If you wanna be starting something …
We’ve got pro tips.
It’s #StartSomething month at HCC, but we want to get concrete up in here. It’s one thing to talk about it. But how do you turn “talk about it” into (to quote the great Busta Rhymes) be about it? We’ve asked to a few favorite experts for help.
So, you wanna be starting ...
A fitness routine.
Join an expensive gym. Go three times. Pay indefinitely. It’s a (sad) old tune. I asked my own trainer, Jason Sarbacker, who is amazing (my hiney hurts glutes are sore as I type this) for help.
“Start by using your own body weight at home each morning or night,” he suggests. Queue up your best spotify mix (I’m partial to the ones from @theversemedia).
“Do simple moves you already know, like alternating squats, jumping jacks, and push ups.” Add reps as you get comfortable.
And instead of joining a gym, if you feel ready for something more, I suggest you contact Jason or someone you like who will actually ring your doorbell, customize your program, and hold you accountable.
A garden. Or a window box. Or something green!
It’s getting warmer and every time you see a home you love, it’s got some kind of green ... something. But maybe the only thing you haven’t killed so far is a wired palm leaf you got at IKEA. “There are so many beautiful plants and for sure you will fall in love with the look of some more than others, but they all have different care needs,” says Orly Khon of the award-winning Orly Khon Floral.
Go to an expert, and come prepared. Orly suggests you bring notes on how much you work and travel, any pets, and what light you have. Have a photo and measurements for any planters you want to fill.
“Start with one or two plants,” she says. “And start with something easy.”
Go easy on yourself, too. “Some plants might not work at first,” says Orly. “That doesn’t mean you don’t have a ‘green thumb.’ You just need to get to know them. I bet you’ll fall in love with the idea of having some green living friends at home.”
Eating healthfully.
It’s laden with emotion (just think of the words we use, like “I was *bad* when I overate). Start by removing some of the emotions that get in the way with small, concrete steps, says Melissa Akopiantz, founder of Nourishing Lab.
“Set a goal for what you want to achieve, like more energy, reduce brain fog,” she says. This helps make eating healthy something you’re doing for yourself. Not a punishment.
Call up a friend, someone who wants to eat healthy or who you can recruit to join you. Hold each other accountable. It can be as simple as an email or text in the morning.
Set small weekly goals, and keep them realistic, like “I want to crowd a healthy green into my plate that I’ve never tried.”
Pack “bridge” snacks such as nuts and seeds, and keep them in your car, bag and at work so that when your blood sugar levels drop during peak times 4 or 5 pm you can grab a protein/fat healthy snack instead of ransacking whatever's closest and feeling lousy about it.
And “honor your limitations,” says Melissa. We’re human, and we screw up. Expect that it’ll happen. Forgive yourself quickly and move on.
A business.
You have to be brave to even say it out loud. We know! But once you’ve made the call to do it, it can seem even scarier considering your first step. One of the things that makes us most successful in an HCC engagement is a client who really knows their business, has a buttoned up understanding of how they’ll make revenue, what success looks like, and what their true budget is from the get-go.
Start with an action plan. “The biggest piece of advice I give people as they take the leap to start a business, is to spend the time defining their go to market strategy,” says Michelle Heath, CEO of Growth Street.
Wait, what the heck does that mean? “At the simplest level, a GTM strategy is an action plan and keeps you focused on your north star and clearly articulates: Who, What, How, and Where.”
Don’t strive for perfection, just get it down on paper, Michelle suggests. Share it with smart people you trust to get feedback, pressure test it, and make it better.
A brand.
Or a rebrand. Or a brand evolution. Or a Bar Mitzvah theme. Whatever it is you’re thinking about, don’t start with a name or a logo.
Start with your DNA. What should this brand or event or whatever feel like? Optimistic and bright? Serious and editorial? Brand pillars, personality, DNA (everyone calls it something different) is the foundation for every other decision. (It’s what we help clients with in Great in 8.)
Swipe away. What’s swipe? The creative term for pulling together visual examples. On Pinterest, instagram, in your own inbox, start screenshotting examples of brands, ads, emails, signs that you respond to. Organize them into buckets based on the brand pillars you chose.
Now you’re ready to start naming. Take all of the above to a writer, or branding expert as a guide for their work. After you have a name, you’ll be able to use the same pillars to explore a logo.
A new wardrobe.
“I hate everything in my closet.” Sound familiar? Thanks to Marie Kondo, we’re asking for more from our clothes - we’re asking them to “spark joy.” But you can’t (nor should you) just chuck it all and start over. So you stare into the abyss and put it off. But spring is coming, so how about using the new season as a way into making closet progress? Think about “adding a few key pieces to inject a new energy” and also “replacing any of those foundational items that may be looking a little tired,” suggests our HCC stylist, Sam Dowson.
Purge: Bring out your spring stuff, but don’t just accept it and move on. Look at (and try on!) each piece.
Sam suggests you ask yourself:
• Did I wear this often last year? If not, why? Does it need to be altered/is the fit off, or is it just not my style, or is it something I don’t need altogether?
• If I did wear it and love it, is it still in good shape? Should I replace it with a new version this year since I got so much use out of it?
• Do I love it but don’t have the right pieces to pair it with?
• Is it something I look at now and feel like I’ve moved past in terms of my own personal style?
• Does it feel like it was a trend that’s now over (not a core foundational wardrobe piece that never will go out of style)? And if so, why did I buy it?
Move on to tailoring anything you still love as needed. And excising what you don’t. Hand them down, or up (my mom gets some of my things). Donate them to Dress for Success or your favorite charity. Or make some money for new things by selling them a local consignment shop (our favorite is Castanet) or The Real Real.
Now think about a few (maybe 3!) selective purchases that will fill gaps, keeping in mind what you just learned in your audit about yourself and your purchasing habits. Invest in non-trendy pieces you love and that you’ll be able to easily wear in multiple ways. I always look at a piece and say: Is this an answer? Or does it just raise more questions?