In a city that’s constantly grinding 24/7, you’d be hard pressed to find a couple as hardworking and motivated as Danielle Guizio and Mark Shami. Entrepreneurs, designers, and creatives are just a few of the titles used to describe them. And while the city that never sleeps currently takes a pause, they’ve stayed busy learning how to adjust operating their businesses from home during these times. For our latest installment of On The Line With… we connect with Danielle & Mark for tips on productivity, their advice to others, and how they look to each other for support. Read Up.
Please introduce yourself and describe what you do for a living.
Danielle Guizio: My name is Danielle Guizio. I’m an entrepreneur and designer living in New York City.
Mark Shami: My name is Mark Shami & I am the CEO/Founder of The M Jewelers.
How are you adjusting to social distancing?
Danielle: I’m an introverted virgo and germaphobe… so for lack of better words, I’m pretty comfortable adjusting to social distancing lol. But in all seriousness, I thankfully don’t mind being alone with my thoughts. It’s given me time to restart and sharpen my focus.
Mark: It’s definitely a strange time, especially in New York City with the city being completely empty. My team and I have been doing what we can from home, zoom conference calls, working on new products, projects & we actually have an IOS coming out so a lot of time has been dedicated to that.
How do you typically start your day? What daily rituals are you practicing?
Danielle: I like to keep my morning routine consistent for a sense of normalcy. I wake up, shower, start with a quick breakfast and coffee (which I usually never have time for when I wasn’t working from home, so that’s been a nice perk).
Mark: My day starts with a run. I am currently on track to run 365 days straight with no days off.
How are you staying productive while at home? Any useful tips?
Danielle: I swear by making your bed first thing in the morning! There are proven studies that show how it affects your entire day and overall mood. I also like to clean up my apartment before I start working. Or even cleaning up your desk/working area can help improve your mood and vibe for the day so you can begin with a clear mind.
Mark: Time management, don’t watch tv or stay on your phone during the day!
What is keeping you grounded/balanced at the moment?
Mark: Fortunately Danielle is also working from home so we’re battling a lot of the same issues together.
Danielle: I know Mark mentioned in his answer the same but it’s true, it’s definitely keeping me sane knowing that we have 2 different companies yet are experiencing the same issues. Makes me feel less alone and plus we can brainstorm together on how to tackle the challenges.
During this time of social distancing, people are leaning on things such as streaming services, puzzles, painting, at-home workouts, to name a few, what activities are you using to take your mind off of things?
Mark: Mostly exercising & some backgammon!
Danielle: We just got a Connect 4 on Amazon. It started out as a really fun/cute wholesome thing, but has since turned into an extremely high intensity competitive rivalry.
How have you stayed connected to friends and family during this time?
Mark: Zoom calls, phone calls, & facetime. It’s been nice to reconnect with a lot of people. Long phone calls!
Danielle: I’ve been FaceTiming or on Zoom with my family and friends. It feels good to take the time out to connect again and take my head out of business for a bit. I’m really thankful for this time for that reasoning, that’s a light I’m seeing out of this dark time.
What advice would you give to someone who’s struggling in isolation right now?
Danielle: I’m realizing that everyone is taking this very differently. As I’m checking in with friends, some are focused and inspired and some are feeling lost filled with anxiety and crippling fear. For those struggling, I want them to have hope that this will soon pass. You have to find the positives and strictly focus on that. Focus on what you can control at this moment. Even if that means reorganizing, decluttering, writing in your journal, mocking up ideas for a new project. Use this time to focus on your inner-self, and if that means healing… take it slow. There are also virtual therapy services available and apps that could be beneficial in times like these.
Mark: Take it day by day & remember this is not forever. Do something useful with your time, the people that work from home during this time will come out stronger.
What accomplishment are you most proud of while social distancing?
Danielle: Our SS20 “Corporate Deviance” collection launch.
Mark: My company was able to remotely launch a collaboration. (The M Jewelers x Greg Yuna) We were able to shoot video, score music, take product shots and launch all while working from home.
What are you most looking forward to once this is over?
Danielle: Getting back to my office and working face to face with my team again.
Mark: Being back in my office with my team tackling the rest of the year!
