How to Become Fearless and Build a Global Brand with Rebecca Minkoff

Jaclyn Mellone

Welcome to Go-To Gal episode number 193. As always, I’m your host, Jaclyn Mellone. But I’m geeking out today, gals. I’m like, am I supposed to play it cool? I feel that I’m just not cool enough to play it cool. Okay, today’s guest is the incredible Rebecca Minkoff. Someone who I have admired and have been following, admiring, buying her things since college. Not quite 20 years, but almost 20 years. Rebecca is a global Fashion Designer. She has built an incredible brand for my young age. And I have always admired her from afar, and immediately put her on a pedestal. And so in recent years, she has a podcast. And I’ve subscribed to the Female Founders Collective. So I’ve been keeping up with this new branch of her personal brand. This expansion beyond the global fashion empire, but also into helping other female leaders. 

I’ve been impressed with how she’s taking this different approach and building community and creating conversation. So when she released her book this year, Fearless, I definitely perked up. And I want to be honest, as much as I admire Rebecca, I wasn’t sure how much I was going to get out of the book. I know some parts of her story, but not a lot. I don’t know. I’m like, is this book going to be for beginners? Her business is so different than mine. Isn’t even going to be relatable? I wasn’t sure but I was curious. And I loved that she narrated her own audiobook. I’m an audiobook listener. Hello podcaster, of course, I listened to audiobooks. And I’m like, okay, well, if I get to listen to her, that’s always part of the fun too with audiobooks. And so I downloaded it. I loved Rebecca before I read this book, but it was just like, she blew me away.

When I tell you, gosh. And she says, this is her word and I think it works really well, the scrappiness of how she landed some of these opportunities and how she went the extra mile and opened doors for herself. And how some things went very wrong, and then went very right, and how to navigate that. So we talk about mindset. We talk about strategy. We talk about burnout. We talk about a lot of different things in this conversation. I had a lot of questions for Rebecca. Normally, I do not come with prescripted questions but I had prescripted questions. So it’s a little bit different of a flow. Hopefully, I don’t sound too nervous or too much of a nerd during this conversation, but I don’t even care. I was just so excited to get to ask her back all of my questions. And I know that these are questions that you’re going to want to hear the answers to as well. 

I just got so much out of her book and I was like, okay, let’s dive in deeper to this or you have to share this story. It was really cool to have that opportunity to have that conversation with her and share that conversation with you. We dive into a lot of different things. And I definitely recommend that you check out her book, Fearless. And of course, listen to her podcast as well. Let me formally introduce you to Rebecca, in case you don’t know the full story here. And then we’ll get to it. 

A global industry leader in accessible luxury handbags, accessories, footwear, and apparel. Rebecca Minkoff’s modern Bohemian styles are inspired by strong, confident, and powerful women who embody the effortless free-spirited lifestyle. Now, in the summer of 2018, Rebecca expanded beyond her fashion empire and launched a podcast, Superwomen with Rebecca Minkoff. The podcast focuses on incredible stories of resilience, failure, and success by luminaries such as Katie Couric and Jessica Alba. The podcast is consistently in the top 100 of her categories and has launched the #superwoman tribe across the world.

Now, that same year in fall of 2018, she established the Female Founder Collective, a network of businesses led by women who invest in women’s financial power across the socioeconomic spectrum by enabling and empowering female-owned businesses. This organization has grown to over 9,000 members and has supported women-owned businesses by giving them access to education, networks, and mentors. Companies in this collective have gone on to raise over 15 million in seed funding and taken their companies to higher levels of success. Now, this year in 2021, this global fashion designer became a bestselling author with her first book, Fearless: The New Rules for Unlocking Creativity, Courage, and Success. The book chronicles Rebecca’s story of hard work and determination with valuable life lessons that work as a roadmap to meeting challenges and overcoming fear. And we are diving into was so much of that today. Rebecca is married to Director Gavin Bellour, and they reside in Brooklyn with their three children. Alright, let’s get to it. Here is my conversation with Rebecca.

Jaclyn Mellone

Rebecca, I am so excited to have you here today.

Rebecca Minkoff

Thanks for having me. I’m excited to be here.

Jaclyn Mellone

So before we talk about everything going on in your world now, take us back in time to when you were growing up, what were you the go-to gal for back then? 

Rebecca Minkoff

If you wanted to make candles or you wanted to make paper via your blender? I was your go-to gal. 

Jaclyn Mellone

Okay, I want to know how to make paper with my blender now. 

Rebecca Minkoff

I can give you a whole seminar on how to do it. 

Jaclyn Mellone

We will stay on track, but that sounds very fascinating. You can bet I’m going to be Googling or Pinteresting that this afternoon. That sounds so fun. Now, I have to ask. When you were young, were you thinking about being a fashion designer back then? I know you did a little bit of fashion design. Is that something you dreamed about when you were little?

Rebecca Minkoff

When I was eight, I fell in love with the idea of selling. And so, it was definitely something that was on my radar. It was definitely something that I thought, oh yeah, I could do this. But I think when you’re little you’re like, you want to be 600 things. So it was definitely one of the 600 things that I wanted to be. I was going to be a dancer, an actress. And I can act and sing even though my voice sounds like Yoko Ono. So I think that you start to narrow down the things that you’re good at. 

Jaclyn Mellone

So true. So true. Fun fact, in first grade, I really wanted to be a fashion designer. And have all of these, there’s somewhere in my basement of everyone in my class, the 20 kids like, Jackie. I used to go by Jackie, who wants to be a fashion designer when she grows up and all these different things. But I never got into the sewing part of it. I just liked the idea, and I never pursued it. But it was a fun little thing I used to dream about when I was little. Who knows? Maybe someday.

Rebecca Minkoff

We’re not done yet. You can always change or add. 

Jaclyn Mellone

That’s true, let’s expand. Yes. Okay, so fast forward to today. Tell us what do you do and who do you help? 

Rebecca Minkoff

I am a founder. I’m a designer. I am the creator of the Female Founder Collective, which supports female entrepreneurs and their journeys. And as a designer, I have an accessible luxury brand. Making women feel confident, optimistic, and powerful. And I’m a mom of three little kiddies. 

Jaclyn Mellone

Is that all? Oh my goodness. No wonder your podcast is named Superwomen. Okay, tell us the secrets. How is this all? 

Rebecca Minkoff

Delegation is the secret. And hiring generals is the secret. 

Jaclyn Mellone

Okay. Hiring generals, so what do you mean by that? I am curious.

Rebecca Minkoff

It’s funny. I just came from a podcast and we got into this idea of generals because it’s like you do everything, how do you do it? And I was like, I don’t do everything. I have a really fucking amazing team. And each woman who I work with is almost like a project manager, and that she can take the ball and keep it moving. And I think that when you find those people, you do whatever you can to keep them happy. Because I think that it is a rare thing to have someone keep like, what’s it called in the Olympics when they pass the baton is they’re running? So I think it’s like that. You got to find those women or men and make sure that they add that to your life whether it’s at home or not. So I think, the general consists of someone again, who can take the baton and keep passing it. It involves someone who’s like the project manager-like brain because I think those types of people think with what are the 10 steps they need do in order to be successful. And that’s how I think, so that’s how I survived. 

Jaclyn Mellone

Absolutely. And I appreciate you breaking that down because it’s like, okay, how does this work behind the scenes? But yes, having people around you that can take things and not just be taskmasters, but that are able to really see them through and take over some of that mental bandwidth from you to have what it takes to really manage a project. That’s huge. 

Rebecca Minkoff

I also think that detail-oriented type of people, sometimes I miss stuff because I have my hands in so many pots. And when you have someone that’s like, oh, you missed this. So I fixed that.  It’s like the sweeper, the street sweeper that gets the rest of the stuff out of the lane. I think it’s always great to have someone who has that eye.

Jaclyn Mellone

So true. Okay, so where do we even begin? One thing I’m curious about is a few years ago, I’m guessing in 2018. I think that’s when your podcast came out. This launching a podcast and now you have a book, but it’s a branch of your brand, but you have the Female Founders Collective. What were you looking to do with all of that? Because at that point, you already had such a successful business. All of these things going so, okay, what’s this next step? 

Rebecca Minkoff:

There was definitely no strategy session that involved us planning any of this. I think that for me when I began to want to look outside of my industry, of my peers which were again, 2014-2015 and I was meeting all these incredible women, I just started noticing. I was like, my industry is primarily women. We don’t have a glass ceiling. We definitely have to throw each other under the bus and elbows and get out of my way. And then I appeared outside of me and she was like, oh shit, women are equal. We’re equal. We’re just being assholes to each other. Okay, what else is happening? And then as I began to meet more business owners and the wage gap conversation began percolating. And all these people were just complaining in an echo chamber, I was like, well, I have a mouth. I have a brand. I have a platform. I need to use it for something far bigger than what I’m doing with just making a woman look great. How do I make sure that her business is greater, she’s able to start a business or she’s able to feel brave enough to ask for more if she works somewhere? And so, I think for me, that became a driving force. And then inadvertently a business, because I definitely didn’t assume by starting the Female Founder Collective, that it was going to become a business. It’s just more like these women need help and I think I know how I can provide that. Because again, us talking about it is and doing anything. 

Jaclyn Mellone

What goes into the Female Founder Collective? Just tell us a little bit about what it is. 

Rebecca Minkoff

So it’s a membership-based platform where we host weekly, deep-dive seminars, webinars, zoom, in-person soon. Things we serve throughout our community of pain points women face. Things that block their expansion, career-wise, and it’s not mental blocks. I started in my business, but now what? I have to do what? I have to ship. And what’s CRM mean? And what is EBITDA? I have to fundraise. How do I make a deck? There are so many complicated things that happen when you start a business and it gets going.  So wear your parachute where we provide experts that are women that have done this to teach you the nitty-gritty. So we’re never going to have a seminar on how to take a selfie or style your look like other brands and companies do that. But we’re really there for the unsexy stuff. We provide support and access to capital. We do grant programs. We have a very interesting peer-group mentorship program where it’s not like, let me get mentored by the busiest person in the room. It’s like women of the same size and stage, talking to each other and supporting each other through what they need.

And so, that’s what it is. It’s just a community and support group of other like-minded individuals. So when you go to support who your laundry detergent or your cleaning products or you’re whatever, you have access basically to Female Founded Companies. 

Jaclyn Mellone 

Did you have anything like that when you were getting started? Did anything like that even exist? 

Rebecca Minkoff

It was like a website that is very shoddy. I can’t even remember the name, but it was like a calendar of fashion events online back in 2001. And I would like, look at it and be like, oh, that’s where I have to go to meet people. But that was it. 

Jaclyn Mellone

It sounds like you created what you wished you had. One of the things I really related to in your book was you not knowing some of those more business-y things and Googling what is EBITDA under the table, which I had to Google when you sound like I don’t know what that is either. Let me Google it. And that was a turning point where you were like, okay, I need to know these things. But ultimately realizing that okay, you’re going to stay in your area of expertise, your zone of genius in the business. I guess, how do you guide the women that are in that community now of, okay, they’re learning enough to get by, to make that next business decision? What’s your advice for them on how do you balance that staying in your zone of genius versus understanding things so you can make good business decisions? 

Rebecca Minkoff

I liked to say, what am I terrible at? And write it all down. And then I hire for that. I think people feel they need to be good at everything or never admit that they’re a failure at something. And I’m like, I am bad at ABC and D. I remember, first, hire. Okay, good. You can manage the books. You can do production, you can do costing and pricing. Great. Next hire, what am I bad at? I’m not so great at Photoshop, so graphic designer. I just kept saying, what am I bad at? And then that’s why I stepped up around. And so, take a look at it. Get cozy with it. 

Jaclyn Mellone

I love that. Okay, so where did the idea for your book, Fearless, come from? 

Rebecca Minkoff

I think that I felt that I had enough of a sense of guideposts that every woman or man can adapt when starting a business to help you through those times when you’re freaked the fuck out if I can swear about making a decision. 

Okay, people take this emotion that’s hardwired into us. Fear that keeps you safe from bears or sharks or whatever it is that you’re scared of. They transition this feeling into making a decision about their passion pursuits. And then they let it stop them. And so my goal was, you’re going to have the fear. It’s never going to go away. News flash, you’re not going to read my book and be fearless. You’re going to be fearless, but you’re not going to be without that emotion. But you’re going to be like, alright, she said, go with your gut. Alright, she said, communicate your heart out. Okay, I’m in this situation. She said this, and they’re just these simple things that keep enabling you to go forward knowing that you still might be scared. I’m scared sometimes. Less so than I was before because now I like to take the risks. I enjoy the unknown. But taken me many years to get there.

Jaclyn Mellone

That is one of the things I noticed though with a lot of the stories you shared is that you didn’t get frozen in the fear. You were almost able to channel it and then go into a different direction and create some positive momentum or even just energy instead of getting frozen there. Was there ever a time where you were just totally paralyzed and couldn’t move forward? Or is that just completely not your nature? 

Rebecca Minkoff

I don’t think it’s in my nature. When my mom had me, I was the third. It was boy, boy and then I came out, a girl. They didn’t know it was a girl. And she was like, I just raised this person to be tough, to be resilient, she and her two older brothers. So I feel like that was a good base sign of, she was always letting me almost drown. Not really, but do it yourself and figure it out. That for me, I just never had that. I’d rather do something and fail miserably and know than wonder. 

Jaclyn Mellone

Will you share the story of making the purse, the first purse for Jenna Elfman, and what went down with that? 

Rebecca Minkoff

Yes. So the story about the bag starts with a shirt that I made for Jenna. It was prior to 9/11. I made her this style of New York shirt because I had one and she wanted it. I sent it to her. She went to Jay Leno after 9/11, said my name on national television. And that’s all I did for nine months. It parlayed me to having an apparel job. And then she and I while having lunch and she said, do you make bags? I was like, yes. Yes, I do. I make bags. I’m lying to you right now because I’ve never made a bag, but I’ll get it done. And she’s like, you got two weeks. I made it for a film. Rushed back. Made the bag. FedEx delivered it late. Didn’t make it onset. Devastated. She had one, I had one and I just was like, well, I guess I’ll wear this really expensive bag that I just made for myself. And enough people stopped me on the street and were curious about who was it. I was like, oh. I know I love the bag, but it’s nice to see that other people do. And I decided to show it to a friend. She said, I love it. I’m going to buy it for this tour that I’m buying Caroline bags for, and then I want DailyCandy to write about it. If you’re old and aged like me, DailyCandy, it was an email that was exciting. And you got an email of the hottest, newest, latest thing. They wrote about it, and the rest is definitely not history, but wow. The power of that then was huge. 

Jaclyn Mellone

What really struck me from that was, I think you get this opportunity and it may feel like, okay, here’s the next big break of this. I’m going to make my first person. It’s going to be in this movie with Jenna Elfman, and this is going to be it. And then when it gets there two hours too late, and it’s not going to be in the movie. It’s this big blow that I think so many of us will just feel that it wasn’t meant to be, or just like, oh, what did I do? Beating ourselves up over, well, how could I have fixed it or just like that loop that we can get in sometimes. And we all go in a different direction with it. But I think it’s so easy to go to that low place after and be hyping ourselves up of this big opportunity.

But for you to be like, you know what, I got this bag and I’m going to wear it. I love this, and how it turned into something even better. This bag became iconic. And that it launched a whole era. It’s like the go-to morning after bag. It really became a signature piece. So it was really interesting to me of like, okay, you thought it was going to be this, and when that didn’t happen. And then it became something else. Could you have ever imagined? What is your pep-talk to yourself look like of, I’m going to wear this bag? Was it really just that? Or were you like, okay, now I need to find the next big thing?

Rebecca Minkoff 

Definitely, there were moments of deflation depression. I can’t believe this happened. How did I let this happen? Why did I make such a big mistake? There was definitely a lot of that type of communication with myself. And then there was the, okay, now what? Maybe I’ll wear it. It really wasn’t until enough women came after me for it and said, who’s your bag? Stop putting me on the street. But I really was like, oh, okay. Maybe there’s something here. So it was about that. 

Jaclyn Mellone

So good. just listening to a little bit about your, and I guess I’m saying listening because I have your book on audiobook and I’ve been listening to your podcasts. I’m like, I’ve been listening to you. You’re in my ear. That’s how I multitask because sitting down to read is challenging. But I love the audio content, and that you’ve read it yourself too. That’s always a special treat with them when authors read their own books. I don’t know if you would call it this, but I feel like you almost have a guerrilla marketing side where you literally get to the streets and you’ve done some really creative and just literally boots on the ground types of things to get that momentum and buzz going. Where did that all come from? And is that something you still do? I think this is something people don’t do enough. They’re like, it needs to be the perfect funnel or we have to hire this marketing agency and have this perfectly curated crafted thing. But I think there’s an energy to just getting it out there in these different ways that can’t be replicated. 

Rebecca Minkoff

So I think that that comes with starting on my own, not having backing your infrastructure and that I had to be scrappy. I think the scrappiness is it comes from having to do it all myself. I used to make the garments go and deliver them to the stores. It was on consignment and I needed that next check. So I made the postcards, I went to Union Square and pass them out. It’s funny, everyone in hopes that they can raise a lot of money and that everything is easier with money, and that is true to some degree. But if you lose that tactile sense of building something, you suffer for it. I had friends that were designers and they raised $2 million to launch their brand. They spent it in a year. And I remember at first, I was really jealous. I was like, wow, I wonder what it would be like to have $2 million. I don’t have to negotiate with every vendor, and I can do this fashion show that I want. And then they ran a business because they just blew the money. So I think that because we built this by literally climbing up a mountain with our bare fingers that it’s a great muscle to have. It’s a great skill to have, and you just make smarter decisions. Even I was in a clubhouse and a woman was starting her company. She was fundraising. And I was like, what exactly are you fundraising for? I needed someone to customer service. I need someone to ship everything. And I was like, sister, that’s you. Okay? That is you. Guess what, that’s you and an intern. And then another intern. She was shocked that that would be how it would be.

Jaclyn Mellone

That makes a lot of sense though. So on the same topic but kind of switching gears. I feel like you go to the next level to really know your person. To know that woman who is either going to buy the bag or listen to the podcast, whatever it is, you know your person. That ideal client or that perfect person, whatever you call it,  how do you get to know her? What are some of the ways that maybe have worked the best for you to understand her wants and needs?

Rebecca Minkoff

Meeting her in person, talking to her in person, talking to her on DM, going into her profile, surveys, I think any form. And I think the best way is in person. It’s a little different these days, but I still meet her. We just had three book launch events and I met hundreds of them. And I just asked them questions. I think that if you want to get to know her, you have to be able to ask things that might hurt your feelings. You have to get comfortable with that. 

Jaclyn Mellone

So what happens if you ask something and it does like, does that happen before? And she says something that hurts your feelings. How do you navigate that? Because it is that you have to be really vulnerable to do that. You’re right. 

Rebecca Minkoff

You do. And sometimes you say to someone as I said to a woman, you keep saying, I used to carry your bags and I used to love your product. I was like, why am I only in the past tense with you? And her answer was, I worked really hard. I make a lot more money, and now I want to splurge And then I asked the next question, well, what would I have to do to get you back? What could I make? If you’re going to have as your special bag, your Chanel, what do I need to make for you that would make you come back? And then she answered. And then I formed product decisions and or categories that I might not always be paying attention to.

Jaclyn Mellone

That’s such great insight. I think some of us might start to have those conversations. And then as soon as they said that they would back off a little bit or feel uncomfortable. But to lean into that discomfort and see what’s behind it. Now, when you have that conversation, was it clear to you what that next product should be? Or do you take it back to your team and brainstorm? How does that next step look? 

Rebecca Minkoff

Usually it goes back to my team and there’s brainstorming. Hey, I just met someone and she wants an affordable whatever. For example, going out bag. Affordable to her means this. Let’s survey it. So then we’ll send out an email to our audience and say, would you pay X for this? Or what would make you buy this? Sometimes we’ll throw these things up on Instagram, and seeing what people think. I think it’s just a lot of iterative back and forth. And I think I need enough for my customers often that I can have those important dialogues.

Jaclyn Mellone 

Yes. Now, I do think this vulnerability and fear, vulnerability and courage do go hand in hand. But I do keep seeing this with like, some of these big moments that have led to big opportunities, or maybe just like that little tweak of insight that helps you create the next product comes from showing up in that vulnerable place. What do you think helps you go there? Is there a daily practice or it’s just lifelong like you just keep doing it? How do you pop yourself up to do those things? Anything to help you step into that place of feeling the fear and doing it anyway. 

Rebecca Minkoff 

I think I liken it to a muscle. If you want AMS or biceps, you have to go work out every day. If you want to feel less fear or make those risky things, you have to do more of that every day. No matter what, especially in the creative arena, you’re going to get criticism. And you have to get really good at discerning. Is this person giving me criticism so I can change and improve or are they criticizing me to just make me feel bad? And I think once you get your radar on which one it is, then when you’re getting criticism to improve and it’s done from a place that helps,  then that’s not scary. It’s still fucking sucks, but you take a look in the mirror, they might be right. Oh yeah. I should’ve done that for my team. That was a misstep on my part. Okay. Let me act on it quickly. So I think, good at discerning that and then know that you’re going to get criticism. But if it’s to help you, you’ll only grow from it.

Jaclyn Mellone

That’s such great advice. And I think there’s magic in the action. It seems like you get yourself into action and movement. And even with anything negative, it’s like, okay, how do we get into action and take action on it? That there’s something to that and that’s where it shifts the energy in your favor. 

Rebecca Minkoff

Yes, for sure. 

Jaclyn Mellone

So with you, building a brand around your name, but I don’t know if you would necessarily consider it a personal brand. And now, with being an author and a podcaster, much more of what we would consider a personal brand, what went into that decision of naming the fashion line after yourself? And have you put thought into like, I guess I do have a personal brand now? Or it just happened? 

Rebecca Minkoff

I think it started with a personal brand and became a brand. And then became a personal brand as an offshoot. I think that when I decided I wanted to have my own company, I was like, if I’m going to work this hard, I want it to be my name.

And then it was about, and then everything was about what do I think, what do I want, how do I want it to design this? And as you get into a brand, it’s not only about what you think, you know, it is through my creativity, is through my lens. But it has to become a lot broader than that. And then, as you begin to go, okay, now this baby’s up and running and humming, where are my outlets where you get to know me, you get to read about me? And I think that’s where the personal part then comes back in. Because in today’s day and age, people want to connect with a human and that’s the way that they can:  get a side of me on my podcast or my book, or when I show up on social that they’re like, well, yeah, that’s why I like this brand. So I think the two complement each other. 

Jaclyn Mellone

They do. So with the fashion line, can you remember anything like that growing pain of, okay, I now need to have someone else being creative? Or when you’re expanding and you’re growing your team, you’re scaling it. It is still your name. And so you have this like, it’s my name. But you have to entrust this with the team. Do you remember any of that stage of how you were able to help with that transition?

Rebecca Minkoff

For me, it was more relief. Like, oh gosh, there’s another person in this boat that’s going to help to pale out the water. I think when we got more sophisticated and had a president. She was overseeing sales and she would come into the design and eventually was my partner, which had its moments of greatness and its moments of fireworks as she would say, well, we need this for the stores. And that would be annoying to be told that this is what they want, this is what they need, this is the color that they want. Why didn’t you add yellow and blue? So I think that was tough to get used to. And now, I’m at a different place with it.

Jaclyn Mellone

Alright, I got that. So now that you’re putting yourself out there as more of that personal brand and sharing your life with your Instagram community and just being out there more, did you hesitate with that at all? Is that something you wanted? Is it something you felt like you had to do? Did you have to overcome anything to step into that? Like being out there and in the way it looks like in today’s day and age. Where when you were getting started early on. Maybe you were known in those circles as the person behind the brand. But it’s very different being on social media all the time and sharing your life.

Rebecca Minkoff 

I think that, again, it has been a roller coaster. It was like, yes, I’m happy to do this. And then other people felt like maybe I shouldn’t do it. Then it was like, okay, good. I’m going to go in the back and I’ll be the designer. And then it was like, no, you’ve got to be forward-facing. And I was like, I don’t want to do that. And then I did do that. And then I was like, okay, great. This is the future. And then I get hesitant with my children and putting them in it too much. And so, how do you show a full life but then you want things to remain private? And so I think we’re at a place now where we’re like, we don’t have to show everything. She wants the reality show. She would love a reality show. I get my users to connect when I do the reality show on stories. But guess what? That’s not why you’re coming here. And so I think we’re like, okay, these are the parts of me that you get to see that I turn on. And then there are parts of me that you’ll never know, and that’s okay too. 

Jaclyn Mellone

That’s a good balance that you know where that boundary is. You have the parts that you’re going to show, and then you know where that boundary is for you. And it’s going to be different for all of us. But that probably gives you some sanity too. It also eliminates that struggle like, do I share this? Do I not share this? It’s almost like you’ve predetermined what you would want to share and not share. 

Rebecca Minkoff

Yes, and I think it’s the things that all dovetail into. At the end of the day, we’re selling an accessible luxury product to someone. Does what I’m showing enhance that are not? We just decided last March, is me dancing in TikTok make you want to buy a bag? No, actually it doesn’t. It just makes you laugh. So guess what? I don’t need to do that right now. I have better things to do. I think you just have to start looking at everything through that lens. And the same answer, because I said, well, just listening to me on a podcast make you want to buy a bag? Not necessarily, but it shows you a facet of a woman or customers that you could be that I think you go, oh I admire what those people are doing versus, oh that was entertaining. So I think you have to take each item that you’re looking at and take it deeper than face value.

Jaclyn Mellone

Absolutely. And I think with what you’re doing it’s like, okay, we read the book. We start listening to the podcast. One, we’re then part of your community there. But I think there’s something too, especially with a podcast. I think the book will lead people to your podcast is, you think you’re part of someone’s life on a weekly basis. And once you’re part of someone’s life on a weekly basis, you’re on their mind. So I feel that it’s only natural that even if they’re at the store or they’re online like, oh, those are Rebecca Minkoff bags. They’re going to stand out a little bit more than if you weren’t on their mind all the time. So I can see this all fitting together. 

Rebecca Minkoff

Yes. 

Jaclyn Mellone

Is that their master plan? Did I just reveal the master plan? Well, I think it’s a really good master plan. Speaking of master plans. The pandemic really hit your business hard. And I think a lot of us can, some of us can relate to. A lot of our listeners are online businesses and they were set up for this, but it may be a hit as hard in other ways. But a lot of businesses out there can relate to the pandemic hitting hard. How did you navigate that? And what did that look like for your company? 

Rebecca Minkoff

Our business shrunk by 70%. So that was wild. Basically, all of our retail partners canceled their orders within a week. And we had to really take a look and say, can we do this? What is the minimum amount of money we can spend every week between payroll and rent and furloughs and layoffs? And this is our website, that’s all we have. And had that, and we survive on our website. So it was the hardest work of my life. It was the most rewarding work of my life. I think when you’re faced 16 years in with the end, and then you double down, you work hard. It’s crazy. It’s fucked up. You’re dealing with children and homeschool and all of that. And then you come out the other end, you’re like, oh yes, I just got forged in the fire and nothing can break me. It can be very reassuring of just what it takes when you and your team come together and say, okay, let’s do this.

Jaclyn Mellone

Yes. Okay, so that leads me to, how do you foster that fearlessness in your team? Because I think a lot of us can see like, okay, well Rebecca’s fearless and you’re out there doing stuff. But okay, now you have a team and you’re really put in a situation where it’s important for everyone to be in that same mindset too. On a daily basis, it probably also is important but especially with something like this. Were you doing anything different to help get their mindset aligned with yours? Or that just culture’s always there? 

Rebecca Minkoff

The culture is not necessarily always there. And to be honest, it wasn’t before the pandemic. But I think when everyone else also saw like this is almost the end, the rally point, the rally cry. They’re like, let’s do it. What do I have to do? And take on, and whatever became incredible. And everyone took on five jobs and just figure it out, how do we do this? 

Jaclyn Mellone

And that’s so encouraging to have each other too. I think that’s a reassurance for those of us too whenever that point hits. Maybe you’re not sure whether you can keep going or things feel hard that that’s the moment to have that rally cry and to not sink into it and feel that defeat, but to really look for those creative solutions. So your perspective on burnout is really unique and, I think, very refreshing. Will you just share with what is your perspective on burnout? 

Rebecca Minkoff

On burnout? So I say in the book, there is no scented candle in the world that will make your burnout go away or self-care Sunday, whatever you want to call it. Sometimes I think, and I want to meet this person and punch them in the face. There’s the person that comes up with these verbiages like burnout or imposter syndrome. I almost feel like these titles are made up and then market it to you and like, oh, I never thought about that. And I’m just going to make a couple of extreme examples. Do you think that people working in the coal mines experienced burnout? I think we take this we’re pretty privileged to even have that feeling. When you’re forging for water or not sure where your next meal is going to come from, you think people are like, ugh, I’m so burned out. 

So I think that I talked about in the book, self-reflection. And the need for, let’s just still down rather than soak all our sorrows in a mask, or a candle, or a massage. Like where is it coming from? Is it a toxic work environment? Is it a toxic partner? Is it a toxic employer or boss? I lost my passion for what I do. Okay, good. Now that I’ve narrowed down what it is, then I can make a plan. And that plan is not going to happen overnight. You just quit your job. What is the plan to get back to battery? And I know for me, just starting out, making no money, working all hours, I never had burnout. I love what I did so much. And I’m sure anyone here who loved what they did so much, it didn’t matter. You weren’t burnt out. You just were fueled by your own creation and your own momentum. So how do you get back to that? And that takes some self-reflection to figure that out. 

Jaclyn Mellone

Yes. I think you say the lifestyle design of like, what’s that life going to look like that does fuel you? So where does passion fit into all this? Because I see that this as a common trend too. 

Rebecca Minkoff

I think that you have to have passion for what you do, who you’re with, who you burst. That doesn’t mean it’s not going to be hard or shit’s not going to get fucked up, or you’re going to have more struggle than success. Passion is the thing that keeps you going back. And so you got to be resolved on that and feel that so that you can keep going when it gets hard. That’s like the thing that you want to. That’s your life jacket when things get hard, because of your passion. 

Jaclyn Mellone

Yes. I even remember when I first started my business, my husband was like, I’ve never seen you work this hard before. And I’m like, I could never have worked this hard doing the other things I was doing because I just didn’t love them as much. I didn’t have that natural, yes. It gives you those extra reserves. 

Rebecca Minkoff

Totally.

Jaclyn Mellone

Do you think you can create passion, or it’s just a natural thing that you have for something? 

Rebecca Minkoff

I think you can create it. You create it with your partner. That’s not natural. You have to keep creating it with your partner. So I think when some of my roles in the company shifted, I had to create a passion for owning and creating and producing fashion week. But I didn’t like to start my career being like, I’m going to be the one that calls all the shots to create this exhausting event. That’s really also fun. 

Jaclyn Mellone

Yes. Is there anything that you think helped you create that passion, or just doing it and leaning into the parts that you liked the most?

Rebecca Minkoff 

Doing it, then feeling the challenge, overcoming the challenge. Feeling that success that comes with that. 

Jaclyn Mellone

Okay, I can see that. I think this is such an interesting conversation because sometimes people are like, follow your passion. But the passion has nothing to do with anything that they’re going to make money. But also, if we’re just doing stuff that’s so logical, it’s missing that extra energy. And I shared with you that I wanted to be a fashion designer when I was little. In middle school, I did a report. And it was basically on what it would look like to be a fashion designer someday. It was basically like, there’s Calvin Klein or you’re making $14,000 a year. And I was like, okay, I don’t think I’m going to be yet. And so I probably should find another career path goal because $14,000 isn’t going to cut it for me. But it was such a logical decision. And I don’t know, I’ve thought about a lot of the things in my business recently. I don’t know if they were based a hundred percent on logic. Sometimes that extra, whether it’s the gut feeling or something like that, that you can’t always factor in on a spreadsheet. I feel like that’s a little bit of what you’re getting at with your business and these different gut instincts to do things, or the following the passion with.

Rebecca Minkoff

Yes, I think you have to love what you do and it has to have that passion otherwise, it will be miserable. And it isn’t about the money or the fame. I think, again, we’re in a society where that seems to be the thing to go after because that’s what the Kardashians had to happen. But I think that no matter what you do, you should love it. And if you can make a living doing that, that’s a really lucky thing to have. 

Jaclyn Mellone

Yes. Okay, so you mentioned guilt in your book and I can relate to guilt too. I have a Jewish mother and my dad is Roman Catholic. So I feel like guilt is just part of our culture. W What do you do when you’re feeling guilty? Is there a way to get yourself out of that state?

Rebecca Minkoff

No, that’s nothing that I can say that’ll fix that feeling. I think, again, it’s one of those hard-wired emotions that is especially stronger in mothers. And when you realize something is crazy, but you can’t really do anything about it like this pandemic, it’s crazy. I feel guilty. There’s a reason for me to feel guilty. I feel that way, move on. Usually, you can’t do anything about it. If I’m in Japan for work for 10 days, I can’t take a flight home, I’m just going to feel the guilt. Bring them some toys and hopefully spend some extra time with them when I get home.

Jaclyn Mellone

Totally. Well, I think my therapist would approve of that. You just feel the emotion. So I’m like, okay. Even though you’re like, I don’t do anything with it. You acknowledge that you have it. So just giving yourself that ability to actually feel it and acknowledge it, might be part of the magic right there.

Rebecca Minkoff

Yes, totally. 

Jaclyn Mellone

Alright. So very random question as we wrap up, but I noticed that your mom and some other people call you Becky. But your personal brand is Rebecca. What do you go by? And was there a reason to have the brand be Rebecca? Do you secretly hate that they call you Becky? As someone who, growing up, I was Jackie. And then at 18, I was like, okay, now I’m going to be Jaclyn. And at 29, I told my family, listen, I’m going to be 30 next year. You got to finally get on board with this. And they finally got on board with Jaclyn by the time I turned 30. But so I was like, okay, what’s going on with this Becky- Rebecca thing? I need to know. 

Rebecca Minkoff

So it was always Becky, but I felt like when I started my brand, it didn’t sound professional. It sounded too casual. Becky Minkoff doesn’t sound luxury to me, Rebecca does. So that was that. And then usually the people that I’m closest with just call me Becky because they know me, and it’s casual. It’s the off-duty Rebecca. But either name is fine. Rebecca is just definitely probably the more professional one.

Jaclyn Mellone

Okay, that makes sense. And you’re consistent with it and your personal brand, so that’s good. But I couldn’t help but notice. Alright. Well, thank you so, so much. This has been such a joy for me to get to chat with you, and pick your brain on these things that you’re experience is so vast and I love your insight. I’ve really felt so encouraged listening to you at the book too. So it’s been so great to get to chat with you and I’ll say, in real life but over zoom. As opposed to real life that we can get these days. How can we stay in touch with you? 

Rebecca Minkoff

You can follow me on Instagram @rebeccaminkoff. You can listen to my podcast, Superwomen with Rebecca Minkoff. And buy the book, it is for sale wherever books are sold. 

Jaclyn Mellone

Alright, and we’ll make sure we have links to all of that in the show notes as well.

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