Actor, singer and entrepreneur Hilary Duff talks to Entrepreneur Executive Editor Brittany Robins about the new air fragrance company Below 60.
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00:00 - Hilary, thank you so much for doing this.
00:01 - Yeah.
00:02 - I'm sure you get pitched a ton of different projects
00:04 to partner on.
00:06 So what was it about Below 60 that really spoke to you
00:09 and what made you want to kind of delve
00:10 into the air fragrance space?
00:12 - Yeah, I was really inspired by this company
00:17 because I felt like it had so much space to evolve.
00:21 I love the people that are involved.
00:23 Brian Lee is so smart.
00:25 And he came to me at the very beginning of this product
00:29 in like the infancy stage.
00:30 And it's evolved into this beautiful product
00:33 that I use in my home and that I'm proud to gift friends
00:38 and that I get to have a personal stamp on.
00:42 And I'm constantly into new things.
00:45 And I'm the one that's shopping for my household
00:47 and making most of the decisions for my family.
00:50 Matt would agree, so it's fine that I say that.
00:52 But I think that I know what works
00:57 and what I constantly read by
00:58 and what I'm like sparked by and energized by.
01:01 And so getting to be involved in the creative process
01:05 in designing the scents was like definitely a bonus for me
01:10 because that's the kind of involvement that I like.
01:13 I get to be bossy and I get to be creative.
01:16 That works for me.
01:18 - I get it, I feel that.
01:20 So talk a little bit about your role
01:22 as chief brand director.
01:23 What does it entail?
01:24 And how has your kind of background as an actor
01:27 informed that role?
01:28 - Background as an actor?
01:29 I'm not sure about that.
01:30 I think more just being in the industry
01:33 for such a long time.
01:35 And finally being at the age where I respect
01:39 how long I've been doing this and understand my value
01:42 and what I bring to the table
01:44 has been something that I've just recently embraced
01:47 in the past like five years.
01:49 But then also just, like I said, being a consumer,
01:52 feeling like I know what I like to buy
01:54 and how to speak to women,
01:56 that is my, I feel like my biggest involvement
01:59 in the company.
02:00 This is a very universal, like clean looking device.
02:04 It used to stick out further and I was like,
02:06 I don't want that, I don't like the way that looks.
02:10 So, you know, they listen to me and I love that.
02:12 It's a really nice partnership with a lot of respect
02:16 and like I said, has so much space to continue to evolve.
02:19 So I'm definitely sparked by that.
02:21 - That's great and also I think when you're in the industry
02:23 you have to have some sort of level of like brand savviness
02:26 that probably also--
02:28 - It's also a learning space for me.
02:30 I have sold a lot of things for people
02:33 but I haven't really been like an owner in a company.
02:36 So this is like, of course I want it to succeed
02:39 but it's something that I believe in and I love
02:42 and I'm really excited to watch it grow
02:44 and to be a part of that from the ground up.
02:46 - That's great.
02:47 So I know you're launching
02:48 with three different scents right now, right?
02:49 What was kind of the inspiration behind those scents
02:52 and which is like your go-to right now?
02:55 - So my go-to right now is If Citrus Were a Feeling
02:59 and that's about to change
03:00 because the holiday season is coming up
03:02 and I don't like to admit that I'm basic
03:04 but in the holiday season I want what everybody else wants
03:07 which is like that holiday feeling.
03:09 We're going to be as fast as we can
03:11 trying to get a holiday scent out but you know, we're new
03:15 and this felt like a really nice collection
03:18 of our greatest hits.
03:20 It was really important to me
03:21 because the line is so clean looking and so universal
03:25 that the scents felt like they had a hook
03:28 and each one of them has a story
03:30 that's really fun behind them.
03:33 They have these really fun names
03:34 like If Citrus Were a Feeling.
03:35 - That's so cute.
03:36 - It's so cute.
03:38 Mint Disco on Ice is really playful and fun
03:42 and it's a very like fresh kind of cooling,
03:45 again, energetic fragrance
03:47 and then the Vanilla Biza Timeshare in Paradise
03:50 is a vanilla scent and it's very like traditional.
03:53 I love having it in my bedroom
03:56 but I also treat them a little bit like candles
03:58 where I'll unplug and I'll plug in all the same scents
04:01 so you're kind of getting consistency throughout the house.
04:04 If I'm like hosting a dinner party
04:06 and I want everything to kind of be cohesive
04:09 and there's some days where I'm like,
04:11 okay, Mint Disco on Ice in Luca's closet right now
04:15 with all of his shoes, go.
04:17 - That's amazing.
04:17 - Yeah, it's really fun
04:19 and mixing and matching or being like,
04:21 okay, I'm done with that and it's done in a month
04:23 because you've burned through it
04:25 and like the next iteration comes through.
04:27 - That makes sense.
04:28 So I know that the fragrances are also natural
04:32 and can you talk a little bit about
04:33 why that was important to you?
04:35 - I think there's a lot of home, home, home, right?
04:38 We're always buying things for our home
04:40 and I am not perfect and I don't claim to be.
04:44 I strive for balance in my house
04:47 and the choices that I make in life,
04:49 whether it's food or a brand that I'm into
04:51 or a skincare line that I'm using,
04:54 but this is the oils are 100% natural
04:58 and I love that 'cause when I think about essential oils,
05:02 I think of very like earthy things
05:04 and I definitely think that we'll be offering that,
05:07 but it's important to me
05:08 that we're putting good things in our home
05:11 and it's nice that we're at a stage
05:14 where companies can make things healthy
05:17 and also smell good.
05:18 - That makes sense.
05:19 - That aren't just like sage and lavender
05:21 and your typical like usual suspects.
05:23 - Okay, we're gonna shift gears a little bit.
05:25 So many of our readers are kind of contemplating
05:28 whether they should delve into the world of entrepreneurship
05:32 or are contemplating whether they want like a second act.
05:36 Obviously you're super successful
05:37 in the entertainment industry,
05:39 but I'm wondering if you have any sort of advice
05:41 for prospective entrepreneurs
05:44 who maybe have like carved a path
05:46 in a totally different field and kind of making that leap.
05:50 - It takes me literally years to like step back
05:53 and realize I've done something good and successful,
05:56 but I think that's what kind of keeps me going
05:58 and like igniting the fire.
06:00 And I think that as much as you can do,
06:05 obviously starting a business
06:07 takes up all your energy and time, right?
06:10 And many good brains involved to like execute something
06:15 and do it well.
06:16 But I never think that pivoting is a bad thing.
06:20 And I never think that failing is a bad thing.
06:23 And I never think you can get something right
06:25 the first time, you know?
06:26 So all of those things are something to think about.
06:30 If you know you work hard and you know you don't give up,
06:33 you should constantly like evolve and change.
06:36 And I don't think that's ever going to like hurt you.
06:39 And I think it would probably help you.
06:41 - Can you talk about a time when maybe you experienced
06:44 some sort of like setback,
06:45 whether it's related to business
06:47 or in the entertainment industry
06:48 and what you kind of learned from that experience?
06:50 - Oh yeah, I think that even just deciding
06:54 that I was going to get into music
06:56 from being an actress on TV,
06:57 and of course I was a child,
06:59 so you have a lot less inhibitions at the time,
07:02 but it was so hard to get people
07:04 to take me seriously as a singer,
07:06 'cause they were like, "Oh, she's on TV."
07:08 And now it's like, you have to be a singer,
07:10 an actress, an entrepreneur, you know,
07:13 have a skincare line, be a dancer,
07:16 like all of, you have to have it all.
07:17 You have to be able to do it all
07:19 in order to have anyone pay attention to you.
07:22 So I think that I was really fighting
07:24 being taken seriously back when I was starting
07:28 to get into music.
07:31 And then the same thing happened when I had a clothing line.
07:35 Thank goodness for the Olsen twins
07:36 who paved the way for actresses with a clothing line,
07:41 because it really made space for me.
07:43 - What are some productivity hacks that you swear by?
07:46 - Productivity, like how do I get things done?
07:48 - Yes.
07:49 - My answer is going to be so unrelatable.
07:52 - It's okay.
07:53 - I feel like--
07:54 - What, you have help?
07:55 - Yes. - Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's okay.
07:56 - My assistant, honestly. - That's okay.
07:58 - I'm like, okay, I need an hour and 45 minutes with you,
08:02 and I need to be upstairs in my bedroom,
08:06 hidden or in my bathroom,
08:07 hidden away from any distractions in the house,
08:10 and I need to knock out this,
08:12 which has to do with my work,
08:13 and I need to respond to these kids' emails,
08:16 and this is going on,
08:17 and we just check things off the list.
08:19 I could never keep my world's orbit going round
08:24 without my assistant.
08:25 - That's understandable.
08:26 You are wearing a lot of hats, so.
08:28 What keeps you motivated in business, in life?
08:32 - Hmm, it's probably quite unhealthy,
08:34 but never feeling successful enough.
08:36 Again, when I step back,
08:38 I'm really proud of everything that I've done.
08:40 I'm proud of my career.
08:41 I'm proud of how long I've been here,
08:42 but I haven't ticked all the boxes yet
08:44 when people are like, oh, what's your favorite role?
08:46 What's the role that you're most proud of?
08:48 I'm like, not there yet.
08:50 Oh, what are you most proud of that you've accomplished
08:52 in this area?
08:53 I'm like, not there yet.
08:55 In my family life, in my home,
08:57 I'm so satiated and happy and content there.
09:02 Obviously, it's exhausting,
09:05 but I feel like I'm really in my element there.
09:08 And then with my work stuff, I'm constantly like,
09:11 okay, what's next, what's next?
09:12 How do I move forward?
09:13 How do I get this?
09:14 But I like that, and I love to work.
09:15 So, and I've worked since I was 12,
09:17 so it's important for me to have that element in my life
09:20 to feel like everything at home can be okay.
09:23 I need to leave home.
09:25 - Well, one last question.
09:27 You've talked about, obviously, starting really young
09:29 in the entertainment industry.
09:30 What's one piece of advice
09:32 that you wish you could have told your younger self?
09:34 - Oh my gosh, that's so hard.
09:36 I think that I would be like,
09:37 hey, this doesn't mean a lot to you right now,
09:39 but you're gonna have really good relationships
09:42 and be surrounded by a lot of love when you grow up.
09:45 Like, you're gonna be okay.
09:46 You're gonna make it, and you're gonna be okay.
09:49 And it's supposed to feel like this right now.
09:51 I think I would say that.
09:52 'Cause there's, I think being young
09:54 is such a confusing time as is.
09:56 And then you layer on top of it,
09:57 having a public job and not being able
10:00 to always control the narrative
10:02 or what people are saying about you
10:04 or how well something does.
10:05 And so I think I would just be like,
10:07 you make it out alive.
10:09 - You're okay, you're good.
10:11 Awesome, thank you so much, Hilary.
10:12 - Yeah, of course, thanks for talking to me.
10:14 (bright music)
10:17 [MUSIC PLAYING]