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Candice Galek is the Founder and CEO of Bikini Luxe, an online designer swimwear retailer. She’s a featured honoree on the Forbes 30 Under 30 List, and a Social Media Today and Inc. Magazine columnist. You may have seen her on LinkedIn where she went viral recently as the most viewed person in the world.
City where you’re from: Miami, FL
Hobbies: Creating content, networking, island hopping, and playing tennis.
Favorite quote: “Is this appropriate for LinkedIn?”
Social accounts : Twitter: @BikiniGeek Facebook: @BikiniGeek Instagram: @BikiniGeek Linkedin: @Bikini
Hey Candice, great having you on Future Sharks. What’s something new you’re doing with Bikini Luxe?
Candice Galek: Currently we’re focused on creating a user submitted content platform to give up and coming fashion bloggers and influencers a place to voice their opinion. Our blogs draw in a good amount of traffic already, but our writers are maxed out with all the work we give them. Many girls ask us to guest blog, so we thought we would give them a shot at creating content and let them share their style secrets, makeup tutorials, and best smoothie recipes with our readers.
How is Bikini Luxe different?
Candice Galek: We primarily feature fashion labels that are doing good within the community, but are still luxurious. They may only employ single mothers, or teach women who have faced homelessness or abuse a skill and provide them living wages. Some of them plant a tree for every product sold, others support the welfare of dogs in Bali. We’re focused on helping women make smart decisions when it comes to fashion and social causes. If you’re spending money on luxury swimwear, why not do some good for the community at the same time? We’re big on looking and feeling good, and I wanted to combine two of my passions which are shopping and helping others.
What’s your dream with your company?
Candice Galek: I’ve already exceeded my original expectations, so my goals have shifted. I’d like Bikini Luxe to have it’s own charity fund, to manufacture products that serve a larger purpose.
How do you creatively advertise?
Candice Galek: I like to spark conversation between strangers on social media. If you can get two groups of people to share their point of view, it often times leads to massive engagement thus thrusting your post to be seen by more people.
Who is your customer, and why?
Candice Galek: A #BikiniLuxeBabe is someone who doesn’t skimp on quality, because she knows what she wants and values style and fit. She is also someone who cares about the welfare of others, so she chooses Bikini Luxe to spoil herself while donating to important causes simultaneously.
What were your biggest failure and biggest success? What did you learn from them?
Candice Galek: My biggest success was probably in learning how to pitch effectively and landing in Forbes 8 times in 2016 and the 30 Under 30 List in 2017. Ironically, my biggest failure was taking on too much at once while I was getting a lot of publicity led to me being burnt out. You can’t do everything and be everything to everyone, at least not if you want to be good at it.
Value-add questions
Give the readers the best entrepreneurship advice you have.
Candice Galek: Focus on what you’re good at, and delegate everything else.
Teach us something about branding
Candice Galek: Be true to your brands personality. When your unique voice shines through, the followers and customers will come.
What’s something new you’ve learned in the past month?
Candice Galek: I’ve been soaking up as much advice from authors as possible. I’ve learned how to lay out ideas and schedule out chapters before writing so that you don’t go off on a tangent about something you won’t even be including.
Teach us something we don’t know (it’s vague and open-ended on purpose)
Candice Galek: You can be more effective if you word out tasks on your to-do list so that they don’t leave you asking questions. For example, instead of adding “Email John Back” you should write “Email John back providing him with a price sheet for services.” Your brain will view it as easier to accomplish when there’s no question as to what you actually have to do. Also, if it takes less than two minutes to do, just do it right away, don’t even add it to the list.
What do you think you do better than most people?
Candice Galek: Solve problems. I love to strategize.
What should an entrepreneur focus on?
Candice Galek: Execution of ideas. We’ve all got great ideas, but those who execute end out on top.
Where do you see yourself and your product in a couple years?
Candice Galek: Who knows, I never expected Bikini Luxe to turn into what it has, or that I would be able to share my lessons learned with others. I hope to be more hands off with the business, and be working on two to three more.
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