My post
Beautiful People,
My Monday hero is Josie Natori, the CEO and founder of The Natori Company that specializes in lingerie, nightwear, loungewear, home goods and fragrance. The company’s products are sold in upscale department stores in the US, and to at least 15 countries internationally.
Josie Natori was born in the Philippines and moved to Purchase, NY in 1964 to attend Manhattanville College. She earned an economics degree, and after graduation, worked for the stock brokerage firm and investment bank Bache & Company on Wall Street. Later, she moved to Merrill Lynch where she became the first female Vice President in corporate finance. But Josie wanted more; she wanted to build something herself.
She met her husband on Wall Street, and got married in 1972. In 1974, she became a United States citizen and two years later she gave birth to her son.
Josie and her husband considered a few ideas for starting her own business - from opening a car wash to running a McDonald's franchise. In 1977, she started her fashion company after a buyer at Bloomingdale's liked a nightgown design she created from what was originally a hand-embroidered blouse sent to her from her native Philippines.
Today, the Natori company has nearly 400 employees. Josie's husband is chairman, and her son is vice-president of finance and e-commerce. In 2011, Natori collaborated with Target for a budget-friendly line of lingerie and loungewear. That same year, her company generated $150 million in retail sales.
In April, 2007, Josie received the "Peopling of America" Award from the Statue of Liberty - Ellis Island Foundation.
In an interview to Yahoo finance, she said: "Some people may see their immigrant status as an obstacle. I have always viewed it as one of my biggest assets. Natori is unique in the design world, because of its East-meets-West aesthetic. All of that is due to my background and heritage."
Josie has a unique combination of self-confidence, intelligence, perseverance, and resourcefulness that helped her achieve her dreams.
Her advice to immigrant entrepreneurs: "There is no better place in the world for an immigrant to succeed than in the U.S." I couldn’t agree more.
Josie Natori, you are such an inspiration to me!
XO,
Sharon
My Monday hero is Josie Natori, the CEO and founder of The Natori Company that specializes in lingerie, nightwear, loungewear, home goods and fragrance. The company’s products are sold in upscale department stores in the US, and to at least 15 countries internationally.
Josie Natori was born in the Philippines and moved to Purchase, NY in 1964 to attend Manhattanville College. She earned an economics degree, and after graduation, worked for the stock brokerage firm and investment bank Bache & Company on Wall Street. Later, she moved to Merrill Lynch where she became the first female Vice President in corporate finance. But Josie wanted more; she wanted to build something herself.
She met her husband on Wall Street, and got married in 1972. In 1974, she became a United States citizen and two years later she gave birth to her son.
Josie and her husband considered a few ideas for starting her own business - from opening a car wash to running a McDonald's franchise. In 1977, she started her fashion company after a buyer at Bloomingdale's liked a nightgown design she created from what was originally a hand-embroidered blouse sent to her from her native Philippines.
Today, the Natori company has nearly 400 employees. Josie's husband is chairman, and her son is vice-president of finance and e-commerce. In 2011, Natori collaborated with Target for a budget-friendly line of lingerie and loungewear. That same year, her company generated $150 million in retail sales.
In April, 2007, Josie received the "Peopling of America" Award from the Statue of Liberty - Ellis Island Foundation.
In an interview to Yahoo finance, she said: "Some people may see their immigrant status as an obstacle. I have always viewed it as one of my biggest assets. Natori is unique in the design world, because of its East-meets-West aesthetic. All of that is due to my background and heritage."
Josie has a unique combination of self-confidence, intelligence, perseverance, and resourcefulness that helped her achieve her dreams.
Her advice to immigrant entrepreneurs: "There is no better place in the world for an immigrant to succeed than in the U.S." I couldn’t agree more.
Josie Natori, you are such an inspiration to me!
XO,
Sharon
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