Why not just give it a try?

That’s how one might describe Zaffrin’s mantra. And from our hour-long conversation, you realise it’s not just fluff. She started a blog about honey simply because she loves honey. Never mind that only 2 people are going to read it: you and your mom (as Zaffrin astutely points out). We so often try to backfill the logic of why we want to do something, or need to do something, that we miss out on the ‘trying’ and the ‘liking’.

Five Dot Botanics, a minimalist plant-based skincare brand, sprung from ideas jotted down in a notebook, and from that very same mantra. Zaffrin launched Five Dot whilst she was on maternity leave from her day job as a media lawyer—coming into the beauty space as an ‘outsider’ and challenging the norms of the beauty industry. Each Five Dot product has only five natural ingredients.

Our chat brings us to what she’s learnt from beekeeping, parenting three children, and gardening. We talk about owning your story, about discipline and compromise, and about what matters the most. We contemplate how learnings from the Five Dot side hustle have cross-pollinated into the way she approaches her day job. And we also marvel (and laugh) about that one time in her 20s when she took multiple trains across China to turn up at Shaolin to learn kung-fu. True story! There was no kung-fu involved, but she did stay there for a bit, and slept on the equivalent of a plank in a guest house at the top of a hill. The bottomline: We may not be great gardeners, or successful gardeners. But each of us is a gardener of kinds. Keep trying stuff, even if they don’t work out. We may just enjoy the flowers along the way.

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What were some of the things you wanted to be when you were growing up?

I grew up in London and my parents are from Bangladesh. Growing up, I was very creative, and spent a lot of time reading and writing. I knew I wanted to study English literature. I hadn't necessarily thought about a career in law but, coming from a first-generation immigrant family, pursuing a creative career was seen as ‘high risk’. I don't think that they were strict in saying, “Don't do it” but I didn't feel confident or inspired enough that I could make a success of it.

I did English literature at university and I loved it. Storytelling—the heart of everything, and what we learn about ourselves in the world through the stories we tell. I also knew that I was thinking, "What's a good job to do?" I'm quite cerebral and I thought law looked like a good thing. I studied hard and I got a great job in a law firm, but what I hadn't appreciated is, what does it mean to have a good cultural fit for yourself? I was very fortunate because I knew I wanted to be in media, so I then ended up on television. Being surrounded by lots of creative people seemed like the perfect fit for me.

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"A cultural fit". What does that mean?

It's not a static thing. What cultural fit means for you is constantly evolving because you're not the same person year on year.

In my 20s, what I hadn't realised is that I really like to be around people that are kooky or different in their thinking or different. They maybe didn't all go to the best universities in the world and come up with the same degree and then end up on a graduate recruitment program—they were different people coming from different backgrounds, ages, races. I think the city has changed since I started out 20 years ago as a young lawyer, but I felt it was quite stifling for me as a person. I'm lucky to have left the city law firm environment and to have gone in-house. In-house suits me perfectly because it's full of people in a business from all walks of life doing different jobs.

Cultural fit is whether it's a space to be yourself and turn up to work and feel that you're you. Space to say what you think, maybe just even how an office is designed. In TV or in the media, we think a lot about what it looks like to have a collaborative working space. What does it mean to be open plan? What does it mean to have plants in the office? And sometimes older institutions don't think about that. And they're small things, they're luxuries and I'm aware of it.

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You've mentioned that you are a very cerebral person. How is that manifested in your work and daily life?

I do enjoy being able to think things through, whether that's a legal contract, or it's reading a story, or it's a poem, or thinking about a problem someone's having. I'm not so much a passive consumer. I do read a lot. I consume a lot of media, but I like the practical application of using my knowledge or wisdom to solve something. I'm an in-house lawyer and it's not academic. We're constantly trying to answer a problem for how a business delivers something, and I like that. I much prefer to have a practical application for what I'm working on. I'm probably not cerebral in the sense of being an academic. My husband’s background is in theoretical physics, and it's probably nothing I could ever do. The grade of what it means to be cerebral is quite wide.

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I saw on one of your Instagram posts that you wanted to be a textile artist at some point.

I'm quite a visual person, and I had spent all my childhood and as a young adult making things with my hands. I really wanted to do art, but at the time people were saying I should be a lawyer or doctor, or one of those things. I really wanted to do English and art, and I did art at A-level. I just found the mixed media of textiles and fabric and designs so utterly pleasing and absorbing. But I do think it was quite fleeting because the reality is, had I pursued it, I don't think I would have found enduring interest in it.

I enjoyed the hobby of it, and I enjoy doing something with my hands and the making and the pleasure of it. But actually, this is one of the things I've learned as I've got older: sometimes we mistake the pleasure we find in hobbies as a feeling that we need to either monetise or become a genius at it, instead of just saying, “Oh, wow, I just really liked this and this is great. That's all I need to do with it. It doesn't need to become something.” I think that's a little bit like where my love of art and textiles has come from. It didn't necessarily mean I have to go and be a textile artist. It was okay just to enjoy it.

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Is beekeeping a hobby for you?

Is it a hobby? Is it a lifestyle?

Yes, so I took up beekeeping. Going back to talking about who are our friends and who are the people we hang out with, one thing that always freaked me out is the idea that I would have lots of people that are the same. They are all left-wing Guardian readers, it’s a digital echo chamber. Everyone earns a certain amount or lives in a certain way. Things like that worry me because how do you challenge who you are and your perceptions of things? I just had my second child, and I was feeling a little bit lost. I wanted to take up a hobby so I wasn't just worrying about things. I took up beekeeping because I had a honey blog where I wrote about honey. When you join a beekeeping association, you meet different people. I'd never met an 86 year old retired civil engineer, who maybe voted in a different way to me, but you can form friendships and mentorships and relationships with different types of people.

Beekeeping in London is very diverse. It's very exciting. You rely on a community to look at things together, whether it’s disease management, or what's happening with your hive or your queen. It’s a community-based activity. It gives me such pleasure, it's completely different to everything I do. Even though you need to read, you can't rely on the books. You have to just be in your bee suit and think, “Okay, what's going on here?” And I love it. The bees surprise me. They've taught me more than anything else. About trying to control things to get an outcome, but then nature can be a bigger force than you can ever imagine. They’ve taught me to stop and look at the flowers, to look at how something so precious can be built out of visiting nectar. They’ve taught me how to be still, how to hold this moment and be in a moment. Beekeeping’s had a profound impact on me, in a way that I didn't know before I took it up.

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How did the honey blog come about in the first place?

It's a really random thing. After my second baby. I knew I wanted to have a side hustle of some kind, but I didn't know what it would be. That's always the thing: you always think of why you can’t do stuff. So I told myself: I need to just write about something and get it out. Everyone thinks the whole world's going to read your blog. But no one reads your blog. Two people read your blog: you and your mom! You need to get over the fear of just putting stuff out there, what does it look like, how do you write content, how do you get on social media, how do you build something. It doesn't cost anything to do all of those things, really. You just get WordPress and a domain name for £6.

I was making pancakes in 2015. And I was putting honey on the pancakes, and I thought, “Well, I love honey.” So I'm not going to obsess over what this blog should be about. I'm going to write about honey. I'm going to write everything there is about honey: types of honey, where it comes from, how bees make it, what it tastes like, how to cook with it, how to use it in beauty products. It's a totally basic blog but it doesn't matter. I guess it’s like getting your first novel out of your system. You just have to get it out of you. I love it. It was good. I've met lots of people and had a lot of fun along the way doing it.

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How do you think you've cultivated that mindset of “just get on with it and see how it goes”?

When I was 20 to 30 years old, I was full of anxiety. Things had to be perfect. I know now that failing is a good thing—and what I mean by failing isn't really falling. It's just trying things and having them not work out. Most of my inhibitions have been about embarrassment—how will I look in the eyes of others—and that is so paralysing. Most of my stuff doesn't work out, and I'm now okay.

I obviously have a less gung-ho approach when I'm advising clients in a legal capacity, because they are relying on me to do all of the thinking! Another thing that weighs on my mind is that our life is very short and very fragile. The idea that we will live a long life is an illusion. What if this is the last five years of my life? What if this is the last year of my life? I never really feel that death is very far away from me. That sounds very morbid, but it isn't meant to be. It's meant to be a very uplifting statement. You don't have time to waste. I don't want to discover who I am when I'm 70. I want to discover who I am, every day, and not care so much.

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How does that attitude translate to learning new things?

I tend to approach life with “Why not?", "Why not have a go?" The more you do that, the more you're trying stuff. I've done loads of stuff like acting classes or music classes or sculpture classes. Some people say they don't understand the logic of it, but it doesn't need to make sense. It's only when you're trying to backfill the logic of why you've done anything that you get stressed out. If I did that, I would never have started a skincare brand.

I think we just need to enjoy learning stuff. Some of the things I try out are not for the end result, It’s not a case of: if I do this, and this, and this, this will happen. It’s just: if I do this, maybe I'll enjoy it. Sometimes people will say I should just relax. Some people associate relaxing with putting your pyjamas on and watching 20 hours of Netflix. They think that my ‘hobby’ looks very active and can't be restful. But weirdly enough, it's for me more restful than just being a passive recipient of entertainment. Neither approach is the ‘right’ one. But sometimes maybe they don't understand how relaxing having a hobby can be.

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You’ve got a few things going on. Do you ever feel overwhelmed?

I only have three projects that matter. Everything else is ancillary; everything else can come and go. Family comes first, whether it’s my kids, my family, my well-being. To be honest, I'm squeezed for time, for sure. But there is no doubt in my mind the hierarchy of what's important. My kids first, my family first, my mom and dad and my husband or me. I will take the time to go for a walk on a Saturday morning, even if I'm stressed, because that's important for our kids

Next up is the day job or the night job. They're like two kids I love. It’s not like I love Five Dot and I don't love law, or I love law and not Five Dot. They coexist. And I put tons of energy into both of them. I work very hard. I don't think I could ever confess to not working hard. It does ebb and flow. I do have days where I'm thinking, “Oh, why have I put a side hustle on top of three kids?”

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What do you do for self care?

Beekeeping. You're forced to really be in the moment. Also, my kids are a great distraction. There's nothing like children who want to play. They’re 1, 5 and 7 years old. My 5-year-old, in particular, is not interested in you not being present. To him, why would you want to be anywhere else other than in our imaginary game?

There was a really great TED Talk by Shonda Rhimes. She was getting burnt out, but the thing that resonated with me was that she had a year of saying yes to her kids. It’s funny how you get a snippet of wisdom from somebody else that sticks in your mind. I think that was one of the things. I also think skincare has become self care. It's part of taking time out to be yourself. I'm not a big beauty ritualist so it's not like I spend two hours doing it, but it’s just about being mindful when you put on your face mask or take your makeup off.

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You describe your position with Five Dot as being a "beauty outsider". What’s it like being a beauty outsider?

It took me a long time to accept being a beauty outsider is where I'm comfortable. I was on Sephora Accelerate this year. One feedback I got was that it’s okay that you're a beauty outsider—that's part of your story. A part of me had been really shy about it. A lot of it is about how you own your story. Some parts of my life I think I know how to own my story, others I'm still trying to work it out. Like what does my cultural heritage mean? How do I own that story and what that means now?

With Five Dot, I want to grow a sustainable business. It's about challenging the norms about how many ingredients we've got in our products. I think it is okay to be an outsider. When I grew up, fashion and beauty wasn't for people like me, no one looked like me in any magazine. And that's okay. I don't want to sell to everybody, I only want to sell to a tribe of people who get what we're about. They're super interested in the idea of minimalism, the luxury of less. They're not always beauty junkies but they want healthy skin, they care about their health. People like the fact that we’re saying something different in beauty. We write about stuff that's not about how to have the perfect glassy skin. We talk about what it means to over-consume, or what it means to have a product that can be used by a 25-year-old and a 55-year-old woman? We ask different questions.

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What's been the scariest bit of this journey so far?

I think, as we scale at the pace we’re doing, the scariest bit is running out of cash before you get that cycle ready. I used to hear about people saying that before I had my own business and I didn’t get it. I get it now. It's a very crowded marketplace. Can we get cut-through quick enough to own a space in it before someone gazumps your house?

I’d rather we either be a great success or be a failure. I don't think, in the long-term, limping along is where I want to be. I don’t want to be sitting on this, half-hearted, for 10 years. We want to have grown a community, we want to be doing change, we need to be excited by it always. We need to innovate and have a conversation and be real people. We can't just exist and not excite anyone.

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What has building this beauty business taught you about yourself and your identity?

That the outsider is really the insider. Who is outside of what? We create a sense of what something is. I say I'm a beauty outsider, but I am the beauty industry. In the same way that someone would say, “Your parents are from Bangladesh. Are you really British?” Yes I am British. It’s about owning that space.

I also think that there's a new conversation to be had around things becoming much more holistic. Everything's become interconnected. We now live in a world where beauty is health. What does health mean? Health is wellness and wellbeing. What does wellness mean? You can't be a brand now without asking. And every brand has to be sustainable because the earth is on fire. And so then what does it mean to be a good business? Because people don't want to just trade cash for a commodity. The conversation has become bigger, and it's really exciting because we're really close to that. As we scale, we have to keep that personality and feeling of connectedness to those issues.

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How do you find the time to work on Five Dot?

I launched a year ago when I was pregnant. Everyone laughs because there's a five-year age gap between my last baby and this one. They were like, did you have a baby so you could work on your business? When I had the ideas for Five Dot, I was doing my day job. Launching a business, and getting stuff together, doesn't all happen at once. I spent like 90% of my time waiting.

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I was speaking to someone yesterday and she introduced me to the term, "Hurry up and wait."

Hurry up and wait. I love it. It was totally “hurry up and wait.” But I'm glad I wasn't impatient with it.

I know I work in TV but the biggest joke is that I don't watch TV and I don’t do much passive entertainment. Everyone says to me, “How do you make the time?” I don’t spend more time on Five Dot than anyone else spends on watching television. I just traded out doing something else. I probably wish I had more time to go to the gym. But I think anyone who's watching TV or scrolling the internet for two hours a night—half the population probably—are addicted to it. There is no magic to it. I'm very disciplined. There's always a list. I know what the three things I need to do are. I don't always get them done but I'm very clear about what we need to do. I think it's about being prepared to make a compromise. If you're not prepared to let go of something in the pursuit of something else, you’re not ready for business, or having a side hustle isn't necessarily for you. Because you need to be relentless. It's different if it's a hobby because you can just fit it in. I think we've got a lot of capacity to do stuff if we're just being disciplined with our time.

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How did you cultivate that discipline?

It's hard to say how people get discipline. I suppose my background as a lawyer makes me very disciplined. I think it would be hard to divorce my day job from all this, because you bring all your day job to your side hustle. Sometimes that's really good. I've got discipline, I’ve got focus. Sometimes it's bad, because my background is what holds us back. I can occasionally be risk-averse with Five Dot. For instance, we may have some braver things we want to say, and I can be a bit hesitant and prefer sticking to what works—I would say that's where the interference of the different skill set isn't good. But I'm aware of it. I'm aware that I can hold things back by not having the clarity to look at it with a slightly different hat on.

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Does the hat-switching ever get too tricky?

Not really, no. Because they're enriching each other. At work, they know I have this other affair with my side hustle. My side hustle knows I'm a lawyer. And they each enrich the other.

If anything, Five Dot probably made me stronger in my day job. There were things that held me back: confidence, making decisions or talking up. I've had to exercise these skills constantly in my own business, because I'm the business owner. I think at the start it was harder, because I was shy to say I had this business, but it's so out there now. When you're hiding something, the energy you waste is more about hiding it from other people, rather than because you find the switching difficult.

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When did you stop feeling shy about showing the world Five Dot?

Five Dot was just an idea on a notebook. And I was like “Oh my God, I've got this thing...”. But no one cares. But in your head, you're thinking you’ve built Nike.

Four months before I was going to launch the brand, I knew we would want to get press out there and I wanted to be associated with it. I've always wanted to be transparent and honest with everyone I deal with. When I told people at work about the side hustle, it's not that they didn't care, but it's so obscure. It’s like "They’ve got a dog, so what? I've got this side business and I do amateur dramatics in my spare time." It's no different, they just see it as a hobby, I guess.

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What have your kids taught you?

To be in the moment and have fun.

Noah, my middle child, is like “There's no time to waste”. You’ve just gotta have the fun now—if it doesn't work out, we simply forget about it or be done with it. My oldest has taught me a lot about being careful with words. She's very thoughtful. Do you say what you mean, or are you not saying what you mean? What is your tone? She’s interested in understanding what we really mean to say to each other. Sometimes as a parent you can be passive-aggressive, and she's taught me about what it means to be careful with words and do and say what you mean. My youngest is a baby, and he's just reminded me that nothing of any value can be bought. I've been holding a baby and stroking a baby. It's not about having children, because you can get it from dogs or friends or your partner. But it's this sense of needing each other physically. If your life is not full of relationships or love, really, there’s no point. The youngest has taught me the need for real connection.

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You mentioned earlier that you used to worry about having friends that all look the same or have the same leanings. Fast forward to today, is that still on your mind?

It's always on my mind, and it comes up in my day job as well. Are we recruiting diversely, broadly, differently? Are we challenging our unconscious bias? We've never been more aware of the prejudices or things that we might hold unwittingly, and that's one thing.

The other is that now as a business owner, I really get what they mean by having different types of people, rather than having lots of the same types of people. Brian (my husband), our designer, our investor, or our cosmetic formulator—we’re the most crazy, different bunch of people, though we share the same values and vision. That used to stress me out before [everyone being different]. I’d just want everyone to be nodding in agreement, but I can have much better discussions where we don't agree. And that's great. I’d have taken things much more personally, a few years ago.

On the Feed

I collect lots of stuff. I'm getting rid of a lot of stuff because I'm trying to live a minimal life. This is a collection of letterpress letters, and it weighs about two ton. I want to put it under a coffee table. I've owned that for 15 years. For 15 years I've been wanting to make it into a coffee table.

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My kids are obsessed with labelling stuff. I think this comes from them seeing me with notebooks and Five Dot when I’m packaging parcels. We've got quite a vivid imagination in our house so everything has a name. They became obsessed with sticking labels on stuff. So they’ve named these plants. Everything is variations of Frederick or Fred. I don’t know why. I was like, "Look can you give them an Asian name?"

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My baby’s four weeks old, and I realised I need more behind-the-scenes photos from Five Dot. I was massively breastfeeding and he's tiny because he's just born. I was so exhausted in that photo. This is my bathroom at home. I was doing a product demonstration in my bathroom. The baby just cried and cried and cried. My husband is in Ireland, and my two other kids are downstairs watching TV. I said, "Look, I have to put the baby in the sling, or this photoshoot is not going to happen."

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This is me in China. I lived in Hong Kong in my early 20s during SARS. I was very lost because I was about to finish my job as a lawyer. The dotcom bubble had burst and I thought I was going to end up at an insolvency department in the City. I strangely decided that I was going to go to Shaolin and train with the monks in Kung Fu. But obviously Shaolin is a male monastery. What was a woman doing learning Kung Fu there? I hadn't really thought about it.

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This is my little son who in lockdown learned to ride a bike. Every Saturday, we do walks as a family in nature. My husband's from Ireland so he's more obsessed with walking than I am. This is Nunhead Cemetery in south-east London. I had never been in a cemetery. Bangladeshis don't really hang out in cemeteries!

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Off the Cuff

On collecting things

Pleasurable. You can find all kinds of curiosity in things that you've collected, whether it's plants or pine cones on a walk, or buttons discovered in a market. The repetition of the same thing is really pleasing to me

On urban gardening

Being in the moment. My gardening is terrible, but I'm a really enthusiastic gardener, and I never have enough time to really do it properly. I throw myself in with gusto at the start and then forget to nurture on a daily basis which is what you need to do, and then have great successes and then massive failures, but it's fine.

On parenting

Chaos and joy. None of us have a book about how to do it. I think it's super important that we understand ourselves before we parent kids. We can pass down a lot of things we don't mean to if we don't reflect. Also, we have to be selfless. There's no space for putting yourself first when you have children. And love them—love them and let them know they're loved. There's no point in hiding it. There are times in our lives where we want to be coy. With kids it's just "I love you." You say it all the time, you say it every day and it's so liberating.

On the beauty industry

Complex. The beauty industry is for everyone, and you will find your space in it, even if it's not obvious at the start. I think that about everything really now—there's a space for everyone. And there's a space to prove, there hasn't always been but there is now. Also, don't be permissive. Don't wait for people to accept you and include you to own it.

On beekeeping

The most unexpected, so nothing will ever happen according to the book.

Follow Zaffrin on Instagram, and visit Five Dot Botanics' website here and Instagram here.

Laura sits at the intersection of multiple worlds. Art and math. East and west. Left brain and right brain. Words and graphics.

She first went viral on Twitter over Thanksgiving 2019 with a self-deprecating joke about her role as a product manager at Twitter. (In the aftermath, her mom asked her what a ‘mee-mee’ is.) Fast forward to 2020 and Laura’s Twitter notifications blow up again with her comic, The Wuhan I Know. Laura was born in Wuhan before moving to the States at age 4. During the COVID pandemic, her hometown is thrust into the world’s consciousness in an overwhelmingly negative light. We talk about her main drivers for publishing the comic, and her experiences of day and night (literally) during this period. The comic gains so much traction on Twitter that it’s picked up by NPR and other news outlets, and Laura wins a book deal to turn her comic into a graphic novel.

We dive deep into what the process has taught her about herself, how she works as a creative, why she likes coffeeshops, and about why she wants to bring the value of authenticity to her book and life.

P.S. Fillmore Bakeshop in SF gets Laura’s vote for the best sourdough.

First things first. Tell us about the bread obsession.

It's nothing too sophisticated. I just have always been a huge fan of bread, ever since I realised that it existed beyond sliced bread. Growing up, my family was fairly middle class, and so my mom always got like the sliced bread. I always hated those that were super dry. I think American bread is also pretty bad compared to the rest of the world. And so I always hated bread growing up. Out of all the carbs, why would you choose this really dry flimsy little piece of square? But once I graduated and started making my own money, and realised that bakeries with actual fresh rolls and super puffy, amazing, scrumptious bread existed, Wow! A whole new world opened up to me and my hatred has now turned into an adoration for really good bread. My favourite bakery of all time in the city is called Fillmore Bakeshop. It's in the Japantown/Fillmore area of San Francisco. I highly recommend it. Their sourdough roll is probably the best thing I've ever had.

So now, I’d love to start at the beginning...

I was born in Wuhan. My parents both immigrated to the States for graduate school right after they had me. I was raised by my grandparents in Wuhan up until I was around 4. That's when my parents had saved enough money to bring us over to the States. We lived in Louisiana for a bit, then we moved to Texas for my dad's job. And that's primarily where I grew up. I would consider Texas to be my second home in a way. My parents have the classic immigrant story in that they went from rags to riches. My dad, in particular, came from a family of farmers. Even now, when I go home to Wuhan, the family still lives in the countryside and it's completely different from everything I've experienced over here.

For college, I went to the University of Pennsylvania, which is in Philly. I knew I wanted to leave Texas for a bit and see what else is out there. That was really great. And that's also where I found my love for tech, for design, and for art. I've loved art my entire life. It was then that I was able to combine all of that to get a job at Twitter right after graduation as a product manager. And that's how I ended up in San Francisco.

How did your love for art come about? Do you remember?

Honestly, I feel like I've been doodling before I even knew how to write. At a very young age, I remember I would piggyback with my parents to the church every Sunday, but I didn't understand a thing. I was probably incredibly young then, and I always would just be doodling and drawing. My mom was like, “She loves to draw, but she also makes such a fuss at church, we should probably maybe send her to a class when we're at church.”

They found this Chinese artist who’d immigrated to Dallas, who apparently was pretty well known when he was in China. He had a studio where parents could send their kids to and so I started learning from that teacher every Sunday. I didn't particularly like it because his style was black and white sketch drawings of still life. If you looked at my journal of doodles from that time, they're all superheroes, bad guys and animals. All super fun stuff. That's when my mom first realised that, not only do I like it, but I had some kind of talent. I did end up quitting that studio, but I started going to art classes at school.

What does drawing mean to you?

Drawing has been a huge way of expression throughout my whole life. From the moment I was young, there weren't many outlets for me to express my feelings. My family in particular was fairly stoic. I've always had an aversion to being alone with my thoughts, because I just didn't know what to do with them. Drawing was a good outlet for when I couldn't put all my thoughts into words. Or even if I did, for when I didn't have anyone to express them to. It was great to just have a pencil and paper that I can lay it all on. A lot of my early comics and drawings were pretty biographical. They either depicted something that I wanted to reflect on, or something I want to cherish because it was a great memory.

When did you start drawing comics?

I didn't start drawing comics until college or later, and I remember how I first started. After I graduated, I started work here in SF. There was a period of time in which I felt really disillusioned. I was in a long distance relationship with my then-partner and that really hurt and it was easy to feel lonely as a result. Work was really stressful. I was wondering, 'I love art so much but why am I not doing that in my life.' I decided that every night before I went to bed I’d draw a short thing about that day or a moment in that day, to appreciate my days more.

What was college like for you?

People always joke that artists can't like math, but I love math! In college, I got into the business school. I’ve always loved numbers, stats and analytics but at the time, I didn't really know what I wanted to do. I think I changed my major 20 times over those four years, honestly. I remember this one class on mechanical design in which we 3D printed things and we laser cut different objects to create these cool structures. I absolutely loved that. It brought together my love for hands-on learning with my passion for art and design. I did a couple of animation courses too—those are the ones that I pulled the most all-nighters for. But they were really awesome all-nighters. I enjoyed every single minute of them.

Math vs. art. What was it like for you switching between the left and right sides of your brain on an almost daily basis?

If anything, it really helped to have two different things that I was doing every day. When you got tired of one thing, you could easily switch to the next and it will help you balance out your entire life. I think a lot about friends who went to art school who would get so burnt out about art that they couldn't—they didn't—even want to draw another thing.

Did you ever consider studying art instead of business?

For a bit, yeah, but I just knew it wasn't practical. My parents are very classic immigrant parents, and there was no way they would pay for art school.

So, art was always something for you to keep on the side?

I always wanted to keep art as a passion, for sure. It’s been a huge part of my life, but I didn't think it would ever turn into a full time or actual ‘life’ thing that I would do. One, my parents probably wouldn't let me go to art school, but two, I actually wasn't really that confident in my art to be able to get me into art school. I didn't think that I was good enough compared to a lot of my peers. I thought it was just better if I keep it as a passion. But, sometimes, life just surprises you.

I want to talk about your doing art full-time. But first, let’s talk about going viral—not once, but twice...

It was super left field. I saw a joke about it and I just thought it was super funny and I should do it [the meme] for my job. This was definitely something that my dad has said before, about everything that I do. And so I posted it, not thinking that it would ever go viral because my job as a product manager [at Twitter] is fairly niche. But the next thing you know, everyone in the world was liking and retweeting it. I love that everyone also used a format for their own jobs. It's like, no matter who you are, even if you were a hotshot doctor, your dad would still be mad about it. It was really a funny moment with all these strangers on the internet.

How did you end up at Twitter?

In college, I'd been switching between a bunch of majors and had decided to go into finance, because that's what most people in my school did. It was the most acceptable job to my dad. He had this dream that his daughter would become a Wall Street hotshot. Thankfully, I did not go through with that. I ended up realising that it was not for me at all.

In junior year, I went on a trip to San Francisco where we got to meet different companies and alumni in tech. Twitter was one of them. That was my very first time getting introduced to Twitter as a company, and beyond just an app. I got to learn a lot more about the tech world which at the time I had known nothing about. After that trip, it just really hit me that I’d been making things my entire life. And that's what tech is about. It's all these creative minds coming together to make really cool things. I ended up recruiting really hard for tech at the last minute.

You were at Twitter when the pandemic struck, which really put Wuhan on the map. As a result, you created another (soon to be viral) comic, why?

The main driver for publishing that comic was this dissonance I felt with being on this side of the world in which everyone around me was fed a lot of media about how awful Wuhan was. I even heard rhetoric about how the people were savage for eating bats. There were a lot of very nasty negative things about people in my family and people in my hometown. I’d hear that during the day, and video chat with my family back home at night. They had nothing but love and worry about me and like everyone else around. That was really unfortunate and heartbreaking for me to feel those two very different perspectives, but having no one to marry them together. The common thread is that we're all in this together trying to fight this thing. There's no point in bringing down one or the other.

I wanted to be able to combat the negative media that we were getting, especially in the Western countries, and bring my own point of view. I wanted to say, "This is actually my beautiful hometown, and all the beautiful things that you're missing. And everyone here is trying to get past the same challenge in the world and we should be banding together instead."

Why do you think the comic went viral?

From the feedback and fan mail I got, a lot of people were saying that the message was super universal. I think the main group of people who had really positive emotions connected to it were one people who were also Chinese-American or Chinese like me, and have felt that the world was demonising them for something they had no control over. They really appreciated that my comic called out people's bad behaviour. We should be bonded together over it. The last panel [in my comic] says “Jiayou Wuhan.” "Jiayou" is "rooting for you". At the end of day, we're all victims of the same disease.

The other group was people who were non-Chinese or non-Chinese American, but who also had the same sentiments, and were glad to learn about all these new things about Wuhan. It's honestly such a beautiful place with beautiful landmarks, amazing food and wonderful people. So many of the fans responded saying that Wuhan's the first place they wanted to visit once everything's over. That really brought joy to my heart too. The last thing is—and this is all by coincidence—the very day that I posted it was also the day that Trump had called the virus a Chinese virus on Twitter. Every news article was picking that up. I think a lot of people were looking for that more positive outlook, compared to our president just taking the easy road to shaming someone.

Did you also receive hate mail?

I did, especially in the Twitter replies. I didn't read all their replies, but there were some. I honestly expected it. I’ve worked on the anti-abuse team at Twitter, and I've seen way worse comments. When I first posted it I actually expected it to get a lot more negative reactions than positive ones. At the time, there was a lot of anti-Asian sentiment. I did not expect to get such positivity. So if anything, all the positive comments really overwhelmed the negative ones.

So, how did the book deal come about?

After it went viral, the calls started coming in. I got an interview with NPR, which is really awesome. After the NPR interview, a publisher reached out to me through Twitter asking if I wanted to turn it into a book. I didn't know anything about the publishing world. I’d created this comic just after work in a coffee shop, and so I did not have all these crazy, big dreams for it. I just wanted to get my story out there. But after she called, I was like, "Wow, that's super cool. This is my rocket ship moment, there's no way I'm going to let this fly by."

I ended up going with my current agent, Brenda, because she really got my story. She saw the other comics on my website and really understood the type of storytelling I wanted to do. It was super quick. Within a couple of weeks, we wrote a proposal for this expanded book, which would touch on more than just Wuhan. It’s about my immigrant story, being in the intersection of two worlds, and trying to deal with the conflicts that come with being between two cultures. We're aiming for the summer of next year (2021) for when the book will come out, so hopefully when all of this [COVID] is over.

You mentioned earlier that you were really disillusioned and stressed at work. How did you end up leaving Twitter?

I was approaching a year and a half at Twitter. While I did like my co-workers and my role, there was a piece of creativity that was missing, similar to when I first started doing art at that studio, which was teaching black and white still life. It was so boxed in. I felt that same sentiment on Twitter. I got to exercise my design muscles, but even design is quite literally all boxes when you're doing UI/UX design on an app.

My mentor was also a product manager at Twitter. He said something that really flicked that switch i n my brain. He went to college to study film and wanted to be a filmmaker, but ended up as a product manager. I asked him, “Do you still write scripts on the side or try to film small short films?” He had been a PM for 20+ years at this point. And I remember him saying, "No, I actually think it's been so long that I don't think I can even write a script anymore." That hit me so hard. He was someone I really respected, and I still do, but it was just so sad to see him lose that part of himself after not being able to exercise it for so long. I can't let my love [for art and design] fade away. I need to make sure that I'm always exercising it in some kind of way. I will definitely regret the day that I realise I can't even draw anything on a paper. I'd resolved to put more art into my life, maybe even start doing art full time. I thought of becoming a traveling artist, but that’s when COVID hit. All these plans vanished. There was no way I could travel and I needed health insurance and job security.

After I got the book deal, that was the green light for me. One, the book deal gave me enough money to sustain myself. And two, I knew that I could not do this book justice if I was also working a full time job. If I truly wanted to try out full-time art, I needed to make sure I'm putting my full self into it.

Congratulations! What was the most eye-opening thing about going into art full-time?

Everything that I'm learning about myself and the way I like to work. They weren't huge surprises, because I know that I'm always someone who hated routine. I love being able to work at 2:00 am if I wanted to, because I'm very nocturnal. I prefer to work at 2:00 am versus 2:00 pm, and when you're working 9-to-5 for a corporation, that's just not possible. Learning how I like to work and being self-employed helps me to really get the most out of that.

Another thing that's very eye-opening is how much of a mental battle being a self-employed artist is. I thought going in that motivation or artistic skills would be the biggest challenge. But the biggest challenge really has been the mental battles whenever I'm stuck in a rut with my art, or my writing, or I don't know what to do and I'm the only person doing this. I had a whole team of people at Twitter all with the same goal. Now, how do you get past a lot of demons in your mind telling you you're not good enough or that you're an imposter, or you’ve wasted all this time? That's been a huge learning opportunity for me to build self-confidence.

Art is your comfort, but how do you cope when the mental battles that you face stem from being a full-time artist?

Before, there were no real stakes. I made stuff for myself. I could post it or I could decide not to. And even when I did, I didn't really care how many likes they got because it was mainly just for me. But now, there are all these stakes. If I'm making this book, I'd want other people to like it and read it. And because it's a memoir, I'm literally putting my full self onto the page. And that's really scary too, because if people don't like your book, maybe they don't like your art, or your writing, but maybe they just don't like you as a person. So that's incredibly personal. The biggest mental battle I face is how much of myself should be on the page.

My publisher also paid for this book, and I want to make sure I’m not letting them down. Because if your book doesn’t do well, who knows if I’ll have another opportunity afterwards, right? I try to constantly remind myself that this is still infinitely better than anything else I could have done and just to really enjoy the ride, because it goes by so quickly.

You tweeted that people warned you that you’d become disillusioned after making your passion your career. How did that make you feel?

I’ve definitely seen that before with myself. When I was in school, I ran this design business and I was lucky that it was fairly successful. But at one point, I had too many clients to handle that I was not enjoying my work. And I feel like that's probably what people mean about getting disillusioned. So far, it actually hasn't been the case, and I'm still really enjoying every moment of it. I think the difference here is that while there is a lot of pressure, I get full creative control over everything about my story. My editor gives feedback, but what I want to write about and how and the voice that comes across is all authentically mine. Whilst there is money involved, I think because I started off with a pretty good safety net of savings, I'm able to take a lot of pressure off as well and fully enjoy just the creative process.

What’s your book writing process been like?

It's been honestly such a wild ride. A typical graphic novel takes one to two years to create. But my editor and I both agreed to fast track that because of how timely the material was. So, we decided if I can get this book done in six months, she'll fast track it for summer next year (2021). That's definitely been a challenge but also a really cool goal.

When I really like something, I put 24/7 focus on it and it doesn't feel like time is actually passing. I usually do it in sprints. For a couple of weeks I’d be fully grinding on the art, or the writing. I was probably doing 14-hour days of drawing. Normally, I'd start around noon and go until 4 or 5 am. But it never felt like work. Everything just felt so fun and so free. When I turn in my art, my editor and my art director might take a couple weeks to get back to me and so that would be my vacation time. All the breaks I probably should have been taking during the 14-hour days, I just clump them all together: 2 to 3 weeks of nothing. And during that time I don't look at my story at all. I try to erase it from my memory, because it helps in my next round of revisions if I look at it with brand new eyes. And I usually do other things that are not work related, so I could refresh myself during that time.

Do you have a spot that you have to sit at to draw?

I can draw from anywhere. Over the last few months, I've been home in Dallas, I've been here in San Francisco, and in an Airbnb in Mammoth Lakes with some of my friends—it was there that I actually got most of the pages done! I typically designate my spaces. Wherever I sleep, I make sure that's not where I do my work, because it’s very easy for me to then mix up my leisure brain with my work brain. And I also make sure that wherever I work, I'm not also like watching Netflix or playing games. If I want to play a game, I will physically pick up my laptop, go to different rooms and do it there.

Do you have any pre-drawing rituals or habits?

Coffee definitely is a must. I don't know if that's a ritual or just a necessity. I have to have a cup of coffee in the morning. I always put on music. I have a specific playlist that I use every time I draw and I never get tired of the songs on it, even though I've heard them a million times at this point. I will typically do a quick meditation session too before I draw to focus. I need a lot of sunlight, in general. And I simply like to work around other people too. It makes me not feel so lonely.

You mentioned the very first iteration of this comic was done in a coffee shop. Were you always drawing at coffee shops?

I did always prefer coffee shops because I would like the vibe of them. I love the smell of coffee, and they usually put on fairly good music. I love being around people. It reminds me that I'm not tackling things by myself. Even if we were doing different things, it still feels like we, in a way, are on a team for a specific purpose.

Do you ever get into a rut and not know what to draw or write?

That usually happens after I’ve been grinding for a couple of days. I will usually have to take a day of rest after 4 or 5 days of drawing or writing. I honestly think that's a good practice for anyone that’s a creative, because you can't expect your brain to always be on. Maybe I'll listen to a podcast, go on a hike, or just do something to refresh myself.

Do you think you’ve found your voice as an artist?

Honestly, I'm still trying to understand what exactly a voice is. With this memoir, I think I'm getting closer and closer to being my full authentic self on the page. I think when people read this book, it will definitely be clear that I'm the one narrating it.

When I send it to friends, I think it passes the “name test.” Even if you blank out all the names, someone who reads it will be like, “Yeah, I'm definitely talking to Laura.” So, I think that I have found my voice in that sense, but it's constantly evolving. It’s a combination of everything I learned throughout the years. I hope it continues to evolve along with my art style.

Words versus graphics. Which one comes first?

The words came first for this one.

I wrote out a 100-page script before I even started drawing. I've heard it varies across all comic artists. Because my brain is pretty visual, it was easier for me to have the visual in my brain and write it down, instead of sketching everything out—my sketching ability probably isn't as great as I’d like it to be to where I could just sketch immediately what's in my brain. So, I'd rather just write it down first. It made it a lot easier for editing too, as I didn’t have to redraw anything.

Your book is a very personal memoir. You’re very open on social media about your background, your self-identity, your mental health. How do you feel putting yourself out there?

It's definitely scary! I mean it's funny, because whilst it is scary, I've always been super open.

As you said, I post about things that are probably pretty taboo for other people on social media. Even when I was at work, I spoke up about things I was really unhappy about that other people felt could really jeopardise my career. I was a huge advocate for diversity and inclusion, and I was being critical of leadership when I didn't feel that they were working hard enough on it. I think that's always just been who I am. If no one else is speaking about it, then I will do that.

Is that a function of your upbringing?

I do think it is something that I cultivated throughout high school and college. Growing up, since I'm the older sibling, when my brother and I get into fights with our parents, I would always be the more vocal one. One thing that was learned is how to be confrontational and to stick up for what you want.

In college, I was fortunate enough to be around some really awesome people that accepted me for who I was—that was a deliberate thing I wanted. All throughout high school, I felt like I was living this double life where there were a lot of things I kept hidden, like my sexuality. But in college, I got to be fully out and authentic to them. And, honestly life has just been that much happier. I realised that authenticity is the best value to have if I wanted to stay happy in life. So, that's the value that I bring now into my book and the rest of my life.

I love hearing that. Would you care to talk a little bit more about your coming out?

Yeah, I’m queer. I think I've really known that for most of my life, but never got to fully admit it until college. I grew up in a small pretty conservative religious town called Coppell in Texas. It’s predominantly white Baptists. I don't think I knew a single out LGBTQ+ person at my school at the time. Also, there were very few people of colour and being a queer person of colour is a whole new layer in itself.

All of that meant that I had to keep everything secret up until college. One of the reasons that I only applied to colleges outside the south was that I wanted to see what other environments there are. I knew that there are other places that could be more open and accepting, but I don't really know to what extent. I got to Penn, which is super open, super liberal, and one of the most LGBTQ+ friendly campuses—which I didn’t know at that time. It was because of that environment that I got to not only finally be open to everyone else, but to be honest with myself.

Wrapping up, how would you describe yourself? You’re a creator, a writer, a bread lover?

I am a bread lover, yes. I think you said "multi-hyphenate" in the beginning, and honestly, I think that’s a great word. I have so many different interests and so many different things that I do throughout my life. I hate to confine myself to just one word or my identity to just one thing. Multi-hyphenate. I call myself "Laura the Explorer" a lot because it also rhymes with "Dora the Explorer." "Explorer" is probably the best word to summarise all of it because I'm constantly looking for new things to try out, and new jumps to take. Because why do the same thing for the rest of your life?

On the Feed

I’d just arrived back in San Francisco after a couple of months at home. It was nice to be back in Texas, but I’m not really out to my parents or many people back home.I was just incredibly thankful to be back in SF and I love biking. I was out on a ride and I wanted to document this moment of euphoria. I ended up doing this self-photoshoot. I put the phone on a trash can, and I had a soy milk drink at the time and put it behind the phone to support it. it was just a really great moment.

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My birthday, May 14, was the exact day of my graduation. In the week leading up to my birthday, I did a Facebook fundraiser for Planned Parenthood. I said that if we reached $10,000 I’d wear the onesie on my graduation. I didn't think it’d ever reach that number, but it did, and so I showed up as a pink dinosaur on the day I graduated.

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My mom took this picture and, when I saw it, I zoomed in to the background. Those were the paintings that my brother and I drew when we were very young. I've always had a contentious relationship with my family, especially around my artistic side. While they were supportive of it as a passion, they were never supportive of it as a “real” thing. That was really important for me to see that my mom had these pictures for years in her office. And to know that maybe on the outside, it seemed like they were disapproving, but on the inside, they still really appreciated the artistic side of their kids.

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That’s my current apartment in SF. I always loved ambient light. I try to have as much light as possible when I work. I use an app called Procreate, and I use an Apple pencil to draw. My keyboard—that's what I usually do for breaks. I love music; not only listening but playing. Whenever I get tired or want a break, I'll usually improv music or just play a tune.

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That's my grandma on my mom's side. I'm actually probably the closest to her out of all my relatives in Wuhan. We call almost every week. I tell her things I don't even tell my parents. She's been a really great mentor figure in my life. I was probably still in Wuhan at that time of this picture. I’m holding a toy gun or something. It looks like we’re part of a gang or mob, and she’s the mob boss and I’m her firsthand.

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Off the Cuff

On anime

Haikyu!! The best part is the characters are all so lovable; there’s not a single character that I hate. It’s to a point when you love a character so much that you want to just like know everything about them.

On Twitter

The social media that I’m on 24/7.

On bread

Fillmore Bakeshop sourdough.

On family group chats

They’re an enigma to me. It's silence for a while, then my parents would ask for an update, which I give, then it's silence again. Rinse and repeat!

On romcoms

I am obsessed with Crash Landing on You. All my friends know I don’t even like cheesy, lovey-dovey stuff, but I can't explain it.

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Find Laura Gao on Twitter, Instagram and her website.

As an interior designer, brand partnerships are an excellent way of publicising your interior design business and attracting new customers, especially when first starting out in the interior design industry. Not only that, brand partnerships are a great way to align yourself with reputable brands in the interior design industry and perhaps even earn some extra income. No matter the size of your interior design business, there are a wealth of brand partnership opportunities available to you, including real estate agents, furniture companies, and architects. A successful brand partnership helps both collaborators to grow their businesses, so it is important to partner with a brand that you admire and trust.

Navigating brand collaborations as an interior designer might seem overwhelming, but the time and effort involved will pay dividends to your business's success in the long run. In this article, we've covered everything you need to know about brand partnerships as an interior design, including:

• Why a brand partnership is beneficial to your interior design business
• What brand partnerships are available to interior designers
• How to pitch an interior design brand partnership

Ready to collaborate on an exciting new project and meet a world of new customers for your interior design business? A new interior design brand partnership awaits...

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Brand partnerships for interior designers - what are they?

A brand partnership is when two or more professionals collaborate to promote each other's products or services. A successful collaboration results in increased exposure and learning opportunities for both brands involved. Four different types of interior design brand partnerships:

• Product partnership. When businesses co-create a product or service. A good example is when Nate Berkus collaborated with Target.
• Event partnership. When businesses co-manage an event such as a trade show or conference. For example, you can manage a show house with a furniture vendor to promote both of your brands
• Content partnership. When businesses create promotional content together. You can work with a paint company, for example, and create a TikTok series on how to choose the right paint colours for different rooms.
• Sponsorship partnership. When a brand sponsors another brand's products or events. For example, SBID Events are sponsored by numerous brands like Vectorworks, Lalique, and Bloomsart.

Benefits of brand partnerships for interior designers

A brand partnership is a great method of marketing your interior design business to new clients and increasing your credibility as a brand. Here are the top three reasons you should pursue a brand partnership for your interior design business...

Increase brand visibility

A brand partnership lets you tap into your interior design business partner's clientele. This introduces you to new potential clients, drives traffic to your website, and improves your brand visibility and reputation altogether.

Attract a larger pool of clients

An interior design collaboration creates buzz for your brand in many ways. One, it generates public interest and brand recognition. And two, it adds value to your brand through exclusive discounts, products, or services. For example, if you have a product partnership with a furniture retailer, you can offer an exclusive discount to clients who wish to purchase from your brand partner.

Improve your credibility

When your interior design partner is a well-known brand, they vouch for your expertise. That connection establishes your business as of an equal calibre, which will in turn boost your credibility in the industry. Prospective clients will be impressed by your connections and have high expectations for working with you.

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How to choose the right brand partnership opportunity

Choosing the right brand to partner with is essential. Your compatibility as both brands and as individuals will determine your project's success. It's important to do your share of research before forwarding a business collaboration proposal. 4 steps in choosing the right partnership for your interior design firm...

Step 1. Define your vision and goals

Before choosing the right business partner, you have to know your goals. Ahead of searching for your ideal collaborator, ask yourself this question: What do I want to achieve with a brand partnership? For example, you might want to reposition your brand to a more high-end clientele, in which case you could consider partnering with a luxury furniture company that would expose you to that market. Determining what you want to gain from the brand partnership is crucial in keeping the collaboration on track and ensuring you are happy with the end result.

Step 2. Identify suitable partners

Once you have defined your personal aims for the brand partnership, you need to identify brands/individuals who can help you to fulfil these goals. Questions to think about...

• What type of partnership are you looking for?
• What skills should your ideal business partner have?
• Does this brand share my target audience?
• Does this brand have a positive industry reputation?

List down as many brands and professionals that come to mind while answering these questions and slowly scratch off brands that don't quite fit your criteria. You can also browse through online networking platforms like LinkedIn, or the Design and Construction Network to find potential interior design partners.

Step 3. Assess compatibility

Values are just as important as expertise. You'll find a lot of skilled experts in the interior design industry however, not everyone will share the same perspectives and ethos'. This is particularly important if you offer niche services such as sustainable interior design.

Run a background check on potential business partners to assess their brand identity and practices. You can also invite the owner or key contact to a meeting online or in person to get to know them better. Ideally, the right interior design partner should be a match on both a professional and personal level.

How to craft an interior design partnership proposal

A successful partnership takes careful planning and commitment from both parties, but it all starts with a well-crafted partnership proposal. There is no one size fits all approach to an interior design partnership proposal. More often than not, it depends on the nature of the brand you want to reach out to. Some brands prefer to conduct professional matters via email, whilst others might suit a more relaxed Instagram DM. Use the following steps as a brand partnership proposal template five steps to help you craft the perfect interior design brand partnership pitch...

Step 1. Write a compelling introduction

The first step: grab their attention. Write an impactful introduction that outlines your background, purpose, and why you believe the collaboration should happen. The first line should be enough to make the recipient want to read more. To write a good introduction, research your potential partner's company. Highlight any shared values and goals and generously incorporate them into your proposal.

Brand partnership pitch introduction template

Dear [Brand Partner's Name],

I am writing to explore the possibility of a strategic interior design partnership between our brands, [Your company name] and [Brand partner's name].

At [Your Company Name], our mission is to [your brand ethos here]. Our portfolio (linked) speaks to this mission, and I take particular pride in our recent work [share examples of a recent project(s)]. I believe that our mutual commitment to/understanding of [shared values here] make us ideal partners. I admire [Brand Partner's Company Name] for [share why you admire the brand/recent work you loved].

Step 2. Discuss partnership objectives and plan

Once you have made a stellar introduction and outlined why you make a perfect pair, it is time to break down your objectives and ideas for the next steps. In this section, you need to identify key areas of synergy and explain how your interior design collaboration efforts can create unique opportunities and value. Keep it realistic and achievable. Key details to include in your interior design partnership proposal:

• Your proposed activities, initiatives, or projects
• Benefits of these projects to your potential interior design partner
• A timeline of events or projects

Step 3. Highlight your portfolio and credentials

The third step is perhaps the hardest part of writing a brand partnership pitch, selling yourself. Highlight what makes you a good potential partner. Showcase your relevant experiences, certifications, and track record that will drive your partnership to success. Attach your design portfolio and include client testimonials that highlight the positive impact of your work.

Step 4. Conclude with a call to action

Wrap up the proposal with a clear and concise call to action. A call to action can be anything from a simple email response to an in-person meeting. What's important is that you simplify the next steps by providing your contact information and availability.

Brand partnership pitch CTA template

I'm excited to discuss the potential of this partnership further. We can schedule a meeting at your convenience, reach me here: [insert contact information]

Thank you for your time. I look forward to the exciting possibilities that lie ahead.

Step 5. Follow up on the proposal

Don't miss out on a partnership opportunity by neglecting to follow up on an email! Remember, your proposal doesn't end as soon as you hit send. It ends with an agreement or a rejection.

When do you follow up on a partnership proposal? It's best to send a follow-up no later than 10 days after sending your initial pitch. This gives the recipient ample time to review your proposal and express continued interest in the partnership. In your follow-up message, always be mindful of their time and in the event of receiving a "no", respect their decision and respond cordially and professionally.

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TLDR: A successful interior design brand partnership looks like...

Brand partnerships are an effective marketing strategy for interior designers looking to increase brand visibility, attract new customers and improve their reputation in the interior design industry. Your interior design business will grow from collaborating with businesses and brands that align with your aesthetic, ethos and goals. It is important to pursue a brand partnership with companies that you align with on a personal and professional level.

When reaching out to potential brand partners, be sure to communicate your expertise, your ideas (and passion for them) and why this partnership will be mutually beneficial for you both.

Creative entrepreneurs and freelancers often ask: should I charge hourly or set a fixed project price? Choosing the right pricing strategy is crucial for sustainable and profitable service delivery. Charging hourly ensures fair compensation for your services, while a flat project rate offers predictability. There's no universal answer on how to price services as a freelancer, but evaluating both methods reveals distinct advantages and drawbacks. This article breaks down the facts to help you determine the best pricing method for your creative business.

This article will explore...

• Comparing the pros and cons of charging per hour versus per project for creative entrepreneurs and freelancers, offering insights into which method might be more sustainable and profitable.
• Highlighting the advantages of charging per hour, such as guaranteed compensation for all time and effort, flexibility for long-term projects, and protection against unpaid overtime.
• Discussing the benefits of charging per project, including capitalizing on productivity, payment security, and the potential challenges for new freelancers in determining suitable rates and avoiding overwork without additional compensation.

Option 1: charging per hour

Charging by the hour means setting a price for each hour dedicated to a project. It requires diligent tracking of time spent, ensuring accurate billing upon project completion.

Advantages of hourly pricing

No more unpaid overtime

‍Charging hourly guarantees compensation for all time and effort invested. Adjustments, revisions, or unforeseen challenges may extend project duration beyond initial estimates—a flat rate doesn't accommodate these changes, but hourly billing ensures fair payment for your services."

This version integrates the keywords naturally while maintaining clarity and using straightforward language. It also adheres to your preference for concise, punchy sentences to improve readability and engagement.

Ideal for long-term clients

‍Suitable for ongoing clients Certain freelance projects lack fixed scopes or timelines, making hourly pricing ideal. This approach offers flexibility for both you and your client, accommodating revisions and additional requirements as they arise."

This version maintains clarity and uses straightforward language while integrating the specified keywords naturally. It also adheres to your preference for concise, punchy sentences to enhance readability and engagement.

Disadvantages of charging per hour

Challenges with hourly rates

If you're using an hourly pricing method, it's crucial to track your hours diligently and maintain accurate records for clients. Some clients may hesitate to work with creatives who charge by the hour due to concerns about cost transparency.

Income fluctuations

‍Charging per hour means your income can vary widely from month to month. Offering a bi-weekly payment schedule can help stabilize cash flow throughout the project, rather than waiting until completion to receive payment.

If you're a fast worker, charging a flat rate could be a more rewarding way to charge for your services.

Option 2: charging per project

Charging per project, or using a flat rate, involves quoting a fixed price for the entire project, regardless of the time spent on it.

Advantages of charging per project

Boost productivity

If you work efficiently, a flat rate can be more profitable. Flat rates reward high productivity—if you complete projects quickly, you maximize your profit. Charging per project prevents potential income loss compared to hourly rates.

Payment security

When charging a flat rate, you have predictable income, allowing you to budget effectively for your business. Clients also appreciate the transparency and predictability of per-project pricing.

Disadvantages of charging per project

Challenges for beginners

Setting a suitable rate for a project can be challenging for newcomers to the business. Without experience, it's difficult to estimate project duration and material costs accurately. Clients often prefer flat rates from seasoned freelancers for assured quality.

Risk of overwork and underpayment

Misjudging project complexity can lead to unpaid overtime. If uncertain about a project's scope, charging hourly may offer more financial security.

Before you decide...

Both hourly rates and flat fees have their advantages and drawbacks. Your choice should align with your experience level and project specifics. Evaluate your options carefully and plan thoroughly for your project's scope before committing to a pricing method.

As a wedding planner, the suppliers you partner with play a huge role in the success of your weddings and the satisfaction of your couples. The better the quality of their products and services, the easier it is for you to achieve your clients' vision.

Whether supplying catering, flowers, entertainment or a niche service, it is important to work with wedding vendors who align with your company's ethos and aesthetic and whom you work well with professionally. As a team, you will be able to curate beautiful designs and experiences that will delight your clients. So, how do you find your dream team? This article explores ways for you to expand your network as a wedding professional and establish long-lasting relationships with your dream wedding vendors. All that is left to do is make the first move!

Be active on social media

Social media is home to countless fellow wedding professionals and wedding suppliers—which means countless networking opportunities! Follow these 3 steps to begin building vendor connections on social media...

1. Follow and connect

Your feed should be full of florists, caterers, musicians, photographers, and more. This keeps you updated on their services and business developments and makes reaching out easier when the time comes. It is also a good way to see what is trending in the world of weddings. Remember, social media should be social, so don't be afraid to reach out. Begin building a relationship with wedding vendors by sharing their content, commenting on posts, reacting to stories, and even sliding into their DMs!

2. Update your feed

Networking is a two-way street. Before you reach out to a supplier you'd like to work with, ensure that your profile is looking in good condition. Treat your Instagram grid as your shop front, it should reflect your best work and instantly communicate what your brand is all about.

3. Join Facebook groups

Joining Facebook groups and other online communities for wedding professionals is an easy way to widen your wedding industry connections. Vendors regularly use these groups to promote their services, so there are plenty of collaboration opportunities waiting to be picked up. To find wedding communities on Facebook, search for keywords such as "wedding professionals" or "wedding planner" and you'll be met with a ton of vibrant communities for you to explore. To narrow down your search, try searching for communities specific to your local area, e.g. "wedding suppliers London". You can also search for groups aligned with your particular niche, e.g. "vintage wedding pros". Once part of a community, be sure to actively listen, exchange ideas and share your experiences with the group. Take note of vendors that catch your attention and make a list of valuable contacts for later. Don't think twice about attending any events advertised in the group—these are invaluable opportunities to meet and connect with wedding suppliers.

Attend trade shows

Wedding trade shows invite professionals from all corners of the wedding industry to exhibit their work and socialise with fellow pros. Attending these trade shows as a wedding planner is a great way for you to browse wedding vendors and the different services they offer. Here's how to get involved...

1. Plan your trade show calendar

You can find wedding vendor trade shows all year round. Look out for advertisements in your wedding Facebook groups, on social media, and in wedding industry publications. Make a note of any that match your needs and book your tickets! Try to attend as many wedding trade shows as you can, the more options you have the better. Here's a few of our favourite wedding trade shows to look out for...

The National Wedding Show

Approximately 2,000 exhibitors and 100,000 visitors attend The National Wedding Show every year. See the latest wedding dress trends paraded down a stunning catwalk and collect advice from experts at WEDTALK.

The Suffolk Wedding Show

Enjoy a beautiful spring day out at The Suffolk Wedding Show and connect with an array of wedding suppliers including floristry, stationary, entertainment and caterers.

PMN Wedding Fayres

PMN Wedding Fayres are prestigious events bringing together newly engaged couples and wedding professionals, making it the perfect opportunity to connect with wedding vendors and even find your next clients.

2. Send a heads-up to target connections

If there are specific vendors attending a trade show that you'd like to connect with, drop them a message in advance to let them know you love their work and you're excited to meet them. Briefly explain what you do, what you're looking for, and how much you're looking forward to the event. The supplier in question will most likely remember your name and look forward to meeting you.

Ask for referrals

If in doubt, reach out to your fellow wedding pros and ask which suppliers they recommend. A referral means you can be sure of the vendor's expertise and quality so you can rest assured they will be a reliable partner.

Start a conversation with a wedding planner you know by asking how they are and celebrating any recent achievements they have had. When you are ready to ask for their supplier recommendations, do you so clearly and explain exactly what you are looking for (area, aesthetic, etc.) No need to double text, your industry friend will reply in their own time. Respect their time, and wait a few days or a week before sending a follow-up message. If they choose to keep their supplier a secret, respect their decision and focus on establishing your own relationships. When you receive a referral, always follow up with a thank you message. Let them know that you'll be happy to offer any help in return whenever they're in need.

Creativity thrives in diverse, inclusive spaces. As a creative entrepreneur, you have a responsibility to create a safe, inclusive space for your employees as well as use your platform to champion inclusive practices. Creating an inclusive workplace is highly rewarding for both you and your employees. By collaborating with people with varied backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, you discover more ways to solve problems, innovate, and serve clients.

To build a truly inclusive workplace you must be committed, consistent, and open to learning. This article is a first step in teaching you how to foster an inclusive environment for both your employees and your customers.

What is an inclusive business?

An inclusive business provides equal opportunities and access to people from all backgrounds, especially those who have historically been excluded from the narrative such as low-income communities, global majority persons, women and non-binary people, persons with disabilities, and other vulnerable populations. Inclusive businesses foster an inclusive workplace culture and are also committed to making their products/services accessible to all.

5 Ways to Make Your Creative Business More Inclusive

You can't create an inclusive workplace overnight, it takes genuine commitment and a willingness to improve. Follow these steps to start building a truly inclusive workplace...

Hire a diverse workforce

Your recruitment process should be open to all and special care should be taken to ensure you are avoiding biases related to a candidate's age, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or other personal characteristics that are unrelated to their job performance. A diverse staff creates a more positive work culture and allows you to explore new ideas fuelled by diverse perspectives. Studies have also proven that diversity in the workplace leads to greater profits and better staff retention.

Consider your accessibility

We all experience the world differently and there are certain digital practices you can follow to make your business more accessible to all. For example, you can design your website so that it is accessible to those who rely on assistive technology. Websites like WordPress and Wix even have accessible templates that you can follow.

Host educational seminars

To build an inclusive workplace, your whole team need to be engaged and on board. Hosting educational seminars on diversity and inclusion is a good way to open up conversations and allow your team to voice their concerns and suggestions for improvement. To ensure you are providing quality education, invite experts and professional groups that offer educational workshops and seminars. Remember: addressing your internal bias can be uncomfortable, but it is necessary in order to grow and improve your commitment to inclusivity.

Support grassroots projects

What you do outside of your workplace is just as important as what you do inside. Your commitment to diversity and inclusivity should span your industry as a whole—starting from the bottom up. How can your business support people from underrepresented backgrounds to find a career in the creative industries? Consider offering mentorship programmes for young creatives from underrepresented backgrounds or hosting fundraising events for charities that champion diversity in creative work.

Listen to feedback

Last, but not least, listen to the people around you. Regularly conduct surveys, interviews, and polls to give your employees and community a chance to share their experiences and offer ideas as to how to improve your inclusive practices. Be prepared to take critique and work hard to continually improve. The road to true a truly inclusive workplace may be bumpy but it's all worth it!

What makes you stand out as a personal stylist? The personal styling industry is booming, which means you have to work a little harder to build a personal styling brand that stands out from the crowd. How? By picking a niche and excelling in that area.

Having a niche as a personal stylist will allow you to produce more targeted marketing content, become an expert in your field, and increase your chances of working consistently with your dream clients. By picking a personal styling niche, you stop being just a stylist. You become a stylist with a purpose. Learn why picking a personal styling niche is your ticket to success and find the niche that is right for you.

3 benefits of picking a niche for your personal styling business

It is a common misconception that niching down limits your potential for growth. But in reality, choosing a personal styling niche will open up a wealth of new opportunities that are more aligned with your strengths and interests as a stylist.

Increase your press opportunities

Journalists are always looking to feature people with untold stories from a unique angle, as a personal stylist with an interesting niche you'll be firmly in that category. In your PR pitches, be sure to highlight your niche service and why you love doing it. Additionally, niching down will also help you connect with other key influencers in the same niche. This opens up new marketing channels where you can collaborate and promote your personal styling services.

Improve your SEO

Strong SEO makes you easily discoverable to future clients. One way to improve your SEO is to optimise around a niche. With a niche, it's easier to identify keywords that resonate with your brand and less competition in this area means you'll have a better chance of ranking high on Google and thus attracting more clients.

Reach your dream clients

When you pick a personal styling niche, you attract clients who need and want your specific offering. No more guessing games with indecisive clients! Styling clients want to work with someone who truly understands their concerns and their goals. Working consistently with clients who share the same (ish) requirements will make you an expert in your field—and everyone wants to work with an expert. Your target clients will naturally gravitate towards you more than your competitors, giving you a leg up above the rest.

There is nothing more fulfilling than working on projects you love, and by choosing a niche for your personal styling business you can make that your reality. You'll benefit from stronger client relationships, a great industry reputation, and more satisfaction in your work.

5 personal styling niches for you to explore

Every individual requires something different from a personal stylist, which means there is no end of styling niches for you to choose from. Here are a few you can explore to get started...

Affordable styling

Can you really look good on a budget? Absolutely. Niching can be as simple as positioning yourself in an affordable pricing range to ensure styling services are available to clients on every budget.

Affordable wardrobes are often the most exciting to create. You and your client can develop their personal style in innovative ways such as recycling existing clothing in their wardrobe or visiting thrift stores together.

Corporate styling

How we dress in the workplace impacts our confidence and comfort, which in turn impacts our productivity and performance.

As a corporate stylist, you will work with your clients to build a wardrobe that feels professional yet personal to them. Corporate styling is a rewarding career,  as you'll notice your work also has a positive impact on clients' professional reputations and career trajectories.

Sustainable styling

Clients care more and more about where their clothes come from and the impact their wardrobe has on the environment. Sustainable stylists work to build wardrobes through sustainable sources like second-hand shops and clothing rental companies.

As a sustainable stylist, you'll be able to connect with clients who share your same passion for protecting the environment and prove that you can be both environmentally conscious and effortlessly chic.

Travel styling

The only downside of a holiday? Packing! For many, the packing process is stressful and overwhelming. Naturally, people want to look their best on holiday and feel relaxed knowing they have an outfit for every occasion, but their wardrobe is failing them.

As a travel stylist, your service would be tailored to helping clients look and feel their best whatever their holiday destination.

Plus-size or petite styling

Bodies come in all shapes and sizes. The art of personal styling is finding styles and shapes that flatter and enhance your client's natural body type.

If you niche your expertise around styling a certain body type, you have the power to make your clients feel fabulous in their own skin. If you have a passion for fashion and body positivity, this could be the niche for you.

The creative industry is notoriously difficult to break into, but an internship is a great opportunity to get your foot in the door, explore the creative industries and gain invaluable work experience. For students, young professionals and people looking to change their profession, a creative internship is a gateway to a new and exciting career.

Thankfully, there is a wealth of internship opportunities available. However, that also means finding the right internship can be overwhelming. A good internship should be supportive, and challenging, and leave you feeling equipped to enter your chosen field of work. Therefore it is important to choose your work placement wisely, so as to avoid wasting time and effort which could've been used in a more productive manner.

To help you find the right internship for you, we have compiled a list of the best websites to find creative internships and work placements and outlined criteria for evaluating a creative internship. Your career in the creative industry. We now dive into the best platforms to visit when searching for creative internships in London.

The benefits of a creative internship

An internship is an excellent way to gather real-world experience, further explore your field of interest, and learn from established industry professionals. Completing an internship not only looks great on your CV, but it also has long-term benefits for your personal and professional development. As an intern, you can expect to:

• Gain industry experience. Internships show you the behind-the-scenes of an industry that you can't experience through textbooks. As an intern, you'll learn how different creative roles work and how projects are managed. It is important to understand all of your options before settling on a career path.
• Build your portfolio. Throughout an internship, you'll be assigned a variety of projects that you can use to bolster your portfolio. A comprehensive and diverse portfolio proves to future employers that you don't just think you can do the job but you have done it.
• Make connections. Internships are a great way to expand your professional network. Fostering a strong relationship with your mentor and colleagues means they are likely to point you in the direction of further opportunities and put in a good word for you on your future applications.

What to avoid when choosing your internship

The majority of creative internships will provide a positive experience but unfortunately, some internships are not as good as they first appear. While searching the creative industry for an internship, it is crucial to keep your guard up against exploitative companies that may subject you to various forms of unfair treatment. Watch out for these common red flags when looking for an internship:

• Underpaid or unpaid internships. Some companies will take advantage of your lack of experience and use this to justify paying you less. Or worse, nothing at all. Regardless of your experience, you deserve to be compensated for your time and effort. We don't support unpaid internships, but we understand that some can offer a great opportunity to practice your craft and be mentored by a qualified expert. Apply common sense to the situation and proceed with caution.
• Vague role descriptions. If a company is offering an internship but doesn't really detail what you'll be doing as an intern, that's a red flag. Your daily responsibilities determine how much you will learn from the experience and you need a manager who will be proactive in pushing you to do your best. As an intern, you shouldn't be making the office coffees!
• Bad company reviews. You do not want to work in a company that does not adhere to your personal values or expectations. Make sure to conduct thorough research on the company and pay attention to any negative press. Your best source is the reviews of past employees on criteria such as diversity, workplace culture, and management.

How to decide if an internship is right for you

Working as an intern is a great opportunity, but only if it is the right opportunity for you. Here are five points to help you evaluate whether an internship will meet your needs and expectations.

Read, and read again

Take time to review the internship details a couple of times. The job post should, at a minimum, cover the background of the company, the role and responsibilities, start date, duration, requirements, and whether or not the internship is paid or not. If anything seems out of place or questionable, reach out to the company for further clarification. An example of suspicious behaviour: requiring a long thread of qualifications for an unpaid internship. It is important that you are clued up on the job description to make sure everything adds up with what your hiring manager says during the actual interview.

Research the company

As an intern, you'll be dedicating a lot of time and energy to your chosen company and so it is important you are confident it is somewhere you want to work. Go on a mission to find out everything you can about the company, review the website, social platforms, and any press coverage. Find out what they do, how frequently they offer internship programs, and if they're known to foster a positive work environment.

Reach out to other interns

The most valuable source of information is those who have embodied experience. So reach out to current or former interns and ask about their experience. A few suggested topics to cover: the pros and cons of working in the company, their treatment in the workplace, the opportunities they have had since and if the company supported them in any way.

Ask questions

In your initial outreach, in any follow-up correspondence, and in the interview itself—keep the questions coming.  Questions are your key to understanding the company and your role within it, so don't be afraid to clarify anything you are unsure of with a question. Asking questions also demonstrates that you have a keen interest in the company and your employer will likely be impressed by your diligence and enthusiasm.

Trust your gut

If you feel sceptical about an internship opportunity, listen to your instincts. No matter how great an opportunity sounds, if you don't feel confident and comfortable you won't enjoy your experience. An internship is about laying the foundations for your future career but it is also about having a good time and learning about your passions. Wait until another opportunity comes along, you'll know when the time is right.

Where to find a creative internship

There are thousands of Uk-based creative internships to choose from—so why are they so hard to find? Here is our breakdown of the best websites to browse creative internships, and which one is right for your field of interest. Log in to these creative internship sites and take one step closer to building your dream creative career.

Creative Access

Best for: Underrepresented creatives

Creative Access curates an extensive array of internship opportunities, spanning industries like PR, talent management, graphic design and more. Their mission is to support and spotlight emerging talent from underrepresented backgrounds to build a more inclusive, accessible creative economy. Find extensive creative internship opportunities with Creative Access.

Fashion Workie

Best for: Passionate fashionistas

Those looking for internships in the fashion industry, keep your eyes glued to Fashion Workie. Fashion Workie is a free self-service portal for job seekers and employers in the fashion and beauty industry. They have a wide range of creative internships, from entry-level to senior positions! Sign up to Fashion Workie to get started.

Bricks Magazine Newsletter

Best for: New-gen creatives

BRICKS is an independent publication that champions the work of queer creatives—a perfect platform for creatives who are interested in exploring social issues through the creative lens. BRICKS offer a subscription service that provides subscribers with weekly updates on jobs, freelance roles, and creative internships in the UK. Additionally, it provides invaluable career and business advice on the BRICKS Learner's Podcast. Class is now in session! Subscribe now.

Creative Lives in Progress

Best for: Zero-experience creatives

Creative Lives in Progress is an inclusive creative careers resource, on a mission to transform the way emerging talent access, understand and connect with the industry. The platform has a plethora of creative internships and opportunities for entry-level creatives posted on their Opportunities Board and Creative Company Listings. Find a creative internship in London with Creative Lives in Progress.

Creative Opportunities (UAL)

Best for: Alumni of UAL

Creative Opportunities is the go-to hub that connects graduates and alumni of the University of the Arts London (UAL) with creative internships and opportunities. They advertise jobs and creative internships in London and internationally to help creatives gain valuable experience to build careers that they love. Find the right creative internship for you with UAL's Creative Opportunities.

In order to grow your personal styling business, you need to get comfortable with social media. Instagram TikTok and Facebook are all great platforms to connect with potential clients and showcase your personal brand. Whilst a large following is nice, remember that an engaged following is far more beneficial to your business. If your audience is actively engaging with you on Instagram, you know that your message is resonating with them and that they are finding value in your content. Plus, an engaged follower is one step closer to becoming a paying client.

An engaged social media following is built through connection, adaptation and attention to detail. Learn how to apply those principles to your social media strategy and build an engaged social media audience for your personal styling business...

Make your audience feel seen

Engagement is a two-way street—actively engage with your followers' content and they will return the favour. Reply to comments, questions and compliments on your posts and always acknowledge story replies. At the same time, support their social media content with likes and comments to prove you are a true cheerleader! It is also a good idea to pose questions to your audience via story polls or post captions. This way, your audience will feel like their opinion really matters to you and will be more interested in your work. If your audience feels seen and valued, they will continue investing time and energy into you and your business.

Become an open book

Let’s face it, people can be nosy—especially on social media. And that's why "day in the life" content is so popular. Be it a prospective client wanting to know more about your services or an aspiring personal stylist, audiences will always stop swiping for a glimpse into your professional life. What is mundane and boring to you may be someone else’s daydream or adventure.

What’s a typical day like for you? How do you find new clients? How do you style them? Think of all the questions your younger self once had about becoming a personal stylist—and there's your content. If you're ever short of content ideas, ask your audience what they want to see. This is a great way to build rapport and keep your content fresh and relevant.

Share your skills

Your social media is a place to showcase your expertise by sharing timeless styling tips, outlining the latest trends and highlighting brands that you know your audience will love. By regularly sharing handy tips and tricks, your followers will come to know you as a fountain of knowledge and inspiration—and they'll keep coming back for more! No need to overthink it; all you need to do is share your wealth of knowledge about styling, and people will stop and listen.

Deliver the scoop

You have your finger on the fashion pulse more than most. It's time to capitalise on your ability to predict what trends are on the rise, and which ones are on their way out. Trends are ever evolving but audiences want to be kept in the loop, meaning someone has to do the reporting. Could it be you?

Showcase your personality

Is there a meme you find endlessly funny? Put your own spin on it and share it with your audience. Did something crazy happen in your life this week? Share your story with your followers (if you're comfortable doing so.) People connect with people, so always showcase your authentic personality online—that is your biggest selling point. Of course, you need to remain professional and responsible online—your Instagram profile is your shop front. Clients will pick a personal stylist that makes them feel comfortable. Being your true self will make prospective clients feel more at ease and may potentially lead to a partnership.

The bottom line

Think of your social media followers as a community, rather than an audience—include them in your conversations, listen to their feedback, and create content that they find valuable. Over time, you'll see your engagement increase across TikTok, Instagram Facebook, or any of your chosen social media platforms. Good luck!

Okay, so you got a bad review for your wedding planning business—don't panic!

As a wedding planner, you strive to exceed your client's expectations. However, even the best can have a bad day. Hearing that your client is unhappy or unsatisfied is never pleasant, but don’t let a negative review get you down.

Instead, keep an open mind: use this as an opportunity to learn and improve as a wedding planner. Discover how a negative client review can actually be beneficial for your wedding planning business in the long run.

This article covers:

• Why client reviews are essential for wedding planners
• Why bad reviews are not the end of the world for your wedding business
• A plan of action for dealing with negative feedback from your clients

Why is client feedback important for your wedding business?

The strongest form of marketing is the positive experiences of your previous clients. Prospective clients feel reassured by the recommendations of other couples who have been in the same position. You can use positive client reviews as social proof on your website, across your social platforms, and in other marketing content. Likewise, negative reviews are equally valuable to your business. Constructive criticism provides lessons on how to improve your services for next time and helps you continually grow as a wedding planner.

How to respond to negative feedback as a wedding planner

Be calm and rational

It's normal to feel stressed after reading a bad review. Naturally, your emotions will run high, but the last thing you want to do is fight fire with fire. Instead, give yourself some time to process the situation and don't react to the review until you feel calm and collected. Remember: this is not the end of the world.

Reach out to the client directly

The best way to settle the conflict is to reach out to the client directly. This allows you to explain your side in case of misunderstanding and reconcile your differences. Start by sending an email and offering to discuss further. If both of you are comfortable, invite them to a phone call or, if feasible, a face-to-face meeting. In your initial outreach, remain calm and professional. You do not want to appear confrontational, but rather keen to improve. Give your client time to share their opinion and be open to listening and accepting their point of view.

Reference your contract

It can be frustrating when a review references "problems" that were already addressed in your initial consultations or written into your contract. If this is the case, explain to your client that you were simply acting in accordance with the contract that you both signed. If they had an issue with this agreement, it would have been better to resolve it at the time. Your contract can protect you from claims that could damage your reputation—just one more reason to always have a contract when taking on a project!

Learn to apologize

Apologize—even if it is not your mistake. As a wedding planner, you should hold yourself in high regard. Remaining composed in the face of negative feedback and showing a willingness to resolve the situation speaks volumes about your character and will bolster your reputation as a good, reliable wedding professional. When apologizing, try to answer all the points raised in the customer feedback. A story comes with two sides—theirs and yours. Feel confident in sharing your version of events to paint a complete picture of the situation.

Ask a trusted peer to review your response

Responding to negative feedback as a wedding planner is not easy, so it is wise to enlist the help of others. Ask a fellow professional or trusted companion to check the tone of your message. You want to ensure it is polite, professional, and aligned with your brand. Writing a reply to negative client feedback can take an emotional and mental toll, so the support of a friend can help put your mind at ease.

POV: you're in a room full of fellow industry professionals—everyone is chatting, laughing and schmoozing their way to brand partnerships and PR opportunities. But you're standing in the corner, avoiding eye contact and hoping no one notices your sweaty palms! Sound familiar? Don't worry we get it. Networking can be daunting but it is a great way to create industry connections, unlock exciting opportunities, and grow your business—and being an introvert is not going to hold you back!

Some say you need to be an extrovert to master the art of networking—not true. In fact, being an introvert might even be your biggest selling point. Tip: networking is about listening, not talking. This article is a guide to networking for introverts from all corners of the creative industries, packed with practical tips and proven strategies to help you overcome the challenges of networking. Follow this guide and feel confident walking into your next networking event... but then feel free to cosy up with your dog and a cuppa after!

Five Networking Tips For Introverted Creative Entrepreneurs

Introversion is not an obstacle. Here are five tips to get you started in building your social connections with potential clients and fellow industry professionals.

Prepare ahead of time

Adequate preparation before a networking event can ease your anxiety, help you to introduce yourself with confidence and allows you to decide what you want to gain from the experience. Here are a few ways you can prepare yourself for a networking event:

1. Prepare and rehearse an elevator pitch. Your elevator pitch should describe your work, your ethos and your experience to date. It serves as a great conversation starter or a reliable talking point.
2. Familiarise yourself with the attendees. Create a mental list of the individuals you wish to engage with and prepare some questions you'd like to ask them. You'll feel more comfortable approaching strangers if you know you can hold a good conversation ad they'll likely be flattered by your thoughtful questions.
3. Plan your route. It may sound silly, but removing any worries you have about getting to the event, being late, parking etc. will help to keep you relaxed on the day, which will translate into how you feel at the event itself. Remember: there is no such thing as too much prep!

Think about your non-verbal cues

If you don't feel at ease in social situations, your body language will give you away. But don't worry, it is nothing you can't fix with research and practice. If you are aware of common indicators of nerves or stress in your body language, you can learn to avoid them. Here are some examples of nervous body language and how to combat them:

The problem: Avoiding eye contact

The fix: Maintain eye contact to show you are attentive. We promise it's not as scary as it sounds.

The problem: Crossed arms

The fix: Consciously keep your body language open and relaxed to appear approachable.

The problem: Fidgeting

The fix: Keep your hands soft and relaxed and avoid having anything to fidget with in your pockets. Instead, demonstrate you are focused on the conversation at hand by nodding and offering engaged responses.

Other nonverbal cues that convey confidence and approachability include using a firm handshake, having a genuine smile, and maintaining a good posture. Additionally, mirroring the body language and tone of conversation partners can foster a sense of connection and rapport.

Find a friend

Things are less scary when you've got a friend by your side and networking is no different. Invite a fellow entrepreneur to join you at an event or organise to meet up with familiar faces that you know will be attending. The presence of an existing connection will provide a comfortable foundation, making other social interactions easier to initiate and navigate.

Bonus: your existing connections will be able to introduce you to their connections. It is always easier to meet someone via a mutual acquaintance and serves as a good conversation starter. Just be careful not to rely on your buddy and use them as an excuse to avoid exiting your comfort zone and forging new connections.

Go digital

If you decide that in-person events are not for you, joining digital communities could be a more accessible avenue for networking. Online platforms provide a space where you can directly connect with like-minded individuals and engage in meaningful discussions without the pressure of face-to-face interactions. When building your online network, utilise platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, or industry-specific forums and communities, such as Behance, Dribble, and Github. The advantage of these digital spaces is that there are no geographical barriers to the connections you can make—your network can span 5 miles or 500 miles.

Initiate conversations online by sending personalised messages to individuals that you would like to connect with. Start by expressing your genuine interest in their work or inviting them to work on a collaboration project with you. It is important to keep all your social profiles up to date so connections can instantly see who you are and what you're all about.

Schedule one-on-ones

Attending large industry events or social gatherings is not the only way to network. A simple one-to-one meeting can be just as beneficial, especially if that is an environment that will allow you to present as your best self.

Invite your prospective connections to a place you feel at ease, like your favourite coffee shop, so it is easier for you to break the ice. These intimate settings provide a more comfortable and focused environment, allowing you to discuss professional things matters whilst keeping things more personal and candid.

When inviting someone to a one-on-one meeting, always personalise the invitation by expressing genuine interest in their work or insights. Also, be sure to highlight your biggest selling points and outline the value of the meeting for them. Keep the tone friendly, professional, and respectful of their time.

The takeaway

Networking is not reserved for extroverts. Introverts can make great networks, it just times preparation and practice. Remember: networking is not about being the loudest in the room, it is about being approachable, attentive and your honest self. Happy networking!

Is your brand an optimistic yellow? A wise purple? Or does a soothing aqua blue feel more on-brand? Choosing your brand colour is an important step in crafting your visual identity. Your band colours contribute greatly to how you are perceived by the public and should capture the core ethos of your brand. Building a brand colour palette is both an art and a science and so, we asked colour psychology coach, Alison Rood, to break down the process step by step.

Meet your expert...

Name: Alison Rood

Role: Colour psychology coach and a digital transformation specialist.

Favourite colour: My favourite colour has been red since the age of five. I have a strong relationship with red; I used to wear red dresses with matching red shoes. Back then red gave me energy and I still wear red if I'm attending an interview to give me a confidence boost."

With Alison's expert insight, we've developed a series of prompts to think about when figuring out the answer to the all-important question—what colour is your brand?

1. What is your favourite colour?

Ahead of our talk, Alison asked participants a simple question: what is your favourite colour and how long have you liked it?

Interestingly, the majority of our audience had been fond of their chosen colour for a very long time. This came as no surprise to Alison who is familiar with the correlation between colour preferences and childhood—what we're surrounded and influenced by as young children shape our perception of colours as adults. That is not to say our favourite colours don't change over time, major life events can alter our colour preferences—consciously or subconsciously. "In a way, choosing your favourite colour is an exercise in identifying who you are."

But what does your favourite colour have to do with identifying your brand colours? Well, it is a perfect starting point. Your favourite colour says a lot about your values, priorities and style—which likely translate into your brand ethos and mission. With the rise of the personal brand, the lines between personal and professional continue to blur, so why not inject a bit of your own personality into your branding?

2. What does this colour evoke?

You must be careful and intentional about how you apply colour in your branding because it ultimately impacts the way people perceive and interact with your brand. Having an understanding of the effects of the four psychological primary colours will give you a foundation from which to build a colour palette that accurately reflects your brand.

• Red. Red triggers a physical response, it is often felt throughout the body and can even activate our flight or fight instinct. It is associated with intense emotions: passion, fear, anger, etc.
• Yellow. Yellow is the strongest colour in psychological terms because it triggers a real emotional response. Although commonly associated with happiness and positivity, yellow also speaks of warning and makes some people feel anxious.
• Blue. Look to the sky and the sea and you'll understand why blue is associated with depth and expanse. Blue triggers a mental response, deeper blues encourage focus and lighter blues have a calming effect.
• Green. Green is the colour of balance and harmony. It sits between the physicality of red, the intellect of blue, and the emotion of yellow. Green feels fresh and prosperous.

Insights from "The Little Book of Colour: How to Use the Psychology of Colour to Transform Your Life", by Karen Haller.

If your service is international, you should also bear in mind that different cultures hold different meanings for colours. Thoroughly research the associations of each colour within your target audience before deciding on your brand palette.

3. What do you think of when you see... ?

Colour is the first signalling language our ancestors had. We see colour before we take in words. Often, we only perceive colour subconsciously. However, developing your awareness of how you perceive colours, will inform your own colour decisions. Practice consciously noticing the colours around you and how they make you feel. For example, on an Autumn walk you're surrounded by a rich palette of reds, oranges, and golden yellows. Does this make you feel comforted and warm? Calm? Or does the fiery undertone make you feel energised and active?

According to research conducted by Color Communications Innovations, 85% of our initial recognition of a brand or service is based on colour alone. Naturally, our familiarity with a brand influences our buying choices so how your brand colour resonates with consumers is extremely important. We buy emotionally, and then reason with logic afterwards. Brands use colour to capitalise on this behaviour. Here are a few examples of colour's emotional powers being used in branding...

• Tiffany. The iconic Tiffany Blue, aka. Robin's egg blue has a specific Pantone shade and is thoroughly trademarked. The brand describes it as a cool, fresh, aquatic blue shade. It speaks of vibrancy, optimism, and escape and transports you into a world of timeless sophistication filled with luxury and delight.
• Glossier. Glossier's pale pink with a slight shimmer to it is representative of what they champion as beauty: fun, freedom and presence. It is also a way to connect with their younger target audience
• Versace. Versace's gold instantly signifies opulence and elegance. When paired with muted backdrops the gold speaks to assured confidence and refined quality.

The takeaway? Your brand colours need to do more than look nice. Brand colours need to tell a story and evoke an emotional reaction from your audience.

4. What colours are your competitors using?

Because of the clear emotional connotations of colours, certain industries tend to congregate around certain colour palettes. However, differentiating yourself from your industry's conventional colours will help you to stand out amongst your competitors.

Fashion brand Moda Operandi conducted a rebrand back in 2019 to distinguish themselves from their black and white competitors. Their new colour palette is something of a rainbow, with playful shades of pink, blue, yellow and more. Their bright new colour scheme was a bold marketing move, and it paid off.

Although you want to build a unique colour palette, remember to stay true to your brand values and the tastes of your dream clientele. Brands are constantly switching up their look but the art lies in retaining the original authenticity and trust of the client base.

Watch Alison Rood's full talk here, or follow her on Instagram for more colourful content!