In this episode of Women in Retail Talks, Women in Retail Leadership Circle Digital Content Manager Kristina Stidham interviews Mei Xu, founder and CEO of Yes She May, an e-commerce marketplace empowering female entrepreneurs. Listen in as Xu discusses her career in retail, her inspiration to launch the marketplace, and how starting Yes She May has been different from what she’s done before in her career.

In addition, Xu shares how Yes She May supports its female sellers with various global commerce processes, such as logistics and marketing; how the online marketplace curates the female-owned brands featured on its site; and why she feels the the company is meeting consumer demand for socially conscious shopping. Xu discusses Yes She May’s founder-first method to highlight its women sellers’ stories, why it’s important to her to help other women-owned businesses grow, and what woman inspires her right now. Lastly, she shares some of her personal favorite products sold on Yes She May, how interested women entrepreneurs can contact her at mei@meixu.com to get involved, and her goal to launch into the Chinese market in 2021.

Drawing upon more than two decades of experience as a brand architect, consumer product designer, global manufacturer, and successful CEO and mentor, Mei Xu is dedicated to helping businesses launch, grow and prosper in the U.S. and China. The founder of Pacific Trade International and its subsidiary, Chesapeake Bay Candle, she twice was named by Inc. Magazine as CEO of one of “America’s Fastest Growing Privately Held Companies.” Mei’s focus on product innovation and design, combined with her deep understanding of consumer trends and behavior, helped ensure record, double-digit year-over-year growth. Her business acumen, combined with her international network of connections, enables her to “pay it forward” by helping entrepreneurs and women-owned small businesses scale their operations. At the helm of her newest venture, online shopping startup Yes She May, which features thoughtfully curated fashion, beauty, wellness and home décor items made exclusively by women-owned businesses around the word, Mei is the embodiment of her motto: “A candle loses nothing by lighting up another.”

Date: January 19, 2021

Credits: Mei Xu

Duration: 24:36