Beth founded her first company at age 22 and launched exclusive European fashion brands across the United States. It seemed like a dream job at first but Beth soon saw the human rights violations, environmental pollution and child labor prevalent in the industry. Determined to show that fashion could make a difference, Beth created her own apparel line called Raintees in 2008. For every Raintee sold a tree is planted in an endangered forest and the Raintees Vision Collection features artwork drawn by children and sponsors them to attend school. Today, Raintees has planted over 40,000 trees around the world and helped provide an education for youth in over 20 countries. While donating supplies to remote areas of Central and South America, Beth collected an array of inspirational stories that became her award-winning children’s book, From the Jungle. Her remarkable journey has captivated audiences at TEDx, the United Nations, Google, and the National Mall in Washington, DC. She has also been featured in National Geographic, Glamour, InStyle and other top tier publications and her writing can be found in The Huffington Post, Coco Eco Magazine and Darling Magazine.
I Am Driven By | The desire to be of service in this world. To be better, more compassionate, and work in more powerful ways that will have the greatest impact possible.
A Key Talent | I always look for what’s possible. When I started my first company in the fashion industry, the economy was crashing, I was young, inexperienced, had never gone to business school and didn’t even have an office. A lot of things, including success, seemed impossible. I realized very quickly though, that if I focused on the challenges I would always find more of them, and if I focused on the possibilities I would always find more of them. So I made a decision to focus on what’s possible and look for the things I could change, improve, and develop instead of what I couldn’t. Eventually, this mentality led me to realize that I could start my own brand which gave me the freedom to design in a way that had never been done before while manufacturing in the way I wanted to, with the pricing I wanted, the sales strategy that made sense to me and harnessing a compelling brand story that people would want to support.
Principles I Live By | Be kind. Be thankful every single day for what you have in your life. There is always something to be thankful for. Be open-minded even to things you might not agree with. We can learn so much from other people’s perspectives. Value travel and explore as much of this world as possible. Talk to strangers – you never known who might change your life.
How I Use My Mind | I believe that thoughts are things and that we can use our minds to create success and the kind of life we want to have. The human mind has a tendency, certainly in our modern society, towards worry and stress. Often we can let negative thought patterns and worries about possible outcomes that don’t even exist short circuit great ideas and great potential. We can use our mind to control our emotions, which determines our behaviors which ultimately lead us to results we do want (success) or to results we don’t want (failure).
Lessons I Have Learnt | I have learned that it’s important to be kind no matter what. We will never truly be able to walk in someone else’s shoes. Also, the most hateful people I have met in my life are also the most hurt. Pain makes us angry and anger breeds all sorts of horrible behavior. The hardest thing is to practice compassion and forgiveness in response to pain – whether it’s our own or others, and I have found that it’s the ability to do this that will truly change the world.
Dealing With Doubt | I experience some form of self-doubt or negativity every single day and I know even my most successful friends and colleagues do too. Fear and negativity are natural parts of being human and the important thing to master is not letting our emotions control us or stop us from achieving what we desire. I have been speaking about my work now for over 7 years and I still feel a twinge of terror every time I step up to a podium to give a talk. Will I mess up? Will people like what I have to say? Will I be good enough? However, if I let my fear run my talk instead of my passion and excitement for my work, I won’t give a great speech or inspire others to want to help the causes I have dedicated my life to. I always think about what I want and if the fear, doubt or self-sabotaging behavior is helping me get there or pushing me farther away. I also think about the kind of person I want to be. I want to be a courageous person, a person who does not give up and a person who would never let doubt determine the destiny of her business or her life.
Performing At My Peak | There are three main things I do that keep me balanced.
1) I wake up early.
2) I eat a mostly plant-based diet and avoid processed foods.
3) I make lists of things to do, my ideas, inspiration and things I want to achieve. This helps me stay organized, keep my mind thinking creatively all day long and encourages me to set goals
Advice On Building Wealth | If you want to amass financial wealth you have to develop the habits, mindset and skills that wealthy people use to make their money and keep their money working for them. You have to take the time to study wealth just like you would study any skill you want to master. You can’t become an expert at something overnight. Instead, you have a powerful coach, you practice constantly and often you work with a team. Making money happens the same way. I think everyone should have a financial advisor or someone they trust that coaches them on the best ways to invest, save and spend. I also think you need to practice smart financial habits so that you build wealth that lasts. Many people who suddenly earn or win large amounts of money lose it all shortly after simply because they don’t know how to manage it. A great financial advisor can help with this. I also find that so many people have this misconception that there’s this “secret” to making money or becoming “rich”. The truth is, we can all learn financial literacy. The so-called “secrets” to amassing wealth are actually everywhere. We can find amazing advice for free in books, blogs, TV shows and most importantly with our friends, family members or colleagues who have amassed their own wealth and can share their personal stories with us. I do find that most wealthy people have done 3 main things. They own their own business, they save and/or live well below their means, and they work with great financial teams/advisors.
On Inspiring Others | I look for people who are as passionate about the goals of my business as I am and who are motivated to make a difference. These are the kind of people who will drive the brand forward, share our story and make decisions that positively impact the company as a whole. I also look for people who I feel I can trust and who are confident and able to make decisions and lead. As our team grows I need to ensure I have leaders in place that can take initiative.
