Whitney Hawkings is determined, head strong and laser focused. After spending 18 years working with Tom Ford at Gucci, Whitney took the plunge and founded FLOWERBX, growing it to become the first global flower brand. Working with (and shopping from) luxury brands online she observed that everything was branded except for flowers and this became her mission: to deliver fresh, quality flowers with the same consistent service as any top luxury brand. With Whitney’s Pink Avalanche Roses as the backdrop, we talk about her lacking confidence but discovering that he is the best CEO of her company, what it’s like to be a woman in business, her role models and what she learnt from Tom Ford. WE DISCUSS: 04:43 - What is leadership? 06:38 - Doubting yourself as a leader 10:18 - Growing up in Dallas, Texas, drive to succeed 13:12 - Working with Tom Ford 14:36 - Why Whitney founded FLOWERBX 17:45 - Hard work, drive, not being able to stop 19:02 - Switching off, family time 21:39 - Having a great partner and people that have your back 22:44 - What she is most proud of 23:47 - 2 most important things Whitney wished she knew, which would have saved her a lot of hassle 25:53 - Hiring great people 28:12 - Hardest thing about being a CEO 30:33 - Biggest failures 31:56 - Covid giving a clean slate 33:00 - What’s next for FLOWERBX, closing series A funding 34:16 - 3 pieces of advice to younger self WHITNEY HAWKINGS: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-hawkings-643a3317/ FLOWERBX Instagram: @TheFLOWERBX - https://www.instagram.com/theflowerbx/?hl=en Whitney on Instagram: @TheFlowerBMB - https://www.instagram.com/theflowerbmb/?hl=en Pink Sweet Avalanche Roses: https://bit.ly/3imwd2E EPISODE #8: You can also WATCH it on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC-YIz5pEMM9vigbYOxK2Kw MARIA HVOROSTOVSKY: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariahvo/ Instagram: @MariaHvo - https://www.instagram.com/mariahvo/?hl=en Clubhouse: @MariaHvo - https://www.clubhouse.com/@mariahvo Get in touch if you need help HIRING your senior leadership team LEAVE A REVIEW: If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts make sure to Subscribe, Rate, and leave a REVIEW. The best review will get a mention in the next episode!

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