We have been beyond busy at The Sill, to say the least. 

This Spring we’ve launched a new product line and a new gardening service, on-boarded amazing clients - from Kate Spade Saturday to Spotify - and have hosted and participated in all kinds of workshops and events. We’re fulfilling daily orders, going on maintenance runs, and generally greening up anything and everything across Manhattan and Brooklyn. And importantly, we’re hitting our numbers, too. 

The new challenge I face as a founder and manager is this: how to support my team and prevent them from getting overworked, overtired, or overwhelmed. Here are the lessons I’ve come to learn.

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of participating in an event hosted by Heartbeat during Social Media Week, “A Picture is Worth 1000 Followers.” I sat on a panel alongside Diana Hardeman, founder of MilkMade Ice Cream; MJ Barton, founder of Electric Picks Jewelry; and, Peter Ruprecht, photographer and the founder of Ruprecht Studios. The panel was moderated by Alicia Evans, professor of Social Media Strategy at the City College of New York. The discussion was focused on the importance of imagery when it comes to building a social media presence, as well as, how leveraging imagery can translate into business growth.
 
The evening was a success with many in attendance at the remarkable venue Imagine Gallery. Each founder had some really fantastic insights, and each had a slightly different point of view and experience to offer. While I can’t summarize the whole of the discussion panel, I wanted to share my key takeaways:

One fundamental characteristic of the successful founder is her ability to put herself out of her comfort zone – not only to challenge the status quo with her ideas, but to take an audience, share her ideas, ask for feedback, and fumble – publically.  One piece of this is learning to get very comfortable having coffee with strangers. 

The Scenario: I have questions that others have answers to; I have a hypothesis that others have already tested.

• Step 1: Identify these people.
• Step 2: Invite them to grab coffee.
• Step 3: Learn and repeat.

Here’s how 

I co-founded The Sill. I did it for several reasons. 

1. Landing a co-founder is a major step in validating your idea – you’ve managed to sell your first customer, someone as excited about your idea as you are.
2. Going it alone seems scary – the thought of running a company alone can seem nearly impossible. The emotional support a partner can provide can be crucial.
3. Your skill set is limited – chances are you’re very good at some stuff, but not all stuff. Finding a co-founder with a complimentary skillset can make the difference between failure and success.
4. The data says so – the odds of success go up with the number of founders.
5. Your network doubles – as a small business or start-up you rely heavily on your network for help in the beginning. Having a co-founder - or two or three - multiplies your reach.

Unfortunately, co-founding The Sill didn’t work out the way I expected. Here’s what I believe it came down to…

Here in New York City it’s hard not to notice the glamour girls, the wonder women, those who seemingly handle it all – beauty, brains, and 5-inch heals to boot.  They can work 60-plus hour weeks and still wear red lips. 

Running The Sill is a sweaty job, a dirty job. And I don’t mean that in any other sense than the literal. I stack bags of potting soil, plant trees, and drive a cargo van.  Everyday glamour is not really an option. Instead, I’ve learned to compromise on lifestyle in order to run my business well. Some of my sacrifices:

Eat the bagel. I’ve never been a black coffee kind of girl. I like food. I need food. Sure, I would prefer to eat healthy - pack an apple, some raw almonds, a green juice, and call it a day. But days, and grocery lists, can get the best of me when I’m working hard and long hours. So, finally, I’ve learned to just eat the bagel. Grab-and-go food is an inevitability when it comes to running a business. I won’t assign moral value to white flour.