They read the news so you don’t have to. We chat with the ladies behind the daily newsletter theSkimm.

When starting a company you must…
Have a lot of confidence. If you don’t believe in your vision, how can you expect someone else to?

And never be afraid of…
Making an ask. The worst thing someone can say is no — albeit very loudly. That’s going to happen and when it does, you quickly realize it’s not the worst thing in the world.

Most exciting part about owning your business…
Every day is different and you can never quite know what to expect.

And most challenging…
Taking the leap to start it in the first place.

We overcame this with…
A lot of wine. In the end, we decided it was the right time for us, personally and professionally, to try something very different. Although neither of us are self-described “risk-takers,” we had enough faith in our idea to give it a shot.

Best business advice ever received…
The only way you’ll fail is if you don’t try. We actually got that advice from a friend we now call the “godfather” of theSkimm, and it was the push we needed to make our idea a reality.

Our favorite daily reads online include…
Politico Playbook, NYMag and TVNewser.

Favorite Instagram accounts to follow…
Jay Z and Beyoncé, because seeing their lives will spice up your Monday. LeBron James because his life is cooler than ours. Alice + Olivia and Suite 1521 for all things fashion.

Fail-safe topics to break the ice at a party…
The whole notion of theSkimm is that you will be prepared to start a conversation with people from different backgrounds in order to learn more or assert your views. We’re not of the viewpoint that politics and religion are off the table — especially not when you have Pope Francis and Chris Christie to discuss.

That being said…
Some safer topics include movies during awards season (e.g. The Wolf of Wall Street), the A-Rod doping scandal, SnapChat and anything that has recently appeared on 60 Minutes.

MVP newsmaker for 2013…
Pope Francis. He really livened up our 2013 by coming out of nowhere.