WorkParty

Your brand DNA is the heart of your identity as a business. It establishes your mission and values, makes you unique from your competitors, and gives your customers a reason to choose to buy from you over your rivals. And if anyone knows how to define a brand’s DNA, it’s Lauren Alexander. The co-founder and creative director for the clothing line LNA launched the brand in 2006 when she was just 22 years old—with no college education and no experience in the fashion industry. And 16 years later, it’s clear that she’s found success by staying true to her original vision: to create elevated basics that don’t look or feel “basic” at all. (A feat in an industry predicated on trends!) I can’t wait to chat with her today about how she’s stayed true to her brand’s DNA, avoided pressure to give into fleeting trends, and what the future holds for LNA and the fashion industry at large. So without further ado… Welcome to WorkParty, Lauren! To join the WorkParty click HERE To connect with Lauren Alexander click HERE To connect with Jaclyn Johnson click HERE To learn more about LNA Clothing click HERE To follow along with Create & Cultivate click HERE To submit your questions call the WorkParty Hotline: 1-(833)-57-PARTY (577-2789) This episode is brought to you by: CDC Vaccine • Visit the CDC website CDC.gov for additional information you can trust about how COVID-19 vaccines can protect your entire family. Shopify • Go to shopify.com/party for a FREE 14-day trial and get full access to Shopify’s entire suite of features. Produced by Dear Media

Doubling your revenue is no easy task. You need to set well-defined goals, create meaningful connections with your customers, and discover new distribution channels and marketing opportunities. Which is something that Elyce Arons knows a thing or two about. In the midst of a pandemic that has pummeled the fashion industry, the former Co-founder of Kate Spade has led the luxury lifestyle brand Frances Valentine to double (!) its revenue. Needless to say, I can’t wait to chat with Elyce about how she’s grown the brand exponentially, including the old-school marketing strategy she tapped into to increase the brand’s sales by 40% (!). So without further ado, let’s get into it. Welcome to WorkParty, Elyce! To join the WorkParty click HERE To connect with Elyce Arons click HERE To connect with Jaclyn Johnson click HERE To learn more about Frances Valentine click HERE To follow along with Create & Cultivate click HERE To submit your questions call the WorkParty Hotline: 1-(833)-57-PARTY (577-2789) This episode is brought to you by: CDC Vaccine • Visit the CDC website CDC.gov for additional information you can trust about how COVID-19 vaccines can protect your entire family. Shopify • Go to shopify.com/party for a FREE 14-day trial and get full access to Shopify’s entire suite of features. Produced by Dear Media

Being in debt isn’t a barrier to entrepreneurship. Just ask MaryRuth Ghiyam. The wellness entrepreneur owed $700,000 (yes, $700,000) when she launched her eponymous vitamin brand, MaryRuth Organics. Despite carrying a significant amount of personal debt, she successfully built a nine-figure business without taking on a single investor. (I mean, talk about impressive!) I’m thrilled to chat with MaryRuth all about how she paid down her debt, turned a simple but bold concept into a multi-million dollar company, and built a dedicated team in the process. So, without further ado, let’s get into it. Welcome to WorkParty, MaryRuth! To join the WorkParty click HERE To connect with MaryRuth Ghiyam click HERE To connect with Jaclyn Johnson click HERE To learn more about MaryRuth's Organics click HERE To follow along with Create & Cultivate click HERE To submit your questions call the WorkParty Hotline: 1-(833)-57-PARTY (577-2789) This episode is brought to you by: Native • Go to native.com/party, or use code PARTY at checkout, and get 20% off your first order. Shopify • Go to shopify.com/party for a FREE 14-day trial and get full access to Shopify’s entire suite of features. LinkedIn • Post your job for FREE at linkedin.com/party. OneSkin • Visit oneskin.co/party and use code PARTY for 15% off your first purchase. Produced by Dear Media

Switching lanes is daunting. You’ve already established yourself in a particular industry, built up your network of contacts, and carved out your niche as an expert in the space. Now you’re going to do it all over again. Like I said, it’s daunting. So, for this episode of WorkParty, I’m so excited to be chatting with Cece Olisa all about how she’s successfully switched lanes. As a fashion influencer and the co-founder of theCURVYcon, she firmly established herself in the fashion industry before branching out and starting her own beauty brand, Cocoa by CeCe. We’re going to get into how she pivoted to a completely different industry (not to mention a completely different business model!), brought her audience along with her, and found success along the way. So without further ado, let’s dive on in. Welcome to WorkParty, CeCe! To join the WorkParty click HERE To connect with CeCe Olisa click HERE To connect with Jaclyn Johnson click HERE To learn more about Cocoa by CeCe click HERE To follow along with Create & Cultivate click HERE To submit your questions call the WorkParty Hotline: 1-(833)-57-PARTY (577-2789) This episode is brought to you by: FightCamp • Now is the best time to get your FightCamp on! Take advantage of their holiday deal going on now. Go to JoinFightCamp.com/WORK. Napjitsu • For a limited time, you can receive 30% off your first purchase when you go to Napjitsu.com/PARTY. Printfresh • Head to printfresh.com and use code PARTY for 15% off your first order. CDC Vaccine • Visit the CDC website CDC.gov for additional information you can trust about how COVID-19 vaccines can protect your entire family. Produced by Dear Media

You know our keynote speaker from quote-unquote “the small screen.” Kristin Cavallari got her start on the wildly popular reality shows "Laguna Beach" and "The Hills," before taking a turn on "Dancing with the Stars" and starring in her own show "Very Cavallari." But now, she’s proving herself as a powerhouse entrepreneur. As the founder of the lifestyle brand Uncommon James, she’s making chic, affordable, functional pieces for the modern woman. And she's killing it. Uncommon James brings in an estimated $30 million in revenue, and recently expanded into the clean skincare category, as well as the Dallas market with a brick-and-mortar location in Deep Ellum. Needless to say, I’m so excited to dive into the incredible career of this successful entrepreneur—and talk about building her veritable lifestyle empire and launching her newest venture, Uncommon Beauty. Welcome, Kristin! To join the WorkParty click HERE To connect with Kristin Cavallari click HERE To connect with Jaclyn Johnson click HERE To learn more about Uncommon James click HERE To follow along with Create & Cultivate click HERE To submit your questions call the WorkParty Hotline: 1-(833)-57-PARTY (577-2789) This episode is brought to you by: printfresh • Head to printfresh.com and use code PARTY for 15% off your first order. Produced by Dear Media

Converting a community of Instagram followers into customers isn’t easy. You have to be authentic, consistent, and have a strong value proposition for a quality product. But if anyone’s found the formula for success, it’s Megan Roup. Since launching her fitness company The Sculpt Society in 2017, she’s garnered over 260,000 followers on Instagram and attracted the attention of celebs like Shay Mitchell, Sofia Richie, and Elsa Hosk. But she’s not just growing her following, she’s growing her business. Last year, the entrepreneur grew her company by over 700% (!), successfully cultivating an engaged community on social media that’s as willing to download her app as they are to like a post. I can’t wait to chat with Megan about how she’s leveraged social media to grow her brand and business, including the specific strategies she’s used to convert Instagram followers into customers. Without further ado, let’s get into it. Welcome to WorkParty, Megan! To join the WorkParty click HERE To connect with Megan Roup click HERE To connect with Jaclyn Johnson click HERE To learn more about The Sculpt Society click HERE To follow along with Create & Cultivate click HERE To submit your questions call the WorkParty Hotline: 1-(833)-57-PARTY (577-2789) This episode is brought to you by: Native • Go to Native.com and use code PARTY to get 20% off your first purchase at checkout! printfresh • Head to printfresh.com and use code PARTY for 15% off your first order. Produced by Dear Media

When people think of social impact, they think of nonprofits. But you can be a for-profit business that pays it forward. Just ask Kelly Breakstone Roth. As the Co-Founder of The Nopo, she’s building a business that delivers handmade wares from around the world to your door—and supports artisans in the process. I’m so excited to chat with Kelly about how she launched a global e-commerce business in the midst of a pandemic that stressed supply chains around the world (!). We’re going to dive into how she identifies the artisans she works with, what it really takes to set and maintain ethical, fair-trade standards, and why a for-profit business model was right for The Nopo. So, let’s get into it. Welcome to WorkParty, Kelly! To join the WorkParty click HERE To connect with Kelly Breakstone Roth click HERE To connect with Jaclyn Johnson click HERE To learn more about The Nopo click HERE To follow along with Create & Cultivate click HERE To submit your questions call the WorkParty Hotline: 1-(833)-57-PARTY (577-2789) This episode is brought to you by: Keurig • Keurig K-Supreme Plus SMART Brewer is available at Keurig.com and all major retailers.  printfresh • Head to printfresh.com and use code PARTY for 15% off your first order. Olive&June- Visit OliveandJune.com/WorkParty and use code workparty for 20% off your first Mani System! Produced by Dear Media

On today's episode we are joined by Betches Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer, Sami Sage. It's not always easy for content creators to stay relevant, but Sami Sage knows how to beat the odds. As audiences become more unpredictable and trends shift, she's been churning out relevant, ever-evolving content for over a decade—and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. In fact, she’s just getting started. She’s expanding Betches famously irreverent content into new categories and onto new platforms—and bringing it to new audiences in the process. Needless to say, I’m so excited to chat with Sami about how she’s leveraged memes to cultivate a community of 43 million people (!), tapped into a new Gen-Z audience, and so much more. To join the WorkParty click HERE To connect with Sami Sage click HERE To connect with Jaclyn Johnson click HERE To learn more about Betches Media click HERE To follow along with Create & Cultivate click HERE To submit your questions call the WorkParty Hotline: 1-(833)-57-PARTY (577-2789) This episode is brought to you by: Arrae • Go to Arrae.com and enter code WORKPARTY at checkout for 10% off of a one-time purchase, OR 25% off your first month’s subscription. FightCamp • Now is the best time to get your FightCamp on! Take advantage of their holiday deal going on now. Go to JoinFightCamp.com/WORK. Napjitsu • For a limited time, you can receive 30% off your first purchase when you go to Napjitsu.com/PARTY.  Target Accelerators • Are you an entrepreneur with a growing business? Are you ready to level up your career? Head to www.targetaccelerators.com to learn more and apply! Produced by Dear Media

Christian Siriano needs no introduction. Since winning Project Runway and launching his namesake collection in 2008, he has firmly established himself as a cultural icon over the course of his impressive career. Let’s take a look at some of his milestones, shall we? He's been named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by TIME Magazine. His designs have been worn by the likes of Dr. Jill Biden, Michelle Obama, Ariana Grande, Tiffany Haddish, Billy Porter, and Helen Hunt, to name just a few. But, above all, he’s an advocate for change and pushing the fashion industry forward as a dedicated champion to inclusivity, both on the runway and red carpet. Needless to say, I can’t wait to dive into the amazing career of this incredible designer—and talk about building his veritable fashion empire, stepping into his new role as a mentor on Project Runway, and launching his newest venture, Siriano Interiors. So without further ado—Welcome, Christian! • Join the party on social @workparty and stay in the know at workparty.com. Go to Oralessentials.com and use code "party" to save 15% off your first order. Produced by Dear Media

There’s no doubt about it, social media is changing the way small businesses are built. With a community of potential customers at your fingertips, entrepreneurs are able to test out their business ideas on social media before they take the plunge and start raising capital. Which is something today’s WorkParty guest, Karen Perez, knows a thing or two about. When the fashion stylist of 15 years was tasked with finding chic masks for her clients and couldn’t find any, she decided to make her own. But before launching her business, Second Wind, she announced a pre-sale on Instagram, anticipating 100 orders. She received 10,000 (!). And it’s safe to say her social media-first approach has paid off. Fast-forward a year since that first IG post and her designs are available to shop at Saks Fifth Avenue and have been spotted on high-profile women by the likes of Jennifer Lopez and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (no big deal). Needless to say, I can’t wait to talk to Karen all about how she leveraged Instagram to build a successful business, raised capital through crowdfunding, and landed her products at a major retailer. So, let’s get into it—Welcome to WorkParty, Karen! • Join the party on social @workparty and stay in the know at workparty.com. Visit Arrae.com and use code 'workparty' at checkout for 10% off of one time purchases and 25% off firs month on subscription. Produced by Dear Media