#FemaleFounders

#FemaleFounders

Marnelli Martin of Luxe30.com

1. Who is Marnelli Martin?
I’ve spent the last 15 years as a highly successful jewelry executive — which has been a fabulous path for me, as I’ve been passionate about beauty and fine design since I was a little girl. My experiences in the industry have helped me hone both a keen eye for quality, and a business acumen that extends to every corner of the industry; from product development and marketing, to merchandising, manufacturing, international trade, and everywhere in between. Over the years, I’ve consulted with top industry manufacturers and suppliers, and have worked alongside retail giants from Bloomingdale’s to Walmart and many large retailers in between.

As a product developer and advisor for major suppliers and retailers, I’ve had the opportunity to lace the necks, ears, and arms of American women with jewelry they love. When a woman is wearing a bracelet, pair of earrings, and necklace she adores, her eyes light up, and her voice becomes bolder – both literally and figuratively. She is both empowered and elegant; representing herself to the world through her style without even needing to open her mouth.
Now, I am bringing my world-class experience in jewelry/ accessories and luxury living to women all over the planet through my wonderful startup baby, Luxe30. The goal? To help busy, hardworking, extraordinary women enjoy the little lavish delights they deserve, every month.

2. What is Luxe30?
Luxe30 is a monthly subscription service for women of all walks of life! This fast-growing E-commerce company offers 3 pieces of jewelry and 1 surprise luxurious gift every 30 days (with unlimited compliments). All products are sent to our LuxeLovers TO OWN for only $39/ a month. It truly is an incredible value!

I started this company with two heartfelt motivations: to both help the women of the world feel as gorgeous, inspired, and pampered as they deserve, and to disrupt the “traditional” subscription jewelry boxes (which rent jewelry to consumers with the expectation they’ll send the piece back, or overpay for a low quality item.)

Luxe30 delivers you every exquisite piece for keeps, along with a top secret surprise, and a loving missive to meditate on, and feed your soul.

3. How did the idea for the startup come about?
As an entrepreneur, I’ve always dreamed of offering exquisite products that both enhance the physical beauty of a woman, and inspire her heart.
But I didn’t just want to offer any other jewelry product or rental service. There are plenty of those out there! Instead, I wanted to blend stunning pieces with matters of the soul, and help women around the world look and feel beautiful inside and out – whether they’re wearing jewelry or not.

My dream is for women to aspire to be more grateful for their lives, do more of what they love, and take exquisite care of themselves first. Because when hardworking women give themselves the gift of quality experiences, they give themselves space and freedom to say a resounding “Yes!” to taking their pleasures seriously.

Life is short. Before we know it, age and circumstance can limit the real, fulfilling, yummy lives we were born to have!

So there’s no more perfect time like now to let a little more luxury in.

4. What does it mean to be a female founder?
For me, 2 major things came to mind about being a female founder (based on my experience):
1.) Far more hurdles and challenges
2.) Feminine Leverage

As far as hurdles and challenges go, these are largely because of the conflicting expectations on all sides (partly thanks to society, and partly because of pressure I put on myself).

Balancing the roles of a CEO and mother is a constant dance between how your company is performing (your subscriber count, revenue numbers, etc.)

Part of my job also involves travel. A woman with young kids traveling for business is one of the most difficult and expensive things for me. Always has been. Meanwhile, most businessmen can just book the flight and take off! Childcare and the full household management isn’t necessarily on the shoulders of a male CEO.

And then, there’s funding. I once attempted to approach a potential investor while I was pregnant in the middle of building my business,  and I was told to talk to him again after the pregnancy when I’m all settled in and back to work. Why? Because he “just couldn’t see it happening”.

Still, it didn’t deter me. I brought my daughter into the world, and got right back to work with her on my lap.  And I loved every part of it. I bootstrapped all the way instead (which was an extremely tough direction to go) but I’m so glad I did!

Now, to feminine leverage: What this means to me is most female founders are very gifted with intuitive leadership because we access our core more frequently, and pay a bit more attention as to how the flow of the business is aligning with how we feel and how we want things to feel in honor of our creation. I built this business from the ground up using a lot of my intuitive abilities with lots of logic and practicality of course (from hiring, buying, branding & visuals, deals, etc). And it’s a very crucial skill to tap into when you’re running a business. In my experience female leaders are the ones who don’t waste a moment. They get things done… excellently… right now.

5. How are you improving the lives of women?
Jewelry industry alone is enormous for a reason. A power-suit or a power-dress is powerless without jewelry. Millions of women know this. It’s so amazing how little earrings or a statement necklace or ring or stackable bracelets can charge-up your superpowers.

As soon as a woman put on the right jewelry, she’s the crowned queen, and can take the world! It can instantly change a mood.

Luxe30 improves women’s lives by offering affordable luxuries delivered to their doorsteps. With my access to the world’s best manufacturers and suppliers, we only deliver quality, amazing value and a really awesome, luxurious experience in every box. And they OWN it all! You can never find or buy this jewelry and bonus surprises at this price point anywhere else.

Aside from our gorgeous products, it’s our mission to inspire women to celebrate themselves now. At Luxe30, there’s no waiting for the job or promotion, money or the man to honor a desire. We encourage everyone to live luxuriously now, while working for their other dreams. We teach women to redefine luxury and take exquisite care of themselves. Because when we grant ourselves permission to indulge in simple pleasures and self-care we empower ourselves; as professionals, partners, friends, and mothers. We’re happier, bolder, and more deeply grounded in joy.

6. How do we get more women interested in tech?
Tech is our amazing “present” and also our incredible “future”! We simply cannot NOT engage with technology. It’s an integral part of our daily lives which hugely impacts our relationships, personal & professional growth, our families, commerce, global economy and our entire culture.

I think that first & foremost, we need to let go of the notion that tech is solely a boys’ club. This is one of the major barriers we faced (initially). While it’s currently predominantly men, there are so many brilliant women who are already stepping up and leading and influencing the industry in ways that I am so proud of as female founder. It’s so inspiring to see women-leaders rocking tech and e-commerce space.
Secondly, the world of technology still seems to come with many invisible walls. We usually equate it with computer engineering, math & coding, software development, complex programming, etc., and while I know brilliant women in these fields, society has also raised us with the belief that these are more “masculine” career paths. For me, as a woman and a creative, the thought of entering the world of tech gave me pause.

Was I supposed to be there?

But thankfully, I corrected myself quickly. At this stage, it’s more of an applied science for me. I think of “tech” as a vessel of life, art, love, creativity and pleasure. I absolutely don’t believe that you need to have a tech background or a masters tech degree to be part of the industry. There are so many geniuses in the tech field ready to work with you — to design and code your site, to streamline your systems, and more, so you can focus on what you do best. Tech isn’t a barrier. For me, it’s a platform; a very powerful one that I must use for my business and reach as many women in the market who will benefit from what I have to offer.
So, there’s nothing to fear! Almost every product / service offering in the world is linked to tech now so we have got to get our sexy-sass on it.
And for Luxe30 in particular,  I plan on hiring as many women as possible in the near future. I believe that it’s one of the best things that I can do right now to help others be more comfortable in developing a career in this space. I’d love to help expose my team to both service & great livelihood through technology.

7. What’s next for Luxe30?
Amazing, astronomical growth, exciting collaborations, international market, and more luxurious experiences for our subscribers. Oh, and fun! Lots of fabulous fun. 🙂

Also, my team & I are so honored to be selected by THE NEXT WEB as one of only 60 startups in a key position to breakthrough. We are attending the TNW-Momentum Scale Conference in NYC and I look forward to connecting with many brilliant professionals, investors & influencers in tech and e-commerce world.

8. When can we expect to be able to sign up for the Luxe30 box?
Be pampered like a queen now by visiting our home at www.luxe30.com
For more information, check out Marnelli and her startup:
Instagram: @Luxe30
Facebook: FB/Luxe30
Twitter: @LuxeThirty
Website: www.luxe30.com

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