Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Hava Schultz. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hava, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
For the past couple years I’ve been producing video and social content about experiences in New York City. But in the fall, making this content had gotten to a point of feeling like a slog. As in, I was going through the motions, not following inspiration.
Meanwhile, I was ravenously consuming books and information about personal style, clothes, and fashion. Something inside of me knew that this was more than a passing interest and I needed to explore it.
So I took a temporary step back from making content for introspection and reflection. I considered my inspirations, the kind of content I’ve been drawn to historically, and what is lighting me up in the present.
Over the course of a few months, I rolled some different ideas around. I didn’t just suddenly know my mission like a bolt of lightning. As someone who is always learning and discovering more of my world, I pondered the concept of discovery (people sometimes comment on my vast knowledge-base). I even tried it on and tested it out with some content. I also considered fashion/style alone, but I imagined that I might bore of it at some point, and I’m no “expert” in these fields anyway.
My career is never far from my mind, so even when I wasn’t working on it actively, I was working on it mentally. I asked myself about the significance of personal style, and that led me to my lightbulb moment.
Personal style is a daily form of self-expression… self-expression! I light up when I hear people talk about something creative they’re doing, be it a new hobby or a full-fledged career pursuit. I’m passionate about women expressing themselves.
The more people express themselves, the better they feel. And the better people feel, the more good they contribute to the world, making it a better place for all of us. It is my calling to initiate this domino effect.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
We’ve already gotten into it a little bit, so to share some more, I recently packaged this newfound purpose into the mission statement and value proposition of my business, Hava Media, LLC:
At Hava Media, we’re on a mission: to inspire women to express themselves. We do this by providing entertaining content that inspires women to engage in their own forms of creative expression.
In the upcoming months, we have some interesting stories that will come to our YouTube channel (Hava Media), as well as a series that taps into the power of creating your identity.
A little more casual, Instagram (@hava.media) is our hub for for photos, short-form video content, writing, and a more personal connection.
Ultimately, the recent shift in my business has expanded it from being a content creator business to being a purpose-driven business that has a strong video/production division.
In other words… this is just the beginning!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
There are certainly many qualities that are important to develop, but I’m going to focus on one in particular that I haven’t really heard mentioned in response to these questions.
Here’s the thing— even though I see myself as being at the beginning (after all, I’m rebranding and dramatically shifting many elements of my work), this isn’t really the beginning. Several years ago I knew that I want to spend my professional life as a creator. Over two years ago I started taking clear action toward it.
It This path led me to some profoundly challenging situations. Some intense sacrifices. And many moments when giving up would have been the easy path. (I haven’t seen any “easy” approach to my professional life, but I live in the giving-up-on-my-dreams-is-way-harder camp.)
So, I kept going, even in the face of failure. I swallowed my pride and fielded questions about the slow growth of my business (and questions about when I’ll abandon the business and do something else instead). To my fellow entrepreneurs out there… you know how much those conversations can hurt!
That staying power led me to my recent epiphany around how my purpose aligns with my profession… something I may never have discovered if I’d given up.
So, when you know you’re on the path meant for you— paved or not— stick with it. Dig deep— because you will need to be gritty sometimes. This is the way to develop staying power, a quality truly needed to make it when building a business!
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
Right now at Hava Media, we would love to strike conversations with talent agents and managers. Connecting our potential with the right opportunities is a place where we have room for growth.
In our B2B work, we are enthusiastic about providing the opportunity for businesses to sponsor our professional-yet-personal content. We are also looking forward to collaborating with other businesses on special collections/products that reflect our shared values. If this sounds like you, please reach out!
Creatively we are also interested in working with more videographers and photographers to elevate our work. We love working with people who are laid-back (while still remaining professional) and follow direction well (while still bringing their unique creativity to the camera).
To discuss working together, please reach out to me via email at hava@hava.media.
If you’d like to follow along, you can find our work at:
YouTube: Hava Media
Instagram: @hava.media
Contact Info:
- Website: www.hava.media
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hava.media/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/havarschultz
- Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/havaschultz
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@hava-media
- Other: email: hava@hava.media
