Women 2.0 got some time with Miki Racine Berardelli, former CMO of both Chico’s and Tory Burch and current CEO of KIDBOX, a fast growing children’s fashion box vendor. Here’s a peek into her real life and what she plans to achieve at work.
Your company has a philanthropic aspect. Why?
KIDBOX is a brand with a social mission at our core. For every box kept by a customer, we provide new clothing to a child in need through our partnership with Delivering Good. We are hearing from our customers that they are starting the conversation about the importance of giving back earlier in their child’s life than they would have otherwise because of the KIDBOX shopping experience.
Give us a peek into your typical day.
I get up at 5 a.m. and hit my favorite gym for spin class. I grab a smoothie afterwards and head home to wake my boys and get them off to school. I get ready for work and take the train into the city, sifting through emails and text messages, reading sales reports and checking the news.
I spend my day at work just keeping up with the fast pace of a high growth business. I try to make time to connect with everyone on the team, even if it’s just a “Hello, how was your weekend” conversation.
After work, I may have a business dinner or event to attend, but if not, I get home in time to see my children and help with the sports carpool pick-up.
I usually end my day sitting with my husband catching up on the day’s events and drinking a cup of calming tea.
Why does KIDBOX have a Tel Aviv-based tech center? What are the advantages and challenges of having tech in a different company from rest of operations?
We’re fortunate to have an amazing team in Tel-Aviv comprised of developers, engineers, and data scientists. While we’re on different time zones, we look at it as an opportunity to have ’round the clock agility  and productivity.
Who are your business heroes?
Today, Mindy Grossman and Angela Ahrendts. Historically, Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein.
What are your favorite tech tools lately?
My iPhone 7 Plus!
Stitch Fix, Blue Apron, Purple Carrot, OwlCrate, Birchbox … Are boxes a trend that you see reaching a saturation point?
We don’t see boxes as a trend because they represent convenience in today’s environment of the time-starved consumer. KIDBOX is not a subscription. We allow customers to set their preferences and opt in to whichever seasonal boxes they want. It was important to provide our customers with the ultimate flexibility along with the experience of receiving a personally curated box of children’s fashion right to the doorstep.
I don’t see convenience, premier brands, and amazing value ever going out of style.
How are you feeling about moving from an executive role at larger companies – Chicos FAS and Tory Burch –Â to heading your own thing? Are there different hurdles? What’s different and what’s the same?
I have always worked in the most high-growth, “startup” divisions of the companies I have worked for, so I am accustomed to the pace and how every day presents a new challenge. The opportunity to build a company and team from the ground up is very special and I am laser focused on creating the best culture ever.
I like to say I “Hire happy and humble.” I’m building a strong, high-performance team comprised of people who work hard, drive results and come to work with a skip in their step.
One thing readers would be surprised to learn about you?
I am the youngest of four girls and I spent my entire childhood wearing hand-me-downs, so my friends joke that that is the reason I pursued a career in fashion!
