Fashion brand Stella & Dot is a social selling company that creates flexible entrepreneurial opportunities for women through its mission to democratize entrepreneurship. Stella & Dot sells its wares both online and through its tens of thousands independent, in-home sales reps dubbed “stylists.” Founded in 2003, Stella & Dot has paid out over $300 million in earnings and it was all started with CEO and Founder of Stella & Dot, Jessica Herrin. Also joining ‘Dot Complicated with Randi Zuckerberg’ to talk about her experiences as a stylist is Lisa Keller.

JESSICA HERRIN 
“I’ve always been the kid with the lemonade stand.”

“When I see a problem I just want to go fix it.”

“I was at business school for the incubations and opportunity.”

“You can self teach a lot. You can crack a book, join a network and learn that way.”

“When I started my first business I had to work 90 hours a week. There was a lot of having a business that ran me.”

“People want to be their own boss not a rung on the ladder of a Silicon Valley startup.”

“Even today I don’t love the term direct sales.”

“Home-based businesses needed to be redesigned—a new model around social selling.”

“I started with the mission of helping women to earn a flexible income.”

“When I began there was a lot of high end and low end jewelry but nothing in the middle.”

“When it came to picking the product category, that was all done analytically in my head.”

“Most of our stylists think of themselves as business owners not entrepreneurs.”

“Entrepreneur has so much risk in it, Stella & Dot does not have that risk.”

“I became a stylist myself. I was making jewelry in my living room and selling it in other people’s living rooms.”

“It is so challenging to start your own business because you have a million other things going on.”
“I did it one trunk show at a time, then got another person to do it, and another.”

“It’s very much like Fortune 500 company where the profitability is based on the number of sales.”

“There’s also the confidence gap and happiness gap that need to close, not just achieving particular levels in your career.”

“We train on time-mastering and goal-setting as much as we train on selling the newest look.”

“It’s not enough to give great product to sell, you have to make it fun and educational.”

“We create enabling technology to share rather than be the authority on fashion.”

“Our model is ‘retail nirvana.’ Stylists are so connected to the customers. There’s a lot of service.”

“Our community is so engaged. Our customers give fantastic feedback.”

“We all want to feel that when we get out of bed in the morning that we’re going to make an impact.”

“We have people who quit their waitressing job and paid off their school debt being a stylist.”

“We have so many women who supplement doing this because the other part of their life they don’t get in a traditional workforce.”

“Men are definitely the minority but they do exist at Stella & Dot.”

“My goal was to fix the business models that we’re out there.”

“We wanted to break through the dollars per hour people could make.”

“By putting myself out there in social media and posting things about my family as well as our products.”

“People want to connect with the person behind the necklace.”

“You don’t want people to start and think they can only sell to their mother and sister and then tap out.”

“Let word of mouth be your best marketing tool.”

“For all people in business you need to acquire customers. You have to like people and get beyond your fear of sales.”

“Share the value with what your offering. It’s the key skill we train.”

“You have to have an authentic product in service and engage with the influencers in your target market.”

“Productivity is about saying, ‘I have 24 hours in a day how do I get it all done?’”

“This is a modern, on-the-go selling business.”
LISA KELLER

“As an independent stylist I’m able to sell on my own terms.”

“I started as a customer 7 years ago. Someone asked me to join their team and I just had twin girls. And then I had twins again.”

“I jumped in and learn as I go.”

“I found my sponsor on Instagram. I contacted her and asked her if I could join her team.”

“We have ladies from all walks of life.”

“I still think of myself as someone who’s trying to be an entrepreneur.”

“The way we get educated is we learn the inspiration about the new line.”

“Trunk shows could be a pop up shop at a restaurant or at your own home or someone’s backyard. It’s a very fun casual girl gathering.”

“You get connected to a sponsor as a go-to person to figure out the details and get support.”

“The support makes you feel less intimidated by the process.”

“We have team pages, we watch and listen to training calls, we have fashion shows to show what trends are coming up.”

“I try to wear and share.”

“I know what my best sellers are from trunk shows.”

“I got to a point in my life being home with my little ones that I felt like I was missing something.”

“I didn’t realize until I started as a stylist how much I needed this.”

“It’s been hard to find time management and not get distracted by a pile of laundry that I need to do.”

“I’ve even sat in my car because I can’t have a conversation in my house without someone interrupting.”

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