Jessica Herrin wants to reinvent retail and empower women at the same time.
The founder and chief executive of Stella & Dot, an online retailer of women’s accessories, jewelry, and now skin care products, lets women launch their own businesses selling the company’s merchandise by providing them with a starter kit. Essentially a business-in-a-box, it includes a personalized website and online store, access to online coaching and mentoring, marketing materials, and sample products created by the company’s community of designers.
Stella & Dot started out as a diversion for Herrin, who left her previous technology job to design jewelry in her living room. Today the company has sales around $300 million, and it works with 50,000 independent business owners in six countries.
“The hardest part wasn’t finding a market,” Herrin says. “It was as a woman and working mother, overcoming Mom guilt, and listening to my own voice.”
Check out the video above, where Herrin talks with Fortune’s Leigh Gallagher about creating a business with a mission that’s bigger than its bottom line.