“I think that I went from someone who is just a designer to someone that became a businesswoman. I think I wanted to hold on to this idea that I was an artist and this was my craft. And I really had to become smarter, nimbler and well versed in business in order to really succeed.”

Whatever your business, there is a huge learning curve on the journey from artist to businessperson. For Rebecca Minkoff, failure was a big part of the learning curve. From managing a materials mix-up with fellow designer Kate Spade to having to make the painful decision to furlough employees thanks to COVID-19, Rebecca has gone through a wild ride. Through it all, she has managed to grow a design empire as a fashion industry outsider.

If you’ve been wondering how you can keep your artistic cred while succeeding in business, this is the episode for you. Rebecca shares her insights on branding, making tough calls, and learning from failure. Tune in!

• [03:27] - Catching up
• [09:35] - A decade of change
• [11:49] - What does the Rebecca Minkoff brand stand for?
• [15:28] - Why women empowerment?
• [19:03] - Learning from failure
• [21:46] - Transitioning from designer to entrepreneur
• [30:00] - Responding to COVID-19 as a brand
• [34:00] - T-shirts with a cause
• [42:53] - What’s next for the Rebecca Minkoff brand?
• [46:04] - What does SimplyBe mean to Rebecca?

An industry leader in accessible luxury handbags, accessories, footwear and apparel, Rebecca Minkoff’s playful and subtly edgy designs can be spotted around the world on young women and celebrities alike. Today, Rebecca Minkoff is a global brand with a wide range of apparel, handbags, footwear, jewelry and accessories (including tech) as well as men’s accessories under the label Uri Minkoff. 

In September of 2018, she established the Female Founder Collective, a network of businesses led by women that invests in women’s financial power across the socio-economic spectrum by enabling and empowering female-owned businesses.

Jessica Zweig, award-winning entrepreneur, personal branding expert, and founder and CEO of SimplyBe. will help you grow your brand and business. All-day, every day at SimplyBe., Jessica and her team of experts teach people how to grow on and offline by leveraging the most powerful marketing tool on the planet: authenticity. Now, she’s bringing the inspirational strategies and tactical marketing tools that have helped skyrocket her and her clients’ businesses to you.

Jessica has been featured as a leading entrepreneur and personal branding expert in Forbes, Crain’s, MarketWatch, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Refinery 29, Tasty Trade, BizTech Magazine, Today’s Chicago Woman, NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX News 32, and more.

She is currently writing her first book, Be. A No-Bullshit Guide to Creating Self-Worth and Net Worth Just by Being Yourself. Follow her on Instagram @jessicazweig or send her a note at [email protected].

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This podcast episode was produced by Dante32.