Each week we will introduce you to our (LYD) Live Your Dream Stars. These awesome women are changing the world through their dreams. Through their stories, we hope to inspire you to live your dreams.

This week we interviewed Danielle Weisberg and Carly Zakin, founders of theSkimm.

Danielle and Carly met in Rome while they were both studying abroad. They reconnected years later working as producers for NBC News. Soon after theSkimm was created. theSkimm is the daily e-mail newsletter that gives you everything you need to start your day.

Learn how Danielle and Carly made it happen.

Danielle Weisberg and Carly Zakin, founders of theSkimm.

1. As two young women going after their dreams, how did you get the courage to put yourself out there? Were you afraid of failing?

Quitting our jobs to start theSkimm was one of the most difficult things we’ve ever done. We didn’t leave our old careers because we were unhappy — we loved our jobs and had worked very hard to get to that point. But we did see a void in the market. Our friends weren’t watching what we were producing for a living. Instead, they were asking us basic questions about what was going on in the world. We saw a huge void for news geared towards our friends — representative of the female millennial. This audience is influencing bills of dollars in spending each year but there wasn’t a news source geared towards giving them information in a way that they liked our fit into their routines. Once we realized this, it was like tunnel vision. All we wanted to do was create a product that solved this. We were 25 when we started theSkimm — it was never going to be easier to take a risk. So ultimately we just had to suck it up and go for it.

2.  There is so much going on in the world today and so many online news outlets. How do you curate theSkimm to give readers the info they really need?

We think about theSkimm reader as short on time, smart, and doing a lot of things each day. So our goal is to prepare them to go to any event (a meeting, family dinner, wedding, work event) and sit at a table of strangers from all different industries. We want our Skimm’rs to feel comfortable joining into the conversation whether it’s about finance, politics, education, or entertainment. That’s how we think about curating each day. It’s also a conversational product so when in doubt we usually ask, ‘Would we actually talk about this?’

3.   What was the most difficult part of starting theSkimm?

Actually deciding to start it. It’s one thing to talk about something, it’s something totally different to quit a job you had worked really hard to get. It was terrifying at the same time and still feels like an out of body experience.

4.   If you could give one piece of advice to young women going after their dreams what would it be?

Think about what you want to get out of it and what you’re willing to give up. Also, no matter what your dream is, network like crazy. Meeting people is always helpful.

Want more of theSkimm. Get in the know by signing up for their newsletter here!

 
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