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Author: Jen A. Miller
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Get to Know Black Lacquer Design
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How to Find Friends Who “Get It”
One of the most challenging parts about finding balance as an entrepreneur is maintaining strong friendships while you’re head down building your business.
Challenging, yes. Impossible, no. The key is to find friends who “get it”.
One of the truths I’ve come to really embrace as I’ve gotten older is that it’s okay to be selective with our friendships. In fact, as we get clearer on our vision for our lives, it because increasingly important to be intentional with whom we spend our time.
This theme is consistently reiterated by the female founders whom I interview. Their strongest friendships are often with those people who share the same passion or vision for their life. And this makes sense when you think about it. When you find people who are on a similar journey as you, it’s only natural that your paths should regularly cross. You’ll find yourselves attending the same events, connected to the same people, and seeking out the same opportunities.
The beautiful thing that begins to happen is that your professional and personal lives begin to fall in sync. The efforts you make towards building your business are also those that keep you connected to your network of friends. And the friendships that you build are with people who understand your vision and can support you as grow.
Now I’ll admit that making new friends after college isn’t always the easiest thing but there are a few ways I’ve found to work particularly well.
- Go to Events: Look out for events that are targeted towards founders or folks in your field. Eventbrite, Facebook,, and MeetUp.com are two of my go-to resources to find out what’s going on. It can be a bit intimidating to show up alone at first but you’ll find that the more often you put yourself out there, the more familiar faces you get to know.
- Ask for Introductions: Another great way to get to know people is by asking for introductions. LinkedIn is a great tool for sussing out who’s in your network. A personal introduction from a friend is one of the best ways to get to know someone new.
- Build your personal brand through social media: Social media can be phenomenal way to connect with other people who share the same interests. Follow people who live in your area and post similar content. Connect first online and then don’t be shy about asking to meet up in person. Many of my close friends are people I actually first met online.
What about you? How have you found friends who really “get it”, who share your similar passion and vision for life?
Leave your answers in the comments below and keep the conversation going over at @toastmeetsjam
If you like this video please subscribe and share with all of your friends. Thanks so much for watching, why not stick around for another serving of Toast Meets Jam?
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Get to Know Hatch Studios
The new home of Toast Meets Jam!
You guys, I really can’t explain how excited I am to share this news with you. Hatch Studios is officially the new home of Toast Meets Jam. Founded by husband and wife team Peter and Amanda, Hatch is a boutique co-working space located in West Los Angeles. Unlike the stiff environments presented by most co-working spaces, Hatch is beautifully designed to make it’s residents feel right at home.
Why move to Hatch?
First, a lot of you have written in to say that while you love the idea of hosting the interviews over brunch, shooting on location was making the audio pretty challenging. I wanted to make sure you all knew I heard and really appreciated the feedback.
Second, I couldn’t pass up the chance to support another female founder. When I met Amanda I knew it was a perfect match! You’ll have to look out for our interview together to learn about this wonder woman’s entrepreneurial journey.
Interested in joining Hatch?
Click here to download their Membership Package.
What to learn more? You can find Hatch:
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How to Build a Business and a Life You Love
If this is your first time tuning in to Toast Talk, welcome! I’ve partnered up with Entrepreneur Magazine to bring you this new series featuring actionable advice by and for female founders. The first topic we’re tackling is overcoming the obstacles of launching a business.One of the questions I always ask the young women I interview is, what has been the hardest part about building your business. Not too surprisingly, the answer has to that question often revolves around the sacrifices that have to be made. “I don’t have time for my friends or family. I don’t time to do the things I used to love to do. I give everything I have to my business.”
So the question is how do you build a business and a life that you love? I want to share a few principles that if you follow, can help keep that fire that ignited you into action from fizzling out.
- Follow Your Passion
Ask yourself, am I building a business around something I love to do? Are you genuinely excited to wake up and get to work? If the answer is no, ask yourself why you’re doing it and if there’s a way to pivot the business into something you’re truly passionate about.
- Build the business you want to run.
There can million ways to accomplish the same task. Choose the direction that makes you happy. If you want to build a billionaire dollar brand and have a thousand people working for you that’s great. If that sounds awful and you’d rather maintain life as a freelancer. That’s great to. Build the business that’s right for you.
- Delegate the parts you don’t love.
Let’s face it, no matter what business you’re in, there will be parts of it you don’t like. If you’re really creative, the thought of keeping track of inventory and balancing the books might make you nauseous. Find help from people who like to do that work and delegate those tasks so you can be your best at what you’re best at.
- Outsource your to-do list
You have enough on your plate to worry about without having to think about your personal to-do list. There are hacks for nearly everything that can make your life simpler and exponentially lessen the time you spend on personal errands. Amazon Prime, Instacart, Uber, TaskRabbit, are a few of my favorites. Depending on your budget and your location there will be different options available to you but I challenge you to take some time to look into them because they time they’ll save you in the end will be worth it!
- Make time for the things that matter.
When you free up the time you spend on your to-do list, you’ll have more time for the things that matter. Take advantage of this. Find a workout class that you love and make it a part of your routine. Spend the time you would have in the grocery meeting a good friend for a coffee date. Schedule these into your calendar in the same way you would any other meeting and commit to making time for yourself.
Now the question’s on you. Have you built a business and a life that you love? How have you managed to do it?
Leave your answers in the comments below and keep the conversation going over @ToastMeetsJam.
Cheers!
Jen
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Repeat this 1 Phrase Everyday to Feel More Confident
For the next few weeks we’re going to be talking about the obstacles that can come with launching a business. Last week we dove into the topic of shaking self-doubt. This week it’s all about learning to accept success.
Now you might be wondering how can success be an obstacle. Well, let me tell you a little story.
My friends and I love to get together for girls’ night dinners. A few months ago a friend suggested we all go around the table and fill in the sentence, “I’m a badass because….” with the idea that we all share what successes we were experiencing in our lives.
The table went silent at the suggestion followed by girls trying to make a run for the door. These incredibly accomplished young women would have been more comfortable if you’d asked them to jump out of a plane than answer the question.
The truth is, it can be extremely hard for us to embrace success and this can be a real obstacle when you’re trying to grow your business. After all, if you don’t believe you’re capable of achieving great things than how are they going to happen?
I loved this question and have started asking the female founders I interview to answer it. Watch now to see what a few of them had to say…
Now it’s your turn, complete the sentence “I’m a badass because…”. Leave your answers in the comments below and keep the conversation going over @ToastMeetsJam.