Exclusive: Marianna Hewitt says starting her business on summer Fridays is 'so fulfilling': 'Most inspiring'

After creating Summer Friday five years ago, Marianna Hewitt he’s still in awe of how far the company has come.

“It’s the most inspiring and motivating thing I could think of. When I was growing up, I didn’t see many people who looked like me or had careers like me that I could look up to. Even if they were there, I couldn’t learn much about them. When I started my podcast, it was my way I could give back to other aspiring creators or founders or entrepreneurs by asking them the questions I wanted to know,” the entrepreneur, who is excited to partner with Astral tequila to share some of her favorite tips and tricks, she tells exclusively Morning honey. “I hope when people listen, they can see that any career is possible, whether you want to start a business or become an influencer, creative director or publisher. Being able to do that is so fulfilling. It’s my way of inspire others to achieve whatever they want in this life.”

When Hewitt meets someone who uses her products — the collection, which is vegan and cruelty-free, includes face masks, treatments and serums to leave your skin glowing — she usually ends up emotional.

“If you post a photo on Instagram and 50 people like it, you think, ‘Oh, this photo didn’t do so well because only 50 people liked it,’ but what if 50 people came up to you in person and said, ‘You changed me life, that impacted me,’ so it’s inspiring and motivating,” Hewitt, who co-founded Summer Fridays with Lauren Ireland, He says. “I always try to think of it this way: It’s not just a number or an online post. These are real people whose lives you can influence. I always try to keep these people in mind as I keep creating.”

The influencer had no intention of setting up a business, but says “the intention of what I wanted to do was always there.”

“I’ve always wanted to share the things I loved with an audience of people, and I didn’t know how I was going to do that,” she says. “Luckily, YouTube came along and then Instagram. It’s been more than a decade since I’ve been doing this and it’s given me the platform to share the things I love with an audience. Other founders of brands I love and admire like Huda Beauty and Jen Atkin paved the way for other influencer-founded brands to be taken seriously, and so we were able to grow our company. I am so thankful for the female founders who have come before me, and I hope I can pave the way for the next one generation of brand founders.”

This year, Summer Fridays launched its “no-makeup kind of products” that look like an extension of your morning skincare routine, which was a hit. Moving forward, Hewitt is hoping for more goodies to come.

“We want to make Summer Fridays a globally recognized brand where people are by purchasing our products all over the world and becoming their favourite,” he notes where he hopes the brand will be in 5-10 years.

As for why summer Fridays have taken off, Hewitt believes she’s staying true to the brand and customers. “It’s something you can’t necessarily teach, but we instinctively know what our community will like and the kinds of products they’ll gravitate towards,” she notes. “We’re natural marketers, so I feel like something I know best is what’s going to resonate on social and what people will click on. What’s the type of content they’re going to enjoy?”

Ultimately, Hewitt wants to inspire others by showing them that anything is possible. “We built this brand, we funded ourselves. We did it on our own and we’ve been able to and figure it out along the way,” she says. “We had a passion for creating products and were able to make it available in over a thousand stores worldwide. You don’t need to have a beauty background to create a brand. If you don’t know everything, that’s fine. You can partner with someone or hire someone to figure out the things you don’t know. Dream big because if someone else did it, you can too.”

Due to Hewitt’s busy schedule, she doesn’t plan where she goes next. Instead, she is focusing on the present moment. “A lot of times we feel this pressure to make a list, but I’m so grateful for where I am. I want to be grateful and present in the present moment because these are the things I hoped for a year ago, so I don’t want to go through these moments.”

Meanwhile, the brunette beauty is excited about her partnership with Astral tequila – especially with the upcoming holidays. “I love tequila. It’s the one type of cocktail I enjoy making, whether at home or in a restaurant,” she says. “Not only does it taste great, but the citrus notes are amazing. Astral Tequila Blanco is made using 100% Blue Weber Agave nurtured by the sun and stars in Jalisco, Mexico. It’s versatile with bright bursts of citrus, so it mixes beautifully in cocktails. I also love that they are giving back! With every bottle they make, it helps create two bricks and these are then used to build houses in Mexico.”

Since Hewitt loves to entertain, she’ll be whipping up some new recipes for her family and friends, including the Brûléed Paloma.

“I like having people at home and at the same time I’m very busy, so I like it pre-prepare everything”, he shares. “One of the things you can do before your family and friends come to visit you is prepare a batch of cocktails and throw them together. You can make a nice station and have all the cocktails pre-mixed so they can just pour a drink and enjoy!”

Morning honey readers can enter for a chance to win all of Hewitt’s favorite things by visiting Astral Tequila at Instagram (details are included in the caption of the linked post).

For the recipe, see below!

Ingredients:

1.5 oz Astral Tequila Blanco Juice of ½ Ruby Grapefruit 1 oz Fresh Lime Juice Sparkling Pink Grapefruit Soda Brown Sugar

Side dish: cane sugar edge + brûléed grapefruit

Cut a grapefruit into discs and place them on a paper towel. Once dry, place the grapefruit in a bowl of brown sugar to coat the dry side evenly. Place the slice, sugar side up, under the broiler until the sugar caramelizes. Leave to cool completely before garnishing.

Glassware: Highball glass

Preparation: Combine Astral Tequila, grapefruit juice and lime juice in a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake. Rim a highball glass with brown sugar and fill with crushed ice. Strain shaker into glass and garnish with Pink Grapefruit Sparkling Soda. Garnish with a slice of grapefruit brûlée.