If You Let Passion Guide You, You Can't Fail

When I started out as a stylist nearly two decades ago, I was a one-woman show, doing most of the heavy lifting and decision-making on my own. Now as a CEO of a multi-faceted fashion company with several divisions, I often find myself juggling all types of business decisions —no day is a typical day. Some days I’m making editorial decisions as the Editor-in-Chief of The Zoe Report, and later that afternoon I could be in a client fitting and then finalizing the designs for the next season of my collection. When people ask me how I do it, I remember the advice I was given over the years from friends and mentors: understanding your brand DNA is the key to making your company thrive. It sounds simpler than you would think, but it’s important to stay true to your vision and not veer from that. There was a reason you wanted to be on this path in the first place.

Styling Department — Rachel Zoe Studio

Since the beginning of my career, I have always been guided by my gut, meaning I never followed a list of how things should be on a given day— I’m not one to script how my life should go. My goal in the beginning was to ensure my clients felt confident and glamorous. Now my styling team and I work with our various high-profile clients—from actresses to editorial outlets and advertising campaigns. My team works with me to execute my vision of effortless glamour for all of our clients. As their mentor, it is my job to make sure they are empowered and equipped to make those final judgment calls when a client is about to step into the spotlight. I want all of my employees to feel empowered. Allowing them to make their own decisions has led to some of the best and most successful ideas and projects. I’ve found that micromanaging inhibits a team, while enabling them to take a task from beginning to end encourages them to get the most out of their position. I have been on my own since I was 25 and have made mistakes and learned from them, and that’s what I want those in my company to experience in their role within the company.

Digital Style Destination – The Zoe Report

It was my husband and business partner, Rodger, who initiated our push into media. He saw an opportunity to communicate my message in the digital space—and that’s how The Zoe Report started. Now after five years, The Zoe Report is a well-oiled machine with a fashion-savvy audience. Being the Editor-In-Chief of The Zoe Report is a dream fulfilled for me because I’ve always wanted to oversee a magazine. The Zoe Report allows me to create a fashion and beauty space through a unique perspective. I meet with our editorial team multiple times a week to flesh out concepts that provide value to our audience. I challenge my editors to develop and execute the most engaging content possible to excite and inform our readers. I am proud to say I have confidence that my incredible team develops stories that embody the essence of the brand but are also modern and fresh.

Product Development — My Collection

Launching my apparel and accessories collection has proven the most challenging business venture of them all. Each season starts with an inspiration—it could be inspired by an exotic location I visited, a captivating editorial image, an iconic moment in fashion history, or an item from my personal archives. Once I have a concept, I engage my team so they can help bring my vision to life. My product development team is my sounding board each season, and they help guide me through each creative decision. We work for months to build out fabrics, patterns, silhouettes and more until we have a collection we are proud of. When the first batch of samples arrives to our office, my team and I spend time perfecting each detail until it achieves the sensibility and feeling I envisioned. Being a designer gives me an incredible opportunity to give women wearable glamour that they can easily incorporate into their closets at home.

So let me leave you with this, the essence of the Rachel Zoe brand is to empower women to be their most confident and glamorous. This is the driving force behind everything we do. It is this mission statement that is at the core of my business and the decisions I make on a daily basis. So at any point in your career— whether you are just starting out or deciding to grow an already established business— remember what your dream was to begin with. Define your passion and remember why it has ignited and inspired you to be where you are today. I believe that you can and should live your dreams – and that rule should apply even in your professional life. If you love what you do, the success will come. If you let your passions and strengths guide you, failure won’t be an option.

For more from Rachel, visit TheZoeReport.com. Photo: Rachel and her team at New York Fashion Week via @RachelZoe Instagram