Business has always been in Meghan Markle’s blood.
In a new interview, the As Ever founder, 43, fondly remembered her first foray into the world of work when she was just 11: making scrunchies from leftover pieces of fabric.
“I’d buy the remnants of fabric from the fabric store and elastics, and use my little home sewing machine to make scrunchies and sell them,” Meghan told Fortune in an interview published on Tuesday, April 8.
Now in her 40s, the Duchess of Sussex recently launched her own lifestyle brand, As Ever, with her first collection of products, including her signature raspberry jam, selling out within an hour of going on sale earlier this month. (She noted to Fortune that the majority of the products are under $20 because, “From our standpoint, certainly for me, even in the expansion of the brand, things should still feel accessible.”)
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This isn’t the first time Meghan has opened up about her early business acumen. In a 2021 appearance at The New York Times DealBook Online Summit, she shared more details on her first venture.
“I remember when I was really young, I must have been 8 or 9, I started making scrunchies to sell. I had my mom take me downtown to get scraps of fabric from the fabric stores and sell them for five bucks,” said Meghan.
Meghan recalled at the time the sense of achievement she felt even at such a young age.
“I remember the feeling of knowing that I had done something,” she said during the event, which discussed how women can reach economic and professional parity. “I had invested in myself and done this labor and been compensated for it. There’s a sense of pride that comes from that.”
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Now, Meghan is imparting her business knowledge to her daughter, Princess Lilibet, 3.
On the debut episode of her new podcast, “Confessions of a Female Founder,” which premiered Tuesday, Meghan revealed she usually works from her home office and often has her daughter on calls with her.
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“Lili still naps. She gets picked up early, and she naps … she only has a half day in preschool,” Meghan explained. “So if she wakes up and she wants to find me, she knows where to find me. Even if my door is closed to the office. She will be sitting there on my lap during one of these meetings with a grid of all the executives. And here we are.”
