Meghan Markle received some sound business advice from “friend and mentor” Oprah Winfrey ahead of the launch of her lifestyle brand, As Ever.
“There are tons of things you could put your name on,” Meghan recalled Oprah telling her. “But for you and how you like to show up for people, once you figure out how to encapsulate your essence, then you’ll know.”
Markle shared those words during a recent episode of her podcast Confessions of a Female Founder, describing the exchange as a turning point. She had been considering launching a small food business, starting with the jam she made at home and often gave as gifts.
“In the beginning, I just liked making jam,” she said. “All I liked to do was just make jam and preserves. And it went from, ‘OK, I’m going to share this jam with lots of friends and family’ to ‘People really like it and it brings me joy, so maybe I can share it more broadly.’”
But even that shift felt uncertain. “I was in so much fear of failure or opinion that I wasn’t thinking big enough at first,” Meghan said in conversation with IT Cosmetics co-founder Jamie Kern Lima. The next step in the plan was modest: apply for a cottage license in California and sell at local farmers markets.
“And I had to step back and look at what I was doing and saying, ‘Am I playing small because I want to play small, or am I setting in motion playing small because I’m scared?’” Meghan recalled.
But Winfrey’s guidance prompted her to pause and think bigger, therefore take more time to launch a larger business. “It was so clear…the essence of who you are was about feeling seen, knowing that you’re enough, knowing that you’re beautiful despite what anybody would say, and putting that essence in a product that could be shared with millions of people,” Meghan said.
Meghan’s interview with Kern Lima was released one day after her own appearance on Kern Lima’s podcast. The Duchess of Sussex talked about her morning routine, if she’d ever run for public office, and what’s next for As Ever.
The first eight products for As Ever—including raspberry spread, crepe mix, and three different types of teas—sold out nearly immediately when it launched at the beginning of April. The limited edition wildflower honey was gone in just five minutes.
As Ever products, particularly the jams and flower sprinkles, featured prominently in Meghan’s Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, this spring.
“There’s so much in development,” Meghan said on Kern Lima’s podcast “It started with what I was making on my stove—sweet offerings—and then extended into what you pair that with.” She hinted that hostess gifts and hospitality items are a major focus for upcoming launches. “It’s all about small gestures and thoughtful details,” she said, teasing that fans can expect limited-edition “jam drops” in different flavors soon.
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