Phillip Lim
Now: Co-founder, 3.1 Phillip Lim
First Job: Sales associate
My first official job was a sale associate at Kidsmart, a California based-clothing chain for children. A friend of mine was the assistant manager and suckered me into getting a job there, to hang out with her. I believe I was 15 and a half, and had a work permit.
We started with idea of having more "hanging out time," but what I left with was the idea that "I could turn anything into something," by just having the will. Basically, in came generic kids clothes, and out went tastefully styled-up children with smiles on their parents' faces. And to this day I still see the potential in anything: You just gotta have a point of view!
NEXT: Wen Zhou
Last updated October 29 2010: 7:00 AM ET
