NEW YORK (AP) - When Bethenny Frankel first pitched her idea for a low-calorie, ready-to-drink bottled margarita to liquor companies, she got rejected, so she decided to make and distribute it herself.
“Little old me, who knew nothing about the booze business, said, ’You know what? This is a good idea. I know it. I’m acting on it,” she told The Associated Press.
Now, more than 100,000 cases of the Skinnygirl Margarita ship annually, and Fortune Brands Inc. announced Monday that it bought the brand for an undisclosed amount.
Frankel talks about her drive in her new book, “A Place of Yes,” in which she presents 10 rules to live by in life. The rules help her “keep moving forward” and “break the cycle … of inner noise that tries to hold me back,” she wrote.
Frankel place second on Martha Stewart’s version of “The Apprentice” in 2005, then returned to reality television on Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of New York City” in 2008.
That’s when Bethenny Frankel became a brand.
She now has her own TV show, “Bethenny Ever After,” as well as a workout DVD. Her first book, “Naturally Thin,” was a New York Times best-seller. And more Skinnygirl liquor is coming, including a white sangria, mojito, sweet tea vodka lemonade and a cosmopolitan-type cocktail.
There’s also a daily cleanse, skin-care line and shapewear.
In a recent interview, Frankel pointed out how quality control is important with all of her endeavors.
“I have (my) shapewear on right now under my dress and it’s riding up, and I will be calling my factory and I’ll be like, `We’re not putting this out because it’s riding up and that’s a problem for women with shapewear. This will not be on the line.’ I’m just saying I just don’t stamp my name on something. It’s something that I believe in.”
Frankel plans to write more, including a book for children and books about relationships and what she’s learned as an entrepreneur.
“I’ve learned a lot, but you can make mistakes every day,” she said.
“Bethenny Ever After” airs Mondays at 10 Eastern on Bravo.
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