Prompt Cast
Marcia Kilgore's Journey from Personal Trainer to Serial Entrepreneur
TLDR Marcia Kilgore went from being a personal trainer to founding successful companies like Bliss Cosmetics and Fit Flops, starting with offering facials to her clients and eventually creating a spa empire that attracted celebrities and everyday people alike. She later sold Bliss to LVMH, launched Soap and Glory, and ventured into creating Fit Flop shoes, all driven by her passion for making people happy and her constant generation of business ideas.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Marcia Kilgore, a serial entrepreneur, shares her journey from being a personal trainer to founding five successful companies, including Bliss Cosmetics and Fit Flops, without initially planning to do so.
05:31
Marcia Kilgore started her entrepreneurial journey by becoming a personal trainer and bodybuilding champion, eventually leading her to New York City where she worked as a personal trainer to fund her part-time classes at NYU.
10:32
Marcia Kilgore started offering facials to her personal training clients, eventually gaining a reputation for clearing up bad skin and attracting more clients, including well-known individuals.
15:36
Marcia Kilgore's facial business became so successful that she had a full appointment book for weeks in advance, leading her to consider expanding and hiring others to work with her.
20:27
Despite a massive snowstorm in 1994 or 1995, Marcia Kilgore's spa business Bliss was fully booked for 18 months in advance, allowing her to open a larger storefront without outside investment.
25:46
Marcia Kilgore founded Bliss, a spa business that catered to both celebrities like Madonna and everyday people, creating an egalitarian and fun environment that eventually led to its acquisition by a multinational brand.
31:09
Marcia Kilgore sold a majority of Bliss to LVMH and later divested the rest to Starwood Hotels and Resorts, eventually walking away from the business due to differences in customer service vision.
36:18
Marcia Kilgore launched Soap and Glory, an affordable cosmetics brand, after identifying a gap in the market for designer products at accessible prices, leading to significant success and later branching out into launching Fit Flop shoes.
41:06
Marcia Kilgore developed a prototype for Fit Flop shoes, despite initial doubts about its appearance, and successfully launched the brand after conducting tests to confirm its effectiveness.
46:20
Marcia Kilgore finds joy in creating businesses that make people happy and believes her competitive drive and genetic predisposition explain her constant generation of ideas.
51:36
Steve Crowell started a successful business selling remotes after realizing there was a demand for them and becoming a middleman for orphan remotes, leveraging the internet to scale his operations.
56:55
Steve Crowell sources TV remotes from importers and manufacturers globally, selling them for prices ranging from 50 cents to $12 each, generating around half a million dollars in revenue for his company, Crowell Enterprises.
Categories:
Business
