{"id":63863,"date":"2019-09-10T15:50:31","date_gmt":"2019-09-10T19:50:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/?p=63863"},"modified":"2020-09-03T05:53:10","modified_gmt":"2020-09-03T09:53:10","slug":"what-glamsquad-ceo-amy-shecter-does-all-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/community-stories\/member-spotlight\/what-glamsquad-ceo-amy-shecter-does-all-day","title":{"rendered":"What Glamsquad CEO Amy Shecter does all day"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Our series <\/em>What Do People Do All Day?<\/strong><\/em><\/a> takes a look at the work life, lunch habits, and downtime of people across different industries. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Name: <\/strong>Amy Shecter
Title\/company: <\/strong>CEO, Glamsquad, member at WeWork 31 St. James Ave<\/a> in Boston
Years on the job<\/strong>: 3 years, 3 months<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Amy Shecter\u2014then-CEO of CorePower Yoga<\/a>\u2014met with her mentor in 2016 to discuss her next career move, Glamsquad<\/a> was at the top of her work wish-list. She was a longtime fan\u2014and repeat customer\u2014of the on-demand, app-based beauty service that allows you to get a blowout, smokey eye, or fresh manicure from the comfort of your own home. Two weeks after the meeting, she got a random call from a recruiter saying the fast-growing startup was looking for a new CEO, and would she be interested in pursuing the job. \u201cSo, I don\u2019t know, did I put it out in the universe and ask for it?\u201d Shecter says. \u201cI think I did.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since joining the company, she\u2019s overseen its expansion to D.C., Boston, and San Francisco (the service was already available in New York, where the business was founded, Los Angeles, and Miami); forged a partnership with CVS that\u2019s brought express Glamsquad services to select stores; and launched a haircare and makeup<\/a> line. On a more personal note, she\u2019s adopted a nighttime skincare routine that takes her at least 10 minutes to complete. \u201cIt\u2019s quite <\/em>the ritual,\u201d she says. (It involves face wash, toner, two serums, moisturizer, eye cream, and lip cream.) \u201cBut my beauty pros tell me that they see a huge difference in my skin from when I started, and my husband keeps telling me that I\u2019m getting younger and younger, so it must be working.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below, she shares more insight into what it\u2019s like to lead the daily charge at Glamsquad. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I check email\u2026 <\/strong>as soon as one eye is open. I scan for anything important from investors, clients, or team members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I use my commute to\u2026 <\/strong>respond to email. But only after I\u2019ve spent some time meditating. I\u2019ll do five to 10 minutes with Headspace<\/a>, depending on my mood and how much time I have. I take a Via<\/a> or a taxi from the Upper West Side to Flatiron, so my total commute is about 25 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I typically arrive\u2026 <\/strong>by 7:30. I\u2019m a morning person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first thing I do when I get to the office is\u2026 <\/strong>talk to the client experience team. They get in early, too, because we have a lot of 6, 6:30, and 7 a.m. appointments. I also make my herbal Bancha tea. I have to start my day with my tea. It calms me and helps me focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I get super stressed if\u2026 <\/strong>we do a late cancellation on a client, which means we cancel without having an alternative for them. I take it very personally. I think of myself with wet hair, in my apartment, waiting for a blowout. I don\u2019t want to leave any woman in that situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

The last time I got the Glamsquad treatment was\u2026 <\/strong>this morning! (Just hair, not makeup.) I have a big meeting tomorrow and I have to leave early for it, so my beauty pro showed me how to wrap my head tonight to make sure I have good second-day hair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I take my phone calls\u2026 <\/strong>anywhere, anytime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My must-reads for the day include\u2026 <\/strong>Daily Mail<\/em><\/a>, WWD<\/em><\/a>, and the New York Times<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But if I\u2019m procrastinating, I\u2019m usually looking at\u2026 <\/strong>Instagram, Twitter, Sephora, or Ulta. And then I go down the black hole\u2026 The internet can take me anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re currently working hard on\u2026 <\/strong>New York Fashion Week. It\u2019s a very, very busy 10 days for us. We\u2019re doing five shows this time, including Lela Rose and Rebecca Minkoff, meaning we\u2019ll do hair and makeup for the models and some VIP guests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Getting Amy Shecter through her busy day at NY Fashion Week: Morning tea, the Times<\/em>, and meditation. (From left) Nicole Miller NYFW 2019 invite: Courtesy of Glamsquad. Headspace and New York Times<\/em>: Courtesy of Alamy stock. Tea and tarot cards: Courtesy of iStock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The best thing about NYFW is\u2026<\/strong> being backstage with our beauty pros. It\u2019s so much fun to see them in their creative moment. They\u2019re so juiced up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To survive NYFW you need\u2026<\/strong> energy. It\u2019s a couple of weeks with no days off, and that\u2019s definitely not easy. But it\u2019s fun, so it doesn\u2019t feel so much like work. In general, I have a lot of energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I eat lunch\u2026 <\/strong>in meetings. I can count on one hand the number of times I\u2019ve gone out for lunch. I work roughly 11 to 13 hours a day, and I probably spend 50 percent of that time in meetings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The last time I daydreamed in a meeting I was thinking about\u2026 <\/strong>vacation. I was craving sunshine and the beach, two of my favorite things. I don\u2019t vacation that much, but I\u2019m pretty good about taking school-break vacations. We just spent Labor Day weekend on Fire Island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A critical aspect of leadership is\u2026<\/strong> mentorship<\/a>. We have a young team, and some staffers are learning as they go. I think it\u2019s really important to be available to them so they can grow and get promoted and continue to evolve in their roles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My go-to advice is\u2026<\/strong> don\u2019t be afraid to ask. Come in and say, \u201cThis is what I think I should do, and with your approval I\u2019d like to do that today.\u201d Also, act as if<\/em>\u2014that\u2019s advice I was given. Even though you don\u2019t have the job, don\u2019t wait for the job. A good manager will encourage you to take giant steps instead of baby steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To bond as a staff\u2026 <\/strong>we host different kinds of team events. We have an annual summer soir\u00e9e, for example, and this year there were crystal readings and tarot-card readings and a caricature artist on hand for anyone who didn\u2019t want to participate in the guru-type stuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I stop responding to emails\u2026 <\/strong>when the lights are out. I do sometimes try to take a free night where I won\u2019t answer emails once I get home, but even then I usually sit with my phone next to me. Every day is different with a startup, and you just never know what you\u2019re going to find when you open your email. <\/p>\n\n\n