There have been greater than 1,000 IPOs on the U.S. stock market in 2021. Amongst those corporations, only seven were female-led, said Jessica Alba, who took the business she cofounded, The Honest Company, public in May of last 12 months.

“I feel very passionately that there’s something that might be done on this space,” she continued, sitting in her office in Los Angeles. “And I’ve gone deep in my team in understanding how bad it’s, really, for ladies.”

She has the stats in mind.

“It’s 0.6 percent of the businesses,” she said, of female-led initial public offerings in 2021. “Over 60 percent of people that come into the workplace are women, but only around 14 percent find yourself in leadership.”

If women participated within the workforce in the identical way men do, over the subsequent five years, they may contribute $4.3 trillion to the general economy, she said she recently learned.

“Yet now we have no support system to permit for that to occur,” she went on. “Why? We’re just leaving money on the table.”

She’s actively seeking to unpack the problem.

“All the ladies that I speak to and which have helped me, all of them have families,” she said. “So, it’s not like, ‘Oh, when you’ve gotten a baby, you don’t wish to work anymore.’ That’s fake news.”

COVID-19 set women back, she added: “Because not only are women caretakers of youngsters — expected to be caretakers of youngsters — they’re also expected to be caretakers of elderly. Over 60 percent of people who find themselves taking good care of elderly are women. After which once you have a look at even the roles, I believe it’s 89 percent of teachers are women, yet most of them, if not all of them, can’t afford childcare for them to work. And so how are they speculated to be within the workplace in the event that they can’t afford childcare? Even the childcare staff, they’ll’t work because they’ll’t afford childcare.”

It’s complex, she said, but we’re reaching a breaking point.

“As we’re 50 percent of the population, what can we do to say, ‘enough is enough?’” said Alba. “What do now we have to say to say — the federal government doesn’t control our decisions? You possibly can’t control our bodies. When you’re not going to have oversight over what chemicals we’re exposed to, and there’s no standards and practices really around that in a way that ensures our health and safety, why are you then overreaching in relation to the alternatives we get to make with our health care, with our bodies, specifically as women?”

A mom of three, it was in 2008 while pregnant along with her eldest, Honor, that the actress — known for starring in Fox’s 2000 series “Dark Angel” and appearing in movies like “Implausible 4” and “Sin City” — imagined launching “clean” yet design-conscious and inexpensive baby products. She did so 4 years later, partnering with entrepreneurs Christopher Gavigan, Brian Lee and Sean Kane for The Honest Co. Transparency and sustainability, being “good for people, good for the planet,” were the brand values — common touchpoints for businesses today, but much less talked a few decade ago.

“Once I really understood the dearth of oversight on industries that make products, having to think through the human health aspect and having to think in regards to the impact on the planet, and likewise the third thing, which is basically standing for fairness in relation to equity, diversity and inclusion, after I just really understood the world around me and had that context, I then knew that there needed to be any individual to indicate that it may well be done,” she said of launching the corporate.

Honest has expanded tremendously, now offering three categories of products: diapers and wipes, skin and private care under the Honest Beauty banner, and household and wellness. With an omnichannel approach, the brand is present in about 32,000 retail locations across the U.S., Canada and Europe.

“I all the time thought attending to a revenue number was a goal, but it surely’s not,” she said of business today.

“It’s really the health of the business. And the way sustainable is the expansion? After which, how are you going to expand, whether it’s going deeper into the categories you’re in or expanding into recent opportunities? And it’s really leaning in on what makes us not like everyone else, as an alternative of attempting to, you understand, fit us in a box of being like them. And I believe the tendency, especially as a public company, is to feel like it’s essential to operate the way in which that the analysts categorize you, against the competition. But I believe the more we lean into what makes us us, the higher over time we can be, and we just have to be OK with that. And that’s a learning curve for leadership. And clearly, it takes multiple person to think that way. You wish everyone to think that way. And that isn’t going to occur overnight.”

She’s inspired by leaders who’re “not feeling like they should adhere to models that were right for corporations 50 or 100 years ago and are OK with paving the way in which and being pioneers,” she said, mentioning Jeff Bezos, who she knows personally, and corporations like Google, Tesla and SpaceX. “I all the time have a look at people who find themselves doing who’re renegades and who’re doing something that had never been done before.”

Mary Dillon, Diane von Furstenberg, Tory Burch, Arianna Huffington and Sheryl Sandberg are a few of the women she’s turned to for advice through the years.

“I don’t draw back from pulling any individual aside and asking for advice, to be honest,” she said with amusing.

Today, at 41, Alba is in a recent phase in life. She desires to make a greater difference, as a lady and person of color.

“The more we will make information accessible, that individuals know and feel empowered that they’ll make an impact, make a difference, I believe then they are going to,” she said. “They are going to vote within the politicians that stand for his or her ethics and values, they usually’ll root out the corrupt systems which are keeping us living like this.…We employ those people. We put them in those positions. If we wanted to vary, we just have to choose. But I believe a variety of people feel like we get so distracted being in fight or flight mode, just attempting to make ends meet, scraping along in society. It’s hard for anybody to get that bird’s eye view. And I believe that those systems are in place to maintain us in that scarcity, that fight or flight. And knowing that we will then say, ‘enough is enough.’”

With more diversity at the highest, “we’d probably have more people questioning practices,” she continued. “And you’ll probably have higher outcomes for all, including the businesses.”

“The individuals who get treated the worst, historically, are people living in unfavorable circumstances, people of color, primarily. And in addition women and youngsters. So, my passion has all the time sat inside the bucket of ladies and youngsters. And as a lady of color, you understand, and person of color, I can empathize,” Alba said. “In a way, it puts me in a seat of empathy and compassion as I’ve lived or my members of the family have lived a variety of these experiences. So, I’ve seen it firsthand. I’ve had a seat at that table, so I can directly relate to why it needs to vary and have the perseverance to be sure it does…That actually is one in all the the reason why I began this company. Because should you consider the people who find themselves most affected by being exposed to toxic chemicals, and the way it affects their health, it’s Black and brown communities and people who find themselves living in poverty. That’s not right. Simply because you’re not making the identical sum of money as any individual else, why are you walking through the world with unfairness? There’s no reason for it. Not this present day.”

It’s no surprise Alba’s transition from actress to entrepreneur has turn into the blueprint for Hollywood agents seeking to diversify their clients’ revenue stream. Alba is well aware. Asked what’s most fulfilling in her journey as an entrepreneur, she said it’s looking back at how much she’s achieved.

“Sitting in rooms across from my agents back within the day, and them form of being so condescending and so—” She lets out an enormous sigh. “Infuriating. And later, they then are all attempting to construct models inside their agencies to support, essentially, their clients constructing out brands or having visions around this sort of thing, using Honest as a business model to aspire to, after they mainly checked out me cross eyed, or they only form of looked down at me and kept it moving. It’s funny, some agents took credit even, who mainly laughed me out of rooms. And, yeah, just knowing that that was the start after which seeing where I’m now. It’s pretty cool.”

Personally, too, she’s entering a distinct chapter.

“For such an extended time, I used to be so tactical,” she said. “It was like brass tacks, data. That side, this very masculine side of me. And, frankly, it really served me for a very long time. That energy really protected me and allowed me to realize a lot. But I’m really fascinated by exploring the Yin, the feminine, the female, being softer, being more emotional.”

Pausing, she added, “And never feeling like I would like to do the whole lot on a regular basis. I’ve put a variety of pressure on myself. And I believe exploring the softer side, whatever that appears like, it feels more creative. It feels more gentle. It appears like there’s more self-worth and self-care.”