I recently had a very pleasant conversation with former model and current business woman and philanthropist Kathy Ireland. Kathy became a model in her late teens, but never felt modeling was her passion. Instead, she saw modeling as a means to an end - a way to pay her way through college and start a business of her own. Starting with a line of fashion designed socks, Kathy Ireland Worldwide has grown to offering design solutions for the entire home as well as solutions to problems for working moms - whom she describes as all moms - whether they get a paycheck or not. Her company has now sold over 100 million pairs of socks.

Kathy is very busy, between her business activities - the company's headquarters is in Los Angeles, and has offices in Palm Springs and Hawaii, she often works on the road and from her home office in Santa Barbara. Kathy is married, with one son, Erik, 12 and daugthers Lilly 7, and Chloe 3. From the outset, Kathy has made it very clear that her family would take priority - even before she had her children. Everyone in her organization, which now numbers 37 team members, is very clear on what Kathy's priorites are.

Aside from her business pursuits, Kathy is a very active philanthropist involved in numerous community outreach activities.

My interview with Kathy Ireland follows. She was not only kind enough to make time for our conversation, because of telephone difficulties she had to call me three times in all and never missed a beat. Although I had estimated 30 to 45 minutes for our call when I scheduled the interview, before I knew it an hour had slipped by.

During the course of our conversation it was clear that Kathy is a very focused, compassionate and spiritual woman who is living out her life's passion every day. I believe that she serves as an outstanding role model - for working moms, for children, and for anyone who wants to experience the joy of bringing passion into their lives and into the lives of others less fortunate.

You had a successful career as a supermodel. What inspired you to go into business for yourself?

I did okay as a model - I wouldn't say I was "super", although I worked for some publications that were super. At the time I was modeling there were many other models out there I would consider to be supermodels. I was occasionally seen and rarely heard. I was told I had a voice that could "Kill small animals". But I think it was a blessing that I wasn't super as a model because I never felt I could count on that.

Modeling wasn't what I aspired to do - it wasn't my passion, but I'm grateful for the experiences it gave me, like being exposed to people of all cultures. I knew modeling would be short term for me. Although I would have liked to do some celebrity endorsements, no one was offering them to me.

I was involved and interested in business before my modeling career. I saw modeling as a way to save money to go to college and to save capital for a business.

You started out designing a sock collection and expanded into home furnishings, rugs, lighting, art and upholstery. What was your motivation for expanding into home decor?

We started out with socks - I thought,"Let's take something very basic like socks with innovative fashion designs" - if women embraced the socks, then we would be successful.

When we first started out, my Creative Director, Jon Carrasco and I loaded up our backpacks and started knocking on doors to try to sell our socks. We had a lot of doors slammed in our faces and were told, "It will never work. It's never been done before." We ended up sleeping in airports to save money. When people say to me, "Sleeping in airports, that must have been quite a sacrifice", I reply "That wasn't a sacrifice. Sacrifice is not doing what is your passion."

I believe that to succeed you need to turn down the noise, the negativity, and move forward. You must know an awful lot about whom you're going to work with. We really made it a point to scrutinize our potential partners, even to the extent of pulling surprise inspections - and we encourage our partners to scrutinize us just as thoroughly.

We've now sold over 100 million pairs of socks, and our mission has been to help working moms, so home furnishings and design were a natural progression for the business. I believe that all moms are working moms - whether they get a paycheck or not. Our customers come to us because they need a solution and they need it now.


I understand that you use your home as a testing lab of sorts for new products you've designed. How important of a role does your home play in your day-to-day business activities? Is that role growing or diminishing as your business continues to grow?

In fact, all of my team members use their homes as testing labs as well. The kids just love it. When I started testing products at home I was testing rugs, and I had my kids take all the gross things out of the refrigerator and "have at it". We build forts with furniture and have pillow fights to make sure the furnishings are durable, but I have to make sure the kids know that it's not okay to jump around on the furniture at someone else's house whenever they're visiting others. After all, their furniture may not have been designed to withstand the abuse.

Testing at home is a lot of fun and it's useful for discovering what types of improvements need to be made to our products.

You're CEO of Kathy Ireland Worldwide, and also do a lot of charitable work promoting awareness of family issues such as hunger, teenage pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, arthritis, and breast cancer. Yet, you were also named the 2002 Outstanding Mother of the Year Award from the National Mother's Day Committee. How do you manage to make time for your family?

Ever since I was a little girl I knew I wanted to be a mom. That was really important to me. I made that clear to my team members even before I had my kids. I made it clear to everyone from the outset that I wanted to keep family first - my husband and me at first, but that I would be including kids eventually. I'm fortunate that I work with an amazing team of people who understand and support that. 
About a year ago I spoke at an event in the company of some very well-known speakers, including Maya Angelou and Barbara Walters. My point was that making your family a priority needs to be a goal each and every day. I disagree with Barbara Walters' answer of "No" when she was asked, "Can women really have it all?" I think it's definitely possible for women to have it all if they don't lose sight of their priorites. I know for me, when my priorities are out of whack, stress is unavoidable and I get all out of sorts.

Although things change, I look at my calendar and the kids' calendars 18 months out. Planning well in advance can make a big difference. I've always believed that my business serves my family rather than my family serves the business.

Problems arise for those women who want to be superwomen. They need to know that it's OK to ask for help. We all have our strengths and gifts. We need to focus on those things where we're strong and have other members of our support team take care of areas where we're not. As an example, I know I'm a really lousy cook and a terrible gardener, so I know I need help in those areas and that's where I turn to my experts - Chef Andre for food and Nicholas Walker for gardening expertise. They can make these things easy, fun, doable and attainable. I would never want to just pretend I knew what I was talking about in those areas.


What one factor, trait, or belief would you say has contributed most to your success?

Turning down the noise, the negativity and not getting discouraged. You need to find people who encourage, support and believe in you. And, you need to take the time to really get to know the people you're going to be working with.

When I was young, my dad used to tell me when I was delivering papers on my paper route, "If the customer expects their paper in the driveway, put it on the front porch." He helped me understand the idea that you need to give 110%, that it's important to exceed expectations - to under promise and over deliver, and I see that in successful businesses.

I took my kids to an ordinary amusement park and then took them to Disney World. You could easily see the difference that Disney makes and you can appreciate their attention to detail. A tremendous amount of work and thought goes into differentiating Disney World from just any ordinary amusement park.

That's why when we display a piece of furniture, we're not just going to put it on a sheet and hope people like it. You need to create the proper environment, window coverings, accessories, even the smells. You need to go above and beyond what's expected.

I'd be completely lost without my faith in God. Everything good that happens comes from God and I attribute to Him.


Your website is an important tool for your business. How do you keep its message unified?

I'm very involved with the website. I have an incredible team. I give direction, but I think the real direction comes from the customer - what her areas of interest are, what her needs are.

Some of the content is experience driven as well. We had a close call with one of the kids and I thought, "This almost happened to us - how can we prevent this from happening to someone else?"

I offer my point of view on the website. My team members also have great suggestions - like those from Chef Andre (acafe) and Nicholas Walker (jardin du jour). It's a real team effort. Kathy Ireland Worldwide now has an infrastructure of 37 people. The team members understand and respect my priorities and they know how it needs to be done. Everyone gives 110%.

I see the website as a Thank You to to women for turning down the noise of stereotyping. Many of my customers who first bought socks have been following the site for years. We don't sell anything on the website, it's all about providing solutions to problems the customers are facing. I believe that if a customer is going to take the time to visit the website, I don't want to waste her time - I value her time too much. 


Who would you say have been the most influential people in your life? In what way?

Jesus Christ. I became a Christian at the age of 18 out of boredom, loneliness and jet lag. One day my mom threw the Bible in my suitcase and I opened it to Matthew and started reading out of boredom. I'd been to church before but never really liked it. It was noisy and seemed like a scary place, but the Bible is really about Jesus, and it's amazing. Many of the stories in the bible are about being a woman in a world that's completely dominated by men, but they demonstrate just how much Jesus loved women, broke down barriers for them and gave them courage. Knowing Jesus has taught me I don't have to compromise - no matter what happens, I'll still have my best friend who will love me unconditionally.

My husband, my children and my parents have also been very influential in my life. And my business family - I've never had a family business, just a business family. If you treat your business family the way you would treat your family, there's no limt to what you can accomplish.


What would you say was the biggest mistake of your business life? What did you learn from that experience that you'll always carry with you that other entrepreneurs might learn from?

I look at failure as an education, and I admit I'm very well educated (laughing). Not researching partners carefully enough has caused problems. I learned that if someone says, "No", you need to ask, "Why?" If they say, "Yes", you need to ask "How?" You really need to do your homework, get to know the people in your life and who you're working with.

I had lunch with the dean of the Law School at USC. He said, "A genius learns quickly, but doesn't sleep much." Most busy moms don't get enough sleep - I like to sleep and I don't get as much sleep as I'd like. I work in my office, when I'm on the road and when I'm at home. You need to have self-discipline and set boundaries.

Having boundaries means it's OK to say "No". You need to put boundaries in place to protect yourself and your family. Turn off the phone, turn off the computer, put your voice mail on. Unless it's a real emergency you just need to get back to people on your own timetable.


What advice can you offer working moms about realizing their dreams, nurturing their families and balancing work and life?

Discover your passion. You can't truly commit to anything without passion. Every dream needs its own strategy - you must put a plan in place. Examine your dreams, set goals - what you want to accomplish - and then look at the obstacles and try to remove them one by one.

Look at everything in your life - where can you cut back on expenses so you can realize your dream? Look at the available resources that are out there - get to know the bankers, be friendly and be available. My business started with a loan that was funded on a business plan. You need to let the banker feel your passion and the enthusiasm you have for your dream.

Don't let fear get in your way. Use fear to ignite your passion rahter than let it paralyze you.


What inspired you to write your book, Powerful Inspirations: Eight Lessons That Will Change Your Life, and who do you think would benefit most from reading it?

The inspiration behind each lesson came from God. The book was written to answer questions women had asked me. I've heard from men and surprisingly, even many teenagers who tell me the book has been very helpful to them.

I've also written three children's Story Reader books that are part of "Mona's Favorite Words". Actions Have Consequences, What Do Mommy's Do? and An Angel Called Hope. I narrated them all at a slow pace, to accomodate children, especially for those who don't have English as their native language. I've found Story Reader books really come in handy for keeping kids occupied. With my own books my kids can hear my own voice reading to them while I'm helping one of the others with homework. 


What's next for you?


Mostly, my customers will decide that. I'll be co-sponsoing my 4th LPGA tournament in November in Alabama with The Mitchell Company. I'll be developing homes with Mitchell Company, which is exciting because I get to work with neighborhood issues, like safety, access to parks and services and the like. The first development will be in Florida.

The housing will share my brand's four values - Fashion, Quality, Value and Safety - and safety is always number one. It only takes an instant for a tragedy to occur. I live in California and we often have earthquakes. That's why I stress that people need to get tip kits to secure furnishings to the wall, and it's why you won't find things that are safety hazards - like sharp edges - on our furniture.

I'm also working on a jewelry line with Dame Elizabeth Taylor. I consider myself a student of the jewelry business, and who better to learn from than her? She really makes it a lot of fun. She is absolutely fearless. What I love most about her is her heart, her philanthropy. She sees a need and just does it.


What lies ahead for your business? What do you see as your biggest business challenge in the years to come?

We need to keep growing. If you don't grow, you stagnate and if you stagnate you go away. But growth has to be done at a pace that you can maintain quality and maintain your integrity. You can't let growth become unmanageable. A business is like a plant - it has to be nurtured, fed, and paid attention to so it will grow carefully and not randomly.

I think another challenge is anticipating change. It's far more powerful to initiate change than to be foreced to react to it.


Who Has Inspired You?

Kathy Ireland has truly progressed from her early days as a fashion model to becoming a role model for working moms and just about anyone who needs inspiration in their life. Since our interview, I've already been able to put her advice of setting boundaries and learning it's okay to say "No" to good use.

One of the reasons I contacted Kathy and requested the interview was a comment I received from Linda, a site visitor:

I would suggest that all the mom's out there get to know Kathy Ireland. What she has done is amazing while putting her family first...She wrote a book, Powerful Inspirations which I am using as a road map for all that I am doing in my life.

Has someone had a positive effect on your life or inspired you to become successful? If so, I'd like to hear from you. Email me and let me know who has inspired you and in what ways.