Leigh Rawdon founded Tea Collection in 2002 with a dream of developing an innovative children’s clothing collection with global purpose. Tea Collection has since grown into a multimillion-dollar children’s brand that helps educate followers of different cultures, while giving back economically.
Twice a year, Leigh and her team explore a new region of the world and transform their discoveries into high-quality, modern and sustainably-sourced kids clothing, while giving back to the local communities that serve as a key source of brand inspiration.
Through her partnership with The Global Fund for Children, Leigh has donated more than $500,000 to local, grassroots organizations, which benefit from the sale of every piece of Tea Collection sold.
Under her leadership, Tea Collection has been recognized in Inc. Magazine’s “Inc 500” list of America’s 500 fastest growing private companies, as well the San Francisco Business Times’ list of largest women-owned companies in the Bay Area.
Leigh grew up in a suburb of Memphis, earned a BA in English from Davidson College and went on to graduate with an MBA from Harvard Business School. Later she taught Entrepreneurship as a lecturer at Stanford Graduate School of Business before launching Tea Collection.
A philanthropist at heart, she is a member of the Young Presidents Organization and serves on the Silicon Valley Advisory Council for the Global Fund for Children. Leigh resides in San Francisco with her husband and two boys.
Share the Show
If you enjoyed the podcast, please tell your friends and give us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts. Click here to subscribe.
Sneak Peek Into What You’ll Learn…
02:47 – Do you know that traveling the world can change your perspective? We hear Leigh’s backstory — from childhood to business school — as she shares her Tea Collection journey.
7:54 – Tea Collection is all about inspiring people to be curious and connected. Leigh describes how the design team explores new regions of the world to come up with fresh designs.
11:56 – Leigh explains how she moved from inspiration to implementation. Too many people breed ideas but do nothing about them. For Leigh, a hurdle is just another puzzle to solve.
16:05 – Everybody is different and every family is different. We hear about the first “real business” Leigh started in her teens and the role of parents in nurturing talent and confidence in their kids.
22:34 – The startup years. Leigh takes us back to the early days as she shares how she and Emily started the business at a time when capital was hard to come by.
27:44 – Leigh delves more into different ways of financing a startup and describes how she created a sustainable business model.
33:45 – How does Tea Collection grow year after year in a tough industry? Leigh talks about catering to the next generation of moms while focusing on what distinguishes this business from the rest.
38:04 Leigh knew that people were the most important thing in running a business, but she admits she didn’t realize how much of a challenge it could be. She elaborates on what that has meant.
42:12 We discuss the role of mentors in Leigh’s entrepreneurship journey. She provides clear advice on how to cultivate wisdom from a wide range of people.
44:31 Your “why” defines your “how.” Leigh takes us behind the curtain to reveal how she juggles entrepreneurship and family responsibilities.
51:16 – Brass Tacks: The lightning round of concrete advice and tips.
Quotable quotes:
“I don’t ever see a hurdle as the end; I see it as just the next puzzle to solve.”
“There are other ways to get money… The path you choose really should be based on what you want as your long-term plan.”
“It takes a lot of self awareness to figure out what you want that might be very different than what other people want.”
“Ours is like the OG: We’re like we’ve done it since the beginning and that’s who we are and that’s who we will be.”
“With an entrepreneur, there’s no formal mentorship process.”
“I can learn anything from anyone, anywhere.”
