Q: Jacki! Hello, to celebrate International Women’s Day we would love to know what it means to you?

Jacki:

• Define your version of success: To define what success means to you – to me it is a constant will to be my best each day, and to be better than yesterday. To achieve and do great things fearlessly and to have fun whilst doing it. To make sure we lift up those around you, there is space out here for everyone to achieve. 

• Don’t compare yourself to others: Understand your path is unique to you and the will to be your best is what is important. 

• Embrace Feedback: The more the better as it is the best way to learn. Keep a learnings doc! Always write down what you’re learning and what you take from it

• Relationships are everything: Build relationships and connections and always stay in touch. Talk to people, connect, then remember to always stay in touch. 

• Do the self work: Reading and working on yourself outside your work and job is important. All of the business development and self help books will built your resilience, understanding and EQ – the most important factor in all work. 

• Accept failure as a step forward: Accept you that you will fail, and not everything will go your way, but learn from it, challenge yourself on it, and remember tomorrow is a new day. (I still do every single day…. Its hard but important to not get hung up on it). 

• Be Kind - To everyone.

Q: What are the top 3 things in your wardrobe that you wear to feel empowered?

Jacki: Jeans, shirt and my Chanel sling backs… and wearing a mini fearlessly.

Jacki: 

After finishing my sports science degree, I was certain for the Aus Institute of Sport as the scholarship basketball coach (basketball and Fashion being my greatest passions). I unfortunately wasn’t feeling the most inspired by bball at the time, so I thought this was the time for Fashion College – not sure how, but potentially after reading the international fashion magazines at a coffee shop in Paddington with my sister – our daily rituals!!

Off to Fashion College I went, determined to find out what this industry was about, and all I wanted to do was as much (free) work experience as possible! I was offered a job as Brand Manager for a Brand called True Religion Brand Jeans and for a small distributor who had just gained the rights. I nearly turned it down – were it not for the head of the college telling me to take it and that these positions rarely came up (the 30k annual salary didn’t enthuse me, but nonetheless I was in there at 7am each morning, leaving at 7pm, trying to learn everything I could).

I grew with this company, and that’s a whole another story – but managed to do my Execute Masters in Business Administration at the Australian Graduate School of Management at UNSW. One of the hardest things a sport science, fashion college kid could do. But as the saying goes, the hardest things are the most rewarding. It was 4 years of so much stress, pain, learning, joy and at the end it was all worth it, however I knew I wanted my own business.

After almost 10 years at the distributor, I said goodbye to my General Manager role, team of 40, all of my favourite brands that I had procured and a great business and decided to start out on my own!

January 2015! The Agncy was officially born, and I landed in LA, with no brands, no team, (no income) and ready to start! Anine Bing was the first brand I managed to sign for my agncy – and Nico Bing said it would change my life (I retorted with I would change their life in true JB fashion), but he was right it really did! Off and running I was with a brand no one knew or really wanted, and it was time to get it all happening. I do remember often looking around and thinking where is my team, oh right, here I go doing it all. But I loved it... I spent the first year in New York and Paris and flights around Australia, hustling, building, figuring it all out, and started breathing around year 3.