“I launched my high-end clothing store in 2008, just in time for the recession.
Soon, we hit bottom.
Instead of quitting, I cut costs and sold the same styles for less.
We turned a profit, and now we’re expanding!
So we hired a celebrity manicurist to teach us and constantly asked for feedback from customers and employees.
You get into trouble when you stop listening.
“Adair Ilyinsky, cofounder, Tenoverten nail salon
“Sometimes, you’ve got to be shameless.
When I launched Spanx in 2000, I used my own backside as a model.
They ordered 3,000 pairs on the spot.
Instead, I practiced visualization and imagined a perfect run.
It totally changed the way I thought and felt.
I went on to get the gold medal.
But I conquer the panic, word by word, and my faith always returns.
You have to believe in yourself and work through your fears.
“Emily Giffin, best-selling novelist.
Her latest,Where We Belong*, hits shelves in July.
*
“My Gilt Groupe cofounder and I used to sneak out of work for sample sales.
Eventually, we thought, Why not just start a website for this?
We were our own target customers, so we based business decisions on what we loved.
