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Archive for Millennial Enrepreneuers – Page 15

Stitch Fix’s Katrina Lake: Reinventing the Fashion Industry

Posted by Emma O'Toole

· Saturday, September 14th, 2019

· 3 Comments

Like most entrepreneurs, Katrina Lake never saw herself as an entrepreneur or starting her own company. Katrina Lake is the founder and CEO of Stitch Fix, and is now one of the wealthiest female entrepreneurs in the country.

After graduating from Stanford University studying economics and pre-med, Katrina worked at a consulting firm, focusing on retail and hospitality, which had yet to reach the digital revolution era. She realized that consumers found buying clothes online difficult because they had to go through millions of options available and pinpoint exactly which item they liked and would work for them. Katrina took this to heart and really thought how she could ease online shopping for consumers. Consumers are mainly concerned about style and fit of their clothes. After consulting and working as a venture capitalist, Katrina wanted to work for a company that would be the future for retail, but she realized that it did not exist anywhere as no one successfully merged fashion with data usage. So in 2009, she attended Harvard Business School to pursue a master’s degree in entrepreneurship.

For a class project at Harvard Business School, she used her findings from her consulting job with the troubles consumers had buying clothes online. Katrina desired to bring a better shopping experience into homes of women who did not have time to shop around or have access to a wide range of fashion options. She felt that shopping was broken, and at the time, e-commerce was not an ideal way to shop. So she asked herself what consumers really wanted out of retail, and came up with a personalized shopping service that uses algorithms and recommendations from stylists to curate boxes of clothing and accessories that matches a customer’s style and fit preferences.

For a small fee, customers would receive semi regular shipments based on their size, tastes, and information pulled from social media accounts like Instagram and Pinterest. What they want to keep, they are charged for, and what they do not like, they could return. This would combine the personal shopping tips she got from her sister and a Netflix style e-commerce model. This is when Stitch Fix was created.

Stitch Fix officially launched in 2011, and has experienced significant growth with 2.7 million customers and more than $1 billion in revenue. Katrina Lake was named number 55 on Forbes list of America’s Richest Self-Made Women. Today, Stitch Fix employs around 85 data scientists and more than 3,700 stylists. They have expanded their collection lines to not only women’s clothing, but men’s, kids, maternity, petite, plus size, and basics.

Through hard-work and innovation, Katrina Lake revolutionized the fashion industry through Stitch Fix. She was able to find a gap in online shopping and provide consumers with an easier and more convenient way to shop. Katrina introduced the market to personalized styling to the average customer, not just to the rich. Stitch Fix is reinventing the apparel industry and the way customers buy their clothes.

Find out how Stitch Fix started

3 Comments

Categories : Apparel/Accessories, eCommerce, Fashion, Millennial Enrepreneuers, Uncategorized, Women Entrepreneurs

Gladiator Lacrosse and Rachel Zietz

Posted by SpicherJM18

· Monday, December 17th, 2018

· 2 Comments

Rachel Zietz was only 13 years old when she created her company, Gladiator Lacrosse. While she had been playing she has found that her equipment was extremely expensive and not that durable. So she set out to do something about it. While attending the Young Entrepreneurs Academy in Boca Raton, Florida she pitched her idea of inexpensive and durable lacrosse gear to investors. She received $2,700 for the development of her idea! After her first year of being in business she achieved over $200,000 dollars in sales. And after two years, she had reached over $1 million in sales. This is an awesome idea in which I can very well relate too. I have been playing lacrosse for many years and one of the main barriers that stop new players from joining is the expensive price of lacrosse equipment. I hope that Gladiator Lacrosse can continue to help with taking down that barrier and inviting many new players into the sport.

Image result for gladiator lacrosse

2 Comments

Categories : Building, Business, Engineering, Fitness, Great Ideas, Millennial Enrepreneuers, Women Entrepreneurs, Youngest Entrepreneurs

Kids Helping Kids

Posted by FilbyGC1

· Sunday, December 16th, 2018

· 4 Comments

Brandon and Sebastian Martinez are two incredible young boys. They are the founders a colorful sock company that sells to kids and adults. They are passionate about designing socks that stand out from the crowd, but they also care about making a difference at the same time. Sebastian, who is 10 years-old, is the C.E.O. and head designer for their company, “Are You Kidding.” Brandon, who is 12 years-old, is the Director of Sales, or as he likes to refer to himself as the “D.O.S.”

The Martinez brothers have always wanted to share their love of cool and unique socks with the world. Their love for socks was the inspiration to start a small business where they sell their fun designs with others. They use some of the profits from their socks to raise awareness for local and national charities around the country. They have partnered with organizations like Autism Speaks, American Cancer Society, Special Olympics Florida, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Miami, and The Live Like Bella Foundation.

Their story is inspirational because the Martinez boys show us that it is never too early to start a business or follow our passion.

4 Comments

Categories : Apparel/Accessories, Millennial Enrepreneuers, Uncategorized

Hoaka Swimwear

Posted by cummingsld17

· Sunday, December 16th, 2018

· 2 Comments

Instagram is being taken by storm by the young entrepreneur, Elisabeth Rioux. She now has 1.7 million followers and that number is still growing.

She was only 18 when she started her bathing suit company, Hoaka Swimwear. Her goal for this company is to inspire body positivity. She made it her mission to create an atmosphere for all women to feel good in their own skin and in her swimsuits. One way she does this is by having girls model her swimwear, who all have different body types. This breaks the mold of the typical swimsuit model, showing girls that anyone can be beautiful in their own skin. This is how Elisabeth has branded her company, which has most certainly paid off.

What differentiates her swimsuits from others on the market is the material they are made from. They are made with neoprene. This is the same material that wet-suits are made out of, meaning that they will last a long time and are also very flattering on many body types.

Elisabeth Rioux just launched a new branch of her company, which sells underwear. This company is called Bamboo Underwear. She is branding this company by saying that it is the most comfortable underwear out there. Just like her other company, her products are designed with a very different kind of fabric. Her products are made from bamboo fabric, which has unique properties such as a cooling effect, is softer than cotton, and is allergen free.

Although Elisabeth Rioux is still a very young entrepreneur, she has built an empire for herself by promoting body positivity and making sure her products stand out from anything you’ve seen before.

2 Comments

Categories : Apparel/Accessories, Millennial Enrepreneuers

Burning Hats for Profit

Posted by FilbyGC1

· Sunday, December 16th, 2018

· 4 Comments

In Venice, California, Nick Fouquet builds custom hats from raw materials. He crafts each piece by hand. His client roster that includes celebrities like Pharrell Williams and Anne Hathaway. No two hats are the same, but each hat is made with the absolute best materials and the very best techniques, which have been perfected through the centuries.

Born in New York and raised in Florida and Southern France, Fouquet did not grow up with a strong passion for hats. He was only inspired to enter the world of hat designing after having a conversation with a cowboy he met after moving to California. He saw an opportunity in the market. “Hat-making is a dying art — there are only about 30 artisans in America, and 300 in the world,” says Fouquet.

After an initial meeting with the client, Fouquet gathers the raw material, typically beaver, rabbit, or straw. He uses a combination of twine, steam, and classic California sunshine to dry and shape each hat. Next, he will sand the exterior of the hat until it is smooth enough to wear. Because he is famous for his destressed hats, he often also lights his hats on fire for a few seconds to age them.

His straw hats start around $550, but some felts hats cost over $1,000. Fouquet’s strong personality and aesthetic drives his business forward. His attention to detail helped revitalize the dying market of high-end hat making.

4 Comments

Categories : Apparel/Accessories, Millennial Enrepreneuers

Handmade Knives from Brooklyn

Posted by FilbyGC1

· Sunday, December 16th, 2018

· 4 Comments

Brooklyn-based knife maker Chelsea Miller can barely keep her handmade knives in stock. She works all day in her 100-square-foot Brooklyn studio to fill orders for her loyal customers. Her knives have a $800 price-tag, but restaurants, like highly acclaimed Eleven Madison Park, fight to order her bespoke products.

Some of Miller’s most popular knives are made from farrier’s rasps. A farrier’s rasp is a farm tool used to trim horses’ hooves. She takes these old rasps, which are rusted and dulled from use, and she transforms them into bespoke kitchen knives. Miller takes an oxyacetylene torch to grind it down and to blast it smooth in her smithy, which is located down the street from her apartment in New York City.

Initially, she moved to New York to pursue a career as an actress, but her father fell ill, which meant she suddenly started spending more time at home at her family’s farm in Vermont. She found some old rasps on the property, and she turned them into her first set of rugged knives. Her handles are made from beautiful maple trees that are found on the property of the farm.

When she started her business in 2011, she sold her knives for around $250 at the Brooklyn Flea. Now a 10-inch knife costs around $800 online. Knife-making is no longer a hobby; it is her job. However, her love of acting has not faded, and she continues to use that skill to land impressive marketing/press opportunities. She still appears in short independent films, and on wide range of different media outlets for her unique craft. Chelsea Miller uses all her skills to grow and shape her business, which is a mark a successful entrepreneur.

4 Comments

Categories : Cooking, Millennial Enrepreneuers

OnboardIQ – Innovation Through Application

Posted by edwardadoyle

· Wednesday, December 12th, 2018

· 1 Comment

Age 22, Jeremy Cai is forging quite a different path than your average college graduate. Jeremy started a company that is bringing intelligence into the workforce hiring process. OnboardIQ is automating the hiring platform in ways never seen before. His company is promising enough to garner the attention of high profile investors and Jeremy has over 11M in funding. He has customers in 46 countries and his company has helped automate hiring over 3.5 million applications. Jeremy’s key observation was the fact that not much had changed about the hiring process for corporations in the last 100 years. He spotted an area for development through technological innovation and has been reaping the rewards in full.

Onboard IQ CEO Jeremy Cai

1 Comment

Categories : Millennial Enrepreneuers

A Whale of a Story — Vineyard Vines

Posted by PlominskiCC18

· Wednesday, December 12th, 2018

· 5 Comments

Image result for vineyard vines logo

Shep and Ian Murray, CEOs and brothers (as they like to be called) created the now iconic clothing brand Vineyard Vines. The two brothers were working for in Manhattan in 1998 when they both decided to quit the corporate life to pursue their dream of living the good life hence their slogan “Every Day Should Feel This Good.” They say their story began with the reminiscence of their childhood on Martha’s Vineyard. Before quitting their jobs in NYC they signed up for as many credit cards as they both could (and used their health plan just as much, they like to say). With their credit cards they used all they could to personally finance their dream of living the good life.

July, 1999 the two brother began selling their ties off their old boat and out of backpack on Martha’s Vineyard. That summer saw the largest growth their new company Vineyard Vines (VV) had ever seen. By the end of the season VV moved to a small office on the island. By 2004, the Murray brothers’ company grew to multiple boutique shops along the East Coast. Between their expansion in ’04 and ’07 the new company’s revenue tripled. And, in 2015, VV christened its new 91,000 sq. ft. headquarters in Stamford, CT.

The story of the Murray brothers and Vineyard Vines goes to show that investing in yourself without a safety net is always the best motivator for any entrepreneur. Risk it all to get the best reward because “Everyday Should Feel This Good.”

5 Comments

Categories : Clothing, Creating, Fashion, Great Ideas, Millennial Enrepreneuers, Millennial Entrepreneurs, Uncategorized

Teal Drones

Posted by rogersnw18

· Tuesday, December 4th, 2018

· 1 Comment

Middle school can be a tough time for many young teens. It’s a time to begin learning who you are and trying new things. In George Matus’ case, it was a time to work as a test pilot, learn about aviation, and prototype helicopters and drones. George’s goal was to find what was lacking in drones and add and improve upon them. A few years later George’s dream drone was born in the form of The Teal One.

Matus officially started his drone business when was 17 years old in high school. It was quite the journey. He raised 2.8 million in seed money with 100k coming from Peter Thiel’s Foundation to skip college. Matus also participated in Battlebots, built a team of 15 workers, built a website, created a warranty policy, and completed high school classes the same year. Finally, he launched his commercial drone business, Teal Drones, in early 2017 with his first product costing $1,299.

Perhaps the most incredible part of Matus’ journey was his job opportunity as a test pilot for HorizonHobby in middle school. After being told to take down a video on YouTube of flying a modified version of their drone upside down, he was offered a job. While there, Matus designed a helicopter that could fly for 2 hours and a drone that could fly over a hundred miles per hour. His experience in this job allowed him to see the gaps in the drone industry by just age 16. With determination, natural skill, and a passion for drones, George Matus created a company that is leading the way in the drone industry through design innovation and the search for new use applications.

1 Comment

Categories : Aviation, Business, Millennial Enrepreneuers, Technology