Stacey Bendet

On turning your passion into your job and the ins and outs of the fashion industry

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:13):
I was glad I came back. I miss the humor
even right now. It's a different type of outlet. It's
a different type of humor that I miss. It's running commentary.
You can be judgmental. Humor always wins with the exception
of saying something inappropriate or racist or off color, or
something politically and correct. Correct humor winds, and I like

(00:36):
to be free in that way. I don't like to
be trapped. I didn't like to do a talk show.
I don't like to do a lot of formatting, a
lot of formatted shows. I like that. What I don't
like about it is and it's not the women that
supporting women, because it's frankly every woman for themselves on
those shows. And when people leave the shows are not
friends with each other anymore. You have to have allies

(00:57):
you you know, you end up having enemies you would
never have had were you not on that show. You
have cross franchise enemies because of things you're commenting on.
This is a challenging workplace thing. I've had people that
I used to be friends with air something about me
on Watch What Happens Live, and I'm reading it for
the first time in print. It happened recently twice. That's

(01:19):
the name of this game. You get into it. If
you have a friend who's also in this league, it's
going to be challenging. If you go on a show
with someone in this league. Find me somebody who's gone
the distance. Okay, Theresa was enemies of Danielle, then she
became good friends with Danielle. Teresa was good friends with
Dina then that broke up. Best friends with Carol Amnza

(01:40):
that broke up. Meanie came in with Kim Zulziac that
broke up. I came in with Jill that broke up.
I became friends with Carol that broke up. Carol's best
friends of Tinsley that broke up. This is the nature
of this beast. Let's just not disguise it as women
supporting women. Because I have had my best friends for
thirty years thirty Sarah La Charlotte caller in Miami since

(02:01):
high school. Terry Gevinson Amy was my college roommate. These
are my real friends. You do not This is not
a place to make friends and nurture relationships. Okay. Second
of all, when I started, like I said that, we
were not We were doing our own Makeup and New
York give him credit for them from some of the time.
They still do. I came back after three seasons and

(02:23):
getting that money I got from Andy, and I walked
into the Berkshires and I saw there are glam squad
in the Berkshires. I saw somebody come down in a
ball gown. I was like, what the fund is going on?
People were wearing costumes, people were getting glam five days
a week. I was coming back. I had more money
than anyone. I had been on the cover of Forbes magazine.
I was not going to get my makeup done. It's
not real. What are we doing. I used to call

(02:45):
Andy and be like, can we out talk about the
fact that people have glam squads? But I was behind
the times. I didn't know that that's what this show
had become. Actress is makeup. Probably the Beverly Hills cast
that was just different. It used to be civilians. I
wasn't gonna be able to be on the show because
I had a pre existing television career from The Apprentice.
Now we have actresses. I thought it was crazy that

(03:06):
people had glam squads. I I did a cross over
twice at Beverly Hills. I said to Lisa Rinna who
never used to have wigs and like different personas. She
just had her short haircut and her normal clothes and jewelry.
She had a shift like Victoria Beckham a roamer address
every single time. And I looked and I what the fuck?
Kyle too was doing her own makeup. Erica Jane, God

(03:28):
give her all the credit in the world. She walked
in with her costumes and her over the top glam
and stuff like that, you know, paid for by God
knows who. Separate conversation, and then Dore came. You start
to see the hairstyles and the ponytails and the the mos,
you know, the crazy stuff and the burettes, and then
Kyle came in. You know then release it's fucking crazy

(03:49):
over there. You I mean, you see the way that
Garcel decks out because she's Denise William. Denise Richards walked
in thinking she was on like some sort of a
sort of reality show where you just us like you
normally dress, and everyone looked at her like, what the
funk are you wearing? Because we're all wearing ball gowns
on a private balcony on av occasion. What are you
doing so like I wasn't part of that world. I

(04:10):
never wear makeup, I never I wear sweatpants. That was
my reality. You know, because I was on TV, maybe
I got a little more dressed, but not for the
interviews I was were in jeans and a sweater. Now
you're like wearing Lakaja faux like crazy last to still
late costumes, so that it's the game has changed. Everybody
has to have long acrylics, price tags of their bags,

(04:33):
Space Space Star Wars, hair juices, every day clothes. You're
spending three times your your salary on on on Glam.
They say that Erica Jane and makes six hundred thousand
dollars a season. Erica Jane said that she spent fifty
thoullars a month just on Glam. Six hundred thousand dollars
was her Glam budgets, six hundred thousand dollars with what

(04:54):
she was making. But the government takes out part of
that six hundred thousand. She was making two six thousand
in Glam. You have to make in her tax bracket
like a million dollars a year. Let's get to the
wardrobe that's probably the same price. So she has to
make two million dollars a year to cover that nut.
So I don't know where the hell that money was
coming from. I'm just saying the game has gotten to

(05:16):
be different. So when people ask me on Twitter, why
don't I come back to the Housewives, it's a big question.
If I can come back to the Housewives and have
it be the fresh, free, none everybody placing every item none,
everybody was dressing in costumes, none, everybody being so controlled,
so pc, so terrified. None, everybody having to go on

(05:39):
watch what Happens live and funk over your friends. But
in a cute way of saying it just some way
of spilling a little bit of tea, you know, for
the gotcha moment, a little bit of just you know,
being part of a poll. It's going to tell you
what a loser you are, and just like, you know,
put your gloves on because you've got to kill or
be killed at a reunion. If I can go back
to the house while and just meet Alex McCord and

(06:03):
Simon for the first time, and Jill Zarin and and
Ramona and you know, just laugh and have it be
fresh and natural, give me whatever that format is, yes,
then I will go back to the housewives. But for
now with this fucking giant one point two million in
glam circus where everything is also not everything, where so

(06:25):
much of his bullshit to people's houses are not their
own houses. They're renting. The cars are half the time rented.
It's all show and no go. So you give me
a real, authentic somewhat real and authentic. The cars were
rented first season of Housewives in New York. And there's
always gonna be fronting and stunting. But if there could
be some element of authenticity that I can cling onto

(06:49):
and not feel like I'm gonna go shoot for four months,
make fun ton of money, I'm sorry for Eric is
lost with what she's being paid to do that, because
she deserves a lot more. When I tell you I
was getting paid a lot lot more, I was. But
she deserves every fucking penny she's making because she is
getting killed eight months of the year to do those

(07:12):
four months of shooting. So it's a battleground. It's a battlefield,
and every penny that every one of those housewives earned
makes they are earning because they're getting crushed in the
press all year long and taking hits by the Court
of public opinion. So now you know what would get
me back to the housewives. Today's guest is my friend

(07:41):
Stacy Benditt, the co founder, CEO, and creative director of
Alison Olivia. She is terrific. She has a reputation for
just being such a hard worker, being a creative, being passionate,
being strong. She packs a punch in this little body.
She's beautiful inside and now she's a great mom. She's

(08:02):
so loyal to her partner Andrew Rosen of over twenty years,
just constantly giving him the credit, the accolades their partners
in this incredible brand, Allison Olivia that has been around
for a long time. She loves being creative and she
has found success by making that the focus of her career.
She shares with me her biggest device, do what you're

(08:24):
good at and know when to hire people that can
do other jobs better than you. Like many of us,
she said to change her definition of success over the
last year and has figured out a way to thrive
during the pandemic and she's always rising to a new challenge.
I can't wait for you to hear her story. And
she is also a terrific philanthropist, So I can't say

(08:47):
enough about her. I wait, you look so cute. So
do you dress up every day? I'm so jealous, Like
you would you get up every day, you put makeup on,
and you put on like a cute you put on
a cute outfit every day, no matter what's going and

(09:08):
get dressed up every day. I don't wear makeup every day. Um,
you know, my skin is sensitive and so I'll do
just kind of you know, my hair pulled back in
a bun. But I like every day have on. I
like to get dressed. Even in Malibu through the pandemic,
everyone would laugh at me because I'd still be dressed up,
even in your house if you weren't seeing anyone. Yeah. Like,
even if I'm in sort of like like flip flops

(09:29):
or sandals or whatever, like, I'm still, yeah, an outfit.
I love it. It It makes me happy. My daughter is
exactly like you. My daughter will just all of a sudden,
I'll hear her in the shower and then she'll come
out with the cute little fuzzy half top and some
wide leg jeans, and I'll be like, where are you
going to? Nowhere in the middle of the just nowhere.
My middle daughter is like that. My youngest is I'm

(09:50):
not sure yet, she's the only kindergarten. But my oldest
will only wear sweats, like never dresses up. I have
to drag her out of the sweats. I'm like, what, like,
how to this happen? I'm that girl until there's if
there's a thing to go to that I'm like, wow,
I'm going to wear some of these amazing clothes I have.
It's really weird. It's it's it's almost like it's a
crazy thing. I have this thing, but I'd end that.

(10:11):
So you have an incredible business, um, and I believe
that they're like skinny Girl, but more so, many people
know of the brand Skinny Girl, but have don't know
about me, and certainly many people don't connect them. So
it has to be that the majority of followers of
your brand know what Alice and Olivia are, meaning just

(10:33):
the international just fan don't even know who you are
versus the brand. And you know, I get um, you
know very often you know from either the press or
from you know, other people in fashion. They're like, people
want to know you more, they want to know more
about you, And I use Instagram for that a little bit, right,
like I use it to give a little glimpse inside
my world and what I'm doing and my friends. But

(10:56):
I also just love to design, love making clothes, I
love creating things, and that's always been more of what
I love than being at the forefront of the brand,
which I know we've talked about even in our friendship
through the past. You know, I'd be asked to do
certain things on TV or whatever, and I'd always be like, oh,
I don't know if I want to do that, and

(11:16):
because to me, it's really about creation, you know. And
and you know, Instagram has been a funny thing because
in a way like sometimes you forget how many people
are watching what you're doing on that, So that's been
a little bit more of a uh, you know, it's
sort of way for me, I think, to share a
little bit of my world and what I'm doing and
what we're doing is a brand um without feeling like

(11:38):
I'm out there in a way that makes me uncomfortable,
and even talking to you for the few minutes in
what you just said, then being on television in that
way is absolutely not for you, and particularly now in
what reality television has evolved into, it's definitely not for you.
So I think that's wise. And you have to know
just because you can do something doesn't mean that you should.

(12:00):
And I think that for me, Like I actually don't
mind doing television when I'm teaching or inspiring or you
know sort of you know, doing things that support women
or a charity or you know, talking about a serious
you know, sort of passion or cause or event, or
just even inspiring people to like get into fashion and

(12:21):
be designers and be creative and do what they love.
But when it's a little bit more of a like
philanthropic purpose, right, I think intent, And that's how I
kind of think about, you know, everything, when I put
myself in front of the brand or at the forefront
of the brand, it's it's with intent. It's either to
support what we're doing as a brand or to support
women in general. What percentage of what you wear is

(12:55):
your own brand? Oh my god, almost all of it.
So I'll wear other brands shoes and sunglasses because we
really only make like one or two you know, kind
of pairs of shoes this season. Um. And I'll wear
you know, other brands bags and and things like that. Um,
But I almost entirely wear Elis and Ovi a clothing

(13:16):
amazing good. You gotta get high on your on supply. Well, yeah,
I feel like if you're not wearing what you're making,
like you need to stand for what your brand is.
And I also won't ever put anything in my stores
or sell anything that I'm not proud of and that
I don't want to wear. By the way, that takes
a lot that I bet you've left a lot on
the cutting room floor. Yeah, there are things where I'm

(13:36):
just like, listen, we're not going to do that, Like
it's not working. We'll use the fabric for something else.
We'll figure it out. But it's like you wouldn't put
a skinny Girl cocktail out there if you didn't like
the taste. You know. It's like you have to stand
behind what you do and that creates a certain level
of authentic authenticity to to any brand. You started your
business with a partner, which I didn't know until I

(13:57):
read so for people listening, I've known Stacy for years.
I met her like during just when we all used
to those going out years, And I remember Andrew and
you were doing your cookies and like, wait you remember that. Yeah,
I was doing I had weed egg and dairy free cookies, which,
by the way, you know, was why ahead of its
time to be a natural creaty. It was like all
those years ago and you were doing ashtanga yoga and

(14:20):
I was too, a long time before yoga was cool,
and even before I don't even know if Andrew had
invested in you yet. It was we went out to
brunch with some group of people, like party type, like
club type, cool fashionable people in Chelsea and I don't
know who invited me, but I sat there and I
remember meeting you and us talking and liking you. I mean,
I just sort of You've just been like circling my

(14:43):
world in different ways for years, decades, right, So well
when I started when I was twenty two, almost twenty
years ago, and you know, it's been such a journey.
But Andrew has been my partner really since the beginning.
I mean he partnered with me within the first few
months when I lunch, we were already partners. Oh okay,
so so maybe, but I might have met you before

(15:05):
you launched. I don't actually, because I didn't know about
the pants or anything. Because I think I met you
with Andrew like your dad was friends with him. Yes, No,
we're talking about Andrew Rosen, who is behind so many
incredible brands. He's you know, he's he's the brains behind
many brands. Uh, I don't even know all of them. Theory,
and I called him like American fashions godfather. Yeah, he's

(15:29):
a he's a fashion guy. And I know him because
my father was a racehorse trainer and um he used to,
I think train horses for Andrew. And Andrew's very involved
in the horse racing business. But it doesn't matter where
we met. But I didn't know that then. No, I
met you like with a group of people the day after,
the night after, like a club night, and you might

(15:49):
not even remembered because you were down the other end.
But I just remember you being this fashionable, cute thing.
And then later I read about the pants. I didn't
know about anything at that time. I was just like, hey,
you know, and and my attitude when I was you know, uh,
you know, just starting out was sort of like work
hard and get it done, and it wasn't about you know,

(16:09):
money or who owned what or anything. And you know,
I think I always am so grateful that I've had
Andrew by my side through all this, because you know,
he's helped navigate a lot of the things that you
know are not my first thought. You know, Like now
I know when I'm doing a deal with anyone, you know,
you you think differently. But when you're young, I was like,
what who cares, Let's just make this, let's just go,

(16:30):
let's just make it successful. Um. And I think that
like optimism and positivity has always been like what's gotten
me really far? But I think for every creative person
who's real talent is creating and building, you need that
business person by your side that is, you know, making
sure that that all monetizes. And I was really fortunate

(16:52):
to you know, have Andrew as a best friend, mentor
and partners since since I was, you know, twenty two
or twenty three years old. Well, you need to know
who you are, what your skill set is, what, and
you need to know what you don't know. And like
you when I was baking cookies and had Bethany bakes,
I didn't know what anything meant. I mean, I couldn't

(17:12):
afford a lawyer, so you couldn't afford all that you need.
So you know, now you have people have the Internet
and zoom legal and can figure things out. Online, but
you have to do that early because the mistakes that
you make early can haunt you later. I've talked about
restauranteurs that have literally lost their own name to other people.
You have a brand that is named partially someone in

(17:35):
your family. So you know, I'm sure that that wasn't
a fun experience, but thankfully it happened when you were young.
Like the mistakes now would be multimillion dollar mistakes then
they weren't. And you know, along the way, you make mistakes.
I mean there was a moment where we had to
like buy our name back in China. You know, like
there's all kinds of things that you you learn along

(17:56):
the way. But I think that you know, your success
an entrepreneur comes from learning on those mistakes and not
dwelling on them, but instead building off your success and
making that even better. Right, Like you can you can
dwell on every mistake and you know what money you
might have made if you have done something differently, or

(18:17):
you can look at what you're doing well and start
there and sort of like take this positive psychology approach
to your entrepreneurialism. Right. So, yes, yes, it's the cost
of doing business. There will be mistakes, you're trying to
mitigate them, and you're building your own case law because
every mistake that you make, you're not making that mistake again.

(18:38):
So it's sort of like your own case law where
you remember back to that other thing, and that's how
you become a smarter entrepreneur totally. And again it's lucky
to have someone with a lot of experience by my side,
you know, to navigate things that you know, even he
had done incorrectly and wanted to do differently the next
time around. So and I hope that at some point
I start to pass that off to you know, other

(18:59):
brands that I invest in, where I can help them
navigate things that you know, I know worked or didn't work. Um. Yeah,
So it's it's all kind of you know, you look
at you know kind of and and you're the same way,
like you can look back at what you've built and
you know when you started, whether it was cookies, I mean,
I made websites before I started closed, like, and you

(19:21):
look at kind of where you've gotten and I think, um,
teaching people about that path is so important because I
think as a young person it can be really overwhelming
and I think, you know, The best advice I always
give to entrepreneurs is one, do what you love and
make it that your work. If you can find something
you love, whether it's baking or cooking or cocktail making
or you know, designing, and you turn that into your job.

(19:43):
If you can turn your passion passion into your job,
you're going to find success. I mean, I think beyond that.
Like you know when I launched Creatively last year, right,
it's a job platform for creatives. It's a it's a
new type of what i'd call a professional network as
opposed to a social network, where it's the place for
you to share your work world. It's not about your

(20:05):
kids and your nights out drinking. It's literally the portfolios
and creativity that you present in your work world. It's
kind of like LinkedIn for creatives, but it's very visual,
like in Instagram and my partners, they're like amazing human
beings who I will be partners with for the next
you know, ten or fifteen or twenty years. Sometimes someone's
tied to I was in a business with somebody and

(20:26):
the name is skinny Girl. I owned the name, but
we created the logo of the girl together and so
we so so we owned her together. So when I
ended up selling the cocktail portion, that was really the
reason why I sold the cocktail portion of the business
because that he got he made tens of millions of
dollars and gave me. I got back the girl. So

(20:49):
you know how important this IP stuff is. The most
complicated thing I think we've ever had to do was
getting our um, you know, our our ownership of our
name in Asia, because it was like the wild West,
like there are no rules, there's nothing like someone just
says they own your name, and like you need to
negotiate until you get it back. I mean that was

(21:10):
not capable, but also like not sure exactly what I
could have done differently, because it was just a time
where like if you had a brand that was growing
and successful, there were people there that were just buying
the rights to that name before you could right. Well,
for people listening in the US, usage like you can't
buy a name and just hold onto it forever without

(21:30):
intent to use. So if your register something, you have
to have actual intent to use, prove that you're using it, commerce, etcetera.
In Asia, you just buy something and then you own it.
So I could just be like, oh, we've got girl
launched Alice and Olivia. I'm going to buy that because
she seems like she makes cut pants. So that's where
it gets scary, and that's what Stacy's talking about. And
that's the type of stuff that probably you know, that's
the type of stuff that's good to talk to other people.

(21:52):
You have, Andrew, But that's why I do this podcast
and ask you these questions that aren't that sexy because
people want to know how to do it. They might
not have a lot of money, and they learn from
these stories. I think the other like really great advice
to to make people sort of consider and think about,
is you know, really be honest with yourself about what

(22:14):
you're good at and what part of Like no one
runs every part of a business, right like, They're always
going to be things that you need to hire people
for and you want to hire people that are better
than you. So are you really the financial arm of
the business? Are you really the creative arm of the business?
Are you really the you know, visual arm? Whatever it is? Like?

(22:34):
You know, you you have to think about, you know,
where both your passion lie and where your talent lies.
And then you know it doesn't mean because you're not
good at something that you're not going to be successful.
It means you have to acknowledge that and figure out
who's going to be better than you are to help
you get to where you want to go. Um, if

(22:55):
you're the smartest person in the room, you're the dumbest
person in the room. Yeah, And that's the thing. It's like,
hire people who are better than you to do the
things that you know are not the best allocation of
your time. So you know, maybe you need Yeah, it's
not even necessarily weeds. Sometimes it's big stuff, but it's
weeds to you. You have to design, you have to

(23:16):
be If you're bobbed down and weeds, you're not being
creative and you're bob And that's my whole life is weeds.
So I'm saying it's it's big stuff, but it becomes
weeds for the person who needs to make it rainey
when you put the right people in place and team
build in a way that you you know, really have
this sort of almost like you know, three branches of government. Right,

(23:37):
you've got someone running creative, someone running like sales, and
someone running like finance and operations. You can start to
really build a successful team in almost any business. And
I will say she's right because it's the thing that
I struggle with. It's the thing that I can't get out.
It's hard for me to get out of being the
talent and being the CEO, you know, And it's hard
to find the right people. You have to build one

(23:58):
brick at a time. You can't just throw five people
in the room and people don't work. You have to
get them out and you take that time, and everybody
else suffers, The team suffers while you wait to get
the next person. It's it's one of the hardest things
building a team. It is hard. Are you a perfectionist?
Are you a workaholic? Yes? Um, I think you know.
My my husband jokes about this because you know, I

(24:19):
can't help but walk into a space and see everything
that's wrong and what needs to be fixed. But it's
also and it's the same thing with a dress or
a pant or anything I'm looking at, like my eye
goes right to like what needs to be like slightly
tweaked to make it better. And you know, I think
that's what probably makes me really good at what I do.
You know, whether it's an event space, whether it's a

(24:40):
store design, whether it's a piece of clothing, I'm always like,
oh that could be just like a little bit better
if we, you know, did this or move this or
change that. And yeah, I mean I am a workaholic,
but it's weird because I feel like my life is
my work and my work is my life. Um, I'm
also a mamaholic, you know, but I feel like my
kids are not at an age where they're prett independent

(25:00):
and you know, I can you know, let them kind
of be on their own while I am working. But um,
you know, the pandemic was really hard because all of
a sudden, I felt this balance and you probably felt
the same thing that I had between you know, kind
of being able to work when my kids were at
school and you know, being home for them at night.
Like everything became totally disrupted and I was like, oh

(25:21):
my gosh, here I am like trying to work and
I've got three kids running in and out and it
was chaos. I am the same. I can't unsee anything
at all times. It's debilitating. It's just it has to
be it's the small stuff. It has to all be perfect.
So that's I recognize that it's not going to change,
so let's just all deal with it. I'm also a mamaholic,

(25:41):
but I don't go out. I'm like an agoraphobic almost.
I'm a home body to the nth degree. So for me,
the pandemic was the same as everything else. You know,
it's like a problem for me. So we're opposites in
many ways. But go for dinner, you won't even do that. Yeah,
but I would never put makeup on like ever, Like
to go after dinner with Paul, I would just put
some lip class on and you know, put a cute

(26:03):
outfit on. But I need to just come over and
have a no makeup fashion show with you, Yeah, I
think so? Yeah, So what is your strategy? Like how

(26:28):
far are you going? You're taking us all the way?
You have an incredible partner, Um, what's the end game
in your mind? You know? It's weird. Like every for
a while I felt like the whole industry it was
like growth, growth, growth, growth, bigger and bigger and bigger.
And then like during the pandemic, it was like all
of a sudden things had to be smaller. You had
no choice, And I was kind of like, okay, like

(26:48):
let's stop, you know, sort of judging ourselves on how
much we grow each year and start judging things on
how profitable we are and how proud we are of
what we're making and feel that's like a nicer way
to live. Like it's not like, oh my god, you know,
and it's it's not like I have to like grow
you know, twenty every year or whatever. I'm like, Oh,

(27:09):
we can just have like, you know, be proud of
what we're making and what we're doing, and you know,
sort of our growth can come from what makes sense.
You know, like during the pandemic, didn't make sense to
open any news stores. Right now it does, so we will.
So I don't have this like constant you know, like
I'm going to grow this amount per year. I'm kind
of like, hey, what makes sense for the brand and

(27:30):
what opportunities do we see? And I think the best, um,
you know, sort of the best decisions I've made in
terms of the growth of the brand have been kind
of looking at opportunities um that I felt like, we're
necessary in the world for the women in our world.
And you know, at one point I started making gowns.
At one point I started you know, a work work collection,

(27:53):
and I guess right now, our growth is really around Asia, right,
So there's obviously like numbers that present them selves with
that of how much we're growing. But where I'm really
excited about growth is in the ability to kind of
like I think so many people like you have become
more homebodies during this and the world opened up, and
they're still kind of like, wait, I kind of like
my world at home. And we've created m a sort

(28:16):
of video platform where we bring that energy and happiness
and you know, sort of culture of our stores into
your home. So we're doing all this kind of live
video sort of event uh small event shopping that's going
to be I think the future. You know, it's kind
of like HSN, but every brand can do it on

(28:37):
their own UM but in a really personal kind of
like exclusive UM with v I P way. So I'm
really excited about that growth. I don't put numbers to things.
That's not how my brain works. I'm just like, Wow,
there's a really huge opportunity for us to create the strong,
you know, sort of culture and and loyalty we have

(29:00):
up with customers all over the US, all over the
world with this technology. Well, you're saying that you don't
have the grand plan. You do what you're passionate about
and where you see fish and the ideas I want
to launch beauty. I'm going to probably do some sort
of not shape where but like actual lingerie. Like I
have things that I'm going to do over the next
few years. I just don't think of that in terms

(29:20):
of like I'm going to be a three d million,
I'm gonna be a five hunder million. I'm more like
these are you know, this is what I want to
do with the brand over the next few years. So
like over this year, it's really this you know, sort
of expansion of our video platform concept concept and video
platform retail culture and then go which I think is
the future of all retail and going from there it

(29:42):
will be certain categories that I feel like our customer
would really appreciate from us. You're not selling clothing, I
mean you're selling You're selling your creativity and an idea
and a lifestyle and a brand. I mean, you have
a very strong brand. It is very identifiable. It is
I mean there are brands that are doing a billion

(30:03):
dollars a year that may not even have as identifiable
a brand, And to me that it's like a like
your brand is a flagship store. If you told me
you have two hundred stores versus thirty eight, I would
believe you because it's a strong brand. Well, we don't
forget we have we have forty of our own stores,
but we sell in over eight hundred points of sales.
So if you tell me that was ten thousand, I

(30:25):
would believe you, though, is what I'm saying, Like it's
a very strong brand. You guys are quality versus quantity,
not meaning you have a lot of quantity, but you're
very focused. Okay, Like it's not that I'm not still
growing the clothing business. We are. I'm just like not
like saying, oh I have to open ten more stores
this year. I'm like, hey, like, actually we can grow

(30:45):
like very you know, impressive amount in the locations that
we have, like using technology versus like really plant having
the roots grow deeper. Yeah. And also you can't expand
too quickly and the product suffers. Like that's you always

(31:06):
are protecting the realm. I think we're if we're in
a world where you just keep growing your clothing brand
by starting like more lines and more lines and more lines,
you dilute and you can name several like American brands
that have done that and it's really hurt them. I'm like, hey,
let's keep this, you know what a you know kind
of you can grow it a little bit deeper but
not wider. And you know, we can also do X,

(31:27):
Y and Z for you know what really the next
generation is. And I do I agree. I mean, I'm
not to like to my own home, but I think
there are very few contemporary brands that have the brand
awareness and brand loyalty and um, you know and and
you know, just vision to really dive into categories outside
of clothing. Um. But I think we really are able

(31:49):
to do that and have sustained. We've seen brands that
were so in and so popular that have died. I mean,
you've been here for decades. I call it the like
Instagram fashion curve. It's like anything can look like it's
huge and like blow up and you'll see these brands
pop up and they're all over Instagram and on everyone
and what and then like the next year they're gone.
To me, it's a little bit more of a like

(32:11):
slow and steady wins the race versus like this explosive
want to hit wonder. I have a similar business. Honestly,
there are categories to my salad dressings just are up
significantly during the pandemic, but they've been just growing, you know,
inch by inch every year. Same thing with the shape.
Where can I I would love to bring the cookies back.

(32:33):
It's a perishable item. It's not as easy, but I
will bring the cook I would like to bring the
cookies back. I'd like to bring the whole baked goods
areas parking, so now that they can come back, they'll
never taste as good and they'll be like in the box.
And but I've talked about doing some sort of cookie
but it wouldn't make you happy. But so who influenced
you in this way to have such a strong work ethic,
to understand to stay the course and to just be

(32:57):
a worker. I mean, you do not have to work.
I've like working, and I've always sort of felt that listen,
and I try to teach us to my kids too.
I'm like, there's always going to be someone better. There
will always be someone who's prettier or smarter, or richer
or more successful. I was like, but there's one thing

(33:17):
that you can always tell yourself and use this to
judge how you feel about what you've done, and that's
how hard you work. And you can be the hardest worker.
That is something that like no one can take from you.
And when you know that you are doing everything you
can to succeed and working your hardest, like no one

(33:38):
can take that away from you, you know, and and
and at the end of the day, hard work pays off,
you know, like you can get lucky, you can be
a star for a moment. You can you know, have
a ship here and there doing something. But when you
really like put your mind to something and work hard,
it pays off. And I a pride, not yeah, pride

(34:02):
of ownership, pride of building, pride of pride of seeing
them and grow. Yeah. But also like I'm not like
happy just like sitting around doing nothing all day, like
some people think that that is success. Like I think
of success is having this amazing office and these amazing
teams that I get to work with and be inspired
by and build things with. I like to build things.
I like to make things. I like to create. Yeah,

(34:24):
And I think also, you know, I think of each
brand category that I have as a as a different
stage of child. So you have babies, you have college,
students that are off just doing their own thing and
and you have to check in on them. But but
they basically run themselves, you know. And it's it sounds
like what you're talking about, you know you it's pride
of just building something it is. There is something to
absolutely be said for that, and I love that. Also,

(34:46):
what's your favorite brand to work on? This podcast? I
have another one coming we're working out now, like and
more to come, like this is this is my dream
and not just because I'm sitting at home in pajamas
because I'm learning so um, this is just to learn here.
Some people work to live, other people lived to work.

(35:07):
Right are you insanely busy? Is there a balance to it?
And I know that you love it, but I'm just saying,
like you ever times of the year. I mean, right
now it's crazy like we're moving into a new apartment,
you know, our kids we just came back here from
Malibu or kids are back in school. Um, but I
feel like I'm you know, I think you do this too,
Like I like to make lists and I like to um,

(35:30):
you know, I think once I feel like everyone's got
a rhythm and a schedule. It doesn't feel stressful, Like
the chaos for me, and the stressfulness for me comes
when you know there's sort of just like disorganization, and
if I can just get everyone on a schedule, I
feel like, you know, pretty calm. Yeah, if the boxes
are being checked, do you feel calm? Are you very organized?

(35:51):
I'm no, Like, like my desk is always a mess,
I'm not like that. Yeah, yeah, well there's just stuff.
I'm like, I need that there, I need that there.
But I always have like to virgo assistance, who are
because I like everything super organized, but I and I
like things to be like aesthetically beautiful in a space.
But I can be a little all over the place.

(36:11):
Oh that's funny. I got you're an artist. I could
see that. I'm the opposite. There's nothing anywhere out of place,
like nothing not I need someone to do that for me.
Like it's almost like my foundation. Like I'm like I
need someone to come in and like organize that closet
and like organize my desk. And then I'm like, okay,
I'm good, Like so I need that and I recognize

(36:33):
that I need that, but I'm not like left to
my own devices. I'm like what would like it's like
there's stuff everywhere that's amazing. What about Um, well, yeah,
but I don't think you can be a true artist
and be as ornery as I am. And about successful relationship? So, um,
what is your definition of a successful relationship? You've been
with your husband for how long? Oh? My god, we've

(36:54):
been together for probably sixteen years and married for thirteen years. Okay,
so what are some of the tools. You know, do
you give each other the space that you need or
you you know, really codependent? Like everyone has their own
different formulas. We're like, we're pretty independent. Like if he
you know, has to come and go and travel, like,

(37:14):
I'm good because I'm like a little more of a cat,
you know. I think people are cats and dogs, right,
Like are you kind of a dog? I'm a cat?
Like I'm all good by myself. So I think for
us and I think one of the things that well,
there have been a couple of things I guess I've
learned that are you know important a marriage? And you know,
I think one you know, just like any business that
you have, a marriage takes work. You have to grow it.

(37:36):
It's a plant that needs to be watered, It's a
tree that needs to grow. And it doesn't grow on
its own, like, it requires both people to treat it
like a baby, treat it like a business. And if
you don't do that, you know, like you know, you're
you're going to miss those numbers, right, Like, so it

(37:57):
doesn't succeed. It doesn't succeed. And so I think Eric
and I have been really I think he's been, you know,
very supportive of me over the years, and I think
we're good at working through problems together. But I think
the most the best advice I give to people in
relationships is, you know, you have to recognize who you married.

(38:17):
You know, maybe you're going to change ten percent of
that person, but you've got to really recognize who they
are and not every day try to you know, resent
them for and change them into something you want them
to be. And people change in relationships, right, and you
might change and all of a sudden certain things aren't
acceptable to you anymore or whatever. But like you can't

(38:40):
judge the other person for not being where you are,
and you have to work on yourself. You're not working
on them, like let them work on themselves. You work
on yourself, and then you work on things together. Right,
But the best advice I can give is never react
to what you're upset about during a moment of anger, right,

(39:01):
Like if you're really angry and you go and you're like,
I don't want you to do this. I don't know.
It's like I'd rather like check that thought and wait
till a moment where things are really good and presented
like at that time, like hey, you know the other
night when I was really upset, But like, do that
from a place of positivity versus a place of anger

(39:21):
and emotion. And it allows you, whether that's in business
or at home, it really allows you to kind of
comment the problem from like a positive place and and
and really solve the problem with intention versus emotion. It's true.
And that sounds like you don't really like fight. Like

(39:42):
Paul and I we'll snipe. I'll get snippy in one
day and just you get a dumbfight by something that
doesn't matter, and then I we pull back. I don't
know how we have this skill feels like maturity. It's
just fighting is not worth it. You know, you're with
this person, they're on your team, and sometimes you just
want to be aggravated at somebody and they're the nearest
part to take the hit, you know, And I agree
with you in that moment. It's not about a kitchen

(40:04):
sinking and bringing everything up and just I like that advice.
It's just it's but but it doesn't mean the fighting
is bad, but people do. I never go low blow.
I never say anything that I would want to take
that that's just but it's it's really about taking, you know,
acknowledging what you're upset about and why, but discussing that
at the right time versus the wrong time. The wrong

(40:26):
time is when you're angry, you're in a bad mood,
the other person is in a bad mood, like then
you get a fight, right versus Hey, you know, I
really want to change this. I really don't like this.
I don't, you know, And and then coming at it
in a moment of calm versus like a moment of emotion. Yeah,

(40:46):
I totally agree. The people around you you've had for
so many years. I'm just thinking about that. That's the
thing that I really am just the most impressed by
you that you've had the same partner from the beginning
and the same partner in your uh person in all life.
It sounds like you're very grounded. You have your team, Like,
that's what gives you. It doesn't matter how much CHAOSK
is going around. You have your team at work. You

(41:07):
have a well oiled machine at work, and you have
a well oiled machine at Hull, And I think loyal. Yeah,
you're loyal, but there's a foundation and you've built that
and that that's taken steps. So I that's my biggest
takeaway and my I I listen, when my kids were little,
I mean I must have had seventy five nannies, so
there's always like a place and I remember being like,

(41:28):
why why can't I figure this out? You know? It
was like constant chaos. My carriers also think. God've all
been with me for a long time, and I'm hugely
appreciative of them, but there was definitely a period where
like I couldn't you know, it was like I wasn't
like that, you know, I was like, I don't know
why I keep having a new assistant. I don't know
why I keep having to that. And then you know,
you learn you've got to like really just when you

(41:50):
when you find the right people, you know, you have
to think of them as they're part of your family. Yeah,
I think either I just you just reminding me of
that you had an assist to mine, or I had
one of yours. Somebody came from you to me, or
one of you called me about somebody, or I called
you about somebody. I don't know too well I have.
I mean, I have three assistants in my office, like

(42:11):
they who do different things, but like sometimes my my
main assistant has been with me forever, my you know,
sometimes my other two assistants will like go and like
work in other parts of the company. So that's that's
what I like is when they're like have you know,
they're like, well, they're my they're my number two for
a couple of years, and then they go work in
event planning, or they go work in our creative services department,

(42:33):
or they have a passion and they're able to kind
of you know, you know, enter our sort of infrastructure
here and then end up taking that into you know,
the next stage in their career. So well, two last
business questions, And I want to let you go, how
many employees are there? You have all these departments, this
is a real major, real company. Well no, I know that,

(42:53):
but wow, yeah, we have about three employees. Wow, that's amazing.
Good for you. Okay, what percentage of partnership are you
with Andrew? And if I'm not allowed to ask that,
I don't know if it's public information or partner you are.
That's awesome, isn't that crazy? That's amazing, that's beautiful. Yeah,
that's and you don't have any intention to sell you

(43:15):
guys like having the business or you just haven't thought
about that. I mean, like at some point, like we've
talked about things of like you know, incubating other brands
here and maybe we do that with partners and that
kind of stuff. But I'm not ready to retire yet,
so I think I'm good. Alright, good, alright, Well, I
guess that's a good place to end. It was amazing.
Oh no, no, it's not your rose and thorn, my rose.

(43:38):
Just kind of brand building and making women feel beautiful
every day, you know. I mean, I love what I
get to do. I love when I see women in
my clothes and they're so excited about a dress, say
they wore new pair of pants they got, or you know,
going on a job interview in one of our suits.
Like I love that I'm able to be a part
of really special moments in women's lives. Well, you know,

(44:01):
I'm not a hoarder. I keep, I don't keep things,
and I have pieces of yours, and you know the
brand has a whimsical look, right, but there are very
many classic pieces. I have that coat, I don't know,
it had like a black texture with the big furry
cuffs in the bank. I don't even know if it
was on the line of it was a sample, but

(44:21):
you guys sent me this coat and I still have it,
and it's such a glamous coat. I have a white
faux fur coat that goes to the kneed that I
still were all the time, and that's sort of like
Latin looking long like tassely skirt with the multi coloat
I know, and and the other one that has like
a snake print on that has that half top that
goes with it. I really have kept a lot of

(44:43):
your stuff, I have to say, and that's oh I
will I'm gonna show you my stuff. I'm gonna bring
it out and tech and show you everything I've I
have a decent amount of your stuff especially so anyway,
I just thought you should know that I like I
like your product a lot. You're welcome, Well, thank you
for doing the show. Um, I love this and people
can learn and grow their own business from your story,

(45:04):
so it's really inspiring. All right, Bye Bethany, Bye Stacy,
have a great day. So that's Stacy Benditt. I've known
her for years. We both don't even remember how we met.
She thinks it's one way. I think it's another. It
could be who the hell even knows. But she's a

(45:25):
doll like she looks like a doll, she dresses up
like a doll. She is nice. We respect each other.
We're both businesswomen. Stacy has built a business to be
proud of a legitimate brand. It speaks to women. It's female,
it's flirty, it's strong, it's evolved. Stacy benn it's awesome.
She's a great mom, great wife, great person, great friend.

(45:48):
I'm just happy to know her, and I'm really happy
that she agreed to do the podcast. She's very busy
and she doesn't have the thirst for attention that other
people do, so I like that. N