An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
Yes, I believe everyone CAN be a founder, but not everybody necessarily wants to be. Sometimes it is necessary, in fact most times to work for others first. And that means something different for every person. In countries that are more agricultural, everybody has their own business. Selling grain, making rugs, clothing, vegetables etc. You create something and sell it — very simple. In more developed countries we’ve come to expect that if we educate ourselves sufficiently, that someone will pay us very well to sit behind a desk. More Americans are starting their own businesses than ever before in history. It is certainly wise to take your financial future into your own hands.
As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Rebecca King Crews.
Rebecca King Crews is an actress, TV personality & producer, musician, business-owner, speaker, and author. She is most known for starring in and producing her family’s reality television project, The Family Crews for BET Networks and MTV International. She is the co-author of Stronger Together available on Audible. In 2020, she founded REBECCA CREWS LLC, a clothing, accessories and cosmetics line with her husband and partner of 33 years actor Terry Crews.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
I fell in love with clothing as a little girl. My mother was the most fashionable woman I knew. She was one of the pioneers of the women’s right movement, working in a field dominated by men. As the first woman and specifically the first African American woman to be hired by Equitable Insurance company as a salesperson, she wanted to make her mark. True to form, she would not wear the basic black or blue suit to work but would wear designer suits made for women. Bill Blass, Evan Picone, Halston and others lined her closet. I used to “borrow” her silk blouses and return them quietly, she being none the wiser.
In 2019, I was shopping for a white women’s tux to wear to my 30th anniversary celebration, and I had a miserable experience. I spent $3000 hiring a stylist, to find us the perfect look. We ended up piecing together a suit from three different designers, holding them to the light to make sure the whites were the same. This prompted me to begin making clothing for myself, and REBECCA CREWS LLC was born.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?
Absolutely! My clothing line launched with a Pop-Up at Saks Fifth Avenue Beverly Hills. One of my suppliers did not come through in time and several key pieces of the collection did not make it to the Pop-Up!
My launch party had to go on with shoes, handbags, lipsticks and only three items of my twenty-piece clothing collection. You can imagine I was mortified! Some of the items were of poor workmanship and had to be rejected. Thankfully, another supplier saved the day and we obtained all the clothing by the end of the week. But it was horrifying, nonetheless.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I am most grateful for my husband Terry who has always believed in my dreams. When I came to him with this idea, he was completely supportive. Terry is the biggest dreamer I know, and he amazes me with his capacity to take huge leaps of faith. I am learning a lot from him. Every step of the way he pushes me further. I also wish to express my greatest gratitude to Nana Boateng, my Co-designer and Director of Fulfillment who has allowed me to create what I see without limit. His many years of experience and his fabulous creative insight are crucial to the success and the launch of this business during a global crisis.
Without him it would not have been possible.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. According to this EY report, only about 20 percent of funded companies have women founders. This reflects great historical progress, but it also shows that more work still has to be done to empower women to create companies. In your opinion and experience what is currently holding back women from founding companies?
Capital. Hands down, women are discriminated against in lending similarly to every other minority group. Secondly, even if you are starting small and working your way up by working for others, there is a high level of discrimination against women in this industry, though it is one that predominantly serves them.
Can you help articulate a few things that can be done as individuals, as a society, or by the government, to help overcome those obstacles?
As individuals, we certainly need to advance gifted women in this field, by intentionally looking for talent and promoting it. As a society we still have a long way to go in terms of equality in the workplace but that is changing. As a government we absolutely should crack down on lending and job discrimination and create a less complicated and less biased grievance process for victims of this practice. Finally, severe consequences for violators of discrimination policy will send a very clear message and can help reduce these actions against women.
This might be intuitive to you as a woman founder but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should become founders?
Control. No one can tell you no. I always had the notion that I would work for myself. My mother taught me self-reliance because being a salesperson, she had sole responsibility for how much she earned. I opened my first business at eleven, babysitting in my neighborhood. I passed out flyers going door to door and made money this way all the way through high school. I was also the paper girl, the Avon Lady, and I sold Mary Kay. I understood how to make a profit.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a founder? Can you explain what you mean?
The first is that founders are super big risk takers. I believe that you can take “small, calculated risks” to start a business, and many people have done just that. Secondly, that being the boss is always glamorous. I started REBECCA CREWS LLC with one assistant, and we just worked — good old fashioned elbow grease!
We spent hours a day researching all of the many moving parts to building a brand and it took time.
Is everyone cut out to be a founder? In your opinion, which specific traits increase the likelihood that a person will be a successful founder and what type of person should perhaps seek a “regular job” as an employee? Can you explain what you mean?
Yes, I believe everyone CAN be a founder, but not everybody necessarily wants to be. Sometimes it is necessary, in fact most times to work for others first. And that means something different for every person. In countries that are more agricultural, everybody has their own business. Selling grain, making rugs, clothing, vegetables etc. You create something and sell it — very simple. In more developed countries we’ve come to expect that if we educate ourselves sufficiently, that someone will pay us very well to sit behind a desk. More Americans are starting their own businesses than ever before in history. It is certainly wise to take your financial future into your own hands.
Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)
Number one, I wish someone had told me there was going to be a worldwide pandemic! Secondly, I wish someone could tell me how long it takes to succeed, but that’s a very individual process and for every field of endeavor it is different. It is also different because not all founders are the same, we must simply stick to it. Number three, I would like to express the importance of mentors. As creative people we often get an idea, and we just jump. But it’s very important to learn from those who went ahead of you and not learn it as you go and reinvent every wheel. It’s also extremely important to understand that not everyone’s going to be as excited as you are. It may do you well to not share your dream with everyone around you, as some of the naysayers will be people who are the closest to you. You must hold fast to what you believe you are supposed to do and hold fast to your self-confidence. Sometimes it’s all you will have.
How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
In my opinion the best way to use your success, is to promote other people and help make their dreams come true. I believe that everything that comes our way is meant to be paid forward, and that in doing so we create more opportunity in the world.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
Wow that’s a heavy question. There are so many issues facing our planet it would be hard to say what one thing would motivate me. I will say this I’ve always been touched by the plight of women and children in developing countries. Because of corruption in their government and war, these precious families have no opportunity and I think that would be where I would start. Philanthropy that benefits women and children changes the world.
We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
Wow there are so many people that I respect but I would have to say if I could sit down and speak with someone it would be one of my mentors in fashion, Carolína Herrera. Carolina began her fashion career later in life as did I, and still managed to break through and be a force in the marketplace. I think that would be my dream lunch right now!
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
Female Founders: Rebecca Crews On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.