Lifelong, Honest Entrepreneurship with Real Housewife Jill Zarin
In this episode of the Zimmerman Podcast, I interviewed the amazing Jill Zarin. You might know her from her Real Housewives of New York fame, but she’s also a mom and a multi-passionate business-woman, with a handful of titles to her name, including author, speaker, Vice President of Jockey Hosiery, marketing consultant at her late husband’s company Zarin Fabric Warehouse, and owner of Jill Zarin rugs.
If you know me, you know I’m a total Real Housewives fan-- it’s 100% my guilty pleasure-- so I’m so excited I got to chat with Jill! I gave a warm Zimmerman welcome to THE Jill Zarin.
Real Housewife to entrepreneur
Jill is obviously an original cast member of the Real Housewives of New York. In our interview, I didn't just want to talk about that, but I did want to know what she took from her RHONY experience that prepared her to be the entrepreneur she is today.
Jill said being an entrepreneur in her DNA, and that it didn’t start with the Real Housewives franchise. Jill started working when she was fourteen years old and hasn’t really stopped since. RHONY did, however, give her a platform to do what was second nature to her: business. Jill then shared about the competitive nature amongst the women on the show, and how she’s always been other people's cheerleader. This is one of the things I love about Jill. She wants everyone to win, and she’s generous.
When it comes to social media and sponsorships, I was curious how Jill decides what to promote, as she must have many different sponsorship opportunities. Like me, she only promotes things she likes and believes in. One of the reasons I wanted to talk to Jill is that she is honest and vulnerable about her achievements and her mistakes, which I believe her followers can relate to and helps her build trust when she does recommend or endorse a product. She won’t promote things she doesn’t like or that she doesn’t think her followers would like.
Jill Zarin Home
Jill recently launched a rug brand, which she describes as a solution-based value brand. Her rugs look luxury without the luxury price tag, because she likes a deal!
The rugs are beautiful and stain resistant, which makes a lot of sense for something you walk on! Jill wanted them to be affordable, because even though they can last for a long time, if one did get ruined or someone just wants to update their room, they can do so without feeling guilty. She also has an outdoor rug line which is great for children’s rooms and is extra durable. She’s also releasing an Americana line coming out that I’m excited to see.
In addition to these new lines, she’s also expanding with another company to do sheets, towels and bedding sets. As a solution-based brand, she’s come up with all kinds of ideas, like selling two sets of sheets in a pack, one long pillow in a king size bed in a bag, and outdoor furniture to go with her rugs. She wants to be known as a brand that creates value and solves products.
As we talked about her business, I wanted to know how she got into rug designs – if someone approach her or was it her own idea. She said she’s found that when celebrities are approached to invest in a business idea, it usually doesn’t last unless it’s authentic to them.
She was approached with the rug idea, and for her, rug design made sense. She’s been in textiles and decorating for most of her life, working with Bobby at Zarin Fabrics Warehouse for fifteen years.
The rug company came to her because of her fan base, her experience with Zarin Fabrics, and because of who she is – thinking she would make a good partner. It’s obviously going well.
She’s very involved in the design process. She knows what she wants and is involved in the details, like getting just the right color blue for her Americana rugs line.
As she begins to build her two companies under her brand, Jill Zarin Home, she said it’s a process to make it all happen and she may have to hire a creative director to help with this. Her hope is to have different lines that all go together, a Madison Avenue rug that coordinates with her Madison Avenue bedding and towels and other home décor so even if someone isn’t confident with their decorating home, they can buy an entire collection across several lines that all go together, making it easy for people to decorate their homes.
Even before her marriage to Bobby Zarin, Jill was in the textiles and fabric business during her tenure at Jockey Hosiery. She’s been an expert in her industry for years.
Secrets of a Jewish Mother
Jill’s book, Secrets of a Jewish Mother, has so many nuggets of wisdom. In it, she writes, “I definitely have a lot of money “noise” in my head. I am very aware of what things cost, and some say I am a human calculator. The only reason I got into a good college was my high math SAT score. People trust me with money and financial advice. (This is true. When Jill and I met for lunch I totally trusted her!) When I married Bobby, my life changed. Bobby was a very successful retailer and real estate investor and was very generous. But deep down I am still very insecure about money. I wanted to work. I wanted to contribute.”
I think so many women feel this way. I was curious why it was important to contribute and if she shifted her mindset from insecurity to security. She said hearing me read it back to her, it’s as if she wrote it today because it still rings true. She’s always had an insecurity with money – she was raised to believe she was smart and capable and she should not be completely dependent on anyone.
Growing up, her family often said “money is round… it can come and it can go,” and that mindset inspired her to ensure that she could go out and work if she needed to. She also likes to have her own money and doesn’t want to ask permission to buy something.
If you listened to my episode with my husband, Brian, you know I completely agree with this! We both believe women should have a way to make a living because things change, and income can afford freedom!
She also talked about how education is the most important thing to give your children. Education in school is important, but so are life skills, because they can’t buy those once they’re adults.
Jill and I then talked about another money lesson from her book. “The Jewish Mother has one rule for personal finance – ‘try not to be a complete schmuck’. A woman should always know where her money is being kept, she should know the bank accounts, the safety deposit key, she should have a file of her life insurance policies, she should know who has the original copy of her will.”
I love this because it’s true! I’m amazed at how many people have no idea about these things.
When I had lunch with Jill, I wasn’t leaving our conversation without financial advice from her, and I live with a man who was a financial advisor for over a decade! In talking to Jill about business and real estate, it was like getting advice from a big sister who’s sharing her experiences with me and who is just a few steps ahead – letting me know what to do and what not to do.
Jill explained that after her husband died, she was left with a real estate portfolio that was heavy in one area. She’s trying to balance and diversify her real estate portfolio as the market changes… and she knows she needs to surround herself with good and smart people in her life. Hearing her insights were so helpful, and I was so appreciative of her advice!
It’s amazing what grit and determination can do to help someone succeed.
Boundaries in friendship and business
We then talked about how Jill creates boundaries and trust within friendships. I would have pegged her for someone who had a strong gut feel and intuition, but she told me she has the worst intuition in this area of her life. In the past she’s often trusted the wrong people, but right now she’s surrounded by the best women. It’s in her nature to trust, and it takes a lot for her to remove someone from her life.
I was curious how this translates to her business, and she says the opposite is true. She has trusted her instincts in business and entrepreneurship, and it has served her well. With her assistants, she asks them for a two year commitment: one year to learn everything they can from her, another year to do everything they’ve learned from her and at the end of that time, if they’re ready to move on, she’ll use her whole network of contacts to help them achieve their dreams.
MORE WITH JILL
I loved getting to talk with Jill. Jill has a wealth of knowledge and experience and is generous with her thoughts and ideas.
There’s so much more in this interview, what she doesn’t like to spend money on, parenting, how it’s better to give than to loan money, her late husband, Bobby Zarin, how she has learned to navigate failure, and what she’d buy if she had unlimited money.
She also wanted to give my listeners a code for Jill Zarin Rugs.
You can use the code JZPODCAST for 10% OFF over $50 and free shipping at jillzarin.com.
