A Day within the Lifetime of Entrepreneur Mikayla Wujec, Co-Founding father of Alder Attire

Working your individual enterprise isn’t any straightforward feat. It takes a wholesome dose of ardour, self-discipline, and dedication. Ever puzzled what a day within the lifetime of a enterprise proprietor and founder is like? We’re right here to present you a glimpse! In honor of Worldwide Girls’s Day (March 8), we are going to function a feminine entrepreneur each week for your entire month — supplying you with an unique, first-hand look into 24 hours of their day. 

This week, we’re getting up shut and private with entrepreneur and NatGeo explorer Mikayla Wujec, who co-founded alder attire together with her buddy Naomi Blackman. Their mission is to make sustainable out of doors put on that’s comfy and flattering for girls of all sizes.

Learn on to see how Mikayla spends her day operating her clothes line in Toronto, Canada. Then scroll down for a short Q&A to get to know her higher and get impressed!

7:30 A.M. Get up, snuggle with my canine, test electronic mail, test our gross sales, test social media. (I’m attempting to interrupt this behavior however no luck but!) Thrice every week, I’ll head to the gymnasium for a morning swim or exercise. I discover getting some motion in throughout the morning clears my head for the day forward. 

Eight A.M. Rain, shine, or snow (we’re a Canadian-bred firm, so numerous snow lately), I take my canine for a morning stroll, take heed to the most recent The Each day and GirlBoss podcast episodes, and luxuriate in a slice of the outside.

9 A.M. Have breakfast. I test my to-do checklist for the day, and prioritize the highest three objects that must get accomplished. I evaluate my schedule and upcoming conferences of the day. I check-in with co-founder Naomi Blackman, which is the primary of many immediately.

10 A.M. I discover this the very best time for any “writing” work. I’ll typically do electronic mail, reply to our group on social media, and attempt to bang out long-form writing! 

11 A.M. Maintain writing! 

12 P.M. Take out my canine for a brief stroll. 

1 P.M. – 5:00 P.M. Meet Naomi Blackman and work collectively on constructing alder! At this stage, we each put on a really astounding variety of hats. For instance, this week we’re making use of for a 75,00zero grant to extend our exports to the USA (want us luck!), coordinating the majority manufacturing of our open-air pants, reviewing the prototypes of our subsequent two merchandise (wahoo!), securing financial institution financing to assist with stock orders and securing insurance coverage for our firm. Our day-to-day actions will be very totally different, however we at all times have a shared objective of constructing our firm. 

6 P.M. I like to cook dinner, so I take time to make a great dinner, and meet up with my husband about our days. It’s essential to me to completely swap my thoughts off work, in any other case I discover I simply maintain circling to-do’s in my thoughts. 

7 P.M. If I didn’t make it to the gymnasium within the morning, I’ll head out now for a swim. 

Eight P.M. Relying on the day, I’lll both meet up with associates at an occasion, or keep in and crush Netflix (watching Intercourse Schooling proper now and it’s SO good!), or end off a few of they day’s duties. As a result of we work with companions in Taiwan, we’ll additionally typically reply emails now as effectively.

9 P.M. Unwind from the day. I make a to-do checklist for tomorrow, and test off the duties I’ve accomplished for the day.

10 P.M. Time for mattress.

Now that you simply’ve gotten a glimpse of what her day is like, get extra inspiration in our unique Q&A with Mikayla beneath!

INDIEGOGO: How did you change into an entrepreneur? 

MIKAYLA: Each Naomi and I didn’t begin calling ourselves and entrepreneurs till fairly lately. We each felt just like the title utilized to dudes in tech in San Francisco creating the subsequent Fb, not two younger ladies from Canada attempting to rework the out of doors business. What does it imply to be an entrepreneur? Mainly you’re a individual with an concept, that fills a void and takes on higher than regular monetary dangers to function a enterprise to fill mentioned void. Test, test, test — that’s us…and possibly you! Neither of us had an specific objective to change into entrepreneurs, however we have been each eager about constructing one thing, have a high-risk tolerance, and worth creativity and development in our work. We’re loving the alternatives and challenges that include operating our personal enterprise. We have been actually pushed to take action as a result of we consider in our mission, and personally skilled the void of purposeful, flattering, out of doors attire for girls.

IGG: What makes your corporation distinctive?

MIKAYLA: alder exists to rework out of doors recreation for girls by making it comfy, accessible, numerous, and centered round enjoyable, not efficiency. We consider that out of doors recreation = happiness and that ALL ladies belong outdoors, irrespective of your efficiency stage, your athleticism, your measurement, potential, pores and skin coloration, or the rest.

We’re breaking away from the archetype of the hyper-intense athlete, and celebrating play, enjoyable and all types of recreation as a result of getting outdoors is nice on your thoughts and physique! So lots of the current out of doors manufacturers have fun efficiency. Suppose: advertisements displaying scaling a mountain, or climbing a glacier! Whereas it’s superb to see, the common individual possible isn’t mountaineering on the weekend.

We wish to create merchandise for girls who like to get outdoor which might imply strolling your canine, or climbing with associates or hitting up the farmer’s market. Shockingly, the common out of doors model solely makes merchandise as much as measurement 16! The common US lady is measurement 16-18. One thing doesn’t add up. We create merchandise as much as measurement 30 (4X) as a result of all ladies deserve cute, purposeful trendy garments, and particularly for getting outdoors.  We additionally make our merchandise with the main sustainable materials and fibers, and work with moral and clear firms. 

IGG: What’s your greatest recommendation for girls entrepreneurs?

MIKAYLA: Naomi and I lately did a podcast, and we landed on these three nuggets of semi-wisdom. First, you may’t drive a parked automotive. Second, fear as soon as. And third, simply ask.

You possibly can’t drive a parked automotive =  simply begin one thing. It’s straightforward to get caught up in pondering that it’s not the fitting time, or that your services or products isn’t prepared but. Generally, our infatuation with perfection hinders progress and the very best factor to do is simply get going!

“Fear as soon as” are phrases we try to reside by proper now, as we’re going by way of our first spherical of bulk manufacturing for our merchandise. As in life, there are a really staggering variety of issues that may go incorrect, however what’s the use in repeatedly worrying concerning the what-ifs? Plan for apparent dangers and take care of the unknowns as they arrive, however attempt to restrict your vitality spent on repeatedly worrying about issues out of your management.

Simply ask is one thing my mother at all times inspired me to do. Need higher cost phrases with one in every of your distributors? Simply ask. What one thing accomplished in a different way by your workers? Simply ask. In fact, be respectful and be acceptable, but in addition be daring. The worst factor somebody can do is say no, after which you might be the place you already are. 

IGG: Any instruments you suggest to anybody beginning their very own enterprise? 

MIKAYLA: We’d completely suggest harnessing traditional companies like Google Drive, Slack and, Dropbox. These instruments have been completely invaluable to us in rising alder and organizing our enterprise! Hootsuite can be a useful social media planning system. Podcasts are such a incredible method to entry insights from among the most superb enterprise minds on the market. We love Girlboss and How I Constructed This. Now onto books! My mother is a retired librarian, so I’ve at all times seemed to books for assist. The Making of a Supervisor, What to do When Everybody Seems to You by Julie Zhuo is superb for anybody pondering of rising their workforce. The Knowledge of Insecurity: A Message for an Age of Anxiousness by Alan Watts isn’t a enterprise guide per se, however will go a great distance with the previous “fear as soon as” nugget. 

IGG: What’s your favourite Indiegogo marketing campaign? 

MIKAYLA: Our favourite Indiegogo marketing campaign is an oldie however a great one. Fellow Canadian entrepreneur Joanna Griffiths ran a marketing campaign for Knixwear, the OG leakproof underwear. It’s such a tremendous product, and so they actually crammed a void within the intimate attire house. So superior that they bought their begin right here! 

To assist and again alder attire, try their Indiegogo marketing campaign web page. To study extra about alder attire, comply with on Fb and Instagram.