Entrepreneur

Diane von Furstenberg: Every Successful Person Feels Like a Loser (Even Me)

The fashion icon knows that things will go wrong, and that she'll have doubts -- even today! But she says there's just one thing entrepreneurs can always control: themselves.
Source: Courtesy of Diane von Furstenberg
Courtesy of Diane von Furstenberg

To most people, is a fashion icon -- the creator of a famous wrap dress, who built her namesake company into one of the most recognizable in the world. But von Furstenberg does not see herself this simply. She believes she’s a constant work in , having moved through multiple phases of her career and, even at the age of 72, happily on to the next. The hasn’t been without its bumps: She announced a handpicked successor for her company in 2016, but he resigned a year later. (She then picked another.) While she’s still involved in the business, she’s also thrown herself into new work -- dedicating herself to a wide causes, serving as chair of the , and more. After she spoke this fall at ’s centennial celebration, she sat down to tell her message for all entrepreneurs: No matter what happens, own it.

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