Word to the Wise

Our new office remodel has left me with a larger-than-usual cubby in which to decorate, and being that I'm a pinterest freak, I've found these words of wisdom that I would hang all over my cube if it didn't make me look like a total freak.

Office Chic

Stumbled upon these gorgeous offices during my daily consumption of celeb gossip on E! Online. Not only do I love the companies, but I love getting to know the people behind the brands and feeling like I get a new perspective on how their lives really are. 

Trendsetters at Work: The office of The Knot in NYC

 

How did you get started in your career? When I got engaged in 1993, my fiancé and I both realized that the wedding resources at the time could not help us with planning our wedding. We somehow pulled it off, and then three years later decided to launchTheKnot.com, which is now XO Group Inc.  We wanted to be a one-stop source for brides and we also wanted to keep our consumers with us past their wedding, which was the thought process behind TheBump.com and TheNest.com.

Describe a typical day for you. Pure madness. I am up at 6:30 and I do 100 jumping jacks (that's all the exercise I have time for!). Then shower, breakfast, walk my kids to school, get into the office by 9 a.m.! Once I get to the office I have calls with the West Coast developing TV shows, pitches from entrepreneurs, I move from meeting to meeting to check how my second set of children—The Knot, The Bump and The Nest—are doing, and by 7 p.m. I am back to being a wife and mother.

{for more about The Knot click here}

Trendsetters at Work: The Birchbox office in NYC

 

How did you get started in your career? After graduating from Vassar College with a degree in International Studies and Economics, I worked in private banking and commercial real estate in New York City. I landed my first job after on-campus and in-office interviews—I remember there were almost 20 interviews! I worked for three years before applying to Harvard Business School for my MBA.

Describe a typical day for you. It's definitely not your typical 9-to-5 day. I wake up around 5:30-6 a.m. and start to catch up on e-mails. Now that we have our business units in the U.K., France and Spain, a lot goes on while we're sleeping. As soon as I get to the office, I'm in back-to-back meetings for most of the day. My days start early and end late, but the days are so exciting and action-packed!

{For more about Birchbox click here}

Trendsetters at Work: Shopbop Offices in NYC 

 

How did you get started in your career? From the time I was a little girl, I always knew I wanted to be in fashion. One summer during college, I interned at Vogue in New York and that is how everything took off! I learned a ton and met some really great people who have helped me out along the way.

Describe a typical day for you. There is no typical day in PR. It ranges from sending out samples and images of product for press stories to running around to meetings and setting up for events.

Describe your work environment. Shopbop has a pretty relaxed work environment and our office has a great open floor plan so we are able to collaborate throughout the day. We recently moved to a new space where we have a roof deck, which is nice when the weather in NYC wants to cooperate.

 {For more about Shopbop click here}

League of Extraordinary Women

In an attempt to stay relevant in the workings of career-pathing and general networking benefits, I try to read articles and books (my latest is Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook-- a gift from my equally fierce and career-minded mama and so far, so good). I stumbled upon a great article earlier this week on a website called Levo League, and have since noticed that the site is full of useful nuggets for those interested in reading about careers/job advice/or just pure curiosity.

A few that I've found today include the following:

 1)  Article: "Working With a Sibling Can Be Crazy, But Also Crazy Wonderful" By Meredith Lepore

Topic: (in case the title didn't tip you off) Sisters who work together professionally:  aka Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Venus and Serena Williams, Jessica and Ashlee Simpson, all seven of the Kardashians, etc.

More about Author: "Meredith Lepore is the former editor of the women's career site, The Grindstone. Before that she was on staff at Wall Street Letter and Business Insider and was a contributing writer for Learnvest. She earned her Masters in Magazine, Newspaper and Online journalism from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University after graduating with a degree in Brain and Cognitive Science from the University of Rochester. Meredith resides in New York full time and enjoys reading, jogging, shopping and playing with her puppy, Otis." 

2) Article:  "7 Ways Busy, Young Professionals Can Volunteer"

By Candace Faber

Topic: (again, in case it isn't obvious) "Studies show that volunteering makes people happier and healthier, but contributing to a cause you believe in has other benefits as well, from expanding your professional network to providing leadership opportunities you might not get in the workplace for years to come."

More about the Author: "Candace Faber is a foreign policy and gender issues expert who has worked for the U.S. Department of State in Afghanistan, Belarus, Poland, Russia, and Washington, DC. Before becoming a diplomat, she served as editor-in-chief of the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs and co-edited the 8th edition of Careers in International Affairs. She holds a Master of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and bachelor's degrees in political science and Russian from the University of Washington. Candace currently lives in Seattle, Washington, where she enjoys racing triathlons, writing short stories, and working on her latest book project, a compilation of interviews with trailblazing women."

3) Article: "Beyond the Pencil (skirt): Meet Sarah, Teen Vogue " By: Kathryn Worsham

Topic: Behind the scenes at work with Teen Vogue Assistant Fashion Market Editor Sarah Pillai

More About the Author: "Kathryn is a Communications Associate at Levo League and the writer and photographer of Beyond the Pencil (Skirt). Follow her on Twitter @kaworsha"

So, if you fancy this type of networking/reading, join, or simply read up on things that interest you (there are tons to choose from).

For Example: 

 

{click here for above article}

{click here for Two Jobs are Better Than One}

And a personal favorite:

{click here for The Golden Rules of Happy Hour}