In 2010, Carol Han and Alexandra Weiss took the ultimate plunge: they left their cushy fashion jobs to start CA Creative, an agency focused on growing brand identity and business by maintaining attention in digital spaces.
Before they decided to go off on their own, Carol worked for Elle and StyleCaster, while Alex was at Ralph Lauren. With their combined years of editorial and fashion experience, they felt like should combine forces to provide brands with innovative content and cool social media strategies.
While the decision to leave a steady pay check is definitely always terrifying, it worked out for Carol and Alex! Today, they have worked with some pretty awesome clients, including: Robert Rodriguez, W Hotels, Paige Denim, and Edition Hotels.
One of the biggest battles as an entrepreneur is staying confident about your business, despite the constant rejection. Today, Carol and Alex share with us how they maintain their cool confidence in a competitive industry:
1. Take time to reflect. Between running a business and maintaining a full personal life, it’s easy to go days, months, even years, without taking any real time to think about how far you’ve come, where you are, and where you want to go. Taking stock like this will give you a steady sense of direction, and allow you to move forward with clarity and confidence.
2. Embrace your mistakes. If there’s one absolute about being an entrepreneur, it’s that there will be many, many mistakes made. There will be hard days and missteps galore. And there’s a good reason for that. Being an entrepreneur is a practice in rapid-fire decision-making. You’re the one calling most of the shots, and with that responsibility comes a hefty amount of risk. Know that every mistake you make is a serious learning experience, and the ultimate reward that comes with experience is wisdom. Learn from your mistakes, and then let them go.
3. Stop comparing yourself to others. There’s no greater waste of time than sitting around measuring yourself worth by comparing yourself to others. Focus, instead, on your own positive attributes, strengths, and achievements. Applaud what other people and companies have accomplished, and let that inspire you, not get you down.
4. Surround yourself with positive, honest role models. We’ve been fortunate at CA to have had incredibly successful, positive role models to work with from the beginning. It’s important to surround yourself with people you trust, who will be there to cheer you on when things are great, and to be completely frank with you when it’s necessary.
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