31 BITS: HOW WOULD YOU ROCK YOUR BITS?
This week we teamed up with 31 Bits for a GIVEAWAY! We asked you to show us how YOU would rock your Bits - and we loved all the entries!
This week we teamed up with 31 Bits for a GIVEAWAY! We asked you to show us how YOU would rock your Bits - and we loved all the entries!
All month, our Featured Guest Editors: The Ladies of 31 Bits, have been giving us an inside look on their every day lives. Their company provides jobs to women in Uganda in hopes to empower them to rise above poverty. Their "Fashion for Good" message encourages conscious consumerism and that is something we are proud to get behind and share. Every item sold by 31 Bits makes a direct impact on the women's lives in Uganda because they are entirely funded by the product sales!
Be sure to check out instagram to see who we reveal as the WINNER of our 31 Bits Giveaway!
Here's how we Rock our Bits!
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31 BITS: Mornings with Jessie
We've teamed up with the four creative, talented and lovely women (Anna, Alli, Jessie and Kallie) behind the handcrafted jewelry company, 31 Bits, this month. Their company provides jobs to women in Uganda in hopes to empower them to rise above poverty.
We've teamed up with the four creative, talented and lovely women (Anna, Alli, Jessie and Kallie) behind the handcrafted jewelry company, 31 Bits, this month. Their company provides jobs to women in Uganda in hopes to empower them to rise above poverty. Their "Fashion for Good" message encourages conscious consumerism and that is something we are proud to get behind and share. Every item sold by 31 Bits makes a direct impact on the women's lives in Uganda because they are entirely funded by the product sales!
This week we are talking with Brand Director, Jessie - a self-proclaimed coffee guru. She's letting us tag along and take a peek into how she starts her mornings. Find out what keeps her inspired, how she finds balance and how you can help get involved and share the message behind 31Bits.
When I wake up, the first thing I do is… Think about coffee. I literally think, the sooner I get out of bed, the sooner I can get a cup of coffee...
I usually wake up at...Our life at Bits has no consistency. Everyday looks a little different. It's normal to have 6am wake up calls for photo shoots or a trip to LA, but I can make up for it on quiet days and press snooze until 8am!
Breakfast consists of...Drumroll please...Iced Coffee! Sometimes topped off with a granola bar, banana, or green smoothie.
My favorite morning drink is…A Large iced coffee from Peets with a dash of creamer. Peets just does their iced coffee right.
Do you play music in the mornings? If so, what’s your go-to jam? My alarm is set to a Taylor Swift song, does that count? :)
When I get to the office, the first thing I do is.. Prioritize my to-do list for the day. If I have any creative writing or brainstorming to do, I try to do it first. I've heard that if you start your day with emails or anything monotonous, it will suck the creativity right out of you! My creativity is best either first thing in the morning or in the late, uninterrupted hours of the night!
My favorite at-work distraction… Donut deliveries! We have a couple friends that work at a local donut shop, Side Car, and frequently pop by with a box of the daily flavors! Their Butter & Salt donut has literally made my life complete.
My favorite thing on my desk.. My iPad. I carry it around everywhere. It's my best friend at meetings, for traveling, grabbing inspiration from Pinterest on the fly, and for jotting down quick notes at my desk.
I think the best hidden gem is found... In Costa Mesa! It feels like a small town stuck right in the middle of Orange County, filled with hidden gems and great people. It might not seem like much at first glance, but it's filled with boutique coffee shops, hidden bars, gourmet donuts, amazing chefs, great shopping, calm neighborhoods, an epic 90's cover band, and is a 10-minute bike ride from the beach.
My Favorite Thing about California is.. having everything at your fingertips. My friends and I love staycations and weekend adventures. From the beach to the mountains, from epic campsites to urban city strolls, from Disneyland to sailing to bike rides, we've got it all!
I stay inspired by... three things. Spending time with Jesus, spending time outside in nature and spending time in a community of creative people. Jesus keeps me going, nature keeps me calm, and my community keeps me sane and pushes me to be better!
The best advice I would give my 16 yr old self is... Don't compare yourself to others. Comparison will rob you of your joy and slow you down. Don't feel defeated because of someone else's success. Instead, look forward, be the best version of you that you can be, encourage those around you and press on toward your goals!
How has this company changed your life? In the beginning, we thought this would be a side-gig, but as opportunities began to unfold and we started planning our development program, we quickly realized we were in this for the long-haul! Our friends coined us as "The Bits Girls" and our little three bedroom house became "The Bits House." The five of us founders became like sisters and our women in Uganda became like family. We had so many people from our university, church, and community come around us in the beginning that 31 Bits became our entire social life! I know you shouldn't let your job define you, but when you love what you do and are surrounded by amazing people, I think there can be an exception! We've worked incredibly hard to grow this company, but we've never stopped having fun along the way. Every time we hear about one of our artisans sending their kids to school, or starting her own business, or feeling like they are part of a family for the first time, we remember why we do what we do and it pushes us to keep going.
How do you find balance in the crazy life of running your own company at such a young age? My life feels balanced because I have a really solid community of people around me. My friends don't let me stay a workaholic for too long. I surround myself with people who have similar values, who will care for me creatively, spiritually, and physically.
What is your advice to others looking to get involved and help? One of the best ways to get involved at 31 Bits is by throwing a house party! We got started by simply inviting friends to our home and sharing stories of change in Uganda, and we'd encourage others to do the same! Not everyone has a chance to go to Uganda, but this is a fun way to empower women in Uganda while throwing a party with friends!
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Images by Renata Amazonas for Established California
31 BITS: A DAY IN THE LIFE W/ ALLI
The four talented women behind the handcrafted jewelry company, 31 Bits, have teamed up with us to be our October Guest Editors. This week we got to talk with Alli (a walking Yelp) who is always in-the-know of new restaurants.
The four talented women (Anna, Alli, Jessie and Kallie) behind the handcrafted jewelry company, 31 Bits, have teamed up with us to be our October Guest Editors. Their company provides jobs to women in Uganda to encourage them to "rise above poverty" and at the same time, allow YOU to make a direct impact on the women's lives in Uganda (because they are entirely funded by the product sales!)
This week we got to talk with Alli (a walking Yelp) who is always in-the-know of new restaurants. She's 31 Bits' go-to person when they are looking for the best places to get food and drinks (in just about any city you can think of). She's sharing with us what her typical Friday looks like, in addition to some of her favorite spots in Southern California.
6am :: wake up + head to the gym!
7:30am :: have my morning coffee, read, and check emails
8:30am :: head out the door, and make a quick stop at Nekter for a green juice or smoothie.
9am :: in the office. Mornings are typically spent catching up with the girls about what they did that night, current events, and recipe-swapping. ;) THEN it's work time! Typically, first, I answer emails and post on 31 Bits social media accounts.
10am :: Marketing interns show up, and I'm training + assigning tasks for them.
12pm :: Lunch time! Favorite place to grab a quick, healthy bite is Bear Flag. The best fish tacos on the west coast!!
2pm :: Brainstorm meeting with Jessie and the interns about upcoming events and campaigns.
3:30pm :: Our Finance Director, Rob, comes into the office with hot-out-of-the-oven chocolate chip cookies! We are ALL obsessed with his cookies... it's our end of the week treat!
5:00pm :: Wrap things up in the office. Make sure I have our media calendar set for the weekend, answer last minute emails, and send the interns home!
5:30pm :: Evening bike ride with my hubbie. Our favorite after-work tradition! We get some exercise, share about our day, and try to catch the sunset!
7:30pm :: Date night at one of our favorite neighborhood restaurants, Eat Chow. I always order the same thing - the vegetarian tostada! Bobby loves the Chow BBQ burger. And the truffle parmesan fries. (We both really love food!!)
10:00pm :: Meet up with friends for drinks and dancing at a local underground bar, La Cave for 90's night - thanks to cover band Sega Genecide!
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Photography by Lindsay Vacek for Established California.
Meet Our October Guest Editors, The Ladies of 31 Bits
We couldn't be more excited to announce our first Guest Editors for Established California! Meet the ladies behind 31 Bits, a company that uses fashion and design to empower people to rise about poverty.
We couldn't be more excited to announce our first Guest Editors for Established California! Meet the ladies behind 31 Bits, a company that uses fashion and design to empower people to rise above poverty.
When we first started chatting with the ladies of 31 Bits, we instantly fell in love with these four unique, fiesty and beautiful women. Co-Founders (Kallie Dovel, Alli Swanson, Jessie Simonson and Anna Toy) are raising awareness in the consumer market to do something GOOD in the world. 31 Bits is a collection of Ugandan-made jewelry and accessories - all made with beads from recycled paper (yes, paper)! Every purchase made from 31 Bits has a direct impact on women's lives in Uganda because everything they do is funded from product sales. (We can get behind that!).
So this month, we'll be diving in deeper with these remarkable women to give you a closer look at not only the work that they do, but also who they are as individuals. Here's what the ladies of 31 Bits have to say...
Dear Est. California Readers,
We’re the girls from 31 Bits and we’re thrilled to give you a glimpse into our world throughout the month of October! We’re not your likely business entrepreneurs. We prefer cut off shorts and happy hours. Sometimes we dye our hair pink and purple and sometimes we take a dip in the ocean during our lunch break. We love throwing parties, riding bikes, eating frozen yogurt, and traveling.
We’ve become besties since starting 31 Bits. We’re always asked how we’ve managed to own a business together and still stay friends, but to be honest, we wouldn’t have it any other way. We’re all totally different from each other, sort of a misfit group of dreamers, socialites, and artists. But the common thread that holds us together is our desire to empower women in Uganda. We don’t let differences get in the way. Instead, we use them to make each other better because 31 Bits has become much bigger than we are.
We started 31 Bits in 2008, during our senior year at Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, CA. We were carefree 21-year-olds, living for the moment and not ready to enter corporate America. So we didn’t! During a life-changing trip to Uganda, we met women who grew up in a time of war and had nothing. Some were single moms, some had never been to school before, and many of them were our age! The women were making incredible jewelry out of recycled paper, but had no way to sell it. The more time we spent with them, the more we knew we had to do something. We didn’t know the first thing about starting a business, but it didn’t matter. We committed ourselves to learning everything we could about international business, the jewelry industry, and development work. Six years ago, we were employing six women in Uganda. Thanks to an amazing team and amazing customers, we now have 170 women in our program who are rising above poverty through employment and education.
The last six years was filled with both challenges and successes, both tears and laughter…but outweighing it all is the endless joy we’ve gained through watching women’s lives in Uganda change. Our motto at 31 Bits is “Work hard. Play hard.”…and we’re going to show you how to do just that the California way. Stay tuned because every Friday in October, the four of us will be sharing some of our fave tunes, products, places, and eats around Orange County. Talk to you soon!
xoxo,
