Watching in awe as they’ve navigated copious amounts of pressure; built a tremendous track record of success (whilst learning from mistakes en route); not to mention learnt to cope with a shocking amount of online abuse at times; I couldn’t be more proud of the fact that they’ve somehow managed to navigate it all with their heads held high…
And come out stronger than ever, both personally and professionally that is.
With that in mind, given that I’m often asked about their dynamic behind the scenes, I thought I’d sit down with them both to find out what they attribute to their success. Not to mention share their advice with you all, should you find yourself wanting to work with a friend too that is…
L. I think for a long time there was a real glamorisation of big management companies and that they were the only option if you wanted a successful career. After trying one and having multiple meetings with others though, nothing really seemed to fit. When Carrie came on board I quickly realised that this was the way forward. This business is so personal and so intrinsically linked with our lives that creating a close knit family environment with clear missions, goals and values at the centre of it all – that isn’t confused or muddied by spreading management across multiple talent, genres and sectors – was a really great way of doing things.
C. I also think it helps that we tried it before we committed to it for a good year or so beforehand (albeit unknowingly at the time!) I used to go round to Lyds’s and help her with her bookkeeping. We’d sit on the floor with G&Ts and her books and I realised that she was actually shite at organisation! My logical brain was like ‘ok, I can help to restore some order here’ and once you start to notice that, you can pinpoint how to elevate each others good points whilst filling in the gaps. Because of that, it was very apparent what role I’d play if I were to join the business and how I’d help things grow without necessarily having a strict job title and role.
L. I think anyone that’s worked with Carrie knows “why Carrie?” It’s not something that’s easily put into words because she’s so unique – the way that girl’s brain works is fascinating! She gets that balance of care for me on a human level and drive to push the business forward seamlessly, which is so important in an industry that you can easily work yourself into the ground in.
L. To be honest, not very well initially. I had no boundaries between work and life and I expected everyone working for me to be the same. There’s no manual that goes hand in hand with owning your own business so a lot of the lessons you find out along the way. As long as you keep communication lines open and you can discuss better, healthier ways of doing things without the fear of judgement, you will keep moving forward.
C. Absolutely. We said from the outset that we’d always be honest, we’d never be scared to talk about money and if either of us has an issue, we talk it out in a fair way. Sometimes that could mean that one of us says, “time out, I want to sleep on it…” It’s about respecting each other’s boundaries.
C. From the very outset, Lyds was and is a champion of we grow together and that was and has always been the way we looked to structure the business model.
L. We care more about each other than we do about the business and only good, positive things can come from relationships like that.
C. Agreed. You still have to make time for the friendship. If you don’t make time for the friendship, it becomes just the work versions of yourselves. Over the years, the way we’ve navigated that has changed. Early on, we used to talk about work stuff and personal stuff all at the same time, in the same WhatsApp conversation, through the day, through the night etc… Now we have separate WhatsApp groups. We can brain dump into the work one and both know that we don’t have to respond ‘out of hours.’ The friendship one is always open though. We’ve found that we tend to hold back on personal stuff throughout the week though so that we can really appreciate friend time at the weekends.
L. 1. Communication is everything – being able to communicate in an emotionally mature way is a super power! 2. Respect each other. 3. Have fun whilst your doing it!
C. Friday wine helps too…
Without hesitation…
L. Lumi. Lumi’s the boss!
Ready for an afternoon in the early Autumn sunshine on horseback
Ad outfit
Leggings @lemieuxproductsofficial
Top @gymshark
Blazer Lydia Millen x @karen_millen
Earrings @astridandmiyu
Boots @amazonfashioneu
Gloves @hollandcooperclothing
Ad When the turn of the seasons encourages you to wrap up in classic clothing from the beautiful British brand that is @lkbennettlondon , retreat to a cosy, country hotel and hunker down for afternoon tea with your husband. Use LYDIALKB20 for 20% off until 28th October #WearingLKB paid partnership
I had so many messages about my work from home outfit last week I thought I’d share it complete with accessories
Ad Outfit
Jumper @goelia_official
Trousers @lkbennettlondon
Shoes @emmylondonofficial
Jacket @marcelalondon_
Fragrance @diorbeauty La Colle Noire
Can you guess where I’m off to for afternoon tea?
Ad Outfit
Coat @lkbennettlondon
Dress @aavelleofficial
Hat & boots @hollandcooperclothing
Fragrance @penhaligons_london
Tights @wolford
The Autumn Equinox has arrived and as the nights draw in there’s so many opportunities to reconnect with nature.
Hosting a very special breakfast for my girls in honour of @princestrust and @thebrilliantbreakfast to raise money to help young women turn their lives around through work, education and training. A donation of £5 can enable a woman to simply travel to an interview which could go on to change her life forever so I would absolutely love it if you would join me in hosting your own Brilliant Breakfast between the 9th and 15th October, whether it’s simply coffee with a close friend, or encouraging your entire office to get involved, the funds raised will go towards helping young women, aged 11-30 create better futures for themselves.
And thank you to my angel @hello.petal.flowers for giving her time and creative flare to bring my vision for the breakfast to life, of course you don’t have to go with florals like me, but if that’s something you enjoy this is the perfect opportunity to throw a lovely breakfast with your girlfriends with a cause that will help so many other women, front and centre!
Ad Because being old fashioned is always fashionable
Such an honour to drive to @goodwoodrevival with the @astonmartin team in the iconic DB5 to celebrate 110 years of the brand and 60 years of the DB5.
Outfit
Dress @dior
Hat @aavelleofficial
Gloves @cornelia_james
Jewellery @garrard