THE KING PIN.
Capturing Kim Kardashian West in words is daunting.
It might be why she's known as the selfie queen. A picture, for Kim, is worth a thousand words.
But her mind for business is worth millions. In 2017 the first Kardashian landed the No. 47 spot on Forbes's list of highest-paid celebrities. See, Kim is the CEO of the family. The mogul. The original entrepreneur. She simply happened into it through unconventional channels. And TBH there is no more convention. There is no one career path. Women can be whatever they damn well please; Kim happens to make millions doing just that and she leverages social media in favor of her bottom line.
For instance, the Kim Kardashian West Official App, is the mobile world of all things Kim. She shares beauty tips, fashion tips, photos, and memories. Anything goes. She banks her favorites and it makes her bank. In 2014 saw Kardashian release a mobile game called Kim Kardashian: Hollywood. The game earned $1.6 million in the first week of release. There's the show. Endorsement deals. Her Kimoji App, which became one of the top 5 most bought apps for Apple.
She's the real deal making deals.
Most recently that deal involves KKW Beauty and KKW Fragrance. The Beauty line, which launched in June, 2017, saw sold-out SKUs within minutes. At 12 minutes into the shopping experience, Kardashian tweeted to confirm that the medium shade was the first to sell out. Less than three hours after the kits went on sale, Kardashian announced that all 300,00 kits had sold out, bringing in an estimated $14.4 million.
No shade, this is the kind of sell out we are all about.
More from the mogul below.
Would you say you’re more the creative brain of the brand, business side, or both?
I really enjoy both the business and creative side of the business. If I had to choose one, then it would be business.
What was your inspiration for starting KKW Beauty and KKW Fragrance? Was it something you always wanted to do?
Starting my beauty and fragrance company was really a natural evolution. I’ve always loved experimenting with my makeup and tried so many looks over the years. I wanted to do something that was completely my vibe and something I had full control over.
You have multiple companies, projects, licensing deals etc. You must rely on a strong team to make all the machines work properly, what tips do you have for hiring and building a strong team?
Finding the best team is the hardest part. It takes years to build. You need to make finding the right people a priority – people who share your vision, work hard, and are trustworthy.
At what point in your career did you find the confidence to really take charge and become the woman you are today? Was there a pivotal moment where everything changed?
After I had my daughter was a real turning point, I knew I didn’t want to spend time away from my family doing anything I wasn’t super passionate about. It was at that time that I refocused and decided to take charge.
On KKW Beauty shades:
I just wanted everyone to have it. It’s not like we intentionally set out to say we wanted to be a range that had so many different skin tones.
On her career transition:
This [past] year has been really exciting for me because it's the first time I've moved away from having licensing deals and transitioned into being an owner. After 10 years of getting my makeup done every single day, I've really put that knowledge into action and production.
On her social media break following the Paris robbery:
I think people don't realize no matter who you are or what you do, you have to take time off for yourself. I think it was really beneficial to not worry about social media and not worry about comments and figure out, "What do I love?"
On her biz mantra:
"I do feel like success is the best revenge."
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This has been edited and condensed from multiple sources.
