October 10, 2017

HSN QUEEN, CAROL BRODIE

HSN QUEEN, CAROL BRODIE

Carol Brodie is an accomplished entrepreneur, HSN host, girl’s girl, lover of life and founder of Rarities Fine Jewelry By Carol Brodie.  We sat down with her to find out how she built a jewelry empire.

EG: What were you like as a girl?

CB: I was always in love with jewelry. I was tenacious, smart, but a very compassionate girl. What drives me today is empowerment, compassion and a true love of women. I’m the girl’s girl. I’m a girlfriend. I’ve always wanted to help everybody.

EG: Can you talk a little bit about the journey that brought you to where you are today?

CB: I always wanted to be Barbara Walters. I always wanted to be a talk show host who could ultimately tell stories. Storytelling is very empowering. Knowledge is empowering.

I started my career in fashion, jewelry and beauty doing public relations and marketing.
I was the global director of communications and marketing for Harry Winston- I was Harry Winston’s voice. I was the voice of “Robb Report” magazine and 16 publications catering to the uber affluent. I spoke all over the world as a leading expert in the world of ultra-high networth individuals.

EG: How did you go about starting Rarities Fine Jewelry By Carol Brodie, what were the steps you took?

CB: When I launched my business in 2009, I realized that if all the uber affluent wanted to feel special by purchasing things that normal people would never imagine, 300 foot custom designed yachts, etc…, I thought, “I bet you that there’s not a woman out there that doesn’t want to own something that makes them feel a little more special.”

I never sold on price, I always sold on story and value.

When I came to HSN,  other brands sold very simple gemstone jewelry. There wasn’t a lot of design to it. It was a gemstone and a mounting, and they talked a lot about the gemstone and the mounting, and it was very uninteresting to me.
I decided to be different and every single month.  I had a whole new collection of 30 or 40 new styles of jewelry.  It was never about how much the jewelry cost. It was always about the value and story of the piece and how it made you feel.
That’s the uniqueness of Rarities! Women were dying to have very ultra-high, networth style at affordable prices.  Meaning, moments, memory is the Rarities Carol Brodie jewelry mantra.

EG: What is a typical day in your life?

CB: I get up at 6:00 am every single morning and I make about 10 cups of coffee. I then spend the first hour in Central Park with my coffee and my dog; walking, thinking, and, crazy enough, talking to every girl I see.  Central Park attracts girls from all over the world. They’re sitting there with their suitcases and they have no idea what they’re doing. It’s this phenomenon, and maybe they’re visiting, maybe they’re trying to change their life, maybe they’re running away. I spend an hour in the park every single morning finding that one girl and just sitting down and talking to her. I spend every single morning like that.

Then I go to the gym. I build strength every single day. I don’t care about cardio. I’m very much about building strength because a strong body is the only thing you can have if you want to have a strong mind. It’s not happening unless you have a strong body.

From there, it’s Carol Brodie crazy, you never know what’s going happen. I never make plans with people. I am a huge believer in putting out in the universe what it is you want and allowing it to present you with the gifts. And that may sound very spiritual, but the truth of the matter is if you know what you want,  it’s easy to talk to people and hone in immediately and find white space and find great conversation. People are attracted, like magnets, to people who are passionate!
I cook my own lunch everyday because I like being healthy.  I go out every single night for dinner. I live in New York. It’s the greatest part of living here, being able to experience all the different foods, culture, friendships and wine.  I go out every night with friends or my kids. I am madly in love with life. I wake up every morning and pinch myself. Every day for me is about the journey. There’s no routine besides making lunch, reading, following online media, going to the park, talking to people, taking my dog out and shopping.

I spend a lot of time online scouring for estate pieces, antique pieces, great stories. I research the history of jewelry and fashion. I really love learning because a lot of the products that I create and the stories that I tell about it come from the past. I’m fascinated with history.

I’m a curator, so I find what I love and then I work with my manufacturers to find out what stones we can procure to meet the price range that I need to meet.

EG: What is the best business advice you have ever received?

The best advice I’ve ever received in business is that, No is the back door to, Yes! I do not take no for an answer because when someone says no, you are challenged to change their mind so ultimately you can find the front door to yes.” And there is a lot to be said about a high EQ — IQ needs EQ for a person to be truly successful.”

Follow Carol here:

@CarolBrodieChic

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