A Day in the Life with Beatriz Greiff, International Content Editor at Hearst Magazines & Entrepreneur
Beatriz Greiff is an International Content Editor at Hearst Magazines, a unit of Hearst. Hearst is one of the nation’s largest diversified media, information and services companies. At Hearst, she oversees content sharing and assesses and assigns syndication rights for more than 25 print magazines and international digital editions of Cosmopolitan, COSMOgirl!, Seventeen and Good Housekeeping, to name a few.
In 2017, she started her own company, Just Becozy. At Just Becozy, she is the founder, CEO, marketer, PR, social media curator, photographer, knitter, buyer, seller, accountant — in other words, she does it all!
About Me: I am a native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil where I studied arts and journalism. I speak three languages (Portuguese, English, and Spanish) and love to travel and discover new cultures. Outside of my busy schedule, I still find time to volunteer at Gilda’s Club: a non-profit founded in memory of the talented Saturday Night Live comedian, Gilda Radner, who sadly died from ovarian cancer in 1989. I encourage anyone interested in volunteering for a beautiful cause to contact Gilda’s Club, show your support, and empower cancer patients and their families.
About My Job: At Hearst Magazines International, I am lucky to be part of a team that feels excited about what we do and care dearly about our partners around the world. No two days are the same, and the whole team is really focused on deadlines and quality. There is so much passion, energy, and professionalism in the room...which makes it a wonderful environment to work in every day!
About My Side Hustle: A couple of years ago, I found my passion in knitting and decided to venture on opening my own small business! I did my research on the pros and cons and realized that across the country, female-run enterprises make up the fastest growing sector in the economy (mostly dominating in the retail). That’s when I decided that I wanted to be (and could be) part of this team of brave and fearless women entrepreneurs...and so Just Becozy was born! Just Becozy is a unique online knitting boutique, and because I care wholeheartedly about livestock and the environment, I wanted to make sure that each handmade product is made with 100% merino wool produced on free-range sheep farms, and the sheep are herded by shepherds who harvest wool without using the mutilating method of mulesing. The detachable fur hat pompoms are handmade from recycled vintage fur coats and every piece in the shop is original and bespoke. We are seeing more and more women leading in politics, in engineering, as heads of big corporations, on news desks, and so on and if I could contribute to influence young girls to see that, they will want to aspire to those roles as well. I have to face my challenges, doubts, and fears every day but on the other side of facing these intimidating feelings come pride, fulfillment, and joy.
My daily goal is to find work-life balance and support when it comes to opening my own business. I have seen small business founders sacrificing everything to make their startups work and it can end up affecting relationships, time with family, savings accounts and most importantly, their health. To balance my workload, I start the week working insane hours and then slow down to a more regular schedule towards the end of the week and try to rejuvenate on the weekends and take short vacations whenever possible. Here is an example of whay my daily routine looks like…
6.00 a.m. My alarm clock is my husband’s kiss with a sweet “wake-up princesa (princess)”. Yes, that’s how I wake-up every day! Then, I take a warm shower and go to my bedroom to put some make-up on while watching NY1 to check on the weather in order to pick my outfit. After I get dressed, I fix my hair and before leaving the house, I check the emails for my personal knitting accessories business and interact on Instagram @justbecozy to make sure all new comments are answered.
8.00 a.m. Walk out of my apartment building to go to my full-time job at Hearst magazines where I work as an International Content Editor.
9.00 a.m. If the subway is running smoothly, at 9 a.m. I walk into the office. I say hello to my colleagues while on my way to the kitchen to grab a cup of tea to sip while eating my yogurt.
9.15 a.m. I read all the emails from the Editors-in-Chief of the magazines I work with around the world and prioritize their requests. I will find a workload that will keep me glued to my chair until lunch time.
10 a.m. On Thursdays, I stop whatever I am working on to attend our group’s 1hr meeting where we discuss and review workflow and other technicalities.
1.30 p.m. I have a 1h lunch break and this is the time that, while eating, I check my personal biz emails and make any personal or Just Becozy-related phone calls. There is a nice cafeteria in the Hearst Tower that serves great food and is convenient but if I feel like stepping out to get some fresh air I pick one of the many restaurants or eateries for quick bites in the neighborhood which is my preferred option during the summer. Sometimes, I buy a sandwich or salad and eat at a bench in Central Park, which is one block from my office.
2.30 p.m. I assign syndication rights for the international editions of Cosmopolitan, Seventeen, Good Housekeeping, Prima, and many Spanish titles like Ana Rosa, Casa Diez, Cocina Diez, De Viaje, Mi Casa and Nuevo Estilo.
4.00 p.m. Between 4:00 and 4:30 p.m. it’s time for another cup of tea and perhaps a snack which I am trying really hard to stay away from.
4.45 p.m. Check on pending requests and start planning my next day's agenda.
5.00 p.m. Leave the office and run errands for my personal business, buying supplies, taking photos for the website, developing social-media content, passing by Maria Bonita Salon & Spa, in Soho, where some of my merchandise is on display, etc. During Fashion Week, I usually attend some of the shows after working hours.
6.30 p.m. I try to be home at about 6:30 p.m. so I can quickly change and head to the gym.
7.00 p.m. Go to the gym, work out and, at least once a week, spend some time in the sauna afterward. On my way home from the gym, I stop at the supermarket to grab some odds and ends for dinner. One week a month, I order dinner from Hello Fresh which saves me time since I avoid having to think about what to buy - - all I have to do is to go home, shower and eat as my husband loves to cook the Hello Fresh meals.
8.30 p.m. Eat dinner with my husband while watching the news and chat about family, future traveling plans, or anything else that does not include our full-time job. We have this general rule of not discussing work-related topics at home, though of course, we do, sometimes, share some highlights of our day if something unusual has happened. But we try to keep it limited. If anything, we talk about how to make my knitting business grow, as we exchange ideas and plans — he is my number one supporter!
9.30 p.m. After dinner, it is time to go to my computer to check on what needs to be done for Just Becozy’s social media, website, vendors, accounting, etc.
10.00 p.m. Back in the day, it was the time I use to go to bed and read but after I started knitting, it is the only time I have to knit — while listening to the TV or music.
11.30 p.m. I try to go to bed but once I start knitting, it is hard to stop so to be more realistic, I end up going to bed at about midnight.
Shop Beatriz's Look
Psst! This dress is also available in Petite sizes.
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