Profile: Stella & DotThe peoplepoweringStella & DotJessica Herrin’s stylists are a diversegroup. Eighty percent of them haveother full- or part-time jobs outside thehome, and she counts among them“lawyers, an OB/GYN, an ER doctor, aresearch scientist, a teacher, a formersinger, a Disney performer, someonewho grew up on a peach farm inGeorgia.” (And the occasional man.)Most want to earn an extraUS$1,000 a month and work aboutfive hours a week organizing trunkshows and online sales. Approximately10% put in more than 20 hours a week.“It’s their business, their way, theirpace,” Herrin explains. “We don’t havequotas or territories. This business isdesigned for flex work, so we’ll haveaccountants that don’t do it during taxtime, teachers that only do it duringthe summer, moms that don’t do itduring their kid’s sport season.”What has surprised Herrin mostis the deep connection within thecommunity. “What stylists do for eachother is extraordinary,” she says. “InSan Antonio recently, a stylist’s househad burned down. She lost everything.It was the other stylists in San Antoniowho, within 24 hours, replaced all herdisplay materials, gave her outfits andoffered to give toys to her kids. Thething I’m most proud of with our tribeis this spirit of giving.”The answer came to her when shestumbled upon a Mary Kay convention —a moment she describes as serendipitous.“It was, in an instant, clear to me that itwas about so much more than makeup,”she says. “It was an on-ramp for women inthe workforce. It was about enabling choiceand a community.“I didn’t resonate with the businessmodel or the brand, and I thought: whatabout today’s woman? What is her versionof flexible entrepreneurship?“No one’s going to stop needing flexibleincome,” she adds. “Women are not goingto stop having babies. They deserved asmart, simple business that worked — thatdemocratized entrepreneurship.”Her experience at Wedding Channel, whenretailers were initially wary of e-commerce,taught Herrin to look at an industry onthe cusp of change and work to smashthe remaining barriers. In 2003, her firstdaughter, Charlotte, was born and Herrinlaunched Luxe Jewels, a social-sellingbusiness based on DIY jewelry parties.“It was crazy to be a technologist andstart making jewelry in my living room,”she laughs. “People really did think I wasnuts, and I was one of them! But I wasutterly convinced then, as I am today,that it needed to exist. If I just worked alittle bit harder at it every day, it wouldcome to fruition.”Three years later, her second daughter,Tatum, was born and Luxe had grown toUS$1m in annual sales. Harris, formerly8
Stella & Dot’s design teamis led by Blythe Harris,who launched BananaRepublic’s jewelry line.Growing a business in stylewith Banana Republic, came on board asChief Creative Officer in 2007, and Luxewas rebranded as Stella & Dot.Growth businessDespite the economic downturn, thecompany’s sales reached US$33m in 2009.A year later, EY chose Herrin as one of 10EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women inthe Class of 2010. By 2012, Stella & Dot’ssales had reached US$200m.Today, Herrin runs three “Stella &Dot Family Brands”: Stella & Dot; EVERSkincare, a beauty and wellness line; andKEEP Collective, another social-sellingenterprise, this time of keepsakes andcharms. The companies work with morethan 40,000 “independent businessKelly Smith, aStar Stylist fromPittsburgh, has beenwith Stella & Dot forfour years.My background is in pharmaceutical sales.After I had my first son, I heard about Stella& Dot through the EY EntrepreneurialWinning Women Program. I loved Jessica’spassion, how she talked about working onher own terms. Stella & Dot gives me theflexibility to be with my children and stillwork and make money. That’s really whatattracted me.When I first signed up, it was somethingI thought I would try out and see whatwould happen. Today, this has becomemore of a career than a hobby. I thinka typical week now is 12 to 15 hours,between doing shows and events andcoaching team members. I have a team of13 women, who range from stay-at-homemoms to teachers, who make it fit intotheir lives where it can. In the future, I’dlike to have a team of 100 women.I’ve definitely grown and stepped outsideof my comfort zone, making my ownbusiness instead of having someone tellme what to do, working on my own terms.I’m networking in our community withdifferent business owners, doing things Inever thought I would do. I’ve partneredwith salons, photographers and boutiques,other women who are entrepreneurs aswell — and we really like working togetherto help each other out. You really can haveit all if you put your mind to it and you’repassionate about it.<strong>Exceptional</strong> July–December 20159
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