Self-Discovery Through Helping Others
“My clients often asked, ‘You started a business after college—I’m in my 40s—how do I do it?’ I coached them for fun and their businesses started turning into very successful businesses. I learned the value of intellectual property—I was an idea person. I realized this is where I wanted to be, working on creative concepts and products. I helped a lot of companies launch on QVC. But I always knew there would be this one product that would be my entree into the product world.”
Finding Fortune in the Dishwasher
“I was a frazzled mom going to the grocery store with two newborn twins. I’d be digging through my purse, my kids would be crying. I kept thinking, ‘How has innovation come so far yet we haven’t developed a purse that’s fashionable and functional?’ Later, while emptying the dishwasher, I had a bird’s eye view of the fork and spoon tray. I literally took the tray from my dishwasher and put it in my bag. After a few days, I’m running around with my bag with my dishwasher tray in it. A lot of my friends were executives and buyers at QVC. They said, ‘This is a great product.’”
The Butler Did It
“I’m so fortunate—the Butler Bag is being tracked as one of the fastest growing handbag brands in U.S. history. We have a licensing deal with Accessory Network, which is the most prestigious company to be working with. They represent brands like Karl Lagerfeld, Calvin Klein, and Tahari. To be amongst those other designers when we’re only a two-year-old brand is going to offer massive brand expansion.”
Does Your Product Pass the Post-it Note Theory?
“I’d always heard a Post-it Note Theory—if you can show something to someone without having to explain it and they say, ‘I can’t believe no one else has thought of that,’ then you have a winning product.”
Licensing as a Strategy
“I signed a licensing agreement with Earthbound [a prominent brand management firm] last year—they took the Isaac Mizrahi brand to Target and created a household name out of it. Licensing is a very strategic way to grow your brand. What would take you five to 10 years to do can happen in one to two years.”
