A SEAT at THE TABLE: Helping business leaders grow their influence

The old saying that there are riches in niches is proving to be increasingly accurate.

As consumers demand greater personalisation, brands that meet those requests are seeing steady sales growth - as well as healthy margins.

In the past, brands grew their sales by trying to provide something for everyone.  Today, that strategy is becoming increasingly unprofitable. 

New brands that focus on narrowly defined market segments are grabbing the high margin business.  And those super narrower segments are showing great profit potential.

Identify a consumer who is under served and give them exactly what they are looking for and you will be rewarded for your efforts.

I’m Jane Singer and Welcome to A Seat at The Table.  Each week I sit down with industry leaders, entrepreneurs, innovators and authors who share their insights, expertise, experience and vision for the future of business.

This week I sat down with Amy Lipton, founder and CEO of Spitfire Petites, which focuses on providing fashionable activewear for women golfers who wear petite sizes.

Amy parlayed a successful marketing career in the tech sector into an equally as successful role as fashion innovator.

In this episodeshe’ll share how she’ positioned Spitfire Petites to compete and win in the hyper competitive activewear sector.


Before we get started, if you’d like to create winning knitwear collections then SPINEXPO is the place to go.  It’s the primary exhibition for yarns and knitwear.
The fair is a rich resource featuring well-edited, high quality collections, as well as cutting edge technical innovation. 
Not to mention outstanding  trend information that can not be found anywhere else.  You can learn more at www.spinexpo.com.  There’s also a link in the show notes.

Also checkout our website.  You can find all of the previous episodes of a Seat at The Table, the show notes, news about our upcoming Master Class series and lots of other useful information.  You can find it at www.seat.fm.

Now let’s find out how Amy built her fabulous fashion-driven activewear brand.

USEFUL LINKS

Learn more about SPINEXPO:  www.spinexpo.com

Spitfire Petites:  www.spitfirepetites.com

A Seat at the Table website:  https://seat.fm

Current Situation in Sourcing: https://bit.ly/current_situtation

SEND US A MESSAGE

THE CONSISTENT MARKETING SYSTEM

Stop starting over again each month. We'll work together one-on-one to build a tailor-made system you can repeat each quarter.  Marketing gets done - on easy mode.  Get the details about the Consistent Marketing System.

More resources for B2B marketers at our website at seat.fm

Visit A Seat at The Table's website at https://seat.fm

Getting into the fashion industry as a designer is not easy.  Staying in the industry can be even more difficult.  Especially nowadays when companies are facing so much uncertainty.

That’s gotten many designers wondering what alternatives might be available for them.
 
If you love the fashion industry but are looking for a way to pivot from some the industry’s traditional careers, then this is the podcast for you!

I’m Jane Singer and thank you for joining me on A Seat at The Table. 

This episode is part of our new Launch to Legendary series where we get to hear from entrepreneurs and innovators who have taken the ordinary and turned it into the extraordinary.  Who have built their businesses by seeing opportunities in inopportune circumstances.  Who’ve defined success in their own terms.  Together we’ll be able to learn from their experiences and be inspired by what they’ve achieved.

In today’s podcast episode we’ll be hearing how Lacee Swan parlayed her talent and love for illustration into an incredibly successful business doing  collaborations with  leading brands, as well as creating her own product line. 

And how each time she was faced with adversity, she managed to find a way to make her next move towards building a profitable business that she loves.  One where her art can bring a touch of joy and encouragement into the lives of people around the world.

This is not just a story of remarkable business success. It’s also a story of faith, of learning to be your own cheerleader, and of never giving up on your goals and dreams.

Before we get started, if you’d like to create winning knitwear collections then SPINEXPO is the place to go.  It’s the primary exhibition for yarns and knitwear.

The fair is a rich resource featuring well-edited, high quality collections, as well as cutting edge technical innovation. 

Not to mention outstanding  trend information that can not be found anywhere else.  You can learn more at www.spinexpo.com.  There’s also a link in the show notes.

Also checkout our website.  You can find all of the previous episodes of a Seat at The Table, the show notes, news about our upcoming Master Class series and lots of other useful information.  You can find it at www.seat.fm.

Now let’s hear Lacee’s inspiring story of how she went from fashion designer to highly sought after illustrator and successful entrepreneur.

USEFUL LINKS

Learn more about SPINEXPO:   www.spinexpo.com

See Lacee Swan's illustrations and products:  www.laceeswan.com

A Seat at The Table website:  www.seat.fm

SEND US A MESSAGE

THE CONSISTENT MARKETING SYSTEM

Stop starting over again each month. We'll work together one-on-one to build a tailor-made system you can repeat each quarter.  Marketing gets done - on easy mode.  Get the details about the Consistent Marketing System.

More resources for B2B marketers at our website at seat.fm

Visit A Seat at The Table's website at https://seat.fm

What does it take to create a business selling very high end, exclusive products online - without any physical retail presence?

How do you manage to standout from all of the noise and chaos on social media, let alone establish the level of trust necessary to convince customers, who are an ocean away, to spend tens of thousands of dollars on something they have not been able to touch or examine?

I’m Jane Singer and thank you for joining me on A Seat at The Table. 

This episode is part of our new Launch to Legendary series where we get to hear from entrepreneurs and innovators who have taken the ordinary and turned it into the extraordinary.  Who have built their businesses by seeing opportunities in inopportune circumstances.  Who’ve defined success in their own terms.  Together we’ll be able to learn from their experiences and be inspired by what they’ve achieved.

In today’s podcast episode I’ll be speaking with the incredible Alex Alfieri , founder of Butterlane, who along with his partner Monte Cutteridge, has turned the business of selling antique jewellery on its head and built a wildly successful business through their strategic use of social media.


This is not just a story about remarkable business success, it’s also a story about integrity, unwavering dedication and loyalty, and overcoming seemingly impossible obstacles.


Before we get started, if you are looking to develop knitwear collections that will be bestsellers - both online and offline - then Spinexpo is the place to go. 

 It is the primary exhibition for yarn and knitwear.

The fair offers a carefully curated selection of high quality yarns and knitwear that’s bursting with creativity.  Not to mention outstanding  trend information that can not be found anywhere else.  You can learn more at www.spinexpo.com.  There’s also a link in the show notes.


Also checkout our website.  You can find all of the previous episodes of a Seat at The Table, the show notes, news about our upcoming Master Class series and lots of other useful information.  You can find it at www.seat.fm.


USEFUL LINKS:

Learn more about SPINEXPO:   www.spinexpo.com

Butterlane Antiques:  www.butterlaneantiques.com

A Seat at The Table podcast:  www.seat.fm

SEND US A MESSAGE

THE CONSISTENT MARKETING SYSTEM

Stop starting over again each month. We'll work together one-on-one to build a tailor-made system you can repeat each quarter.  Marketing gets done - on easy mode.  Get the details about the Consistent Marketing System.

More resources for B2B marketers at our website at seat.fm

Visit A Seat at The Table's website at https://seat.fm

When we think of eBay we usually think  ‘that’s where you sell all of those things from your closets, basement or garage that you no longer want. It’s that auction site.'

That was how eBay started, but a lot has changed since then.  Today it is a fast growing massive marketplace where savvy sellers can set up their own online stores.  

Consider this:

• In 2020, eBay’s global gross merchandise volume reached $100 billion, up 16.9% year-on-year.  
• It ranks second after Amazon in terms of GMV.  
• And it is the fifth largest marketplace worldwide, weighing in after China’s JD.com.
• The company ended 2020 with 185 million active buyers, and 1.7 billion global customer visits per month, making it the second most visited platform worldwide.

EBay is proving that it has the ability to sustain the gains it has seen during COVID.

Yet most brands and individual sellers overlook the huge opportunities here - particularly for their growing cross border sales.

If you want to learn more about the opportunities on eBay then the person to see is Kathy Terrill.  She’s a leading eBay super seller with a 15 year history as a top eBay  seller as well as 25 years in brick-and-mortar retail.   Her website name “I Love to Be Selling” says it all.

In addition to selling on eBay, Kathy is  an eBay educator and consultant, and small business advocate, as well running the only Facebook group exclusively for eBay store owners. 


Before we get started, if you are looking to develop knitwear collections that will be bestsellers - both online and offline - then Spinexpo is the place to go. 

From trend information to technical innovation, SPINEXPO is  the primary exhibition for yarns and knitwear.  The fair provides well-edited forums featuring high quality products that are bursting with creativity.  You can learn more at www.spinexpo.com.  There’s also a link in the show notes.

Also checkout our website.  You can find all of the Seat at The Table episodes, the show notes, news about our upcoming Master Class series and lots of other useful information.  You can find it at www.seat.fm.

USEFUL LINKS:

Learn More about SPINEXPO:  www.spinexpo.com

Connect with Kathy Terrill: 

Facebook Business page: I Love To Be Selling https://www.facebook.com/ilovetobeselling
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/love2beselling/
Pinterest: https://www.instagram.com/love2beselling/
Linkedin:https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathyterrill/
Website- link to free seller tips:
https://ilovetobeselling.com/webinars-and-workshops/free-tips/

A Seat at The Table website:   https://seat.fm

Learn more about   The Current Situation in Sourcing:   https://bit.ly/current_situtation

SEND US A MESSAGE

THE CONSISTENT MARKETING SYSTEM

Stop starting over again each month. We'll work together one-on-one to build a tailor-made system you can repeat each quarter.  Marketing gets done - on easy mode.  Get the details about the Consistent Marketing System.

More resources for B2B marketers at our website at seat.fm

Visit A Seat at The Table's website at https://seat.fm

E-commerce is a tech driven channel and so when retailers look to enhance their online performance the first place they look is for more technology solutions.

However, the consumer is still a human being - whether shopping offline or online.  So connecting with them on a more personal basis is proving to be as important as the functionality that tech provides.

For a growing number of retailers, the ability to humanise their online stores is showing game changing results.

In this episode I’m talking with Lucy Norris, Head of Content at Ecrubox Digital, a  UK-based digital communications agency.

For the last two decades, Lucy has served as an advisor for a host of corporate, celebrity and non-profit clients providing strategic advice to help individuals and organizations tell their story.

Today she’ll be discussing some of the insights from a recent study that Ecrubox has done to better understand the role of humanisation in driving online sales and loyalty.

Before we get started, if you are looking to develop knitwear collections that will be bestsellers - both online and offline - then Spinexpo is the place to go. 

From trend information to technical innovation, SPINEXPO is  the primary exhibition for yarns and knitwear.  The fair provides well-edited forums featuring high quality products that are bursting with creativity.  You can learn more at www.spinexpo.com. 

Also checkout our website.  You can the previous episodes of a Seat at The Table , the show notes, news about our upcoming Master Class series and lots of other useful information.  You can find it at www.seat.fm.

Now, let’s hear Lucy’s views on why we need to add a human touch to our e-commerce stores.


Useful Links:

Learn more about SPINEXPO:   www.spinexpo.com

Learn more about Ecrubox Digital:  www.ecruboxdigital.com

A Seat at The Table website:  seat.fm

SEND US A MESSAGE

THE CONSISTENT MARKETING SYSTEM

Stop starting over again each month. We'll work together one-on-one to build a tailor-made system you can repeat each quarter.  Marketing gets done - on easy mode.  Get the details about the Consistent Marketing System.

More resources for B2B marketers at our website at seat.fm

Visit A Seat at The Table's website at https://seat.fm

Never in recent times has leadership been put to the test the way it has during the past year.

Suddenly managers found themselves not only facing unprecedented business conditions, but they also needed to work with teams that were now working from home.

Navigating these challenging circumstances was the perfect opportunity for executives to develop new leadership skills.  To learn fast, take risks and test boundaries - without the fear of failure.

Who better to speak with now as we head into the next phase of the ‘pandemic era’ than Colin Hunter, CEO of Potential Squared, which specializes in using virtual reality technology to help leaders reveal and learn from their true behaviors and habits . 

Colin is set to release the much anticipated, “Be More Wrong: How Failure Makes You An Outstanding Leader” , which uncovers the systems, habits, and practices executives need in order to develop critical leadership skills and learn fast.   

It brings together multiple concepts including The Hero’s Journey, Design Thinking Methodology, storytelling, personal resilience, psychological safety, strategic presence and the blended skills of coaching and mentoring into a leadership framework.

Before we get started, if you are looking to develop knitwear collections that will be bestsellers - both online and offline - then Spinexpo is the place to go.  It is the primary exhibition for yarn and knitwear.

The fair offers a carefully curated selection of high quality yarns and knitwear that’s bursting with creativity.  Not to mention outstanding  trend information that can not be found anywhere else.  You can learn more at www.spinexpo.com.  There’s also a link in the show notes.


Useful Links:

Learn more about SPINEXPO:  www.spinexpo.com

Connect with Colin Hunter:     https://www.linkedin.com/in/colinhunter

Connect with Potential Squared:  https://www.potential2.com/en-gb/

A Seat at The Table website:  www.seat.fm

SEND US A MESSAGE

THE CONSISTENT MARKETING SYSTEM

Stop starting over again each month. We'll work together one-on-one to build a tailor-made system you can repeat each quarter.  Marketing gets done - on easy mode.  Get the details about the Consistent Marketing System.

More resources for B2B marketers at our website at seat.fm

Visit A Seat at The Table's website at https://seat.fm

There once was a time when brands would only dabble in emerging markets.  Most brands avoided them.  Too complicated.  Too risky. Not enough potential revenue to justify the investment. 

But that’s starting to change - and that change is being driven by two key factors.

Traditional developed markets are highly competitive (every brand wants to be in these markets) and they are mature markets - making growth more difficult.  But that’s been the case for a while.

What’s changing the game is that now emerging nations are seeing impressive growth of their middle classes - in terms of percent of population and buying power.

And these are not all small nations. 

Countries like Indonesia with a population of about 246 million, Nigeria with 201 million, India at 1.3 billion weigh in terms of numbers.   Smaller markets in Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, Central Asia and Africa also have a growing consumer populations who can and will buy international brands.

Even though the numbers look enticing, entering these markets is not for beginners. New markets bring with them new challenges.  If nothing less than understanding local cultures and business practices.

So how does a brand go about identifying which of these markets could be the right market for them? And then how do they get started where simply replicating what they did in traditional markets is not likely to be successful?

To learn more about entering emerging markets I reached out to Mark Loynd, an Executive Director at Giordano International, and the group’s General Counsel and Head of Overseas Markets.

If you’re looking at how to bring your brand into an emerging market, then Mark is the man to see.  He’s been there, seen it and done it.

Mark has led Giordano’s successful expansion into nine countries in Africa, including its recent entry into Ghana, 8 countries in Central Asia, 7 Eastern European nations and many more in Southeast Asia and elsewhere.

TIME STAMPS

(4.46) Identifying the Right New Markets
(8.48) Managing Inventory across over 30 Markets
(13:47) The Benefits of a Strong Commitment to Quality
(15:26) Understanding the New Consumer
(16:19) Why Sticking to Their DNA has Paid Off
(20:03) Fastest Growing Markets

Before we get started, if you are looking to create collections for your brand that will be must-buys in new markets or traditional markets, then SPINEXPO is the place for you!  It’s the primary exhibition for yarns and knitwear.

From technical innovation to cutting edge colour and design inspiration, SPINEXPO is a rich resource that provides  well edited forums featuring high quality products, as well as exclusive trend information that cannot be found anywhere else.   You can learn more at:  www.spinexpo.com

And don’t forget to check out our new podcast website where you can find all of the previous episodes of A Seat at The Table podcast, the show notes,  plus lots of other useful information.   You can find it at www.seat.fm.  That’s seat.fm - fm because it’s a podcast.

USEFUL LINKS

SPINEXPO:  www.spinexpo.com

Giordano International:  www.giordano.com

A Seat at The Table website:  https://seat.fm

The Current Situation in Sourcing:   https://bit.ly/current_situtation

SEND US A MESSAGE

THE CONSISTENT MARKETING SYSTEM

Stop starting over again each month. We'll work together one-on-one to build a tailor-made system you can repeat each quarter.  Marketing gets done - on easy mode.  Get the details about the Consistent Marketing System.

More resources for B2B marketers at our website at seat.fm

Visit A Seat at The Table's website at https://seat.fm

Today a strong brand can be a company’s most valuable asset.

Companies who’ve done branding right have racked up massive brand valuations like Apple at $263 billion, Amazon at $254 billion,  Microsoft at $140 billion … and it’s not just tech brands.  Coca-cola weighs in at $64 billion, Louis Vuitton at $47 billion, Nike at $39 billion and Walmart at $29 billion. 

And that’s only the top of the list.

Building a brand is long term investment, but it’s one that can pay off handsomely. 

As we’ve seen during the spate of retail bankruptcies during the past 4 years, even if the business fails, there is usually a buyer who is willing to acquire the companies intellectual property - in other words - it’s brand.

But what does it take to create a brand that has the power - and value - of say Apple or Nike?

In this episode I reached out to Alina Wheeler, author of the Designing Brand Identity.  The book, now it is fifth edition, has become the definitive resource for understanding all of the touch points that create the ecosystem necessary for building a high value power brand.

Timestamps

(3:45) What is a brand?
(6:20) The importance of brand discipline
(6:55) Getting on the Brand Train
(12:04) Find your 'big idea'
(17:20) Focus on you key message
(17:55) 4 key questions to define your brand
(18:58) Building trust
(22:55) Getting content management under control
(26:05) Creating your brand signature
(27:38) Overcoming the biggest challenge

By the way, if you are looking to develop the kind of knitwear collections that consumer fall in love with the SPINEXPO is the fair for you.

From trend information to technical innovation, SPINEXPO is  the primary exhibition for yarns and knitwear.  The fair provides well-edited forums featuring high quality products that are bursting with creativity. 

To learn more, go to SPINEXPO.com.  You can also find a link in the show notes for this episode.

And don’t forget to check out our new podcast website where you can find all of the previous episodes of A Seat at The Table podcast, the show notes,  plus lots of other useful information.

You can find it at www.seat.fm. 


USEFUL LINKS

Designing Brand Identity by Alina Wheeler:    On Amazon

Connect with Alina Wheeler:    http://designingbrandidentity.info/

Alina's Twitter:  https://twitter.com/alinawheeler

Alina's Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/alinawheeler/?hl=en

SPINEXPO:   www.spinexpo.com

A Seat at The Table website:   https://seat.fm

SEND US A MESSAGE

THE CONSISTENT MARKETING SYSTEM

Stop starting over again each month. We'll work together one-on-one to build a tailor-made system you can repeat each quarter.  Marketing gets done - on easy mode.  Get the details about the Consistent Marketing System.

More resources for B2B marketers at our website at seat.fm

Visit A Seat at The Table's website at https://seat.fm

Learn more about SPINEXPO:  www.spinexpo.com

Connect with Luca Suriano:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucsur/

A Seat at The Table website:  seat.fm

The Current Situation in Sourcing:   https://bit.ly/current_situtation

SEND US A MESSAGE

THE CONSISTENT MARKETING SYSTEM

Stop starting over again each month. We'll work together one-on-one to build a tailor-made system you can repeat each quarter.  Marketing gets done - on easy mode.  Get the details about the Consistent Marketing System.

More resources for B2B marketers at our website at seat.fm

Visit A Seat at The Table's website at https://seat.fm

If you’re a brand looking for serious growth opportunities than chances are you’ve been looking at China’s dynamic consumer market.

Never before has there been a market that has offered so much opportunity.  1.3 billion people,  a huge rapidly increasing middle class, and e-commerce sales figures so massive that it almost sounds as if you’re making them up.

While the opportunities are great, so are the challenges.  If you’re entering China thinking that the same strategies that have worked brilliantly in other markets can simply be rolled out in China - you might be in for a rude awakening.

This vast digital-first market is fast moving and constantly changing.  To succeed in China brands need to start from scratch and learn to do things the China way.

To better understand how to succeed in China’s complex e-commerce market, I reached out to Josh Gardner, CEO and Co-Founder of Shanghai-based Kung-fu Data.

Josh is a senior China strategist whose helped hundreds of brands with China e-commerce launches.  His company manages a portfolio of successful flagship stores on Tmall and JD.com.  And works with clients from strategy and structure to activation and optimisation.

Before we get started, if you are looking to develop knitwear collections that will be bestsellers - both online and offline - then Spinexpo is the place to go.  It is the primary exhibition for yarn and knitwear.

The fair offers a carefully curated selection of high quality yarns and knitwear that’s bursting with creativity.  Not to mention outstanding  trend information that can not be found anywhere else.  You can learn more at www.spinexpo.com. 

I’m pleased to share that A Seat at The Table now has its own website.  You can find all of the podcast episodes, the show notes and lots of other useful information.  You can find it at www.seat.fm.

Learn more about SPINEXPO:  www.spinexpo.com

Learn more about Kung-Fu Data:  www.kungfudata.com

Connect with Josh Gardner on LinkedIn:  /joshgardner

Contacts for A Seat at The Table podcast:  [email protected];  [email protected]

SEND US A MESSAGE

THE CONSISTENT MARKETING SYSTEM

Stop starting over again each month. We'll work together one-on-one to build a tailor-made system you can repeat each quarter.  Marketing gets done - on easy mode.  Get the details about the Consistent Marketing System.

More resources for B2B marketers at our website at seat.fm

Visit A Seat at The Table's website at https://seat.fm