In conversation with Emily King

“I wanted to create a space where women could be their authentic selves without feeling judged or shamed.”

-Emily King

Image: Emily King

Emily King is a writer and founder of online female-led magazine The C Word Mag. She is a 27 year old woman based in London and her online magazine celebrates women and female expression in all forms by publishing content from women of all ages and all backgrounds to help elevate female voices. She is currently working on her own podcast with a friend, running The C Word Mag and also dabbles in graphic design, when not doing her day job as a project manager.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself? 

I’m Emily, I’m 28 and originally from Bristol but I’ve been living in London for the past four and a bit years. Originally, I started working in marketing in the hospitality industry, but changed course just over two years ago to project and account management in a digital agency. I’m a big tea and coffee drinker, a lover of childish humour and what my friends would classify as shockingly bad films.

I’d say I’m quite creative, as I’ve always loved art and music and writing, which is lucky as I decided to start The C Word Mag in May last year. I’ve managed to combine all my favourite things and more!

Tell us about your business, how did you come up with the idea or concept? What were your first steps to bringing the business to life? 

I came up with The C Word Mag literally by doodling. It was the peak of lockdown one in May 2020 and it really just came to me randomly rather than it being something I thought about significantly beforehand. I doodled some logo options on my notepad and then worked them up in Illustrator. At the time, my dad hated them all except one, which is now the logo! Once I had the logo, I decided to set up a website and just start writing my thoughts down. It’s almost a year later and we’ve got over 100 writers which is MENTAL. 

What was your overarching mission/aim at the outset? 

I wanted to create a space where women could be their authentic selves without feeling judged or shamed. I read so many fashion and gossip magazines as a teen and aspired to write for one in the future. It never worked out (nor does life in general) and I felt that these magazines were missing some of the truthful iterations of female lived experiences.

These hugely popular glossy magazines excluded the more in depth, gruesome, harsh realities and glossed others over to appear more commercialised. Sex articles were more like ‘how to make your partner love you more’ rather than spreading a ‘love yourself’ message. A lot has changed since the 90s but even in 2020 and 2021, I felt like not all women, of all ages, of all races, were always heard. 

What is the main inspiration for your business?

Celebration. Celebrate each other, and celebrate yourself and your achievements. 

Were there any initial challenges that you came up against, if so how did you overcome them? 

Time… it is the ever-present challenge. It’s amazing how much you can fit into a day. At the beginning I dedicated literally all my time to it because I was locked inside. Then as soon as restaurants, bars, pubs etc opened, I was trying to see as many friends as possible.

I also work full time so I’m not sure I will overcome this particular obstacle, but you learn to accommodate. I get up early some days, and I work on The C Word after my day job on others. I see friends when I can - being organised is the key. Luckily though, I have four wonderful interns, my best friend and cousin to help me through it. Asking for help was the best thing I ever did. 

Can you tell us about your first “win”? Do you have your first sale  framed in your office?  

We don’t sell anything (yet, merch coming very soon!) so no first sale plaques just yet. We crowdfunded to pay our writers at the beginning of this year and made a whopping 5k which was huge. Our writers have really become a community, some of who I feel like I know really well so it was beyond amazing to be able to reward them for their time and effort as an online publication that doesn’t make money. 

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? 

“Just keep swimming.” As said by Dory, a fish from Finding Nemo. It wasn’t advice given to me personally, and it’s a little out of the box, but it’s like a mantra I say to myself when I feel like I need to give up. 

How do you find the work-life balance? What strategies and routines do  you have in place to cope with the work-life balance?

It’s a constant challenge. Being flexible is great, but staying organised is my number one priority. I have a work notebook for my day job, a notepad for The C Word, a C Word email, a day job email, to do lists on my phone, reminders on my phone, Trello, Google Docs - you name it. Mainly because inspiration often strikes at the weirdest of times so I need to get it down somewhere! 

Would you recommend any resources that have been useful for you when starting/running your business? 

Facebook groups. It’s a weird one, but getting inspiration from other women who’ve started businesses or side hustles has been brilliant. They’re so supportive and offer the best advice. 

What would be your advice to anyone wanting to start their own  business? 

Jump in headfirst. 

How can we support your business? Share any links or information that will be useful to our readers! 

Sign up to our newsletter for roundups of our articles, discount codes with brands we love, competitions, and all of our latest news. Follow us on Instagram or Twitter or chuck us a like on Facebook. We also launched our C Word podcast called Confession Sessions, so give that a listen on Spotify! 

Website:  thecwordmag.co.uk 

Instagram:  @the_cwordmag 

Twitter: @TheCWordMag1 

Facebook: @TheCWordMag1 

Pinterest: thecwordmag1/