#girlboss – GRIT By Brit

GIRLBOSS Rally 2017 | Los Angles, CA

March 8, 2017 2 Comments

Hey Friends! Last weekend I got the awesome opportunity to travel to Los Angeles, CA and attend the inaugural #girlbossrally hosted by Sophia Amoruso, Founder and Former CEO of Nasty Gal. 2 conferences back-to-back weekends! I co-hosted the 1st WHAT SHE SAID, Women’s Empowerment Conference in Dallas Feb 25th and then jetted to LA for the GIRLBOSS Rally March 4th.

So what is the GIRLBOSS Rally? You ask….

Girlboss is about being the boss of your own life. We will gather the next generation of curious creatives, entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and tastemakers to spark conversation around the topics they are passionate about. From marketing and brand building to getting paid and quitting jobs, health & wellness, sexuality and more, it will be a day filled with actionable takeaways.

The rally was truly a once in a lifetime, girl power inspirational experience. Here are the top 5 things I learned:

1️⃣ There are 40 million women born between 1980-2000 who want more experiences and less stuff and to be the author of their own lives!
2️⃣ Slow is smooth and smooth is fast (slow down!)
3️⃣ It’s great to dream big, but more important to work really freakin’ hard
4️⃣ Don’t compare your hustle to their highlight reel
5️⃣ Be aggressive. Take the shot. Get out of the your own way!

It was so motivating to feel the energy of 500 female hustlers under 1 roof. Simply being in the presence of other GIRLBOSS women gave me the kick in the butt I needed to keep fearlessly growing my business at GRIT Fitness and the courage to take some new risks!

Here are a few pics from the rally for you to you enjoy…

Just arrived at the rally – posing on the wall of inspirational quotes!

Listening to a panel of awesome girl bosses including the founders of CLASS PASS and Brit & Co.

Also enjoyed some quality time with my lovely Aunt Nita who who hosted me at her house in LA for the weekend!

Wishing you happy International Women’s Day and encouraging you to be a BOSS of your own life! xoxo, Brit

Just for Fun

GRIT #GIRLBOSS Pop Up Shop

November 18, 2016 No Comments

Please join me and my team at GRIT Fitness on Saturday, Dec. 10th from 9am-12pm for our 2nd annual Girl Boss Pop Up Shop! We are passionate about supporting women in business and want to create a postive, energetic enviroment for women owned businesses to show off and sell their products and services.

You can enjoy awesome holiday shopping and fun sweat sessions! We’ll offer 2 complimentary community classes:
– 9:00am Dance Club Cardio w/ Jackie
– 10:30am Body Sculpt w/ Brit (yours truly)

Here’s the link to get details and RSVP on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/events/214011032356181/

ATTENTION VENDORS: Email [email protected] to register. Vendor registration will be on a first come, first serve basis. The cost is $25 per vendor table. You can purchase the vendor registration here: https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/classic/ws?studioid=194656&stype=43&prodGroupId=10179

We have space to host up to 20 vendors.

Just for Fun

SWEATWORKING | Workout + Professional Networking

April 9, 2016 No Comments

ATTENTION ALL GIRL BOSSES! Join me in partnership with Ellevate Network for DFW’s first ever “Sweatworking, ” an innovative, fun (and not to mention efficient!) way to combine networking and exercise all into one.

Before kicking things off, I’ll share a little background about how I started my company and our plans for expansion. We’ll then jump into a 30-minute cardio-inspired workout, followed by refreshments and mingling with fellow Ellevate members and other DFW professional women.

Grab a friend or co-worker, throw on your favorite workout gear, and join us for a fabulous night of calorie-burning and networking. See you there! xoxo, Brit

Just for Fun

If at first you don’t succeed, pick yourself up and try again

December 14, 2015 No Comments

Good morning friends! I hope you’re ready to kick-start an amazing week. This weekend I enjoyed not 1, not 2 but 3 fabulous holiday parties and today I’m in major need of a sweat session to burn off holiday cookies and champagne (sooooooo good!)

I wanted to share update with you that I hope gives you hope and encouragement. If you recall, a few weeks ago I traveled to San Antonio to participate in the local SBA InnovateHer business pitch contest and I didn’t win. (You can read my recap here). I expressed my disappointment, but resolved to keep pushing forward to make the vision of my business come to life.

Me making my pitch (once again) at the InnovateHER pitch competition in Dallas, TX

Well…today I’m happy to announce that I recently competed in another local SBA InnovateHer business pitch contest and I won 1st place! This means that my business pitch will be submitted to Washington, DC for the national competition after all. I’m overjoyed and feeling proud of myself for not giving up after my setback. I’ll be honest, I had to give myself a major pep talk to go at it again after losing the week before. But I figured I had nothing to lose but my pride. It was worth it!

As icing on the cake I connected with a fabulous group of Dallas women entrepreneurs. We’ve already hung out since the competition and I invited them to come represent their brands at the #GIRLBOSS women-owned business showcase to take place at my fitness studio this Saturday!

Me with the judges and fellow contestants in the Dallas, TX InnovateHER pitch contest – November 2015

My ultimate mission with the GRIT by Brit blog and the GRIT Fitness studio is help others develop the mental grit needed to best their lives. Each day I have to practice perseverance to make it a habit. It’s not easy, but I believe we can train ourselves to be “gritty.” By choosing not to quit in the business plan competitions, I’ll more readily persevere through the next challenge I face.

That said, I don’t believe failure is anybody’s destiny. Life if too good for that 🙂

xoxo,Brit

Lifestyle

My 2nd Business Pitch Contest

November 23, 2015 No Comments

Brit Rettig- Business Pitch at InnovateHer

Hey Friends! Last week my mom and I made road trip down to San Antonio, TX where I competed in the InnovateHER Women’s Business Pitch Competition sponsored by the SBA (Small Business Administration). It was a bittersweet experience as I practiced all week, picked out the perfect outfit and thought through all of the questions the judges may ask. Alas, I didn’t win 🙁

However, I felt really great about my pitch delivery. Unlike the competition I recently won at the Dallas Entrepreneur Center (DEC), this was a true “pitch” competition meaning I only got 2 minutes to speak and could only have 1 slide on the screen. That said I had to prioritize the most critical aspects of my business plan and immediately excite the judges. This experience definitely pushed me past my comfort zone and elevated me to a new level of public speaking and handling high-pressure situations. Also, I got to the meet the founders of these 4 awesome, female-owned start up companies – I highly suggest you check them out and show them some love!

The 5 Finalists – Me and the fierce female entreprenuers who presented our businesses to the judges – I was so inspired by their awesome ideas, passion & energy!

In the spirit of “keeping it real” I was super bummed about the outcome (I even shed a few tears when I was alone in the lady’s room). Honestly after watching the video of my pitch, there wasn’t anything I thought I could have significantly improved. Fortunately, my competitive nature is getting the best of me and now I’m even more motivated to spread the positive vibes of GRIT Fitness and impact women all over the world! #CantStopWontStop

Before I went to bed that night, I came across this post that gave me so much peace, hope and purpose.

“I want to be in the arena. I want to be brave with my life. And when we make the choice to dare greatly, we sign up to get our asses kicked. We can choose courage or we can choose comfort, but we can’t have both. Not at the same time. Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it’s having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome. Vulnerability is not weakness; it’s our greatest measure of courage.”
― Brené Brown, Rising Strong

I remember being in my corporate career with my steady paycheck and awesome expense account and thinking to myself, “I want more than this. I want to take a risk with my life and pursue my dream.” Now I’m living boldly and there are several ups and downs, but boy is it exciting! I hope this quote positively impacts you as much as it did me.

Keep up the good work ladies and shout out to all of the #GIRLBOSS chicks out there! xoxo, Brit

Me and my Mama Kay enjoying margaritas and Mexican food on the San Antonio River Walk after the competition – you can find a silver lining in EVERY experience if you just look for it!

Just for Fun

My First Business Pitch Contest

November 3, 2015 No Comments

Last Thursday morning I participated in the #WEDALLAS (Women Entrepreneurs of Dallas) pitch contest hosted by the Dallas Entrepreneur Center (DEC) and I WON! I was so nervous I could hardly sleep the night before. I even persuaded my front desk volunteers at GRIT Fitness to help me practice while working their shift.

Before presenting my business pitch to the live audience, I had to complete an online application / business summary. After that, four women-owned start-up companies were chosen to the present at the pitch competition. I was so inspired by the hustle, drive and creativity of the other women entrepreneurs. From new technology apps to non-profit incubators, there are so many innovative new companies spearheaded by a #GIRLBOSS in Dallas!

When it was my turn to present, I took a deep breath and (in typical athlete fashion) gave myself a pep talk. Fortunately, I felt super confident because I practiced my butt of the day before and have been working on my presentation since May of this year. I had a blast and felt so grateful for the opportunity to share my vision for the future of GRIT Fitness. Here are some pics and a short video clip from my pitch…

Of course I can’t talk about GRIT without giving MASSIVE props to my #dreamteam – they are simply the best!

Brit Rettig Business Pitch Winner — After the judges tallied their votes and announced me as a winner, Courtney Kerr presented my grand prize! (She was also a judge.)

Overall, this was such a rewarding experience. Not only did it push me out of my comfort zone but I also won prize money to help expand my business! I plan to participate in a few more pitch contests later this year. My goal is to raise enough money to build a flagship studio and expand GRIT Fitness to serve as many people as possible.

Have you ever participated in a speech or pitch contest? Any words of wisdom for success?

Inspiration & Motivation, Lifestyle

Start-Up Success Secrets

October 12, 2015 No Comments

Hey friends! I just returned to Dallas from a fun-filled, informative weekend in Chicago! My primary purpose was to visit my best friends (Jan and Lakshmi) but in the midst of our patio chillin’ and fine dining I received some valuable business inspiration!

I read #GIRLBOSS by Sophia Amoruso during my flight. Have you read it? It was a funny and inspiring read that got me in “empowered entrepreneur mode” for the duration of the trip. My main take away from the book is to BELIEVE IN YOURSELF AND EVERYONE ELSE WILL BELIEVE IN YOU TOO.

The weather in Chicago was absolutely perfect, sunshine with a cool breeze. Lakshmi, Jan and I enjoyed several cocktails on the patio throughout the weekend. Jan is a member of SoHo House so we also had a yummy lunch on the roof. So fancy huh?

I was excited to put on an old dress that I love – it’s a metallic, fitted Alice & Oliva dress – an oldie but a goodie. I wore it 2 years ago the Dallas Autumn Ball (see here at the bottom of the post) and was pumped to get some more wear out of it this weekend. I love fancy events – great drinks, lots of dancing and engaging conversation – what more could I ask for?

The fun didn’t stop there. On Friday morning I got to attend another exclusive event with Lakshmi (yeah – she’s connected). It was a private breakfast and discussion at the Virgin Hotel for a hand-selected group of 1871 entrepreneurs. Alistair Campbell, former spokesman/press secretary British Prime Minister Tony Blair, was the keynote speaker. He talked about his new book, Winners, and having a “winning mindset.”

Alistair Campbelle (right) and moderator (left) at Virgin Hotel Breakfast event

I found his comments very thought-provoking. Especially this one…

THE WINNING MENTALITY IS BASED OUT OF ADVERSITY.

He elaborated with numerous sports examples. But his bottom line was that the feeling of “not being good enough” can really drive some people more than anything. As a small business owner and a “grit” enthusiast, I couldn’t agree more. Nothing motivates me more than overcoming obstacles and proving to myself and to others that I am capable.

The rest of the weekend was filled with laughs, deep conversation, a sweaty ride at SOUL CYCLE and a final farewell home-cooked dinner at Lakshmi’s place. While the fancy events were nice, I gained the most valuable insight and inspiration from my dearest friends. Every time I’m around them I feel so good about myself because I know that they love me for who I am. I can be 100% myself, silly-jokes, crazy comments and all. And this brings me to the last secret to start-up success = CREATE A BRAND THAT IS TRUE TO YOU.

At the end of the day, there are unlimited products and services in the world that are essentially the same. However, winners are able to deliver value in a different/unique way. A way that makes people feel connected to them. The best way to be unique is to be yourself! Let that uniqueness shine thr

Me, Lakshmi & Jan taking a selfie before I headed back to the Big D