Transcript
Speaker: Welcome to Break the Mold, a career podcast for black and brown fashion girlies. I'm your host, Dominique. Pop the chair, girl. Let's get into it.
Speaker: So today's episode is a solo episode. I really wanted to... Spotlight Create and Cultivate. It's one of my favorite networking events. it's the largest festival for women in business in the world, I think. I've been going for a couple of years and
Speaker: i i just have really fond memories around it because when i wanted to move to l la when I was planning on moving to LA. I was like, okay, I need to start networking in LA. I need to start getting to know people there and acting like. you know, that's my city. I was like, I really want to build my network. I really want to get to know people that live in that city, build relationships in that city.
Speaker: I was. Acting as if I already lived here, essentially. Speaking. my dreams into existence. I wanted to get to create and cultivate. The way that life played out, I actually got a job opportunity and by the time the event rolled around,
Speaker: i already lived out here i was in a ah mindset of abundance i was like i thought i was going to have to come here and really ask for favors, ask for a job, and kind of network from a place of lack. And instead, I already had an apartment, I already had a job, I was really lined up for success, and I could fully ah focus on just meeting other women in in business and seeking out women in the fashion industry.
Speaker: So this is not a fashion or influencer specific event. There's a lot of different types of women who go. I think it's women in. all different kinds of industries. In years past, I've met a lot of women in PR, a lot of women in marketing, women in fashion. This year I was meeting a lot of women and I also met a lot of women in health,
Speaker: So no matter your field, no matter your industry, there's definitely a relationship for you to build there whether you're trying to strengthen the field that you're in or break into another I mean, this last event, there were 4 ,000 people that went. There were a lot of people. So you're going to find somebody you have something in common with. One of the main reasons why I wanted to go this year was my mentor had actually told me, you...
Speaker: Shouldn't stop networking until you can pick up the phone. and call someone and have a job immediately and i was like I have a lot of work to do. That's a pretty high bar.
Speaker: But nonetheless, I also am in a position where I want to... be a mentor i want to help other people achieve their goals too i want to speak life into people it was just nice to be around different creative women I feel like that always I always leave so inspired it gets my creative juices flowing it puts me in a position to want to work on my podcast and show up at work and work even harder than I ever have before I just always leave feeling so energized and so inspired
Speaker: The event is definitely an investment. It's an investment of time. It's an investment of money. It's an investment of energy. but To me, it's worth it. Just like when you invest your money into a bank account and you expect it to grow, it's the same thing with this. It might be a lot upfront, but the relationships you build on the other side of it. which means the opportunities you may gain.
Speaker: It's all worth it, in my opinion. Mind you, if you can afford it, if it's in the budget. I don't want to say that this event is for extroverts, but... you definitely have to show up and be open -minded, willing to talk, willing to meet people. I feel like you can't sit down on a bench and not talk to the person to your left and to your right because you never know who you're going to meet.
Speaker: For example, i was I was attending a negotiation panel and I sat down next to a grown sales. They had the same shoes on. and but We had an amazing connection. I was giving her advice on how to navigate a career hardship. She was giving me advice on self -confidence and how to move in the world. And I'm so excited for this blossoming friendship. You never know the people that you're going to meet.
Speaker: And that's the beauty of this event. So it is a lot. But... For me, in my experience... It's definitely worth it. obviously you can't meet everybody but Creek and Cultivate, they have an app and get to know people going to the same event you're going to, which I love because when you're at the event, you can kind of just use your app. text people it has your calendar your events in there so you know exactly where you need to be Okay.
Speaker: You get. notifications in real time. But what I really love about the app is you can also schedule one -on -one meetings with people. You can see people's different profiles. And read about them. Read about their business. Read about what their interests are. Read about what they're looking for.
Speaker: I found that very useful because like I said, I've been to this event a couple of times now. The first time I went... It was kind of a coin toss who I was going to meet, who I was sitting next to. So it was kind of hard to build genuine connections.
Speaker: So you can schedule a 15 minute. one -on -one meeting. with anybody that you find interesting get to know them ask them any questions you may have for me in order not to get overwhelmed by the networking and the amount of people at the event I went through and I filter to people who had similar interests to me whether that be fashion! networking, career advice, mentoring. being a mentee.
Speaker: Stuff like that. I have my little list. And I went through and I. read about people and I read about their businesses and I had three questions I was asking when I was reading their bios. Is this somebody I would want to be mentored by?
Speaker: Is there someone I would want to mentor? And is this someone I would want to have on my podcast and interview? If you didn't fall into one of those buckets, I didn't ask to me because. There is so much to do at this event.
Speaker: There are talks that I want to go to. There's a lot of activations around that you want to attend. There's so much free stuff you can get. I wanted to make sure I had time to do it all. In years past, I've gotten exhausted. I really wanted to be intentional about how I spent my time this year. And that was the best decision I ever made. I was very intentional too. Everyone I met, I felt I had genuine connections with, which... was orchestrated. I made sure that that's how it was. I was intentional about who I met up with.
Speaker: I. didn't want my time wasted and at the end of each day i would come home and i would go into my notes and nobody wants to do homework right but i come home and i made a spreadsheet on okay this is the person that i met today I'm gonna follow up with them in three weeks. I'm gonna follow up with them. in three months and keep this connection going. That's important to me. I wanted to leave this event.
Speaker: With. Valuable relationships, not just the key, you know? I wanted to make sure that... all of these relationships are things i can water going forward so in my spreadsheet i would put their name i'd put their business i'd put their handle and or like a way to reach out to them and i would put a personal detail so i remember what we talked about and i also put what to follow up on what did we talk about so for example i met one woman and she's the founder of a mommy and me clothing brands,
Speaker: And she's looking for angel investors. Come to find out. I had dinner with a woman the night before and she was looking for people to invest in. So it's a really easy connection. I help you, you help me. And I think that's the thing that people may not know about networking is you can't.
Speaker: Lead with this is what I need. I need a job. I need help. I need a handout I need an opportunity. it's what can i do for you so when i met her we were talking it's like oh you're a free angel investor i actually just met one let me send you her information you know what i mean and in return Just interact with my podcast, interact with my business. If you have business advice to give me, that would help.
Speaker: me and my personal brand being open to those conversations and Not just thinking about what you can get, but definitely what you can give. And even if I can't get anything out of that connection, I always leave these conversations so inspired. All of these women are so hungry. They're so happy to be here. Every time I go to Create and Cultivate, I always leave so inspired. The reminder of how important it is to lean into your creativity and simultaneously how important it is.
Speaker: to work hard. because i definitely have a drive for both within me and i think that'll really propel you in any industry and being around these women who are so hungry who have so many aspirations who want to go so far in life like it just gives me even more drive to to keep going and to really work on my own stuff.
Speaker: i definitely recommend going to create and cultivate 2027 i know they just released tickets and if not you've got to get out there you've got to find the events in your city i remember when i was living back home i would find events i would push myself to constantly go outside and i think maybe even doing that is why i'm comfortable with my elevator pitch now why i'm comfortable talking to strangers now you have to put yourself outside of your comfort zone put yourself in new situations new situations and opportunities you just don't want to waste any time because oh
Speaker: you're nervous you're scared you don't know what to say that's okay we're all a little awkward at first and You just find an easy in. I was waiting in line to get into Create and Cultivate. I started talking to my neighbor about the weather.
Speaker: Come to find out, she has a podcast too. Then we started swapping podcast tips and it was a really fruitful conversation. Just because we're talking about how bad the marine layer is. in l LA.
Speaker: Definitely put your stuff out there. You're going to get so much out of it. Even just listening to people who inspired you or going to talks or book signings of people in your field. gaining new information in that way will definitely propel you in your own business.
Speaker: And honestly, I'll say this too. In one of the interviews I attended, Aileen Welchoff was there, which was amazing. And she had said, your destiny is inevitable. You're going to be pushed or pulled into it whether you like it or not. You can't stand right away to be pushed into the inevitable. or lean into the pull that you're already feeling, right?
Speaker: So let's talk about. the different interviews. I attended a really good one by Megan Hole. Go ahead and support her platform. I'll add a link here. It's a job board for people looking for jobs in fashion. She's put a lot of time and a lot of hard work into it. She's an expert at what she does.
Speaker: She gave a talk on negotiations. so It was a Q and &A format so people could raise their hands. get their questions answered. It was really inspiring to have people openly talk about negotiation strategies, whether that be from a recruiter, there were a lot of corporate recruiters there, or people looking for a job, or people in temp roles trying to turn them into perm roles. A lot of great advice was given.
Speaker: She said a lot about owning your pitch. A lot of women are afraid to ask for more and they'll make excuses. before they even hear no as to why they shouldn't ask for more. And I hate that. Girl, you gotta ask for what you deserve. I actually have a personal example. One time I was interviewing for a role.
Speaker: And I got all the way to the end and then we were in the negotiation phase and I Said how much I wanted. And they're like. We can't offer you that. And I was like, okay, well, you know, this is my floor. Like, I would love this job, but this is low second take. They're like.
Speaker: we can't offer you that either. like We just hired somebody from a company that you're currently at. who has just as much experience as you, and she took... X amount. So. I can't make an argument as to why we should pay you more when you have the same amount of experience.
Speaker: One. The recruiter should not have shared that. You cannot share other people's salaries like that. That was inappropriate. And two. because that other girl didn't negotiate harder and asked for more now that put a ceiling on me I can't ask for more.
Speaker: So I always think about that when I negotiate now too. Whenever I'm nervous, whenever I'm scared, if I don't ask for what I know I deserve, if I don't ask for the number that I know that I'm worth. Then I'm closing doors for people behind me.
Speaker: Now, be mindful do your research make sure what you're asking for does align with other roles in the industry Make sure your skill sets match for the job. But you don't have to. have a perfect match in order to ask for more then.
Speaker: what is posted so compared to the industry The number you know you deserve after doing your research? Make sure you. Make sure you fight for them. You're negotiating for the women behind you, too. Now, another talk that really spoke to me, I know it spoke to a lot of women, was Emma Greed, the co -founder of Good American and Scams. That is an amazing woman.
Speaker: Her session was just packed with really good high -level advice on how to run a business. how she scales her businesses, what... focus looks like and honestly her personal brand she was like i didn't even think about a personal brand until i was here she was like i was head down focused on my business And my biggest takeaway from that was how important it is to focus on what you're doing and work hard.
Speaker: She builds her personal brand based off of for her work ethic. And when you have a certain kind of work ethic, it speaks for itself. She even said she only cares about making money. All she wanted to do was be great.
Speaker: So she threw herself into the business and made it great. And from there, her personal brand grew. And that really spoke to me as someone who's trying to have a podcast, who's trying to give career advice, as someone who... really wants to grow in the fashion industry i was like yeah you have to live and breathe it you have to throw yourself fully into it she also talks about skills relationship and repetition She really encouraged young women to put themselves out there and take more risks. She was like, you don't need to.
Speaker: be 120 there before you take the jump you need to just start whether that be your business whether that's a new idea you had whether that's a hard conversation you've been putting off. she said get comfortable having something to lose When you have nothing to lose.
Speaker: You have no risk, right? Which means, again, investing. Then you have nothing to gain. If you put no money into that stock, you're not going to make any money back. If you take no risks or very little risk, your return on investment is going to be very small. So it is okay when you have a lot to lose and you take a big risk. It made me think about all the women in my life.
Speaker: who bet on themselves whether it's taking that much deserved break and taking a month off to travel or whether it's leaving your corporate job to start your own business.
Speaker: or simply just betting on yourselves. Take that risk and lean into it. And I think... when you put those two pieces of advice side by side it's the perfect recipe for a driven woman's success emma had also said the water doesn't get warmer while you're waiting to jump in That's so true. It doesn't. If you've ever...
Speaker: swam in a body of water, you know it does not get warmer while you're waiting. So you might as well jump in. You might as well take that risk. What are you waiting for? Water's not getting any warmer. Another talk that really spoke to me was Elaine Welch Roth.
Speaker: I sat for a live recording of She's So Lucky and it was amazing. It was so inspiring to hear Elaine talk about herself and the business that she's built. and all the incredible experiences that she's had in the career that she's made.
Speaker: elaine has constantly broken barriers in media and fashion and now all finally in her life's passion philanthropy and she even begged the question of the audience Who are you outside of your title?
Speaker: What are you ambitious about that has nothing to do with work? And both of those questions sat really heavy with my soul. Who are you outside of work? And even thinking about how to answer that on this podcast. This is a Korean Vice podcast, right? Like the purpose of this is to try and...
Speaker: achieve our goals of hitting a certain level or working at a certain company or meeting certain people. It's still a question I have to wrestle with, too, really thinking about. Who am I outside of the title, outside of work?
Speaker: What else does your heart beat for? For me, it's relationships. relationships I love a lot of people, right? I start with a question.
Speaker: i realized i want to help people i want to continue to build really strong meaningful relationships i really want to help people achieve their goals and trigger dreams i want to be able to give advice, not just from me, but interview people who have been places I've never been, who've had conversations I've never had and pick their brains.
Speaker: Not just to help my own career. I mean, I am curious, but also to help other people too. I mean. I have questions and I know I'm not the only one. So to give people a platform to.
Speaker: talk about what they've been through and to share that with others. That's important to me. Every time you take a step forward, you should bring people with you. So I'm trying to open the door now. You better. But I love that question. I suggest other people sit with it too. and think about who are you that set outside of the title who are you outside of work every time you do something
Speaker: it's okay to want things for yourself but how does that also give back to your community and then another theme that i was also hearing was the idea of failure The idea of embarrassment, the idea of not necessarily.
Speaker: being where you thought you'd be in life whether you're just getting started and keep falling flat on your face or whether you want to pivot but you spent your whole life in one doing what you spent your whole life doing one thing In Elaine's interview, she said that embarrassment isn't real. It's something that other people put on you. You cannot internalize it, even though other people are trying to put that on you. They want you to be embarrassed about a situation that happened. This is your fate. You're in control of it. You're in control of what the outcome is.
Speaker: So you can't let mistakes box you into embarrassment. You can't let the embarrassment live on. It's the idea of failing forward. And I love that concept, failing forward. So even if you feel like you failed, even if life doesn't look exactly how you thought it would at this point.
Speaker: You're still moving forward. and You're growing. You're becoming a better person. You're learning new lessons. And those are all applicable to the future you and who you're going to be. I know that really hit a personal nerve, the idea of failing forward.
Speaker: because even me i feel like okay i had this idea of where i was going to be at this age and uh what my life is gonna look like and everything changes i mean your plans never unfold the way you think but you keep building and you evolve into the woman that you're meant to be you evolve into the business that you're supposed to be building and all the skills you learned along the way Just make you better for it.
Speaker: So in a nutshell, I feel like I got a lot out of the conference. I loved the panels. I loved the talks. I took so many notes. But I think my favorite part was all of the people that I met. I probably met... 30 or 40 people who I really want to stay in contact with and I want to build relationships with. and I really want to see their business grow just as much as I want to grow. And I'm excited for that journey. And the last thing I'll say, create and cultivate.
Speaker: They always got you with a goodie bag. They will always give you some of the coolest giveaways, even at the event they had. All these activations, just giving away free stuff. Pick your skincare drinks. Some of the activations that I participated in was they had a mini podcast being recorded.
Speaker: They were giving away free shoes if you wore heels and your feet hurt. Bubble BFF set up a whole platform where you could take a friendship quiz and see what kind of woman you are. And you could build your own friendship bracelet and a little keychain. They had a newspaper stand that you could interact with, telling you all the things about Create and Cultivate, talking about who they are and all that they've accomplished. There were just so many fun, quirky things. all around.
Speaker: my favorite thing that they had this year was a bookstore and they had books about money books about health books about wellness fiction books So many different genres. I was like, I could spend hours in here. And this isn't even why I came to the event. But a lot of the activations felt like that, where you could really dive in and not only get free products, but really get to know the business owner too. And then when you leave, they give you this huge...
Speaker: Bag. Of all these goodies.
Speaker: for freak I wanna talk about some of my favorite things that I got. They gave away this little makeup bag. This NYX makeup bag. TJ and had an entire activation just giving away hair care products, tote bags.
Speaker: Oh my gosh, and the stuff smells so good. I can't wait to use it. they always give away a free book and i love that they gave away a free book in 2023 when i went nothing's missing by nicole walters and if you need to be encouraged if you feel like you can't make it out of your situation read nothing matters by nicole walters that book was so inspiring to me so well written and i got it at create and cultivate the book i'm thinking about this year was the freedom -based business method
Speaker: I haven't read it. I don't know what it's about. But I'm definitely excited to jump in because they always have good book picks. Another thing that I really loved was Bumble BFF had an entire activation. And they were giving away free cameras. so a So cute. What a cute little boost. Also in our goodie bag. They were giving.
Speaker: Chardonnay. Because cheers. but Obviously, I didn't go just for the goodie bag. It is one of my favorite things about the events. but there's so much more to the Create and Cultivate event. I'm just always grateful to be in a room full of so many women who are so passionate about what they do, so eager to share their business, and also so excited to learn about yours. There's not a lot of spaces like this that exist. And so I'll definitely be going next year and I'll definitely support.
Speaker: i hope you do too and if not like i said Girl, you better get to that networking event. You better get to that gathering. You better get to that meetup. Put yourself out there.
Speaker: now's your time and finally if you want to follow along with the journey if you want more career advice or have more questions about what it's like working in fashion you want to break into fashion yourself you can find me on instagram and tick tock at breaking the mold underscore pod or the video lives on youtube if there's questions that you're dying to ask or interviews that you'd love to see careers that you have pressing questions it's about I want to hear from you. So go ahead and click the link in our bio. Message me. Let me know.
Speaker: Alright girlies, thanks for pulling up a seat. I'll see you next time.
