Calling All Entrepreneurs – Apply For A Selfmade Scholarship Today!

women in business

Excited about a new business idea but not sure where to start? Or looking to take your existing business to the next level? Selfmade has led more than 3,500 women in their business journeys through on-demand courses, weekly workshops, 1:1 mentorship sessions, fireside chats with leading moguls, and localized meet-ups around the world. Now Selfmade’s founding sponsor, Office Depot OfficeMax, is funding 400 scholarships this year to a free Selfmade membership.

What Is Selfmade?

Led by Brit + Co’s founder, Brit Morin, Selfmade brings together women at every startup stage to help them succeed and reach their work + life goals. Past speakers and instructors included Sara Blakely (Founder, SPANX), Shiza Shahid (Founder, Our Place), Jennifer Hyman (Founder, Rent The Runway), Beatrice Dixon (Co-Founder, The Honey Pot), and many more.

Features and benefits of the Selfmade membership include:

  • On-demand instruction in all facets of how to launch, grow, and scale a company
  • 1:1 mentoring with leading industry experts
  • Weekly workshops led by seasoned business coaches
  • Q+A’s with A-list female founders, CEOs, and venture capitalists
  • Customizable templates for P&Ls, pitch decks, marketing assets, and more
  • Access to world-class experts in tech, finance, marketing, sales, and investing
  • A custom-built virtual community
  • Digital and IRL member-matching initiatives
  • Access to the world’s top female entrepreneurs and coaches

Office Depot OfficeMax provides 400 scholarships to Selfmade to focus on underserved female entrepreneurs, primarily women of color. These scholarships provide access to top-tier resources to help up-and-coming entrepreneurs tackle everything from choosing an idea to growing a business and more, year-round.

What Selfmade Alum Are Saying

Selfmade alum Kelly Williamson, founder of True Scoops make-at-home ice cream, participated in Selfmade to help her network, grow her business, and learn how to pitch to investors. In this video, she shares her journey from how it started to how it’s going.

When asked about the life-changing opportunity Selfmade and Office Depot provided, Kelly’s energy was contagious. "My advice to entrepreneurs thinking about joining Selfmade is to just go for it. Life is too short to not try what you really want to do. It’s the most rewarding experience running your own business, especially when it’s your passion,” she says.

Learn more about what our Selfmade alums are saying about this life-changing course at Selfmade Success Stories.

How to Apply

Selfmade scholarship registration is currently open for 2023. We will be accepting applicants from February 14 to March 14. For more information on Selfmade, visit TrySelfmade.com and to nominate yourself or someone you know for a scholarship, visit officedepot.com/scholarship.

When you launch a business, you have to know how to sell it: to customers, to potential investors, and to the people you bring on board. In the Selfmade Fall 2024 Pitch competition, we challenged our female entrepreneurs to sell us their big idea and compete to win over $10K in prizes to build and grow their business. The judging panel was made up of a group of inspiring women in business, including Emily Merrell, founder of Second Degree Society and Ready Set Coach; Niki Shamdasani, CEO of Sani Lifestyle Brand; and Joanne Oparu Ayebo Eriaku, business transformation strategist and founder of SOAR AI School of Readiness.

Selfmade is a unique, hands-on business membership for female founders. Our coaches support our mission to help make the dreams of female founders a reality. "Our mission is to even out the odds and offer a clear route to success for business owners who've been marginalized," Emily said during the competition.

Pitch day was filled with uplifting, celebratory moments as all members cheered on the 10 finalists. Winners were judged on creativity, inspiration, authenticity, uniqueness, and evidence of impact. The finalists were phenomenal in their pitches, but the judging panel had to make the tough decision of picking three women who really stood out. Here are the winners of the Selfmade Fall 2024 pitch competition, plus our amazing finalists below!

Meet the Selfmade PItch Winners

Hyacinth Tucker

1st Place Winner

Hyacinth Tucker | The Laundry Basket

A US Army veteran and wife, Hyacinth owns and operates The Laundry Basket, a laundry subscription service that provides expert, laundry-on-demand and dry cleaning services in Maryland, DC, Northern Virginia, Northeast Ohio, and Toronto Canada. The company is committed to sustainability, offering zero-waste practices in partnership with non-profits like Impact Zero. They are also paving the way for minorities and veterans to build careers and businesses through their workforce development program. Hyacinthhas a masters of business administration and is a mom of two. When she’s not running the show, she loves traveling, reading, and playing games with her family.

Monica Casillas

2nd Place Winner

Monica Casillas | Amor Movement

Founder Monica Casillas recognized that many young Latinas faced the same challenges she did in high school, experiencing the weight of generational traumas and their impact on growth and potential. Driven by her own experiences and determination, she set out to create a transformative movement with love as its guiding force. The mission behind Amor Movement is to ignite the passion and leadership potential in young Latinas in high school. The nonprofit is dedicated to equipping these future leaders with essential life skills, professional development, and civic engagement opportunities, empowering them to break barriers and create the lives of their dreams.

Yolanda McCray

3rd Place Winner

Yolanda McCray | Skyler M Style & Wellness

Yolanda's passion for clothing, accessories, and custom products inspired the creation of Skyler M Style & Wellness, named after her Cocker Spaniel who passed away from cancer in 2019. Skyler M Style & Wellness is an online boutique and pop-up shop in South Carolina that offers clothing, accessories, and custom gifts. They are also launching gift and subscription boxes that empower women to embrace their unique style while prioritizing wellness. Their carefully curated products offer a blend of fashion and self-care, solving the common struggle women face in balancing both.

Selfmade

Meet Our Other Amazing Finalists!

Thinking about becoming a member of Selfmade? Founders can join Selfmade for just $39 per month and have a chance to pitch your business at our next pitch competition! Here's how our Selfmade community is breaking barriers and connecting you with like-minded founders:
  • On-demand courses
  • Live coaching
  • 1:1 mentorship with leading industry experts
  • Opportunities for pitching your business (such as this pitch comp!)
  • Digital events
  • AND of course, our community of 4,000+ women founders, just like you!

Learn more about the Selfmade Founder Fund and join us!

Be sure to sign up for our weekly email newsletter for more tips and news!

Header image via Meghan Lamle on Unsplash

If there's anything Lorelai Gilmore loves in this world, it's coffee, coffee, coffee! The Gilmore Girls character literally always has a cup o' Joe in-hand, and even jokes at one time or another that she'd like to have the drink in an IV. (I wonder if that's what would finally cure my Monday morning slump?). Well, in honor of Gilmore Girls fall, one Starbucks location created their own drink to honor the Coffee Queen — but it didn't go exactly like they planned.

  • On September 26, an Odessa, Texas Starbucks advertised a "Lorelai Gilmore" recipe.
  • Gilmore Girls fans quickly pointed out Lorelai would be "a black dark roast girlie."
  • The location also offers an Emily Gilmore drink and a Rory Gilmore drink.

On September 26, the Instagram account for a Starbucks in Odessa, Texas advertised free samples of the drink they named The Lorelai Gilmore. The drink is made up of blonde roast coffee, oat milk, pumpkin sauce, cinnamon dolce cold foam, and cinnamon powder.

But despite how delicious the drink sounds (and the fact Lorelai would support any and every coffee lover snagging a cup), Gilmore Girls fans quickly took to the comments to point out one glaring detail: she definitely drinks her coffee black.

"Real ones know [Rory and Lorelai Gilmore] both drank coffee black no cream no sugar," one user says, while another agrees Lorelai would be "a black dark roast girlie."

A third suggests she'd order "a coffee with a whisper of peppermint," which totally has me thinking about her iconic "I smell snow" moments! And now I'm craving a peppermint mocha...

Starbucks

But if you're a PSL fan, don't worry. Latte lovers in the comments also pulled through, promising the drink tastes just as good as it sounds. "Kudos to whoever came up with this!!" one user adds. "Tried it yesterday and then again today, found the perfect pumpkin ratio for me✨✨✨ ready to embrace pumpkin szn like NEVER BEFORE 👀"

The Odessa Starbucks also featured a Rory Gilmore drink (iced chai with white mocha, pumpkin foam, caramel drizzle, and cinnamon dolce topping) and an Emily Gilmore drink (London fog with oat milk and honey).

BRB while I go whip up these drinks for myself!

Check out these Starbucks holiday menu leaks for more!

In our Take 5 series, sponsored by Verizon, we ask women in business about unexpected challenges, their inspirations, recent wins, and how the free Verizon Small Business Digital Ready Program has helped propel their business forward. Here, we meet Rita Suzanne, a marketing strategist for health and wellness businesses who learned to network, connect with other entrepreneurs, and build her business online and IRL.

What's an unexpected business challenge that you've had to face and how did you overcome it?

The hardest thing for me was my sister passed away and I ended up taking custody of my nieces. I ended up being a single mom of four kids. This is the thing that transitioned my whole entire life. I stopped doing web design and started my podcast Mom Owned and Operated. I wanted to reconnect with other moms and figure out how they were able to run their businesses and raise a family and take care of themselves because I wasn't able to do all three at the same time. Through that journey, I realized that I really needed to connect with other people and how important it was for my business. It helped me to create that community that I was yearning for that I didn't realize that I needed.

What's a recent small win for your business?

For me, the win was just pivoting back to something that I actually wanted to do. Also, I’ve started to say no to things that I no longer want to do.

Who is a woman in business that you look up to and why?

I have always admired and looked up to Amy Porterfield [author of Two Weeks Notice]. I listened to her all the time when I was starting out. I think that she's amazing and I love her stuff. She just seems like a very genuine person.

Is there a resource that has made an impact on you as an entrepreneur?

I listen to a lot of audio books. One of my favorites that has been huge for me is You Are A Badass by Jen Sincero. I was told when I first started my business, by a friend who was a business coach, that I have a mindset problem. Ten years ago, I had no idea even what “mindset” was. Sincero’s book helped me to see what she meant by “mindset” and helped me adjust that mindset and fix some of the things that I didn't realize were broken.

How has the Verizon Small Business Digital Ready Program helped propel your business forward?

There are a lot of things that I have loved about it. There are local networking and training opportunities, and that has been great, and the online training is very valuable. It's a great resource. I find that marketing needs a three-tiered approach, meaning you need to network it locally, socially, and then also have a very comprehensive online approach to your marketing. One of the Verizon Small Business trainings that I took was all about taking advantage of your local resources. I found that to be extremely valuable because often people think they need to just focus on social media. I don't think that people focus enough on their local community.

Learn more about the free Verizon Small Business Digital Ready Program and Rita Suzanne.

Illustration by Daniela Jordan-Villaveces

Brie Larson takes wellness very seriously. And considering she's saved the universe as Captain Marvel and fought alongside King Kong in Kong: Skull Island, prioritizing her health only makes sense. I got up close and personal with the Oscar-winning actress at Thorne's Mocktail Club in New York City on October 8, where she told me that in the pursuit of wellness, she's "always" seeking to feel "happy and safe in my body."

  • Brie Larson tells Brit + Co that movement, breathing techniques, and temperature changes help her feel "happy and safe in my body."
  • When it comes to her work, she says she chooses stories with messages she'll "be able to live with for the rest of my life."
  • She also reveals the best piece of advice she's received, and says keeping it in mind "makes things easier."

Amy Sussman/Getty Images

But even Larson has days she feels off, saying she knows that feeling "very well," and whether it's seasonal blues or mental health days, she knows routine is where she thrives — and seasonal affective disorder lamps. "Light is a big game changer for me because I grew up in California," she says.

To engage her other senses, she relies on movement, breathing techniques, and temperature changes to keep in touch with her body. "A hot bath, a cold shower, both — anything that sort of wakes your brain up and kind of jolts it," she says. "I have a pretty demanding schedule and I truly don't have room to not feel like I'm present in my life. And so you come up with ways to figure out how to do that."

That includes everything from drinking plenty of water and prioritizing sleep to packing foam rollers and bands in her carry on. "It looks like a clown bag!" she says. "I always do [those exercises] every morning because even if I don't want to do it, which I always don't want to do it, I feel a lot better after I do it."

Thorne

Admittedly, that's exactly how I feel some days about making breakfast — but a powerhouse like Larson knows how important fueling our bodies is. "Pretty consistently I'm having an egg, like a breakfast sandwich, egg on toast first thing in the morning," she says. "I can't think beyond that for breakfast because I wake up so early. It's like there's no creativity happening in the morning. I'm sorry. No."

And while her mornings are all about wellness, her evenings are all about getting cozy, and she tells me her dream night in includes playing a new video game, wearing Gelato Pique sweatpants, and ordering Thai food. But when she's in the kitchen? "I've been making pasta and sausage quite a bit and I make tacos quite a bit. I mean, I kind of just do like protein and veggies and a little bit of a carb," she says.

Walt Disney Studios / Marvel Studios

Cozy nights in wouldn't be the same without a movie, and there's a very good chance you've seen Larson on your screen recently, whether you're rewatching Captain Marvel, 13 Going on 30, or Lessons in Chemistry. But how does the actress consistently choose such beautiful, inspiring pieces to work on? She equates the feeling to having a crush.

"When I feel like [a story] hits something that lives so truthfully in me that I just want to know if it's true to other people," she says. "I just know that we all have more that's the same than different...Film and television, it lives in a way that is beyond me physically. So I'm here talking to you, but anybody can be watching whatever they want. And so I try my best to think through what the pieces are saying so that they go out in the world and I don't get to be at the end of it and explain it or tell people what to feel or what to take from it. It lives a life outside of me. So I try and make sure that it has a complete message in it that I feel like I'll be able to live with for the rest of my life."

Apple TV+

Just like Carol Danvers and Elizabeth Zott empower so many viewers, Brie Larson says she feels empowered by her own Hollywood heroes. "Earlier in my career, like when I was trying to visualize what kind of career I wanted, it was Toni Colette and she's still a hero of mine, but she was truly the one that I was like, 'I want to disappear into characters the way she does.'"

"There's so many incredible [actors]," she continues. "Some of them are people that are more my age and some are older than me. But that's the fun part of my job is that there's so many good people and so many things that are getting made. And so it just feels like we're constantly kind of maneuvering, and when they take on certain roles and represent certain things, it frees up for other people to do other things. And so we kind of all work as a unit."

One movie on the horizon that I'm excited for is Mattel's new American Girl movie. Like many 80s and 90s kids, Brie Larson loved American Girl dolls — and borrowed her stage name from pioneer Kirsten Larson! And just like the rest of us AG kids, she tells me she can't wait for the movie. "I've also seen that there's going to be adult Halloween costumes, which I'm also very excited about," she says. Will she be grabbing a Kirsten one for herself? "I just might!"

Q+A With Brie Larson

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

What's the first thing you did after you won your Oscar?

I probably drank champagne...I drank champagne and I put sneakers on, and then I went to the airport.

What's the best piece of advice you've received?

"When I think I know, I miss so much." We all get stuck in these things — I think an easy one to think about is like, you're in a fight with your sibling or your partner, and you are just so right in how angry you are. And then maybe the next day you wake up and you're like, "Maybe there was another side to that." And so we miss things when we're in a space where we believe that we know. Having an openness to what something can be or that things can be different than what you think makes things easier.

Thorne

What's on your holiday bucket list?

I love the holidays. Because I'm in California, I really am looking forward to this year having a chilly winter. I love a cold winter, cozy winter. I love Christmas markets, so I'll definitely hit things like that. All the little holiday markets pop up around, yeah, it's just like a rare time when everybody is resting at the same time.

What are you watching, reading and listening to right now?

Okay. I am reading a book called Patricia Wants To Cuddle. I am watching Love is Blind season 7 because I am not silly. And listening to Chappell Roan, obviously.

Read Hilarie Burton Just Spilled Some Serious One Tree Hill Teafor more fun celeb insights!

Brit + Co may at times use affiliate links to promote products sold by others, but always offers genuine editorial recommendations.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

The age-old Halloween dilemma (for some of us): Your funny sense of humor is dying to go with a Halloween costume that produces laughter, but another part of you wants to look sexy. Well, you’re in luck, girl, because funny *is* the new sexy. That said, we get what you’re actually going for, so we’ve brought you 33 Halloween costumes that prove you can get freaky (in a weird yet sexy way) and still wear those fishnets on Halloween.

Brit + Co

Daria & Jane

Daria and Jane were the two best friends I admired growing up so it would make so completely happy to see someone dress up as for them for Halloween. They were proof anyone can be sexy with the right attitude, and these two have ‘tude in spades.

Brit + Co

Party Animals

Puns for days! You can hit a double whammy and be a sexy mouse (insert Mean Girls quote), but the choice is yours.

Brit + Co

Cher & Dionne

You can pretend to be Clueless all evening, but the joke’s on them. Plus, real fans of the movie knew Cher and Dionne were actually smart underneath their Valley girl personas.

Brit + Co

Bun In the Oven

Pregnant mamas can find funny and sexy Halloween costumes to wear too. While this one errs on the side of a joke about having a bun in the oven, at least you'll have someone to store your keys and phone while you're out!

Brit + Co

The Simple Life

In honor of Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie reuniting for The Simple Life, get your denim overalls and flared miniskirt in order, because it’s about to be #hot out. (via Brit + Co)

Brit + Co

Misty

Catch all the admirable stares and candy while wearing this cute Misty Halloween costume. You may even catch all the cuties at the party.

Brit + Co

Netflix & Chill

This is on the sexy Halloween costumes that may actually lead to a little bun in the oven if you know what I mean. It literally takes the cake for couples who are looking for a different Netflix subscription package.

Brit + Co

Super Bowl Katy Perry

The real humor lies in what the shark on your left side does all night. That poor guy has no clue what he’s doing, does he?

Brit + Co

Mean Girls

Do you wear pink on Wednesdays? Do you have Kälteen bars in your purse? Excellent, the squad is ready to roll out.

Halloween Costumes

Monsters Inc. Celia Costume

Dress as funny man, er monster, Mike Wazowski's girlfriend this Halloween. Heads won't stop turning to get a better look at your costume!

Halloween Costumes

Zookeeper Costume

Who knew zookeepers could be this smart and sexy? Apparently this costume had this idea in mind when they created this tailored jumpsuit.

Halloween Costumes

Mad Hatter Costume

The Mad Hatter may be known for coming up with silly yet intriguing sentences, but this costume adds an irresistible appeal to a hilarious persona.

Halloween Costumes

Karen Smith from Mean Girls Mouse Costume

"I'm a mouse, duh" is one line from Mean Girls we find ourselves quoting. It only makes sense we add the infamous costume to the list!

Halloween Costumes

Harley Quinn Costume

You won't be able to resist saying, "I may be twisted but at least I make it interesting" once you slip into this funny, sexy costume.

Halloween Costumes

Tweedle Dee Costume

Only this costume could bring out Tweedle Dee's charm. Put your own sexy spin on it and keep the fun going.

Halloween Costumes

Lola Bunny Costume

Turns out Lola Bunny had sex appeal and stellar basketball skills in Space Jam. Even if you don't plan on hitting the court to score points in this costume, you'll at least look the part.

Halloween Costumes

Sexy Pirate Costume

Pirates haven't always been known for their immense sex appeal but Captain Jack Sparrow changed that. Invoke his swagger and witty sense of humor with this Halloween costume.

Halloween Costumes

Sexy Cheshire Cat Costume

The cheshire cat from Alice In Wonderland proved to be mysteriously alluring with a dose of humor that we came to love. Wear this costume to see if a bit of his charisma rubs off on you.

Halloween Costumes

Sassy Scarecrow Costume

Channel your inner scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz with this fun costume.

Halloween Costumes

80's Workout Costume

Get physical with this fun Halloween costume that reminds us of Jane Fonda during her VHS workout tapes era.

Halloween Costumes

Galactic Alien Costume

I love science fiction movies that involve aliens, but this galactic costume makes them seem less scary. Of course you're free to be as funny as you want, but you'll still look great while speaking your own special language.

Halloween Costumes

Britney Spears Costume

Britney Spears is having the last laugh with the release of her new memoir and we're here for it - hence this fun costume.

Halloween Costumes

Plus Size Popcorn Costume

This costume is for everyone who's ever giggled while listening to popcorn kernels popping in the microwave. Your secret is safe with us and this popcorn costume.

Halloween Costumes

Mushroom Costume

People won't be able to stop saying, "Aw, look at the cute mushroom" when they see you in this costume.

Halloween Costumes

Candy Maker Costume

Make Willy Wonka proud by leading the candy brigade this Halloween. Who wouldn't want to follow you once they see this sexy Halloween costume?

Do you have any silly and yet fabulously sexy costumes to share with us? Show us on Pinterest!

Brit + Co may at times use affiliate links to promote products sold by others, but always offers genuine editorial recommendations.

With prior reporting by Ariel Garneau and Jessica Ourisman.

This post has been updated.