Power Women: Hila Klein of Teddy Fresh On How To Successfully Navigate Work, Love and Life As A Powerful Woman

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood “backstory”?

I was born in Tel Aviv, Israel, and completed all of my education there including my higher education at Shenkar College of Engineering, Design and Art in Ramat Gan, Israel. After moving to the U.S. I would draw, and doodle in my own personal sketchbooks. Essentially with Teddy Fresh I take these concepts and bring them to life through apparel and accessories to share with the world.

Can you tell us the story about what led you to this particular career path?

Starting out I went to school for fine art, that led me to video art, which led me to YouTube. I was shooting and editing videos with my husband and over time we grew a following. It was very slow but we just had so much fun we became super committed to it. The moment we had saved up enough money to invest in the creation of the business, we immediately went for it. I designed a small capsule and hired one person to start the business, and since then Teddy Fresh has taken over my whole life. I actually applied to design college and was rejected, funnily enough. Don’t ever let rejection stop you.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

One time we almost got scammed of 150k, one of our manufacturers got their email hacked and they asked for a payment but wanted to change the payment info to a new name. My mothers’ intuition immediately came to action and I could tell something didn’t seem right. We contacted the owner through another avenue and he indeed confirmed that wasn’t him. It was the first time something like this happened to me. I was so relieved to not lose 150k, as you can imagine.

You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

I am a big collaborator and luckily my team is so creative and innovative. I learn from them everyday. Learn from everyone around you.

Open Mindedness. I am open to risks creatively. We are always looking at the latest technology around new product creation techniques. The designs we have taken the biggest risks with often end up being my favorite.

Personal Growth. Push through the uncomfortable, do the things that you don’t want to do because you know it’s the right thing.

Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. The premise of this series assumes that our society still feels uncomfortable with strong women. Why do you think this is so?

Strong women threaten patrictical standards. Our society is used to men leading. It makes some men feel uncomfortable because they think women are taking away their jobs and opportunity. The truth is, the best person should win out right, regardless of gender. It’s better for society and humanity. Men no longer have the monopoly they once did. It’s time to get on board or get out of the way.

Without saying any names, can you share a story from your own experience that illustrates this idea?

In our early days starting out with Teddy Fresh I had a manufacturer that always asked to talk to my husband. I assume because they thought he must be the one in charge. I found it mostly amusing at the time. My husband would write them back and say talk to my wife, she is in charge. They eventually got the picture.

What should a powerful woman do in a context where she feels that people are uneasy around her?

Do not internalize it. We don’t have time for that nonsense. I don’t worry about what people think about me as a strong woman. It’s not my problem, it’s theirs.

What do we need to do as a society to change the unease around powerful women?

People need to get comfortable with the idea that women are capable of anything. We are going to be founding businesses and working in higher up positions. We aren’t going anywhere and it is a fact that needs to be accepted. We are not responsible for others’ comfort, we are responsible for leading by example to other women. It’s happening whether they like it or not.

In my own experience, I have observed that often women have to endure ridiculous or uncomfortable situations to achieve success that men don’t have to endure. Do you have a story like this from your own experience? Can you share it with us?

In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by women leaders that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts?

We get judged for being assertive. Unfortunately if we (women) are assertive, it can be seen as negative, bossy and overbearing. However, when men are assertive they are congratulated for landing the deal or making the sale. It’s old school gender stereotypes that we are overcoming and will soon hopefully dissolve from society.

Let’s now shift our discussion to a slightly different direction. This is a question that nearly everyone with a job has to contend with. Was it difficult to fit your personal and family life into your business and career? For the benefit of our readers, can you articulate precisely what the struggle was?

Time management. If you want to run a business and have a family, you have to be precise and organized. It’s exhausting at times but if you want the best of both worlds you have to stay on top of your time management.

What was a tipping point that helped you achieve a greater balance or greater equilibrium between your work life and personal life? What did you do to reach this equilibrium?

Understanding that each has their own importance. Being a mom and wife is fulfilling while being a boss is equally fulfilling. There is a time and place for each aspect of life. Time management is key.

I work in the beauty tech industry, so I am very interested to hear your philosophy or perspective about beauty. In your role as a powerful woman and leader, how much of an emphasis do you place on your appearance? Do you see beauty as something that is superficial, or is it something that has inherent value for a leader in a public context? Can you explain what you mean?

I respect and admire the beauty industry but I’ve personally never been very involved in it. It’s never been my interest. I dress in my style, to please myself and express my creativity without worrying about others., I don’t think about it as beauty or anything like that, I just try to stay true to myself. I don’t wear makeup, for some reason I just never got into that.

How is this similar or different for men?

I don’t think there should be a difference, some men might be into beauty more than others. Everyone should have the freedom to express themselves in their own way.

Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. Based on your opinion and experience, what are the “Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Powerful Woman?” (Please share a story or example for each.)

Follow your intuition. You have to believe in yourself regardless of what anyone says and sometimes you have to trust that gut feeling you have inside.

Be grateful for your team. They are bringing your dream to life, this is something to cherish. A good leader is only as good as their team. I’m always grateful to our employees for choosing to spend their time working with us and I want them to know they are appreciated.

Value your craft. Spend time learning about each position and the processes required to get a company to operate like a well oiled machine. Each person is so crucial in the process of getting to the one end goal that we all collaboratively desire.

Quality wins. One thing that always guides my decisions is that I always thrive to make the best product I can. If it means pushing a delivery, dropping an item or completely, changing something and/or redesigning altogether, I will do it. I only care about putting the best product we can out there. Otherwise what’s the point?

Be Flexible. Example, we opened our business and then a global pandemic occurred. We had to stay flexible and nimble with a willingness to bend without compromising our values.

We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.

Larry David! He’s a king. Why? Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm are everything. I doubt he could help our business but it would be pretty pretty pretty cool.

Last words:

Don’t be slowed down by ignorant men. If they have a problem with what I’m doing then they can step aside and be somewhere else. I have literally no time for any of that.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.