Second Life Podcast: Kendra Scott on How She Built a Billion-Dollar Brand

Welcome to Second Life, a podcast spotlighting successful women who've made major career changes—and fearlessly mastered the pivot. Hosted by Hillary Kerr, co-founder and chief content officer at Who What Wear's parent company, Clique Brands, each episode will give you a direct line to women who are game changers in their fields. Subscribe to Second Life on iTunes, and stay tuned—we'll be releasing new episodes on Mondays.

second-life-podcast-kendra-scott-276283-1547848894241-main

(Image credit: Second Life)

Certainly, not everyone who drops out of college and endures a failed business goes on to create a billion-dollar company, but not everyone is Kendra Scott. Scott's path to building a jewelry empire was not always clear or easy, but with some grit and ingenuity, she managed to create one of the most successful jewelry brands on the market.

In the newest episode of Second Life, Scott tells Hillary Kerr how she dropped out of college and used her dad's education fund to start a hat store. She kept it afloat for five years, but when it eventually failed, Scott faced a harsh reality. "I took my college money and I blew that," she tells host Hillary Kerr. "I had nothing. And I just remember that was one of the lowest points of my life, just feeling like I had let every person down."

However, Scott managed to see the silver lining of the experience. "That was the best education I could have ever had," Scott says. "Running that store, making payroll, understanding what gross margin looked like. Every facet of retail, I learned the hardest way possible."

Head to iTunes to subscribe to Second Life and find out how Scott made the transition into jewelry and the important lessons she's learned along the way. Plus, scroll down to shop some of Scott's best-selling pieces for yourself.

A photo posted by on

Shop Kendra Scott 

Next, find out how Hannah Bronfman went from being a sculpture major to becoming fashion's favorite DJ and wellness expert

Erin Fitzpatrick
Senior News Editor

Erin got her start as a Who What Wear intern over 12 years ago—back when the site only published a single story per day. (Who What Wear has since increased that number twentyfold.) She graduated magna cum laude from USC, which is how she ended up moving to Los Angeles from her hometown of San Diego. In college, she also interned at Refinery29, where she was promoted to editorial assistant and then assistant editor. After nearly three years at R29, she came back to WWW in 2016, where she currently holds the title of senior news editor (as well as the unofficial title of resident royal expert—in case you haven't noticed her numerous Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton stories). She spends her days trying to incorporate her idols, Anna Wintour and Roger Federer, into as many stories as possible. Outside of work, she loves tennis, classic rock, traveling, and smothering her dog with affection.