Rowan Founder and CEO Louisa Schneider on Pivoting to Follow Your Brand 'Why'
In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Managing Editor Marie Albiges interviews Louisa Schneider, founder and CEO of Rowan, an ear piercing and hypoallergenic jewelry brand with studios across the U.S. Listen in as Schneider discusses her entrepreneurial spirit and the genesis of the brand (1:00), how Rowan combines the medical and retail worlds (5:25), and her strategies for maintaining the company’s growth (7:00).
In addition, Schneider shares her learnings from pivoting Rowan multiple times, from a home-service startup to scaling standalone studios (12:20), why it’s essential to follow your “why” as a founder and CEO (16:00), and her advice to other aspiring entrepreneurs debating launching a new business (17:15).
As a hedge fund analyst studying malls, Schneider learned that the only piercing options available lacked the safety she yearned for as a mother. After researching all ear piercing options and conferring with her family, nurses and doctors, the idea of Rowan was born — to offer safe piercings, exclusively by licensed nurses, in a way that celebrates the experience as a life milestone.
With a background in finance, Schneider always had a keen interest in retailers with an eye on the consumer experience. She worked in M&A at Morgan Stanley and was an analyst on the sale of Brooks Brothers. She covered consumer and retail at JP Morgan in the firm’s Credit Portfolio Group before receiving her MBA from Columbia Business School. She then went back to Morgan Stanley and traded retail. Now a mom of three, Schneider launched Rowan in 2017 and has raised over $35 million in venture funding.
Schneider is also a 2025 Top Women in Retail honoree.
Date: September 2, 2025
Credits: Louisa Schneider
Duration: 20:05
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