ENTREPRENEUR STORY
Lily Chehrazi Barrett is a FOUND/LA entrepreneur, and the Co-Founder of Together California, a sustainable fashion line based in Los Angeles. A collaboration between Lily and her husband, Ben, Together California produces unique, high fashion, sustainable designs that are available for purchase online and in boutique stores worldwide.
In honor of Women’s Entrepreneurship Day on November 19th, we asked Lily to give us a peak into her daily routine. From running her own business to working with her husband, here’s how she does it:
8:00 AM: I typically wake up and greet my husband and kitty. In the morning I’ll brush my teeth, scrape my tongue and drink warm lemon water. Once that’s done, I’ll check emails to handle any time-sensitive issues and go to yoga. Then I’ll have breakfast and get ready for the day.
10:00 AM: I arrive at the office, check my emails again and then go see my seamstress a few blocks away. We will have some fittings and I’ll pick up finished samples. Then, I’ll visit my printers to drop off materials and pick up finished orders. I’ll have a mid-day green smoothie.
1:00 PM: I try to have pre-made healthy lunches…but if I’m running errands and see something that looks good while I’m out, I’ll try that. For instance, sushi in Little Tokyo once a week.
2:00 PM: I correspond with my partner, who is also my husband, several times a day. My assistant helps with our social media. We have three full-time employees and five hired contractors. We also check in with our tech partner and lawyer a few times a week. Shopify, Quickbooks, Adobe Photoshop & Illustrator, all help me keep my business running.
Once all my daily busy work is out of the way, I make time for creative designing. Sometimes I’m up cutting fabric until midnight. Other days, I’ll get pulled back into researching and planning.
6:00 PM: I draw boundaries so I don’t get so burnt out working. However, I do love my job and being my own boss, so I am pretty hard on myself and keep working even when I’ve decided I’m done for the day. Since we own our business, work never stops.
7:00 PM: At night we’ll have dinner together. It’s different every night, but we love making fajitas or zoodle bolognese. If I haven’t exercised in the morning, I’ll exercise then. I work with my husband and we have dinner together every night….but my personal and work life aren’t separate at all.
10:00 PM: I like to wind down with a shower and face mask. Sometimes, we will watch a movie or read. I’m usually asleep by 11-12 PM.