A Successful CEO Shares the Biggest Mistake New Employees Make
In honor of our co-founders Hillary Kerr and Katherine Power’s new book, The Career Code: Must-Know Rules for a Strategic, Stylish, and Self-Made Career ($13), we’re kicking off an interview series featuring 17 questions (to parallel the book’s 17 chapters) about the work lives of inspirational female leaders who are at the top of their fields. We last spoke with Fitcode’s CEO and co-founder, Rian Buckley, and this week another startup maven is making waves under the lifestyle umbrella—meet Ariel Kaye, founder and CEO of Parachute home, the bed and bath company that's going above and beyond.
Ariel Kaye has a black belt in building brands, and she’s using it to put you to sleep. The founder and CEO of Parachute, the fast-growing home essentials brand based in Venice Beach, California, spent 10 years working in brand development and advertising in New York before launching one of the most watched (and lauded) startups on the West Coast. Two years after its launch, Parachute has been called out by a who’s who of venerable publications in both the lifestyle and business realm, including Forbes, Business Insider, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Architectural Digest, and Elle Décor—–but who’s counting.
The CEO holds a master's degree in media studies from the New School and a bachelor of arts from the Gallatin School at NYU. She’s also a certified yoga instructor and a surfer. Her pedigree makes her the perfect poster child for the holistic wellness–meets–competitive business model. Born out of Kaye’s instinctual eye for trend forecasting and keen market sensibility, Parachute’s eco-friendly, direct-to-consumer business model is disrupting the textiles marketplace one good night’s rest at a time. The idea for the company sparked when Kaye’s insight to consumer purchase behavior and growing public interest dovetailed with her own personal life. Simply put, she noticed her friends and contemporaries had zero brand loyalty when it came to where they bought their bedding.
With a company ethos that merges design and wellness, quality and craftsmanship, Parachute makes premium-quality home essentials that won’t break your wallet. The bedding and bath collections are built on one tenant: Starting and ending your day well leads to a happier, healthier life. We couldn’t agree more. In person, Kaye is charismatic, wildly articulate, and enormously informed. She’s also not above rolling up her sleeves and jumping into any task when it comes to her business. After you hear her take on startup culture and boldly striking out of your own, we think you’re going to walk away with a bit of a crush.
