Over the past year, I have been slowly but surely incorporating podcasts into my weekly routine. I try to listen to a variety of different shows like comedy, inspirational, mystery, and now entrepreneurial. A friend recommended this show to me and I can’t stop listening to them. In each 45 minute(ish) episode, Guy Raz interviews the founder(s) of some of the countries most popular companies like Chipotle, Kate Spade, Zumba, and Bumble.
The episode I listened to was on the clothing brand Eileen Fisher. I was interested and I love everything it stands for and now I love the CEO even more. Here is a little synopsis of what I learned through this podcast.
When I started the podcast, I expected a strong, assertive CEO to talk about the journey to her empire, but what I listened to was the most calming and down-to-earth voice talk about how she is still uncomfortable with the idea of her success. Of course she is a strong and confident women, but she is very soft spoken and I think that speaks to so much of her company.
I think this aspect of her being so soft spoken and introverted is one of the key ideas I took from the podcast. I believe that many people see company CEO’s and leaders as very strong and extroverted, when in reality the successful leaders are all over the intro/extroversion spectrum. Fisher is not afraid to talk about how she was so shy she could barely speak to anyone when they would come up to her in the trade shows in the beginning of her company or that she didn’t want to call the company Eileen Fisher because it was too much spotlight on herself. She says that she is still uncomfortable with being so successful and having a lot of money. She explained that she is such an uncomfortable person in the world that she needed to make clothes as simple and comfortable to make her feel more at peace. I think this is such a good example of how introverts can still be successful leaders and have a influential impact without being the loudest or most outspoken.
I also enjoyed listening to Fisher dive into who her customer was. I have seen the brand around and see people wear it, but I have never taken the time to think about the customer Eileen Fisher is marketing too. Fisher said that her women was an artist, therapist, and/or teacher. She defined her as a “person who helps others find themselves.” This was going against all corporate uniforms and standards and making clothes for the casual, everyday woman. I liked how she defined the customer to an occupation because that makes someone really design for their wants and needs in a normal day. Knowing these wants and needs is one of the most key factors of a product/company.
I hope you learned something new about this innovative company and I would highly suggest checking out these podcasts!