The Designer CEO Podcast Mod. Merchant

So you want to sell your fashion brand online, do you?
You’ve got the brand vision, your designs are in the works, and now it’s time to build that website so you can start selling online. Just add your logo, a quick About page, a few images of your soon to be styles, and watch the sales start rolling in. It’s that easy, right?
Wrong!
There’s so much to think about before you even start building your website or selling your fashion brand and designs online. If you want to reach your dream customers and maximize your sales potential there are a few key elements to consider before you take any additional steps (or any further financial investment) forward. Whether you decide to DIY your website yourself or with the help of a professional, you won’t want to miss this episode. 
I’m chatting with Laura Huebner - Founder of Dotted Design, a brand and website graphic design studio for small businesses and creative entrepreneurs. Passionate about helping brands create branding & web design to make their businesses thrive, Laura believes in simplicity, sophistication, and storytelling to help her client’s connect with their ideal audience. She has been designing for more than ten years and has worked with many fashion businesses, helping them to create e-commerce sites that both share their brand stories and always with the end customer and experience in mind. 
Laura is talking about a few of her absolute must do’s that every Designer CEO & fashion brand needs to consider before launching your very own e-commerce site. She’s sharing her expertise and tons of tips and recommendations just for Designer CEOS to make the most of your site before you even begin to build it. Join us for today’s episode, "5 Things You Must Do Before Selling Online with Laura Huebner".

Is your fashion brand ready to not just survive this holiday season, but thrive? 

Is your inventory prepped to drive those sales while still maintaining a healthy profit margin?    

We are quickly approaching the holiday timeframe and all the craziness that comes with it. You’ve been planning your marketing and advertising strategies for weeks, have got your e-commerce site all ready to go, and are laser focused on delivering the best customer service to drive those sales. You’ve got a full plan in place and are ready for those fantastic seasonal sales lifts... fast forward to the first week of December and you suddenly realize that you are running out of stock on some of your best selling styles and won’t be able to get back into them until after the holidays. Now you have to quickly revamp your marketing over the next few weeks bc you featured the styles you are running out of, you have a handful of orders you can’t fulfill and a bunch of disappointed customers, AND you just realized that you probably won’t make your holiday sales goals. 

Sounds like a nightmare doesn’t it?
Well the good news is that this scenario is all absolutely avoidable with a bit of inventory strategy. It may not be the sexiest topic but it is definitely one of the most important and relevant topics for your fashion business as we approach the holiday season. 
So I’m talking all about inventory management - sharing why inventory management is so important to your business, exactly what you need to do to prep your inventory to ensure you have what you need for the upcoming holiday season, tips for finding that “sweet spot” with your inventory, and how to make sure that your inventory is ready to both drive sales AND maintain a healthy profit margin in this episode, “How To Prep Your Fashion Brand’s Inventory For The Holiday Season”.

Are you blogging yet for your fashion brand?
A blog strategy is one of the best ways to create brand awareness and in time will generate sales for your fashion business. Blogging increases your search engine optimization, improves conversion rates, and supports content through additional channels like your social media or email strategy. 
Not to mention it also humanizes your fashion brand, is a fantastic strategy to niche down and reach your dream customer, and strengthens your relationships with new and returning customers.
In fact did you know??
Companies who blog receive 97% more links to their website.95.9% of bloggers promote their blog posts via social media.57% of marketers say they’ve gained customers specifically through blogging.60% of consumers feel engaged/positive with a brand or company after reading custom content on their blogOften the hesitancy to commit to “another” thing as a Designer CEO and independent brand owner can feel overwhelming but it doesn’t have to be. 
This week’s episode I’m chatting with Kristin George - Founder of Dotted Comma, a copywriting and content specializing in creating connections and co founder of The Edit Effect, tools to help small businesses simplify content, copy planning, and creation. 
She is a professional copywriter whose niche is working with female owned small businesses and is a big believer in the power of blogging for fashion businesses. 
We are talking all about all things blogging including why it’s one of the best marketing strategies out there for fashion brands, why you should consider blogging for your fashion business, how to create a blog strategy that will resonate with your dream customers, where to promote your blog to create brand awareness, and tons of tips for getting your blog started. Join us for this episode, “Blogging for Beginners - For Fashion Brands, with Kristin George”.

It may seem like the fall season is just getting started, but that means the holidays are quickly approaching.  
Are you and your fashion brand ready for the holidays? 

Do you have a strategy and plan in place to fully maximize all your sales and profits? 

Have you created a product, merchandising, and marketing strategy that will make your brand standout amongst ALL the competition? 

How will you make this holiday your best yet?
The upcoming months are very significant for many fashion brands and are often the difference between making or breaking annual numbers and sales goals. In fact, depending on your brand niche, the holiday timeframe could represent approximately 20-30% of sales for many brand owners, and this year will be no exception. 
With so much at stake, it’s no surprise that the holidays are often a very stressful time for many Designer CEOs. But the holidays don’t have to be overwhelming or anxiety inducing -- IF you begin before things get too crazy and hectic. Instead of missing out on potential sales because you’re scrambling to keep up, set yourself up for success by getting your brand in order and ready for the holiday timeframe NOW. 
It’s time to make sure you have strategies in place to not just survive the holiday but THRIVE during this crucial time of year. With a bit of planning and strategy, you’ll be organized and ready just in time to start seeing those orders rolling in and make this holiday your best season yet. 
I’m sharing a holiday roundup or my final must-do’s, along with a few creative ideas that you can still implement before the holidays are here to make sure you are primed and ready for your best season yet in today’s episode, “How to be Holiday Ready - For Fashion Brands”.

Not sure how to get started with your fashion brand’s business plan? 
Or scarier yet securing that financing or a business loan? (gulp)
On today’s episode I’m chatting with Bako Rambini  - former finance expert turned fashion brand strategist and Founder of Fashion Cross Functional. She’s an entrepreneur, an author, a lecturer, and truly passionate about fashion and brands. 
Bako and I met on where else but Instagram and quickly connected. We planned our first international chat (from Milwaukee to Paris -- thank you Zoom!), during which we quickly realized our many common business philosophies as well as our shared love of helping entrepreneurs successfully launch and grow their fashion brands. 
After working in the finance and banking industries, Bako knows what it takes to write a strong business plan for your fashion brand and the significance it has on your business’s future partnerships and success. Her experience offers a unique perspective and understanding of what bankers and investors are looking for when they consider funding and loans for fashion brand and she has in-depth knowledge of what you can expect as you prepare for your upcoming meeting. Between her expertise of the banking industry and her passion for fashion she knows how to bridge the gap between Designer CEOs and financiers. 
Join Bako and I as we break down the “myth of numbers” for Designer CEOs and how to overcome those fears that often come with “facts and figures”, share the importance of having a business plan and how to get started creating your very own, and pull back the curtain on what you need to know about securing financing for your fashion business in this episode, “Business Loan Basics for Fashion Brands”.

Do you trust yourself to make good decisions for your fashion business? 
Are you confident in all the decisions you make each and every day? 
Yes, of course you are trying to make the best decision possible for your fashion business and its growth. You’ve been dreaming about your business since what feels like forever, you’ve invested time and money into your fashion brand, and you want it to work. You believe in your brand and know that you are doing your very best to make great decisions for your business, but every so often you hear THAT voice. 
You know what I mean...that nagging voice in your head that challenges the decisions you are making for your brand. From the designs of your upcoming collections, you next big marketing campaign, or future business investments that you JUST KNOW will lead to more sales growth - you hear it. Sometimes it’s a faint murmur and other times it seems like it’s shouting at you - double guessing your decisions and causing endless self-doubt.  
It’s a constant struggle to know if you’ve made the right decision for your fashion brand and business and why wouldn’t it be? As a startup fashion brand, and often a one person show, the expectation to know - and perfect - every area of your business is a lot of pressure for anyone to take on and it often feels overwhelming
So what do you do when that self-doubt really starts taking its toll and makes it difficult to manage your fashion brand effectively like the Designer CEO you know you are? How do you get back to leading like a boss when it breaks down your confidence and your ability to trust yourself?
Join me today for a little real talk about what it means to trust yourself, why so many fashionpreneurs struggle with self-doubt, and tips to get back on track to lead with confidence in today’s episode, “Trusting Yourself To Know What's Right For Your Fashion Business”.