4 Big Reasons Why I Quit My Job to Build Girls’ Night In
by Alisha Ramos
Last week, I quit my job working at a tech startup to focus full-time on my company, Girls’ Night In. As a bonafide type-A, must-have-a-plan-for-everything freak, making that decision was terrifying, but I knew that Girls’ Night In was something that I had to pursue. Growing this community has been one of the greatest joys of my life so far, and it’s only the beginning.
For some quick background: Girls’ Night In is a community and brand that’s rethinking how women take care of themselves. Our first product is a Friday morning newsletter that’s been growing rapidly since we launched it this past February, going from just a handful of subscribers to 7,000+ women (and counting) who’d “rather stay in tonight.”
4 Big Reasons Why Girls’ Night In Exists
Girls’ Night In began when I started to examine a set of 4 questions that I’d cycle through over and over again as I reached my late-twentysomething years:
- How do I find the time to care for myself, without spending a ton of money? Between work and personal life obligations, it’s easy to give and give some more without taking a break for yourself. Burn out is real and I’ve personally experienced it, as have many young women around my age. Meanwhile, the wellness industry and landscape today is intimidating. For consumers—particularly young women—it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that self-care can only happen when you’re taking pricey boutique fitness classes seven days a week, buying expensive bath soaks, or sprinkling moon dust in your tea.
- How do I cultivate more meaningful relationships with my friends *beyond* just getting drinks together? As an introvert, I dislike going out to noisy, rowdy bars where my friends and I can barely have a real conversation. And especially now that I’m in my later twenties, I’d rather host an intimate dinner or night in, but it requires a ton of planning and can seem intimidating.
- How do I disconnect from tech? On top of all this, our constant connection to technology and obsession with our phones is creating an unhealthy lifestyle of FOMO and constant comparison with others’ lives. Studies have shown that it’s had a negative impact on mental health. This is a question I’d love for GNI to explore.
- How do I find a community that will help me live a fuller life? I feel like I’m at an awkward age and stage in my life — friends are leaving town for grad school, getting engaged, buying houses, or somewhere in between. How do I make new friends and cultivate my relationships with them in this life of constant transience and in-betweenness?
I found that this need to practice self-care, disconnect from technology, and develop real, meaningful community with other women was not my need alone, and that many of my friends and other women felt the same way.
Creating a new definition of wellness through community
The mission of Girls’ Night In is to make wellness accessible and FUN for the busy millennial woman through community. We want to help you take care of yourself, connect meaningfully with your friends, have some fun while doing so, and ultimately live a fuller life.
Right now, we accomplish some of this through our weekly Friday morning newsletter. It’s meant as a fun break in your inbox, with recommendations on how to spend a night-in, and inspiring interviews with boss women who also stay balanced and prioritize self-care. The newsletter has grown rapidly, and I’m excited to share and celebrate these milestones with you:
- In the 4 months since we launched the newsletter, our community has grown 17x (!!!) and our engagement completely shatters the industry average. Our community is highly engaged: average unique open rate is consistently above 50%, and our average click rate is around 20%. Clearly, women are craving a fun break in their inbox and looking to celebrate the art of staying in and taking care.
- 95% of our growth has been fueled by women referring their friends. In a recent survey, we found that most readers heard about GNI through a friend.
- We’ve been featured on major press outlets like The Wall Street Journal and Mic.com. We’ve also been featured in Riveter Magazine, and DC Inno. More to come soon. :)
- On average, GNI receives 3 job resumes per week. This is my favorite statistic because while we’re clearly still in a very early stage of the company, women are feeling excited enough about GNI’s mission that they want to work for us! (Please keep ’em coming, I promise we’ll get back to you eventually.)
All of this has happened because of our AMAZING community, incredible team of collaborators and contributors, and mentors. So thank you x10000 for all your support. You’re the best.
Looking ahead, we’re developing some products aside from the newsletter that fit within our mission of creating accessible wellness through community and will address some of the other reasons laid out here.
Stay tuned! Until then, cheers, and don’t forget to treat yo’ self. #GNIvibes
Subscribe to Girls’ Night In at: http://girlsnightin.co. Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.
Questions? Write to us at hello@girlsnightin.co.
