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Fashionpreneur

Fashionpreneur with Rent the Runway’s Jenn Hyman: How To Schmooze

Jenn Hyman is the CEO and co-founder of Rent the Runway. Before that she went to Harvard Business School (and Harvard for undergrad too, NBD). She’s writing a column for us that we’re calling Fashionpreneur. In it she’ll dole out advice and lessons learned on everything from raising funds, branding yourself, sales and generally managing a business. She’s also taking your questions.

To schmooze is to network–to ooze around the room, making pithy, ridiculously insightful and sometimes funny (but always appropriate) remarks and inspire an immediate love fest. A great schmoozer gets the job, the money, the guy and likely makes a few new friends while she’s at it.

Let’s be real, I am a terrible schmoozer. Seriously, terrible! I’ve been known to ask complete strangers who I am supposed to be networking with and whether I can set them up with my sister. I’m not great at small talk and I break uncomfortable silences by telling embarrassing stories about my childhood (and this all is without alcohol). I often stare in awe at those rare ducklings who can ‘join the sorority’ before they’ve even received a bid.

So what’s a non-schmoozer to do in a super schmoozy world? I’ve seen the most success with playing to my strengths and being myself. Some examples:

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  • JENN HYMAN
  • Monday, Jan 30, 2012 / 3:45 PM
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Fashion Careers

Fashionpreneur with Rent the Runway’s Jenn Hyman: How to Really Take a Vacation and Why You Should

Jenn Hyman is the CEO and co-founder of Rent the Runway. Before that she went to Harvard Business School (and Harvard for undergrad too, NBD). She’s writing a column for us that we’re calling Fashionpreneur. In it she’ll dole out advice and lessons learned on everything from raising funds, branding yourself, sales and generally managing a business. She’s also taking your questions.

For most of the country, ‘tis the season to take a vacation. The week between Christmas and New Year’s is reliably one of the most travelled weeks of the year and many offices fleetingly feel like ghost town central, prompting anyone who considered taking their two weeks in the summer (Greek islands! Amalfi!) to change course. Despite the upcoming vacation season, the American workforce is exhausted, overworked, and underpaid (yes, I’m kvetching a bit!) and often not entirely refreshed after that holiday vacation. It’s my belief that we all must learn how to REALLY take a vacation so that life isn’t just about a countdown between vacations.

Some lessons I’ve learned:

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  • Jenn Hyman
  • Monday, Dec 19, 2011 / 3:45 PM
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Fashion Careers

Fashionpreneur with Rent the Runway’s Jenn Hyman: The Best and Worst Advice I’ve Received as an Entrepreneur

Jenn Hyman is the CEO and co-founder of Rent the Runway. Before that she went to Harvard Business School (and Harvard for undergrad too, NBD). She’s writing a column for us that we’re calling Fashionpreneur. In it she’ll dole out advice and lessons learned on everything from raising funds, branding yourself, sales and generally managing a business. She’s also taking your questions.

Rule number one of entrepreneurship is that the second you tell someone that you are thinking about starting a company, the floodgates of advice will open. Suddenly, friends, distant relatives and colleagues will frame themselves as experts on just about anything to create the opportunity to give you their opinion. This all stems from rule number one about people which is that they love to hear themselves talk (in fact, in any negotiation or interview, the person that speaks most believes that she has the upper hand). Since I had the idea for Rent the Runway nearly three years ago, my co-founder Jenny Fleiss and I have solicited and received lots of advice. The trick is the ability to decipher good advice from bad. So, in the efforts of saving all of you the trouble, I thought it best to list some of the very best and very worst advice I’ve received.

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  • JENN HYMAN
  • Monday, Nov 28, 2011 / 6:07 PM
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Fashionpreneur

Fashionpreneur with Rent the Runway’s Jenn Hyman: How To Interview People

Jenn Hyman is the CEO and co-founder of Rent the Runway. Before that she went to Harvard Business School (and Harvard for undergrad too, NBD). She’s writing a column for us that we’re calling Fashionpreneur. In it she’ll dole out advice and lessons learned on everything from raising funds, branding yourself, sales and generally managing a business. She’s also taking your questions.

A few months ago I read a post from Ben Lerer, the CEO of Thrillist that fundamentally changed how I interview. If you’re too lazy to read it, here’s a summary: when Ben started his now very successful company, he was too easy on candidates and hired anyone who showed enthusiasm for Thrillist. As a young leader, Ben lacked confidence for why someone would want to risk it all and work for him. Since then, he’s done a 180 and looks for people who are willing to sacrifice to be on his team.

As CEO and co-founder of Rent the Runway, I often find myself in the position of interviewer, and it is a role I take very seriously. I never imagined two years ago when starting Rent the Runway that the vast majority of my time would be spent on recruiting talent, inspiring and coaching our team and creating a culture that our team is proud of.

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  • JENN HYMAN
  • Tuesday, Nov 8, 2011 / 4:45 PM
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