Jen A. Miller Consulting

Category: Videos

Toast of the Town | Jennifer Hyman

An interview with Jennifer Hyman| Co-Founder of Rent the Runway

Jennifer Hyman is perhaps one of the most well known and respected women entrepreneurs of the past decade. Along with her co-founder Jenny Fleiss she has built what has been dubbed “one of the most disruptive businesses of our time”. The proclamation is well warranted. Rent the Runway created a new business model that merged the worlds of fashion and technology. In fact, on their website Rent the Runway describes their business as,

Rent the Runway is a fashion company with a technology soul. Powered by a transformative business model, proprietary technology, a unique reverse-logistics operation and some of the smartest people on earth, we’re in a position to challenge old systems and rewrite new rules. By giving people access to remarkable luxury experiences, we’re changing the meaning of ownership — and revolutionizing retail in the process.

Growing a business of this nature and size (Rent the Runway employees over 1,000 people!) doesn’t come without it’s share of learnings. That’s what inspired Jennifer and Jenny to found their second venture, Project Entrepreneur. They sought a way to mentor and financially support the next generation of women entrepreneurs. Rock on ladies, rock on.

In this interview, Jennifer talks about the founding of Rent the Runway and passes along some of the advice she wishes she’d known when she was just getting started. To learn her startup story you’ll just gave to go ahead and watch our interview!

Want to catch more great advice from women like Jennifer? Make sure you SUBSCRIBE to the The Jam weekly newsletter. Every week I’ll be delivering exclusive interviews, the best advice from around the web, tools and resources to help you build your business, listings of the must-attend the conferences and events, and much more!

A toast to you and Jennifer Hyman too,

Jen

January 18, 2017
Toast of the Town | Christen Delaney

An interview with Christen Delaney| Founder of CAM Jewelry

I was recently introduced to Christen Delany the founder of CAM Jewelry. The intro came by way of a Youtube video she’d created to show behind the scenes of her work. I knew within a few minutes of watching that this was a girl I was going to like.

Lucky for me, Christen invited me over to her Venice home for an interview. I’m happy to say that I was proved right.

On her website she describes her business as, “

CAM is the debut jewelry collection from LA based installation artist and designer Christen DeLaney. Each piece of CAM is “wearable sculpture”, influenced by shapes and patterns found in geometry and numerology, which hold significance rooted in a deeper universal meaning. CAM consists of two collections a signature fine jewelry line, which delicately incorporates gemstones such as onyx, rubies, garnet, and emeralds into geometrically shaped fixtures of 14k yellow and rose gold, as well as a diffusion collection that works clear quartz crystals, opal and turquoise into 100% recycled white metal. Every piece of CAM is intended for layering, stacking, mixing, matching and can be worn anytime, anywhere. From initial concept to finished product, CAM is designed and manufactured with meticulous craftsmanship and detail in Los Angeles.

Inspired by the desert and natural surroundings of California and the West Coast, designer Christen Delaney integrates timeless shapes and styles that are masculine in the overall design but have feminine details. With a background in installation art, Christen’s approach to designing jewelry is very similar to how she creates her art. She envisions each piece on a large scale, as an art piece or installation, then works it into a smaller form. The jewelry holds on to the larger meaning and influence behind it, with intentions for that meaning to grow and evolve the more it’s worn.” – http://www.cam-jewelry.com/about/

To learn her startup story you’ll just gave to go ahead and watch our interview!

Want to catch more great advice from women like Christen? Make sure you SUBSCRIBE to the The Jam weekly newsletter. Every week I’ll be delivering exclusive interviews, the best advice from around the web, tools and resources to help you build your business, listings of the must-attend the conferences and events, and much more!

A toast to you and Christen Delaney too,

Jen

December 21, 2016
Toast of the Town | Chantel Waterbury

An interview with Chantel Waterbury| Founder of Chloe + Isabel

On my last trip to New York I had the pleasure to meet and interview Chantel Waterbury the founder of Chloe + Isabel. She defines her business as a jewelry and lifestyle brand dedicated to empowering the next generation of women entrepreneurs. It’s hard not to believe when you read that their mission “is to help tackle the financial needs of the modern woman – to provide the training and tools to accomplish her goals, whatever they may be”. By the time you hear Chantel’s story you’r emore than convinced that what she’s building is so much more than a line of accessories.

On the Chloe + Isabel website Chantel shares that,

“I conceived of Chloe + Isabel as a place where smart, creative and confident women could play a significant role in creating an innovative new business model where they were at the center. Chloe + Isabel is both a brand and opportunity that combines elements of direct sales, retail and eCommerce with the sole purpose of providing a more meaningful experience to the modern woman. My mission was, and remains to this day, to empower the next generation of entrepreneurs through social retail.

Chloe + Isabel is the opportunity I wish I had when I was a young, ambitious woman with the goal of one day being my own boss. Today, I see in our Merchandisers that same drive I had when I first stepped out on my own, moving away from home at the age of 13 to pursue my education. I began working and saving up for school, and ultimately turned to a direct selling opportunity which paid my way through college. While it allowed me to make the money I needed, and gave me confidence in running my own business, I would have loved to have built my resume with an even wider set of skills, as well as been connected to a community of like-minded women.” – https://www.chloeandisabel.com/our-story/mission

To learn the rest of her startup story you’ll just gave to go ahead and watch our interview!

Want to catch more great advice from women like Chantel? Make sure you SUBSCRIBE to the The Jam weekly newsletter. Every week I’ll be delivering exclusive interviews, the best advice from around the web, tools and resources to help you build your business, listings of the must-attend the conferences and events, and much more!

Chantel Waterbury too,

Jen

December 14, 2016
Toast of the Town | Michelle Cordeiro Grant
An interview with Michelle Cordero Grant| Founder of Lively

The past few months I’ve been crushing on new girlboss brand on the block, Lively. I discovered them on Instagram and was immediately draw to their mantra – wild hearts and boss brains. Needless to say I was ecstatic to learn that the love was mutual.

A few weeks ago my girlcrush dreams came true when I met Lively founder Michelle Cordeiro Grant. We filmed a Facebook Live interview at her offices in NYC.

Lively’s site perfectly describes them as, ”

LIVELY is inspired by what we believe makes women sexy today; smart, healthy, active and outgoing. We are delivering bras and undies that blur the aesthetic lines of lingerie, active, and swim, taking the best elements of high-style and comfort from each category. We are establishing an entirely new category and POV of lingerie, a movement that we call Leisurée.

LIVELY is not just about the products it offers, it is about a mindset we want to share with women around the world. One that reminds, empowers and enables us all to live life doing what we love, with the people we love! We call this #livingLIVELY.

We knew women were waiting for this kind of movement, but even we were surprised at the global response we received pre-launch. It was tremendous, and our message of strength and confidence resonated far and wide. Notes came pouring in; ‘It is an amazing thing to find a brand that not only aligns with my values but encourages us to stand firm in our own skin.

I love feeling comfortable, though I also love the beautiful things in life, and LIVELY is a seamless balance of both!”. Another read, “Ultimately, and I think it’s the same for all twenty-something girls these days, I want to live my life as authentically as possible.” LIVELY is just getting started, and we couldn’t be more excited to have so many amazing women join our movement.
- https://www.wearlively.com/pages/about-us
Ugh, are you crushing with me yet?? Thought so ; )

Want to catch more great advice from women like Michelle? Make sure you SUBSCRIBE to the The Jam weekly newsletter. Every week I’ll be delivering exclusive interviews, the best advice from around the web, tools and resources to help you build your business, listings of the must-attend the conferences and events, and much more!

A toast to you and Michelle Cordeiro Grant too,

Jen
December 2, 2016
Toast of the Town | Sadie Lincoln

An interview with Sadie Lincoln | Founder of barre3

Sadie Lincoln is an inspiration. I first met the founder of fitness franchise barre3 at the Create and Cultivate conference in LA. Her story was so powerful I had wished we’d had more time to spend together. Fortunately, this summer I had that chance when a weekend getaway brought me to Portland.

I met Sadie and her team at their community studio. There she shared more about the founding story of barre3, her aspirations as an entrepreneur, and her dreams for the future.

Sadie Lincoln is a renowned wellness expert, media personality, and founder of barre3. From her flagship studio in Portland, Oregon, Sadie has created a unique style of whole-health fitness classes combining the disciplines of ballet barre work, Pilates and yoga. Her modern approach offers serious results, accessible programs and inspiration for balanced living. Barre3’s worldwide franchise locations and Online Workouts have attracted A-list celebrities, major publications such as Self, Fitness and In Style and everyday moms – just like Sadie.

Sadie began teaching group exercise 20 years ago while attending UCLA. She was awarded a Graduate Assistantship from the College of William & Mary, where she developed and ran the group fitness program while earning her master’s degree in higher education administration.

Prior to branching out on her own, Sadie spent 10 years at 24 Hour Fitness serving in a variety of roles, including running the group exercise program and developing global sales, marketing and brand communications strategy. Working directly with the founder and CEO, she helped grow the company into the largest chain of health clubs worldwide.

Today, Sadie is thrilled to own her company while raising her two kids alongside her husband and business partner Chris. – http://barre3.com/sadie

Watch now to learn her story and catch her advice for achieving your own entrepreneurial success

Want to catch more great advice from women like Sadie? Make sure you SUBSCRIBE to the The Jam weekly newsletter. Every week I’ll be delivering exclusive interviews, the best advice from around the web, tools and resources to help you build your business, listings of the must-attend the conferences and events, and much more!

A toast to you and Sadie too,

Jen

November 10, 2016