# Jessica Alba and Gary Vaynerchuk Fireside Chat | VaynerMedia NYC 2017 ## Метаданные - **Канал:** Gary Vaynerchuk - **YouTube:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=828vR2YRHhY - **Дата:** 10.06.2017 - **Длительность:** 44:43 - **Просмотры:** 99,546 - **Источник:** https://ekstraktznaniy.ru/video/18811 ## Описание JESSICA ALBA STOPPED BY VAYNERMEDIA AND WE SPOKE ABOUT BUILDING BUSINESSES, ENTREPRENEURSHIP, HONEST CO., PLANET OF THE APPS AND HOW SHE APPROACHES LIFE. Have you seen planet of the apps? http://www.planetoftheapps.com Watch some other of my fireside chats here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfA33-E9P7FCzO4cR9gH4g2TxmKthGSvo -- Thank you for watching this video. I hope that you keep up with the daily videos I post on the channel, subscribe, and share your learnings with those that need to hear it. Your comments are my oxygen, so please take a second and say ‘Hey’ ;). -- ► Subscribe to My Channel Here http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=GaryVaynerchuk -- Gary Vaynerchuk is a serial entrepreneur and the CEO and founder of VaynerMedia, a full-service digital agency servicing Fortune 500 clients across the company’s 5 locations. Gary is also a prolific public speaker, venture capitalist, 4-time New York Times Bestselling Author, and has been named to both Crain’s ## Транскрипт ### Intro [] - [Gary] Guys, say hello to my friend Jess. (audience cheers and applause) So, thanks guys for hanging. So I emailed Jess the other day. I was like, "Hey, if you come through to New York, "I'd love to do a fireside chat with the company. " I want to do more of these with you guys and I couldn't of thought of a better guest. Obviously, we got to know each other quite a bit filming Planet of the Apps but I've always known from afar when we ran into each other a couple non-profit events through the years of how impressive of a operator and an entrepreneur and a thinker about marketing, media and business Jess has been for quite a long time. Obviously, she had real fame before that world and so I don't think a lot of people, you know, that are paying attention realize it. And then I got to really see it on display from a business chops standpoint on the show. Obviously, the show is very real and like we were critiquing businesses and asking questions. - Yeah. - I really enjoyed it and I'm just extremely fond of her so one more time please clap it up for somebody I respect. (audience applauds enthusiastically) So I think I'm gonna ask a couple questions and then I think we'll open it up to some questions and then we'll all go on our merry ways. So, first and foremost Jess, when did you start thinking ### When did you start thinking about business interests [1:20] about or realize that you had business interests? - Hmmm. I think I always approached my career, even when I was 12 when I started acting, I was like what's the long game? How do I stay relevant and how do I become a real player and how am I going to be meaningful? And so I was always pretty strategic in the way that I approached my career and I thought of myself as a brand before it was a thing to think of yourself as a brand. I was always really cognizant that anything I associated myself with was going to be reflective of how people thought of me. - Yep. - And I protected that for a long time and when I decided to launch my own brand I really feel like all of that thought really got channeled in the best way. I didn't know what the outcome would be but I was certainly very aware of being protective of my image from day one. - So on that note, I'm actually remembering this from a conversation now, let's dig a little bit deeper. ### Was there ever a role that you really jockey for [2:40] Was there ever a role that you really jockeyed for or strategic for or was there anything that CAA and those characters were pushing you hard to do that you passed on based on this thesis? - Yeah. - Tell us. - Both. (audience laughter) - Everything. - So I never got to really show my chops as a really dramatic actress when I was young because I wouldn't show my boobs. (Gary and audience laugh) All the good roles were sexy time and I was like, I for whatever reason I felt like when I was young it would just be exploited in a way and out of my control in a way that I felt wouldn't be great for my brand before I really articulated it that way. And I also grew up Catholic and Christian, I couldn't ever deal with my dad seeing me do that stuff. - Dad. - My dad's here. - That's true. (audience laughter) - And so I grew up with the guilt and the things and the weirdness and so that played into it. But yeah, I definitely took more or passed up on a lot of opportunities that would've positioned me as an actress in Hollywood in a different way. Maybe in a more serious way. But on the flip side, I went the route of wanting to be global. Wanting to-- - So is that like superhero time? Is that that? - Yeah, I looked at the marketplace and I was like what are the things that go global? And it was superhero franchises, action, it was pre-horror and it was pre-rom com being global. And so rom com was to make you America's Sweetheart but it really didn't extend beyond that but you can get a decent payday and you can be the face of a beauty brand. Fine. Or you can transcend that, the girl stuff, and you can go into boy land and you can do action hero and I wanted to be an action hero. ### I wanted to be an action hero [5:00] - 'Cause you wanted to collect yourself as an action figure? - Well, yeah. (audience laughter) - Of course. - I have a few. (audience laughter) So yeah, I've been in many action figures over the years. When I started with a TV show I did with James Cameron called "Dark Angel" I was actually offered-- - Oh, we remember. (audience laughter) - I was 17 and I was like if I don't get real role by the time I'm 18 that's going to really make me feel comfortable with choosing this as a path as a career than I'm going to go to school and get a degree and have a real job. - So really at that point in your career you were like okay-- - So between 16 and 18 I gave myself two years to really kind of figure out if this was supposed to be my path in life and I was offered a role in "The Fast and The Furious" and I was also offered the starring role of James Cameron's first TV show his first project after he did Titanic. I took the James Cameron one. And then from there I was like, "Alright, I guess these are the stars aligning telling me that "I should maybe do this for a living. " So yeah, from there I just thought strategically about how to maintain that global awareness and I didn't want to be the girl to the guy that put asses in seats, I wanted to be the girl who put asses in seats. And the way to do that was with action franchises at the time. - Very cool. So, how do you think about it now? Are you out? ### Im going to act again [6:45] You gonna act again? Where are you in-- - Well, it's tough. I really haven't focused on this business for nine years. - Has it been that, really? - It's been a long time. - When you say that, what does that mean? It's been nine years since what? - Since I really cared about it-- - Like that way. (laughs) Okay. - Well, no, like-- - Since you put, yeah - my focus, I sort of-- - Well, you've done stuff, right? - Yeah, but I got pregnant and I had a kid at 27, I got pregnant at 26 and had her at 27. And I'd been working for so long, at that point, I'd been working since I was 12, and hardcore really since I was 17 so, it was a solid 10 years of not having a personal life. - Yep. - And not really having any life outside of working 90 hour weeks often. So, I didn't sleep much, and I worked a lot, and it was a blessing because it was a dream come true. But then, when I actually sat in one place for the first time, and I had a person growing in my stomach, and I was like oh my goodness, she's gonna rely on me to stay alive. (audience laughs) - That is true. - How am I gonna do that? So, then my perspective just shifted on what it means to have the luck to be alive and to have your health and to want to I don't know, operate with a different sense of purpose. - Nate, right over there in the pink shirt ### Early days of the business [8:20] Nathan, excuse me, he freaked out when he found out that the odds of being a human are four hundred trillion to one. That happened to him in L. A. when we were filming. So, he feels that same feeling. (audience laughter) - Congratulations, Nate. (audience laughter) - So, talk about the early days of the business. It's such a big business now, all of you should I don't know if you take visitors, but you should all visit the offices-- - Yeah, we do! - It's just growing up so in such a big way. Obviously, we've worked with Unilever and Johnson & Johnson, and it gets brought up all the time. And it's so crazy because-- - We're like the little engine that could. - That's fine, but you're-- - You work with like-- - Yes, but, but-- - the giants. - They're all scared, right, and they're all aware, and they're all impressed, and I think it gets compounded. It's just so impressive to watch you build something so real and so big and compete at the at a global scale... And what's interesting is that you're going into a different chapter, right? You guys were this digital-native brand, and now it's just getting bigger and bigger. - For our main channel, yeah. - Yeah, and it's happening here. They know we're not 25 people anymore, right? So, you change. But, you don't change in spirit, you just look differently at 12 and 17 and 26 and what have you. How are you thinking about the business? What's exciting? What's interesting? Give us a quick, little update. - Well, I think what's interesting about life in general, it's something that, I guess I only really came to when I got older, was I decided, at some point, that as right as I ever thought I was when I was 18 telling my parents all the thoughts in the world about how things should be, Dad. And I had all the opinions and said all the things. I never wanted to be the same person 10 years from then. And, as a company, five years ago, we were a very different company. And we've grown up. And I hope five years from now, we will be even more grown up. Now, having wisdom doesn't mean that you should not have life and spirit. It doesn't mean that you shouldn't be open and still try and learn and change and evolve. It just means that you have hopefully the wisdom to not make the same mistake more than two or three times. (audience laughter) Because that just really blows, making the same mistakes over and over again. We're an Omnichannel brand as far as distribution goes. Our model has changed a bit. We are in more verticals, more expansive as far as-- - You're hardcore in the beauty thing, now, right? - Yeah, we're in beauty. We're launching cleaning at the end of the year. We started primarily in baby and personal care and basic cleaning, but we're really going deep in verticals where we know we can win and where people have asked us to play in. We've really kind of evolved into a health and wellness company. At the end of the day, a company that puts human health first, no matter what category we go into. It really doesn't matter, and education is as important as the products that we make, and just, you know, being able to empower people with the knowledge to make better choices, to me, is the ultimate mission. - So talk to me about, so this company started from social, right? Talk to me about your personal social media behaviors. ### Social media habits [12:00] How do you roll? Do you create like fake accounts and troll people? You're a character, so I know something weird could come out here. - You know, I tried to do that. I really tried to do it 'cause I feel like I have an alter ego. (audience laughter) And I tried to have like, you know, my social media alter ego that's like a little bit naughty. - Really? (audience laughter) - But I couldn't do it. It was like too much work, and-- - So do have a, do you use anything? - No, I use all the things. But I started on Twitter. That was my first. - Yep. - That was my first account. And then I went to Facebook, and then Instagram, and then-- - Do you Snap? - Snapchat, yeah. And Pinterest around the time of Instagram. I have to say like whenever I'm going through a transition in my life, or something new is happening like I have a new office or got a new house or making over a room, like I pin my life away. - Really? - Yeah, it's funny how it's not like as consistent as like a Snapchat or an Instagram, but it's much more like maniacal. - Utility when you actually need it. - But it's like intense. - Like you're into it. - It's like way too much time. - You like pin the fuck out of Pinterest. - I my life 'til two in the morning every night. - (laughs) I love it. - I don't even know what's wrong with my brain right now. But, yeah, so I'm like... - And where are you most active day to day right now? - I'm on Instagram and Snapchat ### How to navigate social media [13:30] and it's-- - And is your public profile that has the millions and millions of people following the one that you actually use? - Yeah. - So how do you get through all the noise, like creeper dudes like Trouty? (audience laughter) - If Trouty posts an inappropriate picture, - Yes? - then I block him. - Got it. (audience laughter) He's clearly been blocked. (audience laughter) - He's like so red. - So red, so red! This is the greatest moment in this company's history, period! (audience laughter and applause) Got it, so you just kinda just navigate through it. - Yeah, I should actually be a little bit more strategic with social media, but for some reason I'm not. And I don't like know to post at, you know, the better time of the day to post-- - Right. - is at this time. And you should post this type of content versus that type of like, I don't-- - Yeah. You're just rolling with it. - I don't follow the rules. - I get it, I get it. - I just like, - You're doing your thing. - if I'm making lunch up and I'm so inspired-- - Yep. - You know I'm gonna do a little video - Something. - of my nachos. (Gary laughs) And that's my life. Or I'm like into my new kicks,-- - Right. - you're gonna see a photo of them. - I love it, it's good. So why don't you tell everybody here a little bit about Planet of the Apps. ### Plan of the App [14:50] How did that go? You know, was that fun? - How do you think it went? - I thought I was great. (audience laughter) - I don't know if you guys know this about him, but all he did was scream. (audience laughter) The entire time. They actually had to bring our mics, like our voices up to match your scream roll. - Yeah. - So that we could be at the same level. - It's really cool. We filmed in three sets, like you pitch, then we mentor, which I did in L. A. Big ups L. A. And then we pitch to the VC, but they do an episode where they follow all the way through. - Yeah, yeah. - So the first episode of-- - So you can see the beginning, the middle, and the end of the journey of these entrepreneurs, right? - Yes, and I think it's really cool because the first episode is really featuring on our companies. - Yeah, it's us. - So I'm excited. - Really we shouldn't tell people that. - Right, we're in trouble now. So, but seriously, was it interest, like how'd it go for you? - It was a little work. - It was. - It was like stressful, because, I don't know, I mean ### Running Drunk Company [16:00] when you're thinking of running your own company, you, like, you don't stop thinking about it, and you know how important it is to you. And it is-- - It's your life. - It's your life, and to come, you know, it doesn't matter what gets in the way, you're gonna figure out how to like push through and make things happen. And when things don't happen the way that you want them to happen, you're devastated. - Yeah, that was not the, - And that's like-- - Like when we didn't pick them, that was bad. - (sighing) It's so hard, it's horrible. - But, but the lessons- - But some of them deserved it - because their company sucked. (audience laughter) - That's true, but, the problem is in their minds, they don't know that they suck. - Well yeah, we've all seen American Idol, and the person's like, "I'm the greatest singer of all time," and then they rip our ears off our bodies. - You know it hurts them as much as it hurts-- - Yeah no, for sure. - There's like a very human thing there, and so you don't want to devastate them to the point of them not wanting to continue, but at the same time, - Well, Will-- - if something like this devastates them that much, then they are completely shot. - Then they have no shot. That's exactly right. - Exactly. - And Will wouldn't allow them to be devastated, because every time they would make it through, he ran down, hugged them, he gave them his cell number and decide to be best friends with them. (audience laughter) So let's flip it. Are you- - (mumbles). - If he asks, too much fun. (audience laughter) What about your media consumption? What shows are you watching, podcasts you're listening to- - I like your shoes. - You like them? - Yeah. - So are you consuming any shows? ### Star Wars [17:30] (audience laughter) - Wait, what are your socks? - Oh, Star Wars. - Is it Star Wars? - Yeah. - Oh, I like Star Wars. - Mhmmm, yeah. - Excellent. Yep. - I'm sorry. What shows am I watching? - Yes. - Um... Big Little Lies. (audience cheering) - Hands in the air. (audience cherring) Let's go. - It's like a telenovela with a lot of white people. - Yep. (audience laughter) That's exactly right. - It has all the drama, - Yep. - It's like really good. - Is it good? - Yeah. - Okay. - It's really good. - What else? - Um... hmm... So I haven't finished the OA, don't ruin it for me. - [Kim] We don't have to. - It's, (audience laughter) It likes warms my brain, - Kim keeps it real. - It's just like it gives me anxiety, and it's like the late-night watch of the thing that's gonna (inaudible). Hi Pierre. My friend Pierre. - Hey Pierre. - His family's made macaroons, you know macaroons? The french little... (background noise drowns out other sounds) He gets mad at how, mac-a-woon, you have to say it like that. - Sheesh. - Oh, anyway, so he's there. - Let's clap it up for him. (audience applause) [Jessica] You know a lot of way? - [Gary] What's that? - [Jessica] A lot of ways. - Mhmmm, gotcha. - And what do you watch? I don't-- - Nothing. (audience laughter) - You... watch yourself? - This is true. Yes. You nailed it. You pretty much nailed it. I'm really not watching anything, but that's because I... and he's working ### Documentaries [19:00] - Oh, do you see the... - Yep. - (mumbles) Bauer? Yes, it's an important documentary. He's on the 13TH. - He's what? - [Pierre] He's (mumbles). - You saw the 13th, right? (audience applause) - [Pierre] Oh. - You saw that documentary, right? - Nope. - Oh, Jesus. - But I do love documentaries, and if I consume anything, it's normally that, but I haven't seen it. - You need to see it. - Okay. - It's important. - Okay, I'm in. - It actually really matters. - I'm gonna leave right now. See you guys. (audience laughter) Alright, what about sports? Your dad is a hardcore Rams fan, which I respect, - Yeah. - 'cause they're not good either. - No. (audience laughter) - Can you ever have it- - [Man] What about the Jets? - With the Jets, they're gonna go 0 and 16 this year, so just getting mentally prepared. Anything with you and sports at this point? Like, when the Lakers are good, and you're a bandwagon fan? - Um... you know... So my husband grew up with Baron Davis, and so-- - Yep, I know that. - We were fans of whatever team he was on. - Clips. Knicks for a few minutes? - Knicks for a little bit, - Clippers. - and then, Golden State. If you know the people who are playing, then you feel more invested. So whenever I go to a game, and I'm like, "Hey, what's up? " Like, that's fun. (audience laughter) But... - But. - I haven't gone to games in a while. - Okay. - But they're very... - Tall? - Tall. - Yep. - And they're good at all the... It's like special, like you would never be able to play basketball. (audience laughter) - Nope. - For me, it's not anything against you, for me, but like... - No, but listen, somewhere around fourth grade, was when I realized I was more likely to own the Jets then to play for them. (audience laughter) That's the punchline, I'm not taking it. Alright, let's do some questions. Who's got one? - Oh wait, I have one more thing with sports. - Good, yeah, do your thing. - So, we did a collaboration with the MLB. Do you like baseball? - Oh yeah. I do, I've just had my fantasy baseball draft, Staats, are you here? - Alright, stand up. So, everybody boo Staats. (audience laughter) (audience booing) He's my main competitor this year in fantasy baseball, but he didn't draft very well, so I'm feeling confident. - So we did a collaboration with MLB, and we did diapers-- - I saw, I saw them in your office. - that have MLB logos, we had-- - Red Sox, Yanks-- six designs, and they're super cute. - Cardinals. - Cubs? - Knicks, Cubs -- - Knicks are basketball. - Sorry, not Knicks. (laughing) - Mets. - Not the Mets. - Yankees, Dodgers, and the Giants. - San Francisco. - Why do I keep saying goddamn Jets? - I love it. (audience laughter) Because you've been effected! - There's Jets everywhere! - Alright, questions? - [Hissan] Yes! - Here, grab this. And we have a mic over there and we can go loud, too, if we have to. Go ahead. - [Hissan] Hi. - Say your name. - [Hissan] I'm Hissan, nice to meet you. - [Jessica] Hi. - So, Honest Baby went into Target last week, congratulations. - Thank you! (audience applause) ### Distribution [22:00] - [Hissan] With the brand moving from specialty to mass retail, what's your vision for the next five years in terms of growth? - So, here's this weird thing, because I don't come from traditional CPG or beauty background, I don't I never understood that the way that people perceive your brand or the integrity of your brand or whatever is based off of distribution and not price point or the quality of your ingredients. It literally, 100% has to do with distribution. But now that distribution has all but flipped on its head, with every D to C business and with all of these online retailers who are taking people's lunch and more people who are like, "Give me an excuse to leave my house "and go into your door. " I just feel like this is a transitional time, and I, more than ever, just want to make sure ### Target Tuesday [23:00] that my products are in peoples' hands, and that my brand is showcased in the best way. So, I don't really have a bias as to where I'm distributed. I just want it to have really great partners, and I want it to be done the right way. - She has been doing something super rad. She's was doing Target Tuesdays? - Target Tuesdays, I'm going into random Targets, I'm finding random people, and I'm giving them makeovers on the spot on Facebook. - So everybody, next Tuesday you're allowed to be off, pick a random Target, and hold your breath. (audience laughter) - And so, today I did two makeovers on Tuesdays. - Did they lose their shit? - I was like nervous. What if they're gonna not like it? say no to me? - And sometimes they might not know who you are, right? I mean, there's like four of those people. - Yeah, of course, yeah, absolutely! And they might be like, "Why are you touching my face? " Like, I don't know! - And? - And they, and it went well. - They loved it, yeah. (audience laughter) - Thank God! - Alright, who else has got a question? ### Social Influences [24:00] Dante! Get up here, baby! That was awesome. Dante, that was, yeah, you brought it. - [Dante] So, we're going to be influencer department, here and I'm sure that, you know, we've seen posts from big, influential individuals, people with many followers. How do you think that has contributed to the growth of your business on social, just having those type of people speaking about your brand. - I think... Influencers are tricky. I actually feel like the influencers that have the most followers maybe aren't as trusted as people who have a few thousand or in the high hundreds. Because, to me, it's like the people who have that authentic engagement and have that rabid fan base is more the people that are going to affect change versus someone who's just so giant because-- ### Authenticity [25:00] - Because they're pitching products every day, is your thought? - Or because they're just part of a machine, and most of the people that are following them are bots. We know that whole thing can be gamed. I was never one of those people. I never bought any of my followers, and I do everything myself, and there's no agency or other people that do, you know-- - Your engagement. - My engagement, but also it was like, for me to be honest, why I'm so involved in my online persona is because I felt like my entire career I was in someone else's hands. So, whether it was Fox's hands-- - The Hollywood Machine. - Or the machine of the production company Paramount, or Sony, or whoever, and how they wanted to market me, or the publication that wanted to do the interview of me. I was this version for the GQ reader, and I was that version for the Seventeen Magazine People Magazine reader. No part of it was really me. - It was pieces. - For the first time, I really got to tell my story, and I got to be real have that direct relationship with myself and have control over who I am. - The exact quote, the exact way, to the end user. - Yeah, and I never got to do that before, and so, that's why I care about it so much, and that's why I've been so involved. - And yeah, Rahm. - [Rahm] I think that, kind of an interesting segway into what I'm curious about, which is, obviously you have invested so much of your personal brand into The Honest Company. You're like, proud of that and you feel like that's kind of your most authentic self. Does it frustrate you if people would still say, oh yeah, like if tonight someone went home and said I saw Jessica Alba, the actress? Or would you feel like that's just part of your broader story? - Before you answer that, I just want to make sure ### Gallery Access [27:00] the other offices that are watching. So the question is, Rahm is asking is, if somebody went home tonight and said, "Oh I saw Jessica Alba, the actress. " You put so much time and effort in building this business and yourself into it. I guess the question is, would she be frustrated being identified as that? - I guess it depends on the-- - In the beginning probably more, right? - No, it really depends on the context. I mean, if people know me more from one thing versus another, I can't expect them to not know me for that, and I'm grateful that I was given the opportunity to have the career in entertainment that I got to have. I actually miss acting. (laughs) It's so weird. - We need some people for some of our videos, so... - I'll do it. - Great. Booked. (audience laughter) - My husband's always like, really? No I actually do, I miss it. ### Do you think that means youll do it [28:00] - Do you think that means you'll probably do it? - You know, I don't know-- - Do you think about 71 year old you, acting? - Here's the thing when you're acting, you can always do it and you only stop doing it when you are like, alright I never want to play that role-- - Right, it's not like an NBA player right? Like you've got that window. - No you don't have an expiration date. Now will you always get paid the same money or will you still be the ingeneu for the rest of your life? No, but do you get to evolve into different, more meatier different types of people? Sure. - Are you going to be like a funny grandma? - Yeah. I'm going to be the funniest grandma. (Gary laughs) Are you kidding? So I miss it, I do. Do I care if people think of me as an actress? It depends on the context. If someone is just trying to be mean spirited and take away what I've built, then sure. It hurts my feelings. ### Im a sensitive person [29:00] I am a sensitive person. But if someone just doesn't really know me from anything else, then I'm like alright, that's cool. - Good. Anybody else? Yep, great, hey Elise. - [Elise] Hi. What brings you the most joy? Would you say it's your acting or business venture, or something else? - I probably have like an unhealthy relationship with acting. It's like the boyfriend who's never really that into you. - Tell me more. (audience laughter) - Exactly like Gary. (audience laughter) Just want him to not look over my shoulder in (mumbles) this time, but he's always interested in what's going on. - It's true. Where's the camera? - Yeah, I have to say though, as far as legacy, in all seriousness, and personal fulfillment, I've never, I've never even ### Personal development [30:00] I've never thought that I would be able to have such a full life. And being an entrepreneur and being able to create a company and create a vision and create solutions for people that'll really transform their lives. And also to watch people really grow up in their own lives, in their own careers. And watch personal development on such an intimate level. 'Cause prior to this, I would spend a lot of time, with strangers, for about four months, and then I'd never see them again. But the time that I spent with them was every day, all day and night. - And it was the best. And you create those, some really intimate relationships quickly, but then they go away and it was so fleeting. But there's something so permanent about going into the office everyday ### Personal touch [31:00] and I see the same people that I saw five years ago and I see who they are today versus who they were when they walked in five years ago and that's so dope, just to see how people evolve and to have those personal connections. - Love that. Yep? Rebec, you can come up to the mic. Oh, you've got one? Go ahead. Go ahead, go ahead, go ahead. - [Man] You've done a lot of really cool work, specifically with kids, what's the most powerful experience that you've had helping kids, and how has that impacted the other choices that you make in your life? - Wow. - [Man] Curveball. - Yeah, I know, this is a loaded question, because I feel like I'm 100 percent have dedicated my life in a weird way to helping kids, and this is the first time that I actually ### Helping kids [32:00] kind of thought about it that way, but-- - Dude. (audience laughter) - This is huge. (audience laughing and applause) - I was a really sick kid when I was younger, and I wanted to, literally anything would be better than to be sick and to be in the hospital and to have surgery, and I had multiple surgeries, and multiple health problems. And I just, I literally just wanted to be anyone else, which was why I wanted to be an actor. Because it was like a way for that to actually be real, as real as it can be, and certainly be a superhero, and be larger than life. 'Cause I was like, they can overcome anything! And so, yeah, from helping, being able to provide families with products is one thing, but even just basic essentials. Infant mortality is a huge issue in this country, and a lot of babies get suffocated while they're sleeping, because parents can't provide a safe place for them to sleep, and we did an initiative where we provided, and we still have an ongoing thing among the board of this organization called Baby2Baby, and one of our big initiatives is to give families a safe place for their new baby to sleep, so that they never have to worry about that. That's a real thing, and that's incredibly meaningful. I also got the opportunity to go to Africa with Bono, and Queen Rania around the World Cup, to fight for education reform, a global education fund so that every person had access to a comprehensive education, and most people who don't have access are women. So that is incredibly meaningful, and being able to give girls an opportunity to just empower themselves to ### Changing the setting of life [34:00] get themselves out of the situation that they don't want to be in, and change their family's life and their own life. There's been a lot of these circumstances. Yeah, just thinking about it, it's very cool because I don't often get to, but probably raising my own little stinkers has probably been the most meaningful, but being able to be part of so much change, and as scary and weird and crazy as our country feels right now, with certain political things, I feel like there's enough of us out there that walk with integrity and care about the right things, and we're going to continue to be progressive in how we operate, and that we'll always win. - Awesome. ### Being a parent [35:00] (audience applause) - I think the thing that I have learned that no one told me, it's sort of like being a parent. No one tells you what you're really in for as far as the sleepless nights, and you'll never not worry again thing that happens. In business, you never underestimate your gut. There's a lot that you can learn in school and through experience, and making mistakes, but trusting your gut and knowing what you don't know is just as important as knowing what you do know. And being able to have the humility to support what you don't know with experts and other people to fill those gaps, and trusting your gut. - Love it. Go ahead. Here, grab this, yeah. - [Tatiana] I don't need a mic. - Go ahead, but they need it. ### Free software [36:00] - [Tatiana] Thank you. Hi, my name is Tatiana. I'm Peruvian-American, I'm Latina, so my question is going to be related to that. I think today, it's exciting to see representation of our mission both onscreen and off where there wasn't always. - Yeah. - [Tatiana] That being said, it hasn't always been easy and I think, especially with today's political climate, what I would love to know is what advice do you have for young Latina entrepreneurs that are looking to build businesses and be successful? If you faced any specific challenges or advantages in that respect? - Advantages, no. (audience laughter) You'd have to be a white guy if you want advantages. (audience chuckles) I mean, that's just the way it is. It helps if you're tall and good-looking, too. ### Being a girl [37:00] You know, being a girl who's just trying to figure it out and doesn't, you know, for me, I'm just talking from my experience, I never had a traditiona lor conventional background or education, nor did I have nepotism that got me to where I'm at, and I literally had to pay my own way, and I had to figure it out and create that path and have the vision for myself. It was almost the naysayers that drove me to prove them wrong. And also, when you don't have anywhere to go but up, there's almost something nice about that because people don't expect you to fail because they don't think you're capable of doing anything more than nothing. And so, then, there's even more of a fire to prove to them that you can. And that you can make a difference. What can you do? ### What can you do [38:00] I think you have to first, really figure out what it is you're trying to do in the world. How are you going to be different? Look at a competitive landscape be very realistic with yourself. And make sure that you have a very unique proposition or perspective or point of view because if you're just a "me, too" company... Why? Why do it? - I think the one thing that I would add just I'll jump into this one 'cause I love it so much. I think the one thing that true entrepreneurs need to realize is that the market doesn't care. Let me tell you one great thing about the market, it wants to make money. Do I think some VCs may say, "You don't look the part, no"? Sure, but I've got a news alert. I don't usually invest in white, affluent dudes from good families because I don't think they have a chip on their shoulder. So, I'm playing the reverse. And the truth is, I've been wrong, and I've been right. ### The market is the market [39:00] So, I think the one great if you're a pure-bred entrepreneur, you realize you're getting punched in the fucking mouth 24/7, 365 anyway. The market is the market, and if you dwell on what you are, and why you're not winning because of that, you would have never had a, it's no different than the people we said no to. - You can't, sorry-- - Please. - You can't be a victim of circumstance. It's sort of like blaming your parents it's like yeah, right. Everyone has a history and you can blame your parents until you're blue in the face, but if you only work on, focus on that, you'll never get over it and be an adult, and figure your own life out. And, by the way, your parents are just trying the best they could, and there's no manual, which I learned later in life. (audience laughter) I think if I would've started The Honest Company when I wanted to start, it would've been too early. And actually having three years of rejection it gave me the ### Take it differently [40:00] armor to take on actually getting funding and starting the company, and taking all of the punches in my face and my eyes and my ear and my nose that constantly came at me. - And still do, everyday. everyday, of course. But I have more calluses and so I can take it differently than I could have. - We'll sneak in two quick ones, sorry Jess. Pam. - [Pam] Hey, I'm Pamela, and thank you again for being here. My question is a little bit more about the blend of your personal life and your professional life and what a typical day looks like for you if there is a typical day. And then, if you have any rules of thumb or tips and ways that you keep your friendships alive, your relationship and your family time protected, and also the type of passion projects in your job. - Does it look like I have it all figured out? (audience laughter) 'Cause I really don't. ### Rules of thumb [41:00] I'm always everyday just trying to do the best I can. No two days are the same. I'm constantly trying to create routines 'cause I feel likes that's good, and everything that I've read about successful people is that they start early. I hate waking up early. It hurts all of my feelings. Every time I wake up early it's just like why me. (audience laughter) But I've read so much that successful people. I feel like you start early. - It's not early or late. For me it's just maximizing when I'm awake. People are always like how much do you sleep? Thinking I'm gonna say three or four. I'm dying to get six or seven 'cause I think it's healthy. - Yeah you need it. - It's just that I'm fucking on all 18 hours when I'm awake, right? - Yeah, he is. (audience laughter) - Oh, they know. (Jessica laughs) ### Secret sauce [42:00] - I wish I figured out the secret sauce. I don't know. I have friends that I was really close with at certain periods of time, and now we're not, and now I have other friends that I'm really close with. I kind of give myself a break. (audience laughter) I just think that if you can not think of the pressure of society and who you need to be, and you're just really true with who you are and know that you're trying to do the best you can, you can kind of just figure it out. That's my theory. It's probably wrong, but I wish I was better at waking up early, and eating healthy, and exercising, and calling my mom. I'm just not good at stuff, but I'm good at being with my kids and telling them about things, and when they yell at me enough about the same thing over and over again, I can sometimes say okay, you're right. I'm probably doing the wrong thing, and I'll try to do better next time. - [Jermaine] Hi, my name is Jermaine. My question is more on entrepreneurship. What are your top three factors that inspired you to become an entrepreneur? And what order would you rank those three factors? - Three factors that inspired me to be an entrepreneur. Social justice was my big one. I felt like it was completely unfair that only people who lived in a certain tax bracket deserved to have a better life and had access to not just better products, but more education to make better choices. I would say that's one, two, and three. I went and lobbied for chemical reform and tried to work at that angle, and I got nowhere. They made it a partisan issue ### Human health [44:00] and it's a human health issue. When you're like this is a civil right. People should just know what's in stuff and how it's going to effect their health, and the fact that the government won't protect us, someone needs to go out there and prove that people want this, and people will vote with their wallets. That's what really drove me everyday, and that's what still drives me. - Jess, thank you so much for stopping by. - Yeah, thank you. - I love you. (audience applause)