I also encourage women to start their own companies, because it's the only way to ensure that your ideas will translate into reality in the way you envisioned. There are many things, but at the top of the list is working with and inspiring people. It's great to watch our team grow, develop and succeed. The challenge of coming up with something new, season after season. Even though I have 13 different design and utility patents on Chantal from the U.S. and Germany, and even though Chantal has a unique niche in the marketplace, you can never stand still or you will fall behind.
Food preparation is one of the most basic and vital human activities.
If we can make food preparation and serving easier, healthier, more versatile and fun, we've done something important. It will be very interesting to see what happens when more female engineers break into consumer product design. I was the first woman, and the first female engineer, to start my own cookware company, so I asked questions about cookware that my male counterparts never asked. For me respect and understanding are most important, respect of other people's rights, differences and interests. This is the foundation for successful teamwork, which in turn is vital to our success.