Gwyneth Paltrow won an Oscar for Shakespeare in Love and then decided that wasn't enough, so she started a wellness and lifestyle company called Goop that became either the most brilliant or most controversial brand in the space depending on who you ask.
The acting career speaks for itself. Shakespeare in Love, The Royal Tenenbaums, the Iron Man franchise as Pepper Potts. She's been in massive movies for decades. But somewhere along the way she started a newsletter about wellness, food, and lifestyle stuff and it turned into a real business. Goop launched in 2008 and has grown into a company that sells everything from skincare to supplements to clothing.
Has Goop been controversial? Oh yeah. The jade egg thing, the "this smells like my" candles, the general approach to health claims that has made actual doctors lose their minds. But here's the thing: the company keeps growing. Paltrow clearly understands her audience and she's built something that people are willing to spend money on, even if it drives a certain segment of the internet crazy.
On Shark Tank she shows up as a guest shark and brings a celebrity lifestyle brand perspective. She knows about building a premium brand, she understands direct-to-consumer, and she's navigated the tricky space where wellness, luxury, and personal branding all overlap. If your product lives in that world, she gets it.
She's also written several cookbooks, including "It's All Good," and won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and a Screen Actors Guild Award along the way.
Some highlights:
- Academy Award for Best Actress (Shakespeare in Love, 1998)
- Founded Goop in 2008, building it into a major lifestyle brand
- Played Pepper Potts in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
- Author of multiple cookbooks