Jessica Alba Felt Like an Imposter When She Ran the Honest Company

5 hours ago

<p id=”par-1_39″><a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/actors/”>Actor</a> Jessica Alba transitioned from <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/jessica-alba-considered-leaving-acting-success-business.html/”>actor to business mogul</a> when she founded her Honest company. But although she was used to playing many roles throughout her career, she initially felt ill-suited for her real-life role as a company executive.</p>

<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-jessica-alba-felt-imposter-syndrome-when-she-founded-her-honest-company”>Jessica Alba felt imposter syndrome when she founded her Honest Company</h2>

<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-1″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/honest-jessica-alba.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Jessica Alba speaks onstage during 2016 Milken Institute Global Conference while wearing a blue dress.” class=”wp-image-3737458″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Jessica Alba | Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images</figcaption></figure>

<p id=”par-2_82″>At one point in time, even Alba wouldn’t have predicted she’d find herself running an entire company. According to her interview with <a href=”https://www.forbes.com/sites/danschawbel/2012/08/27/exclusive-jessica-alba-on-becoming-an-entrepreneur/”>Forbes</a>, she formed Honest company after her first pregnancy. Her difficulty finding necessary and healthy baby products for her firstborn inspired her to develop the organization .When her skin developed a bad reaction to a product she was recommended, Alba started looking for much safer alternatives. Then she considered providing safer alternatives for other parents who were in similar situations.</p>

<p id=”par-3_96″>“Frustrated about the lack of healthy options that performed and were accessible, I saw a void that needed to be filled,” Alba said. “I wanted to make it easier for myself—and for all families—to have safe, beautifully designed, affordable products that actually worked. As I did due diligence in the ‘Eco’ marketplace, I saw there was a social injustice that the average family couldn’t easily find or purchase healthy products. So, I created Honest.com because, as a mom, I needed it, wanted it, and believed we could make the world a better place for my children and families everywhere.”</p>

<p id=”par-4_39″>Her company grew from an online retailer to a global phenomenon. But before its evolution, Alba asserted that running a company took some getting used to. It reminded her of the same insecurities she had when <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/jessica-albas-mom-told-going-make-stop-acting-cosmetic-choice.html/”>she started acting</a>.</p>

<p id=”par-5_63″>“I kind of felt like an imposter,” Alba said according to <a href=”https://www.popsugar.com/latina/jessica-alba-latina-representation-interview-43132617″>Pop Sugar</a>. “Like, they’re going to catch onto the fact that I didn’t go to theater school, or that I don’t have a background like other people whose parents are in the business. And so I always kind of felt like they were going to find out, and I don’t belong here.”</p>

<p id=”par-6_12″>It didn’t help that Alba had plenty of critics feeding her doubts.</p>

<p id=”par-7_68″>“When I first started, they were like, ‘You’re an actress. What do you know about business? There’s no way you can start a company. Go be a face of something,’” she said. “‘Why don’t you just do licensing?’ I felt like, ‘I should have gone to business school. I should have gone to college and I need to have a different kind of background than what I have.’”</p>

<p id=”par-8_14″>But in the end, Alba realized there was a lot of power in determination.</p>

<p id=”par-9_36″>“And what I learned is, if you are curious and you are determined, you can do it. It is possible, especially in this country. If you want to create a different reality, it’s possible,” she said.</p>

<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-jessica-alba-took-a-similar-strategic-approach-to-business-that-she-did-with-acting”>Jessica Alba took a similar strategic approach to business that she did with acting</h2>

<p id=”par-10_48″>Alba pulled from her own experiences in the acting industry to succeed with Honest. Unlike some celebrities who only wanted to become actors, Alba gave her acting dream a cutoff point. If she didn’t make it in the film industry past a certain age, she’d pursue other opportunities.</p>

<p id=”par-11_55″>“I thought, ‘I have a year to do this and if I don’t make any money then I’m going back to college,’” she recalled in an interview with <a href=”https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/people-parties/bazaar-at-work/news/a38616/jessica-alba-honest-interview/”>Harper’s Bazaar</a>. “I’m not going to be poor and struggle. I grew up in a poor household and I know that not having any money isn’t funny.”</p>

<p id=”par-12_53″>That year was all that was needed to set Alba on the path to acting. But she was already applying her mind for business in the field without even realizing it. She came up with a solid plan to match or even surpass her contemporaries, who she felt had significant advantages over her.</p>

<p id=”par-13_51″>“I’ve always been data-driven and very analytical even when acting,” she said. “There was plenty of actresses who are very attractive and talented and I always knew that I was never the best. I took a very strategic approach to it all. I wanted to establish myself as a global brand.”</p>

<p id=”par-14_36″>Those same instincts helped her blend in with other business executives in her field, while at the same time helping her company stand out. Alba knew what it took to <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/jessica-alba-felt-lifestyle-advice-grounded-gwyneth-paltrows-goop.html/”>match or beat out her competitors</a>.</p>

<p id=”par-15_48″>“You have to keep your finger on the pulse,” Alba said when describing the key to her company’s success. “If you stop innovating, people will surpass you. Stay focused and try not to take in too much of what others are doing. Confidence and decisiveness are so important.”</p>