Ep 73 | Sandra Campos

Written By Yasmin Nouri

Trusting Your Intuition IS the Secret to Success

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Sandra Campos is an internationally recognized retail technology CEO, entrepreneur, and retail executive.

A child of entrepreneurial, immigrant parents, Sandra’s upbringing was characterized by a focus on education, helping out in her family’s tortilla business from a young age, and experimenting with her own entrepreneurial ventures in fashion.

Sandra’s love for fashion and buying led her to New York City, where she was thrown completely in the deep end. What followed were many years of working multiple jobs, paying off debt, and eating potatoes for lunch; all of which showed Sandra the importance of resourcefulness, grit, and never giving up.

Sandra has been instrumental in launching brands like DKNY, Polo Jeans as well as her own venture with Selena Gomez which grew to over $100M in annual sales turnover per year over the course of six years. After her entrepreneurial stint, Sandra became the President of Global Brands Group which owned brands like Bebe, BCBG, and Juicy Couture. She most recently was the CEO of the iconic brand, Diane Von Furstenberg.

Now, she’s the CEO of retail tech start-up Project Verte and the founder of Fashion Launchpad, an online education platform. Sandra advises various startups, is part of the advisory group for Athena Technology Acquisition Corp (a SPAC on the NYSE), and is on the Board of Directors for Big Lots.

We’ll talk to Sandra about how she went from a small town in Texas to the runways of New York, the major life pivot she made after getting divorced and raising three young kids as a single mom, why she recommends setting goals (and the magic number of goals to set), and the importance of trusting your instincts.

Show Notes:

  • Sandra’s family history, the environment that she grew up in, and the role that her upbringing has played in her success. [3:20]

  • What Sandra has learned from her mother about financial management. [11:50]

  • The mistake Sandra made when she first moved to New York. [14:46] 

  • Exposure to entrepreneurship that Sandra’s children have had from a young age.  [16:27]

  • What fashion meant to Sandra when she was growing up, and some of her early experiments as a designer. [18:40]

  • Push and pull factors that drove Sandra into the business world. [24:08]

  • Experiences from Sandra’s first few years of living in New York. [25:11]

  • Milestones that Sandra has set for herself throughout her life, and the value she sees in this practice. [30:17]

  • Three: the magic number when it comes to goal setting. [33:10] 

  • Why, as an entrepreneur, you need to learn to say no. [34:32]

  • Challenges that Sandra was faced with after she made the decision to get divorced. [38:58]

  • Sandra’s involvement in her entrepreneurial venture with Selena Gomez. [40:19]

  • Flexibility that Sandra’s entrepreneurial role allowed for. [45:29]

  • Something Sandra wishes she had done differently when she left the corporate world. [45:54]

  • How Sandra involved her children in her work life. [46:57]

  • The corporate jobs that Sandra took on after the Selena Gomez business came to an end. [47:42]

  • A moment that signaled to Sandra that she didn’t have a work-life balance. [49:16]

  • Advice from Sandra about figuring out what balance means to you personally.  [50:50]

  • Sandra shares what she learned about leadership from working alongside Diane von Furstenberg. [52:48]

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Yasmin Nouri
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