Happy Monday, friends! I am so excited to start this week with another incredible female entrepreneur!
Today's guest is Erinn Bridgman, who is basically a jack of all entrepreneurial trades! For starters, she and her husband run a photography and videography business (and their work is gorgeous!).
She also owns Bridging Herstory, which is a platform to promote and support female business owners. Through it, she offers StrengthsFinder coaching and writes a blog. Also, today (!!), she is launching Bridgebox, which is a quarterly subscription box filled with seasonally inspired products. All made by female creative entrepreneurs.
I told ya, the girl is busy!
If you'd like to order a Bridgebox, she's kindly offering 10% off for you lovely readers. Use the code: toloveourselvesBB10. Without further ado, meet the lovely Erinn!
All photos via Bridging Herstory and Erinn's Instagram.
1. Let's start with an easy one. What is your morning routine? How do you get the day going? Do you snooze? Do you drink coffee?
OK, I'm going to be honest here. I am not much of a morning person. I love working late at night. My goal is to get up by 8 a.m. - lots of snoozing happens! My husband and I both work from home in our different entrepreneurial endeavors, so we have a little competition in the mornings. Whoever gets out of bed last has to make it! It motivates me. :-)
I typically get ready, get some breakfast and brew a cup of coffee that I re-heat all day. If I'm not headed to some sort of meeting or networking event, I get to work in my beautiful office with the blinds way open so I get lots of good natural light!
2. You have a thriving business that you launched pretty quickly. It seems like you have it all together when it comes to knowing what you want to do with your life. Has it always been that way?
OH my goodness noooooooo!! For as long as I have thought about my future, I have always known that I wanted to somehow use my life to help other people. That is very broad, and about all I knew. The journey that has gotten me here has not always been smooth and definitely not without unknowns and quite a bit of anxiety.
Also, while my photo + film business is thriving, it took many years of grinding and working another job before it was stable enough for me to enter into full-time entrepreneurship!
Now I get to pour my heart into Bridging Herstory, but a lot of weekends of working and hours of sales meetings went into getting me here. Bridging Herstory is just beginning and it's my new baby!! I love how it brings so many of my strengths and passions into one avenue. And I get to HELP women build their businesses, their confidence, and well-being!
3. Now that you're in your 30s, if you could, what would you tell yourself at 22? What do you wish you'd known?
AHHH how am I already 30?!? This just still blows my mind. But 30 is the new 20 right?! I would tell myself at 22 to relax and enjoy the journey. I cannot tell you how many hours I wasted fretting and worrying about my future. WAY TOO MANY! The beauty of life is that has this incredibly intricate way of unraveling in a way you could never have planned or imagined and it's perfect!! I'd tell myself to relax, be myself and let life lead you where it is meant to go. Oh, and also, work REALLY hard.
4. What was the most influential book you read in your 20s?
I'm going to be real. I'm not much of a reader, so if it wasn't required in college (and even that might be questionable) I didn't read books. Right now I am really into podcasts as a way to be growing and learning. I would recommend the Liturgists Podcast, The Creative Empire & the Goal Digger Podcast. Blinklist is also a great free app you can download to get a 15-minute synopsis of a great book each day!!
5. What's the biggest misconception people may have about you from watching you on social media?
I think it would be easy to think my life/business is very glamorous and an instant success. LET ME TELL YOU! I am currently wearing no makeup and have been sitting at my desk most of the day working away. I'm not complaining. My life and job is extremely meaningful and beautiful, but its not always rainbows and butterflies! :-)
6. For so many of us, our 20s can be one big comparison trap. How did you keep yourself from constant comparison? The internet makes it so hard!
My husband is literally the best and always reminds me that comparison is the thief of joy. On my best days, I look at others and, instead of getting jealous and competitive, I celebrate their successes and admire what they are doing. I might even reach out to them to learn a thing or two!
On my worst days, though, I really struggle and get frustrated that my Instagram following is low, etc. I look to my community to ground me and hold me accountable on those harder days.
7. What do you consider play? And! What are your creative outlets?
My work is very creative. Doing photography, styling, blogging, designing the Bridgebox. I find a lot of joy and energy in creating in those spaces. Outside of work I love to thrift, decorate my home, bake and cook. These are such therapeutic outlets for me. One of my life mottos is to work hard and play hard. Sometimes I put in really long days, but I always make time for fun! I love to travel, shop, ride my bike down the Monon in Indianapolis, try new restaurants and be with my FRIENDS!!!