Whitney Bromberg Hawkings started her career in Paris working for Tom Ford at Gucci and stayed by his side as SVP of Communications of TOM FORD for 18 years. She left in 2016 to found FLOWERBX, the online flower delivery service that is slated to become the first global flower brand. In 2018/19 alone, FLOWERBX has expanded beyond its London base into France, Germany, Italy and 20 other European countries, and Whitney’s ambitions to become the first international flower brand are rapidly becoming a reality with FLOWERBX launching in New York in May 2019.
Entrepreneurship involves an element of risk; why is risk a necessary component to success?
I read a quote from Reid Hoffman (founder of LinkedIn) that being an entrepreneur is like jumping off a cliff and building a plane on the way down. I have to say I agree with this completely, and this element of risk and forging into the unknown is crucial for creating something new.
How can entrepreneurs also become great leaders?
I think the most important component of being a great leader is hiring a great team and letting them do what they are good at. I am lucky to have such a strong senior management team at FLOWERBX (with few overlapping skills), and having these strong wing-people is key to doing my job well.
www.flowerbx.com