This March ORLY is celebrating Women’s History Month by featuring twelve women who inspire us.

Each day we’ll be posting a Q&A and a New Woman’s History Month polish trio hand selected by each of our featured women.

The celebration doesn’t stop there - 10% of sales from all Women’s History Month trios will be donated to Downtown Women's Center.

Act fast!
Trios will only be available through March 31, 2020.
Click here to shop.

 

KATIE ROSEN KITCHENS

Co-Founder & Editor in Chief, FabFitFun

How did you know you had the right idea? How much did this idea change from initial concept to launching your brand?

I started my career as a writer, writing for various blogs and magazines here in Los Angeles. When we were concepting what would become FabFitFun, we looked around the media landscape and discovered that the world of editorial was dominated by glossy magazines telling you what you SHOULD wear and do. We wanted to create an approachable outlet, acting as your best friend who happened to be “in the know” on all things beauty and fashion. After launching, we quickly amassed a loyal following, clearly a group of people like myself, who validated this quest to fill this void for other women. We knew we had something! Since that first newsletter to the introduction and evolution of the box, things have changed a million times. Things still change every day! Part of growing and scaling a business is being nimble but always staying true to your core mission. I feel proud of how we’ve tackled new opportunities and adapted our business to best serve our members’ needs. 

How do you handle adversity and doubt? What about self-doubt? 

It’s definitely hard. I really lean on my family, my team and the support system I’ve spent time investing in and building for myself. We all need them! Nothing is perfect nor ever will be, and accepting that as fact and surrounding yourself with people who make you better, lift you up, and encourage you is my recipe for personal peace and growth.

What has been your biggest set-back or road block and how did you handle that situation?

We have been lucky to grow really quickly over the past few years. And while it is certainly a good problem to have, it does come with its own set of challenges. When we launched the box all 2,000 members came from the newsletter. They were very much my demo and it was relatively easy for me to pick eight products that I liked and be sure they’d resonate with our members.

Now that we are curating for hundreds and hundreds of thousands of women it’s a different game. For one, the members are much more diverse - a 17 year old in San Diego probably does not want the same product as a 65 year old in Kansas City. We had to find a new way of curating the boxes that accounted for the welcome diversity in our growing membership. In order to do so, we’ve addressed this in two ways. One is through data science. We have an amazing consumer insights team that is constantly surveying members about who they are, what brands they like and what trends they are excited by. All of this info goes into the hands of our merchandising team who is then able to source the best products and brands each season. The second change is through more and more personalization and customization. In the early days everyone got the same products in their boxes. Now members have an opportunity to pick a number of products in their box through a confined choice of carefully curated items.

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? 

A triple threat: actress/dancer/singer combo or a waitress on roller skates. It should be noted that I have no ability to dance, sing or rollerskate.

What advice would you give your teenage self? 

You may not believe me but there is so much more to life than highschool. You’ll realize that the anxious hours spent plucking, waxing, tanning and de-frizzing were for boys that weren’t worth a minute. You’ll learn that your self worth is not defined by a number on a scale and that the handful of diet pills will only make you feel more empty.

Your life is going to be so incredibly full. Just remember to be kind to yourself, listen to your inner voice, take risks, and always wear SPF. You’re smart, hard working, caring and while life will certainly not always be easy, you always find a way to get back up.  

What was your dream job before building your brand? 

Being an editor, and I was one! I was living that dream and luckily was able to parlay that career into FabFitFun. We’ve built a brand that’s truly an intersection of content, commerce and community, and I always love putting on my editor hat back on from time to time.

What inspired you when you were younger? What inspires or motivates you now?

My parents. They’re both incredibly hard working, self-made people and have provided me endless inspiration and motivation. They were very adamant about following your dreams versus following the money. I think that really allowed me to take risks and find my passion.

These days I get a ton of inspiration from my daughters. I have become a much better person because of my kids - less selfish and more patient, motivated and joyful (although I can still probably work on the patient part a little bit.) Not to mention that moms are hands down the best multi-taskers in the world. I want to show my daughters that they can do anything and be anything, and my hope is that I am leaving them a world that is a little happier. 

What piece of advice would you give to young women today? 

Go after that dream, whatever it is, regardless of what people tell you. You’re going to hear a lot of “nos” along the way, it’s inevitable. Rebound from those “nos,” work hard, seek advice and wave in change when need be. The path to “success” is not always a straight one.