Changing the conversation
32 -YEAR-OLD ENTREPRENEUR DISCUSSES HER SUCCESSFUL NEW MAGAZINE, BALANCING LIFE AND WORK, AND WHAT IT’S LIKE TO RUN A START-UP.
By ESTHER JONES | Web Editor
Rachael Baxter-Lechliter has always viewed herself as a self-starter. A passion for business, social justice, and design inspired her, along with her sister Elena, to start a magazine that strives to “change the conversation.” Conscious Magazine launched in 2013, reaching subscribers through shelves in a Barnes & Noble near you and subscribers in 19 countries. Conscious is determined to inform readers about decisions they make daily, whether that’s how they spend their money or telling the stories of people who are making a difference in the lives of others.
Tell me about your path to getting your current job as founder and Editor-in-Chief of Conscious? What inspired you to start the magazine?
I had a stint in the corporate world after college, but I remember sitting at my desk one day thinking “this is not what I want to do.” The idea behind Conscious Magazine was created by both my sister and myself. We were really excited about putting content out there of hardworking people who are making a difference whether that’s creatively, through their business, on the mission field. We thought those stories were so cool and so important. Media can have a powerful and ugly influence on society and we wanted to change that.
What’s a day in the life in your position like?
I like to start my day with reflection time and a workout. For a long time, I didn’t really take care of myself in terms of eating right and getting the proper exercise and that always affects my whole day. When I get started working with Conscious Mag, I like to take time reading other websites, just for leisure content, or just to be updated on what’s going on within the social good industry and the fight against human trafficking. I then dive into editing, marketing, designing, emails, meetings, and the day gets going really fast. When I’m working throughout the day, I’ll head to a social event, whether that’s a charity event for a cause or a speaking engagement or getting together with friends. It’s nice to get out of the work space, even though some of the work continues on into the night.
Where did you go to school, and what did you study in college?
I went to the King’s College, which is in Manhattan, and I studied Business Management. My college experience was pretty great in the sense that I was very challenged from day one, and that is instrumental in what I’m doing now.
Who was your mentor and how have they impacted you? Or who has inspired you / impacted your career?
One in particular: Her name is Dawn Fotopulos. She was my business professor in college, and everybody loved her. Whatever came out of her mouth was just adding value to your life, to your ideas. She believed in me and my sister. To this day she has encouraged us, given us so many tips, professionally and personally. She’s almost family to us at point.
I have a leadership circle in Manhattan. It’s probably about 10 girls right now and we get together once a month. It’s been extremely helpful in these last few months, just knowing that other female entrepreneurs like me are going through similar things. I’m not into girl-groups as much, but I found this one to be really real, honest, and kind of fun. Each girl goes around the circle and says, “I’m doing this, I’m celebrating this, but I’m also struggling here.” We find ways to support each other. A little wine is involved, you know, things like that.
What’s the best part of your job? What’s the worst part of your job?
The best part is being as creative as we possibly can. Being that my sister and I founded it, we are the decision makers, so we have a lot of freedom. As we’re building our next print issue, where do we want to go with the photography? How do we want to put this headline together? Do we want it to be emotional? Do we want it to be hard?
The hardest part is you have to be a salesperson too. We actually have to sell our magazine. We have to get sponsors. We need to get distribution partners. I’ll go sell your idea for you, but for me to sell my own idea is very hard.
Is there a way to be proactive with social media advertising and outreach without having to be online all day?
I dedicate 5–7 hours at the beginning of the week. We set up a lot of the content on a Tuesday, because the rest of the week could be all over the place, and we desperately want to get out certain tweets and support certain campaigns. I use a tool called CoSchedule. It’s really great because it works with the Wordpress platform. You’re able to schedule different content, and you select if you want it on Twitter, or LinkedIn, or Google Plus, etc. The time is spent coming up with the content itself. The tool has been a huge time-saver. It also tracks who liked it, who commented, so you’re seeing the engagement, which is helpful.
Is your website Wordpress then?
Built by myself and my sister. Yeah, we do everything. It’s our child. We take care of it. Elena and I love design as much as we love storytelling. It’s an amazing creative outlet for us.
Did your classes teach you these things?
No, not at all. Self-taught. YouTube. I think anybody who has an interest in a particular thing, they will 100 percent go for it. I always liked art growing up, and once you learn how to do graphics you realize ‘hey, this is really fun’.
Do you have any horror stories or experiences that have happened during your career, whether at this job or a previous one?
With our first print issue, we worked with a brand new publisher. We had all the magazines delivered to our apartment, so we had boxes all over. I’m so excited, I’m going through them, and then I realized the binding was messed up on half of them. I was like “Oh my gosh. We are launching in a few days, and half of our magazines are not good.” I walked into my bedroom at the time and lay on my bed. I said, “This is really happening. I don’t know how I feel about it, but whatever we don’t sell, we’re going to donate to an organization.” At the end of the day, the binding wasn’t horrible. It just wasn’t up to the standards I was looking for in terms of our product. The bindings incident was horrific, yet we used it for good.
Can you tell me about a time where you felt really successful as an editor?
When we got into Barnes & Noble. The fact that we get to be on the shelves of one of the biggest bookstore distributors ever is a great next step for the future of media. Also, one of my favorite moments was when I spoke at the UN International Youth Leaders Assembly. It was to a room of 200 young leaders from around the world. I was on a panel, and I spoke about Conscious Magazine and what we’re doing. Afterwards, and I kid you not, there was a line of young, 20-somethings waiting to talk to me. Some of them said “I want to bring conscious media to my country” or “I’m already doing it.” I felt right then and there that Conscious Magazine and the idea has a universal presence.
You mentioned wanting to expand?
We’re based in New York City. People come here from all over the world, and we get to have face-to-face time with leaders from all over. We do want to have a presence in Los Angeles. We want to connect with the entertainment industry there because it’s so influential. We have a lot of connections out there. The next stop would probably be the UK. We want to be a global enterprise.
“I think follow-through is super important. There are so many opportunities I missed because I didn’t follow through out of fear, time, or uncertainty, maybe laziness.”
What are some of the most important things you have learned on the job that you couldn’t learn in a classroom?
I think follow-through is super important. There are so many opportunities I missed because I didn’t follow through out of fear, time, or uncertainty, maybe laziness. But you also have to prioritize and not feel guilty. Be willing to say “Yeah, I saw that email a month ago. I really can’t get to that right now.” When you’re in a start-up atmosphere, you’re going to face a lot of demons: negative self-talk, not feeling good enough, comparing yourself to others. It’s the biggest emotional rollercoaster you could be going through. Part of building something is learning to try to be emotionally healthy, because stuff is always going to try to get in your way and bring you down.
How do you balance work and social/ family life?
I’m starting to allow myself to take time for myself without feeling guilty about it. I’m having more of a balance, but it wasn’t always there. Sometimes I didn’t even believe in the balance. I was like, “This requires hard work. This requires all my time. Nights. Weekends. Whatever. I’m going to get it done.” Now we’ve gotten to a place where Conscious Magazine is working itself. But family is everything. Make time to be with your friends. Find a balance if you can, but don’t stress yourself out. You’ll find it eventually. There’s no formula.
What would you recommend doing in order to get an internship and what would you look for in an intern?
We have an editorial position and a marketing position. Our biggest need right now is marketing, so we’re looking for someone who can create the best social media posts with our voice, but even say to us “I think we should try this. I’m on your team. I’m willing to take initiative.” A lot of what we do is very collaborative. I listen to everyone and their feedback. Someone who is a self-starter, who’s organized, and who’s passionate about promoting the messages we put through the magazine. As far as the editorial position, I would say someone who wants to help us organize a cool editorial calendar. Some of that’s on the fly for us. We need someone to say “We need to cover XYZ this month, because it’s Awareness XYZ.”
Throughout the interview, Baxter stressed not only her passion for her work, but also the importance of maintaining a healthy work/life balance. This resonated with me, as I find balancing my own commitments to be challenging. I began my junior year in a position I’m very passionate about, and I found myself brushing off my roommates, my family, and my friends. This was not a healthy way for me to live, and I burned out quickly. It is encouraging to me to know that a successful woman like Baxter takes time to relax.
I was also impressed with Baxter’s dedication to learning new skills on her own. I love editing videos and am fascinated with computer coding, but these are things I haven’t had sufficient training in. Conscious Magazine’s website is fantastic — it’s nice to know that you don’t have to major in a certain skill in order to use it professionally.
Finally, the impact of networking in Baxter’s life has been invaluable. She mentions her connections throughout the interview. She knows people involved in the entertainment industry in L.A., former professors, the other women in her Manhattan entrepreneurs’ circle, and the international young people she spoke with after her speaking engagement. As I near graduation, it’s inspiring to see how these things have propelled Baxter’s career forward. I’ll definitely be incorporating them into my life, as well as picking up a copy of Conscious Magazine next time I’m in Barnes & Noble.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
