Rotate Your Closet with Jessie & Hannah

Just Fake It: Coming to LA

We welcome Jessie Somekh and Hannah Graves, two dynamic entrepreneurs who share their journey from the East Coast to LA. Listen in as we discuss their unique backgrounds, the challenges of starting a business in a new city, and the inspiration behind their innovative fashion rental platform, Rotate Your Closet.

Jessie begins by sharing her story of moving west from New York, attending Vanderbilt in Nashville, and working at Microsoft in Seattle. She talks about navigating a male-dominated tech environment and her eventual transition to Nordstrom and Amazon. Hannah, from Boston, discusses her academic background in psychology at Bates College, her passion for digital advertising and marketing, and her experience at Dartmouth's accelerated business program.

We then dive into their decisions to move to LA. Jessie explains how the city's creative and tech communities, along with the sunny weather, influenced her lifestyle and career. Hannah shares her unique experience of commuting between Boston and LA, enjoying the best of both worlds while reconnecting with her sister and Jessie.

Next, we explore the inspiration behind Rotate Your Closet. Jessie and Hannah describe how their shared love for fashion and the desire to create a sustainable business model sparked the idea for their peer-to-peer fashion rental platform. They discuss the challenges and successes of starting a community-based business during the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing the importance of confidence and faking it till you make it in the business world.

Jessie and Hannah share valuable insights from their entrepreneurial journey, highlighting the significance of understanding and believing in your product. They recount anecdotes of navigating investor meetings and the crucial role of community and collaboration in their success.

The conversation takes a fun turn as we all share personal stories about our unique pieces of clothing and fashion quirks. Jessie’s tale of her brown suede harness and walkie-talkie adventures and Hannah’s love for rose brooches and her vintage Ninja Turtle jacket add a personal touch to the discussion.

As we near the end of the episode, Jessie and Hannah explain how Rotate Your Closet works, covering rental pricing, dry cleaning fees, and community-based quality control. They also discuss their plans for expanding into accessories and other fashion items, and their vision for building a sustainable, peer-to-peer fashion community.

We thank Jessie and Hannah for sharing their inspiring journey and insights. We wrap up the episode with a call to action, encouraging listeners to follow the podcast and guests on social media and to check out Rotate Your Closet for unique fashion rentals.

Links:
https://www.rotateyourcloset.co/