CREDIT: FORBES / YOUTUBE

Ignoring the Side-Eye

Jessica Alba didn’t think she was smart for a long time. That’s because while she was pitching her Honest Company idea to investors, no one took her seriously.

“It took three and half years of lots of condescending nods and ‘good luck’ pats on the back,” she said. “But I needed people to tell me ‘no’ for me to figure out exactly what I was going to do.”

The actress, along with three investors, now own a company worth 1 billion dollars and growing. Forbes magazine took note and put Alba on the cover with the headline “America’s Richest Self-Made Women.”

READ: How Celebs Shut Down Being Told They’re ‘Not Latina Enough’

“Something I had to learn as a woman in business is to ask for help… to not be afraid of criticism and to surround yourself with really smart people,” Alba said. “I didn’t think I was smart for a really long time… and I’m not the smartest, but I try.”

With a 1 billion dollar company and a part-time job in Hollywood, who’s giving her condescending looks now?

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