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We derive confidence as women from what we wear.
Jennifer Hyman
I think if more people actually pursued what they loved, we'd have a lot more innovation and creativity.
When we launched, we had to figure out every problem - big or small - on our own.
In many cases, women are being harassed by people who are on their board or who are associated with one of their venture capitalists.
Every single person around the world has this storage facility in their bedroom, and we call it a closet, and 80 percent of the stuff in that storage facility is worn three times or less in its lifetime.
I dream of democratizing the fashion industry by giving everyone access to feeling their most beautiful and powerful every day and, at the same time, using technology to modernize how we get dressed.
As women and men, we're not primed and taught to feel that women are as inspirational as men.
I think about people like Jeff Bezos or Reed Hastings, and I really marvel at the stamina they've had to keep on trucking no matter what happens.
One of Rent the Runway's core values is 'Trust in Everyone's Best of Intentions.' We trust our team.
I want to put H&M and Zara out of business.
When you buy something for $9.99, and you know that it'll fall apart after you wear it once... you're going into the shopping experience knowing that you're renting. So all I'm doing is making the rental process more efficient.
Think about all of the non-entrepreneurial advice and resources you need when building a company. You need lawyers, accountants, financial experts.
Clothing enables people to self-express, and that's why variety, when it comes to our wardrobe, has become more and more important over time.
All early entrepreneurs fall prey to the same problem, which is everyone believes that if you are super intense in the beginning, work long hours, that you can create something quickly and that entrepreneurship is almost something that happens overnight.
If I am looking to impress people, I'll be in a Rent the Runway dress and great accessories.
When I traveled around the country visiting women in their own homes and talking to them about their closets, every woman lamented about 'settling' for many of the pieces in her closet.
As a female founder and CEO, it is important to me to support other women as they build their businesses.
I've always felt the connection between clothing and confidence, which is why I probably was such a shopaholic.
I'm bad at hiding my emotions.
When choosing vendors for my wedding, I intentionally searched for women who were at the beginning of their own founder journeys.
In the morning at home, I'm not functioning as an entrepreneur - I completely limit technology and any work-think - I'm functioning as a mom and a wife.
Founders are often great storytellers because they're in the business of constantly selling a dream against all odds.
I want to have an 'Eat, Pray, Love' experience where I drop off the face of the planet and move to Greece.
Because entrepreneurship is so hard and does take so long to build something great, you do have to build an environment that you yourself as an entrepreneur want to work in for the next 20 years.
The first core value we have is that everyone deserves a Cinderella experience. And I have experienced a Cinderella experience. And I really believe that most people who've come to Rent the Runway have had a Cinderella experience.
Every single day, entrepreneurship has highs and lows, and you need to feel like you have a community around you. That is insanely important - to have a community of people around you lifting you up and who really know you.
I'm a very social person, and I like being in different kinds of environments.
The more time goes by, the more things will happen to you in your life. And the ability to be positive throughout and look for the good in people, look for the good in situations - it's so important.
We're in the '100 percent return' business. This is driving millions of new customers into brands; most of our customers are wearing brands they've never tried before.
We learn about MLK's 'I Have a Dream' speech. Take that same speech and put it in the voice of a woman. Would it be as inspirational? Would it have as much gravitas to it?
I've been humbled by the amount of people who have gone out of their way to reach out, mentor me on an ongoing basis, and devote time to help solve the problems Rent the Runway faces as a company - simply out of their own interest and kindness.
We are helping women express themselves and feel awesome about themselves, and I think that does change the course of your day.
I'm a magazine junkie. I have 30 different subscriptions to various magazines, and I like old-school, real magazines.
I think it's extremely important to think of your company as a series of chapters.
You need to fail quickly and learn from those failures to continue to build along the way.
Like any startup in hyper-growth mode, growth often brings change, and with it, evolution in the executive team.
I can dance to Beyonce, sing karaoke, create strategy, go on dates, and build a multi-billion company and show the world that women can build big businesses.
People feel extremely comfortable with me personally.
If you're passionate about something, go for it, because people are great at what they love and when they're the happiest.
As a little kid, I would watch Oprah almost every day.
When I feel like the day is great? Pasta. When I feel like I want the day to be great? Pasta. It's just awesome.
I think that life is difficult. People have challenges. Family members get sick, people get older, you don't always get the job or the promotion that you want. You have conflicts in your life. And really, life is about your resilience and your ability to go through your life and all of the ups and downs with a positive attitude.
Industries that are chaotic are ripe for innovation. They are open to anyone who has an idea.
At Rent the Runway, we rent designer clothes. We have a belief set that half of the closet over time is going to move into the cloud, and a portion of what we wear every single day will be comprised of things that we don't own forever.
As opposed to thinking about ourselves as disrupting the fashion industry, we're thinking about ourselves more broadly - about disrupting the closet and how you get dressed.
We've found that employees who live full, happy lives tend to be the most effective contributors.
Fashion should be a daily convenience, not a daily chore.
Even though she's my younger sister, Becky's definitely a role model in my life. She's the most genuinely positive person I've ever met.
I can grow as a leader only if I'm willing to accept feedback.
In early 2011, I had the opportunity to meet and spend significant time with Alfred Lin, a partner at Sequoia Capital and co-founder of Zappos.
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