PROJECT #BEYOUROWN BOSS : GABBY KONO

In our third installment of our 6 part campaign, we present Gabby Kono to talk about what it means to her to BE YOUR OWN Boss in the 21st century.

Founder of The Pool Room, I am Gabby Kono, a born and raised New Yorker made the move from the cold of New York to sunny Los Angeles to attend the University of Southern California. The move brought me in contact with some of the Golden State’s famous pool parties. Beautiful people, perfect weather, you get it but something was missing – floating accessories vibrant enough to keep up with the party scene. So, that’s exactly what I set out to change.

The Pool Room brings the little extra “umph” every party needs. I have since partnered with a handful of cool, amazing companies like Black Box Wine, Nylon Magazine, and Stillhouse Whiskey to name a few, and The Pool Room even got a mention on the Today Show this past August!

I have never been one to conform or go with the flow. I believe in change and fun, and we should all see it in everything we do- even when relaxing by a pool. So, I created my version of what a pool float should look like. Why just drink champagne by a pool when you can float on one? Why just extend your generous heart to guests when you can let them drift on a big gold heart float? Creating pool floats has allowed me to express another side of my creativity. As an actress, I had to find a Plan B that would be able to grow and coexist with my acting. Working with shapes and colors allows to me create floats the way I create the characters I portray. It allows me to put a little bit of myself out into the world to share with people and hopefully in doing so, I make people happy.

I think the hardest aspect of womanhood has been the lack of support by other women. Rather than uniting and supporting one another, women tend to put each other down, disparage and pass negative judgment. I have had women tell me that my company is a “joke” or that it is a joke for me to call myself an entrepreneur. Well, to that I say, my company is still here and so am I. But I still look forward to the day when another woman says to me, “I love what you’re doing.”

BE YOUR OWN Boss means to me freedom. It allows me to set the tone of my life. It allows me to pursue my acting career while still running my luxury inflatable pool float company. My hours are flexible- I can work during the wee hours of the night or the weekends. It allows me to be me – unconventional.

Instagram: @gabbykono @inthepoolroom

Website: www.inthepoolroom.com