Want to be the next Victoria Beckham? 4 business lessons from the diva herself
Beckham has managed to become a household name for every fashion-conscious woman.
By ET Online |
Agencies
In 2003, she designed her own line of Jeans VB Rocks for Rock and Republic.
Being Victoria Beckham may seem easy, but juggling multiple roles comes with its own set of challenges. She does not freak out and enjoys every moment of what she does.
As Victoria Beckham, the Ex-Spice Girls member, soccer wife, mom, fashion icon, and entrepreneur, turns 45, she's much more than her famous surname. She has a combined net worth of $900 million, with husband David Beckham. She started out in 1993 as a member of 'The Spice Girls'. After getting married to soccer heartthrob David Beckham, she chose not to be a WAG (wives and girlfriends).
David and Victoria Beckham pictured together at an event.
In 2003, she designed her own line of Jeans VB Rocks for Rock and Republic. 2008 was when she launched her first clothing line, eventually followed by a more-affordable, lower-priced range called Victoria by Victoria, at Harvey Nichols in 2012. Beckham showcased her first collection at NYFW (New York Fashion Week) for Spring/Summer 2009. By 2011 she became a regular at the NYFW. Her designs soon became a rage, and were ruling celebrity wardrobes, red-carpet events and fashion shows.
Not far from winning awards and accolades, Beckham won designer brand of the year at the British Fashion Awards in 2011. In 2012, she became the most-talked about designer on Twitter during NYFW.
Here are 4 business lessons to learn from the diva herself:
1. Victoria Beckham believes you need to be passionate about what you are doing. Beckham strongly advocates that this kind of an attitude often has a positive influence on the commitment of employees towards the product and entrepreneur's vision. Her top tip for first-time entrepreneurs is that it is imperative to strike a balance between being a passionate visionary and a micromanaging leader. Beckham's mantra for success is to appreciate and respect her team's ideas.
2. The fashion diva likes to be hands-on with the product. She highlights on the importance of designing and working on something that one would want to use in their personal life, thinking of yourself as the product's first customer. While creativity is essential for the product to grow, it is the practical intelligence of the entrepreneur is what will take the venture to newer heights. She asserts on understanding the consumer, the environment and always having a problem-solving aptitude.
3. The 'Wannabe' singer cannot emphasise enough on building a team that works like a family. An effective team according to her is one where members feel free to challenge each other. She believes in trusting the team, especially more so if it is the entrepreneur's first business venture. Working closely with the team, being directly involved with the team, using their expertise has helped her to excel.
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4. Nothing can take away from Beckham, her commitment towards her work. Her strong work ethic and ambition have pushed her to give her best. Despite being a celebrity, and the wife of a famous footballer, she hasn't been complacent, and choose to dream big. She believes in constantly challenging herself, fulfilling her commitments, thus working towards giving the best to her label.
Beckham is the perfect example for entrepreneurs who have no experience, but are willing to work hard and are open to learn and embrace all things new. She has successfully managed to carve a niche for herself in the big, bad world of fashion by her sheer passion for all hings fashion and style. Her ability to learn from criticism and failure has enabled her to build an empire.
Gita Gopinath, Pinelopi Goldberg: Women Economists Who Rule The World
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In a changing world, women are matching strides with men, breaking barriers and setting new boundaries. As workplaces become more inclusive and diverse, we see women taking charge across the sectors.
The world of finance and economics, too, has seen the rise of woman power. Women economists, across latitudes, are calling the shots in leading global financial organisations. From the World Bank to the International Monetary Fund, it's women all the way.
Here's looking at these power bosses, and their inspiring journeys to the top.
In Pic (l to r): Anshula Kant, Gita Gopinath and Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg.
In a changing world, women are matching strides with men, breaking barriers and setting new boundaries. As workplaces become more inclusive and diverse, we see women taking charge across the sector..
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State Bank of India (SBI) Managing director Anshula Kant recently made history when she was named MD and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the World Bank. The appointment makes her the first woman CFO of the international body.
Born on September 7, 1960, Kant - who grew up in Roorkee - has been with the SBI for over 35 years, having joined the bank in 1983 as a probationary officer. A Lady Shri Ram College and Delhi School of Economics alumna, Kant rose through the ranks during her tenure at SBI, where she previously also served as CFO. As CFO, she managed USD 38 billion of revenues and total assets of USD 500 billion. The mother-of-two, she has a son (who lives in New York) and a daughter (based in Singapore) with her CA husband, also served as the CEO of the Singapore unit of SBI.
In her new role, Kant will be responsible for financial and risk management of the World Bank Group and reporting to its president David Malpass.
State Bank of India (SBI) Managing director Anshula Kant recently made history when she was named MD and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the World Bank. The appointment makes her the first woman CFO..
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India-born Gita Gopinath’s appointment as the chief economist of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in October 2018 made her the first woman, and second Indian after former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan, to hold the position.
Born on December 8, 1971, in then Calcutta, during the Bangladesh war, Gopinath’s family moved to Mysore when she was nine – and enrolled her in Nirmala Convent school. She later joined Mahajana PU college in Mysuru and pursued science, before moving to Delhi to study economics at Lady Shiram College and later at the Delhi School of Economics – where she met her now-husband Iqbal Singh Dhaliwal, with whom she has a son.
Having completed another M.A. from the University of Washington, Gopinath – who at one time loved athletics but gave it up to concentrate on her studies - did her PhD in Economics from Princeton University.
Gopinath worked at the University of Chicago in 2001 as an assistant professor, before moving to Harvard where she became a tenured professor in 2010. Gopinath is now on leave of public service from Harvard University’s Economics department where she is the John Zwaanstra Professor of International Studies and of Economics. The 46-year-old is the third woman, and second Indian after Nobel laureate Amartya Sen to be made a permanent member of the economics department at Harvard.
In 2016, Gopinath was appointed by the CPM-led LDF government in Kerala as financial advisor to chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, but she stepped down from the position in 2018.
India-born Gita Gopinath’s appointment as the chief economist of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in October 2018 made her the first woman, and second Indian after former RBI governor Raghuram..
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When Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg was appointed the World Bank’s Chief Economist in April last year, she became just the second woman – and first Greek – to hold the position. But the 56-year-old Elihu Professor of Economics at Yale University (she joined the faculty in 2001) was once rejected from the bank for an internship, according to a report in The National Herald.
As an undergraduate student in Germany, Goldberg had applied for an internship at the World Bank, but got a letter saying that she wouldn’t even be considered till she had a doctorate. And that pushed Goldberg to leave home for the US to pursue her PhD.
Born in Athens in 1963, she studied at the German High School of Athens, and gained a Diploma from the University of Freiburg, Germany, before getting her Ph.D from Stanford University.
Goldberg’s illustrious career included various roles in academia (she has previously served on the economics faculty at Princeton and Columbia), apart from her several roles in the economic community.
From 2011-2017, she was also the Editor-in-Chief of the American Economic Review. A member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, she is a recipient of both Guggenheim Memorial Foundation and Sloan Research Fellowships, and also won the Bodossaki Prize in Social Sciences - among her various awards and recognition.
(Image:Yale University)
When Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg was appointed the World Bank’s Chief Economist in April last year, she became just the second woman – and first Greek – to hold the position. But the 56-year-old El..
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In its recent appointment of Beata Javorcik, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (ERBD) got its first woman chief economist. The Polish national, who has a Ph.D. in Economics from Yale, will join the bank on September 1.
Javorcik was also the first woman to hold a Statutory Professorship in Economics at the University of Oxford. Prior to joining Oxford, she worked at the World Bank in Washington DC.
She is also a managing editor of the quarterly Economic Policy,and a member of the Royal Economic Society’s Executive Committee, apart from being a Director of the International Trade Programme at the Centre for Economic Policy Research in London.
In its recent appointment of Beata Javorcik, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (ERBD) got its first woman chief economist. The Polish national, who has a Ph.D. in Economics from Ya..
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Laurence Boone, former chief economist at insurer AXA, was last year appointed as the chief economist at Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) – where she had also served from 1998-2004. The French national, with a PhD in Applied Economics from the London Business School, began her career at Merrill Lynch Asset Management.
Equipped with a Master's Degree in Econometrics & Macroeconomic Modelling from Reading University and another Master's Degree in Economics from Université Paris X Nanterre, her other positions have included Chief Economist at Barclays Capital France and Managing Director of European Economic research at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
Between 2014 and 2016, she was advisor to former President Francois Hollande.
Laurence Boone, former chief economist at insurer AXA, was last year appointed as the chief economist at Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) – where she had also served from..
