“Realize your value and establish your own boundaries. This applies to the workplace, to relationships, to family. Once I learned to value myself and my contributions, I was able to assert my needs and wants more directly, and eventually actualize them.”
Leslie Wong
Co-founder and CEO of Burgundy Fox
NAWBO Chicago was lucky enough to snatch a few minutes with member Leslie Wong, co-founder and CEO of Burgundy Fox (think Victoria’s Secret for real women with real figures), an online, subscription-based brand that markets lingerie.
Leslie received the Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award at the 2018 NAWBO Chicago Achievement Luncheon in May. The 33 visionary delivered an acceptance speech matching the day’s sophistication on the 80th floor of the Aon Building where the swanky Mid-America Club resides. In her remarks, she said: “It’s inspiring to know you are inspiring the next generation of women.”
Building a Brand for Women
“Empowering all women is at the heart of Burgundy Fox and the reason I decided to start the business,” she says. “I personally struggled with body image — sometimes I still struggle with it. It took decades to realize my own strength and value, from both a mind and body perspective. Having started down a path to self-love and self-confidence, I’m deeply passionate about encouraging and influencing other women to find their value and their power, too.”
The mission behind Burgundy Fox is driven by society’s tendency to “steer us away from looking at ourselves as a complete and valuable whole as we are,” points out Leslie. Brand mission is one big factor that sets Burgundy Fox apart from competitors.
Leslie explains, “Society dissects us into parts that need to be improved — for the purpose of profit. Burgundy Fox takes a completely different approach to marketing by celebrating the minds and bodies of women through interviews on our podcast, features of real boudoir photoshoots, and campaigns that celebrate diverse women, to portray the many possibilities and perspectives of a ‘celebrated woman’ in society. We communicate that she’s more than a fantasy and sum of parts, and inspire women to find confidence in themselves as they are.”
Confidence Changes Everything
Leslie adds: “Building self-confidence can truly change a person’s life. This is what guides our team and keeps us inspired every day.”
We asked how leading with a clear mission, rather than a company that sells lingerie, shifts the conversation for Leslie’s company, particularly at a time in history where movements like #MeToo are bringing women’s issues to the forefront.
“While speaking up together is the first step, I hope the movement continues evolving into everyday, direct action to support other women and girls,” she says. “From a macro level, I’m seeing more and more growth in women-focused communities and business initiatives. On a micro level, I’d like to challenge every woman to mentor another woman. Anything we can do individually to foster more female executives and create economic opportunity will create a more equatable and thriving society.”
Meaningful Work: Young Entrepreneurs Academy
Leslie says that while she was honored to receive NAWBO’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, it also brought to mind how much more she would like to achieve. “This award is meaningful to me because it’s a recognition of not only the hard work, perseverance, and risk that goes into starting a business,” comments Leslie, “but it acknowledges my most meaningful contribution, which is volunteering time and guidance to other women entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs, through Young Entrepreneurs Academy and my personal network of female founders.”
Baseball, Summer Movies and Leslie’s #1 Favorite NAWBO Moment
With it being baseball season, we had to ask who Leslie’s rooting for. We thought Chicago’s hometown teams would be contenders, but we were only half right. She splits her loyalty between the Giants and Cubs, but adds she will “support any activity that involves garlic fries.” (We second that!)
As for her summer movie pics, she can’t wait to see Amy Schumer’s “I Feel Pretty.” She says, “I’ve heard it’s an authentic portrayal of the stereotypes and double standards all women have experienced at some point in their lives. I’d expect nothing less than raw and real from Amy Schumer!”
We asked Leslie about her favorite NAWBO moment. She said she loved Christie Hefner’s keynote at the Achievement Luncheon. “She shared so many great lessons for entrepreneurs, new and experienced, including the importance of speaking with authenticity.”