One of the many perks of living in New York City is having access to some really cool events. Especially career related because there are so many media and business headquarters here! If you caught my Instagram story earlier you might have caught that I went to a great event put on by XO Group called #XOGroupFoundHERS. The event series highlights women making waves in biz and the latest event featured Co-founders of BaubleBar! It was such a great evening learning about Amy Jain and Daniella Yacobovsky's story and while we work in entirely different industries, I really identified with a lot of their stories. So today I wanted to touch on some of the topics they discussed and the lessons I learned.

Making the Transition From Friends to Biz Partners

They started out by sharing how they met and started their business, and true story I texted my business partner Mallory and said, "Soooo umm basically we're like the BaubleBar girls 2.0. Like the way they describe their partnership was on point." Maybe a slightttt exaggeration but their story gave me all of those familiar vibes. 

They originally met in a professional atmosphere in investment banking and after sitting by each other ended up becoming friends and then later decided to embark on their business journey together. When asked if they were worried about going into biz together since they were friends or if they ever butt heads, they said honestly we don't really have that problem and usually end up with ideas in the same direction. Part of the reason they attribute their success as biz partners? Because they originally met in a professional environment!

While they're a few years, and a few funding rounds, ahead of us 😜, this is something I really related to because Mallory and I met in the same way. While we certainly had no idea or plans to ever start a business together back then.. Working together for 3 years did give us ample time to realize we made a badass team and worked very well together. Going into biz with friends isn't for everyone, but I think working together previously allowed us to make that transition easier. 

Some of the key things to easing into a partnership seamlessly? Making sure you're on the same page with your visions for the business. That's obviously a BIG topic but finding middle ground on what you're trying to accomplish is essential. Next up? Having honest conversations about what you really like doing and what you're not as great at. Finding someone whose strengths are your weaknesses can be so beneficial too! The term divide and conquer hits home hard when it comes to partnerships. The ladies also talked about how they still find ways to separate their friendship and their business. While business is def a HUGE part of their relationship and lives they also talked about how they are able to hang out and focus on the personal aspects of their friendship.

Don't Stress as Much Over the Small Details

They shared great advice about how people probably won't remember every newsletter you send or every web update. If you're on point most of the time people aren't going to notice. They told a hilarious story about how they used to hold hands and press the send button together when sending their newsletters out because they were so nervous. The truth is, give it your best shot and get it out there. Over time, you'll learn, you'll grow and you'll keep improving! You'll also get a better idea of what resonates with your audience so instead of being afraid, just DO it! You may look back and laugh at your designs and tactics but everything will come into place in time!

Do Consumer Research

Since they came up with the idea for BaubleBar while in business school they used that to their advantage to do market research. While market and consumer research sound like such fancy words, it doesn't have to be and they shared the scrappy techniques they applied. Whether you're doing online research about competitors, setting up focus groups, or simply posting an online survey and getting it into the hands of your target market -- the goal with any form of research is to just get some feedback before sinking dollars into that plan.

No matter what approach you decide to take on, the key is to get to know your target audience better so that you can adjust your model and products based upon their feedback. This advice is SO crucial no matter what industry you work in and I think it's something that you consistency need to pay attention to throughout your business journey. Being successful in biz is all about solving a problem others have or offering something that fills a void.

Don't be Afraid of the Unknown

Something else they spoke about that really hit home was not being afraid of the unknown. Coming from an investment banking background they spoke about their concerns about what would happen if they failed. Would they be employable? What would others think? They said that we've been so trained to be afraid of the unknown and that no matter if you crash and burn or succeed, it will be a learning process which is always useful.

I can 100% relate to this feedback. I've been suchhhh a planner my whole life and starting a biz def wasn't on my radar. Hello, the unknown is scary! But hey, shaking up my plan and moving to NYC from Oregon 6 years ago was pretty scary too, but I did it! And before that? Moving to Portland after college graduation in the dead of the recession just hoping to get my foot in the door in the industry. The truth is, those big scary unknowns? They may be scary and they might not be "in your plan" but they are game changers in directing your life and always come along with a heck of a lot of lessons. 

While it's certainly easy to say don't be afraid of the unknown, isn't it scary not knowing what could have happened if you gave something your all? Personally, I'd rather try and fail, than to have that idea always on my mind wondering what if. Maybe things won't turn out like you'd want, but maybe they will! Let that fear drive you forward instead of hindering you.

I hope you've found some of this advice useful! I had SUCH a great time learning from the BaubleBar ladies and know their words will have a lasting impact. If you'd like to catch the whole session yourself, the XO Group also did a Facebook Live for the event so you can check it out below!

Oh hello! It's been a minute or two. I know, I know. The good news is... I've been busy! Not like the oh yeah I'm busy, but the ohhh yeahhhhhh I'm really busy. Being busy is suchhhh a blessing though! I just hit my 7-month anniversary of branching out on my own so the fact that I'm living this dream is so worth all of the hard work and long hours I've been putting in :)

The truth is, on top of all of the amazing work projects I've been working on some other big life things -- mostly good with a little touch of holy crap what are we going to do! So here's a rundown of what I've been up to!

BFF visited NYC: After almost 6 years of living in NYC, my BFF Danielle visited the big apple! She came for a long weekend and boy did we do the city! Her Fitbit could vouch for us on that one too ;-) It was so much fun to catch up (I hadn't seen her since her wedding) and share some of the city with her.

Chris Moved In: You read that right! It may have taken over 5 years of dating.. but Chris took the plunge and said farewell to his apartment he lived in for 12 years. I KNOW! It was a big deal. There was a lot of packing.. donating.. and cleaning involved but somehow we downsized and fit all of our things into the studio. That is until we got some other news.. more on that later though.

Visited Washington: Just as soon as Chris got moved in and settled (ok well that was really me..) but once we got everything in order I headed back to Washington for 2 weeks! Thanks to the lovely Hardersens, I was able to head back west for a visit and to watch their pups while they embarked on a seriously ERT (epic road trip). I got to do soooo much when I was home (in between working) which totally reminded me of why I decided to jump into the world of entrepreneurship. I got to catch up with my Grandma, check out my Aunt's amazing lake house, catch up with one of my besties from PDX and show him some of the sights in WA, and of course spend some quality time with the fam bam. It. Was. Amazing.

Bachelorette Trip in Connecticut: As soon as I headed back east, I stayed in NYC for one night before hitting the road again. This time, up north for a bachelorette party! It was my first one and we had sooo much fun celebrating the bride-to-be! Connecticut casinos are no joke..

Apartment Hunting: Sooo back to that apartment news.. Originally our plan was for Chris to move in (his lease ended before mine) and then a few months later we were going to find a bigger place. After moving and getting settled we decided 1.) Man, we reallyyyy don't want to have to move again and 2.) While it would be tight we could suck it up for a year. The big man upstairs had a different plan in mind though.. While I was in Washington, I received a panicked call from Chris saying we got a letter in the mail saying my lease wasn't being renewed. Being across the country I immediately called my landlord's office (which wasn't open at the time).. let's just say it was a long 12 hours of waiting for them to open. I woke up early to call them the second their office opened and come to find out they're in the process of selling their buildings and aren't renewing any leases. I did not take the news well and was pretty upset.. I mean I just went through this 2 years ago with my last building! 

Sooo just like that it was back to apartment hunting, which as you've read on past blogs is a big pain in the b-u-t-t in the city. Plus we had so much going on in June and July.. it was just not something I wanted to have to deal with, but such is life. So I started stalking listings like the true apartment stalker I am and we saw apartment after apartment. It was a little early to start looking since we didn't have to move until Aug 1 (things are available immediately here or maybe a month in advance) but I mostly wanted to look at the market.

After seeing a bunch of places, being let down by brokers (sorry brokers but some of you really suck) I found a listing.. In fact, I prefaced the link for the listing to Chris with "Ok, this is kind of dumpy but it has a shared backyard and checks some of our other boxes" and they were having an open house that night. So I suggested we stop by on our way to the Billy Joel concert we were going to. I mean hey, the perk of NYC apartments is they take 5 mins to see. So we did just that and the place wasn't that bad.. andddd the "shared backyard" turned out to be a private backyard! It's not the fanciest place in the world, but as soon as we saw it and then found out they have unlimited laundry in the building we knew we needed to jump on it. It checked off our boxes, was available Aug 1, was no fee (YESSSS!), 1 bed, outdoor space, dishwasher (old but it has one) and decent storage. If we could have applied right then and there I would have -- because that's what you have to do here. Instead we had to wait until Monday because it was through a management company (my old management company actually!). So I obsessed and obsessed some more over the weekend. We showed up at their office right when they opened on Monday though, got approved within half an hour and signed our lease that day. So phewww after all that stress it all worked out and for the better! Sooo there will definitely be more apartment posts come the end of summer. Just wait until you see what I do with this backyard!!! So now we just wait.. but that's taken care of!

Chris' brother's Wedding: Chris' brother and beautiful fiance got married over the 4th of July weekend out on Long Island. They are just the best so it was so amazing to be there for their big day! It was a full weekend of love, delicious food, and lots of dancing! It could not have been a more perfect weekend and celebration!

Bachelorette Trip in Nashville: As soon as Chris' brother's wedding was over I was off to visit Nashville to celebrate another fabulous bride-to-be in Nashville! Nashville has been at the top of my bucket list to visit so I was pretty pumped for this trip! It did not disappoint either! All things country music, southern food and southern charm are soooo up my alley. I own way too many pairs of cowboy boots for a New Yorker.. haha. When I have another minute there will definitely be a trip highlight post because we had so much fun!

Moving: Now back to that apartment thing... we're a week away from packing up and heading to the new place. So there's that too!

I know, I know, when I said I've been busy I was not lying! If there's one thing life has taught me in the last 3 months it is that it doesn't slow down for anything! Which is equal parts exciting and nerve-wracking at times! It does all work out though one way or another! So now you're in the loop! Stay tuned because I do have some fun shenanigans to share that I've squeezed in between all of life's craziness! 

Guys, I got a new mattress! Not just any mattress either... A mattress from Brooklyn Bedding and spoiler alert, I LOVE it. So much so, I really just can't stop talking about it -- there have definitely been several Snapchats and texts sent out (you may have gotten one).

I've been thinking about getting a new mattress for quite some time, but let's be honest getting a new mattress in the city is kind of a drag. Plus, I didn't just want any mattress. I've never actually picked out my own mattress so I wanted to do that adult thing and make sure I did my research and found one that would be game changer -- I'm terrible at sleeping through the night. And hey, we spend a lot of our lives sleeping, it should be comfy! I did a lot of research but hadn't taken the plunge yet, so you can imagine how excited I was when Brooklyn Bedding reached out to me to see if I'd like to check out their mattresses. Cheyeahhh!

Not only did Brooklyn Bedding have amazing reviews of their mattresses (they're rated #1 on Amazon) but I also found out that the beds are delivered in a box! Yes, a box how cool is that? Totallyyyy perfect for someone living in the city like me. Normally ordering a mattress involves picking one out, scheduling delivery service (which always seems to take longer than you'd like), and planning your day around the delivery. Not with Brooklyn Bedding though. You pick out your mattress and it ships free usually within 3-4 days! Cool right? So here's a look at how the process works because I know you're curious!

The box arrived in my apartment building lobby and it took a little bit to get it up the stairs (dang you 5th floor walk-up) but was totally doable with 2 people. The mattress is made up of 3 different types of foams Talalay Latexm Dunlop Latex, and poly foam so there aren't any springs which allows it to be rolled up and into a box. Once you open the box the mattress looks like this!

Once you pull the mattress out of the box it's super simple, all you have to do is put it on your box spring (or flat surface foundation) and unroll it out of its plastic wrapping.

Once it is laid flat you just cut the edges of the plastic casing and POOF the mattress starts to expand like a marshmallow. It was kind of the coolest thing ever.. not going to lie.

I have to say, I was a little surprised that the bed poofed out and into position so fast. I was thinking it might have a little bit of a curve or what not until it got settled but it was pretty instantaneous.

Cue the part where I just laid on my new mattress for a good 30-45 mins in a lazy coma once I realized how comfy it was repeating "I love you new bed..." It was in that moment that I realized just what a good job they did picking out their hashtag #BestMattressEver. Because after that moment I had decided just that.

Eventually I did decide I needed to do the responsible grown up thing and put my sheets and comforter onto the bed.

So we've covered that the bed is super comfy anddd how cool the delivery process is, but there's also some other neat features worth mentioning!

• Personalized Comfort Levels: Brooklyn Bedding isn't about that one-size-fits-all thing, which is why they have 3 different options -- Soft, medium, and firm (I went with the medium option)

• Factory Direct and 100% Made in the U.S.: The business has been around sine 1995 so they aren't newbies to the market plus everything is made in the U.S.

• 120 Night Trial: Not sure about getting a new mattress? Well, they offer a 120 night trial (which is longer than competitors in the market) so you can make sure your new mattress is just what you're looking for. Looking for something different? That's cool too, they'll pick it up free of charge so you don't really have anything to loose.

• Financing Options: Mattresses are an investment and while you might want a new one your pesky budget might be getting in the way. Living in NYC I totally get it! Luckily they offer a financing option too so you can spread out some of the payments if you need to.

And there you have it! If you couldn't tell already I'm definitely a huge fan of Brooklyn Bedding. They made the hassle of getting a new bed in the city totally smooth and holy comfiness. Boy, what a difference having an amazing mattress can make. My advice? Check them out, you won't regret it!

---

**Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. Brooklyn Bedding provided me with a complimentary mattress in exchange for a blog post. This post and all opinions stated are based on my own ideas and honest experience with the product and has not been influenced based upon the sponsorship.