As regular readers will know, we’re forever inspired by women who aren’t afraid to try new things professionally and defy convention. As Sheryl Sandberg famously coined in penned in Lean In, it’s time for us to all start thinking of our careers as jungle gyms and not linear ladders where we’re waiting for the person above us to move in order to advance. Truly leaning in means taking opportunities when they come and learning while in them, rather than waiting to tick all the criteria on a job spec before diving right in. Where our parents were expected to stay in one role for years before moving on, not to mention sticking in the same industry and accepting the first salary on offer, those rules no longer apply, or at least for those who refuse to let them.
That’s why I was instantly taken by the story of Logic & Grace founder, Courtney Grace Peterson. Her professional journey is so indicative of this time because she’s crafted it entirely on her own terms. She climbed the rung at Condé Nast from assistant to assistant editor in just shy of a year. Frustrated about her salary and the lack of potential for it to grow, she switched publishing for retail trading fashion in to work as a buyer for homeware giant, One King’s Lane. She’s always opted against staying in roles for more than two years, in a bid to constantly keep learning and expanding her repertoire. And when she noticed in a gap in the market for an agency to help launch small businesses, she didn’t think twice about leaving the security of her 9 to 5 to venture out on her own.
Read on to hear her get candid about life in print, challenging the status quo and how she bootstrapped and got her business off the ground.
ON HER RAPID RISE IN PUBLISHING: Story telling is what led me to Condé Nast. It provided me with an experience to witness the transformative power of brands on a visual level by creating editorial content. It has always been about creating a narrative. It was a tumultuous time in traditional publishing (arguably still is) and two of my bosses were fired within a very short period of time. I’m a big believer in contributing at the level you want to be at, prove that you’re capable and let it be known that your contributions are valuable.
ON HOW TO NEGOTIATE FOR A RAISE OR PROMOTION: I once asked for a raise as an assistant in publishing and got shut down pretty quickly. It wasn’t too long before I left. 1) Choose people, jobs and experience that value and respect you, and 2) quantify your value. More than half the battle is speaking up and taking credit for your contributions, and 3) Do your research and talk to other women and men. Over the course of a 40-year career, the average woman will earn $430,000 less than a man. Think about that the next time you ask for a raise and think a few thousand dollars isn’t that much of a difference. It all adds up and compounds over time.
ON LEAVING MAGAZINES TO JOIN ONE KINGS LANE: I realized very quickly in a fashion closet surrounded by beautiful clothes that I was just not a fashion person, but an aesthetics person. I love the all-encompassing nature of design and interiors. As a market editor for Architectural Digest, I covered everything from fine jewelry to fabric and lighting. It was a great education and was fortunate to have great mentors at the magazine. While there were aspects to the editorial world that I found deeply fulfilling, I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit (I started a small jewelry company in college and I grew up a father who was an entrepreneur!) and so the fast paced tech world was always something I knew I’d want to explore. As a buyer I was able to tell commerce stories with branded product with both an editorial and merchant perspective — I’m a better content creator understanding retail and a better merchant understanding the editorial world. One definitely informs the other.
ON THE COMMONALITIES BETWEEN THE EDITORIAL & RETAIL WORLD: To some degree there will always be some type of gut instinct about product that goes beyond taste level — intuitively understanding how it will do in the market and how to position a story or product is something that holds true with my experience as both a buyer and editor. Other than that, it’s apples to watermelons. Being a merchant comes down to both taste and analytics — One Kings Lane was like getting a degree in e-commerce which included things like inventory planning, managing vendors, and sell-through. The company was growing very quickly and we were in the unique position to own and grow our own verticals — presenting new category recommendations regularly, including financials, market analysis, strategic planning to maximize the growth of the business and brand. We wore many hats, from developing and designing proprietary product with our global sourcing team to working as a cross functional partner with our integrated marketing team, it was a very dynamic role.
ON NOT STAYING IN PAST ROLES LONGER THAN TWO YEARS: It’s quite clear to us as millennials that job security doesn’t exists in the way it did for our parents, so I felt like the best investment I could make was in myself was to move around. The minute you stop learning, move on. While this also comes down to your own comfort level with things like change and risk, your career will never be a neat, linear line. I’ve found that it’s more important to keep momentum and to evolve than to wait for the next perfect promotion or opportunity. I’ve found that sometimes lateral moves are better smartcuts to career success in the end and a more fulfilling professional trajectory than a job title that just looks good from the outside. Certain career chapters may end up not being a fit long term, but as long as you’re learning you are moving forward. I would not have started my own company had I not experienced a few career missteps along the way myself.
THE IDEA BEHIND LOGIC & GRACE: We specialize in launching new businesses online and reinventing heritage ones for small-to-mid size brands in the luxury space. I started the company when I realized there was a lack of resources to help smaller luxury brands build digital strategies to support a DTC business. Initially it started as a lifestyle business but we very quickly transitioned to a larger consultancy when I realized how many brands needed one agency that could manage all the digital components of a brand’s launch. We are very hands on and work with companies through every phase of creating a successful direct-to- consumer business. I’m a natural content creator and love the tech and start up world so Logic & Grace allows me to be very entrepreneurial and digitally focused while still creating content in a meaningful way. Logic & Grace happened organically but I do believe in the entrepreneurial spirit… it’s like a muscle that you learn to develop over time. I went through the motions of starting a travel company called Par Avion while I was working at Condé Nast with another friend and former colleague. We didn’t end up getting the investment we needed, but I don’t think it’s a surprise that we both own our own companies now!
ON THE GOING ALONE OR HAVING A BUSINESS PARTNER CONUNDRUM: I believe in the power of collaboration so this was something I really struggled with in the beginning and at times still do! I’m a natural collaborator so it almost seemed counter intuitive at times. I almost brought on a partner after a year in business who happened to be an extremely talented, brilliant but close friend who had similar skill sets. We are still the best of friends but a huge learning for the both of us. If I do bring on a partner it really needs to be someone with an entirely different skill set than I do.
GETTING THE BUSINESS OFF THE GROUND: I had gotten my first large client project underway and for the first few months considered it freelance work vs. running a business. About 4 months in I started to own the statement “I run a business” which was definitely scary but exhilarating. I’ve been self-funded from the beginning, which is something I’m really proud of – just like the start ups we work with we have to be resourceful, agile and scrappy too. Unlike product businesses where you most likely will need outside investment to front the cost of production, any type of lifestyle business where you can make it work on personal savings is something I highly recommend. You will have ultimate control of your business and where you reinvest your profits. And you can’t put a price tag on that considering the fact that you’ve taken a huge leap of faith in starting your own enterprise — especially when it’s a lifestyle business as ultimately your own personal brand. Understand your value proposition and make sure someone is already willing to pay for that service/product/idea. Test it in a small way and build off of that.
ON FINDING CLIENTS: It was a combination of the size of the opportunity and the fact that I was always in brand facing roles at places like One Kings Lane and Condé Nast. I managed a portfolio of over 100 brands at One Kings Lane and all of these companies were just starting to see the power of growing the DTC business. So inevitably it was my own personal and professional network that fueled the growth of the business. We also have been so lucky with referrals.
HOW THEY WORK WITH CLIENTS: We consider all of our clients to be our partners. As we manage all digital components of a brand’s launch (from photography to website design to art direction) it’s extremely hands on …we are very close with our clients. This was never a prerequisite, but to date we have only worked with female founders, which I love. We have three very clear phases of launching a brand: Pre-Launch (visual identity, content creation, brand story), Go-To-Market (website build + development, marketing collateral) and finally Scale-Up (activate influencers, synchronize marketing channels, PR strategy).
OVERCOMING CHALLENGES: The lessons and challenges are never-ending (in a good way!). Right now it’s about scaling the business in a profitable and meaningful way and hiring the right team. I rely on a close network of other female founders and business owners who are my sounding board. We are a constant support system for each other. The challenges that I faced two years ago seemed daunting (e.g. how do I find the right accountant, how do I incorporate the business, how do I price things correctly!) to challenges that I currently face like how to continue growing the business and evolve from a small consultancy to a larger agency. While this does seem daunting, after getting through my first two years in business I know I’ve been able to figure it out up until this point … so until I truly can’t figure something out you just have to keep moving forward. No risk, no reward.
ON MENTORSHIP: I’ve had several key mentors in my life that have shaped my career since I was in college. My first boss at VOGUE was one of them — she helped me successfully navigate my first few years in publishing, which was not easy. I think mentorship shouldn’t just be for someone much older than you though — I consider many of my peers to be mentors and certainly believe in the power of mentorship and females championing other women’s success.
ON KEEPING STIMULATED: I never stop reading. And I also love this quote by Alber Elbaz which I think really applies to the digital landscape/technology in general: When there is a wind of change, we have two possibilities: either we build a wall to protect ourselves from he wind or we build a windmill to make the wind go faster so we can take advantage of this wind.”
THE ADVICE SHE WISHES SHE RECEIEVED: Be kind to yourself. Rewrite whatever narrative you have going on in your head because for most women it’s far too negative too often. Nothing productive comes from beating yourself up.