People thought her idea was outlandish. They thought she couldn't pull it off. They laughed at her audacity. She didn't care. What do you get when you combine hustle, graciousness, & patience? On this episode author & professor of entrepreneurship at FIT , Emily Blumenthal, a.k.a, “Handbag Fairy Godmother” talks how she wasn't going to take NO for an answer on her quest to do what no one else had done before - build the Independent Handbag Designer Awards. Emily shares how she stumbled upon this passion and the many successes and challenges she faced building the awards show from scratch. She also talks how she was able to nurture and sustain relationships & partnerships that include brands such as InStyle Magazine, Saks Fifth Avenue, Henri Bendel, Bloomingdale's, Guess, Timberland, Singer Sewing Company, Swarovski, vitaminwater, Patron and more.  ON THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN: - Why you can’t always pay attention to the roadmap laid out for you - How Emily launched herself the world of handbag designing - The power of Linkedin & how to make the winning connection - How Emily launched The Handbag Awards - Being Audaciously Confident - The key to pitching sponsorships successfully - Balancing work and family & more! Join in on the conversation on social (@dreamsindrive) and make sure to use the hashtag #dreamsindrive. Enjoy! ***SPECIAL OFFER: GET 20% OFF YOUR SKINNY DIPPED PURCHASE BY USING THE CODE "DREAMSINDRIVE" ***: http://www.skinnydipped.com SHOW NOTES: www.dreamsindrive.com/emily-blumenthal SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER - THE KEYS: www.dreamsindrive.com/join GET YOUR DREAMS IN DRIVE GEAR:www.dreamsindrive.com/shop FIND EMILY BLUMENTHAL ONLINE:Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/handbagdesigner Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/handbagdesigner Web: http://www.handbagdesigner.com FIND RANA ON SOCIAL: Instagram: http://instagram.com/rainshineluv Twitter: http://twitter.com/rainshineluv FIND DREAMS IN DRIVE ON:Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/dreamsindrive Twitter: http://twitter.com/dreamsindrive Web: http://www.dreamsindrive.com JOIN THE #DREAMSINDRIVE COMMUNITY: www.dreamsindrive.com/JOIN JOIN THE #DREAMSINDRIVE FACEBOOK GROUP: www.dreamsindrive.com/facebook