Talking with Bill and Giuliana Rancic is like watching the most perfectly orchestrated—and organized—jam-packed schedule come to life. We’re connecting via phone; I’m at my desk, Bill is boarding a plane, and Giuliana (forever effortlessly on-brand) is getting her hair done. But they are lockstep and on the same page with where they are going, what they are working on, and what’s next—and that includes everything from family to professional life. Today’s topic: Revision skin-care’s Elite Retreat, an exclusive “meeting-of-the-minds” industry event that offers seminars across different disciplines of aesthetics, which was held in Dallas this past weekend. We caught up with the husband-and-wife duo prior to their keynote to discuss business, working in tandem and, of course, beauty.
What made you decide to partner with Revision?
Giuliana: “We were really excited to be part of their big event. It is a great skin product. In fact, it’s funny, we were actually introduced to them by Bill’s sister, Karen. She’s been using them for quite some time. She had told me about them. When the opportunity came to be at their big event, I was like, ‘Of course I know them!’ I just love products that actually work and are effective and good. That’s why I really appreciate them. So, yes, we’re really excited about the event and about working with them.”
What is the best thing that the two of you think goes hand-in-hand with working together on any project you do?
Bill: “I think that the best thing about working together, is getting to spend time together. We love it. We have nine restaurants now together. We have a line of Prosecco that we own together. We really are best friends. We’ve been married almost 16 years now! And just love spending time together. We’re one of these couples who want to be around each other as much as we possibly can. For us, to be able to work together is a gift. It’s really a privilege.”
That’s pretty amazing. There has to be something that is sometimes challenging about working together.
Giuliana: “Honestly, the hardest thing is turning it off. Bill and I…we really love what we do. And we support each other like no one else. I think that’s why it’s interesting; Bill and I do a lot of different businesses both together, but we also do a lot of things separately. For instance, I have a clothing line on HSN; I’ve had it for 10 years now and it’s become a big fashion brand there. We have like 15 collections a year. It’s something that I work on a lot, and it takes a lot of my time.
I really lean on Bill for business advice and to help me with the brand in terms of the behind- the scenes, the business side. There’s no one I trust more and there’s no one who I know has my best intentions at heart. He’s just my biggest cheerleader and fan…but, because of that, we tend to talk about work a lot!
We have to be able to also turn it off because when we’re at dinner with our son, that is our time to be together as a family. But there will be those moments that sneak in when I’ll say something like. ‘Oh, so by the way, before I forget, how did you think that meeting went earlier today?’ Then we have to say, ‘Okay, wait, let’s talk about that later in bed or tomorrow.’ I think turning it off is probably the most challenging thing.”
Bill: Yes—definitely.
That was my next question. How do you balance work life versus personal life?
Bill: “That’s a good question. We do have certain rules and we stick to them. We do this thing where we’ll leave our cell phones in the basket so we’re not on our phones. We have the hundred-hundred rule: When we’re working, we have to give 100 percent and, when we’re with our family, we have to give 100 percent to family time. You try not to negotiate with stealing time from either, and I think that’s a lot more effective. A lot of my friends, when they’re at work, they’re sending out memes and they waste a lot of time. If you just focus and get it done, then you’ll be able to shift gears and go into that family mode.”
I like that. I’m sure you’re asked this a lot, what advice would you give to your younger self when you were starting out with everything?
Giuliana: “I realized really early on that I had to put in the work. And I really stuck to that. That is the advice I give a lot of people. I was the first one to show up at work, the last one to leave, and there were no shortcuts. There are no shortcuts. You got to do the work. If you want the big job, the big career, if you want to live out your dreams, then it is going to take time. It’s going to take a lot of effort and fears and all of it, but that’s O.K. I think recognizing that early on was huge for me. And then, I was able to really achieve the different goals that I had in my life.”
Bill: “If I can add to that, I think you also have to learn how to delegate. When I was younger, I tried to do it all myself. There’s an old saying, ‘If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, you better have the right people around you.’ I think had I done that as a younger entrepreneur, I probably would’ve achieved a higher level of success. As I’ve matured, I’ve realized that I need to have people who are smarter than me around. I don’t know everything there is to know. It’s really been very beneficial with all of our businesses having that approach.”
My last question, which goes back to skin care. How do you prioritize self-care—whether that’s sleep or wellness or fitness?
Giuliana: “Sleep is definitely something that Bill and I recognize as very important. I’m going to go back for a second to the other question. What I would tell my younger self is sleep more! Even if that means maybe not being as social on the weekend. Just relax! Relax your body, relax you mind. I was just going, going, going for so many years, and that is something I actually wish I didn’t do.
That said, in terms of nowadays, it’s still important to rest because we’re all so busy. It’s really easy to not focus on yourself. I just make sure I carve time out at least once a week and to do little things daily. Definitely at the top of my list is my skin-care regimen day and night—it’s just a little something I do for myself; I make sure I don’t compromise on that. That’s important to me.
Also, I treat myself to a facial every now and then. I go to a great place in Chicago called Northwestern Med Spa. I’m always wondering about the new things they’re doing. I like to be on top of that. Also massage! Bill and I get massages what every couple of months. We’ll do a couples massage and I think that’s nice for us to do together, and it’s relaxing. That’s one thing.”
Bill: “Also—and I’m not a beauty guru by any means—you can’t be afraid to try stuff. I was in LA recently and I got a laser facial, and I never really had a facial before. I’m 52! We are friends with Nurse Jamie out in California and she’s pretty well-known. I got a laser facial for the first time there. I have got to tell you, my skin felt pretty darn good! I was a little apprehensive because it’s like, I’m a kid from Chicago and this was quite fancy. It was nice.”
Giuliana: “I was just going to add too. Bill, you know what else we’ve done a few times that we like—that red-light therapy. I think that’s my thing. I’m always trying to learn about new things that people are talking about and what can really add true benefits to your health and to your wellness. I really like red light. We’ve done it a few times, but we’re looking into getting it for the house; I have a friend who has a portable red light with her and she loves it for her skin and is great for collagen production. We’re thinking about getting one at home. It’s just those extra things we can do to really invest in our health and wellness and, most of all, ourselves.”
