Business Grows Through Passion. Lessons in Leadership, Loyalty, and Letting GO!

Leadership Starts Where Ego Ends

A reflection on leadership, drawn from my long-standing journey in business

This may feel like a small detour from my usual reflections on slow fashion and craftsmanship — but it’s a message I believe every businesswoman, founder, or creative will connect with.

After nearly two decades in business, I’ve had many people work for me, and many work alongside me. From consultants and investors to artisans, creatives, and producers — I’ve worked with every kind of personality you can imagine.

I’ve witnessed all kinds of behaviors:

• Those who lead with trust and integrity.
• And those who operate with ego, control, or fear.

Through it all, I’ve always stayed true to myself. I’ve never believed leadership was about domination. I’ve never needed to act tough or shout to be respected.

I’ve built what I’ve built because I have a clear vision. I know exactly where I’m going.

That kind of clarity becomes your power.

But I’ve also learned something else — something deeper about people, about energy, and about the long-term journey of success. 

🎯 Success Doesn’t Change You — It Exposes You

 There’s a truth I’ve come to believe:

 Success doesn’t change who you are. It reveals who you’ve always been.**

 Look at public figures like Donald Trump.

 In his earlier years, he was loud, impulsive, and highly confrontational — commanding attention through aggression.

But more recently, his tone has shifted. Whether you agree with him or not, he now speaks more deliberately, more calmly — and with greater precision. That’s growth in leadership, refined over time.

 Now compare that to Jeff Bezos or Bill Gates — two of the world’s most successful leaders, known not for aggression or dominance, but for being visionary, consistent, and inclusive.

They lead with focus, not fear.

Their teams grow because people want to work with them — not because they’re forced to.

 And this is what truly matters in leadership today.

 Companies thrive when people enjoy working with their leaders.

Companies fail when people work in fear.

💬 My Experience as a Founder

 I’ve had people take advantage of my respect, my generosity, and my openness to opportunity — even when the outcome was uncertain.

 But here’s the thing:

I don’t shy away from opportunities.

Even when I sensed they might not work out, I explored them — because I’ve always believed that every path has something to teach.

• Yes, some people let me down.
• Some walked away.
• Some didn’t deliver.

But those who stayed — the ones who believed from the beginning — are still by my side.

They are the ones who will grow with the legacy I’m building. 

And that’s the strength you build through experience: the strength to know who belongs on the journey with you — and who doesn’t.

👥 The Strength of Any Business Begins With Its People

 After all these years, if there’s one truth I’ve learned, it’s this:

A successful brand doesn’t grow from pressure. It grows from vision — and how you treat the people helping you build it.

The best teams don’t thrive under aggression or micromanagement.

They grow when they’re *seen*, supported, and praised — not just when something goes wrong, but especially when they do something right.

 That has been one of the keys to my own success.

When people feel respected — when their efforts are acknowledged — they go the extra mile for you.

Not out of fear, but out of loyalty.

That’s how real leadership creates real results.

🌍 Leadership in the Age of Visibility

Today, everything is visible — and everything is being rated.

From restaurants to hotels, beauty clinics to businesses, every experience is measured, reviewed, and remembered.

We don’t just buy products anymore — we evaluate the people and the values behind them.

And I’ll be honest — I rarely choose a hotel or restaurant with less than 4.5 stars.

If the experience isn’t trusted by others, I won’t invest in it.

That’s how most people think now. And that same mindset applies to leadership.

 It’s not just your service or your product being reviewed — it’s your *energy*, your *behavior*, and the way you make people feel.

 We’re all being rated — even when we don’t realize it.

 This is the new reality of business.

And it’s pushing leadership to evolve — not by being louder, but by being wiser, more human, and more consistent.

✨ Final Reflection

I’ve made mistakes. Many of them.

But I never lost who I am.

And I’ve never lost faith in where this brand is going.

Because when you’re clear on your vision, you don’t need to dominate.

You just need to lead with conviction!