Superwomen with Rebecca Minkoff

*This interview was released in November 2019. Kerry is no longer with Rothy’s.* When Kerry Cooper was hired as a consultant for sustainable footwear company, Rothy's, she didn’t think she’d be sticking around. After working for multiple successful companies, Kerry enjoyed the flexibility that consulting gave her. It wasn’t long, however, before the company culture won her over. Built upon a strong foundation of eco-minded operations, Kerry enjoyed the work the company was doing as much as the people doing it. Rothy’s loved her too. In her second year there sales soared to $140 million in direct to consumer sales. Even more impressive, however, is the fact that that those shoes were made from 38 million plastic water bottles saved from a long, slow demise in a landfill. They’re proving you can drink your water and wear it too. Thanks for listening!  Don't forget to order Rebecca's new book, Fearless: The New Rules for Unlocking Creativity, Courage, and Success. Follow Superwomen on Instagram. Big Ideas How to scale and build a team that is complementary to each others’ skill sets. The importance of standing up for yourself and asking for what you want or need. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bed. We spend a third of our lives there, and yet oftentimes, our beds, or what we put on them, become somewhat of an afterthought. Ariel Kaye sought to change that. After spending some years in advertising, Ariel came to a point where she was looking for more excitement, and more of a direct way to connect with people. She had always been passionate about interior design and home goods, going so far as to maintain her own blog on the subject in her free time. As she was pondering a change in career, it dawned on her that there were little to no direct to consumer options for bedding. That is when the idea for Parachute Home was born. Now in its fifth year and about to open the fifth brick and mortar (!), Ariel fondly recalls the early days when she would drive around in her car, delivering orders directly to buyers in Los Angeles. Growth and success have come with their own challenges. Here Ariel discusses entrepreneurial ups and downs, what makes her passionate about her company, and how at the heart of it all it’s really about building relationships. Thanks for listening!  Don't forget to order Rebecca's new book, Fearless: The New Rules for Unlocking Creativity, Courage, and Success. Follow Superwomen on Instagram. Big Ideas The changes that come with viewing your business as relationship-based rather than transaction-based. The invaluable importance of knowing your customer base well and growing with their needs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You don’t often hear people touting the benefits of seeing the glass half-empty, but Anna Harman believes that’s what makes her an effective decision maker in tumultuous times. After launching Studs piercing stores in 2019, the company quickly needed to grow an online presence in order to make it through the pandemic without closing permanently. Luckily Anna’s long-term vision helped them navigate a path to success. Now customers can get a top-notch piercing experience in 15 locations throughout the country, and find quality, affordable jewelry on Studs’ website 24/7! Thanks for listening!  Don't forget to order Rebecca's new book, Fearless: The New Rules for Unlocking Creativity, Courage, and Success. Follow Superwomen on Instagram. Social Media @studs Big Ideas How the role of a founder shifts as the company grows. How to market your product when you no longer represent your target audience. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

*At the time of this interview, Amy Shecter was the CEO of Glamsquad. She is now the CEO of Ever/Body.* How would your life be different if you were less afraid to make mistakes, to “fail”? Amy Shecter doesn’t think women let themselves fail enough, and she thinks it’s high time we become less risk-averse. Statistically, she says, women will only take risks when they feel 95-100% confident in a favorable outcome, versus the average man, who will take the same risk at only 50% confidence. And what, really, is there to lose? Most of the time a supposed failure simply means you’re that much closer to the next success. Amy spent years in fashion and footwear before delving into the world of fitness and beauty. She immediately saw it as an expanding consumer market. Now the CEO of Glamsquad, a company that brings hair, nail and makeup artists to your door, Amy finds excitement not only in great products and services for clients, but also in the fact that Glamsquad gives freelance beauty professionals a platform to support themselves. Thanks for listening!  Don't forget to order Rebecca's new book, Fearless: The New Rules for Unlocking Creativity, Courage, and Success. Follow Superwomen on Instagram. Big Ideas Why saving time is so valuable to consumers. H-Commerce - the home as a new basis for services and revenue. “Competition” as an opportunity to seed the market. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Natalie Dawson and her husband sold their company, they had pretty much achieved every entrepreneur’s dream. But settling into a pseudo-retirement lifestyle didn’t sit well with Natalie, and it wasn’t long before she was brainstorming the next big way to make an impact. Pairing with Grant Cardone, Natalie co-founded Cardone Ventures, a management consulting firm that helps businesses grown tenfold and more. Natalie now trains founders in how to be radically honest in their team-building process in order to create the company culture and achieve the results that their goals reflect. Most importantly, she’s reminding women that it’s okay to dream big – and when you achieve success, you’re in a better position to help the world around you. Get a free copy of Natalie’s book at https://www.10xteams.com/teamwork-3 Thanks for listening!  Don't forget to order Rebecca's new book, Fearless: The New Rules for Unlocking Creativity, Courage, and Success. Follow Superwomen on Instagram. Guest Website TheNatalieDawson.com CardoneVentures.com WorkWoman Podcast Cardone Ventures Events Social Media @natalieworkman @thenataliedawson Big Ideas How to strategically build your teams by being honest and in expectations. Links Teamwork: How to Build a High-Performance Team Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jaclyn Johnson, one of our favorite serial entrepreneurs, is back and ready to share some of her most helpful insights as a recent co-founder of a venture capital brand. New Money Ventures seeks to invest in women-led brands that make it their mission to disrupt traditional models of products and distribution, and if they see a hole in the market with no one to fill it, they start the company themselves! Through Create & Cultivate and now her own VC firm, Jaclyn continues to champion fellow female founders to grow their businesses and build long-term wealth. The best thing you can do as an entrepreneur? Use your unique skillset to build a passion-driven business, and you don’t even need VC to begin! Thanks for listening!  Don't forget to order Rebecca's new book, Fearless: The New Rules for Unlocking Creativity, Courage, and Success. Follow Superwomen on Instagram. Guest Website DrinkMaie.com Social Media @jaclynrjohnson Big Ideas The many methods of funding, and why venture capital may not always be the right choice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’ll address the big question first: Christina Stembel of Farmgirl Flowers really did  grow up on a farm. Growing up in northern Indiana, Christina was expected to  fulfill her womanly duties as a wife and mother while her brother went  off to college. But Christina had other plans. She hightailed it to New York within two weeks of  graduating from high school and started working. Christina did not grow up with a lot of people cheering her on and wishing her success, and that made her strive for it all the more. Over some years and many different ideas, she saw that the floral industry held an opportunity to do exactly what she desired in starting her own business: disrupt the status quo, create scalability, and do good in the world. While not without its challenges (who knew the floral industry could be so cutthroat?), Christina has scaled from 56K her first year of business to $31 million 8 years later. As Christina fondly says, success is the best revenge. Thanks for listening!  Don't forget to order Rebecca's new book, Fearless: The New Rules for Unlocking Creativity, Courage, and Success. Follow Superwomen on Instagram. Big Ideas Less than 3% of women get funding from venture capital. Discussing the disparity in capital support between male and female founders. The value in trusting your instincts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who knew that a mutual love of the Grateful Dead could ignite the start of a cupcake empire? When Melissa Ben-Ishay made tie dye cupcakes for a fellow fan and friend, her colorful creations quickly became the dessert of choice in her circle. At her brother’s urging, Melissa started baking mini cupcakes to order, and 15 years later the direct-to-consumer brand, Baked by Melissa, can be enjoyed in all 50 states. Growing slowly over time has allowed the company to expand with success. And the key to effective leadership? According to Melissa, her curiosity and openness to advice has been her number one asset. Thanks for listening!  Don't forget to order Rebecca's new book, Fearless: The New Rules for Unlocking Creativity, Courage, and Success. Follow Superwomen on Instagram. Social Media @melissabenishay @bakedbymelissa Big Ideas Learning to have the confidence to own your leadership capabilities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

She’s one of the famous faces of E!, made even more famous by her refusal to stay at the network when the company refused to pay her the same salary as her male co-host. Catt Sadler is doing her own thing now, on her own terms. The Emmy award-winning journalist covers all topics near and dear on her website, The Cattwalk, and on her podcast, It Sure is a Beautiful Day. Embracing the vulnerability that naturally comes through using an audio platform, Catt encourages her listeners to think beyond their plans and dream beyond their goals, embracing the true limitlessness inherent in our nature. Thanks for listening!  Don't forget to order Rebecca's new book, Fearless: The New Rules for Unlocking Creativity, Courage, and Success. Follow Superwomen on Instagram. Social Media @iamcattsadler Big Ideas Learning to dream bigger than big. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode was originally released in September 2019.  Laura has since gone on to found her own multi-platform media company, LB Media. Laura Brown came up in the 80’s – a period devoid of the internet and Instagram, where fashion inspiration came almost exclusively in the form of magazines. To make things worse for a young fashionista living in Australia, as Laura did, those magazines arrived three months after their release date. Laura was hungry for the glitz and the glam, and made it her goal to one day work and live in the heart of the fashion world. After working a few stints at magazines in Australia and London, Laura arrived in New York. Finding herself at a lavish Marc Jacobs show within days of moving there, Laura finally felt the pulse of the life she had so long been yearning for. After working her way up to Features at Harper’s, she was then hired as Editor in Chief at InStyle. In the three years since, Laura has revitalized the magazine, injecting new life into it, forever showcasing her love of fashion, layouts, and a good dose of creative, hard work. Thanks for listening!  Don't forget to order Rebecca's new book, Fearless: The New Rules for Unlocking Creativity, Courage, and Success. Follow Superwomen on Instagram. Big Ideas The excitement and satisfaction of pulling off creative, hard work. Advice for those interested in working at a magazine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices