Francesca Mey
Francesca Mey
Founder & Editor of Freja / web designer
Berlin
Twitter @frejadaily
Instagram @frejadaily
What do you do?
“I’m a web designer and founder of Freja, an online magazine exploring creative sustainable business and the people behind them. It’s my take on what business should be, a powerful force of change. My passion is to inspire people to be live create lives and create the future of business.”
We love what you’ve done with Freja. What made you start it?
Two years after closing WeAreNext Magazine I really felt something missing. I was not sure what but I believe that running a magazine/blog is something I nor only want to do but also need. I love discovering and interviewing talented creative people, it makes me feel alive. I also wanted to create the media I was looking for. I spend hours reading magazines but I have never found the one that I was looking for. When I read business magazine I have a hard time identifying myself with the entrepreneurs and story. Most of the time they are big company talking about how much they made and how much they project to make. Don’t get me wrong I still read them and there are some that I love like Fast Company and Monocle but still i felt there was something missing. I wanted to read about creative freelancers, small ecological business, stylish brands with a conscience, cool new food trucks and so on. I believe that business can and should change the world in a positive way and that it can be done with style and flair. That’s what I try to share with Freja.
The idea is to work for it full-time eventually, I have several ideas but I want to do it step by step. I’m also planning a print edition. If anybody wants to join the project, contact me:)
Give us a specific example of how you do your job like a BOSS.
I do everything with passion. Otherwise I don’t do it.
I launched my first print magazine when I was 25. 68 pages of content and only 4 ads (that I hustled to get and that paid the full printing of the magazine). Everybody was telling me I would not be able to make it by myself but I gathered the money from sponsors and advertisers, found a team of 15 kick-ass contributors, created a great part of the content, printed and distributed it with two brave friends. After two issue I got contacted by a publishing company in Barcelona that wanted to feature it in their book ‘Mags’ on independent magazine design. I saw my work made in the tiny city Luxembourg published next to all my favorite independent magazines. Did I brag enough? :)
You’re such a bad ass! If you had any advice to other editors out there, what would you say?
Lol, bad ass not sure, I still didn’t take the plunge and left society to go and live in a tiny house in a Brazilian beach, even though i dream about it. That would be bad ass!
Anyway. I’m not sure I can give any advice to other editors, there are so many that are doing freaking amazing jobs but if anybody wants to start a print or online magazine I’d say “Do it and don’t think too much about the amount of work it takes. It’s such a great experience, a perfect way to make mistakes and learn, a great way to share your ideas and visions and a fantastic opportunity to grow your network. you can start with a fanzine if you don’t have a printing budget or launch a Kickstarter campaign. The other option is to just start online or with a digital magazine. these days productions cost are low”.
For other people in your field, what do they usually lack?
I lack confidence, but I hide it well. So it’s a work in progress. I started yoga a few years ago and got my teacher certificate last year and the practice helps me accepting myself for who I am without judging and confronting myself to other. It’s not easy, especially with social media where everybody seems to have a better life, job, body, house etc. I fall into this trap quite often and sometimes it freezes me. I also think that what I do is not good enough. So I think that launching Freja even though it was not totally ready and it’s still a work in progress design and editorially wise was a big step for me. I just say, let’s put it online and let’s make it better each day.
If you have multiple jobs and/or skills, which one do you wish you could do more often?
Help creatives and entrepreneurs find the best way to run, grow their business. Right now I do it underground for fun, I have several friends that get in touch with me to help them make their site/blog look better, write their about page, increase their sale, create an online shop, promote their work. But i haven’t made it official or into a business. I hope to do it soon though.
I’d also would love to get back into shooting hip hop videos. I did some for fun, and some reached over 400 000 views on Youtube, so might get back to it.
OK whaaaat? Link please!
Oh be indulgent with me, it’s 4 years ago and it’s just me, one camera, no budget, no script:)
The other ones are just so anti feminist I don’t share them anymore (was a tomboy period of my life) ;)
What is frustrating you right now? What is making your job/business/project hard to move forward?
My location. Luxembourg is great but but I’m missing all the events, conferences, networking gig that are going on in the bigger cities. Talking with people online is nice but real human interactions goes a long way. I’m preparing to relocate though.
Oh, where to? When? Come to LA!
I’m looking into London or Berlin (should move in one of these two cities by the end of February) I still have several weddings in Europe this year so I cannot move to far but LA would be a dream come true! Maybe 2016?
What are you putting off right now, but you know you have to get to, but you haven’t had the time?
I would like to grow Freja into a community, create events and eventually create a print magazine. I’ve already been down that road so I know that to do all this I need the right partners with the same passion and vision. And doing it alone is not as fun (I also like to sleep sometimes). So if anybody is up for some good collaboration I’m here.
If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?
Network, sales (!!!) & social media.
If you could talk to an expert to gain more insight on something, what would it be about?
Oh well right now I’m all about dreaming of creating my own eco house. I would love to talk to an architect about where and how I could build my little sustainable and small house. Preferably in a sunny location. I believe that our environment is everything and that if we love our home it’s a big step toward a fulfilling life. I love nature and I would love to integrate it more in my daily life.
Otherwise I would like to talk with Leila Janah, founder of Samasource and just listen to how she started her company and how she grew it to what it is today. She is such an inspiration
What are you working on right now?
On Freja, defining the editorial line, promoting it to grow the readership, understanding what people read and what they don’t, finding collaborators and building a team. Understanding what would be the best way to make it profitable without compromising the vision.
I’m meeting couples for the next wedding season.
And I’m teaching yoga.
What kind of opportunities/projects are you looking for right now?
I would love to collaborate with creative brands to create specific events to help entrepreneurs make things happen. Not your typical conference, more something like Unique Camp. Maybe in Europe, in Italy. As that’s where I’m from I know some amazing locations that would make anybody feel like in paradise and inspire some great work. I would love to bring the business savoir-faire to Europe and show some Dolce Vita to the american entrepreneurs.
Describe your ideal client/job/collaboration.
I love the guys from Freunde von Freunde and I love how Kinfolk created a hub of creatives. I would love to work with some of them and get Freja off the ground. I’m inspired by the work of A Guy Named Arturo. That would be my idea job.
Describe a client/job/partner you would rather not have. What are your deal breakers?
Pretentious people. Dealbreaker.
What is your hourly rate, retainer, or salary range?
As a photographer I work mostly for wedding so it depends on the collection, which starts usually at 2500 $.
How should someone approach you about working with you?
Email is best. Short and to the point. I love GIFs :)
This member profile was originally published on February 2015.