Second Life Podcast: Kendra Scott on How She Built a Billion-Dollar Brand

Welcome to Second Life, a podcast spotlighting successful women who've made major career changes—and fearlessly mastered the pivot. Hosted by Hillary Kerr, co-founder and chief content officer at Who What Wear's parent company, Clique Brands, each episode will give you a direct line to women who are game changers in their fields. Subscribe to Second Life on iTunes, and stay tuned—we'll be releasing new episodes on Mondays.

Certainly, not everyone who drops out of college and endures a failed business goes on to create a billion-dollar company, but not everyone is Kendra Scott. Scott's path to building a jewelry empire was not always clear or easy, but with some grit and ingenuity, she managed to create one of the most successful jewelry brands on the market.

In the newest episode of Second Life, Scott tells Hillary Kerr how she dropped out of college and used her dad's education fund to start a hat store. She kept it afloat for five years, but when it eventually failed, Scott faced a harsh reality. "I took my college money and I blew that," she tells host Hillary Kerr. "I had nothing. And I just remember that was one of the lowest points of my life, just feeling like I had let every person down."

However, Scott managed to see the silver lining of the experience. "That was the best education I could have ever had," Scott says. "Running that store, making payroll, understanding what gross margin looked like. Every facet of retail, I learned the hardest way possible."

Head to iTunes to subscribe to Second Life and find out how Scott made the transition into jewelry and the important lessons she's learned along the way. Plus, scroll down to shop some of Scott's best-selling pieces for yourself.

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Next, find out how Hannah Bronfman went from being a sculpture major to becoming fashion's favorite DJ and wellness expert.