Bethenny Frankel, 54, reveals what it would take to make her 'retire' from her business empire
But in a new interview, the 54-year-old Real Housewives Of New York City alumna admitted that it would take one major thing to make her finally give up the business empire she has cultivated since in recent years: 'a billionaire.'
And not just any billionaire, she told ADWEEK, but a billionaire with 'a big boat.'
After making it clear that her finances were doing just fine, the former reality star admitted: 'I would definitely retire — like, if I end up with some billionaire on some big boat.'
Bethenny — who put her Connecticut home on the market for $8 million last month — made the admission during a conversation on the main stage at the magazine's Social Media Week event while chatting with is chief content officer, Zoë Ruderman.
In the six years since she ended her second stint on RHONY in 2019, Bethenny has emerged as a social media star with 3.8 million Instagram followers and 2.8 million TikTok fans, and she added that she wouldn't be able to give up her newer passion.
Even if she gave up her regular business obligations to live the sweet life on a billionaire's superyacht, she thought she would still 'end up doing social media on the boat.'
In fact, she said she was even looking to hire more people for her social media team, and she joked to the audience, 'We'll hire everybody.'
Bethenny's most recognizable success, her SkinnyGirl brand, was first unveiled in 2009, the year after RHONY premiered. She began by releasing a diet book and a follow-up recipe guide, followed by an exercise DVD and an audiobook.
But the branding broke out with the release of her branded pre-mixed Skinnygirl line of margaritas.
Soon, the Skinnygirl branding had spread to a line of other popular cocktails, and the success of the diet-focused alcoholic beverages led Beam Global — now known as Suntory Global Spirits — to snatch up the line for around $120 million just two years after it was introduced.
But Bethenny saw the value in her Skinnygirl name and only sold the rights to the alcohol brand while allowing her to keep using the name for other products.
It was soon plastered across all kinds of foods, clothing, and most recently cookware lines that debuted in 2021.
The reality phenomenon expanded her empire into property flipping, which she collaborated on with Million Dollar Listing star Fredrik Eklund for the single-season reality series Bethenny & Fredrik, which aired from 2017 to 2018.
Bethenny urged influencers chasing her success to 'be honest' and 'authentic' and avoid 'kissing the a** of brands that don't notice them' for clout or deals; seen May 2 in Miami Beach
During her on-stage conversation, Bethenny — who shares her 15-year-old daughter Bryn Hoppy with her ex Jason Hoppy — gave some crucial advice for anyone hoping to have success rivaling hers: 'Be honest' and 'be authentic.'
Although plenty of brands and businesses claim authenticity in hopes of appealing to customers, she emphasized that the real thing — and not just empty talk — attracts fans.
She theorized that influencers who give fans a glimpse into their lives had become so popular in recent years because 'the world got so sick of filtered B.S.' that corporations had pumped out.
But she also called out influencers who went to extremes to pander to big brands in hopes of making a quick buck.
Part of staying true to yourself requires influencers to avoid 'kissing the a** of brands that don't notice them [or] care about them,' she said. 'They don't want you.
She compared those influencers who are desperate for corporate sponsorships to a high schooler 'trying to get the cool girl to be your friend.'
Earlier this month, Bethenny revealed that she had gotten slightly closer to her yachting fantasy after she and her daughter moved from New York City to Miami after Bryn had begged to move to the Sunshine State.
The social media star had planned a move to Florida years down the line, but after realizing that she was tired of spending much of her time in an isolating Connecticut mansion, she put it on the market and headed south.
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