STEPHANIE JOHNSON - Founder & President, Stephanie Johnson cosmetic bags

09/14/10 | Stephanie Johnson | 2 Comments

Founder & President, Stephanie Johnson cosmetic bags

Leaving the corporate world to launch my namesake line of cosmetic bags and travel accessories was perhaps the scariest thing I’ve ever done, but it was also the most rewarding. 

I basically grew up in the telecom industry, starting as a telemarketer just out of high school, then working my way up into management and eventually becoming a vice president of sales and marketing, all while putting myself through night school to earn a college degree in international studies.  By the time I was 31, I was earning a six-figure salary, had stock options and plenty of perks.  But I wasn’t happy.  I wanted to be passionate about something, but after 13 years in the telecom industry, I wasn’t sure what that was.

It was through one of my other loves – international travel – that inspiration struck.  I was on vacation in Thailand, and I stumbled on some hand-sewn bags made of exotic silk fabrics.  These bags had removable pockets and other features, and they sparked an idea.  During all of my business travels, I had often noticed a lack of available products for efficiently organizing cosmetics and jewelry while on the road.  Seeing these bags made me think I could design something to fill that niche:  multi-functional travel cosmetic bags that were as beautiful as they were versatile.  And so, the Stephanie Johnson line was born.

Abandoning my safe corporate job to become a bag designer wasn’t easy.  I didn’t have a design background, and I didn’t know anything about manufacturing or the import/export business.  But I was confident that I had a marketable idea, and I was determined to make it a success.  I’ve made many discoveries along my journey, and here are few of the most important lessons I’ve learned:

1. Don’t be afraid to share what you know. I owe a great deal of my success to mentors who taught me everything they knew about design and manufacturing.  To pay it forward, I now not only mentor others in my field, but I also teach a class called ‘How to Design Your Own Handbag Line.’  People tell me I’m crazy to give my secrets away, but I find that sharing what I do with others actually benefits me.  By carefully articulating your vision, you manifest it.  And your generosity will come back to you:  you never know when someone you’ve helped will turn around and return the favor.
2. Consider the company you keep. It’s important not only to put together a great team of people to work with who share your vision, but to also consider who you surround yourself with outside of the office. Make sure you’re spending time with people who support your goals and dreams.  When I first decided to leave the security of my job at WorldCom to launch my travel bag line, my boyfriend at the time tried to dissuade me, saying it was too risky.   We didn’t last much longer after that.
3. Stay flexible. The truth is, in any business, there will be good times and there will be not-so-good times.  To make it through the not-so-good times, you have to be willing to adapt.  The economic downturn hit us hard and we had to figure out how to reinvent our brand in order to survive.  We went on the offensive and started soliciting advice from our customers and sales reps to find out how we could best respond to what the market was dictating.  As a result, we revamped our entire collection to include pared down, simpler shapes that still maintained a certain aesthetic, but at a significantly lower price point.  You have to pay attention to what’s going on in the marketplace, and realize that it’s constantly shifting.
4. Make it personal. Email is great, but given the choice, I’d rather pick up the phone and call someone, or schedule a face-to-face meeting over lunch or coffee.  It lends a personal element to your communication and helps build a relationship with your clients and associates.  I’m also big on sending a hand-written thank you note any time someone has done me a favor or shown a kindness.  It only takes a minute to express gratitude, and people will remember you for it.
5. Face your fear. I have met so many people with genius ideas who never manifest them because of fear: fear that they won’t succeed, fear that they will spend so much money building their business that they’ll go bankrupt, fear that they’ll waste time and energy creating something no one will want.  Our true opportunities only come when we have the courage and inner strength to face those fears and take a leap of faith. If I hadn’t spent money in start-up costs for my business because of fear of losing that financial security, I would have never built the strong company that I have today.

Stephanie Johnson Madrid Collection

Stephanie Johnson is the founder and president of Stephanie Johnson cosmetic bags, which are sold at Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Henri Bendel, Anthropologie, ULTA, Cambria Cove, and in boutiques across the United States as well as internationally.  Her designs have been featured in publications such as InStyle, O the Oprah Magazine, Lucky, Real Simple, Redbook, and Shape.  For more information, please visit www.stephaniejohnson.com