Business Success through Culture, Talent, and Innovation with Jyothi Rao of INTERMIX

Jyothi Rao is the CEO of INTERMIX, a fashion brand for women. After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Business and Marketing, Jyothi joined The Gap Inc., where she would spend 16 years of her career ascending its ranks, serving in different capacities, and handling various brands. In 2014, after working as the EVP GM of Glit, Jyothi returned to Gap to become the CEO of INTERMIX—then a Gap portfolio company—and led the organization’s transformation into the leading omnichannel fashion boutique that it is known as today.

Jyothi joins me today to discuss the power of culture in successfully growing a business. She shares her journey at The Gap and explains why INTERMIX became an independent company. She explains the value of staying with a company longer and why organizations should foster creativity and innovation. Jyothi also describes how she led the company through the height of COVID-19 and shares her advice for Entreprenistas who want to rebuild and reinvent their organization’s culture.

“The culture you build determines the talent that comes in and the talent that you keep. Talent and culture are the foundations of a successful business.” – Jyothi Rao

This week on the Entreprenista Podcast:

• Jyothi’s journey at The Gap Inc.
• The marriage of economics and fashion and Jyothi’s early days at The Gap
• The advantages of joining a portfolio company
• The normalcy of job-hopping today and why people need to stay at a job longer
• What it was like to bring INTERMIX online for the first time
• The importance of building culture that fosters creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship
• Tips for anyone who wants to rebuild and shift an organization’s culture
• Jyothi’s interview process to assess if a candidate is a culture-fit
• Her day-to-day responsibilities as the CEO of INTERMIX
• Why INTERMIX decided to become an independent company
• How Jyothi led her team and managed business processes during the first few months of COVID-19
• The advantages and challenges of remote-working
• What’s next for INTERMIX

Our Favorite Quotes:

• “Building upon a business over time and adding value to an organization is a skillset I encourage people to have.” – Jyothi Rao
• “Don’t think of your career as a ladder but as a jungle gym. There’s nothing wrong with taking a few sidesteps and lateral movements and pivoting, but you have to play the long game.” – Jyothi Rao
• “People feel that they need to always go up, up, and up. But the straight road is not the most exciting journey. Something that meanders a bit is much more exciting.” – Jyothi Rao

Connect with Jyothi Rao:

• INTERMIX
• INTERMIX on LinkedIn
• INTERMIX on Instagram
• INTERMIX on Facebook
• INTERMIX on Twitter
• Jyothi Rao on LinkedIn

Join the Entreprenista League!

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Free Virtual Event Series with Shopify

Do you have an e-commerce business or are you thinking about launching one? We are excited to announce that we’re launching a free virtual event series with Shopify to give small business owners the tools and motivation they need to get their e-commerce store up and running. 

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The virtual events will be hosted by experts that range from marketing, sourcing, merchandising, shipping, and procurement to help you connect all of the dots to start a successful online business, 

Shopify is also giving entreprenistas a 30-day free trial to launch your online store. When you attend the events, you’ll also be entered to win a free website store build valued at over $2,500!

Head over to www.entreprenista.com/shopify to get your free trial and join the Entreprenista on Shopify community.

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