Presentations from SheSummits 2016, SheSays Denver's inaugural digital conference. Relive the day and the amazing sessions that explored Inspiration, Experimentation, Making and Courage. About the Conference: SheSummits is a unique digital conference designed exclusively for women working in UX, design, technology, media and marketing. Celebrate your craft, find inspiration from digital innovators and connect with women pioneering their way through the world of digital agencies and brands.

2. SHESAYS DENVER PRESENTING SPONSOR
SHESUMMITS CONFERENCE SPONSORS
SHESAYS DENVER SPONSORS

3. INSPIRATION

4. INSPIRATION
#SHESUMMITS16
ERIN JACOBSON
Designer, Tres Birds Workshop
MARY BETH MONTGOMERY
Creative Director, Formerly at
Virgin Pulse
MELANIE TAYLOR
VP Content Strategy, Inspirato

5. Designer, Tres Birds Workshop
Erin
JACOBSON

7. Design Prompt:
“Design a museum focused on
Oregon ecology.”

9. analytical
scientific
mathematical

11. Paralysis by analysis

12. creative
passionate
imaginative

16. https://vimeo.com/40462235

17. analytical
scientific
mathematical

18. You can try your hardest to
capture the feeling of
being of there – but no
photo will ever compare to
actually being on a summit
or being ona trail.
“

20. creative
passionate
imaginative

21. Lisa Congdon
STOP THINKING,
START DRAWING

26. analytical
scientific
mathematical

28. 1

29. 2

30. 3

31. 1

32. 2

33. 3

34. 1

35. 2

36. 3

38. CREATIVE& BRANDDIRECTOR

41. INSPIRATIONIS EVERYWHERE.

42. INSPIRATIONSOURCE.

43. INSPIRATIONAPPLIED.

44. 1
CREATIVE
BRIEF
MY PROCESS: NAMING
2
SEED
WORDS
3
APPLY
INSPIRATION
• Never skip!
• Gets all aligned
• Blueprint for the brand
• Listen!
• Common themes emerge
• Create list
• Be systematic
• Mine the internet
• Don’t fall in love!

45. What are the
qualities of a
great brand name?
• Suggestive
• Meaningful
• Evokes imagery
• Has legs
• Emotional
• Broad enough
• Interesting
• Easy to say
• Relevant

46. VICE PRESIDENT CONTENT STRATEGY, INSPIRATO
Melanie
TAYLOR

47. #SheSummits16 @melaniegt
#inspireme

48. #SheSummits16 @melaniegt

49. #SheSummits16 @melaniegt

50. #SheSummits16 @melaniegt

51. #SheSummits16 @melaniegt
YOU
LOOK
FUNNY
WITH
YOUR
HEAD
LIKE
THAT

52. #SheSummits16 @melaniegt
Just
as
people
with
different
backgrounds
solve
problems
better

53. #SheSummits16 @melaniegt
You
can
become
inspired
by
stepping
outside
your
everyday
world.

54. #SheSummits16 @melaniegt
Or
even
by
looking
closer
inside
your
world.

55. #SheSummits16 @melaniegt

56. QUESTIONS

57. EXPERIMENTATION

58. SheSummits:
Experimentation
A
few
truths
and
a
dare

59. EXPERIMENTATION
#SHESUMMITS16
MORLEY MCBRIDE
Founder, More
Creative By Design
MEREDITH OLSEN
Program Manager,
smith & beta

60. A talent development and education company
focused on helping employees get smarter in the
digital economy.
DIGITAL and WAYS OF WORKING
#SHESUMMITS16

61. iterative
collaborative
courageous
experimental
#SHESUMMITS16

62. WE ASK PEOPLE
TO GET
EXPERIMENTAL
#SHESUMMITS16

63. Employees Don’t
Experiment
65% of survey
respondents say that
experimentation is the most
important quality for the
agency to improve upon
#SHESUMMITS16

64. Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D.

65. So, we are here today to
encourage you to get more
experimental.
Experimentation is much easier with
the necessary mindsets in hand.
#SHESUMMITS16

66. 4 TRUTHS
+ 1 DARE
#SHESUMMITS16

67. Can you see the future?
#SHESUMMITS16

68. An experiment is one
of the few ways to gain
knowledge you don’t
already have
#SHESUMMITS16

69. TRUTH #1: You must embrace the unknown.
Uncertainty
is certain.
#SHESUMMITS16

70. Experiment:
to try or test, especially in order
to discover or prove something
#SHESUMMITS16

71. Experiment:
to try or test, especially in order
to discover or prove something
#SHESUMMITS16

72. “The most successful entrepreneurs
don’t begin with the best ideas
— they discover them.”
– Peter Sims

73. #SHESUMMITS16

74. TRUTH #2: You can (and should) start small.
Constraints are
your friend.
#SHESUMMITS16

75. What you’ve got
is all you need
#SHESUMMITS16

77. STORY 2 -­ digital paper

79. #SHESUMMITS16

80. #SHESUMMITS16

81. “A prototype is worth a
thousand meetings.”
– An IDEO saying

82. Small experiments help
us find “small wins”
#SHESUMMITS16

83. And “small wins” help us
make change happen
#SHESUMMITS16

84. And “small wins” help us
make change happen
#SHESUMMITS16

85. STORY 3 -­ digital video

86. Before

87. #1

88. #2

89. #3

90. #4

91. #5

92. #6

93. Now

95. Tiny
steps

96. Tiny
steps

97. Tiny
steps

98. Tiny
steps

99. Tiny
steps

100. Tiny
steps

101. Tiny
steps

102. Tiny
steps

103. TRUTH #3: You must repeatedly learn.
Failing is just a dirty word
for learning.
#SHESUMMITS16

104. “If I find ten thousand ways something
won’t work, I haven’t failed.
I am not discouraged, because every
wrong attempt discarded is just one more
step forward.”
–Thomas Edison

105. “If I find ten thousand ways something
won’t work, I haven’t failed.
I am not discouraged, because every
wrong attempt discarded is just one more
step forward.”
–Thomas Edison

108. Your cheat sheet for
experimental learning:

109. TRUTH #4: You won’t know… if you don’t try.
Inertia is a stubborn
little bugger.
#SHESUMMITS16

110. WE DARE YOU...
#SHESUMMITS16

111. WE DARE YOU…
to commit to try an experiment
at your very next meeting
#SHESUMMITS16

112. Activity: We are going to design
an experiment to make your next
meeting more…
(Pick 1)
efficientfocused
inspiringcollaborative

113. Getting specific: If you were
successful at that goal, what behaviors
or outcomes would you want to see?
(List 2)
1.
2.

114. Buddy up: Find a partner and share
your goal and desired outcomes.
(2 mins)

115. Brainstorm:* Brainstorm (in your pair) 3-­5 ideas
how you might experiment around your goal(s).
*Constraints: Your ideas must require <1 hr, <$100, and <3 people
Consider designing small experiments around the following elements:

116. Commit: Pick one idea to experiment
and fill out your Dare card.
What are you going to try?
When? And with whom?
What are you looking to learn?

117. Buddy up: Find a partner and share
your plan for your next experiment.
(2 mins)

118. Capture Learnings: Remember to
capture learnings from your
experiments!

119. TRUTHS #1: You must embrace the unknown.
#2: You can (and should) start small.
#3: You must repeatedly learn.
#4: You won’t know…if you don’t try.
DARE: Get to it! Don’t over think it. Try something new
at your next meeting, capture your learnings, and build.
#SHESUMMITS16

120. Thank you!
Morley McBride, moemcbride@gmail.com
www.morecreativebydesign.com
Meredith Olsen, meredith@smithandbeta.com
www.smithandbeta.com
#SHESUMMITS16

122. MAKING

123. MAKING
#SHESUMMITS16
JESSIE DIXON
Chief Operating Officer
AMY MAHER
Vice President, Product
SARA MILLER
Senior Director, People & Culture

124. Making: Havenly
Disrupting Interior Design

125. Our Story
• Founded in 2013 by 2 sisters
• Joined as COO and Co-founder in
June 2014
• Raised $13 MM in venture funding to
date
• 40+ people + hundreds of designers
on platform
• Goal: To democratize interior design

126. How we work

127. We Match You With Your Perfect Designer
We use an algorithmto assess your style, andmatch you with a few of our traineddesigners.
You choose your favorite.

128. Who Works With You Online
You get two ideas for your space, and revisions (and designer time) to get the perfect design.

129. You Buy With Us
You buy whatever you like from your design all in one place, all online,at the best price possible.

130. We Believe that Everyone
Deserves a Beautiful Home
Disrupting the interior design market
• Pricing
• Workforce
• Vendors
• Product and technology
• Culture
#SHESUMMITS16

131. Pricing – “Less than a dress”
• Traditional service – hourly +
markup
• $199 per room
• $79 for a mini
• Free Design Quickie through
our App

132. Workforce
Pairing Excess Supply with
Increased Demand
• Attracting highly skilled but
under-utilized interior designers
• 75% of our designers have
degrees in the field
• Tools for remote work
• Benefits:
• Flexible schedule
• ”Real design work”
• Outsource back-office tasks

133. Vendors & Product
• The complete “home”
marketplace
• Retail, trade, wholesale
• Stocked, Custom
• Keep your existing pieces
• Design service provides
confidence in the purchase

134. Making Havenly
Evolution of a disruptive product

135. • Help clients clearly articulate their needs
• Foster a personal relationship
• Facilitate collaboration between client and designer
People Want This Service - Now What?
#SHESUMMITS16

136. Version 1: Choose your own adventure - phone or
online

137. People hated this…

138. Version 2: Show, Don’t Tell

140. They Love It!

141. Our Mission: Become a Client’s “Design BFF”
• Fostering the personal
relationship
• Reduce anxiety of taking offline
world online
• Promote brand loyalty and
repeat purchase behavior
#SHESUMMITS16

142. Not Everyone is a Phone Call Person

143. She’s real, we promise!

144. The online conversation

145. Make Giving Feedback Delightful and Easy!

146. Hypothesis: Clients will give helpful, constructive feedback if we
provide structured examples of “negative” feedback and make the
process more visual
Path Forward: Always Be Curious
• Refine the hypothesis with analogs
• Review data
• Client + designer interviews
• User testing
• Iterate

147. Making Havenly
Team & Culture

148. Founders
Passionate
Doers
High
Growth
Sustained
Growth
Stages of Startup Teams
#SHESUMMITS16

149. What is culture?
• How we work
• What we value
• The way we interact
• What gets recognized &
rewarded
• What will make us win

150. Teams are made.
Culture is articulated.

151. Ask the current team
• How do they describe
the culture?
• What makes you proud
to be on this team?
• What values & attributes
do you encourage?
Survey
Leadership
• What are your strengths
?
• What drives you crazy?
• What sets you apart?
• What do you value about
the people around you?
• What has made you
successful?
Gather Stakeholders
• Where does everything
intersect?
• Where is the company
going?
• What has made the
company successful to
this point?
• What will you need to
grow?
• Who do you want to
work with?
• Food, and drinks!
How?

152. Exhibit Gumption Over Perform
Act Like an Owner Stay Playful
At Havenly We…

154. COURAGE

155. COURAGE
#SHESUMMITS16
ALE LARIU
Former Executive Creative
Director, Frog Design |
Founder, SheSays Global

156. ALE
INTRO
HERE

157. Today we covered
INSPIRATION EXPERIMENTATION MAKING
#SHESUMMITS16

158. Courage
INSPIRATION EXPERIMENTATION MAKING COURAGE
#SHESUMMITS16

159. Courage
INSPIRATION EXPERIMENTATION MAKING COURAGE
An Opportunity?
#SHESUMMITS16

160. Couragetodo what?
change a habit?
speak up?
start a movement?
to lead?
#SHESUMMITS16

161. COURAGE AS A SIMPLE QUESTION
What have you got to lose?

162. Acasestudy

163. Courage to change the statusquo
#SHESUMMITS16

164. ALE INTRO HERE
product/service
creation
FROM:
product/service
messaging
TO:
LBi
Agency Republic
McCann Erickson
& others frog design
Courage to changeyour career

165. Couragetodo what?
change a habit?
speak up?
start a movement?
to lead?
#SHESUMMITS16

166. Courageto changevs courage to lead
#SHESUMMITS16

167. Courage to lead

168. New
Leadership styles

169. confident
humbleanalytical
focused
resilientdynamic vulnerable
generous
patient
#SHESUMMITS16

170. confident
analytical
focused
resilient
dynamic
empathetic
vulnerable
generous
patient
humble
#SHESUMMITS16

171. MASCULINE FEMININE
confident
analytical
focused
resilient
dynamic
empathetic
vulnerable
generous
patient
humble
#SHESUMMITS16

172. confident
analytical
focused
resilient
dynamic
empathetic
vulnerable
generous
patient
humble
TRAITS A TRAITS B

173. in your daily life this
translates as
(nothing screams
leadership more than)
Nothing screams
leadership more than:

174. Empower your team
- and allow for mistakes and controlled risks
- progress vs perfection
PRINCIPLE 1
#SHESUMMITS16

175. Listening and giving time
PRINCIPLE 2
#SHESUMMITS16

176. Practice adaptive mentoring
PRINCIPLE 3
#SHESUMMITS16

177. Courage to change

178. Grit
PRINCIPLE 1

179. Be you
PRINCIPLE 2

180. Have a vision
PRINCIPLE 3

181. HERE’S MINE:
redefine the way
people connect
and lead

182. What is yours?

183. What is yours?*
* don’t worry I hadn’t figured out one I really liked
until a year ago

184. WHERE TO START
Building a creative
vision is similar to
building a brand
platform

185. POSITIONING
CORE BELIEF
PROOF POINTS VALUES
FUNCTIONAL BENEFIT EMOTIONAL BENEFIT
WE EXIST TO

186. WHERE TO START
Find a core belief

187. WHERE TO START
Positioning: Define how
you are different and what
is unique about you

188. YOUR VISION
What are you here to do in
the world

189. WHY?
It helps you build-up courage

190. ONE tangible thing that you can do today, to build
up courage, is to create your vision

191. Let’s try!

192. Wrap-up

193. Thanks!

194. SHESAYS DENVER PRESENTING SPONSOR
SHESUMMITS CONFERENCE SPONSORS
SHESAYS DENVER SPONSORS