Today we’d like to introduce you to Jaclyn Milford.
Hi Jaclyn, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I started my career bright-eyed and bushy tailed, working in the beauty industry. I was an impact team member at MAC Cosmetics when they had that title years ago, which was essentially a group of artists that had been chosen to represent the brand for their level A events. It was a fun job in my late teens and early 20’s that allowed me to openly express my creativity, but one that would have an early expiration date for me. I had ambitious dreams and travel was a huge part of that, so I began to work on commercial and AD campaigns so that I would have the opportunity to go to exotic places and experience more freedom in my life. Not more than a few years later I felt stagnant and I decided to go for a job as a bartender to mix up the monotony. When the lead consultants at the venue I was applying for came back out to do final interviews they said you absolutely cannot make a drink however “we like your personality, if you can stick around we’d like to do something with you.” That day I was offered the job as the marketing assistant to the director/part owner and I realized almost immediately that I had a knack for this. I wore many (almost all) the hats while I was there, putting 60+ hour weeks in upstairs in the marketing department and coming downstairs to build customer relationships at night. I was on a constant adrenaline rush from all of the moving fractions and somehow my brain connected the dots like Legos, piecing various components of the puzzle together daily. I understood at the core was a brand and then there were all its functioning parts and I just had to weave a string through all of it. I started my own company shortly after that stint, using what I learned to pitch a new approach to brand development which focused on building human connections that were more personal than plainly strategic, often in the format of experiential activations. Those days were a constant hustle. Cold calling to pitch businesses and running the whole show on my own finally took its toll and I was beat, so I decided I needed a break and got a job in makeup again. But as fate would have it, I soon got the call for a last minute commercial makeup booking where I met a scientist that was consulting for a large Swedish house and within two months I was planning their US crossover for a skincare brand they had. Immediately after, my partner and I continued working with them and planning their expansion. That was a game changer and fueled me to chase after more beauty and fashion brands, where I would eventually go on to execute multi-layer brand and product launches in New, York, LA and Miami for some of the biggest names. Over time I had developed a lengthy rolodex of industry contacts I could count on that too worked with brands in different capacities . We all shared resources, even though this is a famously competitive environment and more-so if it would make the other look good in ‘some way.’ The glamorous side of the work I was doing was exciting, but the realities were all too visible to ignore. You can play the oblivion and try to focus on the fun, but after a while it begins to eat at your soul. There is a slightly vampiric nature to the world of beauty and fashion many of us can acknowledge, but very few if any have the power to do anything about, so we accept it. Even still, no one prepares you for the fact that almost all brands are led by men at their senior levels. Majority of luxury brands have male dominated boards or CEO’s, all the way down to smaller companies that are still majority owned by men. You don’t have to use your imagination to consider the challenges that present themselves. That was wildly frustrating for me, but on the other side of it women weren’t necessarily doing each other any favors by not looking out for each other, or calling a spade a spade. What I’m eluding to, is that for many women it feels like us against the world and I wanted to change that. So, I took my love for fashion combined it with my experience in brand development and launched ‘Women of Wall Street’ as a platform for high powered game changers. It would go on to become a space where women could find each other and inspiration in the process. At the core I focused on fostering a community of like-minded supportive women with the finance world. The reason for targeting these women was to address the need for more accessibility at the top. If we were going to move the needle, we needed to do it together. We needed to carve out more space and opportunity for women a long the way as well. Finance is a huge part of all of this. We need to educate more women on investing their money, how to set themselves up for investments and long-term sustainability. Threading the needle as I mentioned through all of it, is what makes us so different. We’re as much purpose driven as we are goal driven as I say and that’s what sets us apart. Now I get to work with brands in an entirely new light, connecting them with incredible women and it’s given me so much to be proud of. We’ve grown to be a space for CEO’s, actors, scientists, VPs, venture capitalists, authors, designers and so many more.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Success is seldom easy and it’s more destructive then helpful to communicate it in any other way. I fell down so many times and I still fall down every now and again, but I get up and remind myself that is always the shame that we are scared of not the failure. Failure is part of growing and even the most accomplished people still fail. In 2017 I nearly lost everything I worked for because of bad financial business decisions. It was a close friend of mine that reminded me of who I was in that moment and what mattered to me, which was not my material possessions. If I had viewed my personal value as the things I own than I may not have not made it out of that one, but my value was my talent and I knew that deep down.. Another friend I confided in during that time said you’ll be fine because you’re not a lone, you’ve got friends. Those were powerful words that struck me at my inner-most core and inspired me to get up and move. You don’t have to see what lies ahead in those moments, you just have to stay in motion.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Women of Wall Street is the only luxury executive membership space for women in finance as well as other industries globally that functions as a society that blends business and lifestyle. Members must apply for entry, but once they’re in, they’re family. We offer services that add convenience and enjoyment to busy executives and brand owners lives like media bookings, legal advice, financial wellness and perks like invites to NYFW or spa discounts. We also host pop up secret events in New York and Palm Beach Florida that can be attended by the public as long as we speak to them and they interview prior.
While we are connecting, we are building and impacting the lives of women by celebrating their achievements, honoring their stories and encouraging their self expression. Out with the old dusty brown blazers of wall street yesteryears and in with the bold new unapologetic trailblazers of today.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Women’s networks have seen a massive increase on the market in the past couple years and primarily in the membership space. I expect this to continue to grow. Memberships add convenience and exclusivity and people love to feel like they’re part of something. I think we will see more membership clubs like The Wing and Chief pop up in new cities, as well as more tailored offerings.
Pricing:
- $1,1000.00 annual membership
Contact Info:
- Email: info@wowwomenofwallstreet.com
- Website: wowwomenofwallstreet.com
- Instagram: women.of.wallstreet
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/supportmorementors
