Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — Susan Feldman became an entrepreneur at the age of 53. After spending over 20 years in retail serving as president of sales for Ralph Lauren’s sleepwear line, Feldman decided it was time to make a change. In 2008, with an itch to create something of her own, Feldman co-founded One Kings Lane, a luxury home décor website.
“I constantly found myself in what I would call entrepreneurial situations where I was running sales organizations and I was running the team out of New York, but everybody else was in California, so I got to do my own thing and create you know my own magic, so to speak,” Feldman told ABC News’ Rebecca Jarvis of the switch from big business to entrepreneurship. “I think when I finally decided to start One Kings Lane I was confident to just kind of go out and do it even though I didn’t have the backing of a large corporation, but I felt comfortable doing what you have to do to get a company started and off the ground.”
One Kings Lane sold to Bed, Bath & Beyond in 2016, leaving Feldman with the choice of whether to retire or search for something new. As she worked through a decision of whether to return to corporate America, Feldman began to notice a need for media representation for women above the age of 50.
“I started talking to women and started hearing a lot of people saying things like I feel invisible, I want to be relevant and I’m thinking, ‘Hmmm, why is that? Where are women my age hanging out digitally?’ And so I started digging around and really couldn’t find anything online that spoke to me,” Feldman said.
It was at that moment that In The Groove was born, a digital platform that provides women, most likely ages 50 and up, with information on beauty, fashion, wellness, travel and more to keep each and every visitor up-to-date on the world around them.
“I felt that if I could actually create something like that, that I could help all these women actually be in the groove by curating information that would come to them on a timely basis and give them information and knowledge about things that were going on around them,” Feldman explained.
And when it comes to building a brand, Feldman has a few tips on what to focus on.
“Anything that that you’re doing around the brand has to be consistent so you’re constantly sending out that same message,” Feldman said.
While brand consistency and targeting social media influencers have proven to be the biggest growth factors for In The Groove, Feldman wants to make sure that the theme of the content doesn’t stray from its target audience of strong women who see age as just a number.
“I think we’re doing something really new and fresh,” Feldman said. “50 is 50 today. I mean you’ve got your whole life ahead of you, so if we use that as sort of a place where we put the stick in the sand there’s a lot for people to still do.”
Hear more from In The Groove Founder Susan Feldman on episode #125 of “No Limits with Rebecca Jarvis.”
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