Many people know Bethenny Frankel from "The Real Housewives of New York," but the 44-year old is more than just an average reality star as she is also the creator of the highly successful Skinnygirl brand. Frankel recently spoke to Fox Business Network's Melissa Francis about her cocktail empire, and how several major brands have been coming up to "copy" her.
"Luckily I was the first woman to ever speak to women in cocktails, it was an original idea but I had all the other big brands coming up to copy me," the "RHONY" star said to Francis on Tuesday, June 9. "You have to know if your idea is original enough and you can get out there first and best and strongest. You want to make sure no one else can do it and you want to make sure you get the trademark."
In the current season of her hit Bravo show, Frankel was seen in several episodes coaching some of her fellow housewives on how to market and run a business. When Francis asked her what's the biggest mistake that the average American makes when trying to get a business off the ground, Frankel said that sometimes, people can get caught up in the idea that someone is going to steal their concept and get caught up in the paperwork. She revealed that some of her fellow Housewives have made that very mistake.
"They look at me and look at what I'm doing and what everyone is doing. Get your idea, be passionate about it, and keep it moving and make it happen," she said.
Frankel's Skinnygirl empire now boasts an estimated net worth of $25 million. She started the business back in 2011 with a margarita mix and then grew with wines, Moscato, and Proseco. Frankel has also gone into the non-alcoholic drinks and natural food snacks market. And though she partners with different brands for the distribution and manufacturing, the mother of one says that she still has a hand behind all the products.
"I do all the marketing, come up creatively with the flavors, and pick good partners," she said.
