[Music]
MTV came to our high school and you had
to fill out a twenty page packet and
some of the questions were you know who
are your best friends and what do you
hate about them who's gonna be prom
queen and I said I don't know and I
don't care as long as it's not Lauren
Conrad so I knew what I was doing you
know and and it worked obviously you've
always been known to be very opinionated
and you don't hold back how is that kind
of helped or hindered you as you become
an adult and started a visitor yeah I
mean I think you know because I've
always just gone after what I want and
I've made things happen and so obviously
without that I don't know that uncommon
James but even exists you know I just
sort of I don't know I think at a young
age I just learned if I want something I
have to do it you know no one's gonna do
it for you and so I'm not afraid to you
know call it like it is and have some
tough conversations which probably
ultimately helps with owning a company
you have kids where you have the joy
which was what you started with now you
have the home where they're very
different things how did he make sure
that it all felt cohesive yeah I mean it
can be a bit of a challenge at times but
I think because all three really
represent me and my style in a sense
it's it just flows and it's easy since I
am drawn to really effortless minimal
pieces why open the store in Nashville
you know you could have opened in LA
that you know very well why here a few
reasons one being that I live here so it
was easier for me to just pop in and
actually be here and really oversee the
entire process I think Nashville is
having a huge moment right now and with
the show very Cavallari you know I went
back and forth I knew the show was
happening and I would I kept trying to
decide if I actually wanted to open up a
store or not and ultimately I decided I
should because if it's gonna be on TV I
want to have a destination for people to
go to and I'm very happy that I made
that decision because it has become a
little bit of a destination I mean we
have girls coming straight from the
airport with their luggage going this
had to be my first stop and that's just
the coolest thing in the entire world it
is on your doorstep from where you live
so you know how involved are you is it
kind of like a struggle to to be
hands-on but also not be too hands-on
right exactly
I've had to learn how to sort of
delegate and pass off some
responsibility but it is my baby it's my
first child I say and so I like being
involved and I'm proud to say that I've
had a hand in every facet of the company
I mean I I launched uncommon James in
the office in my house with one employee
to help me ship orders and that's it so
kind of look around and see where we've
come is really amazing and right now I'm
in a place where I'm just hiring really
great leaders in each position so that I
don't have to oversee everything because
it's coming too big just for me
obviously because at the end of the day
I don't
the experience I'm learning as I go and
I'm figuring it out quickly but I'm
still learning and so I need people in
here who know what they're doing what
has actually been the most surprising a
most interesting thing that you have
learned during this time Estonia
business oh man I've learned a lot of
stuff I mean I think personally just I'm
dealing with people I think it's been a
huge thing for me lately we've we're
having everyone take all of these
personality tests just because
communication is really important I'm
very direct and to-the-point and then
I'm moving on to the next thing and it's
not okay for some people some people
then they got mad at them I'm like I'm
mad at you and just so it's just
communication is key within a company
and culture we're really working on
culture right now and and just making it
a really positive warm environment you
know we have a very unique situation
because of the show the show very
Cavalleri sort of encourages drama and
gossip and then as soon as the cameras
stop I'm like okay that's done now - and
so it's hard for people to kind of like
you know separate the two almost
you know you have like cameras back into
your life we're very Cavallari what kind
of questions did you have to ask
yourself or kind of come to terms with
before making that decision to go down
that route again well it was tricky
because initially when I pitched the
show I wasn't really supposed to be on
it it was just supposed to be about my
staff um all I've and rules you know and
I would pop in and out here and there
and they ended up focus group testing in
the show I convinced Jay somehow to do
one scene for the the presentation that
we did and that's what everybody
responded to it was the scene with the
two of us and so he kind of came back
and said listen we'll do this if it's
more about your life but it was
definitely a tough decision for Jay and
I you know Jays new to this world he's
never done reality TV before he's very
private so we just decided from the
beginning that we always had to talk
about what we're both willing to put out
there and what we're not and I have to
say it's been a very smooth transition
in a reality TV for him and we've
ultimately had a lot of fun how do you
deal with that kind of pressure of
letting people see you as a as a
start-up essentially and unseeing warts
and all of what it takes to my business
it's interesting the business side of
things and showing people you know some
of those vulnerabilities that's a little
scary to me because we haven't even been
in business two years and we're
essentially still startup and it's
growing pains there's hiccups along the
way we're figuring it out but then when
we show it on TV everyone then it feels
like they can judge us and criticize us
and it's like my hang on you guys we're
still it's too hard up you know so I
don't know it
[Music]
so how big has to complete grown like
size-wise in terms of employees well um
I essentially launched or you know right
before the show aired I had about four
employees now I'm up to 85 you said that
you started uncommon games kind of from
your home right so what's that beginning
like can I get it out for that and were
you doing everything yourself
so yes I'm at a website guy who actually
lives in New York and then I had one
girl who would come over once in a while
to help ship otherwise it was Jay and I
Jay would help me he would we had a nice
little system he would print the label
he would put it on the package and I'd
go in fulfill and so um yeah you know
it's different when we had not as many
orders what does it feel like now to
like walk into the space to see all of
this happening to see how much it's
grown I how does that feel it's amazing
it's obviously one of the coolest
experiences and I feel like because
we're full steam ahead and we're going
going I don't get to really take a step
back and do it you know what actually
this is this is really cool it's
important to do I think but I also don't
want to get complacent and think that
this is it
there's just so much more that I still
want to do
what's the most important thing you
learn about yourself being able to watch
yourself grow up on screen well I think
because when I did look gonna Beach I
was so young you know 16 17 18 it's hard
enough being those ages but then having
cameras with me
you're really figuring out who you are
and I was obviously portrayed as the
and that was really hard for me so
I really looked inward and I said to
myself okay I don't think I'm this girl
but if there's a slight chance that I am
I don't want to be that girl and so I
don't know maybe in a lot of ways it
really helped me become the woman that I
am today and maybe I was going down a
path of being that snotty little brat I
think editing had a lot to do with it
too but but it did I think everything
that I've done in my life
you know obviously as cheesy as it is
it's made me who I am today so I'm
grateful for all of it all the good and
bad what do you think people most
underestimate about you and how do you
either you know prove them wrong or use
it to your advantage
I mean I'd say that people who
underestimate me I definitely used my
advantage I think it just pushes me
harder and just wants me to prove
everybody wrong um I don't know I think
some people probably just think things
have been handed to me or I don't really
work that hard but I've busted my ass
with uncommon James and you know I know
we're having a huge moment right now
this wave of success but it's not good
enough for me there's still so much that
I want to do and I'm gonna show
everybody that I'm gonna be a household
name one day on common James's and I'm
just gonna keep fighting them keep
pushing until I get there
you