Tory's Shop: Macbeth Collection

This summer we’ve partnered with bestselling author and Good Morning America contributor Tory Johnson to celebrate the daring women who’ve turned their passion into thriving small businesses. As Tory inspires women entrepreneurs on the 20-city tour for her new book, Spark & Hustle, we’ve launched Tory’s Shop, a series of sales curated in collaboration with Tory that feature some of our favorite finds.

This week we’re featuring Macbeth Collection, a home and accessories line beloved for creating storage solutions with serious personality. Made in the USA, these tubs, totes, trays, and more, add a pop to any space, thanks to bright colors and one-of-a-kind prints. We spoke with Macbeth Collections founder Margaret Josephs about the inspiration behind the line, what it takes to grow a brand, and her secrets to success.

What first inspired you to turn your eye for fashion and trends to home accessories?
After I had my fourth child I realized my life was in total disarray—toys everywhere, shoes everywhere, papers everywhere. I said to myself "I have to get organized" but there were no stylish storage solutions. With my background as a dress designer I was always designing prints, so I decided to put my prints on some storage pieces. I wanted something unique, fun, and fabulous for the home, so I decided on buckets.

It's amazing that the brand has grown so rapidly—your products are now distributed in more than 3,500 stores nationwide—what do you attribute that success to?
The success of the brand and its growth has been a real combination of determination, perseverance, and a deep love for what I do. I am constantly inspired by the brands' successes and every season I look forward to showcasing our newest prints, patterns, and color stories.

What has been the biggest challenge you've faced as you've grown the brand?
The most challenging aspect of the business is also the driving force behind it: Finding ways to constantly reinvent and to stay to ahead of the trend curve while still being relevant to real women and their homes is the mostexciting aspect of what I do—and definitely the most rewarding. Also, our product is still handmade here in the USA without breaking a fingernail! Being a domestic line is more challenging, but is what makes the Macbeth Collection so special.

What's the most important advice you were given as—or could give someone else—about being an entrepreneur?
Know what you’re good at and, more importantly, what you are not good at. Find those people to assist you in your team and support your strengths as you grow.

What do you love most about running The Macbeth Collection?
I never feel like its work, it is a true extension of my personality and I get paid to do it! I love fashion, color and print, and always loved mixing and matching them in my personal wardrobe. Being able to give other women a chance to express their personal style through my brand is the greatest reward!

Want to see more? Check out Tory’s Shop, featuring pieces by Macbeth Collection, on sale now through August 10 at 10AM. And if you're a daring, female entrepreneur, find out how you can be featured in Tory's Shop on Facebook. To learn more Tory — and to attend a Spark & Hustle conference — visit sparkandhustle.com.

Tory's Shop: Cool Gear

This summer we’ve partnered with bestselling author and Good Morning America contributor Tory Johnson to celebrate the daring women who’ve turned their passion into thriving small businesses. As Tory inspires women entrepreneurs on the 20-city tour for her new book, Spark & Hustle, we’ve launched Tory’s Shop, a series of sales curated in collaboration with Tory that feature some of our favorite finds.

This week we’re featuring Cool Gear, who has been leading the charge in innovative, earth-friendly drink and food storage products for nearly 30 years. Headquartered in Plymouth, Mass., Cool Gear’s trend-savvy staff creates award-winning BPA-free travel mugs, refillable water bottles, lunch containers, and so much more.

We talked to Cool Gear's President & CEO Donna Roth about what it takes to always be innovating, the importance of giving back, and the joy of creating products that literally end up in people's hands.

The company's been around since 1983, which is years before getting into the green marketplace was the in thing to do—what inspired you to "go green" at that time?
I had been involved in the retail industry for many years and recognized that there was a need for more innovative houseware products; I started to develop products that I saw a need for and soon realized that there was a gap in the industry, leading to a niche marketplace.

Cool Gear is really involved in a lot of charitable work, why do you think that's an important for the company to be involved in giving back?
We support events in our local community, sponsor benefits, create partnerships, and donate to charities that we are passionate about. We aren't living by a "corporate responsibility" standard—we are involved in charitable work because it is part of our company morals, our personal beliefs, and we are thankful that we have the ability to help.

Your products are as colorful and fun as they are innovative, how did you decide to create products with such personality?
Everything is done in a big way here. We have blue and purple walls, waves of color, and dozens of people running around in an enthusiastic frenzy. We want to create products that embody fun, creativity, and innovation, and colorful graphics are something that we excel at. Through our vast product catalog and design library we truly believe that Cool Gear Goes With You—our company tagline. It doesn't just physically go everywhere with you, but it goes with you as a person—as an extension of your style and personality.

What's the biggest challenge you face?
The hydration industry is a very competitive landscape, with an influx of competitors joining the ranks each year. That being said, we happily accept that challenge. It's necessary to stay at the forefront by continually innovating new products and being a leader in the industry. We have a great team of people who come in to work everyday striving to keep us on that edge by developing, creating, promoting, and selling these products!

What do you love most about running Cool Gear?
The people! I get to surround myself with fun, passionate people who bring more life into the company. Our product development and graphic department holds some of the most creative people I know, and they bring fresh ideas and new outlooks to things that I may not have thought of. Our Marketing, Operations, and Sales teams are equally as passionate, hard working, and determined. And, lastly, I love that we have the ability to create a product that ends up in someone's hands, home, car, gym bag—where ever—and know that they enjoy it! It's a pretty incredible feeling.

Want to see more? Check out Tory’s Shop, featuring pieces by Cool Gear, on sale now through August 3 at 10AM. And if you're a daring, female entrepreneur, find out how you can be featured in Tory's Shop on Facebook. To learn more Tory — and to attend a Spark & Hustle conference — visit sparkandhustle.com.

Tory's Shop: Hunter Dixon

This summer we’ve partnered with bestselling author and Good Morning America contributor Tory Johnson to celebrate the daring women who’ve turned their passion into thriving small businesses. As Tory inspires women entrepreneurs on the 20-city tour for her new book, Spark & Hustle, we’ve launched Tory’s Shop, a series of sales curated in collaboration with Tory that feature some of our favorite finds.

This week we’re featuring Hunter Dixon, a label created out of the friendship of two Southern-born women, Hunter Bell (designer) and Jennifer Dixon (business development), who now live and work in NYC. Launched in 2009, Hunter Dixon clothing is inspired by the colorful elegance of the South combined with the chic, sleek glamour of the Big Apple. Today, Hunter Dixon’s contemporary take on ladylike charm is adored by celebs from Real Housewives (Alex McCord) to Gossip Girls (Alice Callahan Thompson), and can be found in more than 100 stores around the world.

We talked to the duo about the perks of running their own line, and how to layer their bright, feminine pieces into your wardrobe. See what they had to say below!

Hunter Bell (left) and Jennifer Dixon, the duo behind the label Hunter DixonHow did the two of you decide to get together and create Hunter Dixon?
Hunter : Jennifer and I were college roommates—I was a fashion design major and Jenn was majoring in business. We had always wanted to collaborate and decided to create a clothing line together.
Jennifer : I was applying to business school and decided to put those plans on hold to launch a line with Hunter. And that’s when Hunter Dixon was born.

What do you love most about running an independent design business?
Hunter: I love the day-to-day freedom and the endless chances to be creative.
Jennifer: Me too. It’s great that we have flexibility during the day, and that we’re creating something new every day. The fact that we’re able to do what we love every day we work is just incredible.

What’s the biggest challenge you face?
Hunter: It can be difficult to constantly reinvent the brand, on a design level, while maintaining my own vision. Catering to a large, mainstream audience can be a challenge, because everyone has their own aesthetic, but you want to appeal to everyone.
Jennifer: For me, the "flexibility" of running our own business turns into working around the clock. The wheels are always spinning and there is always something to be done, but it definitely keeps things exciting!

Your style is described as a blend of Southern charm and East Coast sophistication—why do you think this blend appeals to so many Hollywood starlets?
Jennifer: All woman love to feel sexy and feminine, and our brand enables you to be both. And isn’t that what Hollywood glamour is all about?
Hunter: I think celebrities “dress the part” a lot of the time, and they appreciate the feminine sophistication of our pieces.

Your pieces are adored for their frills and bright colors—what are your tips for incorporating such fun, feminine pieces into your day-to-day wardrobe?
Hunter: I love how versatile bright tops are— they are truly day-to-night, plus they really can be worn by everyone. If you wear a suit to work every day, you need that pop of color from a bright top.
Jennifer: Yes, don't be afraid to try a bright color! It instantly makes you feel—and look!—young and fresh.
Hunter: And I love the trend of pairing a bright top with colored denim.
Jennifer: Yeah, one pop of color goes along way, but pairing the colors together makes such a strong statement.

Want to see more? Check out Tory’s Shop, featuring pieces by Hunter Dixon, on sale now through July 27 at 10AM. And if you're a daring, female entrepreneur, find out how you can be featured in Tory's Shop on Facebook. To learn more Tory — and to attend a Spark & Hustle conference — visit sparkandhustle.com.

Tory's Shop: Yoana Baraschi

This summer we’ve partnered with bestselling author and Good Morning America contributor Tory Johnson to celebrate the daring women who’ve turned their passion into thriving small businesses. As Tory inspires women entrepreneurs on the 20-city tour for her new book, Spark & Hustle, we’ve launched Tory’s Shop, a series of sales curated in collaboration with Tory that feature some of our favorite finds.

Today we’re featuring Yoana Baraschi, a Romanian-born designer with an illustrious career that’s taken her all over the world. From Paris to New York to India, she’s worked as a textile designer, an illustrator for Women’s Wear Daily, a shoe designer for Valentino, and a creative director for Betsey Johnson. In 2002, she rounded up decades of experience and launched the eponymous label out of her bedroom. Today, Baraschi’s colorful, ultra-feminine style can be found in stores all over the world and is a go-to brand stylish celebrities like Halle Berry, Rachel Bilson, and Heidi Klum.

We chatted with the designer, asking how she got started and what it’s like to run her own fashion label. See what she had to say below!

Q: You’ve said your mother was very fashionable, what did she teach you about style?
A. Develop your own signature “style voice,” learn to know yourself aesthetically. Basically, figure out what makes you look your best, be confident and creative, and don’t try to be who you are not.

Q: You had a lot of experience before you became a designer, what made you decide to go out on your own?
A. I wanted to take the challenge of having my own design voice by making super-feminine clothes that get compliments and get you noticed for looking your best.

Q: What do you love most about running an independent design business?
A. Being able to follow my vision. Having your own business is like having a baby: my “child “ is now 10 years old and has “her” own personality.

Q: What’s the biggest challenge you've faced?
A. Taking vacations is not easy when you have a small independent business.

Q: Your clothes are very colorful with a lot of patterns, do you have any tips for mixing patterns?
A. When it comes to mixing colors and patterns it is quite trendy to break all rules, be bold and occasionally read the New York Times Style section or Cathy Horn’s articles and bogs for good guiding measure.

Want to see more? Check out Tory’s Shop, featuring pieces by Yoana Baraschi, on sale now through July 18 at 9AM. And if you're a daring, female entrepreneur, find out how you can be featured in Tory's Shop on Facebook. To learn more Tory — and to attend a Spark & Hustle conference — visit sparkandhustle.com.

“Hustle trumps knowledge, education, and money. The decisions you make and the actions you take will determine your success. You have the ability to make great things happen.” —Tory Johnson, Spark & Hustle

All summer long we’ve been excited to partner with our friend Tory Johnson—the inspirational author and small business champion—on our Best in Shop contest on Facebook and on our Tory’s Shop sales on ideeli. But now we’re looking to you, our marvelous members, for some guidance as we round the corner on our Best in Shop contest.

Best in Shop offered three women-run small businesses the opportunity to be featured in a special fall edition of Tory’s Shop. To enter, women entrepreneurs from across the US shared their stories, showed off their business acumen, generally wowed us. And after an overwhelming response (really ladies, we’re impressed!) and some nail-biting deliberation, we’ve narrowed the field down to the following Top 20 Finalists:

• A Quiet Curiosity, Little Rock, AR
  

• Agapantha, Torrance, CA
  

• Bird Trouble, Chicago, IL
  

• Carolyn Forsman Conversation Piece Jewelry, New York, NY
  

• Clos-ette Too, New York, NY

• Court Couture, San Jose, CA

• Demoiselle, Quincy, MA
  

• Elisa Shere Jewelry, Seattle, WA
  

• HorseFeather Gifts, Sebree, KY
  

• j. topolski, Brooklyn, NY
  

• Jill Malek, New York, NY
  

• Kahri by KahriAnne Kerr, New York, NY
  

• Linden, Los Angeles, CA
  

• Melissa Borrell Design, Austin, TX
  

• Out of the Blue Jewelry, Aransas Pass, TX
  

• Rachel’s Cure by Design, Pittsburgh, PA
  

• Red Bridge Studio, Brooklyn, NY
  

• SAGA Swimwear, San Francisco, CA
  

• Saky Sacks, Redmond, WA
  

• Tomboy Tools, Denver, CO
  
  

Here’s where you come in....

From this field of 20 amazing businesses, only three will be featured on ideeli. Which three? Well, that’s up to you: The top three vote getters on our Best in Shop Facebook Tab will be the lucky businesses featured in our fall Tory’s Shop.

Here’s how it works:

To vote for Best in Shop, you'll first need to "Like" the ideeli Facebook page (you'll love us, we promise)!

Then visit the Best in Shop Tab on our page and vote for the business you would like to see on our site. You can vote once a day, from now until September 7th. The best part is, there’s something in it for you: Voters can enter for the chance to win $150 in ideeli credit. Simply tag us in your Facebook status update, and mention Facebook.com/ideeli and the Best in Shop contest.
Like this:
"I supported female entrepreneurs by voting in @ideeli's Best in Shop contest! Show your support now at facebook.com/ideeli and shop the vote!"

The voting period ends on September 7, 2012. (We'll be hiding the total number of votes just to keep things interesting.) Then, on September 13, the three businesses you love the most will be announced as the winners.

So, get ready, get set, shop the vote!