WEBVTT - Rebecca Minkoff 0:00:01.240 --> 0:00:03.800 Welcome back to another episode of Big Money Energy, where 0:00:03.800 --> 0:00:06.680 we talked to super successful and self made people to 0:00:06.720 --> 0:00:09.560 find out exactly how they did it, how they went 0:00:09.600 --> 0:00:13.080 from nothing to something. Today I am joined by none 0:00:13.119 --> 0:00:17.280 other than author, podcast host and how you know her 0:00:17.600 --> 0:00:22.640 absolute trail blazer in the world of fashion, Rebecca Minkoff, 0:00:23.000 --> 0:00:26.599 the Rebecca mink Off who's sitting down with me mere 0:00:26.680 --> 0:00:29.960 days before her huge show during the chaos of Fashion 0:00:30.000 --> 0:00:33.120 Week in New York City. We discussed pushing boundaries and 0:00:33.120 --> 0:00:37.480 taking risks, her thoughts on elevating female voices and perspectives 0:00:37.479 --> 0:00:39.199 in the world of business, and how she went from 0:00:39.240 --> 0:00:41.800 sleeping on egg crates no joke, to being one of 0:00:41.840 --> 0:00:45.520 the most important names in all of fashion. Now let's 0:00:45.520 --> 0:00:58.000 get into it. Welcome to another episode. Thank you so 0:00:58.080 --> 0:01:00.200 much for coming. You are awesome and I've been a 0:01:00.280 --> 0:01:02.720 huge fan for a really, really, really really really long 0:01:02.800 --> 0:01:06.199 time and it's exciting to have you here in fashion week. 0:01:06.640 --> 0:01:09.520 It's Fashion Week, My event is Friday. Why are you? 0:01:09.560 --> 0:01:12.120 Why are you here? I'm here because when you request 0:01:12.160 --> 0:01:14.600 me in person, Ryan, I have I have to answer 0:01:14.640 --> 0:01:17.080 the call. Are you sure? Did you? Maybe you didn't 0:01:17.120 --> 0:01:18.760 know that it was gonna be Fashion Week because this 0:01:18.800 --> 0:01:21.560 is a little while ago, and yeah, I'm positive, but 0:01:21.640 --> 0:01:23.360 I was like, you know what, I'm not. I'm only 0:01:23.360 --> 0:01:25.440 in town for a week before I go back to Florida, 0:01:25.840 --> 0:01:28.200 where I'm temporarily residing, and I need to do this. 0:01:28.200 --> 0:01:30.240 This is my week? Got it? Well? Thank you for 0:01:30.280 --> 0:01:33.000 being here? Crazy? Are you losing your mind right now? 0:01:33.120 --> 0:01:35.000 I am so. Are you one of those people who's 0:01:35.080 --> 0:01:38.160 like kind of like me, like calm on the outside, 0:01:38.319 --> 0:01:41.319 but there's a lot happening on the inside. Yes, But 0:01:41.400 --> 0:01:44.840 I found that writing down notes analog style, like on 0:01:44.880 --> 0:01:48.360 a notebook really helps me. And this satisfaction of crossing 0:01:48.400 --> 0:01:51.400 things off my list makes me feel as stressed. So 0:01:51.600 --> 0:01:54.000 we are launching it at New York Fashion Week at 0:01:54.040 --> 0:01:57.160 Spring Studios, That's where the hub is, and we are 0:01:57.280 --> 0:02:00.720 selling prints that we made of the action, a capsule 0:02:00.760 --> 0:02:04.040 collection as n f T S if anyone needs to 0:02:04.080 --> 0:02:08.239 google that can um and the proceeds are going to 0:02:08.320 --> 0:02:10.720 be going towards the grant to female found of business 0:02:10.800 --> 0:02:13.000 is impacted by the pandemic in New York City? Is 0:02:13.000 --> 0:02:15.240 that all your concept that you put together? Yeah? So 0:02:15.240 --> 0:02:17.639 I began reading about n f T S early last 0:02:17.720 --> 0:02:20.919 year I saw that luxury dove in and I thought, 0:02:20.960 --> 0:02:22.800 you know what, We're always known as a brand for 0:02:22.880 --> 0:02:25.520 pushing boundaries, and this should be how we launched it. 0:02:25.560 --> 0:02:28.399 Everyone's coming back to fashion Week. We showed through the pandemic, 0:02:28.919 --> 0:02:30.640 but we have to do something different. It can't just 0:02:30.680 --> 0:02:34.120 be models in a collection. So we shot a campaign 0:02:34.200 --> 0:02:38.120 with a legendary photographer and decided to do a gallery 0:02:38.160 --> 0:02:41.359 like event and work to promote n f t S 0:02:41.400 --> 0:02:44.720 is a charitable way to give back. That's crazy, And 0:02:44.960 --> 0:02:47.200 because it is the anniversary of nine eleven and I 0:02:47.240 --> 0:02:50.480 had a charitable component, then I thought, let's do something 0:02:50.520 --> 0:02:53.520 now for women who were, you know, really devastated by 0:02:53.520 --> 0:02:56.200 this pandemic in New York. You started your business in 0:02:56.200 --> 0:03:00.359 two thousand one, I did, and what month, sept Timber 0:03:00.840 --> 0:03:03.600 of two thousand and one one. It's a momentous kind 0:03:03.600 --> 0:03:06.440 of anniversary for you right in the business, so it 0:03:06.440 --> 0:03:09.080 means a lot. But that was also in probably one 0:03:09.120 --> 0:03:11.240 of the toughest times in the history of New York City. 0:03:11.520 --> 0:03:15.800 I mean, how does fear play a role in one 0:03:15.960 --> 0:03:18.240 your ability to start a business, keep a business going 0:03:18.240 --> 0:03:20.720 and all the ups and downs, But also in kind 0:03:20.720 --> 0:03:24.520 of just I guess the business in general. So I've 0:03:24.600 --> 0:03:26.840 learned a lot about fear in the last twenty years. 0:03:27.400 --> 0:03:30.600 UM my show, my initial fashion Week show with September 0:03:30.600 --> 0:03:35.360 two one. Yeah, it was a group show, A bunch 0:03:35.360 --> 0:03:37.400 of designers that didn't have enough money banded together to 0:03:37.600 --> 0:03:39.920 you know, make it five of us or whatever, to 0:03:40.560 --> 0:03:43.120 you know, make the costs easier. The next day obviously 0:03:43.200 --> 0:03:45.080 changed everything, and I had this isle of New York 0:03:45.080 --> 0:03:46.640 Shire that was part of the collection that I had 0:03:46.640 --> 0:03:48.800 cut up and be dazzled and tied knots and it 0:03:48.840 --> 0:03:50.520 was very d I y then, which was cool. I 0:03:50.560 --> 0:03:53.880 hope it never comes back. And a couple of weeks later, 0:03:54.480 --> 0:03:56.920 so I guess I should back. So I obviously wasn't 0:03:56.920 --> 0:03:59.760 thinking about my business at that time. A couple of 0:03:59.840 --> 0:04:02.280 days later, my boss, a designer I worked for a 0:04:02.320 --> 0:04:04.360 called me and said, you know what you're doing, go 0:04:04.440 --> 0:04:07.640 do it either need with me or you're fired. And 0:04:07.680 --> 0:04:10.000 I think I know the answer. So you're fired, but 0:04:10.040 --> 0:04:11.600 I'm here for you. And I was like, but wait, 0:04:12.480 --> 0:04:15.240 like nine eleven just happened. It's not like people are hiring. 0:04:15.840 --> 0:04:17.760 And I said, this is my moment to try my 0:04:17.800 --> 0:04:22.120 hand at this business. Um and that shirt because an 0:04:22.120 --> 0:04:25.120 actress ward on Jay Leno and he mentioned it was 0:04:25.200 --> 0:04:27.200 all over the weeklies. There was no such thing as 0:04:27.240 --> 0:04:29.680 social media, so the power of that was crazy. And 0:04:29.720 --> 0:04:33.120 there was one website called Raven Style that sold the shirt. 0:04:33.200 --> 0:04:35.279 So I literally would bike down the Green Street on 0:04:35.279 --> 0:04:37.560 the corner of Green and Canal, buy the shirts, go home, 0:04:37.680 --> 0:04:40.159 make them. And that shirt that I live New York 0:04:40.160 --> 0:04:43.280 shirt kept me alive barely. It was like Raman and 0:04:43.360 --> 0:04:45.680 avoiding my roommate who I owed, or like three thousand 0:04:45.720 --> 0:04:48.000 dollars in rent for a couple of months, but still 0:04:48.279 --> 0:04:50.279 it was that shirt that like open doors for me. 0:04:50.440 --> 0:04:52.039 A lot of people reach out to us all the 0:04:52.080 --> 0:04:54.560 time and ask about Okay, I'm eighteen years old, now 0:04:54.560 --> 0:04:56.640 what do I do? I have a passion or sometimes 0:04:56.680 --> 0:04:58.240 they don't have a passion, and I feel like the 0:04:58.279 --> 0:05:00.919 answer is always different. Did you have a passion for 0:05:00.960 --> 0:05:04.400 fashion when you were like three or is it something 0:05:04.400 --> 0:05:07.559 that was developed around parents and friends? It was eight 0:05:08.200 --> 0:05:12.440 um I wanted to address. I wanted to address it 0:05:12.520 --> 0:05:14.240 was twenty bucks. My mom said no, but I'll teach 0:05:14.279 --> 0:05:17.240 you how to sell. And I was so pissed. And 0:05:17.279 --> 0:05:18.719 I have an eight year Alto I say no to 0:05:18.760 --> 0:05:21.080 all the time, and she's equally pissed, but she doesn't 0:05:21.120 --> 0:05:24.039 take me up on the offer to help her make it. Um. 0:05:24.160 --> 0:05:27.039 So I got hooked at the age of eight on 0:05:27.080 --> 0:05:29.279 sewing and design. I went to a performer at high school. 0:05:29.320 --> 0:05:31.800 I was in the costume department. The teacher couldn't believe 0:05:31.839 --> 0:05:34.240 I cared, so she like taught me draping and pattern 0:05:34.320 --> 0:05:37.040 making and the art of design and so again part 0:05:37.120 --> 0:05:39.359 of why I felt like I didn't need to go 0:05:39.440 --> 0:05:42.440 to college, as I had four hours a day every 0:05:42.480 --> 0:05:45.000 day through high school of learning the craft. So my 0:05:45.080 --> 0:05:47.160 first year of F I T I probably already had 0:05:47.200 --> 0:05:50.560 gotten in high school. Were you ever nervous though about 0:05:51.279 --> 0:05:52.880 how am I actually going to make money? When you 0:05:52.880 --> 0:05:55.120 know the percentage of people that actually make it, especially 0:05:55.160 --> 0:05:57.640 in New York City getting into fashion. What if it 0:05:57.640 --> 0:05:59.520 doesn't work out? What am I going to fall back on? 0:05:59.760 --> 0:06:01.800 A year of F F T. I mean that must 0:06:01.839 --> 0:06:04.200 have been like from family members tough on, you know, 0:06:04.400 --> 0:06:06.240 or were they just like, just do whatever you want? Well? 0:06:06.279 --> 0:06:09.360 I did six weeks at f I got it six 0:06:09.600 --> 0:06:14.320 six weeks solid, really dedicated there. I think when you're 0:06:14.320 --> 0:06:17.520 that young it's a bit of a mix of naivety, right, 0:06:18.080 --> 0:06:21.080 and I had nothing to fall back on, So it's 0:06:21.120 --> 0:06:23.640 not like I had to fear anything, right. I knew 0:06:23.640 --> 0:06:25.360 that if it didn't work out, I guess I'd go 0:06:25.480 --> 0:06:27.640 back home and be a receptionist at my dad's office 0:06:27.760 --> 0:06:29.719 or I don't know. I just for me, I was like, 0:06:29.760 --> 0:06:31.440 I have to give it my all. And back then, 0:06:31.480 --> 0:06:33.720 the pay for me was the experience, and it was 0:06:33.760 --> 0:06:37.280 the exciting, Like everything was exciting, and so it wasn't 0:06:37.279 --> 0:06:39.480 about money, and I didn't care if I ate bagels 0:06:39.960 --> 0:06:41.880 or pizza. That was what I could afford to eat 0:06:41.880 --> 0:06:44.160 and whatever. So that feeling you had when you first 0:06:44.160 --> 0:06:45.880 moved to New York where you didn't have to make 0:06:45.920 --> 0:06:48.320 money because you just wanted the experience and it was exciting, 0:06:49.040 --> 0:06:50.640 and what's the worst thing that can happen, You're gonna 0:06:50.640 --> 0:06:52.360 move home like that, that was the same thing for me, 0:06:52.400 --> 0:06:53.760 Like I came to New York City at a little 0:06:53.760 --> 0:06:56.359 money saved up. I gave myself two years and what 0:06:56.480 --> 0:06:58.159 was the worst thing that could happen? I could move home, 0:06:58.360 --> 0:07:00.520 and at the time it was Colorado, But that was 0:07:00.600 --> 0:07:02.240 by far like the worst thing because if I went 0:07:02.240 --> 0:07:04.320 home to Colorado, Like what was I? I would never 0:07:04.360 --> 0:07:05.919 come back, and I knew that if you make it 0:07:05.920 --> 0:07:08.480 in New York, I would figure it out. Even if 0:07:08.520 --> 0:07:10.920 it wasn't the initial plan. You stuck with the initial plan. 0:07:11.040 --> 0:07:15.360 I totally went a different way. But something that I 0:07:15.400 --> 0:07:18.160 think about a lot is I was able to make 0:07:19.200 --> 0:07:24.040 super bold and daring decisions at that time because the 0:07:24.080 --> 0:07:28.000 repercussions were so insignificant when you look at life as 0:07:28.040 --> 0:07:31.880 a whole. Like Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy the day 0:07:31.920 --> 0:07:34.760 I got into the business, right and so but I 0:07:34.520 --> 0:07:37.160 I had no money. I didn't have a stock portfolio. 0:07:37.520 --> 0:07:39.920 You know, everyone else was crying and watching CNBC and 0:07:39.920 --> 0:07:42.280 I was like, man, real estate must be hard. Like 0:07:42.320 --> 0:07:45.400 I had no idea. How do you bring that kind 0:07:45.440 --> 0:07:50.920 of naivete back into your life when there is a 0:07:50.920 --> 0:07:52.920 lot on the line. And I feel like you're someone 0:07:52.920 --> 0:07:55.200 who's kind of hope. I mean kind of figured that 0:07:55.240 --> 0:07:57.800 out a bit because you're always launching something new, You're 0:07:57.800 --> 0:08:00.840 always pushing boundaries. You're about to do an n f 0:08:00.920 --> 0:08:04.680 T Fashion Week show in your twentieth year anniversary, Like 0:08:05.240 --> 0:08:07.320 is that what keeps you kind of like up against 0:08:07.360 --> 0:08:10.200 the wall. I think it's a couple of things. Obviously, 0:08:10.240 --> 0:08:12.920 as your responsibilities grow. I know you have a family, 0:08:13.000 --> 0:08:15.840 I have one to thing. You have three times the family. 0:08:15.880 --> 0:08:19.080 I have three times the family. Yes, I do. It's insane. Um. 0:08:19.200 --> 0:08:21.720 I think obviously the risks you take have to be 0:08:21.760 --> 0:08:25.120 waited a bit more. But I think for me, my 0:08:25.120 --> 0:08:29.000 my big low moment, my big that sort of put 0:08:29.040 --> 0:08:31.800 everything for me in perspective was a couple of years ago. 0:08:32.360 --> 0:08:35.520 I was in Paris for sales of the collection. I 0:08:35.600 --> 0:08:38.679 was celebrating with my former president. We were drinking champagne 0:08:38.679 --> 0:08:41.599 and eating at Lavenue in this fantastic setting, and we 0:08:41.679 --> 0:08:43.719 get an email from our bank that was basically like, 0:08:44.760 --> 0:08:48.560 we're not advancing you any more funds. You're cut off, 0:08:48.640 --> 0:08:50.319 which meant we couldn't pay the factory, which meant we 0:08:50.360 --> 0:08:53.600 couldn't chip the collection, which means bankruptcy. And you know, 0:08:53.679 --> 0:08:56.559 the bank also has a lean on my house. So 0:08:56.600 --> 0:08:58.680 I was like, cool, they're going to take that too, 0:08:58.760 --> 0:09:01.320 And I as I'm having panic attack, like I'm going 0:09:01.400 --> 0:09:04.000 to lose everything, I just said, you know what, they 0:09:04.000 --> 0:09:06.840 can't take my kids, they can't take my husband. And 0:09:06.880 --> 0:09:09.240 I know that if I started something once I can 0:09:09.240 --> 0:09:13.000 start it again, and that for me was a more 0:09:13.080 --> 0:09:15.720 security than any money in the bank. And I'm not 0:09:15.720 --> 0:09:18.400 saying it wouldn't suck to lose everything. It would really, 0:09:18.440 --> 0:09:21.280 if I can swear, it would really fucking suck. But 0:09:21.640 --> 0:09:24.320 I knew that I could rebuild, and I knew the 0:09:24.400 --> 0:09:27.559 things I'm most precious to me no one can steal 0:09:27.800 --> 0:09:30.440 today maybe maybe in the future, who knows um. And 0:09:30.480 --> 0:09:33.839 so I look through that lens now like, I'm never 0:09:33.880 --> 0:09:35.880 going to take a risk that's gonna put my company 0:09:35.880 --> 0:09:39.440 out of business. But you know, I think we've been 0:09:39.480 --> 0:09:42.880 given permission from our industry as innovators. And sometimes things 0:09:42.960 --> 0:09:45.040 work and sometimes they don't, you know, they and a 0:09:45.200 --> 0:09:46.920 teething could be a flop and no one wants to 0:09:46.960 --> 0:09:50.000 buy the goods of the auction, but it could also 0:09:50.040 --> 0:09:53.360 be the beginning of something great for contemporary American fashion designers. 0:09:53.360 --> 0:09:56.360 So I think for us, I thrive on the risk. Now. 0:09:57.440 --> 0:10:00.200 I don't have the fear because you know, a art 0:10:00.280 --> 0:10:02.360 wise man who was a consultant for us, pointed out, 0:10:02.400 --> 0:10:03.840 He's like, every time you tried to go with the 0:10:03.840 --> 0:10:06.880 pack and do what the fashion industry said, you didn't 0:10:06.960 --> 0:10:08.880 achieve anything, and any time you went your own way, 0:10:08.960 --> 0:10:11.640 you did, and so I know for us, our own 0:10:11.640 --> 0:10:14.000 way is the solution, and that involves a lot of risk. 0:10:14.160 --> 0:10:16.320 How many people work for you now I have seven? 0:10:16.640 --> 0:10:20.600 And it started just you and your brother. Originally in 0:10:20.640 --> 0:10:22.480 two thousand one, it was just me. It was me 0:10:22.559 --> 0:10:26.800 for four years, struggling doing the apparel thing, making everything myself. 0:10:27.280 --> 0:10:29.520 I had a little racket going where a publicist would 0:10:29.559 --> 0:10:32.520 call me and say, editors are looking for this. I'd 0:10:32.559 --> 0:10:35.199 go home and make it. I deliver it to him. 0:10:35.280 --> 0:10:36.959 He would get into magazine and we would credit the 0:10:37.000 --> 0:10:38.560 one website who would be like, you got to buy 0:10:38.800 --> 0:10:40.679 a couple in advance and loan me the money so 0:10:40.720 --> 0:10:42.000 I can go buy the fabric because it's going to 0:10:42.120 --> 0:10:45.160 run in the magazine. So I had this like, it's 0:10:45.160 --> 0:10:47.160 not a pyramid scheme, but it kind of was. But 0:10:47.200 --> 0:10:50.400 everyone was in on it um. And then I launched 0:10:50.400 --> 0:10:52.720 the handbag, which was just supposed to be one handbag 0:10:52.760 --> 0:10:54.880 as an accessory to the collection. And that's what took 0:10:54.880 --> 0:10:57.560 off in a way that my brother. That's when I 0:10:57.600 --> 0:10:59.880 got him involved because I was like, I'm really ter 0:11:00.000 --> 0:11:02.640 bull of business. I'm way better now I can go 0:11:02.720 --> 0:11:04.880 Toto toto with him, but at the time I just 0:11:04.920 --> 0:11:07.000 wanted to design and focus on that. So to take 0:11:07.040 --> 0:11:09.000 me back, So you doing it on your own for 0:11:09.040 --> 0:11:11.839 four years, Your brother comes into the picture. You had 0:11:11.880 --> 0:11:15.199 the shirt, You've got the bag, and then you guys 0:11:15.200 --> 0:11:18.040 have a discussion and say, listen, we could build something 0:11:18.080 --> 0:11:20.400 really really big, or hey, this is the business plan, 0:11:20.520 --> 0:11:23.200 let's write it together. Or were you kind of just 0:11:23.760 --> 0:11:28.439 winging it and creating the supply as the demand came in. 0:11:29.120 --> 0:11:31.400 So I'll backtrack a little bit because I think it 0:11:31.520 --> 0:11:35.520 sets the scene. Um, my dad had co signed a 0:11:35.559 --> 0:11:37.600 credit card. He was not paying for it, but he 0:11:37.640 --> 0:11:40.440 had signed it. That was basically like, if I can't 0:11:40.440 --> 0:11:43.560 make the payments, go after him. Yes, I was sixty 0:11:44.000 --> 0:11:46.920 dollars in when the bag was about to take off, 0:11:46.960 --> 0:11:49.880 and I called him and I was like, Dad, got 0:11:49.880 --> 0:11:52.880 another good thing, but people you know like it. You know, 0:11:52.880 --> 0:11:55.400 I have an order a bunch of orders for this bag. 0:11:55.440 --> 0:11:57.480 And he's like, oh no, we are done here. Like 0:11:57.600 --> 0:12:00.120 call your brother, maybe hell partner with you. So my 0:12:00.160 --> 0:12:02.840 brother asked me some basic business one on one questions, 0:12:02.840 --> 0:12:05.480 like do you have a bank account, a business bank account? 0:12:05.520 --> 0:12:06.839 Tax idea? I was like, why would I have a 0:12:06.840 --> 0:12:08.800 business bank account? There's not even enough money in one. 0:12:09.200 --> 0:12:11.720 I literally go from bank to bank and open and 0:12:11.720 --> 0:12:14.400 closed accounts because I'm always overdrafted. And he was like, 0:12:14.440 --> 0:12:17.760 oh my god. So he loaned me bucks to make 0:12:17.800 --> 0:12:19.720 the first round of bags, and then he paid himself 0:12:19.760 --> 0:12:22.560 back and so there was no There was never even 0:12:22.600 --> 0:12:24.840 a formal like what is he owned? What is I owned? 0:12:24.840 --> 0:12:27.640 He just dove in and kind of assess what was heated. 0:12:27.640 --> 0:12:29.600 There was no business plan. We could not get a loan, 0:12:29.720 --> 0:12:32.280 so the business plan didn't matter. Venture capital was not 0:12:32.360 --> 0:12:36.520 a thing then. Um. We only discussed business terms when 0:12:36.559 --> 0:12:38.440 things were getting more serious and we were looking at 0:12:38.520 --> 0:12:40.640 taking on an investment, and that was seven years in 0:12:41.160 --> 0:12:42.920 and then he was like, oh yeah, I get half 0:12:42.960 --> 0:12:45.600 the company. And I was like, oh okay. I didn't 0:12:45.600 --> 0:12:48.200 know that's how this is gonna work, but cool. So 0:12:48.280 --> 0:12:58.559 that's when those negotiations began. What was that day like 0:12:58.640 --> 0:13:00.360 for you when you had that first big deal. I 0:13:00.400 --> 0:13:02.840 was so excited. I have a picture in my phone 0:13:02.960 --> 0:13:05.480 yes of me standing by the stores I delivered the 0:13:05.480 --> 0:13:08.560 bags and I'm like, how many bags? Was it? It 0:13:08.679 --> 0:13:10.920 was probably what was a big order because they had 0:13:10.920 --> 0:13:13.000 a lot of stores. It was probably over a hundred bags. 0:13:13.120 --> 0:13:16.880 O God, when did you have your first child? Sorry 0:13:16.880 --> 0:13:21.240 if you remind me crazy, And how did that change 0:13:21.280 --> 0:13:26.200 your business? It didn't change my business, it changes it 0:13:26.320 --> 0:13:29.200 changed how I worked prior to him being born. I worked, 0:13:29.480 --> 0:13:31.600 you know, till midnight every night. It didn't matter any 0:13:31.640 --> 0:13:35.200 state I needed to be in. I was there. Um 0:13:35.240 --> 0:13:38.280 and I even six months into being pregnant, I wasn't 0:13:38.280 --> 0:13:41.800 even shorten. I wanted a child. I was accelerating my 0:13:41.800 --> 0:13:44.800 my child rearing journey because my mom said my ovaries 0:13:44.800 --> 0:13:47.600 would turn to dust. And I also wanted my parents, 0:13:47.720 --> 0:13:49.480 I mean, sorry, my children to know my parents and 0:13:49.559 --> 0:13:51.400 have a great relationship with them, because I didn't get 0:13:51.400 --> 0:13:55.520 that growing up with my grandparents. And I would text 0:13:55.559 --> 0:13:57.000 my husband. He'd be sitting right next to me. I'm like, 0:13:57.040 --> 0:13:59.000 why are we doing this? Why are we having a kid? 0:13:59.080 --> 0:14:01.280 I don't know if I wanted as pregnant, yes, I 0:14:01.280 --> 0:14:03.040 didn't want the baby to here. And he came out, 0:14:03.480 --> 0:14:05.959 fell in love, obsessed. I couldn't believe I ever thought 0:14:06.000 --> 0:14:08.520 that should have started earlier. Um, And I said, I 0:14:08.559 --> 0:14:11.120 want to be a really present mom, and so I 0:14:11.160 --> 0:14:13.480 really cut back my hours and when I say that, 0:14:13.520 --> 0:14:16.560 I just went from nine to five or whatever. Um. 0:14:16.600 --> 0:14:18.439 And then I made a lot of sacrifices. I said, 0:14:18.440 --> 0:14:20.040 if I'm going to travel for more than a couple 0:14:20.040 --> 0:14:22.160 of days, baby comes with me. Does that make my 0:14:22.240 --> 0:14:25.680 life hell to go to China, Korea, Japan, London, Paris 0:14:25.720 --> 0:14:30.240 with a kid. Yes. But I just was like, you know, 0:14:30.320 --> 0:14:33.000 stick in the ground. I'm gonna be the best mother 0:14:33.080 --> 0:14:35.000 that I can, and that means being there as much 0:14:35.040 --> 0:14:38.320 as possible. So I began to play with my boundaries, 0:14:38.640 --> 0:14:40.720 and with each kid, I played with my boundaries more 0:14:40.760 --> 0:14:42.800 and more. And someone might be listening saying, well, that's easy, 0:14:42.800 --> 0:14:45.480 fields or company. But I never did anything that my 0:14:45.520 --> 0:14:48.080 employees can't do. You know, I never took advantage of 0:14:48.080 --> 0:14:50.680 anything that my team can't do. And so I kind 0:14:50.680 --> 0:14:53.480 of set the example as the woman that's pumping at 0:14:53.480 --> 0:14:56.960 the boardroom or in a cab or with a group 0:14:57.000 --> 0:15:01.240 of investors and little things, right of just like this 0:15:01.280 --> 0:15:03.840 is important and I want my company values to reflect that. 0:15:05.280 --> 0:15:08.000 And that's a big part of your culture statement as well. Yeah, 0:15:08.160 --> 0:15:10.800 it's a huge part of our culture statement. Yeah, women first, 0:15:11.600 --> 0:15:14.200 supportive to moms. You've got to go, no questions ask 0:15:14.520 --> 0:15:15.920 you know, I don't care where you are, if you're 0:15:15.920 --> 0:15:17.880 at a dental appointment or a doctor's visit with your 0:15:17.920 --> 0:15:20.280 kid or performance, do you get your job done? It 0:15:20.320 --> 0:15:23.640 doesn't matter to me. How has that one? That's awesome? 0:15:24.080 --> 0:15:28.200 But to how has that affected the growth then of 0:15:28.240 --> 0:15:30.600 the business, whether it's been in the people you've hired, 0:15:30.720 --> 0:15:35.000 or the or the creations, the product, the apparel. So 0:15:36.200 --> 0:15:40.760 it's weird. I can't measure what it's done for business. 0:15:41.000 --> 0:15:43.240 I can't say that more people have bought my bags 0:15:43.240 --> 0:15:45.800 because they like that I promote breastfeeding. I don't know 0:15:45.840 --> 0:15:47.720 that I could ever make that correlation. I'll make it 0:15:47.720 --> 0:15:50.200 for you. I'm pretty sure it works okay. But I 0:15:50.200 --> 0:15:52.240 will say that the team that I attract, no one 0:15:52.360 --> 0:15:55.880 loved the fact that I'm a fierce fighter in that 0:15:56.000 --> 0:15:58.720 you know, so fears that We had a woman who 0:15:58.800 --> 0:16:01.040 was past child rearing age. You've never had kids like 0:16:01.160 --> 0:16:03.760 knocking on the door of my PR person who was pumping, 0:16:03.760 --> 0:16:05.080 and I was like, you get away from that door 0:16:05.200 --> 0:16:07.560 right now. She's in the middle of something very important 0:16:07.600 --> 0:16:09.200 and you schedule with her when you want a meeting. 0:16:09.200 --> 0:16:11.840 And she was like wow. So I guess I go 0:16:11.920 --> 0:16:14.800 the opposite direction of most people, and I'm like very 0:16:14.840 --> 0:16:16.800 I just want to make sure that women feel supportive 0:16:16.840 --> 0:16:19.920 because in the workplace it is not the norm. What 0:16:19.960 --> 0:16:24.320 would you tell a seventeen, eighteen, twenty four year old 0:16:24.600 --> 0:16:27.080 girl who wants to be an entrepreneur but doesn't think 0:16:27.080 --> 0:16:30.720 that that's in the cards for her. I would say 0:16:30.760 --> 0:16:33.440 that you are This is gonna sound cheesy. You are 0:16:33.480 --> 0:16:35.520 the person that's going to determine if you get your 0:16:35.520 --> 0:16:37.640 own in your own way or not. It is up 0:16:37.680 --> 0:16:40.440 to you. And I will also say that the cavalry 0:16:40.560 --> 0:16:43.120 is not coming for you. Any great change, any great 0:16:43.120 --> 0:16:46.600 forward progress has been because people stick their necks out. 0:16:47.040 --> 0:16:50.400 And I'm going to make some extreme examples, but make them. 0:16:50.440 --> 0:16:52.960 You know, Susan Fowler who called out Uber on their 0:16:53.000 --> 0:16:55.160 sexual discrimination, You think that was easy for her to 0:16:55.200 --> 0:16:59.320 write that op ed rosa arks. You think she was 0:16:59.360 --> 0:17:01.840 comfortable set in that part of the bus, not moving 0:17:02.560 --> 0:17:05.720 women voting right. You think they liked getting beaten and jailed. 0:17:05.760 --> 0:17:08.840 So if you're scared of asking for a raise, asking 0:17:08.880 --> 0:17:12.400 for a promotion, calling out someone, or starting your own 0:17:12.440 --> 0:17:16.040 journey like it's on you, you know people have done 0:17:16.160 --> 0:17:19.760 much more, had to endure much harder things, and so 0:17:19.880 --> 0:17:22.639 I like to look at those extreme examples whenever I'm 0:17:22.680 --> 0:17:24.480 a little scared, I'm like, all right, she was beaten 0:17:24.520 --> 0:17:27.119 and jailed. Cool. I think I can do an n 0:17:27.160 --> 0:17:30.359 f T for a fashion week. Um so I think 0:17:30.400 --> 0:17:33.040 you know you have. In my book, I say, sometimes 0:17:33.040 --> 0:17:35.360 you win, sometimes you learn. We need to reframe failure 0:17:35.440 --> 0:17:37.240 is this thing that you should be scared of and 0:17:38.119 --> 0:17:41.000 always avoiding. The more you fail, the more you're gonna learn, 0:17:41.040 --> 0:17:43.880 and you're just stronger for the next time you try something. 0:17:43.920 --> 0:17:45.679 Do you think it's also important for people to be 0:17:45.800 --> 0:17:50.720 really clear and honest with themselves on their strengths and weaknesses. 0:17:50.800 --> 0:17:54.680 I feel like, especially now, people have a really hard 0:17:54.680 --> 0:17:57.440 time answering that question, like they don't know what they're 0:17:57.440 --> 0:17:59.919 good at. They kind of might know what they're bad at, 0:18:00.080 --> 0:18:03.080 but it's like extreme examples like, oh, I'm bad at football, Okay, 0:18:03.280 --> 0:18:05.639 have you ever tried? Probably not? What do you think 0:18:06.080 --> 0:18:09.240 you're I don't say what you're better at, but what 0:18:09.280 --> 0:18:11.560 do you think your your strengths are that have really 0:18:11.600 --> 0:18:15.560 really helped you? Kind of turn the tables on the narrative. 0:18:15.840 --> 0:18:18.600 Over the last twenty years. I think what I'm good 0:18:18.640 --> 0:18:21.800 at is i'd be a great project manager. I'm really 0:18:21.840 --> 0:18:23.919 good at taking a goal, breaking it up into his 0:18:23.960 --> 0:18:26.720 little parts, and then getting it done. Um. You know, 0:18:26.800 --> 0:18:29.359 my brother hates that I make hasty decisions, and I 0:18:29.440 --> 0:18:33.280 hate that he thinks a ton over every decision. But 0:18:33.440 --> 0:18:35.560 that works great, right, because he'll slow me down or 0:18:35.600 --> 0:18:38.440 I'll speed him up. Um. But to me, I don't 0:18:38.440 --> 0:18:41.120 know who said this, and I hope it's not Mark Zuckerberg, 0:18:41.160 --> 0:18:44.320 but like fail fast or something feel hard or whatever, 0:18:44.359 --> 0:18:51.959 fail fast? Okay? Good? Um So I think I know 0:18:52.040 --> 0:18:54.359 how to get little steps done that add up to 0:18:54.359 --> 0:18:57.320 a big goal. I know I'm terrible at math, and 0:18:57.359 --> 0:18:59.000 I should never look at a spreadheet to make a 0:18:59.040 --> 0:19:02.359 decision based on that, And I think I agree with you. 0:19:02.400 --> 0:19:05.040 When I hired, I hired for my weaknesses. I said, 0:19:05.040 --> 0:19:07.000