Most people pick the path to entrepreneurship usually to fill a void in the market or as a result of a life event, a true lemonade out of lemons type situation and that’s what (NO SUBJECT) and Some Notes on Napkins founder Jaclyn Johnson did which has led her to Forbes Magazine’s coveted 30-under-30 list (30 Under 30 2015 in Marketing & Advertising).
Out of her digital marketing + events agency, (NO SUBJECT) created in 2010, Create + Cultivate, a conference and platform for entrepreneurial women in the digital space was born. Having taken place in other locales including Portland, Montauk, Brooklyn, Palm Springs, Los Angeles in the past, on August 15, it will touchdown in Chicago with panelists that include Erica Domesek of P.S. I Made This, Rachel Parcell of Pink Peonies, Hannah Bronfman of HBFit, My Nguyen of My Healthy Dish, Eva Amurri Martino of Happily Eva After, Jodie Patterson of Doobop, Danielle Moss & Alaina Kaczmarski of The Everygirl, Jessica Sturdy of Bows & Sequins to name a few.
I had a chance to chat with Jaclyn ahead of the conference. Find out her advice for working with brands for “exposure,” Why they chose Chicago, goals for the conference and more. Keep reading because you have a chance to attend.
SociaLifeChicago(SLC): Jaclyn, you will be bringing this conference to Chicago for the first time – what made you decide on this city, and what do you hope attendees take away from this?
Jaclyn (JJ): We had polled our social communities to find out where they wanted us to go next and Chicago had a bit of a fever pitch! We love the windy city as it’s not only a hub for food and fun but fashion and start ups! We hope our attendees leave feeling enlightened, entertained and inspired!
SLC: Do you think the relationships you’ve cultivated over the years would have existed if you didn’t blog on Some Notes on Napkins or worked for an agency?
JJ: Definitely not! My blog was an amazing gateway into meeting incredible bloggers and content creators and my work life luckily lends itself to meeting incredibly talented people all the time.
SLC: In a previous interview you referred to yourself as an OG blogger – what are your thoughts on the new school of bloggers, especially with how Instagram, Vine, and Snapchat are growing?
JJ: It’s extremely different— when I started we were posting long form text heavy posts with occasional images 1-2 x week and now it’s like if you aren’t broadcasting what you are doing every second of the day— you are missing out!
SLC: When is it okay to work with a brand solely to gain exposure rather than be financially compensated?
JJ: I definitely think it’s worthwhile to work with brands for exposure vs financial compensation in some cases— negotiation is always on the table even if money isn’t. Have brands include you in their newsletter, tag you on Facebook, etc. find ways to use their following to grow yours. Beyond that, I think it’s important to collaborate with small brands that you genuinely like as not everyone is going to have a fortune 500 budget.
SLC: A lot of people seem to categorize digital media entrepreneurs into one big space (bloggers) regardless of their type of content and following. Is that fair? Also, how can one distinguish themselves?
JJ: I think digital entrepreneurs is far and wide— as everyone is creating content and everyone has influence to either a small handful of people or millions of fans. We are creating an economy of influence and it’s based on media consumption. I think finding a niche is truly important — which is one of the panels at Create & Cultivate!
SLC: Lately it seems everybody wants to blog about fashion, fitness, beauty and those avenues are crowded. What advice can you give to help them find their niche?
JJ: I think looking at Whitney Leigh Morris and Sprite Soren as good examples! Whitney used her unique home and approach to tiny living to truly standout on social platforms. Sprite saw that there was a yogi craze on instagram but differentiated herself by posing with rad street art! There are so many ways to break through it’s just a matter of sticking with it!
SLC: Did you ever imagine yourself being an entrepreneur and did you imagine this amount of success happening at your young age?
JJ: Aw thank you! I come from a long line of entrepreneurs and business owners, however, I didn’t really imagine myself as one it all happened pretty organically! In terms of success, I am always pushing myself to do better, push boundaries and keep exploring but the past year getting recognition from publications and people I admired has been really overwhelming and amazing.
SLC: Did you have mentors when you began this journey?
JJ: I didn’t — I had an incredible support system of fellow female girl bosses but I never felt like I had that older figure to truly give me the advice I needed — which is part of the reason I created Create & Cultivate— we want to be that mentor, that source of inspiration, the place to come for real talk around business.
SLC: As an entrepreneur, no day is like the next, but if you could tap the power of “The Secret” what do you envision for yourself in five years?
JJ: Ideally I would love to see Create & Cultivate grow, we want to launch local chapters, grow the conference series and continue to nurture this group of amazing female entpreneurs— if I could see that happen in 5 years, I would be very happy.
SLC: With your hands in a few pots, how are you able to take time for your friends and/or family, loved ones and even yourself?
JJ: Balance is hard. I would like to say that I always make time for both but the truth is my balance is imbalance — there are times when I am working really hard and not seeing friends or eating the best because I am traveling and then there are times when I can sleep in, hike and hang with everyone. It’s about the ebbs and flows.
Want a chance to meet Jaclyn, take in a home run roster of panelists with Keynote from Garance Dore? We are giving away one (1) general admission to a lucky SociaLifeChicago follower.
HOW TO ENTER:
1) Subscribe to our newsletter
2) Follow @SociaLifeChicago on Instagram
3) Leave a comment below OR tag us on instagram, telling us what you hope to gain from the conference and tell us about your blog if you have one.
GIVEAWAY ENDS:
The giveaway ends Monday, August 3 at 11am CST. Winner will be announced on Instagram and the newsletter..
What you’ll get? A jam packed day of workshops + panels with top industry bloggers, executives, thought leaders and creatives | Access to the Mentor Power Hour where you sit down with 25 other attendees and meet with your mentor an intimate environment | Pop-up Shop: Shop the pop-ups on site for exclusive deals and their latest products | Breakfast (yes, we have a donut wall courtesy of Do-Rite Donuts!), Lunch and Late Afternoon Light Bites | A gift bag with goodies worth $150 from our partners & friends | Day before Happy Hour with unlimited cocktails and a great chance to mix and mingle with attendees.
images via: Darling magazine
If I am picked to go to this conference I will gain many positive things such as: being able to network with young professionals, participating in workshops and gain positive feedback and advice from keynote speakers/ mentors. As a recent journalism grad student, I think being able to come to this conference will help me revamp my social media platforms and gain more knowledge on the fashion, beauty and entertainment industry.
I do have a blog called http://www.aliciamaikao.com/blog were I write in French and English about my traveling hacks and love for beauty. From my previous Chicago internships, I have gain much advice on how to change my voice and writing style to fit the audience. However, I see this conference as a great opportunity to hone in my social media skills on a whole new level in this modern digital age were brands and people can connect from all over the world.
-Alicia
I love most what Jaclyn stated about finding your niche and I hope to gain more insight on following through. I own a handmade jewelry business and was inspired by TOMS and Glamour’s Women of the Year Fund to donate a portion of proceeds from all sales of my handmade jewelry to organizations that fight for the education of girls worldwide who are being denied the right to go to school. Making jewelry is an ancient art (so it’s certainly not new) and the jewelry market is completely saturated but if truly making a difference WHILE selling jewelry could be my niche, I’d love to learn more about how to do so. #LetGirlsLearn #ChicPhilanthropy
P.S. I already follow on IG AND subscribe to the daily newsletter 🙂
If I am picked to go to this conference I hope to gain insight into how to grow my blog audience and create meaningful relationships with other bloggers.
P.S. I follow Social Life Chicago on Instagram; my username is @T_S_Henderson
I recently launched my own life + style blog, alittleleopard.com. I’ve always been into some form of blogging and am beyond inspired by bloggers today who are able to turn it into a business + career.
I’ve followed Jacyln and Create + Cultivate for awhile now and have been dying to go since she announced the Chicago location. Attending the conference would help me take my own blog and brand to the next level – really define my niche and hit the ground running, which is what I’ve been struggling with since launching.
Right now, alittleleopard.com is a side/passion project – I need Create + Cultivate’s help turning it into a powerhouse brand and business! Either way, attending the conference would be an absolute dream and I’d be beyond thrilled to win this giveaway.
I have a lot of ideas in my head regarding entrepreneurship and brand building. I think it would be a great opportunity to hear their thoughts from such a diverse panel. I do think that this panel would help me hone my marketing communication skills. I don’t have a blog (yet). This was a great article. I just subscribed + I follow on IG.
I am the owner of blended&borrowed–a multi-media fashion project that focuses on multi-cultural fashion history. I began my business because I wanted to merge my love of fashion and media and use the combined force to encourage smart conversation about fashion, culture and society. Through the entrepreneurship process I found that my most gratifying and inspirational moments come from engaging in community with other women. Women entrepreneurs face unique challenges and therefore need a strong supportive community where we can share resources, ideas, and a simple “you can do it”. Create + Cultivate presents the opportunity to connect with creative women and continue to encourage and inspire. I want to participate so that I can gain creative ideas to continue on with my business–but I also want to help push other women ahead.
I follow Social Life Chicago on IG (my handle is @omg_itsrozy) and I subscribe to the newsletter. I love your work. Keep pushing.
I am the owner and editor of Chritiques, a blog focused on restaurant and food product reviews, travel stories, and event coverage. I started my blog as a fun side project to do once I stopped practicing law, and it has evolved into something much more fun and exciting than I had imagined. After blogging for a year and a half, I look forward to attending Create & Cultivate in order to learn how to take my blog to the next level, how to better take advantage of social media and self-promotion, and how to monetize my blog. I love that it is focused on women “girl bosses” and female empowerment, and look forward to learning from other women who have been in my shoes, and also networking and meeting others who can inspire me, and who I can possibly inspire, as well. Thank you so much for your consideration!
Thanks so much for offering such an amazing prize! I created the fashion and lifestyle blog Pretty Little Details and I would love to learn more about finding my niche and creating my brand! I’m also looking forward to getting to know more bloggers and girlbosses from across the country 🙂 My instagram is @PLDetails
I have literally been dying to find a way to this conference! I just launched my blog Sincerely Liv which I have been working on for a year now. It’s been a full time job and it’s something I love working on more than anything. I would love to attend this conference because it will give me a chance to learn how to take my love and my passion and reach more people. My goal has always been to inspire and encourage. And the tools I’ll gain from this conference can help me achieve just that. 🙂