880. Sisters Gorjana Reidel Of gorjana And Iva Pawling Of Richer Poorer On The True Reality Of Entrepreneurship

It’s always so refreshing to have real, honest conversations about entrepreneurship with women who also have big visions. I’m joined by fashion powerhouse sisters Gorjana Reidel and Iva Pawling to talk all about what drives their creativity, how they lead from their intuition, and ways that they support themselves mentally as businesswomen, mothers, and wives. Gorjana and her husband Jason are behind the multi-million dollar gorjana jewelry brand, and Iva is the CEO and Co-Founder of Richer Poorer, an elevated essentials brand. They share how growing up in an immigrant household shaped their work ethic, what their biggest business challenges are, and what they do to relax and recharge. Plus, Gorjana and Iva share the story and design process of their first ever co-designed capsule collection for charity. 

 

IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT:

Gorjana and Iva’s advice for people who are at the beginning of their entrepreneurial journey  The difference between visionaries and integrators  Creating impactful brand experiences  Relying on blind confidence to make decisions  How they lean on each other for support  Pushing back on the hustle mentality  The idea behind their gorjana x Richer Poorer collection 

 

RESOURCES

Shop the gorjana x Richer Poorer collection at gorjana.com/gorjana-x-richer-poorer  Sign up for The Spritz newsletter at litepink.com! Text PODCAST to 310-496-8363 for updates and a chance to be featured on the show!

 

CONNECT WITH GORJANA 

Shop gorjana: gorjana.com 

Follow gorjana: @gorjana 

 

CONNECT WITH IVA 

Shop Richer Poorer: richer-poorer.com 

Follow Richer Poorer: @richerpoorer 

Follow Iva: @ivapawling 

 

CONNECT WITH LORI

Follow me: @loriharder

Follow Lite Pink: @drinklitepink

Follow Earn Your Happy: @earnyourhappy

Follow Girlfriends & Business: @girlfriendsandbusiness

Listen to Girlfriends & Business

 

ABOUT GORJANA & IVA

Gorjana Reidel was born and raised in Serbia until she was seven years old and later made her way to the United States by way of Canada. She lived with her grandparents who were a significant influence to her creativity. Gorjana’s childhood home was full of handmade trinkets, which ignited her passion of creation and ultimately led her to visualize gorjana as a brand.

 

After completing her degree in Marketing at Arizona State University she moved with her (now) husband, Jason, to California. While working in the jewelry department at Neiman Marcus, Gorjana realized she had a love for jewelry design. She soon started working with a local designer to learn all aspects of the jewelry-making business. She set out to design fun, versatile jewelry that all of her friends would want - at an accessible price point.

 

At 26, she did just that. Gorjana launched her namesake jewelry collection with an accessible price point that had the look and feel of high-end jewelry. During their humble beginnings, Gorjana and Jason would drive thousands of miles selling their collection and fulfill orders from their apartment. The pair ultimately grew out of the apartment and into an artist’s studio in the canyon of Laguna Beach, California. 

 

gorjana has since grown into a multi-million dollar business with high-profile customers that include the likes of Michelle Obama. Gorjana still maintains the welcoming price point and customer experience, which has allowed the expansion of their DTC stores across the country, with more store openings announced in 2022. 

ABOUT IVA

Iva Pawling is the CEO and Co-Founder of Richer Poorer. Iva has taken the company through fundraising, an early acquisition, and a founder buy back over the last decade. She leads the company’s strategic planning, brand direction and product category expansion with an irritating level of persistence. Iva has been featured in Forbes, Inc., LA Times and included in the 100 Powerful Women of 2020 in Entrepreneur Magazine. She has spent her entire 20-year career in the fashion industry, starting out in the PR closet at Kate Spade and ending in overseeing Brand Development for her sister’s namesake jewelry brand Gorjana, prior to founding Richer Poorer. Iva holds a B.S. in Communications from Arizona State University.