Name: Meg Biram
Age: 30
Job Title and Description: Entrepreneur, Blogger, Consultant
College/Major: University of Missouri-Columbia/Journalism
Website: meganbiram.com
Twitter Handle: @megbiram
Name: Victoria McGinley
Age: 29
Job Title and Description: Graphic Designer, Consultant, Blogger
College/Major: University of Southern California/BS Business Administration, California Culinary Academy/AOS Culinary Arts
Website: vmacandcheese.com / Vivaleur.com / shopthebbar.com
Twitter Handle: @vmacandcheese
What does your current job entail? Is there such a thing as a typical day?
Meg Biram: I wear a lot of hats. I produce, write and design my entire blog on my own. I conceptualize and produce photo shoots for my site and other companies. I have an online shop where I sell products and collaborate with other designers on designing and developing products. I do consulting on many subjects but mostly blogging, social media, digital marketing and how to work with bloggers. Victoria and I created The B Bar so that we could do consulting at any time for anyone. They can just grab a drink at The B Bar, our online shop full of cocktails and shots (also known as ebooks). I also co-founded an online gift guide magazine called to & from.
Every day is different, but I’m usually doing similar things within each week—sourcing and developing concepts for posts and photo shoots, producing and styling photo shoots, writing ebooks for The B Bar, doing social media for my site and The B Bar, shipping products from my shop, sourcing new products, collaborating with other designers, prep for consulting clients, meetings… basically everything. Not to mention the business side of owning your own business—paying bills, dealing with printers and technology, etc.
Victoria McGinley: My work is really divided into the three businesses I run: Vivaleur, which is a graphic design and online media consultancy shop specializing in web design for bloggers and small businesses, as well as consulting services for individuals interested in learning more about blogging and being an online entrepreneur; vmac+cheese, which is my personal lifestyle blog; and The B Bar, which sells downloadable PDFs related to blogging and working online. With so many pokers in the fire, it’s safe to say there’s no such thing as a typical day, though I definitely have a solid workflow down!
I love working for myself, but when you own a business, you are effectively CEO, CFO, CMO, COO, HR, mid-level management and assistant too. So on any given day, my working hours will be filled with emails, generating content for the blog, designing a website for a client, spending time on social media, handling payroll and strategizing about where I want to grow my businesses next!
What is the best part of your job?
MB: I love what I do, and I decide what I do. It doesn’t really get better than that.
VM: Definitely being your own boss, and seeing the fruits of your labor pay off. There’s nothing like reaching a goal and knowing that it was entirely your blood, sweat and tears that made it happen. In past (traditional) jobs, feeling like I didn’t make a difference was always such a bummer.
What was your first entry-level job in your field and how did you get it?
MB: My first job out of college was as a design editor at The Observer (a newspaper) in Sarasota, Florida. It was four long days a week of designing three Sarasota newspapers. I got the job in sort of a strange way—during my college graduation ceremony I was sitting in the back next to a friend of mine from high school. Yes, we were chatting a little during the ceremony, and she told me she had just turned down a job in Florida because she wanted to stay in Missouri, but that I should email the lady she spoke with. So I did. I had the job a few days later, which was just a few days before I got married! A few days after our honeymoon, my new husband and I moved to Florida. That was a crazy two weeks!
VM: In all honesty, I had several “entry-level” jobs before I really figured out what I wanted to do. My path went something like this: enter senior year of college, where I was finishing a business degree with an emphasis in brand marketing, fully convinced I would take a job at an ad agency or in market research. Get internship in both, and decide I hate agency work. Graduate, and go to culinary school instead. Intern for a major newspaper, and eventually work as a freelancer for said paper, writing food features and testing and styling recipes. Work at a winery for a time, learning how to make wine. Realize it’s really hard to make a living in food print media, as the industry is (at the time) dying. Take a job in food and wine PR. Re-confirm that I really hate agency work.
By this point, I’d been out of college for over three years, and felt like I was going nowhere fast. I knew that I wanted to work for myself, and I knew that I was entrepreneurial, but I just wasn’t sure how to harness my creative capabilities. So I took a step back. I got a job working for a university, which provided me with great benefits and a more relaxed atmosphere so that I didn’t feel so much pressure to be climbing a corporate ladder. I knew in my heart of hearts that this job was a stopover until I figured out what it was I wanted to do, but in the meantime, I’d at least have a paycheck and the space in my life to explore my interests and passions even more.
About a year before I took the university job, I had started my blog. Somewhere around a year and a half in, I realized blogging touched upon a lot of the areas I was interested incorporating into my work: I could be creative, celebrate other women and their achievements, share my interests and passions, and hopefully scale it into something bigger. So I started putting a ton more effort into my site, and after nearly three and a half years of blogging, I left my traditional day job to work for myself full time!
What is one thing you wish you knew about your industry when you first started out that you know now?
MB: How important your persistence is, and that you have to make things happen for yourself. You can’t just wait for opportunities to come to you.
VM: In blogging, it can feel like there are always more things to do or that you’re never doing enough. You can always be tweeting more, Instagramming more, attending more events, posting more. I wish I would’ve set boundaries for myself earlier and been more strategic in where I spent a lot of my time.
For basically all entrepreneurial endeavors, I wish I would’ve valued my work more earlier on. I was scared to charge higher rates, thinking it would limit the number of clients I had, when in reality, I think raising rates has actually brought me more interesting projects and clients who are much more invested (literally and figuratively) in their design.
You both also run very popular blogs, MEG BIRAM and vmac+cheese. What is it like balancing work and blogging?
MB: Blogging is a large part of my “job” and I absolutely love it. Work and blogging are all wrapped up together for me. I wouldn’t say I’m necessarily good at balancing work and life, though… I work a lot.
VM: Well, my blog kind of is my work in a way, so it gets integrated into my agenda just like anything else. Typically I try to generate content for the blog on Mondays, so much of the rest of the week can be spent on other tasks.
Who is one person who changed your professional life for the better?
MB: Recently I met someone who instantly became a friend and mentor, Jaime of Pretty Prudent. She’s amazing. Very open with information and teaching me what she’s learned. I really value our friendship.
VM: Probably my web developer, Lisa Butler. She’s become a great partner and asset to my design business, and always astounds me with her knowledge and know-how. Your business can really take off when you surround yourself with great people whom you can learn from!
What words of wisdom do you find most valuable?
MB: Make it happen. Find a way.
VM: This is less a quote, but more a way of approaching your work. I often remind myself of this: There will always be so many things that will distract you, or make you feel inadequate or vulnerable or like you’re not enough. Remember to focus your energy on the things that will continue to force you to grow in positive ways – invest in yourself, spend your time and resources wisely and have faith in yourself and the future.
What is one mistake you made along the way and what did you learn from it?
MB: Something I tend to do frequently is not give myself enough time—for anything. That is a lesson I’ve learned over and over, and I will be majorly changing my habits and planning in the future.
VM: Don’t be afraid of spending money on help from the pros if you need it. I spent almost an entire year struggling through Quickbooks and wasting a ton of time on invoicing. When I finally spent the money on a CPA and a better invoicing program, I saved a ton of time and stress. It was so worth the money. Spending money on these things is just part of being a business, so don’t be afraid that it’s going to negatively impact your bottom line–in fact, the opposite will probably happen.
What do you look for when considering hiring someone?
MB: I need someone who is detail-oriented; more detail-oriented than I am! And of course a good attitude; no bad attitudes allowed.
VM: I would want someone who is a rockstar communicator, a strong critical thinker, super resourceful and knows more than me. Like I said, I think some of the best business relationships are symbiotic, when you can really learn from one another.
What advice would you give to a 20-something with similar aspirations?
MB: Work hard. It’s always good to get some experience with someone who’s already been in the industry for a while or with a brand. Learn the ropes, and once you’ve come up with a solid concept and a plan, then attack it.
VM: Within the blogging industry, I’ve observed that many young women see others carving out a path to success, then try to follow in their exact same footsteps, but they forget that one size doesn’t fit all. My best advice would be to explore what makes you unique and determine where you can provide value in the industry. Don’t do something just because someone else appears to have had success with it… and in that vein, think carefully about what success even means to you.
As far as owning a design studio and being an entrepreneur, I’d say write a good business plan, be realistic in your expectations and then get down to business and start working! Dreams only work when you do.