It's all clicking!
The beauty of going all in on your path as a multi-venture founder is all the hidden magic you start uncovering.
This Week In The Black Girl Business Universe…
I have been studying fashion design and the different elements and principles that make up a design. I like to dig deep into something whenever it has anything to do with one of my ventures, and I am launching a swimwear line down the line. So was watching this lecture on design, when I saw them break down designing into elements and principles, specifically elements like color, lines, texture, and then principles like harmony, and balance.
That's when I thought, hmm, I'm also trying to create a design brief for my debut novel book cover, and I could use the same principles for the brief, and I thought that was so cool. It feels really good to see principles from one venture transfer to another so seamlessly. And it does remind me of how Virgil Abloh said creators should work, because he was a cross-disciplinary creator; he was an engineer, an architect, fashion designer, he was a DJ at some point. He said it's not about being a different person for each and everything that you're pursuing, it's about developing your own signature beneath everything.
During a lecture at the Graduate School of Design in Harvard, he asked the audience members to list maybe 10 key principles that govern like their signature in design. I did the same a few weeks ago.
It was amazing.
And it's about seeing all the things you design through that lens as opposed to seeing yourself as a fashion designer who is separated from the person creating a book cover design brief. I think a common misconception that comes with being a multidisciplinary founder is that you split yourself into multiple parts to feed your different ventures, but in truth, you're still the same person underneath. You're just expressing yourself in different forms, with the same undertone, which is actually pretty incredible.
What This Week Clarified
This week is changing the way I’m seeing myself as a cross-disciplinary founder. It’s reminding me that it’s all about being the same person across multiple things. And the more I actually embrace my voice and my signature across different ventures, the more I realize that it’s the same. I’m just choosing to express myself through my multiple passions.
How I’m Moving This Coming Week
I am excited af to keep working on my businesses, and to build foundational systems that will grow and compound over time. So this coming week is all about what tasks move the needle each week, how I repeat them and on what days, and how we track progress. It has been working so far and I am excited to keep refining.
Build With This |Borrow the founder frameworks I use each week :)|
Sequential Deep Work
Core Philosophy: Protect creative energy and maximize focus by treating each venture as a distinct container whereby you sequence your execution.
Part 1: Key Principles
The Principle of the Daily Quota: Success is defined by reaching a pre-determined milestone for the day (e.g., 500 words, one sketch, three captions), not by working until exhaustion. Once the quota is met, the container closes.
The Clean Break (Zero Attention Residue): Leaving tasks half-done or keeping materials visible creates mental background noise. A project must be fully put to bed before the next one starts.
Environmental Resetting: Physical and digital spaces dictate mental focus. Each venture requires its own clean environment, free from the clutter of the previous task.
Singular Presence: When working within a container, you are not a multi-venture founder; you are solely the author, the fashion designer, or the strategist.
Part 2: Specific Operational Tasks
Task 1: The Morning Container Mapping
Before starting any work, define the exact boundaries for the day.
List the specific ventures receiving attention today (limit to 3 or 4 maximum).
Assign a hard, measurable quota to each venture rather than a time limit.
Example: Write 1 chapter page (Book) | Sketch 2 silhouettes (Swimwear) | Draft 1 promotional caption (Social Media).
Task 2: The Digital Purge
When switching from Venture A to Venture B:
Bookmark necessary links and close every single browser tab related to Venture A.
Quit the desktop applications specific to that venture.
Clear your desktop screen of unrelated files so the digital canvas is entirely blank.
Task 3: The Physical Workspace Reset
Engage your senses to signal the transition to your brain.
Close the specific notebook or sketchbook for Venture A and place it completely out of sight (in a drawer, bag, or on a shelf).
Clear your desk of specific tools used for that task (e.g., drawing pens, fabric samples, specific research books).
Bring out only the tools required for Venture B.
Task 4: The Palate Cleanser (The Intermission)
Take a mandatory 5 to 10-minute physical break between containers to flush out the remaining cognitive residue.
Step away from the desk entirely.
Get a glass of water, stretch, or step outside.
Do not look at notifications or emails during this transition window.
Task 5: The End-of-Day Shutdown
At the end of the final container, perform a complete shutdown ritual to transition out of founder mode entirely.
Review the completed quotas to reinforce the feeling of accomplishment.
Pack away all tools and notebooks, leaving the desk completely clear for tomorrow morning.
One Last Thing…
Few things can nourish a founder as well as a day off work and out at a restaurant, bar etc. Are you going out enough during your downtime as a founder? You totally should!