As with many of the best business ideas, TopTote was born from a personal need. Lindsay Albanese knew firsthand the inconvenience that came with traveling with a hat, and it was her own experience that sparked the idea for a hat clip travel accessory—a.k.a. TopTote. And hat lovers everywhere are rejoicing.
Fast-forward six years, and Albanese’s ingenious invention, which started out as a humble solution more akin to an “arts and crafts” project, is now available at big-name retailers like Nordstrom (where the product has sold out a staggering twelve times).
Albanese is another career pivot success story. Before she took the leap to become an entrepreneur, she was a prominent celebrity stylist and fashion expert on TV and print media from the Today Show to InStyle Magazine for more than 10 years. Talk about a bold move.
Ahead, Albanese shares the moment she knew her deceivingly simple invention could be a successful business idea, the thing she wishes people knew about being an entrepreneur, and the best piece of #realtalk she’s ever received.
CREATE & CULTIVATE: Your company TopTote sells your innovative invention to solve an age-old fashion problem—traveling with a hat. Can you tell us a little about the lightbulb moment behind this idea? How did you turn your idea into a successful company? What lessons did you learn along the way?
LINDSAY ALBANESE: As a celebrity stylist, I traveled a lot for business and I was always annoyed with the commitment that came when wearing a hat. To wear it or not to wear it, or carry it in my hand. Forget it, I'm leaving it at home! The only option for traveling with a hat, without wearing it the entire trip, is bringing a hatbox. Talk about impractical! I knew there had to be a better way so I created a little "arts and crafts" version and would use it at the airport and people would stop me and say, "That's so smart." I knew I was onto something so I stopped using my little invention. At that time I was in the thick of my styling career and something in me knew it wasn't the time to dive into developing a product but I knew I would come back to it in the future. Cut to 6 years later, and I felt an urge and a shift in what I wanted to do with my career, big-picture wise, and I knew it was the time to take a chance and launch this little idea of mine.
The biggest advantage of my success and building my business was tapping into my resources and network of people. You can't be shy!! I wracked my brain to remember who I knew or had ever met in the product development and manufacturing business. I even called my parents' neighbor who I haven't talked to since I was probably in junior high! But I knew he was in manufacturing so I got him on the phone. This journey of discovery not only gave me different perspectives and opinions about what I should and should not do, but it also gave me a crash course education that helped me make decisions to move forward with my idea. Ultimately all of these conversations lead me to the team I'm still working with today. Trust me, if you dig deep enough and forget about being shy or bothering people, you will always find a link to help guide you in the profession you want to go into.
TopTote has expanded dramatically. You've already sold out at Nordstrom 12 times in the last year, how has your brand been able to grow so rapidly? What challenges have you faced as you've scaled? What tips do you have for entrepreneurs growing their own companies?
A big part of it is that I invented a product that solves a problem that has never been solved before. But then again, people have great ideas all the time and have failure-to-launch syndrome so I need to give myself a little more credit than that. I feel like the hard work and dues I have paid working in the entertainment business the past 17 years as a celebrity fashion stylist, TV personality, and social influencer set the foundation. When you think about it, finding a job or pursuing a career is all about essentially selling yourself, and I've done that since day one back when I was 21 years old convincing people to hire me as a stylist. I translated that experience into marketing and selling my product.
The biggest challenge is learning the business and process of manufacturing. I'm a student CEO in a company that is making huge moves very early on. There are so many layers and steps from idea to a finished product that’s ready to sell. It's mind-blowing! A few of my biggest tips for entrepreneurs is to tap into your resources, reach out and don't be shy, and ask questions to anyone who can help you. People naturally like to talk about themselves, so listen and take it in. Take what resonates with you, and leave the rest. This is free knowledge and education that will help guide you in the right direction.
Also, take the proper steps to legitimize your business legally with the states and for taxes and hire an accountant/financial advisor so you understand your finances. That was the first big retainer I invested in when launching my business and the best decision I have ever made. The biggest challenge, NEWS FLASH, is capital! I am a 100% self-funded company by choice and investing your savings into something that has no guarantee is terrifying.
“If you take ‘no’ for an answer, you’re not cut out for the entrepreneurial journey. Most roads lead to ‘no’ and you have to push through it to get the ‘yes.’”
When you hit a bump or hurdle in your career, how do you #FindNewRoads + switch gears to find success?
Keep going. I have been hired, fired, humiliated, you name it. I always got back up. Persistence and consistency are the keys to success.
Where do you think is the most important area for a business owner to focus their financial energy? Why? What was the biggest money lesson you learned since launching your business?
Secure a trustworthy lawyer and financial advisor because if shit goes down it will most likely affect those two areas. From day one, you need to put best practices in place and have that clarity. As far as product, the money should go into evolving that and making it better.
You're still in the early stages of TopTote but there always competition around the corner. What makes you and your business stand out? How do you find and create a unique point of view?
The Lindsay Albanese brand is a serviceable style company that will continue to create products that make people's lives easier. TopTote is the first of an entire collection under that philosophy. I don't want to just create cute products—there are enough people doing that and that will bore me. I want to create products that create conversations and get people sharing with each other. That, and the fact that I am uniquely me, given my experiences, credibility, and point of view. That is enough to differentiate me just as much as it does for anyone else to be able to show up and compete in this market. It's really all you need.
With success comes opportunity, but that also means you have your hands full. What keeps you inspired and motivated to keep going even on your most challenging days?
That I'm doing it. When this was an idea, a dream, a thought, many years ago is now a reality. That's why passion should play a huge part in pursuing any career or taking the path less traveled when it comes to business. When the going gets tough, the passion for the goal is the magic that always brings you back and keeps you motivated.
Can you recall a specific time you failed and how you turned that around into an opportunity?
Many times. I actually failed most of my life. Up until my first year in college, I was a D and F student. No joke! Finding my passion was the cure for that.
You've been working as a stylist for years and still serve looks all over Instagram, what about your life has changed since you decided to start your own company? What do you wish you could go back and tell yourself when you were first launching your business? Why?
The hardest part is juggling both of my businesses: developing my personal brand as a content creator and influencer and acting as the CEO of my namesake product company. My days are now mostly spent in front of the computer. Startup life is not glamorous! How many stories in my pajamas can I do in one day? The struggle to do outfit posts and curate stories is something I have given myself a break on recently—I'm working on something bigger here that builds an empire—and that’s the focus.
What do you wish people knew about being an entrepreneur? What are the biggest misconceptions? What traits do you need to succeed as an entrepreneur or founder in the competitive start-up environment? Why?
That initial success of a product does not equal wealth. People have insinuated that I'm rich now. LOL. Quite the opposite. There's a transitional growth period when you start a company where you're having to meet the demand of keeping up with the growing business which means you're fronting even more money to manufacture products and paying those bills before the goods are even sold. I could go on and on but you get the picture.
If you take no for an answer, you're not cut out for the entrepreneurial journey. Most roads lead to no and you have to push through it to get the yes. The yes is always there for the entrepreneurs who don't take no for an answer and keep going.
What is your vision for the business? Do you want to stay small and manageable or do you have plans to scale and grow, maybe even sell it one day? Why?
I go back and forth on this. The truth is, I have a goal to build a company that makes serviceable style products that make people's lives easier and to enjoy my life and the business I'm building. That is the most important thing. I want to roll out two new, non-TopTote related products next year and eventually launch four core products the years following that. We will also license TopTote to Fortune 50 companies in the coming years. If you would have told me I would have been an inventor when I started out as a stylist 17 years ago, I would have thought you were absolutely insane. Same with this journey. I'm going to stay focused on building my brand, but I know there will be opportunities that come up that will inspire me to pivot and rethink my goal so we will see! Being open to pivoting and listening to my intuition have been the keys to my success in every move I've made.
What is the best advice you’ve received? Or your favorite piece of #realtalk?
Enjoy it. Sounds simple and that's why it's the most important—because it translates to happiness. I didn't pursue my dream to be miserable all the time and I refuse to be that person who's all of a sudden 80 years old wishing they would have enjoyed the journey a little more. I am fully present in what is happening right now.
Additionally, the best advice was to get a financial advisor, especially when dealing with manufacturing. You need that clarity with your finances so you can sleep at night, run a profitable business, and stay in business! Many businesses fail because they underestimate their financials.
As you begin to grow, there are people that love your brand and spread the word organically, but there will also be those who have a bad experience and share negative feedback publicly. How do you deal with criticism and customer complaints?
Negative feedback can be useful in growing and making your brand or product better. You need to listen to your customers, and if a lot of them are saying the same thing about your product or service, you need to lean into that and decide for yourself what changes need to be made or not.
What advice do you have for other entrepreneurs? How can they achieve the same success you've experienced?
The follow-up gets the fortune. In everything I have pursued, it’s the follow-up that’s resulted in the opportunity, not the first email or call.
Also, if you have that nagging feeling in the pit of your stomach that won't go away that's urging you to go for an idea or dream you have, that is your intuition trying to guide you to your purpose and you have to figure out how to make it a reality.
Little steps toward your goal build momentum that can create a big impact. It takes time, persistence, consistency, hard work, and unreasonable optimism to make anything happen.
What is the #1 book you always recommend? Why?
For entertainment, I loved Bad Blood. For business, I actually recommend people to take B-School by Marie Forleo to help entrepreneurs streamline their ideas. It really helped me define a few things that have been game-changing in regards to my current business.
Photographer: Jenna Peffley
Hair: Styled by OGXpert & Celebrity Hairstylist Jillian Halouska
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