Jessica Alba - From Movie Star to $1 Billion Company

by Sukh Singh, Associate Partner, Lighthouse International

To most of us Jessica Alba is an actress and movie star, but did you know that she is also the co-founder of a business that is worth $1 billion, with a personal net-worth of close to $200 million from that at business alone?

Surely that would have been easy given her celebrity status? Check out this video to get a fascinating insight into Jessica's often difficult journey to creating 'The Honest Company' and earning a place on Forbes' list of successful self-made women in the U.S.

So What Can We Learn from Jessica?

1. Discover Your Passion

Like our recent blog on Pharrell Williams and many others, Alba has been working hard for many years .  However for Alba it was only when she became a mum that she discovered her passion. 'The Honest Company' was born out of her frustration of trying to find safe, trustworthy products for her children. So the company she co-founded provides exactly that; eco-friendly, sustainable, low-cost products for babies and families.

In an interview with Forbes, she tells how;

“I went about [addressing the major societal need] in creating a for-profit business around a non-profit issue. I just felt like it would be a more sustainable way to address the issue. If government isn’t going to change [what] they regulate and operate, giving people a real viable option and letting them vote with their dollars is pretty strong.”

2 . Have the Discipline to Do Your Research and Be Prepared to Face Rejection

"It was three and a half years of condescending nods" as she says dryly in the video.

No one took her seriously at first because she was a celebrity. She had to do the hard work and prove to them her idea was worthwhile.

3 . Having the Right Network of People Around You Is Crucial!

The same Forbes article describes Alb a' s business team;

"Her company co-founders come with a variety of experience Alba herself just doesn’t have — and she isn’t ashamed to admit it. There’s [Brian] Lee, with his dot com success stories; Christopher Gavigan, one-time head of nonprofit Healthy Child Healthy World with years spent in environmental activism; and Sean Kane, a longtime executive at discount retailer PriceGrabber.com, handling operations."

"You never want to be the smartest person in the room," says Alba.

Jessica's example just reinforces how there are basic fundamentals that all legends practice in order to achieve success - like building the right network, getting the right mentorship and having the discipline to stay committed to your goal despite rejection. If you have read some of our other posts you will see that time and time again these key habits and principles come up. The great thing is that we can all apply these to our own lives too!

Excerpts are from this Forbes article on Jessica Alba...

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