Yahoo Lifestyle Meghan on the challenges of starting a new business: "It's a learning curve"
As the Duchess of Sussex prepares to launch her lifestyle brand, As Ever, this spring, she’s also taking the time to look back at the journey that brought her to this moment.
Speaking with People, Meghan offered some rare insight on the experience of starting her own business. “There are tons of twists and turns — even with the name,” Meghan said. “I was figuring it out in real time.”
Last March, Meghan debuted her brand on social media under a different name, American Riviera Orchard. Anticipation for the launch grew when the duchess shortly afterwards sent jars of jam with the American Riviera Orchard logo to friends like Tracee Ellis Ross and Mindy Kaling. Behind the scenes, however, there were reportedly issues with trademarking the name. Nearly a year after she teased the brand, Meghan confirmed last month that she had changed the name to As Ever, a moniker that she had successfully obtained the trademark for back in 2022.
While she faced intense public scrutiny over the trademark issues, Meghan remains optimistic. “I appreciate everyone who gave me the grace to make mistakes and figure it out and [I also learned] to be forgiving with myself through that,” she told People. “It’s a learning curve.”
In a video shared to Instagram in February, Meghan reflected on the name switch from American Riviera Orchard to As Ever.
“Last year, I thought, ‘You know what, American Riviera, that sounds like such a great name. It’s my neighbourhood, it’s a nickname for Santa Barbara.’ But it limited me to things that were just manufactured and grown in this area,” she said. After partnering with Netflix for her forthcoming lifestyle series, With Love, Meghan, she decided to make a change. “I thought about it and I’d been waiting for a moment to share a name that I’d secured in 2022 and this is the moment. And it’s called As Ever.”
She continued, “As Ever essentially means as it’s always been. And if you’ve followed me since 2014 with The Tig, you know I’ve always loved cooking and crafting and gardening. This is what I do and I haven’t been able to share it with you in the same way for the past few years, but now I can. So, as things are stating to trickle out there, I wanted you to hear it from me first.”
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