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Jessica Alba: Why I Love Being a Female CEO, Running My Own Business

Jessica Alba
Jessica Alba says The Honest Company has thrived as a result of her successes and failures over the years -- get details on Alba's journey as a female CEO.Jason Merritt/WireImage

As the co-founder of The Honest Company, Jessica Alba isn't afraid to get candid about her ambitions. In fact, she's well aware her opinions may not always be among the majority, and that's fine with the 33-year-old star. "I love to challenge the status quo," Alba recently admitted during an October Self magazine panel in West Hollywood held for readers. "That's been my mission from day one as an actress and an early feminist wanting equality and wanting to push the limits of what's possible."

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Alba's three-year-old business, launched after the birth of her first daughter, Honor, 6, has been instrumental in teaching Alba to learn from her mistakes. "I've learned much more from failure than success. Success is almost a surprise, like, 'Whoa, that worked?!' Sometimes you're like, 'How long are they going to believe this idea is really good?'" Alba told the Self crowd. "Failure [singles out the] people who see it through to the finish line [no matter what] and win. That's really cool and inspiring."

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Indeed, Alba's efforts have paid off. While the Wall Street Journal projects the brand to earn $150 million in 2014, Forbes estimates The Honest Company's worth at just under $1 billion in advance of a potential IPO.

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For Alba, however, the reward comes in the form of kudos from consumers. "Hearing how we change families' lives and have a positive impact [means so much]," Alba said, adding that she frequently gets feedback via social media. "I posted a photo of me at the office on Instagram, and a mom wrote, 'I have a 5-year-old daughter with severe eczema who now, because of your products, can wear shorts and run around like a normal kid.' To me, that's what it's all about."

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