Bet on Yourself

But Melodie's entrepreneurial story began long before Max Retail. She skipped college, built a career in real estate as a teenager, lost everything during the housing crash, sold designer clothing out of a Sprinter van, opened her own boutique, and ultimately created the business she wished had existed when she was a retailer herself.

In this conversation, Anna and Melodie discuss resilience, reinvention, entrepreneurship, fashion, and why the best businesses are often born from the problems that keep us awake at night. Because success isn't about never failing. It's about having the courage to keep building

👠 Key Moments

• Why Melodie chose entrepreneurship over a traditional path
• Lessons from losing everything during the housing crash
• Selling designer fashion out of a Sprinter van, and what it taught her
• Building a boutique before launching a technology company
• The inspiration behind Max Retail
• How resale is changing the future of fashion
• Why solving your own problem can lead to your best business idea
• Leadership lessons from building and scaling a company
• The realities of starting over, and why reinvention is a strength
• How Melodie's relationship with fashion has evolved over the years

This episode is a reminder that entrepreneurship isn't about having all the answers. It's about staying curious, embracing change, and betting on yourself, even when the outcome is uncertain. Because sometimes the greatest opportunities are waiting on the other side of the biggest setbacks.

🎧 Listen now and discover why the most successful founders aren't the ones who never fail, they're the ones who keep moving forward.

Adding a chic twist to each episode, the 'I Want Her Shoes Podcast' is recorded in Anna’s stunning personal closet, strategically located near the vibrant Miami Design District. This unique setting not only provides a visually captivating backdrop but also embodies the spirit of fashion and innovation that the area is known for. 

📺 Watch the episodes on YouTube to get a glimpse of this one-of-a-kind Miami closet, it’s definitely worth the view!  https://www.youtube.com/@IWantHerShoesPodcast

Follow us for more updates:

• IWHS Pod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iwanthershoespodcast/
• IWHS Pod Website: https://iwanthershoes.com/
• Anna’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iwanthershoes/
• Melodie’s LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melodie-van-der-baan/
• Melodie’s Website: https://substack.com/@maxretail

EPISODE CREDITS:

Writer and Host: Anna Anisin

Produced, edited, and mixed by the Formulatedby Team

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