Meet Kendall Herbst, the founder and CEO of StyleUp.
How and why did you begin your business?
When I transitioned from being a fashion editor at Lucky magazine to going to business school at MIT, I had a lot less time to think about shoes and bags. But I still wanted to dress well, learn about new trends and feel up-to-date about fashion. I wasn’t going to reach for a 600-page magazine in the morning or get much out of clicking through blog posts of 18-year-old bloggers in denim cutoffs. I wanted to create a platform for actionable fashion advice that would help real women find inspiration to dress well.
What has been your biggest challenge and how did you overcome it?
Learning to hire and work with engineers is still my biggest challenge to date. I’ve never been a product manager, I’m nontechnical — there’s a lot of ground to make up. But it’s such an important skill — to know how to work with and support talented engineers. The next step for me to take some coding classes myself.
How do you define SUCCESS?
Success is doing what you love with people that you love.
If there was one thing you wish you knew before you began your business, what would it be?
There’s some expression that a frowning man should never open his shop — something like that. Basically, it’s getting to the idea that you should start your day being positive and grateful. I’m so happy to get to build my dream company, but along the way I’ve definitely had super stressful or tough days. I wish I’d consistently taken the time to get some perspective and enjoy the moment each day.
What makes you an innovative woman?
In just a few years, I’ve transitioned from being a Conde Nast fashion editor to an MIT Sloan MBA to a Y Combinator alum. Each of those are distinctly different worlds and I feel equally at home in each. I think someone who can adapt and move quickly and see what’s up ahead beyond the next curve is innovative, and I’ve been pretty good at seeing what’s coming vs. waiting for the tide to take me along.
For more information about Kendall Herbst visit www.thestyleup.com.