Susan Towers

Entrepreneur

Serendipitously fell into it...

Kickstarter, Gilt Group, Zip Car

It's great to work with smart people on something fun that people need . It's even better when you get to work on a project that can make people feel better about themselves and their situation. I love putting the pieces of a puzzle together and connecting the dots. What's challenging sometimes is lack of resources, time and money and having to explain over and over and over (!) what you're up to!

I think they underestimate how long it's going to get to market, and sometimes they jump in and try and DO something when sometimes the best thing to do is sit back, take some time and not do anything for a moment.

Don't be afraid to close (the sale, the ask). If you're looking for advice in a particular area of expertise make sure you get the best advice you can from someone who really knows the space (e.g. patents). Know your partners' style well before you go into business with them and you've got to be able to trust them when the going gets tough.

Currently the CMO of OMHU, Susan Towers is a creative marketer and brand strategist.  She is a co-founder of NICE (New Ideas, Creative Energy) Partners (www.nicepartnership.com), which provides consulting services to brands and retail clients such as Tourneau and Cole Haan.  Before co-founding OMHU, Susan served as a senior executive at a wide range of fashion, beauty, publishing companies and advertising agencies. As head of global communications for Kiehl’s, Susan developed innovative marketing communications initiatives for the L’Oréal-owned brand.  She has worked as a CMO at creative agencies such as Assouline and Chandelier, where she ran projects for brands such as Coach, MAC and Movado. Susan also managed Bureau Betak, producing fashion shows and events for Dior, Jennifer Lopez, Viktor & Rolf, and Michael Kors (among others) in Paris and New York.  She spent two years at Time Inc.'s Fortune magazine at the height of the dot.com boom.  Susan began her career in publishing in London working for VNU Publishing, worked at two start-ups and launched a number of publications in both business-to-business and consumer markets.
 
Susan has a BA in Psychology and Politics from University College, Dublin.  She is on the board of Weston United, a New York-based non-for-profit that provides supportive housing for people who are homeless and mentally ill, and is on the advisory committee of The Moth, the acclaimed non-for-profit storytelling organization. She is an active supporter of the New York Stem Cell Foundation and is a member of Fashion Group International and Cosmetic Executive Women.  She is also an advisor to Encore Consumer Capital, a west-coast based private equity firm.

Susan's father died in 2010 after 18 months of illness giving her direct experience of the challenges of caring for an elderly parent.  When she was a child her grandmother came to live with them – and stayed until her death 18 years later.  We are all living longer–but not necessarily better. Modern medicine is extending life longer than ever before but many people are living for years with chronic conditions that impact their ability to independently complete what are known as the tasks of daily living. The democratization of design means that we all want and expect products to perform well and look better.  Why can't the things that help when you get older, look like they belong in a home, not a hospital?  OMHU is based on the belief that life is imperfect and beautiful. We offer groundbreaking designs that support people's abilities as they change throughout life. Because everyone is getting older–even you!