LA may not boast a large number of Trump buildings dotting its skyline, but that may not always be the case, according to Ivanka Trump. “It’s a market we haven’t developed to date, but we’ve always been interested in the opportunities it presents,” says the 27-year-old executive vice president of development and acquisitions for the Trump Organization. “For now we’re still pleased with the performance of the Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes, where we get [one of] the highest round fees in all of California.”
Having learned the art of the deal from her father, Trump is now imparting her own brand of business wisdom in her first book: The Trump Card: Playing to Win in Work and Life (Simon & Schuster; $24.99), the scion’s no-nonsense approach to making a name for yourself in business, especially if your name isn’t already bold-faced. “I had two target readers: young people who are in the initial stages of their careers and their parents, who view my brothers and me as highly motivated, aggressive and independent,” says Trump.
Trump queries a range of business notables—from Russell Simmons and Tory Burch to Arianna Huffington and Jonathan Tisch. Mark Burnett talks about the importance of staying true to your word, for example, while Trump says she was highly influenced by Fox News chairman and CEO Roger Ailes’ thoughts on surrounding yourself with positive people. “I’m lucky in that I found the thing I love doing, but I still have a certain hunger to learn more, grow more, experience more,” she says. “I learned a tremendous amount hearing these answers from really powerful people. It would be great if others can benefit from that as well.”
