible with each other and with all skin types (2:53.)

The brand name “Covey” means “a small flock of birds”. Emily chose this as her brand name because she sees her community and products as a “covey” (3:50.)

“Birds fly in flocks to protect and support each other and that is what Covey represents - your skin’s most trusted covey in itself.”

— Emily DiDonato

Creating a product and starting a business has been an exciting venture for Emily! She finds there are many hats she has to wear and even with all the excitement she occasionally will find herself dealing with imposter syndrome (6:17.)

Emily finds through her years modeling that she has developed the ability to take direction and do as she was told; but now as an entrepreneur, it is her job to direct and lead others (7:38.)

“Social listening” differentiates Covey from other brands by actively listening to the internet's questions across platforms. By doing so, Emily and her team were able to develop a product that met the public's needs (8:45.)

“Remember that no one really knows what they are doing at the beginning of a new venture or career. Even experts are figuring it out!”

— Emily DiDonato

When things become overwhelming Emily likes to keep in mind, “this too shall pass” (12:45.)

Emily’s big skin secret is finding a bedtime routine by going to bed and waking up at the same time every night. By doing so, Emily has found that puffiness and bags under the eyes will disappear (13:45.)

Interested in learning more and continuing to follow Emily’s journey? Follow her here! Want to follow Covey Skin? Follow here and use code “BRAVA” for 10% off the Covey Routine!

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Thank you readers, to tuning into the Brava Podcast. If you like the show please leave a review on iTunes! 

What from our conversation inspired you today? What do you hope to hear next? Tweet or message us on Instagram @BravaPodcast to tell us what you want to hear, even if it’s your own story! 

Tackling Personal Finance and Facing the Numbers with Erin Lowry Founder of Broke Millennial

Alright, so it's time. It's time to get your financial life together. There, I said it! Whether you are a money maven or a personal finance newbie - today's conversation will be just the dose of inspiration you need to get in control of your finances.

Meet Erin Lowry, Author, Personal Finance Expert, and the woman behind Broke Millennial. Her goal is to provide practical advise to Millennials so you can navigate pesky financial questions and challenges.

Tune in below as we talk about misconceptions in saving money, best practices to pay off debt and loans, how to start investing, and more! 

SHOW NOTES:

Having started her career with a degree in theater and journalism, Erin learned you don’t have to be a mathematical servant to make it in the financial world (0:40.)

Money was discussed frequently in Erin’s household growing up, but not as a topic of stress as she later discovered monopolized other people’s lives. Despite making minimum wage through three jobs, Erin found herself less stressed out than some of her friends who still even had their parents' support (1:40.)

Broke Millennial, an early blog of Erin’s, empowers others through her storytelling of how she has managed to figure out her finances while living in New York City. Shortly after, due to its success, Erin received book deals and launched her career into personal finance (2:50.)

The biggest misconception Erin finds in the finance world is the belief that you have to be wealthy or have reached an arbitrary level of financial stability to start investing( 4:05.)

Erin shares that the common phrase, “Save for retirement” really should be, “Invest for retirement”. This means you are the investor and that you have access to the market  to make your money work and grow for you (5:00.)

A good first step Erin recommends to get started is to face your numbers and really understand where you stand. How much debt do you have? How much do you earn after taxes? Then ask yourself, what are your goals? (6:00.)

When it comes to debt, Erin finds it is important to understand what form of loan you are working with so you don’t get caught off guard by the interest. Make sure it is affordable for you to pay off or set up a repayment plan if necessary (9:10.)

Erin believes it is absolutely okay to talk about finances in the workplace and actually writes about how to do so appropriately in one of her books (14:00.)

Erin finds it’s beneficial to ask your LinkedIn connections for guidance (colleagues that are at a similar level as you) when determining comparable salary ranges (17:25.) 

There’s now wrong way to run finances at home with a significant other. But, it is important to expose all finances prior to any engagements so you find a fair balance (21:00.)

When it comes to savings, Erin finds it is important to write your goals down with a timeline and work financially backwards (24:00.)

Try not to tie your self-worth to your paycheck. Ask yourself what will keep you happy in the long term (25:40.)

Interested in learning more and continuing to follow Erin’s journey? Follow Broke Millennial here! Need a hand in getting started with your finances? Checkout her bundles, workshops, and shop here!

Keep an eye out for Erin’s latest book, Broke Millennial Talks Money, released on December 29th, which provides stories and advice to navigate awkward money conversations.

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Thank you readers, to tuning into the Brava Podcast. If you like the show please leave a review on iTunes! 

What from our conversation inspired you today? What do you hope to hear next? Tweet or message us on Instagram @BravaPodcast to tell us what you want to hear, even if it’s your own story! 

How To Find Joy in Ordinary Moments with Samatha Reynolds Entrepreneur and Founder of Bentlily

Welcome Brava listeners! In today's episode we celebrate the rhythm of life, the power of storytelling for yourself and a brand, and how to find joy in ordinary moments. To take us on this journey, I am honored to introduce you to Samantha Reynolds.

In today's conversation, you will hear firsthand how Samantha, an entrepreneur and poet, edited and took control of her own story to create a life she loved. Her writing and entrepreneurial spirt led her to launch the Echo Storytelling Agency. A writer at heart and by profession, she launched Bentlily where she challenges herself to write one poem each day in a quest to find more joy in the tedious rhythm of life as a mother and to observe the world around her.

I invite you to join and listen in to our conversation below to hear what Samantha has discovered along the way, her advice for work/ life balance, her inspiration, and more!

SHOW NOTES:

Inspired by her grandmother, Samantha Reynolds made storytelling her career. Now as CEO of Echo Storytelling Agency, Samantha helps others share their stories (5:30.)

Just like people she believes that no two brands have the same story. Stories create a more personalized experience that harvests trust and inspiration to make a more memorable experience for the consumer (8:00.)

Samantha finds that by writing each day that it takes the pressure off her to make any one piece award-winning. This practice keeps her creativity well-lubricated and she knows she always has another chance to improve the next day (12:15.)

A fun practice she recommends is to find a book or dictionary and to select a random word to start a story off. The word may not be in the finished copy but it helps get you inspired (13:15.)

Writers block? Have you heard of “writers ego”? Samantha finds “writers ego”, getting stuck by the feedback you receive from sharing your work with an audience, is even more challenging. She recommends trying not to get too hung up to write a certain way to appeal to that specific audience so that you don’t lose your original voice (14: 10.)

“It’s important to remember why you write and trust that the right people will come if you write from your heart.”

— Samantha Reynolds

During a rather boring event one day Samantha found herself drawn to a lily. Unlike the other lilies this one was bent.  In that moment, Samantha realized that when you slow down and really look you will start to notice the subtle details. Through that experience, Samantha’s pen name was born, “Bent Lilly” (17:50.)

Bentlily is her platform for daily poems about her common everyday life experiences (21:10.)

An early mentor encouraged Samantha that when it comes to work-life balance there is no single perfect matrix but rather to allow your own rhythm to take place (23:40.)

In 2021, Samantha is releasing a poetry manifesto of Bentlily that will be about finding deeper roots and living a happier life (29:15.)

Want to continue following Samantha? Find more of her poetry through Bentlily here.

Are you looking for easy ways to bring more mindfulness and joy into your life? Join Samantha’s #30DaysofNoticing challenge here!

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Thank you readers, to tuning into the Brava Podcast. If you like the show please leave a review on iTunes! 

What from our conversation inspired you today? What do you hope to hear next? Tweet or message us on Instagram @BravaPodcast to tell us what you want to hear, even if it’s your own story! 

Turning Your Part-Time Passion Into A Full-Time Career with Illustrator and Author Jena Holliday

Brava listeners, meet Jena Holliday, an illustrator, author, and creative based in Minnesota and founder of Spoonful of Faith. Her powerful, whimsical, and beautiful work has been featured in variety of publications but also in partnership with brands such as Dove, HarperCollins, TOMS, and more!

In today’s conversation Jena shares how she began her own business, shares where she sources inspiration behind her art, and gives us a sneak peek of what's next for Jena as she leads her fast growing business!

SHOW NOTES:

While on maternity leave Jena made her part-time passion a full time career and launched a Spoonful of Faith (3:30.)

A lot of Jena’s works of art are inspired by her passion to uplift and encourage diverse women whose voices are not often heard (6:50.) 

“In a lot of the things that I share I am speaking to the women inside of me. The girl that was afraid to start. The girl that needs to know her worth and believe in herself and the gifts she has been given.”

— Jena Holliday

Jena finds that a lot of one's obstacles come from what one believes about themselves. Your identity plays a role when following specific passions and gifts (9:20.) 

How you talk to yourself is the story that you will believe and the story that you will tell yourself every day. Jena shares that it is vital to build yourself up and speak positively (10:36.)

Knowing the purpose behind why you are doing what you are doing will lead you to succeed. Many organizations fail because of a lack of connection to knowing why they are creating what they are creating (11:34.)

As a mother of two, outside a morning glass of orange juice, Jena finds everyday is filled with ebbs and flows as a creative entrepreneur (14:30.)

The biggest challenge Jena discovered as an entrepreneur was working towards setting a tone for everything at first  before she create her team (18:05.)

Tune in here to hear more about Jena and her insight on mentorship! Jena believes there is no “perfect” mentor. Be open to any and all opportunities (19:40.)

Jena launched her first season of “Mother Creative”, a podcast she co-hosts that celebrates and encourages women to utilize their creativity in the way that they live and how to start now with what they have (23:35.)

Want to hear more from Jena? Be sure to follow her journey here and follow her on FB here!

Love her illustrations? Be sure to check out her online shop - she just launched a new 2021 Calendar, an Art and Coloring Book that honors and explores stories of women POC youth, and has designed lots of amazing apparel and home items!

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Thank you readers, to tuning into the Brava Podcast. If you like the show please leave a review on iTunes! 

What from our conversation inspired you today? What do you hope to hear next? Tweet or message us on Instagram @BravaPodcast to tell us what you want to hear, even if it’s your own story! 

Finding and Sharing Your Story With Amy Draheim Founder of ABD Creative Agency

Brava listeners, meet Amy Draheim, a dynamic leader, author, entrepreneur, and podcast host that specializes in storytelling. She is the founder of ABD Creative Agency, a boutique agency that specializes in storytelling and developing brand strategies for businesses in the travel and hospitality sector. Amy is also the founder of the innovative tool "Marketing in a Box", a one-of-a-kind subscription based model she created among the pandemic to help small hotels reach their marketing goals.

Tune in below to hear how this multi-faceted leader began her career, her advice for entrepreneurs, and how she stays motivated to continue learning and growing.

SHOW NOTES:

Ok, so have you ever wanted to kill an ex-boyfriend? [I know, you heard and read that right!] Well, Amy Draheim started her career off with just that as inspiration! (But not quite literally…) What started out  as just therapeutic journaling after bad first dates, ended up as her published novel Jenny Green's Killer Junior Year. Incredible! (1:30.)

“There’s always a story to tell. There’s always a voice to get behind to craft a story. ”

— Amy Draheim

10 years after her book released and after years working in corporate, Amy took a leap of faith and started up her own creative marketing firm for hotels (7:30.)

Amy admits that when taking a leap of faith, such as changing your career, it is expected to get messy! But, if you do what you truly love and are passionate about it, you will be successful (9:20.)

To make sure she stays on track with all her moving parts, Amy relies on the project management tool Asana, to hold herself accountable (11:50.)

Due to the turn of events COVID-19 created, like many industries, marketing for hotels depreciated. Rather than letting the pandemic run havoc on her marketing firm, as many companies furloughed their marketing managers, Amy created an innovative tool: Marketing in a Box. (13:30.)

Marketing in a Box provided her clients with a toolbox of how to market on a budget (16:00.)

“2020 forced a lot of growth and learning to take inventory of what’s working but also what is not working and continue to grow and adapt. Otherwise you may shut your doors and who knows if you will come back. ”

— Amy Draheim

Having a work-home balance is non-negotiable for Amy. To do so she hired a marketing manager to help business run smoothly without having to put in excessive hours or compromise her quality of work (20:35.)

In the future, Amy aspires to keep up her agency, travel, give a TedTalk and go full circle by writing another book about her personal journey (29:35.)

Want to continue to follow Amy’s career? Be sure to follow here! Interested in learning more about marketing, hospitality, and storytelling? Check out her own podcast show, “How To Share”!

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Thank you readers for tuning into the Brava Podcast. If you like the show please leave a review on iTunes! 

What from our conversation inspired you today? What do you hope to hear next? Tweet or message us on Instagram @BravaPodcast to tell us what you want to hear, even if it’s your own story!