Multi-award-winning editor Tatiana S. Riegel knows what it’s like to break down walls in a male-dominated industry. The veteran editor worked on “I, Tonya,” as well as some of the most original independent comedies including “Bad Words,” “The Men Who Stare At Goats” and “The Way Way Back.” “Some studio people may not believe a woman editor can do an action film as well as a man,” she explains of obstacles she faces. “It’s silly, but I have come across it.” In 2017, only 18% of all directors, writers, producers, executive producers, editors, and cinematographers working on the to ..read more

For Kathrin Zenkina, success is inevitable. It’s part of her affirmation, where she believes “I am always on the right path.” Dreaming of that new job? New car or more money? Say it enough, and according to Zenkina, it will come true. “In the last two years, I’ve manifested the following: my soul mate, a 7-figure business, my dream car, being able to travel to any city or country in the world whenever I want, and other endless opportunities,” she says. “Magic happens when you open yourself to the power of your mind.” “Magic happens when you open yourself to the power of your mind.” The Master ..read more

Jayna Cooke is CEO and founder of Chicago-based EVENTup, the largest online marketplace for event venues. (EVENTup was recently acquired by Gather.) Cooke was also former VP of business development (and one of the first employees) at Groupon, where she was the top global sales performer, responsible for the company’s two largest deals: with Nordstrom and Gap. Before that, she was the top seller at Echo Global Logistics.  In 2012, Cooke started Closet Angels, a 501.c.3 foundation that collects and sells designer clothes to benefit St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. We reached out to ..read more

No matter where you are on your career journey, the thought of outsourcing can be scary. When your entire business and income depend solely on you, trusting someone else to help fill in the gaps is stressful; most of us would rather do everything ourselves. We cling to responsibility — that ‘can-do’ attitude is what made us entrepreneurs in the first place, right? But the difficult reality is that holding so hard to every aspect of our businesses will stunt our growth, and ultimately burn us out. The trick is to start small. So how do you start outsourcing, especially when you don’t have a hug ..read more

In the male-driven tech world, female entrepreneurs already face many more hurdles than their male counterparts. Finding out you’re pregnant on top of that might seem like the end of your budding startup. A couple of years ago, I quit my 9-5 to create my own business in the beauty/tech space. Thinking that it wouldn’t be the best time to have a child, I started the process of freezing my eggs — only to discover I was already pregnant. Perhaps even more surprising — my cofounder was pregnant, too! So much for balancing the workload. But the benefit was we were able to support each other emotion ..read more

I love problems. My goal is that by the time you finish this article, you’re going to get excited about whatever problems you are facing right now. Because when you see problems for what they really are — opportunities — you will start welcoming them rather than avoiding them. I wasn’t always excited about problems. I used to dream of the day when I would finally “arrive,” and all problems would magically disappear. Sounds silly, but unless you have already reprogrammed your brain to love problems, you too may think that people you look up to never face them at all. Social media, which I live ..read more

With the new tax law mostly coming into effect this January, the Congress added a new Section 199A. This section allows qualifying tax payers to deduct 20% of their “qualified business income” for the first time. What this means is, at its most simple, a qualifying taxpayer who has “qualifying business income” of $100,000 would only pay tax on $80,000. But many requirements must be satisfied, and big changes still loom on the horizon. It’s essential that you understand what this new law means. While it might not be the most thrilling topic to read up on, it’s essential for your own success tha ..read more

The Small Business Administration estimates that a third of all businesses fail in the first year; half by year five. One of the main reasons for these failures is a lack of capital, causing short- and long-term cash flow problems. It can be tempting for a new business owner to want to open a flashy new office to court clients and add legitimacy to the endeavor — it certainly was for me when I started KardZee.com. But I also knew that meant additional financial risk. I mean, it’s hard enough to start a business without adding unnecessarily to the inevitable startup costs, especially when recei ..read more

In the world of entrepreneurship, if you asked one hundred different people why they wanted to open a business, you’d most likely get one hundred different answers. I have my own personal reasons for becoming a “serial entrepreneur” but I am also happy to join in this unpredictable journey alongside my partner. Starting a business is no easy feat. By launching multiple businesses with my wife, I’m often met with questions on how we fulfill a balance in our relationship and what other entrepreneurs should take into account if they’re thinking about doing so too. First, I’d like to start off wit ..read more

Everyone talks about social media these days — everyone wants to ‘go viral.’ We think a viral video will solve all our problems, bring in an audience, bring in sales, help us grow. And all of that may be true — but most people don’t consider the cost of that growth. Sudden sales can be great, but too much too quickly can decimate a fledgling business. It takes a lot of preparation, hard work, and seriously agile thinking to keep up with the growth of a viral video. We should know; it happened to us. It takes seriously agile thinking to keep up with a viral video. With virtually no initial inve ..read more