For this week’s installment of The DuJour 5×5, we asked five “power players” five questions about their work habits—and the secret to success.
Dylan Lauren, Founder and CEO of Dylan’s Candy Bar
1. My typical morning routine: Chai latte or iced coffee at my favorite local spot, Cafe Baccio, and then a 6-mile jog in Central Park.
2. The moment I knew I made it was… when there wasn’t a day after we opened our doors that you could move in the store. It was packed wall-to-wall for months! And then finding out people I admire like President Clinton, Oprah, Howard Schultz and Al Pacino were among the crowds!
3. What’s the secret to success? Loving what you do and believing in it, so that it feels like a hobby more than a job.
4. The greatest piece of business advice I ever received: Follow your gut and stick to your own beliefs from my dad.
5. When I retire, the first thing I’ll do is: Open an animal rescue shelter and hike with many animals in California or somewhere surrounded by oceans and forests.
Joseph Carr, Winemaker and founder of Josh Cellars Wine
1. My typical morning routine: Wake up at 5:30, do 15 minutes of yoga; 3 sets of pushups/squats/dips and crunches, French press coffee with my wife and my dog (no talking about business), read the NY Times, answer Facebook posts from Josh Cellars, glance at my email and be out the door by 8:30.
2. The moment I knew I made it was… when I received an email from a young woman who told me her husband was a police officer in Texas, and he had been killed in the line of duty. She celebrated his life by sharing the wine I made with all of his friends. It was then that I knew that something I had created, as a tribute to my own father, had found a point in time and a place where others had brought it into the fabric of their lives and shared it.
3. What’s the secret to success? Never give up: adapt, evolve, take a step to the side and don’t make an emotional business decision. Have fun: share your success with those that helped you achieve it. Keep balance with your family and your profession, and drink a good glass of wine.
4. The greatest piece of business advice I ever received: “Respect others and give them the benefit of the doubt; they will in turn respect you; if someone pays you to do a job, make sure they get what they paid for and more,” from my father, Josh.
5. When I retire, the first thing I’ll do is: Ask the nurse to adjust my oxygen mask and remind me what time my sponge bath is scheduled. Read Don Quixote one more time. Keep an eye out for “old dragons.”
Isabel Leonard, Metropolitan Opera Star
1. My typical morning routine: Wake around 6am every morning with my son. We have breakfast and I take him to school. Then, generally I go to rehearsal!
2. The moment I knew I made it was… when I made my debut at the Metropolitan Opera eight years ago, which was one of my many “made it” moments. I feel like this moment is always changing because I am constantly evolving as an artist.
3. What’s the secret to success? Success for me is about perspective and what I want to achieve. It means loads of hard work, dedication, joy of learning and getting enough sleep!
4. The greatest piece of business advice I ever received: “One foot in front of the other,” from my mother and “you are the chairman of your own board,” from my first manager, Matthew Epstein.
5. When I retire, the first thing I’ll do is: Catch up on sleep. Ha! I don’t actually want to retire from this business. I’ll find other ways to stay active and involved.
Annbeth Eschbach, Founder and CEO at Exhale Enterprises Inc.
1. My typical morning routine: I start my morning with one cup of my favorite coffee from Maison Kayser at Columbus Circle on my way to take a Core Fusion Barre or Core Fusion Yoga class at Exhale. After a killer class, a shower, a dab of IS Clinical Youth Serum, I quickly dress, grab my bag (which is always a jumble of workout clothes usually from Sweaty Betty), my files and my phone and walk to the office.
2. The moment I knew I made it was… when we were named one of the “Top 10 Brand Storytellers” by Fast Company magazine alongside Apple, Southwest Airlines and Kimpton in 2005. At that time, Exhale only operated three properties in New York and Boston, and we were thrilled to be recognized alongside such established brands.
3. What’s the secret to success? Creating and delivering experiences and products that improve the lives of consumers and consistently execute on their brand promise. This happens when organizations are genuinely dedicated to the company principles and mission, and leaders have constructed business practices that sustain and protect the brand vision, mantras and mission.
4. The greatest piece of business advice I ever received: was from my mother, who taught me that positive leaders get ten times more out of others than negative leaders. Lifting people up and never assuming ill intent is magic.
5. When I retire, the first thing I’ll do is: Begin to build a new wellbeing brand!
Deena Varshavskaya, Founder and CEO of Wanelo
1. My typical morning routine: Three words: Wanelo, fats and pilates. I usually start working at home as soon as I get out of bed to check email and see the latest products posted on Wanelo because needless to say I am the company’s number one addicted user. I also believe in consuming lots of good fats, so while working, I’m drinking my cup of coffee with heavy cream. I believe healthy fats and protein gives me sustained energy all day. Pilates is also everything to me. I do Pilates at home at least two times a week. I think it’s one of the most intelligent forms of exercise for your body.
2. The moment I knew I made it was… I actually don’t think I’ve made it at all.
3. What’s the secret to success? Do what you said you would.
4. The greatest piece of business advice I ever received: “When building a startup you need to go from A to Z and there’s no known path in between,” from Mike Maples of Floodgate Fund.
5. When I retire, the first thing I’ll do is: I’d buy a huge piece of land and build several homes on it where my friends and I can live together.
MORE DUJOUR 5X5:
Let’s Go to the Movies Edition
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Music Edition
