TV Personality Kim Gravel on Building a $150 Million Brand, Staying Authentic, and Why She’d Pay $100K for Dinner with Martha Stewart
“Authenticity is the car, and connection is the gas. You’ve got to touch the hearts and souls of people. We’re connected in theory, but just because we can connect doesn’t mean we are connected.”
I had the pleasure of talking with Kim Gravel. Kim, a Georgia-born entrepreneur, author, and television personality, has emerged as a prominent figure in the American retail and media landscapes by embracing authenticity, resilience, and reinvention as the cornerstones of her professional life. Rising to prominence in her early twenties as Miss Georgia and later as a finalist in the Miss America pageant, Gravel has since transitioned into a multifaceted career that includes hosting television shows, building a multimillion-dollar fashion and beauty brand, and developing educational platforms aimed at empowering women entrepreneurs.
Born and raised in South Carolina, Gravel credits her family’s working-class values and entrepreneurial spirit as early influences on her career. Her maternal great-grandmother, a rare example of a female business owner in the early 20th century, operated a corner store by day and a dance hall by night. Gravel describes her heritage as being “rooted in the church and in the dirt”, a combination of faith and grit that would shape her path forward. Although she initially pursued visibility through beauty pageants, her broader aim was always to be seen and heard in a culture that, at the time, offered limited avenues for women’s voices.
Following her early stint in pageantry, Gravel explored opportunities in television, eventually landing her own reality show, Kim of Queens, which aired on Lifetime and positioned itself as a more affirming alternative to the era’s popular but often combative reality series. The show focused on coaching young women, often unconventional contestants, through the pageant world, offering a message of self-belief and inner strength. It marked Gravel’s first major public platform for what would become a central theme in her career: building confidence in others, particularly women and girls who feel overlooked.
That ethos extended naturally into business. At age 46, Gravel launched her first brand, Belle by Kim Gravel, on QVC. Despite having no formal background in fashion or business, she approached the challenge with the same tenacity that had characterized her early career. Her entry into QVC was unprecedented, not only did she debut with both a fashion and a beauty line, a rarity at the network, but she also secured a three-hour programming block worth tens of millions in projected sales. Yet success came with its own trials. Before she had sold a single product, a legal dispute over a trademark error led to a lawsuit that tested her financial and emotional resolve. Gravel ultimately countersued and weathered the ordeal, calling it an invaluable education in navigating the legal side of entrepreneurship.
Her growth as a businesswoman was further accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Faced with travel restrictions that halted in-studio filming for QVC, Gravel transformed her home into a production studio, pivoting quickly and effectively. The decision proved not only sustainable but profitable: her company’s annual sales doubled from $75 million to $150 million. When asked to return to in-person shoots post-pandemic, Gravel declined, insisting on maintaining the home setup that had brought her both family balance and record-breaking results. The network initially pushed back, but ultimately relented, another example of Gravel’s ability to merge personal conviction with business strategy.
Her business portfolio has continued to expand. In addition to Belle, she launched “Love Who You Are” (LWYA), a lifestyle brand that now includes apparel, beauty, and most recently, a home and holiday collection that reportedly sold over five million units at launch. These ventures are unified by a mission Gravel often articulates: to ensure that anyone who encounters her brand, whether through a purchase, podcast, or public appearance, feels better about themselves as a result.
Outside of retail, Gravel has authored a best-selling book, Collecting Confidence, and hosts The Kim Gravel Show, a podcast that extends her trademark mix of humor, candor, and encouragement. She’s also developed a live-stream selling masterclass aimed at helping others, particularly women, capitalize on the evolving landscape of digital commerce. Gravel believes this emerging space represents not just a business opportunity but a cultural shift, enabling people, including stay-at-home parents, to achieve financial independence while maintaining flexibility in their lives.
A hallmark of her public persona is the ability to turn personal challenges into teachable moments. In 2023, Gravel developed Bell’s palsy, a temporary condition that caused facial paralysis. Rather than retreat from the camera, she returned to live television, using the experience to foster deeper connections with her audience. It was, she said, a moment of raw vulnerability that reaffirmed her core message: that real stories resonate far more than polished images.
Now in her mid-50s, Gravel continues to advocate for a mindset of self-determination and belief in one’s intrinsic worth. While she openly acknowledges the societal biases she has faced, as a woman, a Southerner, and someone outside traditional elite circles, she frames those experiences not as obstacles but as assets. Her approach to leadership and sales is grounded in two principles: authenticity and connection. “Authenticity is the car,” she says, “and connection is the gas.”
Gravel’s career trajectory defies linear categorization. From reality television to high-stakes retail, from public speaking to private mentorship, her work spans formats and industries but remains unified by a clear purpose: helping others see value in themselves. Her long-standing aspiration to have a dinner with Martha Stewart, whom she admires for her blend of elegance and enterprise, speaks to Gravel’s own ethos: a belief in the power of reinvention, and in building a life rooted not in perfection, but in purpose.
Yitzi: Kim Gravel, it’s such an honor to meet you. Before we dive in deep, our readers would love to learn about Kim Gravel’s origin story. Can you share with us the story of your childhood and how you grew up, and then the seeds that led to everything that came after?
Kim: I’m from South Carolina. My grandfather on my dad’s side was a preacher, and my mom’s father was a tobacco farmer. I always say my roots are in the church and in the dirt. I came from real hardworking, simple, God-fearing people.
It’s funny because your history really does tell the story of where you’re going. I never knew that my great-grandmother was an entrepreneur. Back then, women just didn’t work, much less start businesses. But she had a gas station, a little mart on the corner that she opened. During the day, she sold candy, gas, peanuts, popcorn — all the things. Then at night, she turned it into a dance hall. She’d sell tickets, people would come, there was a jukebox, and they’d dance. I didn’t even know that until I started my business at 46. So entrepreneurialism and that kind of inspiration has been in our DNA, especially in the line of the women, which is really rare to find.
Like any young girl, I started chasing dreams. I did some beauty pageants, was Miss Georgia, and went to Miss America. Honestly, there was no American Idol back then. To get your message out, to get your voice heard, and to pay for college, that’s what girls did. I was an ugly duckling — I worked with what I had, you know what I’m saying? I shined through my personality.
That led me to television, and television eventually led me to entrepreneurship, which is probably where I should’ve been all along. But life is a journey, and it unfolds when it’s meant to. I started my very first business at 46.
Yitzi: Unbelievable. So tell us the story. Tell us how it started, the story behind it.
Kim: I’ll never forget — I had two small children because I’d given up on my dream. I thought, “This is it, I’m just going to be a housewife.” Not that that’s bad, it just wasn’t where I saw my life going. I had my kids when I was 36 and 38. I was a stay-at-home mom, and I’m a worker, I love to work. I remember sitting there thinking, “I can’t do this for the next 18 years. I’ve got to do something.”
My husband said, “Oh Lord, she’s bored,” and told me, “You’ve always dabbled in TV. You should try to do a reality show.”
I said, “About what?” He goes, “I don’t know, just film something and send it out.” I think he just wanted me to stay busy. So I went down to my basement and filmed this little two-minute segment where I talked about being 50 pounds overweight and wanting more out of life. It didn’t really have a clear purpose, but I sent it out to about 400 producers.
And you might ask, “How did you find the producers’ names?” I googled them. I always say Google and God can take you far. So I did the research, sent out that two-minute video, and I got a callback from this kid in LA. He was 16 years old.
Yes, 16. His name was Oliver Bogner. He said, “I want to shop this as a reality TV show.” He was way ahead of his time, like a savant, a genius. And he and I set out to pitch a show. A year and a half later, we did it. He hadn’t even graduated high school yet.
Now he’s hugely successful, works in finance, just a brilliant guy. And that really started everything for me.
We created a reality show called Kim of Queens. We worked with young girls — it was kind of the antidote to Dance Moms. Dance Moms would air, and then Kim of Queens would come on right after. Our show had an empowering message for young girls who didn’t necessarily look like they belonged in pageants or weren’t the “typical” type. It was all about showing them they could do anything they set their minds to.
I always say it was the message behind that show that really connected with people. That’s when I realized I had something to say.
It’s funny how careers happen. Everybody wants success, but if people would just be authentically who they are, nine times out of ten, success will find you right where you are — being exactly who you were created to be.
So after Kim of Queens, I wanted to keep empowering women and building up young girls. I decided to start a clothing line and go to QVC. People had told me, “You’d be a great host on QVC.” And I said, “I’m not going to be a host. I’m going to start a brand.”
So my husband and I took every penny we had and invested it into the company. I was 46. So much for an overnight success, right?
Yitzi: Well, but now you’re probably 47. (Laughs)
Kim: Exactly, exactly. How did you know? More like 54. But yeah, there’s something to be said for getting comfortable with who you are and where you’re at. It’s amazing how the right thing finds you.
Yitzi: So many people get typecast in their own lives. They think, “How could I do a clothing line? I’m an accountant,” or whatever it is. How did you find the power to break through your own typecasting?
Kim: You know what? I used to say this in meetings — and I still do sometimes — but I get typecast a lot. I’m a woman, I’m older, and I’m Southern. And a lot of people equate Southern with dumb.
So anytime I go into meetings with these highfalutin, big college degree folks, I can feel it. I remember this one young guy, he was 33, a Harvard graduate, a lawyer. He goes, “Well, I’m a Harvard graduate,” and I said, “That’s fantastic.” But I could tell by the way he was talking to me that he didn’t think I was as bright as him.
Then at one point he said, “You know what, Kim? You’re really smart.” And I said, “Well, I know you’re smart too.”
He goes, “Oh, why? Because of where I went to school?”
I said, “No, because you think I am.”
If you think I’m dumb, then I know you’re not as smart as you think. But if you think I’m smart, that tells me you’re smart too.
I’ve been typecast my whole life, and I’ve learned to embrace that. I’ve learned how to be an obvious underdog, and I play that role well. A lot of times, what’s meant to harm you actually ends up serving you.
That’s how I look at life — if she can do it, if he can do it, if I can do it, then that’s part of my purpose and calling.
It’s really a mindset.
And I’ll say this too — a lot of people talk about gifts and talents and purpose, and I believe in all of that. But those things are about who you are, not what you do.
My gift is exhortation. I lift people up. I build. That’s what I do.
I can build in a lot of different ways — real estate, people, companies, friendships, relationships. It’s not about where you were born or what job you have. It’s about who you are.
That’s the magic. That’s the miracle. That’s the X factor.
And if you’ve got that, it doesn’t matter what other people say, or what box they try to put you in. You can do so many different things — as long as you’re doing it from your purpose and calling.
Does that make sense?
Yitzi: Beautiful, really well put. Kim, you probably have some amazing stories from your business, from all the different projects you’ve been on. Can you share with our readers one or two stories that stand out most in your mind from your professional life?
Kim: It’s mostly the failures, because I believe you learn so much more from failures than you do from success. In my opinion, they’re the most impactful if you look at them that way.
I remember this one particular thing. We hadn’t launched yet, but we had gone in, and QVC said, “Yes, we want your apparel, we want your beauty,” which is almost impossible. They had never done it before — no one had ever launched with both beauty and apparel. It’s always been one category. But I was determined to present both.
Long story short, I did. And they bought it. Not only did they want the jean I created, they wanted the beauty too. I told them I wanted seven minutes with my jean, and they said, “Okay, we’re going to buy three hours’ worth,” which at the time was upwards of $15 million in retail.
I wasn’t prepared for that. I just wanted to sell one jean. I wasn’t ready for an entire line for three hours of programming. I remember walking out of there thinking, “Oh my gosh, what am I going to do?”
I went home and started planning. A PR person came to me and said, “We’re going to put out this press release about you launching on QVC.” I said, “Great.” In the press release, there was a name with a circle R on it. It was a typo. It should’ve been a TM, but they put the circle R. I got sued for that.
We hadn’t even sold the first item. I had no money. We had invested everything into this. I will never forget when I got served — I fell to my knees. It was a frivolous lawsuit. There was nothing behind it. The company just wanted the name, and they used that technicality to come after me. You can sue anyone for anything.
But can I tell you how grateful I am for that lawsuit? I’m so grateful. I learned how to hire and fire attorneys. I learned how to read legal documents. I learned how to take matters into my own hands and fight my own battles in business. I realized I was smarter than I thought when it came to legal stuff.
Nobody won. I countersued and said, “If I have to pay, they have to pay.” In the end, neither side won. But I had a Harvard law degree–level education by the time I lived through that experience.
Do you know what I’m saying? Failures are inevitable. It’s what you do with them.
That’s just one of the many lessons I’ve learned.
When COVID hit — we would normally go up to the studio in Pennsylvania. I’d fly from Georgia to Pennsylvania to film. I remember being so tired. I had younger children, and I remember praying, “God, I can’t do this every other week. My kids need me at home.”
Then COVID hit. Everything shut down. Everyone was saying, “The business is over, you can’t go film.” But I said, “No, we’re going to build a studio in our house and film from here.”
At that point, we were doing $75 million a year in sales. During COVID, we doubled that. We went to $150 million in sales. Thank God for that experience.
Then COVID ended, and they said, “You’ve got to come back up.” I said, “I can’t sustain this. I’d have to move there.” They said, “Well, we’re going to have to cancel you.” I said, “Then you’re going to have to cancel a $150 million business. Best of luck to you.”
I was devastated. But I had to fight to stay at home, to keep filming from there. And we doubled again.
What I’m saying is, what is meant for your harm — in business, in relationships, in life — all things work together for the good if you’re willing to learn and allow it.
Yitzi: You have so many amazing projects you’re working on. Tell us about the latest things — your newest initiatives or product lines. We’d love to hear about them and support them.
Kim: Well, the newest thing we’re working on right now is kind of funny because it goes back to operating in your giftings. I’ve always said I love to build people and build businesses.
So many people come to me and ask, “Kim, how do I do this live social selling? How do I connect with people like you do? How do I make it work?”
We’ve started a masterclass to teach people how to connect and sell through live streaming. The thing is, that really is the future. What QVC has been doing for over 30 years is now the new trend — it’s just not on TV anymore, it’s on your devices, which are the new TV.
And it’s an art. There’s a very specific way to do it, to really connect with people through a lens. So I’m working on a masterclass that teaches the art of live stream selling.
I love it. I’m loving the process. I never thought I would, but the careers this is going to launch, the businesses it’s going to build, the way even stay-at-home moms will be able to provide for their families — it’s just a beautiful experience all the way around.
That’s what I’m most excited about right now, my new masterclass.
Yitzi: Wow. That’s such a fascinating perspective — that what you’re doing is enabling millions of mothers to work in a way that supports their families. It’s so true, and it’s beautiful.
Kim: It is. It’s a shame in some ways, because a lot of teachers and nurses are leaving their professions for this. But honestly, they should be making quadruple what they’re earning. Teachers should be paid at least $300,000 a year to teach our crazy kids.
What’s really happening is this wave of entrepreneurship, even right from your own backyard. And to me, that’s freedom. It’s financial freedom, but it also frees up your time — to raise your kids, to have a family, to give back to your community. It’s so fulfilling. I never imagined I’d be doing something like this.
Yitzi: What else? What other new initiatives are you working on?
Kim: We launched home last year — textiles and holiday items, including Christmas. We do “Christmas in July”–style holiday shows, and that’s been so much fun. It’s really connected with people.
The sky’s the limit. It all comes down to our mission statement, which is: whether you buy our products, listen to a podcast, or come to a live event, we want you to walk away feeling better about yourself than when you came.
I’ll do anything that aligns with that. It always starts with your “why.” I always say, “Why the buy?” Why does someone need to buy from you? If you can tell that story and add value to someone else, that’s what it’s all about.
At least for me, that’s what it’s about.
Yitzi: Amazing. Can you share with our readers one or two tips on how to be a good salesperson — how to sell the way you sell?
Kim: Yeah. I think the very first thing is this — and I told the CEO of our company at QVC, at Qurate — he said, “Oh, we just need a lot more Kims.” And I told him, “I can teach connection, but I can’t teach authenticity.”
You don’t really need more Kims. You need more people being exactly who they were created to be. That’s something you can’t teach. You’ve just got to come to terms with it and step into it.
So first of all, I would say to anyone reading this or listening: you have to be your authentic self. I say this all the time — people accept authenticity, whether it’s good or bad. We watch reality TV, even the wild, ratchet ones, because it’s real. People are being their true selves, even if it’s messy. And we’re drawn to that.
So, don’t fake it. Be you. Be your true self. Authenticity.
And number two is connection. That part you can teach.
My daddy used to say to me, “Kim, make it about other people, and it’ll inevitably be about you.” Meaning, think of your audience, your community, your customer first. How are they seeing this? What’s in it for them?
It’s not about you and your product. We’re not in the product business — we’re in the people business. It’s all about people.
And the great thing about that is, we’re all the same, just in different ways. It doesn’t matter your race, religion, background, age — none of it. Connection is connection, and that’s what we’re all longing for.
So whether you’re live selling, posting on social media, speaking in your community, or presenting at your job, connection is key.
I always say authenticity is the car, and connection is the gas. You know what I mean? It’s the fuel.
And that’s what we really crave. We’re so instantly connected — look at us right now. You’re in Baltimore, Maryland, and here we are having a conversation. We’re connected in theory, but just because we can connect doesn’t mean we are connected.
You’ve got to touch the hearts and souls of people.
Yitzi: Earlier, you mentioned the importance of telling stories when it comes to sales. How do you do that when you’re selling a product? Let’s say you’re selling a dress or makeup — how do you use a story to sell it?
Kim: It’s actually easy. We all have stories to tell — real, relatable stories.
When I’m selling a dress, I probably don’t spend as much time talking about the dress itself as I do about how I feel in it, how I look in it, or what I’ve experienced while wearing it.
For example, last year at the beginning of the year, I got Bell’s Palsy. I was stressed, overworked, and exhausted, and the whole side of my face basically became paralyzed. I thought I was having a stroke. Thank God I wasn’t.
I was off air for about three weeks, but I couldn’t stay off air much longer. People — my team, my employees — depend on me to work. So I made the decision to go on air with a paralyzed face.
Talk about connection — we ended up talking more about that than about the clothes. So many people could relate to that in some form. Either they’d experienced it themselves, or they knew someone who had. And it was real. There was no hiding it — my face was visibly paralyzed.
The stories are always there. The question is, are you brave enough and real enough to share them?
You don’t have to make up anything. We’ve all got stories. I’m sure if you and I started talking about your life — your kids, your experiences — there’d be so much there.
People often say, “Oh, my life is boring,” and I always say, “Uh-uh, no it’s not.” If you’re alive and living in this world, your life is not boring. There’s always something to talk about. There’s always a story to tell.
Yitzi: Okay, this is our signature question, and I’m excited to hear what you say. You’ve been blessed with a lot of success, and you must have learned a lot from your experiences. Can you share five things you’ve learned that would have been really helpful to know when you first started?
Kim: Oh yeah. Oh gosh, just five? I could give you a lot more, but let me stick to five.
- Number one: Decide. There’s real power in making a decision. Decide what you want, or what you’re meant to do. So many people never get started because they don’t make a decision.
- Number two: Focus. You’ve got to carve out the time to really focus on it. I know people are busy — some are working two or three jobs — but if it matters to you, you’ve got to find that focused time. In today’s world, focus is rare, but it’s essential.
- Number three: Take massive action. And I don’t just mean any action — I mean real, consistent, intentional steps toward your goal. Don’t sit back waiting for something to happen. Move. Keep moving.
- Number four: Find mentors. Find people you can talk to, watch, or learn from who are already living the life you want. I tell my son this all the time. He’s going to college to study business, and I said, “Just remember, you’ll probably be taking classes from professors who’ve never actually run a business.” That’s fine, but also go find people doing what you want to do. Ask them for 30 minutes of their time. Listen to their podcasts. Read their books. Learn from people who are walking the path you want to walk.
- And number five: Believe. Have hope. There’s so much negativity out there — so many people focused on what’s going wrong. Choose to see the beauty of the journey. It’s going to be hard. Starting a business, being an entrepreneur — it’s not for the faint of heart. But believe in your passion, believe in your product, and believe in yourself. When you do that — when you make the right decision and start moving in the right direction — help finds you. Hope finds you. The right people, the right opportunities, they’ll come to you. You don’t have to chase them. Once you’re aligned with your purpose, those things will start chasing you.
Yitzi: This is our aspirational question. So, Kim, because of your great work and the platform that you’ve built, you’re a person of enormous influence. If you could spread an idea or inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
Kim: I would say that the ground is level for all of us. And people won’t always agree with that, but we are all captains of our own fate. We can’t help what happens to us, but we can affect what we do with it. I think the movement I would promote is the idea that you have the power to co-create your life. I believe it’s co-creating it with God, but I truly believe we can create the life we want.
Now, we might not know how. We might come from trauma or really difficult circumstances. But you hear stories all the time of people who’ve risen out of hardship. That power is within us. And that’s the message I would spread, because I think it starts there. It starts with that mindset.
The movement I would lead is this: you’ve got the power. It’s already there. You don’t need to go find it, you don’t have to wish for it, you just have to tap into it.
Yitzi: Almost done. This is what we call our matchmaker question, and it works a lot of times. We’re very blessed that prominent leaders in business and entertainment read this column, and maybe we could connect you. Is there a person in the world or in the United States with whom you would like to have a power lunch, collaborate with, or connect in some way? We could tag them on social media and maybe help make it happen.
Kim: Well, I’m hovering around this, but I secretly want to have an hour and a half dinner with Martha Stewart. I’ve met her. I’ve told her this publicly. I even told her I would pay her $100,000 for 30 minutes of her time. When I said that, she flipped out her phone and started recording me. So yeah, one person would be Martha Stewart, for sure.
I think I’d also love to sit and talk with Jeff Bezos. I think he’s a great combo of intelligence and intuitiveness, all wrapped up into one. But those are the two people. Martha Stewart’s number one, though.
Yitzi: Wonderful. Kim, how can our readers continue to follow your work? How can they purchase any of your product lines? How can they learn more about the masterclass? How can they support you and get involved in any possible way?
Kim: Oh, anywhere. kimgravel.com, Kim Gravel on social media — Instagram, TikTok, Facebook. We’re everywhere. I would love to connect with anyone and everyone reading and listening.
Yitzi: Amazing. It’s such a delight to meet you. I wish you continued success, good health, and blessings. Hopefully we can do this again next year.
Kim: Let’s do it. I’m down.
TV Personality Kim Gravel on Building a $150 Million Brand, Staying Authentic, and Why She’d Pay… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.