Hey! It’s Doone, your hype girl in business. This one goes out to all of us embracing imperfection in our busy day-to-day lives. I used to get myself in such a tiz about everything needing to be so perfect and polished that it sucked all the JOY out of what I was doing. Let's not do that. Done is totally better than perfect. 

On that note, let’s get into it 👇

This is your sign to start a newsletter 💌

When Casey Lewis (founder of After School) hosted an "Ask Gen Z" dinner last week, one thing became abundantly clear. "Everyone is starting a Substack. Like, everyone." If you were looking for it or not, THIS is your sign to start a newsletter (today) 👉

The media landscape is changing, and that's great news for small businesses. You might feel like the latest it-newsletter is popping up left right and centre, but as the market becomes more saturated there are lots of new tools that make creating a newsletter super easy. Roslyn McLarty's number one tip? Take a look at all the tools out there that can save you a lot of time and investment up-front. 

Here's her exclusive blueprint from building 🏀 The Gist 🏈 newsletter to 600,000 subscribers: 

• Take the time to really define your audience and the value you’re bringing to them and get feedback early on

• It doesn’t matter how much money you put into growth if you don’t have a newsletter that’s resonating with people (content is key!)

• Throw a lot of different things at the wall and do a lot of different tests (A/B testing is one of our best-loved features ⭐)

• Think about finding partners early on (it's never too early, small niche engaged audiences can be super attractive to sponsors)

• Use data analytics to get the information that you need to activate growth resources in a smart way

• Use partner programs such as Sparkloop or PartnerStack to automate your referrals and incentivize readers with cute prizes

There you have it. As a business model, owning your own newsletter is a great move. You own your data opposed to relying on a social platform, making it super valuable & reliable. So... What're you waiting for? 

Listen to Roslyn on the podcast →

4 Steps to Building Your Own Shopify Site (a Designers Guide) 🌟

Impactful website design doesn't happen by accident, bc the really great stuff is always rooted in strategy. Strategy ensures that every time your target customer gets into contact with your brand, you're leaving the right impression. Here are the four key steps that'll ensure your first impression is the right one, as brought to you by talented designer Ellie Chappelle (through a special ✨Majic✨ workshop): 

1. Pick the right theme: not all Shopify themes are created equal. Check reviews. Always try themes to test features & check it runs on Online Store 2.0.

2. Strategic page design: a well-designed homepage captures a visitor's attention, establishes your credibility, and encourages them to explore more of your site. Each is unique, but most follow a simple formula that we worked through during the workshop.

3. Smart product collection: your product page should educate, not overwhelm. Yes to product and pricing information, no to long descriptions, and information overload.

4. Styling & mega menu navigation: mega menus are by far the most useful layout for ecomm businesses but things can easily get complicated, so make sure to use simple. styling and navigation to keep your audience engaged.

Catch the full workshop in Majic →

• L’Oréal buys Aesop in $2.5 billion deal, its biggest acquisition ever!

• Erin and Sara Foster launch early-stage VC firm Oversubscribed

• Eli Health raises $3.6M to improve women's health

• Tory Burch Foundation launches tool to help women founders find capital

• Jenny Fielding, Managing Partner of Everywhere Ventures, announces $25M fund

• 19 of the UK’s 20 best-funded tech companies pay men more than women

• Tally Health raised a $10M Seed

• Amazon seller hit with first FTC fine for ‘Review Hijacking’ & on a side note, Amazon removes 6 mil counterfeit items from supply chains

• Aqua Cultured Foods closes $5.5m seed round to expand into fungi

This month's APRIL GRANTS... 💸

Founders and future founders, you’re in luck this week as we have a bunch of grants and accelerators live right now ready for you to apply to via our Live Grant Doc. And if you refer this email to a friend, you can access the full list: 

• 🇺🇸 April 19th: Lift As We Climb Grant ($25K)

• 🇺🇸 April 21st: Small Business Growth Fund ($5K-$25K)

• 🌎 April 26th: Abie Award 2023 ($5K)

• 🇺🇸 April 28th: Fearless Fund X Tory Burch WOC ($10-$20K)

• 🌎 April 30th: Giving Joy Micro-Grant ($500)

• 🇺🇸 April 30th: FinImpact Women Empowerment ($10K)

• + so many others!

This week's lineup...

This week's recommendations...

REMOTE 🌎

• We spotted someone on the hunt for a Brand Designer with experience in the fin-tech space, ASAP! Pop a message to them directly here.

NYC 🇺🇸

• Primary, the clothing brand for kids, is searching for an Apparel Designer to work on their upcoming collection. Find out more here.

• Non‑alcoholic apéritif brand Ghia is hiring a Sales Manager to act as the physical representation of the brand. Apply directly here.

• Glossier, the brand that needs to introduction, is looking for a Director of Packaging Development (pay range: $148-192,000). More here.

• August is on the look out for a VP of Marketing. It's a juicy role you can see here.

Cali 🌞

• Fishwife, the delicious tinned fish company, is hiring for some all-star BRAND AMBASSADORS to rep the biz. Find out more here.

That's all for today folks! For more than your weekly dose of biz advice check out our IG for posts such as this one (& don't forget to say hi @femalestartupclub 👋)