WASHINGTON 鈥� Six years before Pinterest got its start, Grace Bonney launched a website that captivated the hearts (and imaginations) of design enthusiasts 鈥� about 2 million of them a day, to be exact.
, which was once dubbed the 鈥淢artha Stewart Living for millennials,鈥� tackles topics ranging from interior design and DIY, to travel and entertaining. But in recent years, its focus has been less on hand-loomed rugs and pastel prints, and more on the people who make them 鈥� especially women. 听
鈥淚nitially I was drawn to design because I cared so much about the objects, and then it became really clear that the people and the stories behind those objects were far more interesting than the objects would ever be,鈥� said Bonney, who in 2008 started a cross-country series, called Biz Ladies, to connect with women running creative businesses.
That series became the basis for her 2016 New York Times best-selling book, 鈥�,鈥� in which Bonney profiles 100 female entrepreneurs.
鈥淚 felt like there were a lot of great business books, but not books that represented the full depth of the community, and I wanted to see women of color, women who are differently abled, LGBTQ women 鈥� it was a great chance to show people how many different versions of businesses and bosses that there are,鈥� Bonney said.
On March 9, Bonney was in D.C. to lead a panel discussion at Ann Taylor in Dupont Circle as part of the clothing brand鈥檚 campaign. Before the conversation started, 草莓传媒 sat down with Bonney to ask her about her own successes, failures and experiences running a business.
On taking risks
Bonney doesn鈥檛 have a 鈥渂iggest risk鈥� story. She says she takes risks all the time and staying true to her brand is something she has to fight for every day.
鈥淚 think the biggest risk we take every day is staying small. It鈥檚 tempting to take venture capital money or sell to a larger company when you鈥檙e in online media because the advertising market behind blogs and websites has totally tanked over the past few years,鈥� Bonney said.
鈥淚 feel so strongly that it鈥檚 important to maintain editorial control and integrity at all costs, and so that means usually lower costs for me. But I鈥檓 really proud that we stay small and even though that does put us at risk because we don鈥檛 have a lot of money behind us, I feel really good about what we put out every day. If you can go to sleep feeling like you鈥檝e done good work at the end of the day, that is worth way more than a big salary to me.鈥�
Advice for starting your own business
It鈥檚 not glamorous and it might not be what aspiring entrepreneurs want to hear, but Bonney says one of the best things you can do before working for yourself is to work for someone else.
鈥淏ecause you get to learn and make mistakes on somebody else鈥檚 dime,鈥� Bonney said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 so tempting to want to start your business right away, but I can speak from experience where I made all of the mistakes that, yes were great life lessons, but were very financially costly. I wish I had learned from someone else first to understand maybe don鈥檛 sink all your money into rent first, wait and invest in your team or invest in infrastructure first.鈥�
On maintaining the momentum of International Women鈥檚 Day
For those looking to keep the momentum of International Women鈥檚 Day moving forward, Bonney said plug into a community of strong female business owners, no matter where you鈥檙e located.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not a once a year event: It鈥檚 an everyday event, it鈥檚 an every hour event. It鈥檚 about finding these women, supporting them, going to their businesses, hiring them, suggesting them for jobs and really making that a daily part of what you do,鈥� Bonney said.
鈥淚f you鈥檝e got an Instagram feed or a Facebook page, promote these people. Talk about businesses that are run by women that you admire. In turn, they will support other women and so on and so on, and that鈥檚 how it becomes a part of our everyday lives.鈥�
On why more women are becoming breadmakers and breadwinners
Whether it鈥檚 working a letterpress or a French press, the creative community has seen a boom in small business owners, many of whom are women.
Bonney has thought a lot about why more women are leading creative, lifestyle-based businesses, and said she thinks it has to do with the flexibility the industry offers.
鈥淕oing into corporate America 鈥� going even into a traditional restaurant job 鈥� it鈥檚 very difficult if you鈥檙e a working mother. And I think so many women have to figure out life and work and kids, and that鈥檚 really difficult to do if you鈥檙e part of a corporate structure that doesn鈥檛 offer paid maternity leave or doesn鈥檛 offer flexible hours,鈥� Bonney said.
鈥淪o starting your own business, while it means less security, it does offer you greater flexibility, and so I find a lot of women, especially young new moms are like, 鈥業 can save on child care, I can be home, I can work around their needs,鈥� and that鈥檚 a really important thing for a lot of women.鈥�
