Alexis Wolfer is the founding editor in chief of TheBeautyBean.com, a TV host, a certified health coach, and a real beauty activist. She is also the author of The Recipe For Radiance: Discover Beauty’s Best-Kept Secrets in Your Kitchen (Running Press, 2014) and the forthcoming Radiant Bride (Running Press, Dec 2015). I recently had Alexis on my show to chat about how she turned her unique and forward-thinking take on beauty and health into a business.
Alexis was working in women’s magazines when she started her master’s degree in human rights and women’s studies at Columbia University. It wasn’t until grad school, she says, that she understood the importance of loving and respecting your own body, which is the ultimate human right. But she didn’t see any magazine out there with that message. That was her light bulb moment. She knew she wanted to create something that empowered women to feel great about themselves and treat their bodies well.
She had the idea nailed—beauty content with a feminist twist and a focus on natural ingredients—but Alexis had to learn everything about launching and monetizing an online women’s magazine, from soup to nuts. Here’s more from Alexis, including why you DON’T need a business plan when you’re starting out. You simply need to stop planning and start doing.
Do you have another day job? If not, what was your last one and when did you make the decision to leave it?
Nope. My last day job was at Stylecaster.
What did you think you were going to be when you grew up?
Oh man…EVERYTHING. Literally from an archeologist to surgeon, I wanted to do it all (and still do).
When did you realize this was (or wasn’t) going to happen?
Who said it isn’t!?!
What is it about your life now that you can’t believe you do, and wouldn’t believed if someone told you 5-10 years ago?
I would have never thought I would do TV!
Where do you think most of us waste our time? What do you recommend doing to change it?
In planning! Sometimes you just need to DO IT and figure out the details later.
What’s the worst advice you’ve ever been given (did you take it?)
To write a business plan. And NO WAY. For what I do (without investors) it would have been a complete waste of time.
What advice would you give yourself if you could go back in time 10 years?
I would just assure myself that it would all work out so I could stop stressing so much.
What lesson(s) did you learn the hard way (could be your career, or life in general):
When someone tells you something about themselves, believe them! Learned this in a romantic relationship, but it holds for business ones too. Now, I always pay attention to how people describe themselves—they’re always right!
Any other advice you want solopreneurs/entrepreneurs to know? Resources you recommend or folks you like?
I re-read The Alchemist every couple of years. I know it’s not a business book, so to speak, but the life lessons are powerful and always a good reminder. And I LOVE TripIt!!! It’s the best if you travel often!
For more about Alexis and living a beautiful life from the inside out, visit TheBeautyBean.com and @TheBeautyBean on Twitter, and pick up her book, The Recipe for Radiance.
Watch a new episode of Solopreneur every Tuesday at 4pm ET!