We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Eileen Nebhut. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Eileen below.
Eileen, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.
Venus Rising (VR) is an image and brand management resource for professional women whose style is not keeping up with their success. What does this mean? It means that we work to ensure that women have a behind-the-scenes partner that takes the undue stress, time and money out of looking good, feeling powerful and authentic in the workplace.
This represents a different approach to image consulting. Most corporate women think of image consulting and run to monthly clothes delivery subscriptions or personal shoppers who are associated with retail stores. These tactics work for some, but ultimately they are additive – throwing more clothes at women who don’t necessarily know how to wear them, don’t know what their personal brand is, and/or don’t know how to align their image with their professional goals. Venus Rising works with women from the inside out. We discover the values and goals of our clients. We find out their colors and what makes them feel good. We listen to the client to see what success looks like in terms of their non-verbal presence. And, we provide a variety of technology-driven and in-person image and branding services that allow women to do what they do best – and that allow Venus Rising to manage the rest.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
About me:
Eileen Nebhut is an accomplished image consultant and the founder of Venus Rising, a premier agency dedicated to empowering executives through personalized image strategies. With over 30 years of experience, Eileen has assisted individual executives and teams in elevating their personal and professional brands to achieve success. Her corporate-to-entrepreneur journey has allowed her to blend her professional expertise with her passion for image consulting. Eileen has worked with notable clients such as Cox Enterprises and Mitsubishi, as well as with HR leads, CMOs, CEOs, founders, and entrepreneurs. Featured in Simply Buckhead, Atlanta Trend, and Metro Atlanta CEO Eileen’s work at Venus Rising significantly impacts her clients throughout the U.S.. She is excited about the future growth of Venus Rising and is looking forward to partnering & networking with PR firms, executive search firms, law firms, professional women’s associations – and other service providers that cater to the executive clientele. Eileen’s unwavering dedication to her clients’ success is a cornerstone of her work.
Origin story:
Eileen Nebhut’s journey began in Nashville, where she grew up before attending Vanderbilt University. Her career started in publishing, working at Ingram Book and then at a professional publishing house in New York. A move to London followed, where she studied art at Christie’s and held various arts-related positions. In 2005, Eileen transitioned into a home concierge business in Atlanta, introducing her to residential energy efficiency. This led her to join the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance, where she managed business development for seven years.
In 2017, Eileen shifted her expertise from the energy sector to the financial technology sector, becoming the Vice President of a payments think-tank operating between London and Atlanta. After earning her MBA in 2020, she pursued consulting work, advising clients from multinational corporations to small nonprofits. Throughout her career, Eileen had always been the go-to resource for her friends and family when it came to dressing and shopping for clothes. Recognizing a gap in the market for image consulting aimed at professional women, she launched Venus Rising in late 2022, combining her lifelong passion for fashion and personal branding with her extensive professional experience.
Venus Rising Services:
Venus Rising offers a variety of in-person and virtual services, including our Signature Wardrobe Audit, The 24/7 Style Management Service, The Quickstart Capsule Wardrobe Service, The Personal Brand Management Retainer Service and The Corporate Styling Service. All of our services are designed to position our clients for success and are delivered in a variety of in-person and digital formats. More information on our services, our company and our clients can be found at www.venusrisingagency.com.
A Few Of The Problems Venus Rising Solves For Our Clients:
“I Don’t Have the Time To Figure Out How To Look Good!”
With demanding professional roles, our clients often struggle to find the time to invest in crafting a strategic personal brand and the associated wardrobe. Shopping, styling, and wardrobe planning can feel secondary to their packed schedules, leading to rushed purchasing and dressing decisions and uninspiring outfits that do not fit, flatter and do not fit their brand. With our services, these clients can spend less time figuring out what to wear and more time doing what they do best!
“I Want To Be Myself”
Many executives feel that they are expected to demonstrate a degree of conservatism when it comes to their attire, which can stifle individual expression. Our clients want to bring elements of their personality into their look, but often feel limited by professional expectations, particularly in male-dominated industries where appearance is closely scrutinized. We help clients build a bridge between their authentic selves and the environments in which they work.
“I Don’t Know How To Elevate My Look…In A Consistent Way”
Executives know that consistency is critical, in business and personal branding, but achieving it can be challenging. They may struggle with curating outfits that not only meet workplace expectations but also consistently communicate confidence, competence, and approachability. Sometimes it’s a matter of an out-of-date wardrobe, a wardrobe that no longer fits (literally or figuratively), a wardrobe that’s not age-appropriate – or it could just be a matter of not knowing how to wear what they own and feeling stuck. Venus Rising gets people un-stuck and feeling confident about their non-verbal image.
“The Age Thing”
Age and body changes are common realities that can make it difficult to feel confident. Executives often face the frustration of wanting a polished, modern look while feeling self-conscious about specific areas of their bodies or unsure about evolving style options. To be blunt, most retailers don’t cater to a clientele over the age of 25 – so it’s not surprising our clients have experienced confusion! Never fear – Venus Rising helps clients find their way through the maze of trends to discover looks that ensure they feel comfortable and confident in their own (non-25-year-old) skin.
“How Do I Go From Board Meeting To Tech Startup Meeting To Dinner With Friends?”
Creating looks that will manage the transition between networking events, board meetings and more casual settings requires having a brand strategy, knowing your colors and knowing how to ‘pair & wear’ what’s in your closet. Without these things, executives can find it challenging to adjust their appearance appropriately for different situations while maintaining a cohesive style that feels authentic. Working with Venus Rising means that clients have the strategy, they have their colors and we put together the outfits for them that make appearances in multiple arenas as easy as a walk in the park.
The work we do at Venus Rising is so impactful. I am passionate about empowering our clients – and we do this by being their brand manager that’s in the background that frees them up to do what they are good at doing and leaves the rest to us. As a style architect, I teach professionals and entrepreneurs how to align their personal and professional brands using clothes as a tool. My goal is to help people show up as their most confident, empowered selves so that their non-verbal brand does not get in the way of their success. I believe portraying confidence and power does not require being a fashion guru or fitting a specific body type. Instead, I focus on helping clients utilize a branding partner who understands their lifestyle, body type, and budget, ensuring they feel and look their best.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
I had to unlearn the notion that ‘we shouldn’t be too focused on our appearance’. That we should be skeptical of the importance of first impressions – because it’s only our knowledge and experience that matter and not the way we look.
We live in a society where first impressions are made in seconds and women are judged more harshly than men when it comes to our appearances. Caring about the way we present ourselves does not mean that we are fashionistas, or that we spend our weekends shopping. Caring about our personal brand simply gives us a lever that we can avail ourselves of that helps ensure we are seen, understood and remembered for our expertise and that we are not overlooked because our appearance is ‘in the way’ of our success.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
It’s a simple one.
I am 6’2″. While this might sound great to some, it is something to be managed. If you are a sports star or a super model, height like this is a great positive! But, if you are neither of these, it is a benefit, to be sure, but it also complicates my professional relationships with men in the workplace,
I was over 6′ tall in grade school. So, I’ve been taller than my male and female counterparts …forever. Roughly 1% of women in the U.S. are over 6′ tall, and the average height of men is 5’9″. What does this fact have to do with my resilience? I had to develop thick skin and embrace my height – from a very early age. Height, unlike a lot of other characteristics, is something that cannot be changed. Today, I walk into every room being 6’3″ at a minimum (depending on the shoes I’m wearing). I am not an expert on the male ego by any means, but I could write a book on the questions men have asked and the comments men have made about my height over the years. Sometimes these interactions have left me feeling less feminine than I’d like. They have left me feeling ‘other’. ‘unusual’, ‘not ideal’. Dealing with this was hard – and still is at times.
Resilience comes with acceptance of who we are, with love for ourselves, and with empathy for others who may see things differently.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.venusrisingagency.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/venusrising.agency/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/venusrisingagency
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eileennebhut/
Image Credits
Sarah Eaves