F*IT DC

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending Worn Creative's F*it DC event with my colleague Laura Stone, owner of York Design Co, a fashion needlepoint accessory company.Why was the this event so special?There's something spectacular about bringing together DC's most creative and entrepreneurial women into one room. Not only did DC's fashionistas gather into one space, but we heard stories about how these DC-native women started their own businesses from their own creative ideas.The night began with Worn CEO Nicole Aguirre sharing a story about how she made a bad remark into a great one. She uplifted the crowd with her story when she first began Worn, a creative women agency with clients such as Soupergirl and JRINK.Following Nicole, Kassie Rempel, founder of Lillybee, began her story about how someone stole her idea, potential shop space and then threw it back in her face. Yet, this turned out to be a great thing because Kassie created an even better idea and became the successful business owner she is today.Founder of Denada Virginia Arrisueño took the audience on a journey on her daily routine, schedule and life surrounds her child and also-as-busy husband who's an artist as well.The final keynote speaker ended with Elise Whang, CEO of SNOBSWAP, and her advice to "lean on your teammates" because you can't do everything by yourself. (Seems like our parents have the same beliefs about car manufacturers too!)The night ended with small groups of networking, sharing previous difficult experiences and getting to know one another. I even shook the hand of CEO Nicole who looked ecstatic from the positive feedback and my plan to return in the future.Huge takeaways:

• DC vs. NY: You're a small fish in an ocean in the big apple. People believe that only success can be found in the big apple, but the reality is that if you're a big fish in a small pond (AKA DC) you stand out. Take advantage of DC while it's still in its up-and-coming stages.
• Plan, Plan & Plan: If there's no plan, it'll be difficult to succeed. Hearing about how Virginia starts her day at 4 am (it's not even bright out yet!) shows that hard work, time and energy pays off. You have to be willing to do it, though!
• Ideas: If someone takes your idea, it just means you have the opportunity to be more creative in the future. It can ultimately determine your own success and it might even be a blessing in disguise (especially for Lillybee's founder!).
• Team: Your team is there to support you and even though you might have that same "I can do it all by myself" quality that even I have, it's important to trust your support staff. That's what their there for, and Elise witnessed that first hand.

Taking place in iStrategyLabs, a digital creative agency, the room beamed with artistic quality and a small community. Worn embraces creative talent, women empowerment and the ability to make an idea a reality in this day and age. Thanks for a remarkable event and I'll be back in the future! If you're interested in attending future events (like this one!)  click here, sign up and get ready to hear from some of the brightest minds in the area.All photos courtesy of Worn.