1) In ROAR language, you are a great role model of being a lifelong serial Re-Imagineer. You held senior positions in the fashion, beauty, jewelry world. Tell us a bit about your first “collection” of career experiences.
When I first moved to New York, as a recent University of Pennsylvania graduate English major, I hoped to find a job using my totally non-existent advertising writing skills. Through a college friend, I landed at Grey Advertising on the Ford Motor Account as a budget coordinator with no writing assignments in sight. I eventually hopscotched to the client side, spending a few years at Clairol in product management and then to a position where the real fun began.
Jaclyn Cochran was a division of the behemoth American Cyanamid and marketed two top fragrances of that era— L’Air du Temps by Nina Ricci and Pierre Cardin Men’s Cologne. While I started working on the Cardin brand, and had the whirlwind experience of traveling with Mr. Cardin to meet the women who worked behind the department store counters in LA, my excitement took over when I became the SVP of Marketing for Parfums Nina Ricci, the company’s $35 million flagship perfume. Nina Ricci was my spiritual “business home” for twelve years. During this time, I also became a wife and mother of our only child, a daughter.
I traveled to France many times a year to work with Robert Ricci, who, with his mother, the designer Madame Nina Ricci, had founded the couture house in 1932. Mr. Ricci was an inspiration––a highly creative businessman who started his career in advertising and then created a global perfume business. He came to the US right after WWII to launch his perfumes at Bonwit Teller. He and I worked very closely as the US was the brand’s largest market. When he died unexpectedly, I worked just as closely with his son-in-law, Gilles Fuchs. We set up a new US company, Parfums Nina Ricci, Inc. in partnership with Sanofi, the French multinational. I became President and CEO. These were joyous years as I was treated as a member of the family and my regular travels to Paris allowed me to indulge in my love of everything French.
Eventually Nina Ricci worldwide was absorbed by Sanofi, and I became a free agent. Harry Winston, the prestigious jewelry company, recruited me as their US Managing Director. Marketing here required different activities, such as chartering a yacht in Palm Beach to showcase the jewelry as well as dressing actresses with exquisite jewelry for the Oscars.
After expanding their business, I was hired away by the global costume jewelry company, Monet. Founded in 1927, Monet was a venerable international company with revenues of $113 million dollars based on its global distribution in department stores. While I started as the global EVP, I eventually became President. My travels to Europe, Japan and China, provided further education about international business. Monet was owned by the investment arm of a well-known bank and after many successful years they asked me to orchestrate a sale of the company.
2) At one point, you made a big career decision to move into the nonprofit world with stints at the Paley Center for Media and New York University. What motivated you to move into nonprofit? What advice would you give someone who is contemplating this kind of move?
Once Monet was sold, I was free to start a new chapter. A close friend asked if I would be interested in joining The Paley Center for Media as the Vice President of Development. Ready for a challenge, I quickly agreed and spent the next seven years raising money for the Museum––a rich repository showcasing our television and radio creative history. My proudest achievement was creating the initiative called SHE MADE IT: Women Creating Television and Radio, documenting the history and honoring 150 female creative and business talents in the industry. My collaborators were some of the most important women in the media business and we staged three years of program activities to honor these pioneers. We followed that with another important program––ALL THINGS MEDIA: Venture Capital Forum, in partnership with Springboard Enterprises. This forum recruited and coached female entrepreneurs who then pitched their ideas to an audience of venture capitalists to secure funding. We were successful raising money for the Paley Center and raising awareness of the deep well of female talent.
My next non-profit position was at NYU as the Assistant Dean for Development for The Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development. This was a sea change as university development was very different from the more corporate culture of the Paley Center. At NYU I raised over $60 million during my five-year tenure and launched two major galas featuring extraordinary talents––Paul Simon one year and The Eagles the next. Every skill I had developed during my career came into play managing my team, producing exciting events and raising lots of money.
My advice regarding a transition from the corporate world to the not-for-profit world––learn as much as you can about the non-profit’s culture before you decide to join.
Non-profit organizations are quite different from those in the for-profit world and one’s corporate expertise and skill set need to be well understood to be fully appreciated. Prepare for speedbumps. Having said that, one can succeed with out-of-the box big ideas and if one has the skills and support of the organization to execute big ideas.
3) At 60, you became an entrepreneur with the launch of The Butler’s Closet, an e-commerce business that has already generated over $1 million in revenue. Give us some “Re-Imagineer” wisdom on being an entrepreneur in the second half of life. Some pros and cons too!
I always wanted to have my own business and while at NYU knew that my next venture would be my own. I actually bought a beautiful large leather notebook and made an entry on December 1, 2002, pledging to start my own business. I started to work on my side-hustle, and it took until 2011 to launch.
How did I launch The Butler’s Closet? My company manufactures and sells museum quality textile conservation items ––shoulder covers, garment bags, furniture covers, shoe bags, etc. all made from undyed and unbleached fabrics.
One of the lasting gifts from my years at Nina Ricci was a collection of beautiful suits and dresses and I wanted to find out how to protect them. It was clear that plastic covers were harmful to good fabrics, but what other option was available?
Searching online led me nowhere. I also wanted to find furniture covers to protect new upholstery. Again, I found no resources. So, I called two textile conservators I knew well, and they not only encouraged me but led me to the fabric resource used by the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s conservation department. A talented upholsterer in Hudson, New York, made samples and patterns for me and I was off to the races!
Luckily, I found a highly experienced factory owner in Brooklyn who was willing to manufacture my product line at minimal quantities. Checkbook in hand, I bought fabric and other components and issued small purchase orders.
One of my dearest friends had been the VP Creative Director at Bergdorf Goodman and opened his own design studio. We met at Monet, and we continue to work together to this day. In late 2010 we photographed my products, I set up a rather primitive website and had my initial products produced. My brand positioning––protecting and preserving your fine possessions––was immediately well received.
The Pros––I was lucky enough to do this using all the resources of the internet age. Technology has improved and offers many solutions that were not available when I started. Having sold over $1,000,000 worth of products, I have a group of loyal customers who reorder regularly and appreciate the quality of my offerings and my very personal and hands-on approach to customer service. It’s hard to believe that the company has grown the way it has, and I am running to keep up with all the demands so it can grow even larger. Most of the consultants I have worked with since the launch are still my partners, and I have an extremely supportive husband who knows it takes time, talent and encouragement for a company to prosper.
The Cons––One must keep pushing the idea forward for as long as it takes to launch. Nothing happens overnight and with a bootstrapped company, the rewards take much longer to arrive. Unless you can quit your day job and concentrate solely on your new business, investing nights and weekends is required to get the business off the ground.
Starting small allowed me to produce just enough to launch and get my website up and running. Eventually I was able to improve my presentation, launch new products and start advertising online. Mine is a business of details––keeping products in stock, introducing new items and marketing to customers. It takes a lot of time but is a labor of love and my efforts have been rewarded with wonderful customers who come back year after year to support my business.