Top 7 PROVEN Lessons from Jennifer Hyman, Co-Founder of Rent the Runway, Every Entrepreneur Should Know in 2025
Jennifer Hyman is not just an entrepreneur; she’s a trailblazer who transformed how people think about fashion consumption. As the co-founder and CEO of Rent the Runway, Hyman built a revolutionary platform that allows customers to rent designer clothing and accessories on-demand. From launching the company in 2009 to navigating through the challenges of the pandemic and beyond, her entrepreneurial journey is packed with insights that every entrepreneur in 2025 can benefit from.
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This article highlights seven proven lessons from Jennifer Hyman’s story - including her ability to pivot during crises, leverage tech, and redefine industries. You’ll also discover how tools like F/MS AI SEO Writer can help entrepreneurs set themselves up for digital leadership just as Hyman adapted Rent the Runway's strategies to thrive in a competitive landscape.
1. Understand Customer Behavior: Hyman’s Early Validation Strategy
Hyman and her co-founder Jennifer Fleiss launched Rent the Runway after identifying a key gap- women wanted access to designer fashion but didn’t want to commit to owning expensive pieces. Conducting on-campus focus groups at Harvard Business School became their first step toward validating their idea.
Lesson: Always test your business idea with real users before scaling up. Hyman’s approach serves as a reminder to make data-driven decisions.
Want to dig deeper into user feedback and trends for your business? Tools like the F/MS YouTube Transcript Generator allow entrepreneurs to collect insights from podcasts, webinars, and user interviews with ease by generating and customizing transcripts for deeper analysis.
2. Pivoting is a Superpower
The founders first thought of Rent the Runway as a rental service for occasional events, but Hyman quickly realized that women wanted flexibility, accessibility, and variety in their day-to-day wardrobes. This led to the introduction of Rent the Runway’s subscription model, a decisive shift that took the company to new heights.
During the pandemic, the company pivoted again, launching at-home lounge and workwear rental offerings to address changing customer needs. Hyman’s ability to innovate showcased the value of agility in decision-making.
💡 Insight: Be prepared to reevaluate your offerings based on customer feedback and market trends.
3. Solve Real Problems, Don’t Just Sell Products
Hyman has always emphasized her company’s mission to “democratize luxury” and reduce fashion waste via a circular economy. By providing women with access to high-fashion rentals, Rent the Runway embraced sustainability and affordability, solving not one but two real-world issues.
🌱 Stat: A report by McKinsey in 2023 revealed that 71% of consumers are more likely to choose brands with sustainable practices.
✨ Pro Tip: Think critically about what problem your startup solves and how it aligns with broader societal trends like sustainability.
4. Leadership Means Making Tough Decisions
The COVID-19 pandemic brought Rent the Runway to the brink as the demand for occasion-based rentals dropped. Hyman had to make tough decisions: cutting 50% of the workforce and restructuring the business. Despite these challenges, she led with transparency and empathy, reassuring both customers and investors that her team was committed to coming out stronger.
🔑 Takeaway: Resilience in leadership isn’t about avoiding hard choices but making them with integrity and clarity.
Explore this deeper pivoting journey directly in Hyman's interviews, as highlighted in the Wall Street Journal’s detailed discussion.
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5. Building an Inclusive and Empowering Culture
Jennifer Hyman is known for championing diversity and inclusion. Under her leadership, Rent the Runway focused not only on hiring women but ensuring that every level of leadership reflected inclusivity and empowered employees regardless of background.
📊 Stat: Companies that actively promote diversity generate 19% more revenue than their less-diverse competitors (Harvard Business Review, 2025).
🛠 Fix to Consider: Conduct frequent culture audits with tools like employee surveys or feedback frameworks to keep your workplace truly inclusive.
6. Always Be Storytelling (Even in Crisis)
Hyman’s story resonated with investors because she crafted a compelling narrative about affordable luxury, equality, and environmental sustainability. But storytelling didn’t stop at funding rounds - it extended to customers, employees, and the media throughout Rent the Runway’s growth journey.
🎤 Pro Tip: Telling your "why" sells your vision. Tools like the F/MS AI SEO Tool can help by creating engaging, consistent brand narratives that rank not only on search engines but even on AI platforms like ChatGPT.
7. IPOs Are Just the Beginning, Not the Endgame
In 2021, Rent the Runway went public - a massive milestone, but not the culmination of its journey. IPO success was followed by turbulent times as the company adapted to investor scrutiny. Jennifer Hyman pointed out that the IPO was “a means to further innovation and investment in customer experiences, not the finish line.”
⏩ Key Takeaway: Going public is a strategic step, but keeping your long-term goals clear ensures that you continue driving company growth post-IPO.
For more on Rent the Runway’s IPO journey, check out this piece by Modern Retail.
The Power of Digital Leverage for Entrepreneurs in 2025
Jennifer Hyman used innovative tech to scale her vision, and today, as digital tools continue to improve, entrepreneurs must harness them to stay relevant.
For instance, SEO is vital for visibility. But what if running SEO could be automated? The F/MS AI SEO Writer is an AI-powered assistant designed to help startups run SEO on autopilot. It creates high-ranking articles for platforms like Google, Bing, and even ChatGPT while ensuring quality through human oversight. Leverage it to scale your content strategies effortlessly.
Conclusion: The Future of Entrepreneurial Thinking
Jennifer Hyman’s journey with Rent the Runway exemplifies resilience, adaptability, and customer-driven innovation. Her lessons - whether it’s the importance of storytelling, pivoting under pressure, or solving real problems - are a blueprint for entrepreneurial success in 2025.
👀 Looking to apply these lessons? Start by validating your idea, focusing on customer needs, and leveraging technology for growth. And remember, tools like F/MS AI SEO Writer and F/MS YouTube Transcript Generator can act as your digital allies in streamlining your marketing and research efforts.
As Jennifer Hyman has shown us, the entrepreneurial journey is not without challenges, but with the right mindset and tools, the rewards can be transformative.
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FAQ on Lessons from Jennifer Hyman, Co-Founder of Rent the Runway
1. How did Jennifer Hyman test the Rent the Runway concept before launching?
Jennifer Hyman and her co-founder conducted on-campus focus groups at Harvard Business School to test the idea of renting designer clothing. This user validation helped them shape their business strategy. Learn more about her strategy
2. How did Rent the Runway adapt during the pandemic?
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Jennifer Hyman pivoted by offering at-home lounge and workwear rentals to align with changing customer needs. She introduced new services under her subscription model. Read how she pivoted
3. What problem does Rent the Runway solve for consumers?
Rent the Runway’s mission is to “democratize luxury” by providing affordable access to designer fashion while reducing fashion waste through a circular economy. Discover the sustainability focus
4. What’s one key lesson from Jennifer Hyman about leadership?
Jennifer Hyman showed resilience in leadership during tough times, such as making workforce cuts during the pandemic while maintaining transparency and empathy with her team and stakeholders. Find out more about her leadership
5. How does Rent the Runway advocate for inclusivity?
Jennifer Hyman prioritizes diversity and inclusion in her company, ensuring that leadership reflects different backgrounds and perspectives. Explore her focus on diversity
6. Why is storytelling important for entrepreneurs, according to Jennifer Hyman?
Jennifer Hyman emphasizes storytelling to resonate with audiences - whether with investors, customers, or employees. She framed Rent the Runway’s values around affordability, luxury, and sustainability. Learn about the power of storytelling
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8. How did Jennifer Hyman view Rent the Runway’s IPO in 2021?
Jennifer Hyman saw the IPO not as an endpoint but as a means of funding innovation and improving customer experiences for the long term. Learn more about their IPO journey
9. How does Rent the Runway use technology to scale its business?
Rent the Runway leverages technology to enhance user experience, optimizing everything from inventory management to subscription models. Discover the role of tech
10. What can entrepreneurs learn from Jennifer Hyman’s success story?
Jennifer Hyman’s journey is a blueprint for resilience and customer-first innovation. She demonstrates the importance of adapting to market trends, solving real problems, and using tech tools strategically. Hear her full story
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond and launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks.
