Jessica Simpson rose to fame through hard work and an amazing voice. She famously remained a virgin until she married Nick Lachey. Shortly after they wed, MTV featured them in the 2003 hit “Newlyweds,” a reality show about their young marriage.
Although their union didn’t last, she benefitted from the show by establishing a personal brand before social media became ubiquitous. Her style and flair were catching, and she noticed that fans copied her outfits when she met them at events. This became the inspiration for her clothing line.
Jessica’s mother, Tina, led the business, and famed Vince Camuto was their design partner. The clothes were authentic to her brand image: middle America, affordable fashion.
Unfortunately, Camuto died of cancer in 2015, and the Simpsons were unprepared for the dramatic change that would mean for their operations. When an investment company approached them with a financing deal and promises to expand the line into a multi-billion dollar operation, they made a deal.
The promises turned out to be empty. The partner was over-extended, failed to deliver manufactured goods to retailers, and after several years, still had no website for them. Jessica was at a low point in her life: not only did she not have control over her brand, but she was also struggling with alcoholism. In 2019, she experienced a difficult pregnancy and was hospitalized with bronchitis.
But the partner’s mismanagement awakened a fire inside the Simpsons. Tina took matters into her own hands by hiring a contractor to build a Shopify site and generated sales from items retailers hadn’t picked up. This gave them the confidence to move forward with plans to buy back the brand.
Initially, the partner rebuffed them and escalated the price. But soon the threat of bankruptcy loomed, and the Simpsons were suddenly in a much better bargaining position. They bought back the brand at a low price and began a turnaround.
Recapturing the brand has been part of a larger growth season for Jessica. She began to believe in herself. To her, the company is part of her identity, and she wants control.
Her time in reality television prepared her and her fans for the candor of social media, which is key to engendering brand loyalty today. Now, the Simpsons are firmly at the helm of the business. As Bloomberg BusinessWeek reports, “At the beginning of the business, it was a lot about people-pleasing. Then we realized we actually are the leaders.” She knows how to find product-market fit and has the ability to execute her plans.
Emerging victorious from a battle with addiction empowered her to write openly about her struggles. When her book became a No. 1 New York Times bestseller, she was overwhelmed that “people do want to hear my voice.” Authenticity is what has always drawn people to her, as a performer, a trendsetter, and now as a writer.
Eventually, she realized that they were trying to blame her for their own inaction. They reportedly called her “irrelevant” and ignored her suggestions. They triggered her insecurities as a way to deflect attention from their incompetence.
We see similar behavior in Joab when he attacked Amasa. In 2 Samuel 19:13, David stripped Joab of his position as leader of his army because of the way he handled the battle with Absalom. Joab let his emotions get the best of him and disobeyed David’s direct order not to harm the young man.
David handed the role to his nephew Amasa, a man who may have struggled with his own insecurities as the son of an Ishmaelite. The move was strategic for David because, under Absalom, Amasa became military commander. Giving Amasa this role on his team was a way to rebuild bridges with the tribes of Israel, who had followed Absalom.
Unfortunately, Amasa was new in the role and was not able to mobilize the army against a rebel group in the time David asked. The king sent Abishai to carry out the urgent mission. Joab went along with him. When they caught up to Amasa, Joab seized the opportunity to greet him and stab him with his dagger. The sight of Amasa in a pool of his own blood caused a shockwave to paralyze the army as they passed by. A soldier covered him with a cloak and moved him off the road so they could move on.
The Simpsons’ livelihood and brand could have easily fallen like Amasa and paralyzed other women who, like Jessica, wanted to control their destiny and build their own successful brand. She could have continued to believe the lies that she was not good enough and didn’t have what it takes to run a business. But she and her mother saw through their lies and realized that behind the hubris lay ineptitude.
Takeaways:
- Even non-traditional experiences can prepare us for success
- Dismissiveness indicates hubris and should be a red flag in a business associate
- We are capable of so much more than we think we are
