Guys, Daniella Pierson is a BOSS. As the 22-year-old founder and CEO of The Newsette, a daily pop culture newsletter service bringing young women all things style, entertainment and empowerment, Pierson’s got a lot to say. Not to mention, just about the sweetest way of saying it. Whether it be filling us all in on the latest morning exercise routines, or giving us the perfect dose of Instagram inspiration with our cup of morning joe, Pierson has just one dream for us: Today, smile. She’s a Boston University graduate, an entrepreneurial trailblazer, a multimedia business leader. And if we say so ourselves, she’s pretty much acing this whole life thing so far.
Wondering how to navigate the professional arena as a fresh-faced college student? Need advice on how to make your mark while still being you? Tune in to our interview with Pierson below, as we ask someone who’s been there, done that, and lived to tell the tale!
In the beginning…
Q: So, do you identify more as an entrepreneur business woman or a writer?
A: I definitely identify more as an entrepreneur. I’m definitely not a writer. I never went to school for that, I never really honed that craft. It was basically a side effect of starting this business. However, I do love writing now. I actually have a twin sister and she is a book writer, so it might run in the family. But I definitely identify myself more as an entrepreneur because the business side of The Newsette is what really makes me tick.
Q: Speaking as a businesswoman, what was your first job in that field? And what did you learn the most from it?
A: I actually started The Newsette while I was in college. I was a sophomore and I actually graduated last May. So I never had any first job, which I think is a blessing and a curse because I do wish I would have had more experience in a working environment before I started my own company. However, I think because I don’t have that experience, I’m able to create a company that’s unlike any other.
Q: I can imagine it would be an intimidating experience to go into a field where there are a lot of older people that have a lot of experience, and walk around feeling like they know what they’re doing all the time. Since you are so young, what kept you going as a young professional?
A: It can definitely be really intimidating. I was in Boston when we started The Newsette, so I wasn’t even in New York, where most of the industry experts are. I really had to just kick my foot inside the door and just try to talk to anybody who would listen to me.
Then, as I started getting an audience, I was able to leverage that and get people interviewed and talk to different PR friends. All of a sudden, after we started growing, people would come up to me. But I really think you have to “fake it till you make it.” I didn’t know anything when I started. I had to kind of pretend like I knew what I was doing to the outside world just to be taken more seriously. And I think that nowadays, especially in this industry, with bloggers who are so young, you can be taken seriously as long as you have a hard work ethic and you do something that you’re passionate about.
Q: In terms of plain old career advice, what would be a total “Do” in your opinion? And what would be a total “Don’t”?
A: I say don’t think that you’re above the job that you get. If you’re right out of college and you have zero experience, even if you are an intern, you need to start at the bottom…it’s just the way the industry works. Humble yourself. Even though you may think you need to be at a higher level, you have to prove that with your work. So don’t think that you’re above the work that you’re doing, because everyone has to start there.
I say do work harder than everyone else because when you are in that position at a classic company where you have to work your way up, you need to show people around you that you’re willing to work harder than everyone so that they notice you. You definitely want to be noticed. You don’t want to be the person in the background.
And if you want to move up in your career, I would say do something on the side, if you’d like…Let’s say you’re an assistant and its your first job. If you have a passion for blogging or photography, then take your weekends and take the time before and after work to follow that passion because, who knows? Maybe it’ll start making you money and you can quit your job and become your own boss.
Don’t fall into the office gossip crowd. I’ve seen a lot of people who I identify as gossipers or mean people in the industry and that’s definitely not a reputation you want to be in. Even if you think that it might get you a better position, because you’re making friends, you don’t want to tear anyone else down because you never know who the person you’re talking about is going to be working for one day. I just think being a nice person overall pays off so much in any career.
Behind the curtain…
Q: I want to talk a little bit more about The Newsette. I can see it definitely has its own niche: positivity and femininity and modern style. How did the voice of your news service come about?
A: The voice is really my own voice. I don’t want to take everything too seriously. We don’t talk about groundbreaking things like politics or horrible events. I think that when you talk about those topics, you have to be very serious. You have an opinion. But our whole brand is just talking about positive things and fashion and style; things that are supposed to make you smile… I don’t want to be exclusive. The whole identity of the Newsette is to be inclusive. So that’s kind of where the voice came from. I didn’t want to talk about topics that people thought were too above them or anything. I wanted to introduce it in a way where everybody could identify.
Q: So where do you stand on talking about more serious current events such as the recent Las Vegas shooting, natural disasters, political arenas, etc.?
A: We 100% do not report on those kinds of topics. However, since we do have such a great platform, we do pull out ways that people can help. So a few days ago, we had at the bottom of our page, a section to help for the Las Vegas attacks, and a link where they could do that.
We know that there are so many different media outlets that are providing that information. And we certainly don’t want to be perceived as an authority for that sort of information because we’re not. But we also don’t want to be tone deaf and we know that if we can use our audience to do something good, that’s 100% what we want to do.
We definitely draw the line where anything is tragic or negative or just disturbing because our readers come to us for positivity and we don’t want them to feel bad after they read our newsletter.
Q: I would assume your work atmosphere takes on the same tone as The Newsette. What’s the dynamic like behind the scenes and at headquarters?
A: We operate in a shared space where there are a bunch of offices. There’s probably a 100 different companies in this building, which is really nice because we are a start-up, so we like to be active and have different events going on and meet different people. It’s a great environment for this kind of company.
We are small and that’s definitely on purpose. One of my main goals is to create a modern media company. And I think that the older publications are so used to staffing so many people. It really gets to their bottom line if they aren’t able to become profitable as quickly. It’s just a lot of excess that’s not needed.
I really believe in having a small group of hustlers who are willing to get anything done…We’re very entrepreneurial in the sense that we all wear a lot of different hats. I like to be as close-knit as possible. If we do grow in the next couple of years, that’s fine. But I definitely want to keep the sense of scrappiness and the fact that everybody doesn’t have just one job; that everybody feels that they’re contributing at every level of the company.
Quick Tid bits…
Q: What’s your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?
A: Oh my gosh, fruity pebbles. However, I’m trying to be more healthy now so I’ve been fruity pebble-free for about one week. And I eat Sakara Life for breakfast. It’s a meal delivery service. But I guess now, the number one thing I need is coffee.
Q: What’s the one thing you can’t leave the house without?
A: I mean, definitely my phone. We get so many emails!
Q: What’s the last song you played on your iTunes?
A: Lana Del Rey; her new song “Love.”
Q: Name a food you think is overrated.
A: Sushi. I don’t like sushi. I have a lot of foods like that. Pizza. I don’t like pizza, either.
Q: What’s your happy place?
A: In bed. I have to wake up so early, so when i can, after work I love taking a nap.