Chase Your Dreams Glynis Tao

Maggie Lord, founder of Rustic Wedding Chic, shares her journey of starting, scaling and selling her online publication while balancing motherhood. In this episode, you will learn about how Maggie started with blog writing and eventually worked with vendors in the wedding industry, diversified her revenue streams, and adopted new digital platforms to grow her audience, up until she sold the company to David’s Bridal. Maggie also talks about her current role as a strategic advisor to female-founded brands and shares her advice for aspiring entrepreneurs.

About Maggie Lord

Maggie Lord was an early pioneer in the online digital wedding media space, establishing her media company Rustic Wedding Chic in 2008. As a founder and CEO of Rustic Wedding Chic, Maggie led the company for 12 years before it was acquired by David’s Bridal in 2020. Maggie is also the author of six books. Today, Maggie has become a sought after strategic advisor to female founded brands allowing her to focus on sharing her knowledge and expertise with other like-minded entrepreneurs, startups, and small businesses. Maggie and her businesses have been featured in the New York Times, Fast Company, Forbes, Business Insider, Success Magazine, and much more.

Contact Info:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maggielordandcompany/

In this episode, Kristi Soomer, founder and CEO of ethical clothing brand Encircled, shares her insights on entrepreneurship in the fashion industry.

About Kristi Soomer

Kristi Soomer is a visionary entrepreneur and sustainability advocate known for her work as a founder and CEO of the slow fashion brand Encircled. With a background in management consulting, retail and supply chain management, Kristi brings a wealth of expertise to the sustainable fashion space. Holding both an MBA and bachelor's degree in business administration prepared her for the challenges of disrupting the traditional fashion industry.

Encircled, under Kristi's leadership has become a beacon for ethical production, eco-friendly materials, and versatile garment design. As a certified B Corporation, Encircled exemplifies Kristi's commitment to making a positive impact on the environment, her team, and her customers.

A sought-after speaker and thought leader, Kristi shares her insights on sustainable fashion at conferences, events, and podcasts, inspiring others to embrace conscious consumption. Kristi Soomer's dedication to her community, philanthropic efforts, and passion for ethical practices are demonstrated through her coaching and online education business at kristisoomer.com where she helps up and coming entrepreneurs learn how to scale their business through coaching, her eCommerce Maven podcast, Facebook community and mentoring.

Summary

Kristi Soomer emphasizes the importance of understanding your customer and differentiating your brand. She discusses the evolution of Encircled from a travel clothing brand to a versatile athleisure brand. She also shares her motivation for starting her own business and the initial hurdles she faced. Kristi highlights the value of finding support and mentoring, as well as the need to adapt to industry trends. She offers advice for aspiring fashion entrepreneurs and gives a sneak peek into upcoming projects for Encircled.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristisoomer/

Website: https://www.kristisoomer.com/

Company Website: https://www.encircled.ca/

Encircled Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/encircled_/

In this episode you will discover the journey of Canadian fashion designer, Linda Lundström. 

Linda shares her insights on embracing change, the impact of technology in manufacturing and why challenges should be seen as gifts. Join us for inspiring conversation with this true fashion innovator.

About Linda Lundström

Linda Lundström is an award-winning fashion designer, lean manufacturing practitioner, inspirational speaker, Indigenous ally, and creative director of online outerwear brand Therma Kōta.

Linda’s career spans over five decades in the fashion industry. She's well known for designing and building the Linda Lundström brand and a state-of-the-art Canadian lean manufacturing facility. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including three honorary PhDs. She was named to the Order of Ontario in 1995 and received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2013. She is recognized as a champion of First Nations awareness, ethical manufacturing practices, and a proud supporter of the Made in Canada label. Linda's entrepreneurial journey is marked by synchronicity guided by mantras from her parents and a deep commitment to social responsibility.

Summary

Linda Lundström, a renowned Canadian fashion designer, shares her journey of resilience, innovation, and spirituality in the fashion industry. With over five decades of experience, she emphasizes the significance of seeing every life event as a gift, even setbacks like her company's bankruptcy in 2008. Lundström highlights the importance of paying attention to the universe's signs and believing in one's path. Her career is marked by her dedication to Canadian manufacturing, ethical practices, and empowering Indigenous communities through the Sewing Circle Project. She also discusses the transition from running a multimillion-dollar business to founding Therma Kōta with her daughters, focusing on sustainable, made-to-order outerwear.



Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lifehackslinda

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lundstromlinda/

Website: www.thermakota.com

Today is a solo episode where we're diving into the essential habits that will pay off for your online fashion business. If you've ever felt overwhelmed by the vast world of e-commerce marketing, you're in the right place.

E-commerce marketing can be a daunting task, but fear not! Today, we'll break down five key habits that won't break the bank but will significantly impact your online fashion business.


Habit #1: Improve the Shopping Experience


Recommend Best Sellers on Your Home and Product Page

Habit #2: Show Social Proof


Display Customer Reviews and Testimonials Everywhere

Habit #3: Do Email Marketing


Collect Addresses and Send Newsletter Emails Regularly

Habit #4: Create Better Blog Content


Publish High-Value Blogs that are Search Engine Optimized

Habit #5: Improve Your Copywriting


Have a Clear Call To Action

How many of these marketing checklist items are you currently implementing on your fashion e-commerce website? 

Maybe you’re nodding with full satisfaction because you’re using all these strategies for fashion marketing already, or perhaps you feel your jaw starting to tense a little because you realize—you’ve been missing out on some key opportunities to drive conversions.

It’s okay. The truth is, every business has room to grow and improve no matter where they are at with their marketing. It’s never too late to get started on building good habits!

Resources mentioned:

Blog writing tips to help your brand stand out

Discover your fashion entrepreneur archetype. Take the quiz: ⁠⁠https://glynistao.com/quiz/⁠⁠

Join the free Apparel Workshop Community

My guest today is Sherri Langburt, CEO & Founder of BabbleBoxx and has been a pioneer in the influencer marketing space since 2007. A passion for storytelling and brand marketing, and
a desire to create an innovative social media solution led Sherri to create BabbleBoxx - the influencer marketing agency best known for its co-sampling and signature box strategies.

In this episode, Sherri highlights the significance of influencer marketing for fashion brands in today's digital landscape. She talks about what criteria fashion brands should consider when identifying potential influencers to collaborate with.

You'll learn why it's important for a fashion brand to align with influencers who resonate with their target audience. Including
what are some key considerations and best practices when negotiating partnerships with influencers.

Lastly, she talks about what are some ethical and legal considerations that fashion brands need to be aware of when working with influencers.

You can find out more about Sherri Langburt on her website: https://babbleboxx.com/ Her Instagram is instagram.com/babbleboxxofficial/

Discover your fashion entrepreneur archetype. Take the quiz: ⁠⁠https://glynistao.com/quiz/⁠⁠

Join the free Apparel Workshop Community

My guest today is Cristin Zaccareo. ​Cristin is a strategic leader with 15 years of experience working with leading luxury retail companies as well as mid- and mass-market retailers such as Estée Lauder Companies, Shiseido Company, Lord & Taylor, and Ross Stores. Cristin has a strong history of constantly finding new methods to unlock value, drive sales, and evolve business models in an ever-changing retail landscape.

​Her company CGZ Consulting strives to empower digitally native retailers to unlock their full potential through the implementation of wholesale expansion strategies.

Cristin addresses some of the common challenges clothing brands face when it comes to wholesale expansion, and how she typically advises them to overcome these hurdles.

Cristin covers the key factors that clothing brands should consider before deciding to pursue wholesale distribution.

She talks about some best practices clothing brands should take to approach pricing and margins when entering the wholesale market.

This episode is a must listen to clothing brands who are looking to expand into wholesale.


Resources mentioned in this episode:

Route to Market Roadmap

List of Inventory Management Software



Contact info:

Email: cristin@cgzconsulting.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cristinzaccareo/