Brit Morin
Founder & CEO of Brit + Co, author of Homemakers
Discussion
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Brit Morin
@brit
Hi everyone, Brit here! I'm the founder & CEO of Brit + Co, an online media and e-commerce company that provides tools to teach, inspire and enable creativity among women and girls. From traditional crafts to high-tech manufacturing, Brit + Co connects millions of users with makers, designers, chefs, and inventors, together in one place. My best-selling book, Homemakers, was published in March of this year, and is available for purchase now. Ask me anything!
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Jimmy Mackin
@jimmymackin · Partner at Curaytor
@brit It's a bit of a big question but I'd love to learn more about how Brit.co content strategy has evolved over the last 24 months?
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Brit Morin
@brit
@jimmymackin Great question. We are a very data-driven culture, but also have a solid mission of inspiring and enabling people to be creative. So our content must wrap up to that mission at all times, even though we have scaled the quantity of content we put out. At this point, we're very much mobile-driven (70%) and have a ton of social traffic, so we also think about programming content in ways that are useful for the on-the-go and social user.
Melissa's Tripping
@girltripping · Creator of GirlTripping.com
@jimmymackin I second this. Specifically... brit.co is one of my favorite sites and part of my inspiration, in a similar yet different niche. Has your website always covered such a broad array of topics or did you start smaller
Erik Torenberg
@eriktorenberg · Former Product Hunt
Hey Brit - Thank you for coming to Product Hunt LIVE!
What's something you've changed your mind about recently?
Also, for anyone who missed it, Brit did an awesome podcast with us recently: https://soundcloud.com/product-h...
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Brit Morin
@brit
@eriktorenberg Something I changed my mind about? That happens every 10 seconds! :P Hmmm on the silly side, I just decided I'm way more into chocolate fro-yo than vanilla. And on the serious side, I recently changed my mind about our employee meal perks at Brit + Co.
Erik Torenberg
@eriktorenberg · Former Product Hunt
@brit tell us more! employee meal perks is something most people don't think about - what decision did you make + how did you think about it? (i'm curious about the day to day decisions CEO make that most people never see...)
also, agreed on chocolate.
Emily Veach
@editemily · writer @Feedly
@eriktorenberg @brit and does it now include cold brew? :D
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Brit Morin
@brit
@eriktorenberg We're starting to use EatClub.com --- super pumped about the customization options it offers employees in addition to a reasonable cost structure.
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Brit Morin
@brit
@editemily Coffee, no. But beer, yes! Well, at least we include a class for that on brit.co/learn ;)
Harry Stebbings
@harrystebbings · Podcast Host @ The Twenty Minute VC
You have built this amazing ecommerce business but how did you get your first customers that were not friends and family? Do you have any tips for scaling a business? So appreciate your time!
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Brit Morin
@brit
@harrystebbings Hi Harry! First, thanks for the compliment. Commerce is a beast, but the long-term rewards can definitely pay off. Just as in the media business where "content is king" in the commerce business "product is king" -- you have to find the product/market fit in the same way. What are things that CAN'T be found on Amazon and have unique stories behind them or unique functionalities? Focus on that first, and people will naturally share with others to promote organic growth of traffic to your site.
AJ
@alanaut24 · Engitrepresigner
@harrystebbings this a great question - would love to see it answered.
Priyanka Sharma
@pritianka · Co-founder, WakaTime
Hi Brit - how did you get your initial team together for Brit + Co?
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Brit Morin
@brit
@pritianka The first two employees (an engineer and an editor) came from my personal network. The next 2-3 were actually sourced from AngelList. I'm a HUGE fan of that platform for finding great employees. We've since hired many more.
Priyanka Sharma
@pritianka · Co-founder, WakaTime
@brit Thanks for this. Would love to know what qualities you looked for/prioritized in the first two people. A skill set match is the first obvious, but beyond that. Appreciate your time here!
Alan Braverman
@alanb42 · CEO & co-founder of Textline
@brit I heard you talking about exercising creativity on the Product Hunt podcast. How do you do that, specifically?
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Brit Morin
@brit
@alanb42 How do you NOT? Sort of joking, but really, there is literally a muscle in your brain that responds to doing creative projects or work. The more you do, the more you strengthen it. The benefits have claimed to be as therapeutic as meditation or exercise. I, for one, would much rather paint for an hour than run for an hour :P
Radner Reyes
@radnerreyes · Business Development Executive
@brit I'm in the middle of developing a website but find I run out of ideas or creativity. Do you recommend methods of improving a creative mindset or ways to find inspiration?
Corley
@corleyh · COO @ Product Hunt
@brit what is the hardest thing about running Brit + Co? And where/how do you find the inspiration to push through the tough stuff?
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Brit Morin
@brit
@corleyh There's a new hard thing every day. But I suppose the *hardest* is knowing that the vision in my head for the business can't be achieved for several years. It's an iterative process that takes a step at a time. Andy Dunn, founder of Bonobos, claims that most great brands take 10 years to build, which I think is true. You have to put in the time and learn every step of the way to truly build a community that lasts.
Priyanka Sharma
@pritianka · Co-founder, WakaTime
@brit Apologies if this was answered elsewhere but, what is your vision for the Brit + Co brand 10 years from now? Also, do you find yourself tweaking how you visualize your company's future as you progress or have you put a stake in the ground?
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Brit Morin
@brit
@russfrushtick Where do I start!? 1. I have bionic legs. (ACL surgery in each knee) 2. I can touch my tongue to my nose. 3. I can wiggle my ears. 4. I do a seriously on-point Britney Spears impersonation. Get me in a karaoke bar and I'm gold.
Dave Morin
@davemorin · Founder & Partner, Slow Ventures
@russfrushtick It's true. Her Britney Spears impersonation is scary good.
Ryan Hoover
@rrhoover · Founder, Product Hunt
Ryan McCready
@ryanmccready1
@rrhoover did you notice that their branding & colors are extremely consistent? That is one thing that I think they do better than most, always know when something came from them.
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Brit Morin
@brit
@rrhoover Product request: photo uploads so I can SHOW you what's on my office wall right now! (Spoiler alert: it involves a lot of hand-lettering and creative quotes.)
Willem Browne
@willooz
Hi Brit, it’s great to have the opportunity to chat!
I’m really interested in startup culture. How big is your team now? And what has been your toughest challenge in building an organization that functions well for Brit+Co (apart from hiring great people)?
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Brit Morin
@brit
@willooz What up, Willem! Thanks for hanging out here. Our team is 60ish-70ish depending on if you count interns and contractors etc. The biggest challenge is for sure communication. As we scale the team and start having sub-teams, some things can get taken out of context or might not make it all the way through the org at all. I've been loving Slack to keep our team centralized and to ensure communication is rapid and easy to participate in.