Handbag Designer 101: The Stories Behind Handbag Designers, Brands, and Industry Icons

From Saks to Startups: Marketing That Sells with Ernest Moore🎯🛍️ | Emily Blumenthal & Ernest Moore

• Emily Blumenthal • Season 1

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Step into the world of fashion marketing with Ernest Moore, of Moore Marketing & PR, a seasoned pro who’s worked with top PR agencies and retail giants like Macy’s and Saks. In this must-hear episode, Ernest unpacks the biggest marketing mistakes emerging designers make—and how to get real results without wasting time or money. 💸✨

With honest advice and real-world stories, Ernest challenges designers to think smart, embrace feedback, and build relationships that actually move the needle. If you’re serious about growing your brand, don’t miss this one. 🎧

💡 Key Takeaways: 🔹 Marketing vs. PR: Paid visibility vs. earned attention—know the difference.
🔹 The Gifting Trap: Why careless gifting kills budgets—and what to do instead.
🔹 Perfectionism Paralysis: Launch, learn, and improve—don’t wait for “perfect.”

🎧 Listen now! #HandbagDesigner101 #FashionMarketing #EmergingDesigners #BrandBuilding #StartupTips #PRvsMarketing

Our Guest: Ernest Moore brings insider expertise from major retailers and PR agencies, helping designers market smarter and avoid the costly traps that stall so many brands.

Host Emily Blumenthal is a handbag industry expert, author of Handbag Designer 101, and founder of The Handbag Awards. Known as the “Handbag Fairy Godmother,” Emily also teaches entrepreneurship at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She is dedicated to celebrating creativity, craftsmanship, and the art of building iconic handbag brands.

Find Handbag Designer 101 Merch, HBD101 Masterclass, one-on-one sessions, and opportunities to book Emily Blumenthal as a speaker at emilyblumenthal.com. 

Buy Emily’s Books: “Handbag Designer 101” & “Savvy Suzanna’s Amazing Adventures in Handbags”


Youtube: / Handbagdesigner101-ihda | Instagram:/ Handbagdesigner

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Speaker 1:

That's why I say you have to think more than just what does the media want, what does the traditional consumer want? And also, it's a lot. It's a lot that you have to take into, of course. But businesses, I think there's a lot that can be done without spending a single dime up front. That's going to give you so much insight. But do you have the time? That's the reality of it. You know it's a luxury, it's a luxury to have the time. That's the reality of it. You know it's a luxury, it's a luxury to have the time.

Speaker 2:

Hi and welcome to Handbag Designer 101, the podcast with your host, emily Blumenthal, handbag industry expert and the handbag fairy godmother. Each week, we uncover the stories behind the handbags we love, from the iconic brands and top designers to the creativity, craftsmanship and culture that define the handbag world. Whether you're a designer, collector or simply passionate about handbags, this is your front row seat to it all. Welcome, ernest Moore. Of Ernest Moore, pr or MPR. I want to correct myself.

Speaker 1:

Moore, so M-O-R-E, M-P-R.

Speaker 2:

Gotcha, it's a play on your last name, m-o-o-r-e. Correct, correct? Ernest Moore, we'll get more of you. Welcome to Handbag Designer 101, the podcast. Thank you so much for joining us today.

Speaker 1:

Of course. Thank you so much for having me.

Speaker 2:

This is exciting and, as we were talking about, as it seems to be the conversation that I'm having like every week, we met on Substack, which the sexy new podcast, sexy new platform for nice people.

Speaker 1:

Quite literally. I immediately, probably met you within the first week of using Substack quite literally, but because I'm just so engaged with actual business content and people showcasing information that is real today being used, not a hypothesis, not a theory, so it's spectacular. I'm so glad we've met.

Speaker 2:

I know. So why don't you share a little bit about what your company is and what you do, and then we'll just dive right into the meat and potatoes, as you said.

Speaker 1:

Listen, I'm such an East Coaster I say my meat and potatoes. So we are marketing and public relations, which is interesting, I say. I used to work for the number one public relations agency in North America, so I was very fortunate to have that experience.

Speaker 2:

That's a good job.

Speaker 1:

I decided to go on my own after all of that experience from the public relations agency. But, more so, what really really benefited was working and being a part of the marketing and events team for national retailers like Macy's and Saks Fifth Avenue. I feel like that education and also having to be attached to the actual consumers, the actual users of the product, is what has been able to translate so much, so well into our marketing and PR strategies.

Speaker 2:

So, if you could because I teach this a lot there's a vast difference between marketing and PR, especially from a budget perspective, from an execution perspective. How would you define one versus the other in terms of strategy? What does one mean versus the other?

Speaker 1:

Well, I guess, for me personally, I would attribute marketing to there's a strategy of paid opportunities that you can seek, specifically traditional or social media and digital. So traditional, in the sense of direct mail, advertising, such, you know back then essentially, but it's still going on and, might I say, multimillion dollar producing still to this day because our clients still do it. Dollar producing still to this day because our clients still do it. That's one aspect. Marketing is just, I feel, like a more paid opportunity, to lack of better words, to force people to look at you, whereas public relations is creating attention, in my opinion, in different, various forms, whether with media, social media, influencers, community, community leaders even could be considered that as well to be able to get attention and the aspect or in the angle that you want it, to be able to build your business appropriately.

Speaker 2:

So that's an interesting take and you know, what I do with my students is I always say advertising is a dirty word. Why? Because most brands start out with no budget and I think that's okay and I say that, yes, there's a customer acquisition cost. Yes, there's a cost if you're going to do promoted posts. I think so many people when they do them. There is no strategy behind it, although, hypothetically speaking, for Instagram, you have to pick your audience and the city and the country and what their interests are. That is, I guess, as granular as you can get to someone who is no expert or has not done any strategy.

Speaker 2:

But the reason why we always say that advertising is a dirty word, because you have to go into this being clever and out of the box as a thinker in order to garner somebody's attention, because nowadays it's almost impossible. People wanna try and do something clever to go viral. But are you going viral for your audience? Is it strategic? Is it really reaching the people that you need it to, to cross over? Because the only thing we wanna know is what's the why and will it lead to sales?

Speaker 1:

So it's funny that you mentioned all this. It makes me think of immediately, right off the bat. I also think that, as you say, advertising is a dirty word. Sometimes PR can be a dirty word. Oh yeah, I say that all the time because the same paid strategies that we are I say we, many consumers, many people these days that are so exhausted by social media constantly being sold, it's the exact same thing that is falling into or has fallen into PR. So it's very delicate when I say marketing and PR.

Speaker 1:

For me, the world always falls in the same umbrella. Is the reality. And, additionally, it doesn't necessarily matter about budget for us, because if your product can garner enough attention in a earned capacity meaning unpaid and it is done strategically with bringing other parties together from different audiences or different places to be able to seek other consumers, you can really take things up a level with no budget, essentially, as long as you put in the work as a business owner and developing your product or your brand appropriately. Right Example I can buy a chapstick, a glorified chapstick from Chanel. Why did I buy that? I probably bought it because, without me knowing, I saw all the cool kids one day with their little Chanel chapstick and I didn't even realize it. That was called me being influenced, that wasn't me being sold, and I think that PR what we focus on more so than anything, is we love to influence rather than sell, because if it is done well, it'll be bought essentially. So, yes, I think PR can also be dirty as well, fyi.

Speaker 2:

You know, I had someone recently speak to my class who was a marketer and she said at this point, deferring to influencers is borderline lazy at this point, because the sell-through is that much more diluted than what it historically was. New iteration of creators has to happen in order to employ them, to try and successfully feature, sell, market your product without it being, at this point, like, okay, how much is it really going to move the needle?

Speaker 1:

Right, and that at the end of the day. So example, not just example, but a very tangible, real moment in my career was we. I was working at the number one PR agency and this was the exact moment where I said we are not focusing on results. I was sitting there, we were planning this huge event for National Margarita Day. We had the national, we had a tequila company that was our client and that we put together for National Margarita Day huge exposure opportunity, fantastic opportunity, to say the least.

Speaker 1:

To the unknown, I will say that because everyone thinks that having something like that is going to immediately guard our attention. But how much did you have to pay for it? First, that was I don't know if I'm allowed to say how much, but it was in the $30,000 to $40,000 to $50,000 range, without an event, okay. And then you have to do an event that builds it up. Another person is not going to be able to do that. Someone without a budget is just not going to be able to do that whatsoever, right? So that person you know for a fact literally just sat there and paid to play for the whole thing and they have zero sales now.

Speaker 2:

Right.

Speaker 1:

Right, zero, zero. And we worked with them. Granted, what I did was fabulous, but anyhow, literally, and I still work with them on my own to this day, which is spectacular. They were at my own party. They just met Michael Kors because of us. Literally, they want to work with us because the transparency, the to the point, and then also we're able to communicate.

Speaker 1:

A lot of times, a lot of people, especially in our field of marketing, public relations and media, are very aware of a lot more than people will ever be aware of. We know trends, because that insight, those data, that number that you cannot fight okay, when a peak of engagement or a peak of product sales or different things like that come in, we can't fight that. Those are numbers that are tangible. That's something that we can follow. I call it like a map. Literally, a map rolls out right in front of you and it tells you what's going to be hot in two months or three months or six months. So it's a little interesting and that's why I think that you have to be so creative and just think more than what people are being provided, what we think we know, and have to go back to the basic roots, always have to go back to the basic roots.

Speaker 2:

In reality, so if you were working with an independent designer and you were thoughtful enough to say, ok, I'll meet you for a coffee, and I don't believe.

Speaker 2:

I believe everybody can be kind and generous with their time, but I don't believe in charity to the point of people brain sucking your 20 years of experience for free.

Speaker 2:

I'm just saying for the sake of people who are fortunate enough to have you here and listen to your experience.

Speaker 2:

If you were to meet someone who has a decent let's just say, handbag brand for the sake of conversation, it's been's a bigger issue, because the chances of getting media attention or anything if it's not priced correctly, if you haven't done your competitive analysis, if you don't know who your customer is, if you don't know what they eat, what they wear, what they drive, where they live, the kind of home they have, if they have a car, what they have in their bag, how many times they buy a bag, what their favorite color is, what they're more prone to, all of those things obviously play into all that. Which, again, a lot of people don't do that homework because doing that homework is free and then not doing it will end up costing you more. But let's just say you met someone who knew enough to do their due diligence. What would be the first things you would say get on. This is what you can do on your own. You don't need me for this.

Speaker 1:

Oh, immediately, right off the bat. Everyone has the opportunity to gift and introduce their brand on their own. That is the reality, even in public relations or marketing. The reality is either you're paying someone to be introduced to your brand or you're introducing yourself. Every single human being and I jokingly say even monkeys can do it can gift and introduce themselves or their product or their brand to any person, place or thing on this planet, because it's just possible. We have the availability. You don't have to spend a dollar to direct message someone in reality. Okay, now, as business owners not every business owner or executive or their teams even have that time and we understand that but if you have your due diligence and you have something that you know that has excellent, great potential and that you want to see how it's engaged or seen, or if you want to see like initial feedbacks or anything like that, anyone could be reached out to at any point. There's many people that are, unfortunately, intimidated by a lot of other people.

Speaker 1:

It's such a wasted energy and it's just, it's not their fault, it's not the other person's fault, it is the moment in time and the mentality that they're in. That's just the reality of it. I was there and what's crazy is I was raised, born and raised in an environment where we are not insecure in any way, shape or form. To be very honest with you, what we wanted was what. I'm not speaking in a materialistic way, I'm meaning if we had the confidence we were.

Speaker 1:

We were raised very confident, to say the least. Many people are so intimidated that even just sending a three sentence message is too much for them, type of thing. So we, you know, that's what I think is. The very first step is, I think, introducing their brand or their product in a not buy me capacity. I think that's where they're going to be getting more attention, more feedback, more engagement just from the jump, without even spending a dollar in that capacity.

Speaker 2:

Of course, they've already spent the dollars because they did their due diligence and their time.

Speaker 1:

Right, right, right. But you know that is the very first one. On one foundation I would say reach out, speak out and be you and your product. Don't just make it a product, because I think it can make a product.

Speaker 2:

I love that because I got to tell you the amount of designers with whom I have worked who don't wear their product. It's crazy, it's nuts, nuts. Like you've spent a minimum of $10,000 on your product marketing, even building, research, production, manufacturing and you're still wearing your Louis or you're still wearing your Gucci or Chanel because it's not perfect. And I've had so many people do that when I've met them and then they take it out of a box and they take it out of a dust bag. I'm like what the hell's wrong with you? Why?

Speaker 2:

aren't you wearing that bag. And they said, well, it's not perfect yet. And I said, well, nobody knows that. Who knows that?

Speaker 1:

like no one's looking at you to begin with, so if they also look at you, they get with the mentality of saying you know what, I want this to be a success, I need need to know the good, the bad, the ugly, 100%. It's not perfect, yeah, and you know that. First off, what have you done to help that situation or not? I know that sounds ridiculous.

Speaker 2:

I always like to know.

Speaker 1:

Literally. We were on a call on a consultation, quite literally earlier and we always jokingly say if your baby's ugly, I am telling you your baby is ugly, Before the public burns your house down and does so much more than say a couple of mean things, yeah, you get what I'm saying.

Speaker 1:

So, 100%, having an audience of 20 million people around the world say we hate your product, versus me, ernest, who quite literally has the proof from being on the buying team at Saks Fifth Avenue and with Macy's and all this stuff. These are numbers. Again, you can't lie with numbers. It's right in front of you. You can attempt to think of what you want to accomplish with what you have, but there's a map in front of you. It's been done. My family's major in manufacturing as well. I'm six generations in a company that manufactures corrugated boxing so literally, packaging company that manufactures corrugated boxing, so literally, packaging packaging.

Speaker 1:

Okay, so when I tell you I'm so familiar from when a product goes from this little no label nothing no idea to what one person will bring us and say this is a good idea and we say this is not a good idea. That's not a cheap box, because the second that someone unzips that tape or undoes that tape in that shipping package, the eyeballs are 15 seconds and it takes. You've lost them immediately. And if they have to do too much work, do not send an editor or anyone that's important, including an influencer, anything from Ikea that they have to put together and take three hours, including your own product. You know what I mean. So, yeah, we view things more than just PR, more than just getting attention. We literally say listen, there's so much stuff that you can do, that everyone else can also do and everyone else already has.

Speaker 2:

If you ever wanted to start a handbag brand and didn't know where to start, this is for you. If you had dreams of becoming a handbag designer but aren't trained in design, this is for you. If you have a handbag brand and need strategy and direction, this is for you. I'm Emily Blumenthal, handbag designer expert and handbag fairy godmother, and this is the Handbag Designer 101 Masterclass. Over the next 10 classes, I will break down everything you need to know to make, manufacture and market a handbag brand, broken down to ensure that you will not only skip steps in the handbag building process, but also to save money to avoid the learning curve of costly mistakes. For the past 20 years, I've been teaching at the top fashion universities in New York City, wrote the Handbag Designer Bible, founded the Handbag Awards and created the only Handbag Designer Podcast. I'm going to show you like I have countless brands to create in this in-depth course, from sketch to sample to sale. Whether you're just starting out and don't even know where to start or begin, or if you had a brand and need some strategic direction, the Handbag Designer 101 Masterclass is just for you. So let's get started and you'll be the creator of the next it bag.

Speaker 2:

Join me, emily Blumenthal, in the Handbag Designer 101 Masterclass. So be sure to sign up at emilyblumenthalcom slash masterclass and type in the code PODCAST to get 10% off your masterclass today. Yep, yep, no. I couldn't agree more with that in terms of doing everything you can before you start outsourcing. And before you outsource, you have to know how it works. You need to know who the players are, you need to know how to write, respond, send a thank you, because if you're going to outsource, you're paying someone. So now you're paying for their overhead, you're paying for their rent, for their gumballs, their tissues, their bathroom key. You shouldn't be paying for that if you don't know how to market, sell your product, or you don't know the weaknesses as to where you should fix it before it gets to somebody to rep you in that capacity.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely, and then, unfortunately, because of not doing the due diligence.

Speaker 2:

And then it gets to you and then you're like your baby's ugly.

Speaker 1:

Correct, right.

Speaker 1:

You should have known it wasn't or they bring it to someone who doesn't tell them that their baby's ugly and literally, internally, it rips their business from the inside out. Because now this product is being sent to all of the public, all of the media, all of the editors, everyone who is of an influence, and those safety barriers were moved because you just wanted to proceed regardless, you didn't want to do anything else. And now that person, that other marketing agency, that PR agent, that agency, whoever is just promoting your product, taking the overhead, you know, stripping your business, sometimes seven to, we know of deals and contracts going into the 125,000 every three months, type of ordeals just in PR. And literally that still doesn't create sales, correct, you know. So that's why I say you have to think more than just what does the media want, what does the traditional consumer want?

Speaker 1:

And also, it's a lot. It's a lot that you have to take into, of course, but businesses, I think there's a lot that can be done without spending a single dime up front. That's going to give you so much insight. But do you have the time? That's the reality of it. You know it's a luxury. It's a luxury to have the time.

Speaker 2:

So, after you've gifted it, said back what should be the next course of action. Okay, I've done my homework. I've gifted it to a couple editors who I think this would fit in with their look. I've gifted it to someone who might be celebrity adjacent. What would be something else that you would say Okay, this is, don't come to me until you've done all this, because I'm going to charge you to do the exact same thing that you could do without me, which I always say first like have you done all this? Because don't come to me, because I'm going to charge you for it. So do it and come back to me. So what is another thing that you could suggest?

Speaker 1:

another thing that you could suggest. I mean the thing flat out is when you give your product to the wrong editor or influencer whether the person's at an agency or you are the business owner sending a direct message either person can send it to the wrong person. Okay, because they just did not do the right job and they just think any attention is going to get attention. My next process after gifting would be to find out what's the feedback. I need to hear from them, what they're going to tell my clients or our team. What is wrong with the product or did they just love it? What is wrong with the product or did they just love it? Literally, I think that we have been so separated from actually finding out people's insight and interest and find out what they love and what they don't love. Example we have a fragrance client that you know. Fragrance brands and beauty brands send gifts 24-7, all day long, to everyone. That's the reality of it. Imagine sending a product to an editor who's allergic to fragrances.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

Okay, I have the prime example of one of our editors in Miami from Ocean's Ride magazine Love her to death. You know she's allergic to fragrances. I have another editor in Atlanta from Atlanta magazine. She's allergic to fragrances. I have another editor in Atlanta from Atlanta Magazine. She's allergic to fragrances.

Speaker 1:

Can you imagine if I or if anyone just sent that product? And quite literally, it happens every single day. It happens every single day and you have just lost every ounce of opportunity every single day. And you have just lost every ounce of opportunity. Yeah, not because you were being malice or malicious or so angled. You were just, you were so focused on one direction that you weren't allowing what they want.

Speaker 1:

You have to listen to what people want because they will tell you, just like the data that we have on consumers and trends that are coming up, or here we have that the numbers don't lie. When I look at monitoring systems, from social media, metrics and keywords and all this jazz, it tells us what's hot, what's not. There's just no going around it. So it's difficult when I hear it time and time again when people gift products and spend. I hear it time and time again when people gift products and spend. You know some products can be $300 a piece, like a handbag. $300 a piece times $2,000 plus the time, plus the staff, plus everything else, everything else. Your product gifting went from free to $30,000 in a four month time span without you realizing it, not including the cost of shipping stuff or anything like that, only because it just wasn't strategized and it wasn't done appropriately.

Speaker 2:

I mean, I personally have done that, where I had a meeting with a major editor and this was years ago but I got a meeting through a friend of a friend and my it was like I thought it was just, you know, a Santa Claus in the summer of everything I was bringing. And I finally got this meeting. And you know, you're never as important as you think you are when you're in somebody else's domain. Let's be honest. You're in someone else's office time, whatever. And the fact that I brought a coffee has historically always been very well received. Like I always tell people, if you're going to talk to a buyer, if you're going to a boutique, always bring a coffee because it's their time and you should pay them for it in some shape or form so it does not look like it's transactional, because you're talking to me, here's a coffee. Well, here's the deal.

Speaker 2:

This lovely editor does not drink coffee and apparently everybody knew that but me. So the fact that this gesture and a normal person would say, hey, you know I don't drink it, whatever. But this particular person he was very much like I don't drink coffee and the fact that I brought that did so much more harm than good. He asked an assistant to take it, get it out of his face, and then said, sure, you can have it. And then she had a sip. She was like this isn't for me and threw it out Again. Bitchy, disgusting, but it is what it is, but it is what it is.

Speaker 1:

Should I?

Speaker 2:

have asked do they drink coffee? Probably, but I assumed everybody does. And guess what Everybody does not Like I should have brought a lemonade before I brought a coffee, because who doesn't like lemonade?

Speaker 1:

But then maybe they're off sugar? Who knows Diabetic? You know, in reality, there's just so many different variables. What is the one thing that, time and time again, has always been stated you don't know until you ask. And I think that for so many people, they don't ask, they don't want the other person's opinion or perspective, because they put so much work, they put so much effort, even though there's no due diligence, but in their heart and their minds they think it is the hardest work that they've ever done and this is going to work. That is not always the case. The case is you have to come in with your information, your homework. If you go to high school, if you go to college, if you go to a job of any sorts in any capacity, you have to do things their way.

Speaker 2:

It's like this is preaching to the choir. I can't even say that enough. No, you have to do your homework and whenever anybody has hired me, I have learned over the years because I always give my clients homework because it's not my job to do it you have to come back to me with what you want me to sell and if you're not clear, I'm going to give it to you for you to come back and present it to me how you think this should be sold. So we're on the same page. So when people have said, because I won't look at anybody's handbag anymore just because because that's a free brain suck, this is 20 years of my life for me to eyeball something and say this, that, this, that, so I say very upfront would you? You're paying me. We've agreed to that. Are you paying me for me to tell you what you want to hear, or are you paying me for me to tell you what you need to know? Because we need to be on the same page, because if you want your ego stroked, I'll do it I'm really good at it. But if you want to understand, like cold, hard facts, scared straight, like what, do we need to work on? This is why you have me. I believe that's the best choice.

Speaker 2:

I cannot be the one to decide that for you and that's why you know, after three months, there's such an attrition rate, because everybody's shocked that you are not a miracle worker for saying like I've just paid you X, how come you didn't get me Y? And I said, well, I had to spend two and a half months getting you ready to get you out there. Because you didn't listen to me. You didn't update your website, you didn't update your product, you didn't update your packaging. This is a mess. I can't write a press release. I can't even send any information out until everything of yours is cohesive. But this is, I mean honestly. It's true to form that a good client is one that's done their homework and is ready and understands the landscape to a degree. So when you say to them, have you gifted these people? If not, who do you think we should be gifting?

Speaker 1:

Let's start from there if not, who do you think we should be gifting? Let's start from there. Absolutely no. At the end of the day, it makes things so much easier in the transition from going from unknown to known. If you have done everything in your power prior to seeking anything else or seeking other people to execute everything in your power to be able to accomplish it and then go there, it's going to benefit you in every way, shape or form. Now I also will say if you are honest enough in yourself as a business owner or an entrepreneur to know that you do not have the interest in learning all the fussy dust or have the time or the knowledge or anything, it's okay to not know things, it's completely fine, and that's when the professional absolutely comes in. It's okay to know when you don't know, and it's okay to know when you do know. Again, anyone can use Instagram. Anyone can use social media. Any human has emailed since the 90s.

Speaker 1:

The 80s the 2000s, the whole nine yards. It's just, it's the reality.

Speaker 2:

And what are you doing with it, correct?

Speaker 1:

You know, we work with brands and have worked with brands that have gone from zero to 20 million, zero to 30 million, zero to $100 million valuations. We are currently working with one that is potentially reaching up to the $400 million valuation, which is insane, to say the least. And it was only because and it's funny that we're talking about this at the moment, only because and it's funny that we're talking about this at the moment she knew that she did not know. She knew that she did not know and so she was responsible enough to say hey, listen, I need to outsource. Because I need to outsource, I need that resource, I need that knowledge, but it has to be the correct knowledge. But it has to be the correct knowledge If it's not the proper audience. Example if I am speaking to a Rolls Royce vehicle, okay, and that audience? Why would I go to New Beauty magazine about lipsticks?

Speaker 2:

Right, not the same audience.

Speaker 1:

It's a little tough. It's a little. You know about Amazon's top selling products for $20 and under. That is not my person. You know within that audience of Rolls Royce. It's just not you know and there's no going around it. So either you know or you don't know and you have to do your every single ounce of work, gift from that moment of gifting, see what people's insight is, see what their interests were If it was a blind gift and let's say you necessarily didn't do all the digging that you wanted to do. Do the digging with the person that you're reaching out to Find out what do you think that one question. Find out what do you think Exactly that one question. The one question is one of the easiest questions on this entire planet. Yeah, and then say what do you think? Don't tell me what I want to hear, just because I feel like it.

Speaker 1:

To be able to have that little sense of confidence and little self of. I think that's self-love more than anything To be able to take. I'm very, very I well, I mean ask people, I don't know, but I believe I'm very good at taking criticism. I have always been. I grew up a competitive sports player in tennis. I had an. I have an identical twin brother. We were the exact same power, so are you shared an egg.

Speaker 1:

I have no clue about all that, but I know I was inside my mother. I do know that. Yes, yes, this is one of those moments where I will admit I don't know, and so that's amazing Having the exact same power, strength, having the exact same everything. It was like we immediately were born, getting attention without even asking for it. I know that sounds ridiculous. Going to the grocery store, I remember being probably four or three, if god knows, and tv news producers in south florida would come up to mom and dad all the time and say we would love to have your twins on our TV show, not because we were nice, not because we were sweet, not because we were cute, not because of this or that, just because to fill that one little black and white checkmark box.

Speaker 1:

That is not engaging enough. That is not anything. You know. We have to produce so much more than just a pretty product. We have to produce so much more than just a pretty product. We have to do so much more than just giving people product to expect them to make you a $100 million brand. That is not going to happen. The way that it's going to happen is by you utilizing strategies either that you know or that someone else knows. That's just the reality of it.

Speaker 2:

Ernest, every time I have someone on and I get so obsessed and excited like we need to continue this. This was so good. I love a branding chat. I will always chat with you.

Speaker 1:

Literally, I mean it Because at the end of the day, again, there's no gatekeeping. I am I'll repeat it till the day I die. My family has been manufacturing corrugated boxes for six generations. Okay, you put your product to ship to consumers, probably through one of my family's things from six generations ago. It's already been done. This is nothing new. That's why that's. It's nothing other than the point of it's nothing new.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, this has been done.

Speaker 1:

Literally. Louis Vuitton has been going for how long, mm hmm, chanel has been going for how long.

Speaker 2:

I mean, I can actually tell you, I can actually tell you, and I bet you could.

Speaker 1:

In reality it's. There's nothing new. The consumer and the people will tell us what they want.

Speaker 2:

Ironically, Louis Vuitton has always been a luxe customer. I mean, when they started, it was with luggage cases.

Speaker 2:

And they were able to usurp a market from a British trunk company because they realized they could do it better. From a British trunk company because they realized they could do it better. So if you know who your customer is and you stay crystal clear at it, you know that they can afford to do that. From when the market dropped for the first time, of coming up with a bag that was meant for champagne while the rest of the people were on lines for bread Correct, you got to know your customer Then also, you have to know your competitors especially today.

Speaker 2:

You know, I want to dig into this one.

Speaker 1:

You know having your competitor analysis and seeing what your market share would be or could not be. I need you to understand, just because a market is that XYZ trillion dollar cap, oh my God. Multi-billion dollar component. Are you really going to put your effort to be the next McDonald's? The next McDonald's? It's just reality. Are you reinventing French fries, my dear, I know.

Speaker 2:

I know, that's just the reality of it.

Speaker 1:

You know, everyone wants to. John Cena is now a beauty influencer. Did you see?

Speaker 2:

Oh, I saw that. I saw that Listen, I like no hair.

Speaker 1:

I love me some John Cena, and only not because of the media. I met him at a pancake house literally an IHOP and he was the coolest person. Not because he's a this or that. There's no reason. I get the point and I get the understanding. They want men and in the athletic world to be able to be attached to the beauty world. I get it. We have been seeing this starting to creep up, especially since the hype of athletes really getting these like fashion deals and beauty deals and whatnot, but that's just why does John?

Speaker 1:

Cena need a Neutrogena.

Speaker 2:

Unless he's an ambassador. I know, well there's that. But since the term metrosexual came about, on Sex and the City, honestly it's been done. It just has to be done in a way like any other product, like do it strategically? Like when Nova took their car to Mexico to launch and didn't think that their name wouldn't work. The car wouldn't sell because in Spanish Nova means it doesn't go. You got to do your homework. Oh my God, that's spectacular.

Speaker 2:

I know there's so much. Thank you so much for joining us. How can we find you? Follow you, Because we're going to be back with you for sure. Perfect.

Speaker 1:

But the best way is, honestly, through Instagram. My name is Ernest E-R-N-E-S-T. Every day, because I'm just the same person every single day this hot mess of a box. But I think it's a great time when you see me on Instagram and you'll know for a fact I'm the exact same human being.

Speaker 2:

Which is I love that. Oh my God, Ernest, it's been an absolute delight. Thank you so much. Thank you, Emily. Thanks for listening. Don't forget to rate and review and follow us on every single platform at Handbag Designer. Thanks so much. See you next time.

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Emily Blumenthal

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