Everyone has a goal they want to work towards. But the ones who are most successful have an “unstoppable nature” that sets them apart from the rest, according to self-made millionaire Bethenny Frankel.
At CNBC’s Small Business Playbook virtual summit this week, Frankel talked about how she started from scratch and built her Skinnygirl ready-to-drink cocktail business, which she reportedly sold for $120 million in 2011. She said anyone could have a good idea, but being driven and committed to executing that idea will separate you from others and help you succeed.
“I realized that those people have that drive, that determination, that passion, that unstoppable nature—that’s the true ingredient for success,” the “Real Housewives of New York” alumna told CNBC’s Sharon Epperson on Wednesday.
Frankel said that before she started her company, she didn’t know anything about being an entrepreneur and didn’t think she would ever work in the business world. She wanted a signature drink for herself. She said, “I had no idea I was making the first low-calorie margarita or starting a new category of ready-to-drink cocktails.”
Even though she didn’t have any formal business training, she was determined to turn her idea into something real. Frankel told the New Yorker in 2015 that she had talked to a lot of tequila companies about the idea for Skinnygirl, hoping that they would be interested in making her cocktails. None of them were, so she moved on to other spirit brands with the help of her old agent.
She finally talked to Skyy Vodka, and the rest is history. By 2011, Skinnygirl was the spirit brand that sold the most quickly in the whole country. Frankel built on that success by making Skinnygirl a global lifestyle brand that sold things like Skinny Pop, Skinny Pizza, and Skinnygirl Jeanswear, which were all made for women.
Frankel said that the idea came to life because of her drive and dedication. Even though it was a good idea, she wouldn’t have done anything with it if she hadn’t put in the work to make it happen.
This is similar to some of what Frankel has said before: In May, she told CNBC Make It that people in their 20s should focus more on building their careers and work ethics than on finding relationships or settling down.
Frankel said at the time, “In your twenties, you should work and figure out what’s important to you.” He later added, “Everyone is so worried when they’re young that they have to go get married; you have to find a person. But the best person won’t be interested in someone who doesn’t have a job or a life of their own.
On Wednesday, Frankel doubled down on the idea that it’s always best to be a “hard, old-school worker.” “You’ll be successful if you believe that being a “hard old-school worker” will always help you.” You’ll be successful… People will notice how valuable that is. “Because it’s so rare,” she replied.