Melissa and Doug Bernstein, Co-Founders of Melissa and Doug, Episode 168
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Melissa and Doug Bernstein are co-founders of the wildly successful toy company Melissa & Doug. They have spent the last 30 years helping children discover themselves, their passions, and their purpose through open-ended play, designed over 5,000 innovative products for children of all ages, and sold billions of dollars of toys worldwide..
Melissa and Doug are with me on the podcast this week to share why coming from families of educators was the impetus for their mission-based toy business. They discuss the great combination of teamwork that has made their partnership successful and how their skills complement each other in their company. Melissa also shares her personal journey to becoming a better, more authentic leader and how she has brought that self-discovery into the company so others can also learn to bring their whole selves to work.
“There's nothing as powerful as authentic leadership.” - Melissa Bernstein
“Melissa and I, from our very first date, were talking about things that we wanted to do for the world, make it a better place.” - Doug Bernstein
“I believe that the cry of our soul to be seen authentically grows so loud that we cannot deny it any further.” - Melissa Bernstein
This Week on The Wow Factor:
How Melissa and Doug met through their families
When they founded their business and why they made the leap into making incredible products for children
Why they take such pride in continuing to innovate, and how they leverage their curiosity
Why the first product they manufactured was dubbed number 30
The moment they uncovered a serious deception and how it turned out to be one of the most extraordinary things that could have happened
How they have built such incredible relationships and loyalty among their retail base
The way they work with their distributors and why it was such a steep learning curve in the beginning
Melissa’s personal journey of self-discovery and acceptance and how she is helping adults strengthen their resilience, spark joy and unlock their full potential through her new venture, Lifelines
How they communicate their culture of authenticity and vulnerability in the company
The benefits they have seen from inviting investors into the group
Melissa and Doug’s Word of Wisdom:
Many leaders lead out of how they think they should be, and they look from the outside in as to who they should emulate. But the truth is, there's nothing as powerful as authentic leadership, which means just having the courage to discover who you are and your unique style, and then having the fortitude to communicate that.
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